Life This Side of Heaven

I love how Luke describes the scene that takes place at our Savior’s ascension.  I imagine them all staring at the clouds as they happen to notice two angels standing next to them.  And they ask the same question you might expect:  “Why do you stand here looking into the sky?” However, their question doesn’t arise from curiosity. Instead, it sets the stage for the wonderful announcement which comes next.

Following our Lord's ascension into heaven, Luke tells us that the disciples "returned to Jerusalem with great joy.  And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God." Wow, that last verse is worth repeating. That’s because for many, the Ascension of our Lord, is a largely misunderstood event in the life of our Savior. However, take a moment to hear what Scripture says took place that day. I suspect that if more of us realized how monumental this was, we’d be banging down the doors at church with excitement for the opportunity to gather and praise God for what has taken place!

When you share what God has done, you too get to be "witnesses" of these things. You and I were not eyewitnesses to the events of the resurrection. However, in Scripture, you and I have the testimony of those who were. We get to testify to truth of what those eyewitnesses saw, heard and touched over those forty days following Easter. We bear witness to Jesus and the significance of what His suffering, death and resurrection means not only for us, but for our friends, our loved ones, and for the world.

In Acts, Luke describes how Philip was led meet a government official from Ethiopia who was reading God's Word on the way home from worship in Jerusalem. As they discussed a passage the man was reading from Isaiah, he asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”  And what comes next is what always makes me smile.  Luke says that “Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.”  It's a remarkable passage as we'll hear. But I suspect that Philip could have begun with any passage of Scripture and shared the Good News of our Savior’s rescue.  That’s_ because _all of Scripture points to our Savior and the salvation God prepared for us in Him.

It may sound like little more than semantics to hear John tell us in that when it comes to God, “We love because He first loved us.” However, knowing this makes all the difference in the world.

It’s the pipe dream that we, and our faith, can flourish apart from Christ. Jesus used the example of branches on a grapevine. He said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. ” And then He points out, “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.”  Why? Because God is the source of our life and salvation. In these weeks following Easter, it’s good for us to hear these words. Abiding in Christ, or remaining Christ, reminds us that we can never “go it alone” when it comes to our new life in Him. Episode artwork in Public Domain.

In Psalm 27, David says that the one thing he seeks in this life is to spend all his days in the presence of God. Why? "To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.” Consider for a moment what that means. Like David, this is true for us, not simply as a future longing, but also as a present reality. And here's why.

When John tells us of God’s incredible love we may hang our heads in shame and fail to hear what comes next.  We recognize how stingy we are at sharing love. To overcome this discomfort we may find ourselves putting these words out of our mind and trying to think of something else. It doesn’t help.  We may mistakenly double down and try even harder to show our love. But that’s like trying to rinse the water out of a dirty dish cloth. John does something else and invites us to do the same.

Is it arrogant to say that Jesus is the only way to eternal life?  Wouldn’t it be more loving, instead, to teach that all religious paths lead to the same God?  Wouldn’t this be a more tolerant, a more educated or more enlighten approach?  After all, we live in a pluralistic society today and things have changed. If that’s the case, then what Peter said here in these words might sound out-of-step with the times, hurtful or even intolerant.  And this might explain why a growing number of Christians are shying away from making this claim. But in the interest of love, lets’s take a closer look at this verse and these assumptions.

Jesus told the disciples, “My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” I suspect that hearing these words made the disciples very happy just as they make you and me happy to hear them again today. But it’s also clear that what this means didn’t begin to fully sink in for the disciples until our Savior appeared alive to them again at Easter. Chances are may not always let the full weight of what these words mean sink in either. Our Savior's resurrection is the guarantee of our own, a real bodily resurrection. And this includes our senses.

It's understandable that you and I want to know what it will be like at the resurrection when Jesus comes. We look at ourselves and wonder what we will be like. What answer are we given? If you notice, Paul answers this question by pointing us, not to ourselves, but to our risen Savior whom we will then see face-to-face. Episode Artwork in Public Domain (Armstrong1113149, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

In Acts, Peter addressed a crowd at the Temple. He told them, "You killed the author of life." As you and I hear these words, we're reminded that it wasn’t one particular person, such as Pontius Pilate or any of the other leasers of that day, or even the crowd standing before Peter that was solely responsible for Jesus’ death on the cross.  It was our sins that also led Him to be there. However, Jesus' death wasn't an accident. Here's how God has accomplished our salvation and here's how you and I are now invited to "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”

Does it feel like the rest of the world is looking up while you're looking down? Last Monday, the "Great North American Eclipse" took place. Chances are good that many of you may have been among those dawning special glasses and looking up to the sky. However, for those of you looking down at that moment, you may have noticed another incredible phenomenon. It's called a 360-degree sunrise! In John's first letter, the apostle shares an incredible observation that he doesn’t want you to miss. Though there are times when you may feel engulfed in darkness, God's grace and mercy surrounds you on all sides.

When Jesus drew His last breath on the cross He paid for our sins in full. He also conquered death. What does this mean? Three days later and just as He promised, He rose from the dead – a real physical, bodily, resurrection. He stepped out of the grave alive. Now consider the words that John shares, here in his first letter, and all that this means when Jesus promises that at the resurrection you, too, shall rise.

On the day that Jesus rose, the very next thing He did after announcing "peace" to the disciples was to show them His hands and side. These were the hands through which the nails had been driven.  This was the side into which the soldier thrust his spear to ensure that Jesus was dead. Why would Jesus hang onto such a reminder of the painful sacrifice that He endured? Wouldn’t the disciples have been satisfied seeing, simply, the beauty of His face?  Wouldn’t seeing these wounds be a painful reminder instead a joyous reassurance? The answer to this brings astonishing comfort!

When it comes to Easter, Paul tells us about the eyewitnesses who were on hand and the historical facts of Jesus' resurrection. However, faith is more than acknowleging the fact that we have a living Savior. As the apostle goes on to point out, faith lays hold all that this precious fact brings with it - forgiveness of sins, life and salvation! Knowing this changes not only history, but your life each and every day right now.

At Easter, you may have shared a familiar greeting on Sunday morning.  It’s called the “Paschal Greeting.” It goes like this:  One person exclaims, “He is risen!”  And it’s followed by the joyful response, “He is risen, indeed!” But, you know, the angel who announced our Savior's resurrection also included four more words that are easily overlooked, but which are wonderful, reassuring and too good to miss.

Chances are good that a few days ago on Good Friday you may have sung that enduring hymn, “Were You There?” It comes with that familiar refrain, “Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.” On Easter morning, as the women left the empty tomb they found themselves trembling ... with joy! The good news is that Jesus is risen and He is here. He is here with us this very day, and with all the Easter blessings that come with having a living Savior.

Crushed it!  According to the folks at the Free Dictionary to “crush it” means “to succeed at something in a particularly impressive way.” And according to the Collins Dictionary, “If you crush it, you succeed completely in doing something.” That phrase really takes on a special meeting as we look at the full context of what took place for us on Good Friday.

Luke alone records this remarkable detail from Peter’s denial of our Savior. It happened after all of the disciples abandoned Jesus. By inspiration of the Holy Spirit God ensured that this event was recorded for you and me to hear. They're a wonderful reminder that, even in the midst of our sin, crushing guilt and remorse, Jesus has not abandoned us. Episode Art by Jan van't Hoff. Copyright www.GospelImages.com and licensed to FreeBibleImages.org Used by permission.