Christ's Place in the Heavens

How the Ascension Gives the Believer Peace

Good Morning!

Today in the grace of our God we are blessed to talk about what our Lord Jesus Christ is currently doing for us in our present time and place. It’s easy for us to make perfunctory motions towards Christ being Prophet, Priest, and King, but it is another thing to actually live in that truth. As you look at the Catechism questions below one of the key points that should jump out at your soul is the active work our Redeemer is engaged in daily, regularly on our behalf in each of those offices. His exaltation in His resurrection and ascension is where His ministry for the Church really hits the road. The more and better we see that, the more comfort we will have in our faith. However, if we refuse to take advantage of it either by apathy or through disregarding its importance then we should not be surprised when we remain infants in understanding, and continue to fight the daily urges to just get through the next moment. The men and women of Israel who persevered through the exiles were those who knew God, and as David says in Psalm 119 when he meditates on the law, he builds strength upon strength. That is one of the goals of things like the Larger Catechism. It is a help for us to see more clearly the benefits of being a believer both in this life and in the life to come. Let’s look at our Q/A’s for this week:

Q. 51. What was the estate of Christ’s exaltation?

A. The estate of Christ’s exaltation comprehending his resurrection, ascension, sitting at the right hand of the Father, and his coming again to judge the world.

Q. 52. How was Christ exalted in his resurrection?

A. Christ was exalted in his resurrection, in that, not having seen corruption in death, (of which it was not possible for him to be held, and having the very same body in which he suffered, with the essential properties thereof, but without mortality, and other common infirmities belonging to this life,) really united to his soul, he rose again from the dead the third day by his own power; whereby he declared himself to be the Son of God, to have satisfied divine justice, to have vanquished death, and him that had the power of it, and to be Lord of quick and dead: all which he did as a public person, the head of his church, for their justification, quickening in grace, support against enemies, and to assure them of their resurrection from the dead at the last day.

Q. 53. How was Christ exalted in his ascension?

A. Christ was exalted in his ascension, in that having after his resurrection often appeared unto and conversed with his apostles, speaking to them of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God, and giving them commission to preach the gospel to all nations, forty days after his resurrection, he, in our nature, and as our head, triumphing over enemies, visibly went up into the highest heavens, there to receive gifts for men, to raise up our affections thither, and to prepare a place for us, where himself is, and shall continue till his second coming at the end of the world.

Q. 54: How is Christ exalted in his sitting at the right hand of God?

A. Christ is exalted in his sitting at the right hand of God, in that as God-man he is advanced to the highest favor with God the Father, with all fulness of joy, glory, and power over all things in heaven and earth; and does gather and defend his church, and subdue their enemies; furnishes his ministers and people with gifts and graces, and makes intercession for them.

We again are ingesting a lot of information this morning. Partly that is because it is hard to divide these questions up without taking them one at a time, and I don’t think you want to be in the Larger Catechism for the rest of your natural life. [/sarc]. Yet, as I noted last week and somewhat already in this lesson, there is much to be gained from prayerfully considering each Q/A by its own merits. The theme is Christ’s work in us, for us, and to us both now and forevermore. Whether it be the way in time His act of justification for the sinner in His gift of righteousness is applied to our accounts, or the final completion of His work of glorification at our death, and everything in between all must be seen in light of who Jesus is, and continues to be for His Church.

For example, why does the local body of believers engage in evangelistic work and why do we do so with assurance? Well, we don’t do it in order to have enough people to pay the power bill. If that is the motivation then soon enough the Lord will remove the lights from the building and we won’t have to worry about it anymore, as is promised in the catechism. He subdues His enemies for His glory, and He will not allow a Church that is worldly focused to survive. We are to preach Christ and Him Crucified so that we may see sinners, both “clean” and “dirty” ones, come to a true faith and receive the gift of salvation. We also do that with the knowledge that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. That’s where our call comes to be engaged in these labors and what we should be doing so that the elect might be drawn into the Kingdom by His means and mercy. It’s here where the exaltation of our Lord is so beneficial to our daily walk.

We get up in the morning with joy and lay our head on the pillow at night without fear, because Christ is where He is and He is doing what He is doing. As Paul says we walk by faith, a faith which is the substance of things hoped for. If you really want to see the glory of God and the power that comes with it there needs to be a growing love for the person and work of Jesus, and that begins with resting in how He shows Himself to be our Savior, both in His work of humiliation at the cross, and His exaltation to the throne room of Heaven where He reigns this day for our benefit, our future, and our present peace.

Here is another word for help:

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/ascension-of-christ/

Blessings in Christ,

Rev. Benjamin Glaser

Pastor, Bethany ARP Church