Dear Christian friends:

Ascension Day is not regarded as a great church festival by many of our people. One pastor confessed to me that he had to use the gimmick of having three choirs sing to be assured of at least that many people in the congregation for Ascension evening.

Since Ascension falls on a weekday and people must work and since nobody has declared it a legal holiday this undoubtedly accounts for some of the low attendance and low regard for the day. But there must be other reasons and no doubt they have to do with our poor understanding and weak faith concerning this great event.

Certainly Scripture regards the Ascension of Christ as a great and wonderful thing. In our text we read,

"God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph." (Psalms 47:5-7,1)

The hymns appointed for Ascension in our hymnal are just as jubilant and festive as those of Christmas and Easter. Then why the low response from us and our people? Maybe some of you wouldn't be here tonight either if you weren't obligated in some way.

I believe that many regard the ascension of Christ as something good for Him, but not of much value to themselves. They look upon this ascension as an end to His suffering and work and a day of personal honor and glorification. Their feeling is, "Well Christ finally went to heaven. That's fine. That's nice for Him. He's the Son of God. That's where He ought to go. but He's up there and I'm down here."

These people forget that everything Christ did on earth He did not for Himself, but for us. For us He became a Babe; For us He obeyed law; for us He paid the penalty of sin by death upon the cross; for us He rose from the dead and for us He ascended into heaven.

On the basis of our text and with the help of God's Holy Spirit let me remind you tonight that:


That we may be sure of the resurrection of the body and the life eternal. In fact Scripture says we by faith have already ascended with Him. "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:6)

Our text does not specifically state that Christ ascended for us, but it certainly implies this since we are exhorted to clap our hands and shout with the voice of triumph and sing praises to Him at His going up. We certainly would have no reason to rejoice in such a jubilant fashion if His going up was not for us.

In this connection we must not forget that Christ ascends primarily as the Son of Man, or according to His human nature. When the Jews murmured because He claimed to be the Son of God from heaven, He asked them, "What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where He was before?" (John 6:62) He who ascends is not only the Son of God, but praise that that Name, the Son of Man, our Brother who assumed our own flesh and blood and lived and died for us that we might have forgiveness of sins, arise from death and ascend into heaven with Him.

So the one who ascends up to God's right hand is a real human being. Scripture says, "He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)" (Ephesians 4:10) When at Christmas we remember His descending in the incarnation we must impress and preach that this Babe in he manger is the Son of God, but at the Ascension we must preach that He who ascends into the heavens is the Son of Man, our Brother, our own flesh and blood.

Can there be any further doubt about our salvation? As surely as sin, death and hell can no longer harm Christ, so certainly are we also free from their power and translated into the heavenly, eternal life with Him.

Mark tells us that when Christ ascended he sat down at the right hand of God and our text tells us that He who went up with a shout and the sound of the trumpet is "the King over all the earth." As He ascended for us, so He also rules for us and with us, especially in the Kingdom of grace. There His power is the forgiveness of sins. This is the greatest power on earth.

Kings and mighty rulers on earth long to free themselves and their companions from guilt by their own might, but they cannot in spite of their might. The wealthy try to forget their sin in their wealth, the artist in his art, the soldier in his bravery and the student in his studies. But they are all unable to free themselves or others of haunting guilt. This power God has given only to His Son who paid with His holy life and blood for this right.

Our text describes this great and wonderful power and rule of Christ the King. (read 2,3,4, and 8 of text) By the Gospel He rules over all the earth. Those who believe and those who do not believe, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:16)

None can escape this rule of Christ through the Gospel: to one He is a Savior unto life to the other a Savior unto death, but to all the Savior the Lord, the King everlasting and eternal! Nothing can change or lessen it, for:

"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:8-11)

This wonderful ruling through the Gospel Christ does in and through us. He has given us, His church, the power and command to forgive sins and so to rule with Him over all the nations. On Easter evening the Risen Christ said to His disciples:

"Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.
Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained." (John 20:21-23)

Shortly before He ascended into heaven He commanded them:
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" (Matthew 28:19)

Surely this ought to be the greatest comfort and encouragement to us Christians. So often we are discouraged and cast down in our work, and we wonder if Christ's cause is the winning cause. Our weaknesses and sins seem so overpowering. The Church seems so small and harassed by divisions, controversies, heresies, and competitions. The forces of evil and unbelief seem so formidable that it does not seem that we are on the winning team at all.

The trouble with us is that we don't know the score. We think we are on the losing team while all the time Christ has already won for us. By faith in His deeds, not ours we cannot lose. By proclaiming His deeds, not man's we go from victory to victory.

Of Herod and his cohorts who sought to slay the Christ child the angel says, "for they are dead which sought the young child's life." (Matthew 2:20)
"They are dead" - all they who oppose the crucified and Ascended Christ. He is King and Lord forever and we with Him.

"God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness."

Amen.