Ephesians 4;7 16 ascension tucson

Ephesians 4:7-16 [Ascension CWS B]

Pastor Ron Koehler

Grace—Tucson, AZ

May 13, 2018

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” 9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

7

In the name of our risen and ascended Lord, dear friends in Christ, It is entirely possible that if I polled the congregation this morning, asking you to describe what all Jesus is doing in heaven right now…today…I might get a number of different answers. I’m betting that even though many of you are experienced Christians, that question is at least a little more difficult than if I were to ask you what Jesus did for us.

“Jesus lived a perfect life for us and then he died on the cross to pay for our sins and then he rose from the dead on Easter.” I think that answer to the second question might rather quickly roll off the tongue of most who are here this morning. But just what Jesus is doing now, now that he has ascended into heaven—that’s a little tougher.

We know that Jesus promised to return. Judgment Day/the Last Day/the Day of Resurrection is something we are looking forward to as Christians. That’s the Day Jesus will come back to take every person who trusted in him for forgiveness to eternal life in heaven. This is Christianity 101, right?

But what exactly is Jesus doing between now and that day? Is he just hanging out, waiting for that heavenly calendar to hit the right date? Is he sitting on the throne of heaven with his feet propped up on a soft, pillowy cloud, resting from the work of redemption he accomplished while on this earth? If you’re not exactly sure what all you would say if asked “What is Jesus doing in heaven right now?”—if you’re not too confident that you know what the ascended Jesus is doing for you, then the words of Ephesians chapter 4 will help. And if you’re pretty sure that you have a complete answer to the question, I’ll simply ask you to listen anyway and be strengthened in what you believe as we consider how THE ASCENDED CHRIST BLESSES HIS CHURCH 1. BY ASSURING YOU HIS SAVING WORK IS COMPLETE 2. BY ORGANIZING HIS CHURCH 3. BY EQUIPPING HIS PEOPLE TO SERVE The fact that Jesus is in heaven right now is an ASSURANCE THAT HIS SAVING WORK IS COMPLETE. It proves that he completed his work on earth just as it had been foretold by the Old Testament Scriptures, just as his Heavenly Father wanted him to do, and just as we needed him to. He really is our Savior.

The Apostle Paul explains here that Jesus, who descended into this world to be our Savior, also ascended back into heaven: What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe. God’s Son, Jesus Christ, came down to our world to do what needed to be done to save sinners and then returned to heaven.

After living a sinless life, Jesus’ work of saving us was complete with his death on the cross and his rising from the dead on Easter. He paid for sin; he dealt with the devil; he proved death to be powerless over him. So through Jesus our sins have been forgiven…we have no fear of the devil…and we have the promise of heaven through faith in him!

But after Jesus’ resurrection on Easter, there were still a few things for him to do before he would return to his Father’s side in heaven. You may remember some of them: 

He walked along the road with the Emmaus disciples, explaining the Scriptures to them so they could be confident about him as their Savior.

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He gave comfort and peace to his disciples, including “doubting Thomas,” in the locked room where the disciples were holed up, afraid of the Jewish leaders.

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He provided a miraculous catch of fish for the disciples on the Sea of Galilee, ate breakfast on the beach with them, and then reinstated Peter, asking the disciple if he loved him and commissioning him to feed his sheep (or teach his people).

These were all important things that Jesus needed to do. He spent the 40 days after his rising from the dead completing the earthly training of his disciples so that they could go out and tell others about their Savior.

This is the time of the year that we hear a lot about commencement ceremonies and may end up celebrating with the graduates. I think of the disciples as graduating from their earthly training under Jesus and I see the Lord’s instructions to them as he was about to ascend into heaven as their commencement address before they begin their new jobs as preachers of the risen and ascended Christ. Jesus’ final words of his commencement address to them before he returned to heaven were these: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:7-8.)” And then he left them, rising through the clouds into heaven.

We understand that Jesus’ ascension was the completion of his work on earth because of what the Apostle Paul says here. The Holy Spirit drew the connection for him that Christ’s ascension was what was foreseen in Psalm 68: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” The way Paul recorded it originally was that Jesus “led captivity captive” when he ascended. Sin and death and the devil—the things that held us captive—no longer do because Jesus took them captive! Elsewhere in Scripture it is pictured this way: And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Colossians 2:15). This “public spectacle” is really the picture of a victory parade where those taken captive are trailing behind in chains as evidence of their defeat. So Christ’s ascension means that the battle is over, the victory is won, and Jesus now rises to heaven as the conquering Savior.

THE ASCENDED CHRIST BLESSES HIS CHURCH BY ASSURING YOU THAT HIS SAVING WORK IS COMPLETE. In his ascension, we see the fulfillment of God’s promises concerning the Savior. We see his earthly work completed and his ascension is the stamp of victory as he returns to his Father’s side in heaven. It is truly a blessing to see Jesus, the Savior who has done everything we needed for our salvation.

Have you heard people say that they are against “organized religion?” Maybe you’ve felt that way yourself even. Some of you, I know, have heard me talk about this in Bible Class also. There are plenty of people who, for many reasons, just despise the church as an organization. They don’t ever want to participate—or definitely never officially join a church—because they are against what they call “organized religion.”

If you are tempted to kind of think that—that “organized religion” is something to be despised and avoided—or at least not joined—God says something here that can change your mind. And even those of us who have no problem with church as an organization will benefit from the reminder here that THE ASCENDED CHRIST BLESSES HIS CHURCH BY ORGANIZING HIS CHURCH! Though we will always see the weaknesses of sinful human beings in the church, maybe everyone can feel better about it if we understand that it was Jesus who instituted “organized religion” as far as Christianity goes—just as he had “organized” the religion of his people in the Old Testament! It says here, So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Did you hear it?! Jesus makes some to be leaders in his Church and he speaks of a body of believers learning from them and working together. What does that sound like to you? ORGANIZED RELIGION! You can’t say, “I don’t need anyone to tell me what the Bible means, I can do it on my own.” If that were true, we wouldn’t need apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastors and teachers! You can’t say, “I don’t need anyone else; I don’t need other Christians around me!” If that were true, Christ wouldn’t speak of believers forming a “body” or being united! Our sinful nature is getting in the way if we ever think those things because those attitudes are at odds with Christ’s plan for the Church.

One time the disciples were saddened to hear Jesus talk of his upcoming death and Jesus said this to them: Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor (that is, the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you (John 16:6-8). The way it had to work was for him to die, then rise, then ascend. Then the Spirit would come and fill those who were called into these ministry positions. His ascension was necessary for this to happen and so this “organized religion” is one of the BLESSINGS OF THE ASCENSION which Christ oversees from heaven as he sends the Holy Spirit to his Church.

And what does God say is the goal, the purpose, of these positions and this organization? He says it is all to equip his people for works of service…and so that we all reach unity in the faith…and become mature…and so that we won’t be tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching. Jesus wants his people to learn, to be together, to grow in faith, to be solid in his teaching—and he has arranged things in the church so that can happen. If you want to argue about “organized religion,” you’re going to have to take it up with God because the ascended Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to make it happen this way and the Spirit does it so that these good things can be accomplished for the salvation of our souls and the souls of many others! Of course, I pray that you don’t argue with Jesus about it, but instead see the blessings the ascended Christ gives through his church and that this moves you to be active in learning and serving in the congregation of believers.

And finally, there is mentioned one more way that THE ASCENDED CHRIST BLESSES HIS CHURCH. Christ watches over his Church from heaven, EQUIPPING HIS PEOPLE TO SERVE. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. You notice that Jesus is called “the head” of the body, the Church. “From him” the body grows and is built up and serves. The meaning of those two little words is that “through him” all that happens; “because of him” those things happen. No matter how you translate it, the meaning is clear—the ascended Jesus organizes his Church and directs it—right now!

He does that, it says, so that each part of the body will grow, be built up, and work. Each part of the body of Christ—each of us—is able to work, to serve, as we grow and mature as Christians under the direction of the ascended Christ. You notice it’s not just talking about pastors and teachers and the like who serve. Each part of Christ’s Church serves as Christ puts them in place and the Holy Spirit fills and moves them to serve. The first words of this lesson say that and so do the last words. God’s grace—his undeserved love—extends to all people. But his grace is poured out in particular ways upon each individual believer. He decides what gifts to give to whom, enabling them to serve. So if God provides people to prepare us for works of service, who are we to decide we don’t need these people?

What I’m about to say could sound weird coming from a guy who is a pastor, but I hope not because it’s really has to do with what God says here! So here it is…

Who are we to say that we don’t need a pastor to teach us and prepare us to serve?

Who are we to decide that we don’t want to serve God and each other with our abilities?

Who are we to be unconcerned about our brothers and sisters in the body of believers?

Who are we to think that we can get along without hearing God’s Word regularly in worship, Bible study, or reading on our own—as if we’ll be fine without a good dose of it, as if we can mature, as Christ wishes, without it?

I would imagine we can each see spots where our attitudes and actions have not always been totally in line with God’s will on all of this. We have sinned and we probably never even connected these kinds of sins with Christ’s ascension—but they really are connected because it is the ascended Christ who guides the Church he has organized and who works on the individual believer in his Church to accomplish these things in these particular ways.

How blessed we are to know and love our crucified, risen and ascended Lord who rules over the Church and over our hearts! And so we go to him with repentant hearts today—trusting that we are forgiven of these and all sins. We are renewed by the Spirit through his Word this morning and given refreshed hearts and minds that see how THE ASCENDED CHRIST BLESSES HIS CHURCH, overseeing his church from his Father’s side. From there he prepares us to speak the truth of the gospel, to be loving toward others as we do that, to grow in our faith, and to discover and embrace our way to serve in his Church. When we do these things we give glory to our ascended Lord! And that really is what we want to do with our lives, isn’t it—to give glory to Christ in all we do?

It is my prayer that when you recall the Ascension of Jesus it is more than just—“Oh, Jesus had to go back to heaven because that’s where he came from.” That’s true, of course, but remember that Jesus is actively blessing his Church right now and that includes the things in these words of God before us today: He is ASSURING YOU THAT HIS SAVING WORK IS COMPLETE, that he is constantly ORGANIZING HIS CHURCH, and that he is EQUIPPING HIS PEOPLE TO SERVE. May this give us comfort and confidence in him, in his Church, and in our ability to serve our Savior here until we serve him eternally in heaven. Amen.

Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.