"Out of Sight"

That we would be willing and eager servants to advance his kingdom as he reigns. We ask these things for his sake in whom you are well pleased. Amen. Well today is ascension sunday. It's because last thursday was 40 days after easter.

We read in the bible that 40 days after christ rose from the dead he ascended in to heaven. Ascension day is not a day that protestant evangelicals make a big deal out of. You find it more prominently in the liturgical calendars of the high protestant churches.

And of course you find it very much celebrated in roma catholicism and greek orthodox churches. But we should think about the ascension and we ought to celebrate christ's ascension. It is very difficult for us to make any sense out of who we are and what we're about in this world without the ascension of jesus christ.

The Ascension of Christ and the Life of Faith

So let's give it some thought this morning by turning to acts chapter 1 verses 6 through 11 through 11. Together let us give all the praise to our risen and reigning lord jesus christ king him saying lord is it at this time you are restoring the to israel.

He said to them it is not for you to know times or epochs which the father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the holy spirit has come upon you. And you shall be my witnesses both in jerusalem in all judea and samaria and even to the remotest part of the earth.

After he had said these things he was lifted up while they were looking on and a cloud received him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while he was going behold two men in white clothing stood beside them.

They also said men of galilee. Why do you stand looking into the sky. This jesus who has been taking taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven.

So here we have a passage which has spawned many an accurate reflection. It's from this passage that we come by the expression about those being too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good. These poor befuddled disciples with their heads up in the clouds.

What good are they. They need to get their attention to where it belongs. And i think that's an unfortunate and a false dichotomy. We are told in other passages that we are to be heavenly minded we are to have our attention where christ is.

Consider colossians chapter 3 and verse 1. Therefore if you have been raised up with christ are you alive in christ today. Have you been raised in your soul. If you've been raised up with christ today then you ought to keep seeking the things above where christ is seated at the right hand of god.

You read on through colossians 3 and all the rest of the applications come from that starting point that we are to think about the risen christ at the right hand of the father. That's a huge impact on the way that we live as christians.

We are to keep thinking about how we are in heavenly union with the ascended christ. We cannot see him. He is invisible to us. Nonetheless we are defined by he who reigns from his ascended status. We are the people of the ascension seeking glories.

By extension we live for a time not here yet. We love people we've never met. We serve a savior out of sight who comes like a thief in the night. It's those three glories i want to talk about this morning about a time and a people and a savior.

These three glories that are not visible to us. A time and a people and a savior. We cannot see a time and a people and a savior that are out of our sight. They define who we are and have everything to do with the ascension of jesus christ.

These are like road signs that we cannot see. They are like markings on a map that we cannot touch. And we need to think about how they should guide our lives. We often revert to a life by sight rather than by faith.

We can become very consumed overwhelmed by the immediate to the now. We can be enslaved by the tyranny of what we consider to be urgent. Very often the priorities of our lives do not look like the priorities of our ascended reigning invisible master.

So we need a fresh look at our ascended christ from the scriptures. This ascension sunday i hope that god will stir up our faith in our risen ascended lord. It is only by faith in the ascended savior that our resurrected souls flourish.

So let's look at the first thing that's out of our sight. The first glory that is out of our sight is a time we live for a time that is not here yet. We live for a time that is not here yet. This is something there's something yet to come.

We're supposed to be living by faith in christ. But sometimes like children we become impatient about the time and the disciples want to know about the time. Do you see that in verse six lord is it at this time that you are restoring the kingdom to israel.

And jesus says to them it is not for you to know the times or epochs which the father has fixed by his own authority. So we have the beginning of a of a final q a with jesus and his disciples. Disciples were always asking him questions and he was going about giving them answers sometimes in long roundabout ways trying to help them get a better understanding of what they were asking.

But as we as we look at this question we have to recognize it for what it is. Every once in a while one of my children come up to me with a shoelace or some sort of string like doodad with as many knots as there is string and they say fix it.

This is kind of what john calvin thought about when he saw this verse. In this question he says there are as many errors as there are words. But i think some of my professors in college and seminary had the same feeling.

I would often ask questions that just made them physically cringe. And those of you who are teachers know what that's like to have a student ask you a question with as many errors as there are words. And you think how in the world am i going to back the truck up and begin to unravel all the wrong assumptions implicit in the question.

And that's what we have here now. Perhaps we should do better if we ask why the disciples ask this question. So if you back up to verse three you see that jesus for 40 days have been teaching them about the kingdom of god.

So of course they're going to ask a question about the kingdom. Of course they make some wrong assumptions. He also just promised them in verse six about the coming of the holy spirit that the holy spirit would be poured out on them.

And this was a very clear sign of the end times. For they knew isaiah and ezekiel and joel that when the spirit was poured out it would be the last days. And so they are very interested now knowing that jesus christ is the first of the resurrection knowing that the spirit is about to come.

He's talking about the kingdom. So they are ready. They think to learn about the chronology. They want to know about the chronology of last things. You know that the chronology of last things is really not the main focus of eschatology of last things and the last days.

But they want to know about the timing. They want to know the times the moments in the epochs that they think will matter most. Now we're going to look at all of christ's answers to them. But of course he says it is not for you it is not yours to know these times.

And we're going to look at all the way he answers their question going on into verse eight. But before we do let's let's apply what we've seen here. We need to ask christ-centered questions. We need to ask christ-centered questions.

The disciples of course include jesus christ in their question. But their question is more chronology centered. Their question is more process centered. Their question is israel centered. And it's not very christ-centered.

A christ-centered question would sound like this. Jesus how will you restore all things jesus. How will you advance your kingdom and let him define the particulars. Let's ask christ-centered questions.

So often the questions i hear about the end times are geopolitical. They are ethnocentric. They have to do with military conflicts. And those are the questions that i hear most often asked about the end times.

We have to be asking questions that are centered upon jesus christ. For our eschatology begins in genesis and proceeds all the way throughout the scriptures and its supreme revelation is in jesus christ.

Can you tell me where else in the bible more glory of the not yet broke into the now than in the person and work of jesus christ. So everything that you want to know out of daniel and ezekiel everything you want to know out of the little apocalypses in the synoptic gospels.

Everything you're questioning about in thessalonians and in revelation. Every last bit of it comes and is produced through the person and work of jesus christ every last bit of it. Our questions ought not to be process centered though there will be a process and god will bring things to pass in history the way he wants them.

And we ought not to be in wonderment about the antichrist though he will be used by god according to god's purposes. Our questions ought to be focused upon jesus christ because the resurrected soul only flourishes by faith in the ascended savior.

Your soul will not be fed by a constant looking at chronologies. Our questions should be about christ. And when we ask our questions we ought to trust god's answers. Some of these some of these answers that we receive may not be fully satisfying.

I wonder if the disciples were satisfied. Do you think the disciples were satisfied with this answer. Lord is it at this time that you're going to restore the kingdom to israel. It is not for you to know the times or the epochs the father has fixed by his own authority.

Dads. Do you ever um find yourself in the same situation. Children coming to you. Dad. Dad when. When we leave. When we leave we want to go when we're going to do this. When we do that dad children it is not for you to know the times or epochs that your father has fixed by his own authority.

It's a great answer. It's a great answer because you're asking your children to trust you. Jesus is asking the disciples to trust god and to wait on his timing. He says it's not your concern it's not your concern.

Now he will show them what their concern ought to be. In verse 8 the chronology is not their concern but other things are to be their concern. And we need to trust god's answer. Sometimes the answers god gives to us can seem less than satisfying.

God is when will christ return. What's the timeline. And he says it's not for you to know. Do we trust him. Can we trust him. Can we leave that in god's hands and not speculate and not obsess god. Why would you judge people that you have chosen not to save romans 9.

Why does he still find fault for who can resist his will. Paul says. And then he answers it this way. Who are you. Oh man. To answer back to the one who made you. Will the thing molded say to the one who molded it.

Why have you made me like this. Will it. Do you find that answer satisfying. Does that explain all the nuts and bolts and icky feeling that you have. How about this question. God. Why would you give the land to israel and all these promised blessings saying if you'll be faithful to me if you'll follow me if you'll be obedient then you're going to get all these blessings.

And you're going to live in this land for a good long time. And then he doesn't maintain for them their faith and keep them totally dedicated to himself. He doesn't just wave a hand and eradicate all the idols and all their problems to keep them in the land.

But every last curse of deuteronomy falls on them and they are exiled to a foreign place. Why would he allow that to happen. The answer in deuteronomy secret things belong to the lord our god. But the things revealed belong to us and our sons forever that we may observe all the words of this law.

And many have asked why is it better. Why does. Why does god make it better. That we serve an invisible savior that he is hidden from our eyes. Why did he tell thomas that it was better and that those who believe in him without seeing him are more blessed.

How is that better. We can honestly wonder sometimes. But we must trust god's answers. And when we ask christ-centered questions and trust god's own answers while we do that we live for a time not here yet.

And this is where this is where jesus doesn't want to completely eradicate the disciples. Future-oriented perspective. We are going to be future-oriented. We're goal-oriented. We're going somewhere we're not wants to live for our right now.

We're to live for a not yet. And that is good. And that is that is essential to what it means to be a christian. But we need to think about luke writing the book of acts some 40 years after jesus ascended into heaven.

And this book begins to be circulated throughout all of the christian churches. And they begin to hear this statement that christ makes you got to imagine that they were probably even more eager and even more impatient than the disciples were.

Is it time. Is it time. Let's wrap this thing up. Jesus says it's not for you to know. It's not for you to know. There is a time but it's not yet. And it's not for you to know the timing. And ultimately what we have is an exhortation to live for a time not here yet that we do not know.

And the time remains out of our sight until it's not out of our sight. And it's here. But we're not supposed to be waiting around for this time. We're not supposed to be speculating about this time. We're supposed to be living for that time that is not here yet living by faith.

And our risen ascended hidden savior jesus christ for he will soon be revealed. One of the best ways we can live for a time not here yet is to love a people we've never met. Love a people we've never met.

The Church’s Mission to the Nations

Good. Verse eight. Look at the way jesus redirects the attention of his disciples. But you will receive power when the holy spirit has come upon you. And you shall be my witnesses both in jerusalem and in all judea and samaria and even to the remotest part of the earth.

We're the people of the ascension seeking glories. By extension we live for a time not here yet. We love people we've never met. We serve a savior out of sight who comes like a thief in the night. The first thing i think we should see here is that the disciples are supposed to seek spiritual power.

We are to seek spiritual power. Jesus denies his disciples appetite for dates. He denies their appetite for a chronology. And yet and yet he is gracious to speak to them about the kingdom. He is gracious to speak to them about what they should be focused on.

He gently corrects his disciples understanding and expectation of the kingdom as being politically oriented. Notice he says. But here's a little correction to your assumptions in your question. But you will receive power when the holy spirit has come upon you.

You see a kingdom entails authority exercise to the extent of certain borders. Authority exercised and and authorized to a set of borders. And so what jesus talks about here is power that's going to be advanced to the very ends of the earth.

You see that power that extends through his witnesses to the ends of the earth. All authority is in heaven and earth has been given to jesus christ. He's going to exercise his reign by his spirit through his witnesses everywhere.

And jesus is generous to his disciples. He knows our needs. We are but dust. He he's familiar with our human needs to know the timing. And so he does give them timing. Doesn't he. He said you will receive power.

I know you're concerned about the chronology of the kingdom. But listen you will receive power when the holy spirit comes upon you. Do you hear the timing. They want to know when the kingdom is going to be restored to israel.

He gently corrects their attention to a a global impact through his kingdom. His reign will be extended to the whole globe. And he says the timing is when the holy spirit comes upon you. Body power. By the authority of jesus christ we are given the holy spirit and all the nations will hear the preaching of the gospel by the power of the spirit.

So we ought to be good citizens. We ought to strive to elect officials who pass laws which glorify god and love people and improve and protect the created order. But the power that we need in this day is not political power.

It is spiritual power. Political power is not going to fix our nation made up of citizens who don't love god. Seek spiritual power. The flesh profits nothing. The spirit gives life and the spirit. Peter says in his pentecost sermon.

The spirit is christ's special gift to us. A glory he bestows to us because he is the one who ascended to the right hand of the father. It's only by the spirit that we're going to love people we've never met only by the spirit that we are going to be involved in the advancement of the kingdom of christ.

So seek spiritual power. And we have to be willing to sacrifice ourselves for christ. He says he essentially and he's already said this in more than one way. But the kingdom is his and he wishes to advance the kingdom through his witnesses.

And the greek word is martus. It wasn't very much longer after this that the witnesses of christ became known for their willingness to die for the gospel to die for jesus christ in in their eagerness to to proclaim the the one and only salvation for all people everywhere.

They were willing to die for that. And the greek term for witness or martus became the word. We now use martyr to describe those who are willing to die for the faith. It should it should remind us that jesus knew exactly what he was asking his disciples to do.

He knows exactly what he's asking of us. That he sends us as lambs out among the wolves. He knows exactly what he's asked us to do because he told us to take up our crosses and follow him. He knows exactly what he's asking of us.

And it's everything. Are we willing to sacrifice. Are we willing to sacrifice. It's a difficult question to answer fully and honestly. What's the what's the scenario. What are the mitigating circumstances.

It makes it more difficult because the one asking us to sacrifice ourselves and be willing to sacrifice all manner of that which we find to be our security and safety and enjoyment. The one asking us to sacrifice all these things is invisible to us.

You know it's one thing for your spouse who you see and you love. And you know it's one thing for your for your mother or your father or your friend whom you know and you can see and you love to ask you to sacrifice something for them.

It's one thing you can't see jesus. He's hidden from our sight. You cannot touch him. He is ascended to the right hand. He's not back yet. He's asking us to sacrifice to be willing to be his witnesses and to sacrifice what is necessary to be his witnesses to preach that gospel to those who need to hear it.

Are we willing to sacrifice comfort. Are we willing to sacrifice security. Are we willing to sacrifice control. Are we willing to sacrifice prosperity or health or dreams or cultural acceptance. Are we willing to sacrifice our very lives to labor for a time not yet to love people.

We've never met all for a savior unseen. What would drive us there. What would empower us to do that. The holy spirit. All we need the holy spirit. If we're going to be witnesses of christ we need that spiritual power.

I was reading this morning about israel in the wilderness and again reminded how much we're like them but in numbers. Just before the fiery serpents you know they complained against god and complained against moses and god sent the fiery serpents to bite them.

And then god had moses create the brazen serpent to put it on a pole and say anyone who looks here even though they've been bitten will be saved. A foreshadowing of christ. The apostle john says in john chapter three.

What were they complaining about. They were complaining because of the manna. They were complaining about manna. They were complaining about miraculous bread from heaven that appeared on the ground six days a week with a double portion on friday so they could still eat on the sabbath.

They're complaining about manna. They're complaining about miraculous food because they're not at the promised land yet. They didn't like that stinking manna. They got tired of it. They were in progress to a land they had never seen.

And they weren't there yet. So they decided to complain about the manna. Oh how we are like them. Oh how we are like them. Complaining complaining about the blessings god gives us day in and day out. Let us not forget the savior we serve unseen and the glory that we have yet to see.

In the meantime we need to love people we've never met. Now this has to be spirit-filled and sacrificial. When we think about love in the scriptures it is the love of god that has been poured out in our hearts by the holy spirit romans 5.

And love is a righteous and sacrificial devotion. By this we know love that he gave his life for the brethren. So we also we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren 1st john 3 16. When we think about love and loving people we have never met this involves being spirit-filled and sacrificial.

It's one of the clearest ways to live for a time not yet is that we love people we have never met. There is a day coming when there's a multitude which no man can count that will surround the throne palm branches in their hands clothed in white robes.

And together we will with them cry out in a loud voice salvation to our god and to the lamb who is on the throne. And this multitude is from every tribe people and tongue. These are people we have never met.

People we have never seen. And for that day and for this multitude we live as the people of the ascension. We are to labor we are to pray. We are to give. And we are to go. And we are to love a people we have never met.

We are to love hashim in lawrence kansas never met him. We've never seen him but pray for his soul and give to the townlies and pray for the townlies. You've never seen him but don't you want him there at that day.

This is this is. You cannot begin to even comprehend why it is that we love people that we've never met unless christ has ascended on high and given us the holy spirit and is spreading his kingdom to all areas of the globe to bring all kinds of people into his fold.

The Ascended Christ and His Return in Glory

We love a people we've never met. Thirdly we serve a savior out of sight. We serve a savior out of sight. Verses 9 through 11. Where the people of the ascension we seek glories. By extension we live for a time not here yet.

We love a people we've never met. We serve a savior out of sight who comes like a thief in the night. Verses 9 through 11. After he had said these things he was lifted up while they were looking on. And a cloud received him out of their sight.

And as they were gazing intently into the sky while he was going behold two men in white clothing stood beside them. He also said men of galilee. Why do you stand looking into the sky. This jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven.

Last thursday on ascension day i took my children out into the yard and we sat down around the calvin's institutes and discussed the ascent. No. We went out into the yard and we released a balloon and watched it fly off sideways because the wind was blowing it.

And i realized that was a really foolish idea because that was not the way jesus left earth. He wasn't blown sideways by oklahoma wind. But we managed to talk about. As we look up into the sky can you see jesus.

No. We see blue sky. We see clouds. But we can't see jesus. Where is he. He's in heaven. Does that mean he's in outer space. No. When jesus ascended he he was covered by a cloud. What kind of cloud is that.

Do we know of any clouds in the bible. Any famous clouds. And and whenever we and we find a meaningful famous cloud in the bible it happens to be the shekinah glory cloud of god. And we find christ ascending up into heaven.

A covers him. It's like a secret doorway into heaven. And he's there at the right hand of the father even now. So we try to talk about how jesus is our king. And we can't see our king. But he has told us how we're to live.

He's told us what we need to know. We can't see our king but we're still to. We're still to believe in the unseen christ. We we believe by faith not by sight that christ is at the right hand of the father.

We believe by faith not by sight that he is reigning from the right hand. We can't be like thomas. Thomas got to put his fingers in the nail prints of jesus's hands. He got to put his hand into the side of jesus and feel the scar.

We don't get to be like thomas. But jesus says blessed are those who have not seen and yet still believe still believe. We must live by faith. No matter how hard we stare at the sky we'll never find the grace there that we need.

If you find that your faith is small that your faith is lacking cry out lord help my unbelief. Ask god for faith. He's the one who gives it and is a grace from god. Believe in the unseen christ and watch for christ's return.

Do you see how the the angels speak to the disciples. And did you notice that these angels are not lovely women with wings. They are men in white raiment which is always the way that we find angels in the bible.

And i don't know what gender the seraphim and the cherubim are. But get into your mind a biblical image of angels. You're always when they are revealed revealed as men in white raiment. Here they come with an important message for the disciples a promise that you and i should live by.

What do they say. In verse 11 they also said men of galilee. Why do you stand looking into the sky. This jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come again in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven.

We must not think that the angels comments were designed by god to tell the disciples to stop thinking about how christ was going to come back or to stop anticipating the return of christ. Quite the opposite.

You'll notice that their words solidify our anticipation of christ's return that indeed he will return in the same way he was taken up in cloud and glory. He will come back. Clouds parting in glory 11 11.

Pairs of eyes saw him leave. Every eye will see him when he returns. We are to watch for christ's return. But of course we can't really watch the skies. We really can't watch the dates. What are we supposed to watch.

Hey jesus tells us best how to watch for his return. And the direction of our attention when we watch for jesus. Christ return is nothing less than the character and the direction of our own lives. Because we're to serve a savior out of sight.

He is the master. He is the king. He's the one who exercises lordship in our lives. Do we believe he's king. Do we believe he's lord. Do we believe that our master is soon to come back at any time. Listen to jesus's words from luke 12 37 through 40.

This is how jesus would have us watch for his return. Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes. Truly i say to you that he will gird himself to serve and have them recline at the table and will come up and wait on them whether he comes in the second watch or even in the third and finds them.

So blessed are those slaves. But be sure of this that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You too. Be ready for the son of man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.

He's always a little humorous to me when somebody finds out the hour that christ is going to come back. He's not coming back when you expect him. How does jesus say to watch for his return. Like slaves watch for their master's return.

They don't know when he's coming back. Second watch. Third watch. Who knows. But let's be diligent about the master's business. Because when he comes back we want him to find us doing what he desires.

That's how we watch for christ's return. We serve a savior unseen. We don't know when he's coming back. The question is how do our lives look when he comes back. What do you think he wants to see in our lives when he comes back.

Now i'm i'm not counseling perfection and i'm not trying to heap upon anyone. Condemnation there's now therefore no condemnation for those who are in christ jesus. It's not perfection that we're talking about.

We're talking about reflection. Reflection. Do do our lives reflect him. Do our lives reflect his priorities. When he comes back. Is he going to find faith at work in our lives on this earth. Are we going to be doing the things that he wants us to be doing and that that that that extends to every part of our lives.

We're not talking about. I have to read my bible 18 hours a day because i don't want jesus finally be doing anything else than that he wants. When jesus christ comes back here's here's how how i and i think you too want to be found loving god ever more supremely loving others ever more rightly stewarding the created order ever more responsibly being ever more renewed in the image of the invisible god the image of god being christ himself.

And and and if we're about those things that he's about then we're ready for him to come back. Do not doubt. Have faith that your unseen savior has not left you an orphan. He's gone away to prepare a place for you.

He's coming again to take you there. In the meantime he has sent his spirit to be with us to empower us for an abundance of service. Christ has ascended far above all the heavens that he may fill all things.

He will never leave us nor forsake us as we do his bidding and making disciples of all the nations. He will be with us even to the end of the age. Even. So come quickly. Come quickly. Our ascended reigning lord jesus christ.

We're the people of the ascension. We seek glories by extension. We live for a time not here yet. We live a people we've never met. We serve a savior out of sight who comes like a thief in the night. Let's pray father we come before you this morning.

We just give you praise for the promise that you gave to the disciples through your angels. The promise that you gave through luke by your holy spirit to us to strengthen us to help us be ready. Thank you for giving us a clear hope-filled word of christ's ascension and soon return.

I pray that you would help us to be oriented by faith. It's hard father to live for other than the now. It's a challenge to love people that are distant and different from us. And father. It is a great challenge sometimes to serve such a worthy master jesus christ when we cannot see him and directly encounter him.

But thank you for the blessing of a life of faith. Thank you for that gift. I pray that you would strengthen our faith in christ our ascended savior. She would continue to lead us and to guide us for his sake.

And we pray these things in the name of jesus christ. Amen.