Yeshua and His Ascension

do you really believe that he's coming back wouldn't there be nice if there was some convincing proof some evidence that would confirm to us that he is and in essence that's exactly what we have in the portion of Scripture that we're gonna look at this morning you got your Bible look with me to the book of Acts and chapter 1 now we're gonna focus in in this first session on messiahs ascension and when we pay attention to how the scripture was inspired what took place what was said it leaves us no doubt that he's coming again these men who appeared who testified they were willing and many did lay down their life as well they were men of integrity there were individuals who were transformed by the message by the power of the Resurrection they were individuals who totally were given over to one purpose and that was proclaiming his sure return and the ascension its purposes to prepare us for that day and not only his return but why he's coming so look with me Acts chapter 1 and verse 3 now when we see here we're going to find how the scripture unfolds to emphasize the reality of this event and it's so sad today because the Ascension is oftentimes neglected we don't hear a lot about it if you go to seminary you know what I heard confusion they said now if you looked at the Ascension and Luke's Gospel at the very end you would think that it took place on the same day that he rose from the dead but in acts what we're studying it's clear it's written down that it was 40 days after the resurrection so we have a conflict no we don't now first of all the author of Luke's Gospel is also the author of Acts so it makes no sense that in one place he would say oh it took place on the Resurrection Day and the other place no of 40 days later know what Luke's Gospel does is this it unites the resurrection with the Ascension not saying it never specifies that it was the same day it just put these two events together why confirmation now when we talked last night briefly the resurrection one of the things that I neglected to say was when we look at the resurrection and the epistles even though we know that Messiah said I had the power to lay down my life and I have the power to take it up he didn't do that he laid it down but he did not take it up rather we find numerous times in the scripture that it says God raised him from the dead the resurrection because God the Father raised God the son from the dead it was his acceptance of what you sure did on that cross it was his receiving that as full payment now Luke wants us to understand that this confirmation is also seen in the Ascension why because he went up not just into the heavens but as we spoken of to the right hand of its father back in this eternal intimacy that he had before the Incarnation and he'll have forever and ever so it confirms not only his work but his identity the Ascension speaks loudly concerning his sonship the only begotten of the Heavenly Father now when we look at verse 3 acts 1 verse 3 it speaks about this resurrected Messiah and it says whom also manifested himself now that word manifests it simply means literally it's two Greek words to stand before so he showed himself by standing literally before individuals verse 3 who also manifests itself and here's the key it's emphasized living that he was alive it just wasn't some thought that what he said was right and good and should be continued no his resurrection he rose and people saw him alive it emphasizes the connection between resurrection and new life so he who manifested himself alive after he suffered and we're talking about his suffering that led up to the cross and continually on the cross so he suffered he died but now we find he's alive and he gave and this word is very strong he gave many and the word means signs that are convincing signs that remove all doubt signs that leave nothing left to anyone's imagination they are confirmations they bring clarity to a matter they are evidence that is beyond any type of criticism so he did this not just once but four if we keep reading during 40 days now why 40 days well 40 that number if we look at it in the scripture many people think 40 we're speaking of a generation if it's 40 years that's not true 40 has another purpose whether it's days or years or months 40 has to do with a transition let me give you some examples we recall that the children of Israel they were 40 years in that wilderness now why were they there God to bring transition into their life and that transition came by faith by trusting God we heard from Rick yesterday this relationship between a wilderness or a desert experience and trusting in God and we do so trust in him it brings a transition how so well after 40 years they went from that desert that wilderness into the Promised Land likewise when we look on in the Gospels we find Messiah also demonstrating his trust his reliance his dependence upon his Heavenly Father where in the wilderness where he was tempted for forty days and forty nights after that there was a transition what was that transition he began his ministry so throughout scripture the number forty relates to a change and what's the change here why was he living speaking giving convincing signs for 40 days to make sure that we believed in his life believed in his work because there was going to be a transfer of his ministry which he did now to us by means of his Spirit he was commissioning and Luke's Gospel course with that ascension there's that Great Commission this transition that his work his program his ministry becomes ours so he did so for 40 days and he was seen or appeared to them and noticed his and we're getting ready to see that ascension and notice what he spoke of he began his ministry was speaking about the kingdom of heaven and now during those 40 days there was just one subject on his mind one thing that he spoke of and that was look at it in diverse three he spoke concerning the kingdom of God now in this account of the Ascension we're going to see a close connection between him going up with an expectation it is going to be proclaimed by angels he is going to ascend with the purpose of his return and it's this return that he's uniting with the kingdom of God so he's going up we ought to had that sure expectation and the message is this we're going to see that the angel says this one who ascended he's coming back if he was faithful if it was true that he was received up it's likewise true it's likewise assured that he's coming back so if he ascended he's coming back and he's coming back why for that establishment of the kingdom of God verse 4 and being gathered with them he did something now this is his last conversation with those disciples and he speaks concerning the kingdom of God and he gives a command that's what it says he gives a command you know when you look at the teachings of Messiah he gives commands after commands after commands because his commandments are opportunities to demonstrate your love for and the motivation of giving us those Commandments is because when we submit and he always loves us he loves the loss he loves the ones who rebel against him he loves him just as much as he loves the faithful followers his disciples but here's the problem it is only through this covenant or relationship that was established by his blood that someone can become a recipient of that love and the way that we experience that love is when we walk in obedience obedience is an invitation to experience he loves us always but we through our walk through our submissiveness to his will his purposes that is an invitation to experience his love and with his love comes power with his love columns revelation there is an inherent relationship between the gifts of the Spirit the power the anointing the wisdom the direction and the love of God so we read in this passage that he was gathered with them and he commanded them from Jerusalem now the way it's constructed there is an important emphasis on that city Jerusalem and he's speaking about and we'll see it in a moment promise now if you're wise what is going to motivate your life what's going to cause you to be very different than other people are the promises of God if you look in the accounts of the patriarchs they were unique men and anytime that there's a reference to I've attained to our Father speaking of Avraham and yet skok and Yaakov whenever we see that reference to the patriarchs you know what should come into your mind two things and they're related faithfulness these men what does it say about Abraham he believed in God now what was the motivation what caused them to believe and it's not just a mindset it is a mindset that produces outcomes that brings about results and they were motivated their faith what caused them to pursue what God has said and that is real biblical faith were the promises of God what caused them to respond and by the way if you look so much of what the prophets say that's going to happen what we're going to receive the good things of the kingdom they are an outcome of the patriarchs and we find that what moved them what guided them their motivation for walking with God were simple the promises that he made see there's a relationship between promises and faith God says I'm going to do that if you have faith you believe that and that faith is going to work in your life in order that you move in the direction doing the things that are necessary to become recipients of those promises so he says here from Jerusalem now Jerusalem wonderful word and that's why we should never ever ever replace it with something else now I used to work with an organization good organization but but many of the people who serve this this organization they have had ministries - Muslims that's wonderful but the problem is they want to contextualize the Word of God for Islam you ought not do that because instead of saying Jerusalem they use the phrase how goods we ought not change what the Word of God it's language into something that is culturally maybe acceptable to others but it hides it conceals the message of God see jerusalem jerusalem it has meaning it has relevance to the program of god because it is comprised of two Hebrew words this first part your ruche it has to do with inheriting taking possession taking possession of what well the last part of your Russia lion comes from that word Shalom which which doesn't mean peace in the sense of an absence of violence no the word Shalom has to do with the fulfillment of God's will see we have peace with God we have the outcome of this peace when God's will is fulfilled so Jerusalem it is a city where the will of God the purposes of God are going to be fulfilled and because of that the promises of God what we see is that the promises of God are going to come what do we know well the gospel where did it begin Jerusalem Judea Samaria and we'll see in a moment to the outermost parts of the earth it begins it starts in Jerusalem so it's that connection to that city and that's why it's so so problematic when people want to change the name so Messiah is speaking he's commanding these disciples and he says from Jerusalem and here's the emphasis he says do not withdraw don't leave this place but rather and this words great because your Bibles might say remain it's the word remain but it has a prefix attached to it it's remaining the prefix means concerning so it's just not remaining someplace but it's remaining there concerning a promise there is a waiting with expectation and when that expectation is fulfilled well everything's going to be different see dodd knows that all of us we struggle with faith and therefore he gives confirmations all along the way to grow our faith to make a stronger and the promises of God I have experienced this he said I command you do this I did and his faithfulness was was received his promise was was enjoyed and therefore there's another one and they each get and once since greater but easier it's an upward call well we never like to go upwards but he's leading he's empowering he's supplying everything that we need for that upward call and it's through this upward call that our vantage point our perspective changes because we're elevating in other words as we move up this call this upward call what happens more and more we begin to see things as God sees them we have greater perspective for the things of the kingdom because we see things more and more like God sees them so he says from Jerusalem do not depart but wait wait with expectation wait concerning the promise from the father which you have heard from me now most of you know that that we are studying on our television program the book of John and within a Passover context becomes I mean many times in John's Gospel he mentions the festivals of Israel but the one that he mentions most is Passover the festival of redemption and when he goes up that final time to Jerusalem more than anything else he speaks of the Spirit of God he wants us to know that his spirit that he is the promise of the Father now the Spirit of God the Holy Spirit he is well known in Judaism by by name not by experi but by name because every day in the synagogue towards the end of the morning service Sunday through Friday and at the end of the afternoon service on Shabbat we read a scripture from Isaiah 59 and there it speaks about Redemption and it speaks about the outcome of redemption and that is the spirit so whenever we see a reference to the Spirit we need to understand that he is only available he is only going to be in dwelling in you by means of the redemptive work of Messiah and those what it says you're going to receive the promise which you've heard from me because John well he baptized with water but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit let's pause for a moment I just make a few statements about the Holy Spirit we began our conference on Friday night and that first word of our text from the book of lamentations chapter 4 in verse 20 it's just that the spirit we talked about how the spirit according to Genesis is related to life we talked about the spirit one of the purposes that he has within the believer is to bring godly order to the life of that person and we see here it's just that spirit but Holy Spirit we've sung kadosh about holiness now I want to challenge you I mean we hear the concept of holy and I imagine today if I said what do you think of when you hear holiness we get a lot of different responses but let me suggest you that the best response in regard to the meaning of that word kadosh see holiness is always related always to the purposes of God what does that mean it means that the holy spirit he is going to be moving guiding empowering illuminating when we are committed to the promises or the purposes of God if our life is not interested in God's purposes we are going to be grieving and frustrating and hindering the Holy Spirit it's just that simple God is a God of order what does that mean he has laws principle statutes and they do not change it's not because God likes someone more like someone's less that he'll he'll violate some principle never so if you want to experience his power of the Holy Spirit his guidance then you need to be committed to the purposes of God and until you say God revealed to me your purposes guide me in your words so I can understand what you're about he's not gonna do anything you're not gonna hear from him it is that commitment to say yes God I will that brings about Revelation personal revelation in our life so so John he baptized with water but he says you shall be baptized and the Holy Spirit after not many days how many more days well 10 because he's going to ascend 40 days 10 more days that is exactly 50 days after the resurrection on that biblical festival say biblical festival too often we say Jewish festival no they were given to the Jewish people but their biblical festivals for who the people of God those who want to follow the appointments of God don't miss an appointment with God don't miss what he's doing in a specific location partner with him and one of the things we see about the Modine well that word mode it means a pointed time but you know what it comes from the word Yad which is destination so through the MOA team through these appointed times we get insight we receive from God in order that we can arrive at the proper destination now if you fly ll and you get on one of their planes they have that little screen and you can and I don't know what that says about me but I can just watch that screen and see the kilometers just tick down and that entertains me and it always says Muir Hawk lay yad distance to the destination and I feel good when I see I'm getting closer I'm getting closer I'm getting closer I'm about to arrive well that's how we should be in regard to where God wants us to be we should be paying attention am I getting closer am i moving there or am i taking a detour and detours let me tell you the road is never good it is never the way that you want to go you want to go directly and the only one who can take you there the perfect guide is the Holy Spirit what Satan wants to do is bring corruption he wants to bring confusion and because we're not going on the right way it becomes frustrating we get angry we lose power we lose incentive and motivation and we just just give up but when we are following and moving towards the destination of God there is encouragement so Messiah says here he says and not many days you are going to be baptized with the Holy Spirit verse 6 now now notice here how perceptive the disciples are they hear these things spirit spirit relates to Redemption spirit relates to Kingdom so they're hearing these things all relating to the promises of God and they make a right assumption he's talking about us arriving getting to the destined they should we know what it is he's been talking about it for 40 days the kingdom so notice what they say look at verse 6 and they therefore being gathered meaning coming before him literally they asked them saying Lord now that's great here they are saying we want to submit to those things we what based upon what we have heard we are motivated to acknowledge you as our Lord now what's the application for us well as you study the Word of God and you get to know the nature the character of God when you see how he has responded in the past to his people as you have your own personal testimony of how God has moved always faithfully in your life even when we're faithless he is faithful and how he has brought us out of things well you will be motivated to say yes Lord they're hearing about the kingdom of God God's promise of the Holy Spirit all these things that that they heard about that they dreamed about that they wanted to experience and therefore they asked them and said Lord if in this time you will restore the kingdom what does it say to Israel now what they are showing here what the Holy Spirit inspired the writer of Acts presumably Luke to write down what he wanted to convey here is that there is earlier on Messiah spoke for 40 days concerning the kingdom of God but now there's a change see the scripture it is perfectly inspired correct there's no heirs in the original text and it's written in a way God knew I'm going to be communicating with human means and therefore he used known literary techniques so that we can't arrive at the proper understanding and not just say you know you interpreted this way I interpret it that way that's the most foolish thing I've ever heard there are rules to interpreting the scripture so we arrived not at personal interpretation but we arrived at truth and if we don't know those rules those laws well we are going to find confusion destruction and many many detours that are needless so what we find here is very simple to understand there's a reference to the kingdom of God and now there's a change a change with purpose it says at this time are you going to restore the kingdom of God is that what it says no at this time are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel what do we glean from that that there's a connection between the kingdom in Israel you see that at the end of Matthew 23 you can look that up we talked about it and we see that consistently through all the prophets and when we look to our main lesson of this conference in a few minutes we're going to see how important Israel is in the establishment of the kingdom of God they knew that they had insight into the prophets so if the kingdom of God is coming it relates to Israel in some way so they asked the question the right question at this time literally in this time are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now he doesn't deny that he doesn't say no you're thinking wrong but he does say this look at verse 7 but he spoke to them see the problem was they wanted timing they wanted the day and God doesn't work that way he is not and we'll see that at the end of our next presentation that is not going to give us the day or the hour he's not going to give us the calendar date but he is going to give signs he is going to confirm things so we know we're moving we're arriving we're getting closer to that hope that destination so we read verse seven and he said to them it is not for you to know the times and the season meaning you're not going to get the date when the times begin you're not going to get the date and the hour of when the season begins now that doesn't mean that we won't be able to discern the times and the seasons Paul says we will but how not because of some calendar date but because of signs that we will witness that we will behold that our prophetic in nature what the prophets have told so that we can say we are moving closer and every time we see one of those this what Messiah says in Luke's Gospel chapter 21 when he speaks about all these difficult things and we're going to speak of those in our next session he says when you see these things hard things difficult things atrocities he says be encouraged now that phrase literally means lift up your heads but in Hebrew there is an idiom when when you are encouraged your head goes up right I'm discouraged but lifting up your head and that phrase to lift up the head and we see that in the Psalms do we not well it is an expression meaning God is going to recognize when God lifts up the head he's acknowledging he's recognizing so when all these horrible things happen and they're going to be encouraged because soon thereafter God's gonna recognize you he's going to say there's my son there's my daughter we sung about the privilege of being a child right of God last night so all these things come together once more he says it's not for you to know the times or the seasons which the father has set in his own authority now what the scripture saying is when it comes to these events the timing everything God has absolute authority now he does over everything but he's saying nothing's gonna happen that I don't approve does that mean all these things are God no he is restraining remember what 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 says there is restraining going on when Messiah this lamb what he opens up the seals it is not saying that he's the cause of all those things that happen in the seal judgments but he is controlling the meaning they're never gonna happen until he says okay and these things much of which are outside of God's desire does that mean that attacks God's sovereignty because something happens that he doesn't want no there's many things that happens he allows that but all those things he will respond to and he is going to bring eventually see right now every knee bow and every tongue confess --is that you showed that he is Lord is that what we see no that's outside of God's will God desires that but in the end when God see one of the things the book of Revelation is about what word and many of you heard me say this many many many times that the key word in the book of Revelation is the throne of God the word throne you be surprised how many times it appears in the book of Revelation and what the book of Revelation teaches it gives us a perfect illustration of the establishment of the kingdom of God it is when God's throne comes to earth right now the prince of this age the ruler is not God but God will bring his lordship his kingdom rule to this world I hope you're excited about that and when that happens every knee will bow every tongue will confess to the glory of God that you sure he is Lord now here's the thing that people need to know everyone's going to do that but if you do it in this life in this body there are great rewards eternal rewards for that but if you wait until after death what does the scripture say it's appointed to man to die and after that the judgment if you wait until judgment time to confess that so you're going to be forced to admit that it is just going to be and I mean this literally painfully clear to those individuals that Maasai's you at Lord and they're gonna confess it their knee they're gonna fall upon their knees but it's gonna be too late but don't say so God's will his sovereignty perfect sovereignty is going to be experienced in his kingdom right now he is still sovereign but he allows for disobedience he allows for rebellion but no one gets away with it it's just a matter of time until Dodd says enough so look again to this passage he says it's not for you to know the times the seasons which God has put under his authority but this is a real good good but here it says it didn't mean like that that you shall receive that you shall receive power this power within the context there's no way that you can disagree with this and be sincere there's a connection between this power what's the context the kingdom the kingdom being restored to Israel what is that speaking of the Millennial Kingdom and he says in regard to this coming about I'm going to give you so you can work for that purpose work for that objective I'm going to give you he says you're going to receive power for the Holy Spirit he is going to come upon you and what are we going to do well we're going to witness you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all of Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth now I hope that describes our work love Israel because our focus is just that Jerusalem Judea and Samaria but but God is opening up some things that that's to the ends of the earth and what we're experiencing is this as we are obedient I mean if you ask me in the flesh I mean do you really want to to broadcast into Russia never had that desire I still don't have that desire but to obey we have to do it and what we're seeing is this as we are obeying God to do the things that he opens up the things that we are confronted with and say would you partner with us to do this we'll work together like God TV is doing as we have said yes to these other things you know what we're finding God is openness and giving as opportunities in Israel that we didn't have 12 years ago or ten years ago or five years ago or three years ago and the only one that can open up these things I have I beat my head against the wall nothing would happen and it didn't return the call not interested three years later can you come and share with our group can you get us that copy of the disciple manual how much is it it's free things are opening up and I believe when we submit God begins to unlock doors when we say no I have this vision this is my vision I know I got it from God and I'm going to be faithful to what I want to do oh god just locks it up and he doesn't threat he doesn't bring his hands he just waits until we go why God and we begin to seek Him and say God I don't know what's going on here but whatever you want I'll do the unlocks he's waiting for people who do not bring agendas to him but bring a desire to hear and obey that's what he's looking for he gets excited with that but if you are so committed to it you want God says uh there's another team that you can play for but but not on mine so you shall be my witnesses that's what we're called to do to bear testimony to what he's done in the past and what he's doing through you today you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem in all of Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth and after saying these things here it is he's over he stopped speaking he said what he wanted to say you're gonna get the Holy Spirit he's going to empower you he's gonna make you my witnesses you're gonna speak about the kingdom of God yes that Kingdom is coming to Israel but I'm not gonna tell you exactly when and after saying these things look at verse 9 they were looking at him they were looking and it says does your Bible says he went up doesn't say that he was taken up now why is that important because in the Greek here it's in the passive he didn't jump up he didn't raise himself he didn't of his own power fly up back there he could have he could have but he didn't he was taken and the same way that God raised him from the dead God caused him to ascend unto Him so as they were look he was taken and a cloud now this word cloud if you do a good study many times this cloud is associated with the presence of God so this cloud received him before their eyes and as they were and there's a change in language instead of the normal word for just looking it's the word to look intently to really try to perceive something so they were just witnessing this and when they saw this and really captured their attention they want what's going on here so as they were looking intently into the heavens of his going and that great word a hold something's important it's going to happen there is going to be an angelic testimony and these angels you know they always give insight listen to angels listen to them God says that many times we have entertained strangers and we didn't know who that they were angels I believe that angels are much more active they need to be much more involved in your ministry than you think so they're there and they're confused we thought he was going to restore the kingdom to Israel today no 2000 years later not for you to know the time says as they were looking intently into the heavens of his going and behold two men now many times you see it in Genesis 18 men but literally they're angels this is very similar to the two that testified at the empty tomb so two men they were standing before them and it says that they were in white garments white heavenly garments we can understand they are from the heavens and they say men of Galilee now they knew who they were they knew where they were from but whatever that term Galilee appears in the biblical texts it's for the purpose of revealing there's a connection between that word Galilee and revealing something so he says men of Galilee why do you stand looking into the heavens this Yeshua who was taken up from you into the heavens that's emphasized into the heavens back to his father according to his eternal origin he says this one will come in a like manner in the same way so here's the confirmation did they see him go up yes they did did he really was he really sent up picking up by the father yes and if that's so if we can believe in that then we also equally have to believe what he's coming back we have a testimony from angels dressed in white that means they're not fallen angels they're heavenly angels and heavenly angels do not lie so in the same way that he went up he's going to come again you're going to perceive him in that same way that he ascended now the last thing we see in this chapter the last thing of this event is a promise is an angelic testimony that this Yeshua who ascended he's coming back and that's why it grieves me that we don't hear much about the Ascension it's not a great theological doctrine today it ought to be but perhaps the reason why it's so neat is that people really don't believe he's coming back oh he's a good teacher there's good moral ethical information there if we apply that to our life well it'll it'll be good for us well that's a cheap understanding of who Messiah is and what his ministry is about the thing that you should be interested in the thing that is going to bring you into the right frame of mind for the last days is a sure belief that he's coming back if you truly believe that your life is going to be very very different you

Channel: LoveIsrael.org

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Length: 48min 8sec (2888 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 21 2017