Today is Ascension Day; a day which is celebrated forty days after Easter for the ascension of our Christ from earth to His exalted place in heaven. While Jesus was on earth, He was a suffering Servant for God and humanity, providing salvation. Today, we celebrate His position in our lives as the glorified King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus now guarantees glorification to those who repent and call upon his name for salvation.
In our passage today, I cannot help but focus on four special sentences. First, in verse 45, Jesus can open our minds to understand the Scripture and how He is woven into every lesson of faith. The Lord is the Word of God through Moses, the prophets, and the psalmists. He is guiding faith and eternal life throughout the Scriptures. May the Spirit help us listen.
The second thing that stands out to me is verse 47. We are forgiven for our sins ONLY when we repent and turn from them. The word repent means to turn from self-centeredness and the practice of what the Word calls sin and follow Jesus into a transformed life. Remorse does not save us; however, repentance and commitment to a new way of living do. May we welcome the transformed life in Christ.
Thirdly, in verse 49, Jesus tells His disciples He will send the Holy Spirit, because the Father has promised. God’s Word is Truth, and He cannot lie, so we know all of Christ’s disciples will be able to receive the Spirit and the power of heaven to be His witnesses. May we receive the Spirit and power of heaven and allow Jesus to lead us deeper into Life with God.
Lastly, in verses 51and 52, Jesus raises His hands and blesses the disciples. This just fills my heart with joy. Our Father has not left us powerless! We have the power of the Spirit to fill us and move us into our assignments; to equip us with every good thing from heaven. We have all we need with our Lord and the power of the Spirit! Joy! Joy! and more Joy!
On this Ascension Day, make sure you have made Jesus the Lord of your life. This means we surrender and give Him all authority to rule our lives. We can trust Jesus for salvation; He gave His life so we could live with God. Can Jesus trust us to become disciples who surrender our wills for His work of reconnecting the world to God?
Luke 24:44-53 NLT
44 Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48 You are witnesses of all these things.
49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
The Ascension
50 Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. 52 So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. 53 And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.
Prayer: Lord, we can only imagine how watching You ascend into heaven must have filled the hearts of the disciples with joy and forever changed their witness of Your extravagant salvation. You lifted Your hands and blessed them, and You do the same for us every day. We are such a blessed people and it is such an honor to call you Lord. Thank You for all You do for us. Be glorified in Jesus’ name. Amen.