Dear Christian friends:

Last Thursday was Ascension Day, forty days after Easter when we should remember and rejoice about Jesus' going up to heaven and sitting at the right hand of God.

Truly Ascension Day is the same wonderful and important day as Christmas and Easter, but few people know it and rejoice about it. All that Jesus did, He did for us. We know that He was born for us and that He died for us and rose again for us. But do you know why He ascended? What does His ascension mean for us?

Our text here beautifully explains it. So let us attend to our text and see what this means:


He led captives, captive and gave gifts to men. "led captives captive" means that He conquered and won over all His enemies. Death and the devil no longer rule. Jesus is Lord and King and over all. "He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things." (Ephesians 4:10)

Although the devil tries to fight against Jesus yet and does often tempt and lead many to fall, yet his power is limited and his rule is finished. Jesus has won and all who believe in Jesus will win with Him.

Now by sickness, pain, losses and death Satan cannot scare us or lead us to give up faith and hope in God. We know that God is our Father and that we are His dear children through faith in Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins. Now we know that death is only the door and gate to full salvation and happiness with God in heaven above.

So by His ascension Jesus shows His wonderful victory. As David says in Psalm 47:5, "God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet." His victory can be also your victory if you believe in Him.

But you answer, "Yes, pastor, that is easy to say, but hard to do. It is hard to believe when your wife is dying or your father has died. Then it seems like all is lost and gone and no victory. It seems as if God has failed and the devil and death have won."

I know it seems that way, but by faith in Jesus' words and promises you know He has won and that you win with Him, even while dying. You know you shall rise again. But you say, "How can we get such strong faith?"

From our text we see how. It says, "He gave gifts to men." What are these gifts? Ephesians 4:11 explains: "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." He gives His Church pastors and teachers and evangelists also today. They by preaching and teaching the good news that God loves and forgives sinners, they help build up faith in peoples hearts. They make the people mature and strong in faith so they are sure about God's love and salvation and do not fear or doubt in time of temptation, trouble, sickness, war or death.

So also Paul explains in, Ephesians 4:12-16:

"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."

So when Jesus ascended up on high He showed His wonderful victory and salvation to all, both to His enemies and His friends. Let us say with David in Psalm 47:1-6:

Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth. He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.

Amen.