Ascension to Session | 12 Lines | Pastor Derick Amsler

Go ahead and put it up on the screen for me. We're going to say this out loud together on the count of three. Ready? One, two, three. On the third day, he rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From there, he will come to judge the living and the dead. As you find your way to your seat, tell the person next to you, buckle up, buttercup. It's going to be good. Let them know.

Come on. Oh, is gonna be good. We're dropping big words today. Some theological bombs. Go ahead and grab your Bibles.

Join with me in the Book of Acts. The Book of Acts. While you are finding yourself there, I did want to acknowledge and express my. And our gratitude for the service. Men and women who not just served our nation, but they sacrificed their very lives to preserve the liberty of our way of life, freedom, and our ability to enjoy worship openly.

And so I know many of you. Yeah.

Many of you have friends and family members. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins.

Some of you even have sons and daughters who've given your life serving our nation. We just wanted to say thank you. It's not lost on us. We know it's not just barbecue for you and it. And it means more than that to us.

Acts, chapter one, verse six. I'll get there in a minute. I used to think that emptiness meant nothingness. In order for something to be empty, therefore there had to be nothing on the inside of that which remains empty. Empty emptiness meant nothingness.

Turns out even air has weight. Everybody take a deep breath.

Don't you feel heavier? Breathe out. Little trick. Before you step on a scale. Just exhale.

It's not going to work, but I try it every time I go to the doctor.

And even air has weight. Scientists call it barometric pressure. I call it burdens. They measure the weight of air in millibars. I call it how many times I say I'm fine before lunch.

Turns out we're all carrying something. Even if what we are carrying is invisible to the eye. I bet you're carrying some undesirable weight right now. In your emotions, in your mind. I'm talking about burdens.

I'm talking about anxieties. I'm talking about insecurities. I'm talking about disappointment, depression, sadness, expectation. The loss of hope, grief, despair, shame. We're all carrying something.

And that something is weighty. Can I go further? Disappointment in God. Disappointment in church people. Disappointment in the church at large.

Disappointment that yet again, another prayer has not found its fulfillment on the other side of In Jesus name, amen. And yet, for many of us, our faith is not gone. We still believe in everything we just sang about. I still believe in God, and I still believe that God is love. And I still believe in the hope of this afterlife called heaven.

And I still believe that he is the ruling and reigning king. I still believe that he died for my sins. I still believe he rose again. I'm believing all the right things, but if I'm honest, even in my belief, I struggle with unbelief. I know we don't want to talk like that out loud because it seems like we're less spiritual.

Or maybe we accidentally somehow think we subconsciously put a. Put a curse on us. If I. If I'm honest with my doubt, maybe, maybe that'll be the final nail on the coffin. I just want to set your soul free.

God doesn't think like that. You can be real raw, vulnerable and honest with the. With a God who already knows your thoughts. It's not like by not saying it and articulating it, you're pulling a fast one on God. We're not going to stand before the throne room of God and be like, oh, wow, I'm so glad it paid off, because God, back in 1984, I got worried there for a second, and then God's going to be like, oh, in myself.

I had no idea. God already knows. So if he already knows, there's nothing wrong with telling him what we know too. And that which we wrestle with, even air has weight. And so it's not a shocker that his people have a weight as well.

In psychology, we call it the hollowing. In theology, we would call it the emptying one's soul. It's where you feel like my soul, my inside, it's hollow. And yet somehow, in a strange way, it's overly crowded. It's crowded with memories, it's crowded with a plethora of amens that never found itself.

Testimony. I feel empty on the inside, and yet I'm overly crowded. I just feel like, you know, it's almost as if you can find yourself lost in the machine of life.

Like, it's hard to find verbs for it and adjectives around it. It's just kind of like, surely there's more to life than this. I'm coming to church, I'm praying, I'm fasting, I'm reading the Bible. I joined a connect group. I'm serving, I'm giving, I'm doing everything I know what to do.

And yet, at the end of the day, I still feel like, is this it? Is this it? Like, surely there's more than this. It's called the hollowing of one's soul. If I could even push the envelope a little further.

The Desert Fathers, the early second, third, fourth century theologians and scholars, they had a word for it was called acidia. And asidia literally means the noon day demon. It just got real intense. The noonday demon. They weren't saying that if you're having a bad day that your demon possess, let me make that clear, or I'm having a bad day.

It wasn't that. It wasn't that. When they. When they coined the phrase the noon day demon, it was. It was something.

Something's not right. Something is Bey the natural. It has entered into the realm of the supernatural. Everything should be fine. And yet everything's not fine.

I don't really have a reason to complain, per se, and yet I still feel like complaining. It's good. It's not good. I got a friend. I just don't feel intimacy.

I'm surrounded with people and relationships, and yet somehow I feel all alone. It's this hollowing of one's soul, this noonday demon of Cydia that rises its head every now and then just to. Just to add insult to injury or doubt, to our faith or discomfort, to our enjoyment, trying to hollow out a meaning of life. And yet every time somebody say, every time, tell the person next to you, don't miss it, don't miss it, don't miss it, don't miss it. Every time.

Or as we would say in Louisville, Kentucky, er time. Er time, the Desert Fathers would talk about acidia. They would accompany the name of this hollowing with the name of the cure and the cure for acedia, the medicine, the antidote, the healing balm for this Halloween depression, this weirdness, emptiness, the weight of air on the inside of us was never linked to trying harder, praying more fervently, being more passionate.

It was found in recapturing the vision of the Ascension.

When we talk about the Ascension, most church people tend to think that it was simply the escape route by which Jesus evacuated earth, right? Jesus is out there talking to his disciples. He's preaching, he's teaching. And then a cloud comes down. And Jesus gets on the cloud and was like, see you later, guys.

And he goes up as if the cloud was Heaven's Uber, right? Jesus is preaching, teaching. A cloud comes and he's like, huh, Sorry, guys. I thought I ordered Uber. Apparently my Heavenly Father ordered Lyft.

I laughed about that Saturday way too hard, but probably won't say it at the next service, but you guys got it.

The cure for asidia, this hollowing of one's soul is eradicated, removed, and even healed and find its fullness and substance of righteousness, peace and joy and laughter and meaning and purpose. Again, not in trying harder, not even trying to find the verbs and the adjectives to describe what your feelings are, is actually rooted in recapturing a vision of the Ascension. The early church believers, when I say that, I'm talking about the New Testament church, the church that gathered in the New Testament. They were beheld in wonder at the vision of the Ascension. Because when they thought of Jesus ascending on a cloud to glory, what was actually taking place?

For context to our texts we're about to read, you'll remember that Jesus just died for the sins of humanity. Three days later, he rose again. He spent 40 days traveling around, eating with people, talking with people, showing off his resurrected body. Hey, this is not myth and it's not rumor, and it's definitely not gossip. Here I am.

You want to touch my scars? Take a look at me. He was there, showing himself to be alive, true and strong. He gathers the disciples around, and the disciples eventually ask the thing they've been wanting to ask for the last 40 days. And here's what he says.

Verse 6. Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? Here's what they're asking Jesus. Are you going to do it now? Now when you're gonna go knock on Caesar's door, Herod's door, kick the door down and say, you resurrected King of kings and Lord of Lords, are now you gonna restore Israel back to its rightful place?

Are now you gonna start the movement we've been waiting for? Are you Jesus? This is the perfect time. Rome is embarrassed. Rome just realized they can't kill you, Jesus.

Before Tony Stark and Captain America, there is you. You're the original, the og, the goat of the Avengers. Lord, do your thing. We are with you. They think he's about to start an earthly movement overriding Rome.

Jesus responds. What? It's not for you to know. Times and seasons that the Father has Essex by his own authority, and then he just changes the subject. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.

And when he has said these things, as they were looking on, he was. Here we go. Lifted up, ascended, and a cloud took him out of their sight. Now, we read that as a historic event. Those that saw the event take place.

And the early church believers in the New Testament, they would have not just saw it and thought of it or heard it and wondered about it. Their mind would have immediately been jogged back to Daniel four or five hundred years prior to this moment. God gave a man by the name of Daniel who's having all these visions about the afterlife and what the world is going to look like at the end of the day and the end of the age when Jesus comes back and takes us there. He's having visions and dreams about Revelation and heaven and hell. And in this vision he had in Daniel chapter seven, he says, I saw in the night's vision.

And behold, it means pay attention. Lean in with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a Son of man. We know that's Jesus. And he came to the ancient of days, another name for God himself. And he was presented before God and to him was given, oh, dominion, glory and a kingdom.

So watch this. Notice the Son of Man is ascending on a cloud and moving to the throne of dominion, authority and the kingdom. The ascension is not evacuation, it's a coronation. This is not Jesus escaping the domain of earth. This is Jesus being enthroned over all of heaven and earth.

Notice the Bible goes out of its way not just to say that Jesus ascended, but a cloud took him. Another verse, a cloud took him. He ascended on a cloud, A cloud engulfed him, A cloud surrounded him. Why does the Bible need us to know that there was a cloud around him when he ascended from earth to heaven? All throughout the Old Testament, a cloud is imagery of a divine presence or the Shekinah glory of God.

The very manifold manifest evidence of God's presence is among us. The cloud covered Mount Sinai. When God spoke to his people, the cloud led Israel through the wilderness. The cloud filled the temple tabernacle with God's glory. The cloud filled Solomon's temple.

When the people came together to worship and God inhabited their praises. The cloud overshadowed not only the mountain, but the individuals on the Mount of Transfiguration. When the glory of Jesus, who he was on the inside, was manifested on the outside. Throughout all of Scripture, the cloud is associated with the very glory manifested presence of God. So when Jesus disappears into that cloud, ascending to heaven on the cloud, he's not running from earth, he's not even leaving earth behind.

He is being enthroned as king of all kings and Lord of all lords over heaven and earth. When they assembled, they being the disciples with Jesus to hear the game plan, Jesus is saying, hey, go to the upper room. I'M gonna send you a gift called the Holy Spirit. And then the disciples begin to argue with him or push back a little bit. Why are you leaving?

Where are you going? Why now? Jesus, you just came back. This is our moment. We're the band of brothers, baby, let's do this.

They're upset that he's talking about leaving. But then the text says that after they saw him ascended. Watch this. Luke 24:52, they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great what is the word? What is it now?

How do they go from being discouraged, frustrated, slightly aggravated that their leader, their return king, is leaving to now he's leaving and we leave to go back home with great joy. They recognize that the resurrection proved his ability to conquer death. But the ascension is declaring he will always rule everything.

Now, the New Testament doesn't stop there. Everybody say, he's just getting started. He's just getting started. Tell the other person, it's about to get good. Come on, just let him know it's about to get good.

It's about to get good. The New Testament writers don't stop there, because kings don't just ascend to thrones, they sit on them, too.

They don't just possess a throne, they just don't know where to go to a throne. They don't just have a throne room. They sit on them. What happens when Jesus ascended into heaven? Hebrews 1.

After making purifications for sin, that's the cross he set down at the right hand of the majesty on high. Everybody say, sit down. He sat down. Theologians have a phrase for this moment. It's called the session of Christ.

Just like a judge would go into a courtroom and the bailiff will say, court is in. Court is in session. What's the session about? It means shut your mouth. A new authority has just arrived.

This is his domain. This is his kingdom. Keep your mouth shut. Pay attention. He holds all the power and the authority in his hand and in his gavel.

So the ascension leads to the session of Christ. Tell the person next to you, class is in session. Come on. Class is in session. After making purifications, he set down.

Now watch this. This just blows my mind. More than any other chapter in all of the Old Testament, the New Testament quotes Psalms 110. Psalms 110 is the most quoted Old Testament passage in all of the New Testament. The early church, they love this chapter.

It's in their songs, it's in their hymns, it's in their conversations, it's in their dialogue. It's even in their Accent and in their tone, the little bit of confidence in the rhythm and the pep in their steps. It's all coming from Psalms 110. You know what Psalms 110 is all about? The Savior seats.

The Savior sits down. The reason why that's such a big deal is because in the Old Testament, the forgiveness of sins took place in the tabernacle amongst all the furniture that's in the tabernacle. You know what? You won't find a chair. You know why you won't find a chair is because the priest never had an opportunity to sit down.

There were so many sins that needed covered by the sacrifice of an animal. He was busy from morning to night. Another lamb, another bull, another goat, another bird, because there was so much sin. His work was always being a propitiation, a sacrifice atoning for the sins of the nation, of the tribe. The work was never done.

So he never had an opportunity to sit down. The Bible says Jesus takes his seat, for there is nothing else to do. The work has been complete. Your great high priest has took a seat. And in his hand he laid down his shepherd's staff.

He laid down the knife that needed to sacrifice for the shed blood there is for. For. For. There is no forgiveness without the shed blood. He laid down the shepherd's staff.

He laid down the knife. And now this is sobering. He picks up a gavel.

So on one hand, it's very comforting that the judge has taken a seat. It's very sobering because if a judge is holding a gavel, there's a verdict about to be articulated, which means the day of reckoning has now come.

Notice. Notice the creed. It says that he will judge the living and the dead, so he ascends to the right hand of the Father, but now he judges the living and the dead.

It's sobering, but it's freeing all at the same time. We would call this a theological oxymoron. The same thing that brings us joy brings us recognition. The same thing that might bring fear and recognition should bring us joy. It just depends on what side of the seat do you stand.

But this is where theology stops being academic and it starts becoming oxygen in that hollowing of our soul. If the king has taken his seat, it means the throne is occupied by our king. And it reminds us that history then has never been unsupervised. And if history has never been unsupervised, our future is not chaotic. It's merely traveling towards the throne of God.

This is freeing, and it brings oxygen back into the hollowing. Because it tells us, on a more practical level, during your diagnosis, keep your head up. The ascension has led to the session, which has led to the seating. He's still in charge. During your marriage difficulties, keep your head up.

The ascension leads to the session. The high priest has taken his seat. He's still in charge. During a season where your prayers felt like they were bouncing off the ceiling. The ascension leads to the session.

That leads to the high priest seating. Jesus is still on the throne. The creed goes, he will judge the living and the dead. So, again, it's comforting and it's sobering. I want you to notice this.

The seating of the high priest, the session of the judge, and the judgment coming from the judge, they're not two different thoughts. They're actually the very same coin. Okay? Because every king judges, and every throne has a courtroom. And so him being ascended, we would call that enthronement.

But enthronement and judgment are the same. For a seated king means a coming reckoning. And for the believer, it's the greatest news we've ever heard. For the unbeliever, it's the greatest invitation you could ever hear.

I want to be careful how we approach the judgment seat of Christ, because this is not fear theater. Like, I've heard people preach on the judgment seats. And it's like. It feels like the whole goal of the judgment seats, then, is to manipulate your heart, to scare you into repentance. That's not what God's all about.

The Bible says perfect love casts out fear. So we're not looking at talking about the judgment seats as fear. Fear theater like. Like Judge Judy yelling and spitting all over the desk. No, no, no, no, no.

It's not about that. It is just simply a. It is just simply expressing what is. And it leaves the open invitation to us to accept or reject. There's actually two different judgment seats in heaven.

The first is called the bama seat. It's in verses like Second Corinthians, 5, 10, among others. But it says, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. The word Paul used there for judgment seat here is bama seat, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. The word bama sea is not a courtroom word at all.

It's actually a stadium word. It most primarily shows up in historic literature in the realm of the Grecian Olympic Games, where an athlete would approach one of the judges on a podium, and they would call that podium the Bama seat. And based on how the athlete fought their fight or ran their race, they would approach the bama seat and they would simply get a public reward for their for their time in the game. So this judgment seat is not about salvation. The salvation was settled at the cross and in our living, whether we accepted or rejected what Jesus did for us on the cross.

This is basically a rewards ceremony is what it is.

Where you thought heaven didn't take notice of your prayers, or you thought what you did to the least of these really didn't matter. You thought that handwritten note that you encouraged somebody was just a one and done it was over with. You thought you're faithful, serving and giving and attending and faithfulness and obedience. You know that time where you had a big choice to make, whether you compromise your integrity or you do the right thing, even though the right thing felt like the wrong thing because it wasn't going to get applauded as much as if you lowered yourself and did the wrong thing. Remember that time you thought heaven didn't notice?

It's in his prayer journal. This is where he lays out everything he saw you do. And he rewards you and he says, well done, you good and faithful servant. Come on, write this down. Heaven sees earth differently.

It just sees earth differently. The second judgment seat is quite opposite of the first.

We would call this judgment seat the great white throne. Judgment, white, representing purity and justice and clarity. Revelation chapter 20 says, Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it.

From his presence, earth and sky fled away and no place was found for them. This is a sobering picture that there's coming a day when the ascension leads to the session, leads to the sitting, leads to the judgment. And for the unbeliever, this moment will be so real, so honest, so vulnerable, so exposing, therefore so terrifying that even God's creation, the earth itself, the hills and the oceans and the valley, will try to run and escape, only to realize it's worthless because their creator sees everything. For the earth is the lord's and the fullness thereof. They all belong to the creator.

The scripture says the mountain. Think about that. The justice is coming so swift that even the mountains, what they have witnessed throughout history, the sin of mankind, will want to melt like wax and run and hide in the depths of the ocean, only to get there and realize the watchful eyes of the creator are still on me. Later on in scripture, it will say that even the dead, even those who've been buried in the depths of the sea, those who've been cut apart and sawed and it goes through this horrible picture. Not even the most grotesque form of death will keep you from being reassembled and standing before the judge that has taken a seat.

And again, it's not fear theater. The Bible is just telling you this is where the future is headed. So don't be afraid of it. Be mindful that this is coming. So accept the invitation now to receive the grace of God over your life.

By the way, we want this to be the story, right? Otherwise evil wins. Otherwise wickedness gets the last laugh. If there's no final judgment, if history ends well, it is what it is. And you know, whatever happened, happened.

If history ends with no justice, justice, then whoever did evil gets away with evil and wickedness rules the end of the day. Revelation says not so. Every word is answered. Thought is answered, action is answered. Every evil, every form of idolatry and wickedness will be confronted by the righteous Judge of the universe as he brings all things back together to his original design.

Every verdict is reviewed by the one who sees everything, forgets nothing, and cannot be bought or bribed. He's not interested in your power, your money, or your excuses. Justice will be called into court.

But for those who put their faith and trust in Jesus, the Bible says, be not afraid. For this seat is also occupied. Isn't that amazing? So picture this. The Bible says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

And one day we're going to stand before God not just as the high priest, but as the judge of all the cosmos. In this moment, our mind will be terrified. No. Look at what I've done. We're gonna walk into the judgment.

We're ready to take our seat, to approach the throne, only to discover there's somebody sitting in our seat. And the person sitting here is not just the judge. He's also your high priest. And he's not just your high priest. He's also the Lamb of God who took away your sins.

He's sitting in your seat. Nothing to sit here. Just keep on walking. Can you imagine the humility in this moment? We know this is our seat.

We know what we've done. Even our very conscious betrays us. But Jesus says, I've already taken the seat on the cross for you. There's no room here. Keep on walking.

Well then where am I supposed to go? That seat. What's over there? We come over here to this seat. Jesus says, take this one.

This one. We take this seat. What's it this eat all about? And here he comes, approaching the Bayma seed. Well done, you good and faithful servant.

I'm just telling you, the grace of God is astonishing. Not just in how he lavishes us with mercy in this life, but what he continues to extend to us in the life thereafter.

Amazing grace, how sweet that sound that will live and enjoy today and will revel for all of eternity.

The ascension is his enthronement that leads to the session, that leads to the High Priest finding a seat so that he can judge wickedness and take our place, so that we could bypass the Great White Throne and just enjoy the throne with him forever.

It leaves us then, Philippians 2:9.

Therefore, God has highly exalted him, Jesus, and bestowed upon him the name that is above every name, so that at that name of Jesus, every knee will bow before his name, his dominion, his authority, his reign, his kingdom. Kingdom in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the very glory of God the Father. You see this? History then, doesn't end with a press conference.

And history doesn't end with Jesus defending himself or his actions. And history doesn't end with another vote of power. History ends before a throne in which every knee and every tongue acknowledges the session of our Lord.

And what a day that will be when our Savior we shall see, when he takes us by the hand and he leads us into the promised land. What a day, glorious day that will be.

How then might we live this truth out midweek? Let me give you three three truths to live by in light of this creed. Live with courage. Live with confidence. History is not spiraling out of control.

Christ is reigning. He's very much in control. Live with courage. Live out your faith. Live out your belief.

Don't shrink back in fear. Don't run.

What does Paul say? Stand. And after you've done everything to stand, just keep on standing. Why you just keep on standing? Because you're borrowing courage and hope from the future.

And what is that hope? That in the end, because he rules and reigns, we win with him. For Christ has ascended to the right hand of God and class is in session. He's holding court. The throne is occupied.

In the end, you win.

Secondly, live surrendered lives. The King can carry what you cannot hold. And so we lay down on the daily basis. Sin, pride, control, fear.

You need your need to sit on the throne of your own life. We lay you down and we surrender our life to him on the daily lastly number three. We live faithfully, for Heaven notices what people overlook. We're mindful of the intentionality or we're mindful with intentionality. The thoughts of our mind, the words of our mouth, the actions of our hands, the places of our feet and the condition of our soul.

For Heaven sees it all, and there's coming a day where he will reward you. So I would say this then. When life isn't easy, when suffering is real, when the noonday demon spawns its attack, fear not. Not. Keep your head up.

The throne is occupied. Jesus is ascended. When the fear comes and the layoff occurs and the diagnosis becomes a reality, keep your head up. Class is in session. When your prayers feel unanswered and there's a hollowing of your soul, keep your head up.

Follow the ascension. When culture feels unstable and the future in the past feels real, regrettable or terrifying, keep your head up. For the earth is his footstool. When evil looks like it's getting away with everything and the righteous are falling behind. Justice, just.

Justice just hasn't caught up yet. Keep your head up. Because history is not unfolding. It is moving toward an occupied throne.

Keep your head up. Follow the ascension. It's the session of Christ.

And so with your head bowed and your eyes closed for the privacy of those around you and the introspection of your own heart. Do you know what. Do you know where you're seated?

Have you had a moment where you allow the Holy Spirit to bring to light some things on the inside of your life that just aren't right, and you need to give those over to Him? You're still in the driver's seat. You're still on the throne of your own heart.

And you would say, you know what? I'm ready to hand that over. I'm ready to give that part of me to Jesus. The part that I've been overly protective about and defensive about and excusing. I've got every reason to hang on to this, but today I just give it over.

I surrender all of my life to the throne of Christ.

In plain English, I'm asking him to forgive me of my sins. Sins. And by forgiveness, I'm also recognizing my will to turn away from my sin.

I'm ready to follow Jesus with my life, if that's you. Just as an outward sign of a heart that's ascending towards Heaven's throne, would you put your hand in the air?

Wow.

With a concert of voices, everyone repeating after me. For both encouraging those who raise their hand and also just a. Just a recognition of heaven's song of forgiveness with. With the crucifixion and the ascension. Ready.

Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me. Thank you for going to the cross for me. I recognize my need for you, my need of that cross. I also recognize your resurrection and your ascension and your session. And I bow today before you.

Forgive me of all my sins come into my life. I choose this very day to follow you. With your help, I give you all of me in Jesus name. Now put your hands together and let's thank God for the glory that is grace and mercy and kindness. Come on, hop up on your feet.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the hollowing of of your spirit now be filled with righteousness and peace and joy as it comes through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen. God bless you.