ASCENSION DAY
June 2, 2011
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: John 14:1-6

“WE CELEBRATE JESUS’ ASCENSION…”
1. Because we can trust Him.
2. Because He’s coming back for us.
3. Because He is the Way!

John 14:1-6 (NIV 1984) “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Ascension seems to be another one of those paradox church festivals. You know, like Good Friday. On Good Friday the Church gathers to celebrate the death of God’s Son. It’s called Good but the church year colors are black. The tunes and tones of many of the Good Friday hymns are dark and doleful but the message is thrilling as Jesus cries “It is finished!” and we know all our sins are paid for. At Ascension we seem to have another paradox. The church gathers to celebrate a good-bye. It rejoices that Jesus leaves in a visible way and does not grace us anymore with His visible walking around presence. And the tunes and tone is triumphant and rejoicing. What gives? God does to us in His word.
Tonight we look at some words Jesus spoke to His disciples before His death to prepare them for His death, resurrection and ascension. In them God gives to us reasons for celebrating Jesus Ascension.
The first reason is because we can trust Jesus. He says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” Oh, Lord Jesus, if only it were that easy. “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” He says. But we live in such troubling times. You go to the doctor and get the bad news about yourself or a loved one and how can the heart not be troubled? The whispers around the workplace speak of another downsizing and how can the heart not be troubled? Once again monthly income does not meet monthly expenses how can the heart not be troubled? But Jesus still says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” He was talking to men who also lived in troubling times. Their leader, their friend, says He will be arrested and killed. But He will rise. Then they won’t see Him. How could their hearts not be troubled? “Trust Me!” Jesus says.
If Pastor Waldschmidt would say, “Hey Pastor Spaude, why don’t you jump off the church roof and I’ll catch you, just trust me,” you could understand if I was a little skeptical. If he would say, “Why don’t you let the skunk out of that trap, it won’t spray you, trust me,” you would not blame me if I hesitated. Jesus says, “Trust me,” with our troubled hearts and we can. He has given us the proof. Even though the disciples did not understand all the whys and whats that Jesus was telling them it all went exactly as Jesus said and turned out great. Jesus was arrested. He did die. He did rise. And He did ascend. Everything went according to plan.
What’s troubling your heart tonight? Health issues, finances, family problems, trouble with friends, issues in government? Celebrate the Ascension with me. It proves we can trust Jesus in everything. God has a plan.
Celebrate Jesus’ Ascension with me because it means He will come back for us. “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” When hearts are troubled Jesus directs our attention heavenward. He reminds us that there is room for all. He promises that if He goes He will come back and take His followers with Him. Here’s a reason to celebrate Jesus’ Ascension. In order to come back He needed to go! What comfort Jesus’ disciples found in this truth later. Even though their hearts didn’t need to be troubled their lives often were troubled because they followed Jesus. They endured whippings and imprisonment, stoning, beating, rejection. In all this they did not deny or turn away. Jesus who had ascended before their eyes had promised to come back for them. At just the right time for each of them Jesus did.
And He will for you too. You may look at your life right now and when you add up the things that make you happy against the things that make you sad there is a negative balance. You may wonder what good you are. You may compare your life to others and feel you have the short end of the stick. If you aren’t enjoying the time God has given you on this earth, come and celebrate the Ascension with me. Jesus is coming back. For you! It won’t be at the time false prophets predict it, but personally at your death or collectively on Judgment Day Jesus will come back and you will be freed from this life that has way too many tears and begin the one that only has joys.
And you can be sure of this because Jesus is the way there! Jesus said, “You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If you were to die tonight, are you sure you would be in heaven? I am and you have every right to be sure as well. When Jesus talked about going to heaven to prepare things and to come back, Thomas said he didn’t know the way there. He found out he was staring at the way in the face. “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Sadly so many people today are like Thomas. They don’t know the way to heaven even though they should. Jesus is before them. God’s gotten His word everywhere. They need to believe in Jesus because no one comes to the Father except through Him. Regardless of the faith state of other people tonight we can look at ourselves and rejoice because we know the way, Jesus! How happy that makes us. Something that should trouble our hearts but sadly often does not is our sin. Guilt and shame are a believer’s right initial response to their sin. Our hearts at first need to be troubled over sin. Then they need to rejoice because Jesus is the way to heaven and His Ascension proves it. One of the Epistle lessons often read for Ascension comes from Philippians chapter two. You will recognize it when I read it.

Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV1984) “ Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

If Jesus had not humbled Himself He would not have been exalted. If He had not finished His work, if He had failed in His mission, He would have been left on this earth—in the grave. But He didn’t. He was obedient to death on the cross. He paid for every sin and so God raised him to the highest place, gave Him that name that is above every name. He is exalted. He is the way.
And so we celebrate Jesus’ Ascension. There really is no paradox. We are glad to see Him go. It’s like when a small town boy makes it big and the town that stays behind rejoices when he goes to the big leagues or the big city or the big whatever it is, on a grander scale we rejoice that Jesus ascended because we can trust Him, He’s coming back for us and He is our way to heaven. Amen.