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Remember these are only notes, so don't expect good grammar or even good UK spelling!
Ascension Of Christ. 40 Days after Christ rose from the dead: Luke 24:50-51:50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. Is heaven near or far? Is God near or out of reach? Remote in the sense that however far we travel in the skies by rocket won't reach heaven. Distance cannot be measured in miles. Heb and Paul Heb 7:26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
Far away? Eph 4:10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) In another sense - not far at all. If he had merely stayed on - only in one place at a time ??
Now He fills all things, He is near to us all - wherever we are on earth.
Another dimension.
Look through a telescope we don't see God anywhere and yet in another we see Him everywhere.
EXAMPLE: Shakespeare play. Shakespeare himself is not a character in any of his plays. You can read all he wrote and not find him anywhere.
Yet in another sense - he is everywhere in his writings.
Beethoven's music - never hear his name in any of his music - even those choruses which are full of words. But he is everywhere in his music.
God created this universe and filled it with His beauty and glory, but you won't find Him as one of the objects in the universe. Yet - of course - His Person is everywhere.
Of course there is a big difference between Shakespeare creating the characters in his plays and God creating you and me. The characters have no freedom - they just have to follow the story that Shakespeare wrote for them.
You and I were created to co-operate in making - with God - the story of our own lives and influencing the stories of other peoples lives. ALSO Shakespeare wrote many tragedies. The tragedy of this world was not written by God but rather that we - the human race - have decided to write the story of our own lives and the lives of others without any reference to God.
So now the story of the world has gone crazy. As the narrative of the world goes on - the crazier it seems to become.
The wonderful beauty of its music has now become a discordant jangle. It is as if the orchestra has lost its conductor and all the instruments are competing with one another to make the most noise.
Now God has a choice - to leave us to do our own thing forever - but that would mean that we would turn his creation into hell - or to open the door of heaven and come down to us. to get under us and lift us up again to take earth back to heaven.
Unlike Shakespeare or Beethoven, God would come and be - for a while - one of the characters in the drama - one of the musicians in the music.
The character that would get hold of all the others and remake the story. Put into reverse all its pride and selfishness.
So just as we exalt ourselves and it leads to our fall - so the Lord - opened the door of heaven and descended to our fallen human level - born in this world - in a stable.
The shepherds saw in through the door and heard the music of the angels words: Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Made like us - He took the form of a servant. The light from the open door continued to shine on Him. Transfiguration. Healed the sick, forgave the sinner, good news to the poor, cast out demons, and raised the dead. Consciously allowed us to reject Him, and push Him down to the depths. He - the strong man - could get under us and lift us up to heaven. To get right under us - He, as it were, - had to be hidden from heaven's open door for just a short while. `My God, my God .. ' Darkness came over all the earth.
Having descended - in great humility - to our level - He was then exalted - so as to take us to be with Him. So at the last we too might go through the door. Eph 4:10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) So what now? Just before His return through the door? 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. The world is now summoned to come to Christ and find in Him repentance, and forgiveness of sins.
Please do not disobey that summons.
Then: Luke 24:50 -51 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven
Not hands of farewell, but hands of blessing. In heaven itself His hands of blessing would be on all creation. His summons is a summons to blessing and eternal benediction. Important because He will come back in glory to us all. Acts 1:10- 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Then a tearing of the whole skies. Unveiling of that which was always near us - so that all eyes will see Him. =================== The life and ministry of Jesus had been on earth had only been 30 years. And yet that great movement of God into our darkness taking us back to light - had always been in the world.
Imprinted in the soul of mankind from 2000 years before Christ and its imprint is still with us as history moves towards its completion. Luke 24: 44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
God called Abraham and His descendants.
We find stamped upon their story both the darkness of human sin and the glory of our human destiny. Unlike any other people - crushed by human wickedness - both their own and the wickedness of others - and also lifted up into the greatest of human achievements - so that the world owes to them the greatest of humanitarian service, scientific and medical discoveries - way out of proportion of their numbers.
They have known the greatest darkness and the greatest light. Mark Twain: The Jewish contributions to the world's list of great names in literature, science, art music, finance, medicine and abstruse learning is way out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. The Jew has made a marvellous fight in this world, in all the ages; and has done it with has hands tied behind him. The Egyptian, the Babylon and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendour, then faded to dreamstuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. All things are mortal but Jewish history; all other forces pass, but it remains. What is the secret of its immortality?
The disciples had an inking of something in their people's history that was unique. Acts 1: 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
Not wrong to ask but that the answer lies in a future generation known by the Father.
They must wait for the promised Holy Spirit and be witnesses for Christ to all the ends of the earth.
So here we are today: Church has spread to almost the ends of the earth, and small people, the Jewish people - against all the odds - still exist.
Of course the difference between the Jews and Christians is not that we worship different Gods, but whether or not Jesus is the Messiah.
Jews still waiting. However some Jews do wonder - when their Messiah comes - will He be Jesus who came along time ago?
Chicago's Rabbi Eckstein says that all of this ferment in the Middle East, seems to him to be taking us to the time when the Messaih will come. And if this is it, if the Messaih appears, Rabbi Eckstein says that he can't wait to ask him one question: Is this your second visit or your first?
So what must the disciples - in the mean time - do? Luke 24: 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.
Repent, be forgiven, be filled with joy. God's great purposes are being worked out. Express that joy in the worship of God.
The darkness of this world is not forever If any of the above has assisted you
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