ASCENSION DAY and its IMPLICATIONS for TODAY

By Dr. Peter Hammond

Recently, I was asked by a Christian leader: "Why is there so much corruption, crime and violence in our

society? Why is there so much immorality, even in the church?

Why Are So Many Things Going Wrong?

Why are we seeing so many moral failures and scandals amongst leaders in business, in every level of government

and even in the church?"

My answer is that these are the inevitable consequences of the spirit of our age:

Everything Has Consequences

Antinomianism, the rejection of God's moral Law, inevitably leads to lawlessness,

where every man does what is right in his own eyes.

Egalitarianism, the rejection of authority and lack of respect for elders, produces a self-centred and selfish society.

Evolutionism and its denial of the Creator, and therefore of accountability to Almighty God on Judgement

Day, erodes the very foundations of Christian civilisation.

Foundational truths have been ignored and vital pillars of Christian civilisation have been eroded.

All Ideas Have Consequences

What we are seeing today are the inevitable out-workings of false doctrines being introduced, tolerated, accepted,

and in many cases, even celebrated.

One of the great problems of our age is the separating of Salvation from the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is the Lord Jesus

Christ alone who can save us. We cannot accept Jesus as Saviour without submitting to Him as Lord.

Full Salvation

Those who preach a cheap grace and an easy believism, betray an inadequate understanding of the problem of sin,

the nature of God, Christ's Mission on earth and our purpose and calling as Christians.

It would not have been sufficient for Moses to have proclaimed to the

Hebrews, who were slaves, that they should accept that in Yahweh

they had perfect freedom, whilst leaving

them in bondage and under the whip of slavery in

Egypt!

Freedom From

Bondage

Anything less than deliverance from Egypt and freedom from the bondage of slavery,

would have been inadequate.

God's eternal purposes required the people of Israel to survive the Passover, leave Egypt, cross through the Red Sea and be

established as a free people in the Promised Land.

Sin is serious. We are all far too tolerant

of sin. Yet, sin is more defiling

than dirt, more dangerous than an unexploded bomb.

Even more life threatening than a

deadly disease and more insidious than a virus.

Sin is Serious

"Seek the Lord while He may be found,

call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked

forsake his way, and the unrighteous man

his thoughts; let him return to the Lord

and He will have mercy on him;

and to our God, for He will

abundantly pardon.

'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways', says the Lord.

'For as the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts'."

Isaiah 55:6-9

Compromise and cowardice have catastrophic consequences.

Catastrophic Consequences ofCompromise and Cowardice

We can recognise the out-workings of the classic tactics of "corrupt and conquer" and "confuse, divide and conquer."

All too many have been deceived, distracted, divided and disarmed.

There are those who are openly advocating the destruction of Christian civilisation.

Yet, in the face of these disastrous developments, the response of all too many Christian leaders has been

compromise and cowardice!

Where the Battle Rages There Your Loyalty is Proved

Dr. Martin Luther declared: "If I profess with the loudest voice, and clearest exposition, every portion of the Truth of God, except precisely

that point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, then I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Him.

Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battlefront besides is mere flight

and disgrace if he flinches at that point."

Ascension Day points us to the solution to all these problems. Ascension Day deals with Authority.

"Christ has gone into Heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made

subject to Him." 1 Peter 3:22

The Ascension Deals with Authority

The trouble is that today, most Christians just want to stop with Christmas. Christmas celebrates the greatest Gift of all

- the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Nature of God

The Incarnation of Christ, when God took on human form and was born in Bethlehem, is very important, but many would prefer

to think of Christ as the Babe in a manger, rather than as the Risen, Ascended, Sovereign Lord reigning on High.

Yet the classic Christmas verse declares:

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is

given; and the Government

will be upon His shoulder.

And His Name will be called Wonderful

Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of

Peace. Of the increase of His Government

and peace there will be no end." Isaiah 9:6-7

Many like the idea of "a Child is born", but they would like to stop there and edit out

"the Government will be upon His shoulder… Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His

Government and peace there will be no end.

Trying to Evade Reality

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." That is too intimidating. Too threatening. Too intrusive.

It has implications for every area of life. We like a God of love and mercy who answers our prayers, and provides all our needs.

However, we are not too comfortable with a Holy God who sees everything, even the thoughts of our hearts,

and who is the Eternal Judge we must give an account to.

We live in a society where God's Government is de-capitalised and man's civil government is capitalised!

Many people who will put a small "g" for Gospel, will put a capital "G" for their civil government !

The Government

When we refer to "the Government." we should only be referring to God, who is the One who

determines whether we live, and when we die.

He is the One who governs the universe

and determines the seasons. God alone is all-knowing,

everywhere present and all powerful.

All human authority is limited, it is delegated by God and is answerable to Almighty God.

Delegated and Limited

We will all have to bow before Christ and give an account of our lives, and of every word ever spoken, on that last, dreadful Day of

Judgement.

Each one of us have an appointment. "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the Judgement." Hebrews 9:27

The second most important holiday in

the Christian calendar is Good Friday -

when we solemnly remember the

Atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ, His great sacrifice on the

Cross of Calvary.

Christ Has Died

He suffered, bled and died for our sins. He endured the punishment we deserve - so that we could enjoy

the reward that only He deserves.

This should inspire us afresh to repentance, thanksgiving, and consecration. In view of God's mercies, we should "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God…" Romans 12:1

However, many Christians stop there. They worship Jesus as the suffering Saviour. Roman Catholics have crucifixes depicting

Christ suffering on the Cross. Protestants have tended to reject crucifixes.

Who Do You Worship?

To us Christ is no longer suffering on the Cross. We have a simple, plain, rugged Cross, because Christ is

no longer on the Cross. He is the Risen, Ascended, victorious, King of kings and Lord of lords, reigning on High.

The third great Christian holiday event is Resurrection Sunday.

This is a joyous celebration of the victory of Christ over death, hell and the grave.

Christ Is Risen!

Christ Jesus is Risen from the dead!

He is alive forevermore! Death is defeated.

Jesus is

the Resurrection and the Life.

Our Lord and Saviour has been "Declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the

Resurrection from the dead." Romans 1:4

All the founders of religions are dead. You can visit the graves of Muhammad, Buddha, Confucius, Marx and Lenin.

. But in Jerusalem there is an empty tomb. "He is not here; He is Risen!" Luke 24:6. "…raised for our justification." Romans 4:25

Choose Life!

It is absolutely vital that we include Ascension Day and Pentecost Sunday also into our Christian calendar.

The Missing Pillars of the Faith

This is what is all too often missing. 40 Days after Resurrection Sunday,

we celebrate the Ascension of Christ into Heaven. He is alive forevermore and He is exalted

and enthroned at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

He is above every other name and authority in Heaven and on earth.

Jesus Christ is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

We have an Advocate in Heaven.

He hears our prayers. He will crush all His enemies. He will come again.

Therefore we must go and make disciples of all nations.

It is most significant that some governments have seen fit to abolish the long-established Ascension Day as a public holiday.

Rejecting the Authority of Christ

Ascension Day deals with authority. "All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations… teaching

them to obey everything I have commanded you…" Matthew 28:18-20

The Ascension proclaims the

Lordship of Christ in all areas of life.

Jesus has all authority. Jesus

Christ is Lord over the world of

business, sports, entertainment and

government.

Jesus Christ is Lord

Jesus Christ is Lord over the schools, shops, cinemas, factories, hospitals, law courts and parliament.

There is no area of life that is outside of His authority.

Every doctor, teacher, policeman, businessman, parliamentarian, factory worker, farmer, mother, father, magistrate and supreme

court judge will have to individually stand before Almighty God on the Day of Judgment and give an account of our lives.

The Ascension celebrates the vindication and victory of Christ. No doubt the high priest, Caiaphas, king Herod

and the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, thought that they were very important and powerful people.

Vindication and Victory

Yet these religious and political leaders are only remembered today because they arrogantly dismissed, and unjustly

condemned, Christ Jesus.

They did not recognise that they were condemning to death the Creator, the Giver of life, the Eternal Judge, before Whom each one of them must stand. "You have ascended on high, You

have led captivity captive…" Psalm 68:18

The emperor Augustus, who issued the decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world, requiring everyone to return to their town of birth, could not have realised at that time

that the Baby born to third class subjects in faraway Judea would one day Judge him.

The Eternal Judge

"The Lord said to My Lord, 'Sit at My right hand till I make Your enemies Your footstool'." Psalm 110:1.

The Ascension proclaims the

ultimate victory of Christ.

Is Jesus your Saviour

or your Judge?

Those that refused to bow to Christ as Saviour and Lord today, in the day of Grace, when forgiveness is freely available,

will one day be forced to bow to Christ as the Eternal Judge

- when the day of Grace will be ended, when they will be condemned to hell forever.

"He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead

bodies. He shall execute the heads of many countries." Psalm 110:5-6

The question is not: Will you bow to Christ?

But When will you bow to Christ? Will you bow to Christ as Saviour and Lord today, or will you only

bow to Christ as your Judge on the Day of Judgment?

When Will You Bow to Christ?

"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name, that at that Name of

Jesus every knee should bow, of those in Heaven,

Every Knee Will Bow

and of those on earth, and of those under

the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God

the Father." Philippians 2:9-11

There is no authority above that of our Lord Jesus Christ. Every knee will bow before Him. Compared to Christ the kings

and presidents of this world are as nothing.

Every Tongue Will Confess

Every knee will bow and every tongue

will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord

to the Glory of God the Father. This includes king Herod, Caiaphas

and Pontius Pilate.

This includes Caesar Augustus and Nero. This includes Muhammad, Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.

On several occasions while witnessing to Muslims, I have heard Muslims declare: "I believe as Muhammad believes!"

At this I normally reply: "Then you must become a Christian."

What Does Muhammad Believe?

"But Muhammad did not believe in Jesus." they will reply.

"No, he did not then. But he does believe now!" I reply.

The Ascension is a great comfort to believers who suffer persecution.

We Have an Advocate

"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the Heavens, Jesus the Son of God,

let us hold fast our confession.

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathise with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are,

yet without sin.

Let us therefore come boldly to the Throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Hebrews 4:14-16

We have an Advocate in Heaven. He hears our prayers.

He ever lives to make intercession for us. He will come again. He will crush all His enemies.

Therefore we should not fear governments, popes or councils.

We must not bow before idols,

nor may we compromise the essential principles of our Faith.

Though Christ is physically absent from the earth, yet, through His Holy Spirit, He is spiritually present.

He is all-knowing, everywhere-present and all-powerful. "For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet."

1 Corinthians 15:25

A Vision of Victory

The Vision of Daniel

"But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets… This great image, whose splendour was excellent, stood… a Stone was cut out without

hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces…

And the Stone that struck the image became a great mountain

and filled the whole earth… And in the days of these kings the

God of Heaven will set up a Kingdom which shall never be

destroyed;

and the Kingdom shall not be left to other people;

it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever."

Daniel 2:28-44

The Lord Jesus Christ declared:

"The Stone which the builders rejected has

become the chief Cornerstone. Whoever falls

on that Stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.“

Luke 20:17-18

In Moscow, about 900m North East of Red Square,

Lubyanka building with statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky – KGB headquarters

In Lubyanka Square, a huge statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the Cheka, which later became the KGB,

was erected in 1958.

The Statue and the Stone

This statue was directly in front of the Lubyanka, the notorious Headquarters of the KGB, wherein many Christians were interrogated,

tortured and murdered.

In 1991, the statue of Dzerzhinsky was removed

and a simple stone

from the Solovki Monastery from Solovetski Island,

which had been the first prototype Concentration Camp of the Soviet Union,

The symbolism of the Victory of Christ over Communism is striking.

"And whoever falls on that Stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."

Matthew 21:44

The Ascension is a wonderful reminder and assurance to us that: "The earth will be filled

with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." Habakkuk 2:14

The Ascension proclaims Christ's glorious triumph and His future return on the Day of Judgement.

Therefore, we as Christians should return to observing Ascension Day as a Holy Day to our Faith

and applying its implications into every area of life.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,

acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is

that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2

Ascension Day calls us to committed discipleship and consistent obedience. We need to take up our cross,

forsake the world and follow Christ. Israel could not fulfil its calling by remaining in bondage in Egypt.

Committed Discipleship

Neither can we effectively serve God today,

if we remain conformed to this world, in bondage to its

sins and idolatries.

. Attempting to accept the benefits of Jesus

as Saviour, while denying His authority as Lord

over all areas of our lives, is futile.

That is why we need to go beyond celebrating Christmas, worshipping the Babe in the manger.

We need to go beyond accepting the Atonement for our sins and recognise that Jesus Christ is Risen, Ascended, reigning on High, King of kings and Lord of lords.

He will come again to Judge the living and the dead.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.“ Do you fear God?

Have you surrendered to Jesus Christ

as your Lord and Saviour?

Are you studying His Word and seeking to faithfully apply Biblical principles to all areas of life?

Let us go back to the Bible for Reformation and Revival.

Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of God the Father!

Frontline FellowshipPO Box 74Newlands7725Cape TownSouth AfricaE-mail: admin@frontline.org.zaWeb: www.frontline.org.za