The Resurrection and Ascension of Christ

We're talking about the resurrection of Christ and last week we examined the biblical teaching of the resurrection. We saw that that Christ's resurrection is seen in the Word of God both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. So we looked at both the Old Testament teaching and the New Testament teaching. We we found that to really understand the resurrection you you don't start with the gospels you start with the Old Testament because both by way of prophecy and types the resurrection of Christ is taught in the Old Testament and of course in the New Testament the teaching of Christ, teaching of the other New Testament writers we looked at as well. Then we also looked last week at the doctrinal significance of the resurrection. What does the resurrection really mean to us? What does it teach us? What does it mean doctrinally? And we looked at three things we're gonna look at another couple tonight. What we looked at last week was that the resurrection establishes finally the identity of Jesus as the Son of God thus vindicating his claims. Romans 1, 4 talks about he is proven to be shown to be declared to be the Son of God by resurrection power and so the resurrection does establish his identity as as the Son of God in that way. Secondly we saw that the resurrection validates his atoning work thus declaring the believers justification. We saw in Romans 425 that we are justified through his death and because of that justification he was resurrected. The resurrection is the assurance that his death is adequate that it certainly is what God demanded and expected as far as the full payment for our sin. Then we saw thirdly that the resurrection guarantees the believers future resurrection. That Jesus is the first fruit. He is the first one to be resurrected from the grave never to die again. Obviously there were people who'd been raised from the dead but Jesus was the first to be resurrected in a glorified body never to die again and thus he is the first fruits the more the promise of more to come and we are the ones who will come later in that resurrection. So that's where we were last time a couple weeks ago. Tonight we're gonna look at the fourth doctrinal significance of the resurrection. One that I think is is amazingly comforting and such a blessing to us and that is Christ's resurrection provides the pattern for the believer's resurrection body. There's a lot of interest in what kind of body we'll have in heaven, what kind of resurrection body we will have and one of the ways to understand more about what kind of body we will have, what kind of existence we will have is to look at the resurrection body of Christ. Let's begin with the Philippians three passage where Paul tells us that our bodies will be like his when we are resurrected, Philippians 3 verse 20 but our citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control will transform our lowly bodies, lowly bodies meaning that they are subject to decay and death and mortality. So transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. So there's the promise. The promise is that our bodies will be changed, transformed the the actual word there means a similar form to the resurrection body of Christ. So his glorified body becomes the pattern for what our bodies will be like in the resurrection when we are with the Lord. Now what kind of body is that? Well one of the best descriptions of it is found in Luke 24. So let's find our way back to Luke 24. One of the post-resurrection appearances of Christ in the upper room. Luke 24, let's begin reading in verse 36 and we're going to see several things about the body of Christ, what kind of body it is which helps us to understand what kind of body we're going to have in the resurrection. Verse 36 says while they were still talking about this, nothing maybe your outline says Luke 23 but it is actually Luke 24, verse 36, while they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, peace be with you. They were startled and frightened thinking they saw a ghost. This is in the upper room with the disciples following the resurrection. Now look at verse 38, he said to them, why are you troubled and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. Now let's stop right there. What does that tell us about the resurrection body? Okay, at a tangible body. It had hands and feet, didn't it? He says look at it. You can see my hands and my feet so it is a real body. Now that's, I want to stop there because a lot of people think that somehow in heaven we're going to be floating around like spirits. I think even before the resurrection there will be a temporary body of some kind that we will have people who die now and are in heaven. I think have a some kind of temporary form before the the resurrection glorified body. But certainly after the rapture when the resurrection takes place for church aid saints, it's going to be a real body. It's a body that is tangible you can see. So Jesus said look, look at my hands and my feet and then notice the next thing he says, it is I myself. What does that tell you about the resurrection body? Recognizable yes. In the resurrection body we will have the same identity that we have now. Now I know some of you were hoping for more. Some of you were hoping you would get a great improvement. I can assure you that our resurrection bodies will be perfect. And so we will still be recognizable but we will be perfect. So now what that means you'll have to figure that out for you and I've figured out for me but I know that we will be recognizable. Jesus said it's me. It's it's I myself. You could tell who I am. So we will we will have our same identity. We will not be clones. We will not all you know there are some people who think because we will have the same kind of body Christ has. We'll all look like him. Now I don't think that's what the Scriptures are saying. We will have a glorified body, the same type of body he has but we won't all look like Jesus. We will look like ourselves but in a perfect form. Okay. So that ought to give you assurance and also a little bit of hope maybe too for for the future. Certainly does me. Yes. Yes. Recognizable traits. I mean he did tell Thomas put your fingers here in my the holes that nails scars in my hand and in my side and so forth so there will be recognizable traits to the body. Jesus evidently still bears the marks of his crucifixion. I don't know how far to take that with you know will I still have scars from surgery or that you know I don't know I think all that will be taken care of but but still there are recognizable marks that we are who we are. We have our same identity. Okay. Now notice what he says next. He says touch me and see. Okay. So this is also a body of substance. It is not a it is not a ethereal form a ghost. It is something you can touch. You can actually feel it's a literal body it's a real body and so it has substance and notice he goes on to say a ghost which is what they thought they were seeing a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see I have so this resurrection body is a physical body in the sense that it has flesh and bones. It has substance to it is something you can really see and touch so it is a real body. Verse 40 when he had said this he showed them his hands and feet and while they still did not believe it because of joint amazement he asked them do you have anything here to eat they gave him a piece of broiled fish and he took it and ate it in their presence so it is a body that is physical in the sense that it is capable of taking in food. Jesus was able to eat and so does that mean in heaven we will eat probably it's not that we need to eat we do not need to prevent the decay of the body we do not need to prolong the life of the body it's not that we need to eat but it I believe it's something that we will do you know Revelation 22 talks about the tree of life it has 12 manner of fruit on it so forth so I think there will be some some eating going on in heaven too and some of you are very happy about that as well as I am I'm reminded of the story that I heard one time about husband and wife that that went to heaven at the same time and he got there and he sees this table in front of him and there's all kinds of you know donuts and candy and all kinds of stuff and he started eating these wife slapped his hand so you can't have that and the angel near them said that's okay it doesn't hurt you in heaven all that's fine in heaven so so he started eating some looked at another table and and there's all kinds of you know steak and ribs and all that he started eating some of that you can't have any of that and and the angel once again said no no it won't hurt you here in heaven it's all fine in heaven that's all can have anything it won't won't hurt you at all and he looked at his wife and said you and your brand muffins we could have been here 10 years ago well take that for what it's worth I at least I think there will be some consumption of food in in heaven and it will all be good for us so this is enough to tell us it is a real body it is a body of substance it's not a mysterious ghost-like form or some kind of apparition it is a real body but having said that it is a body with different capabilities than what we currently have it's a real physical body but it's also got different capabilities look over at John chapter 20 and verse 26 this is another account of the upper room experience this is the second appearance to the disciples a week later his disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them otherwise on the screen this is one on the screen got it underlined in my notes which usually tells me how I put it on the screen but I didn't evidently okay Thomas was with them though the doors were locked Jesus came and stood among them and said peace be with you okay so the doors are locked but Jesus suddenly appears now this is the same Jesus that has the physical body that he can eat food and they can touch him and feel that he is really real it is a body of substance but it somehow has the ability to transport itself and appear in a room without having to go through the door okay so it is a physical body a literal body but it has some different properties to it than what we have currently in our physical body so the glorified body is physical but it also has different properties so in some sense there's continuity with who we are now and in another sense it has powers that we do not have now okay is that makes sense so there's some continuity there's some difference one other passage and then we'll throw it open for any questions or discussions and that is 1 Corinthians 15 in 1 Corinthians 15 Paul calls this body a spiritual body now that sounds like a contradiction in terms but notice what he says 1 Corinthians 15 he's he's been trying to describe he's been describing for the Corinthians what the resurrection bodies like he begins in verse 35 by saying someone will ask how are the dead raised with what kind of body will they come and he gives he gives an illustration he says what you sow does not come to life unless it dies when you sow you do not plant the body that will be but just a seed perhaps a wheat or something else but God gives it a body as he determines so the point is what comes out of the ground maintains resemblance continuity with what the seed you sow but it doesn't look exactly like it it's not quite the same either so that that's the illustration I'll skip down to verse 42 where he says so will it be with the resurrection of the dead the body that is sewn in other words it's the body that's placed in the ground like placing a seed in the ground the body that is sewn is perishable it is raised imperishable so the body that dies and is put in the ground is one that the case is perishable the one that has is glorified the one that comes out is imperishable it cannot die verse 43 it is sewn in dishonor it is raised in glory it is sewn in weakness it is raised in power it is sewn a natural body it is raised a spiritual body now when he says it's a spiritual body he doesn't mean it's immaterial it doesn't mean it's like a ghost or a spirit that it has no substance we know that because we've just seen what Christ's resurrection body is like so it is a real body but it is a spiritual body in the sense that it is not perishable it will not die it is glorious this passage tells us and it is also powerful those are the three things he says about how it's it's raised the resurrection body has those three characteristics that are unlike our present physical bodies it is physical but it is imperishable it is glorious it's a glorified body like Christ and it is powerful which may explain the different powers this body has to appear in a room to be in another location without having to go through a door so there is both continuity with the body we have now and change and exactly how all that works we'll have to wait and see but there is a real body that has the same identity you'll be known as you but there is also change in the glorified body okay what questions do you have John yes some I've heard it in different occasions when we talk about the resurrection some people or verses used to work hope and hope in the resurrection and then others used to work promise it's seen in the promises a much stronger word and hope in the right right it's it's not so much a translation issue John is asking if case you didn't hear about the difference between the two words that are associated with the resurrection one is hope and one is promise and the word promise of a glorified body or the resurrection seems a lot stronger than hope and John is asking is that a translation issue and it really isn't as much a translation issue as it is our failure to understand the Bible word hope because of the way we use the word English the English word hope the English word when we say we hope something we say it we hope it's not going to rain tomorrow or we hope somebody's going to come by and see us tomorrow what we're using that word to mean is there's an element of uncertainty here we don't know if it's going to happen or not but we kind of hope it will there's always uncertainty with with our English use of the word the words in the Bible are not that way the word hope in the Bible means to look forward to something certain that is promised in the future that's our hope and it is just as certain as the word promise so the two are really the same I always like to say that hope is the confident looking forward to what is promised in the future that's our hope great question no the same same thing the resurrection basically is the process that gives us the glorified body the glorified body is a body that is changed to be like Christ it happens because of the resurrection so the two are kind of tied together and sometimes it probably is more correct to call it the glorified body but it happens because of the resurrection so sometimes it's called the resurrection body as well good good John yes and and how does the grief share curriculum handle that John do okay I think that's correct I think we will be known we will be recognizable in heaven and that's part of why I think the the Scriptures make it clear when Jesus says it is I myself you know I have my own identity that I had before I think that's part of what that means we will be recognizable yes yes yes David had that that hope and expressed that hope there another another evidence of recognizability with our glorified body and it stretches it even further is on the amount of transfiguration when John and James and Peter were with Jesus in the amount of transfiguration and two other people showed up do remember who they were Moses and Elijah yes and and Peter recognized them Peter knew who they were he called them by name and and talked to Jesus about building tabernacles or tents for you and Moses and Elijah and so what that leads me to believe is that we will recognize people that we've never seen you know Peter did not have a Bible like you have like the children's Bible that has the pictures of Moses and Elijah in it we don't know what they looked like and we obviously but he recognized him he knew they were so I obviously if we were recognized people that we we've never met and we don't know certainly we'll recognize people that we've known here and we will we will have a recognizable identity I believe I think so I think we will keep that identity but we will be a better version of ourselves you know most most of us at least many of us in this room can look can look back to a day when we looked a little better than we look now even in this physical body and and I think we will look the very best we can possibly look and then even better because it will be a perfect body so anything that has been damaged or tainted because of the curse because of the deterioration of the body will be taken away but we will have the same characteristics I think yeah facial characteristics and so forth except I think all the guys will have hair there I think that okay anything else yes right that's a great question and Jesus still have the holes in his hands and feet I'm not sure the one thing that leads me to believe that he might is Revelation 5 where John says I saw a lamb on the throne as it had been slain evidently there was something recognizable that marked Jesus out as having been slain and so I'm assuming that he will but I can't I'm not sure that I can say that with 100% confidence it certainly makes sense that the that the marks would no longer be necessary that maybe they were there simply for the the purpose of identification because that was so fresh in their minds what had happened at the cross so that's possible but the the passage in Revelation leads me to believe that John when he was writing the book of Revelation was transported to heaven 60 years later still saw some indication of him having been slain but again that's you know that's a very symbolic passage it's difficult to know for sure whether that means there are the literal marks in his body still I can't say that with certainty yes yeah yeah I can I can see that and I can I can see and I kind of resonate with the idea that there will be a visible reminder to all of us in heaven of the price that Jesus paid for us it will not be something that is gross or we would shrink away from it would be something that would draw us to him and endure us to him it would be beautiful if if those kind of scars can be beautiful I think it would it would certainly be that way if he still does have them but there may there may well be for that reason the the the identification of his suffering so that we still are very keenly aware of what he paid for us of course let glorified minds will be keenly aware of that anyway but okay good questions any others okay it's an interesting study and probably the closest we can come to understanding what that body is like is is with the Luke and and first Corinthians passages that give us some examples to go by okay but we know that when we see him we will be like him we will we will have the same kind of body he has one other doctrinal implication of the resurrection is that it guarantees the final judgment of the world and this is in Acts 17 just quickly look at that passage in Acts 17 verse 31 Paul's preaching in Athens and he says in verse 31 for he has said a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed he has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead and so Jesus resurrection guarantees that everybody will be resurrected to stand before him in judgment and that's both believers and unbelievers that will be resurrected and stand before him in judgment at different times you know they're different resurrections at different times but but ultimately everyone will stand before God be resurrected to stand before God and be judged and the Christ's resurrection is a proof of that okay any comments or questions about the significance of the resurrection before we move to the next event which is the ascension all right let's let's talk about the ascension of Christ then I think this particular doctrine or part of the doctrine of Christ is often overlooked the ascension just doesn't get the press you know that the other parts of the person and work of Christ do it doesn't maybe intuitively seem as important as the deity of Christ or the birth of Christ the incarnation to come into this world or his death or his resurrection so the ascension if you read theology books it just gets a few pages it doesn't get a lot of attention not like some of the other things and I guess I can understand that some extent but it is very important why would the ascension be very important okay all right that's that's the reason why the Holy Spirit comes that's what makes possible the spirits coming Jesus says that as we'll see in a little bit in one of the passages we'll look at but it is because Jesus left in fact he said it's it's an it's expedient views important views necessary view that I go away so that I can send the spirit to be with you forever so it's very important for that reason what else demonstration of how the church will be resurrected because we will also ascend right at the rapture will be caught up to be with the Lord forever caught up in the air yeah there's there's a visible picture of that in the ascension of Christ sure okay yes it's because of the ascension that Jesus enters into his present ministry for us which includes his intercession for us his praying for us and a few other things as well as we'll we'll see later on but the ascension makes it possible not only for him to send the Holy Spirit which is important for us here now but also what he's doing in heaven for us interceding for us praying for us being our advocate pleading our case before the Father and all of the things that he does for us in heaven that's possible because of of the ascension it is it is inseparably inseparably linked with his resurrection as a part of the exaltation of Christ you know his death burial resurrection and the ascension is inseparably linked to the resurrection as a part of what it means for Jesus to be transferred from from his time here on earth to go back to heaven it's the ascension that accomplishes that so it's very important very important doctrine let's begin tonight by looking at the biblical record of the ascension and once again what passage comes to mind when you think of the ascension what one key passage yeah acts one acts chapter one where we actually have the the event recorded for us and when you talk about the ascension that's what you typically think of and rightly so it is the passage which is the most extensive description of it but like we did with the resurrection we're going to start a ways back we're going to go back to where it actually begins and that is that number one it is prophesied in the Old Testament the ascension is prophesied in the Old Testament a couple of verses that we're going to couple with their fulfillments in the New Testament just to show you this the first one is Psalm 68 18 I think we do have this one on the screen Psalm 68 18 is is a Psalm about Christ about the Messiah prophecy about the Messiah it says when you ascended on high you took many captives you received gifts from people even from the rebellious that you Lord God might dwell there Psalm 68 is a Psalm about the Lord ascending to his throne or or coming to his throne and it's clear that the New Testament preachers and authors understood that to refer to Christ and his ascension as we find in Ephesians chapter four so let's let's look at that passage we don't have that one on the screen Ephesians four verses seven through eleven where Paul says to each one of us grace has been given as Christ a portion that this is why it says okay he's going to quote this very verse this is why it says when he ascended on high he took many captives and gave gifts to his people verse nine in Ephesians four 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 so Christ himself gave the apostles prophets evangelist pastors and teachers okay it's clear that Paul understands the prophecy in Psalm 68 to refer to the ascension of Christ the one who descended to the earth then also ascended back to heaven that's what Paul's talking about in Ephesians four using the Psalm 68 passage as proof okay one other passage that is is often used in the New Testament is Psalm 110 one I think we also have that one on the screen for you the Lord says to my Lord sit at my right hand obviously that's the ascension Christ is placed at that position until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet now that passage finds its way into the New Testament preaching of the apostles in Acts chapter two on the very first sermon preached in the church age on the day of Pentecost Peter quotes this passage and and uses it to refer to Christ he understands it that way obviously Acts two and verse 32 that's start there God has raised this Jesus to life and we are all witnesses of it now verse 33 talks about the ascension exalted to the right hand of God he has received from the father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and here on the day of Pentecost the the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the disciples now verse 34 for David did not ascend to heaven and yet he said and now it quotes Psalm 110 verse one the Lord said to my Lord sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet therefore let all Israel be assured of this God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Messiah so Peter understands Psalm 110 one also as referring to Jesus being exalted to the right hand of of the father that passage in Psalm 110 is quoted several times in the New Testament toward the end of Jesus life when he's teaching in the temple the last week of his life and he poses the question that tricks all the tricksters that were trying to trap him with their questions he uses that verse he asked him who is the Messiah David's son they say well yes he's David's son but if he's David's son then how does David call him Lord and he quotes this verse the Lord said to my Lord David says my Lord sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool so it's used there it's also quoted in Hebrews at least on in three chapters to refer to the exaltation of Christ as well so it's a very common passage to refer to Christ in his glory so the ascension is prophesied in the Old Testament we know that because of the verses that are used by the Old by the New Testament writers and preachers from the Old Testament about the ascension secondly it is foretold by Christ and we'll just mention these verses and then we'll have to stop a couple of passages in John's gospel John 14 verses 28 and 29 Jesus speaking to his disciples in the upper room the night before he dies says this you heard me say I am going away and I am coming back to you if you loved me you would be glad that I am going to the Father for the Father is greater than I I have told you now before it happens so that when it does happen you will believe so he's very clearly talking about I'm leaving I'm going away I'm going back to the Father that's obviously the ascension going back to heaven and then chapter 16 verses 5 through 7 but now I am going to him who sent me none of you asks me where are you going rather that you are filled with grief because I've said these things but very truly I tell you it is for your good that I am going away unless I go away the advocate will not come to you but if I go I will send him to you and that's what Kathy was mentioning earlier the promise of the Holy Spirit it is necessary for Jesus to go away to leave to go back to heaven in order for him to send the Holy Spirit to be with us forever so it's the ascension is prophesied in the Old Testament it is also foretold by Christ in his own ministry especially at the end he's trying to prepare the disciples for the fact that he's leaving he's leaving they still do not understand the concept of his death and so he reinforces the idea that he's leaving he's he's not going to stay with them he's leaving he's going back to heaven but it's important that he do that and so he foretells his own ascension okay time's up and want to spend a little bit of time next time in Acts 1 on the actual description because the way that's described gives us a lot of information about what it means even for us to be taken to heaven and what it means for Jesus to come back at his second coming so it's a very interesting description in Acts 1 we'll get to that next time let's pray father we thank you for our blessed Lord and Savior thank you father for his death his burial his resurrection and his ascension thank you Lord for the joy that we know that our resurrection body will be like his the the hope that we have in Christ of a glorified body one that will be perfect one that will be suited to our new home a perfect home thank you Lord for that glorious truth to look forward to and father we also thank you for the fact that Jesus has gone ahead of us and is in your presence now praying for us interceding for us defending us representing us before you giving us strength and grace thank you for all that he does for us now in heaven it's in his blessed name we pray amen