The Ascension, Pentecost, and Delay
Colossians 3:1 If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Introduction
Last week in our study on the Ascension we asked two basic questions:
And remember over the course of that study we found that the Ascension is a big deal because at its heart the Ascension is fundamentally a presentation, which directly results in a vital application.
That is, at the Ascension, Christ presents His completed work of salvation to God on our behalf. The result is that God pours out the Holy Spirit in order to apply and seal this presented salvation to His people.
This morning, I want us to return to the Ascension and Pentecost in order to tidy up some loose ends. Not only that as we get a clearer and more comprehensive view of the Ascension, what we are going to find is that the Ascension, together with Pentecost, provide the final chapter in our study on Christ burial and the great assurance it provides.
Now to accomplish all of this (Ascension, Pentecost, and Burial) we need to return to our question from last week, which is this: Why can’t we simply move from the Cross and the Resurrection directly to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit? In other words, why is the Ascension and its presentation necessary in order to apply a salvation that has already been accomplished in full for us?
As we turn to Scripture, we find that we can complete our answer to this question with one additional word: Reception.
I. The Necessity of the Ascension
A] Notice at once the progression of events laid out by Scripture: when Christ ascended, He presented Himself and His completed salvation to God on our behalf. In response, God seated Christ at His right hand. In other words, the salvation presented is received. Importance: just as the Ascension is fundamentally a presentation, Christ’s seating is fundamentally a reception. As such, when God seated Christ, He thereby received and irrevocably enthroned our savior, our salvation, and all who belong to Christ at His right hand for all eternity FN#1.
Ephesians 2:5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, God made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, (Col 3:1-3)
1 Peter 1:3 [God has caused us to be born again] 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, (also I Jn 2:1-2; Rev 5:6)
Bottom line: in seating Christ, God has received and irrevocably enthroned our savior, salvation, and all who belong to Christ at His right hand forever. As such, our security, acceptance and certain outcome have but one singular focus. It is Christ, seated at God’s right hand for us.
II. The Result of Reception
Notice the result of this reception (God’s reception of our savior, our salvation, together with all who Christ represents); notice what it means to you right now today:
A] The seating/reception of Christ means that God now deals with us in terms of the full salvation that is ever before Him on our behalf FN#2.
Colossians 3:3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (also I Jn 2:1-2)
B] Second, the seating/reception of Christ also means that God has enthroned the very purpose, plan, and Kingdom that Christ accomplished for us. Therefore, God seats Christ at His right hand as King over all creation in order to govern the whole of existence (all that you will ever face) in light of His plan for His people FN#3
Ephesians 1:20 God raised Christ from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
Importance: Christ’s reign means that there is no aspect of your life or detail of what you will encounter in this world that falls outside of God’s Lordship, purpose, and plan for His people (John 16:33; I Cor 15:25; Ps 110:1-2). FN#4
C] Finally, upon Christ’s seating/reception, His first act in office as King and Savior is to pour out the Holy Spirit on us in order that the Spirit might apply to us, all that Christ accomplished for us. FN#5
Ephesians 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having indeed believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge/verity of our inheritance FN#6
Notice the result: at its essence, Pentecost means that the entirety of what has been seated at God’s right hand is the very reality that fills you, directs you, and is at work in your life. In other words, the Holy Spirit’s role in the work of redemption must be understood comprehensively (in all its aspects) as the application of Christ’s reign. Simply put, what the Spirit is doing right now in you, is applying to you, the fullness of that which is seated for you, at the Father’s right hand. FN#7
Bottom line: why is the Ascension necessary for Pentecost? It is necessary because the salvation accomplished and presented is then received and applied. FN#8
III. Conclusion- the Interconnection between Presentation, Reign, and Burial
In our series on Holy Saturday, we learned that Christ’s burial established a delay for His people between the completion of salvation (the Cross) and the reception of its full measure (our own resurrection). During this delay the believer experiences the full conditions of this fallen world, even its death -yet not under the world’s judgment and separation but under God’s promise. FN#9
The Ascension and Christ’s reign then is the culmination of that series. That is, the Ascension, Christ’s reception, and His being seated at the Father’s right hand is the promise (are the terms) by which our delay is defined and governed. Notice then:
Notice the result: when we say that Christ’s burial established a delay whereby His people endure the conditions of this fallen world under promise, we have only to point to Christ seated at God’s right hand to find the whole of that promise in concrete terms FN#10. In other words, Christ’s reign is the promise (are the terms) according to which you are sent out into this world.
Bottom line: Christ’s reign means that our security, our assurance, our hope and our certainty have but one singular source/focus/basis. It is Christ our savior, eternally and irrevocable seated at the Father’s right hand on our behalf FN#11.
Footnotes
1] Notice then, just as the Ascension is fundamentally a presentation, so too, the seating of Christ is fundamentally a reception.
In turn, the idea that when God seated Christ, He received all who Christ represents/carries with Him is a direct fulfillment of what we see promised and depicted in the heart of the Old Testament sacrificial system
Exodus 28:29 “And Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.
Thus, in fulfillment of this promise, Scripture says that we have been raised up with Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly places. In other words, Christ our representative has carried each one of us with Him into the Holy of Holies (or more technically said: in receiving Christ, God has received all who Christ represents. As such, our place in the presence of God and the Triune fellowship of the Heavenly Court has been eternally secured in Christ).
2] Notice then we see a beautiful picture of this very idea in Revelation 5:6.
Revelation 5:6 And I saw a Lamb as if slain standing between the throne (of God) and the elders (the Church)
Notice at once, John is standing in the very throne room of God (the true Holy of holies). In the center of all creation is God’s throne. Not only that, surrounding God’s throne are the 24 thrones of the entire Church (12 Old Testament tribes and 12 New Testament Apostles). Notice then the point of this portion of the picture: where ever God turns to work in His creation, He sees that work through His people. In other words, whatever God does in the whole of creation, He always does it in light of the promises and plan He has for His people.
Next, notice John sees a Lamb. Not only that, notice the picture he provides of this Lamb immediately describes the Lamb in terms of the full pattern of salvation the Lamb was promised to fulfill. He is a Lamb as if slain. There is the Cross and the sacrifice made. However, He is not dead but alive and standing. There is the Resurrection and the New Life. Not only that, notice where He is standing. He is standing in the throne room of God ever before His Father. There is the Ascension, presentation, and its vital reception (our savior ever before the throne of God). In other words, John depicts Christ in terms of the whole pattern of salvation that He was sent to accomplish (and we would do well not to forget or neglect any aspect of this pattern or the way that each particular aspect provides an essential factor of our salvation).
Notice then the point of this scene that John is describing: the entire Church (Old and New Testament) is seated in a complete circle around God’s throne. Standing between God’s throne and His people is the sacrificed, risen, and ascended Lamb. Thus, whenever God turns to attend to one of His children (to answer their prayers, to comfort, provide for, or correct them), He sees them through the blood of the Lamb. That is, He deals with them in terms of Christ’s all sufficient sacrifice (not their own merits). In other words, the salvation presented to the Father is now applied to His people.
Subsequently, this is the very same picture presented to us each week at the Lord’s Table. Notice then, God commands us to draw near to Him “In remembrance of me (Christ)”. Why? That is exactly how God draws near to us- in remembrance of, on the basis of, and in terms of Christ’s all sufficient sacrifice, which is ever before Him on our behalf. Christ is truly our mediator and the reconciler of man to God.
3] Notice at once how Scripture says that Christ will reign. Not only that notice the direct tie between Christ’s reign and our own delay:
Psalm 110:1 The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet.” 2 The LORD will stretch forth Thy strong scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of Thine enemies.”
Importance: first, notice what God does not say- God does not say that Christ’s reign means the immediate end of all His enemies; nor does God say, Christ’s reign will have to wait until His enemies are gone to really begin. Instead, God says that Christ will rule in the midst of His enemies. Notice then the tie to our delay:
Daniel 2:21 “And it is He [God] who changes the times and the ages; He removes kings and establishes kings;
Daniel 4:32 You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whomever He wishes.’
Matthew 28:18, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, (2 Pet 3:9)
Simply put, just as delay structures the immediate manner of Christ reign (in the midst of His enemies), Christ’s reign defines the very terms of that delay. As such, believers abide this delay under the surety of God’s favor and rule.
Bottom line: Christ’s Ascension and His reign amid our delay mean that I am to respond to the world around me with faithfulness, courage, and compassion -not indifference, timidity, and despair (II Tim 1:7-8). We have not been left behind. We have been very intentionally sent out under the banner and according to terms set by our King.
4] Note: Scripture’s discussion of Christ’s Ascension and reign combine over and again to remind you that you are not merely a passive recipient of Christ’s reign. Instead, you have been seated with Christ. In other words, you are an active participant in Christ’s reign (remember the grace that saves you changes you). Therefore, you are to seek with every moment and every aspect of your life the very things that Christ’s reign is unfolding
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
Colossians 3:1 If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Importance: remember, everything Christ does in His human nature He does as our representative and on our behalf. Therefore, we don’t just passively benefit from what Christ has done, we actively share in it (be it the salvation of the Cross or the Resurrection of the body- we directly partake of and participate in what Christ has done as our mediator). Christ’s Ascension and Reign are no exception. Christ does not just reign over us and for us; we actively participate in that reign. In other words, the work that grace is doing in you and through you (along with the spiritual gifts and ministry that God has given each one of us) are some of the chief means that Christ uses to accomplish the work of His reign. Notice then, throughout Scripture we see the believer assisting Christ at every stage of His reign
1) Your work participates in the present work of Christ’s reign
Matthew 6:33 “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness;
Matthew 6:10 ‘Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.
2) Your work participates in the future work of Christ’s reign
1 Corinthians 6:2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels?
3) Your work participates in the fullness of Christ’s reign
Revelation 5:10 “And Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”
Bottom line: Our delay underscores that fact that our work shares in Christ’s reign. That is, you have been given an active part in the work that Christ is doing, seated at the right hand of God.
5] First, note, when I say “Christ’s first act in office as King and Savior”, I am fully aware that Christ was sent to earth as Lord and Savior from the start. However, Christ is seated in light of the full completion of that salvation and the absolute fulfillment of His office as Savior.
Second, to be more theologically precise, Scripture says that in receiving Christ, God gives Him (in His capacity as our savior, King, and representative) the Holy Spirit. The result is that Christ’s first act in office is to pour out the gift of the Father on us in order that the Spirit might apply to us, the salvation that Christ accomplished for us. Importance: the giving of the Spirit to Christ for Him to bestow on us, is one of the main ways that God responds to us in light of the fullness of the salvation that is seated before Him.
John 15:26 “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me,
Act 2:33 “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He (Jesus) has poured forth this which you both see and hear.
Ephesians 1:13 you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge/deposit of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession
6] It is thus that the Spirit guides, instructs, corrects, cleanses, engifts, and empowers God’s people as citizens and fellow workers of Christ’s Kingdom. Importance: if Christ’s burial provides the delay in which we are blessed with a direct share in the work/mission of Christ, then the Holy Spirit is poured out to renew and equip us for that work. In other words, the coming of the Spirit means that you are not merely a passive recipient of Christ’s reign. Instead, you are an active participant in Christ’s reign (remember the grace that saves you changes you).
John 20:21 Jesus therefore said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Notice then our work of “building up the body of Christ” (Eph 4:12) is based on and directly reflects the Holy Spirit’s same work of building up, providing for, and nurturing God’s people (inside and out- be it through discipleship or witness). In other words, each gift is a public manifestation/disclosure by which the Spirit allows us to share in the very objective and work that He is doing as He administers and unfolds the salvation and Kingdom that Christ accomplished. Not only that, notice how this active participation given to believers is based on the very nature of the salvation that Christ has accomplished for us. The grace that saves you is a grace that changes you; and it changes you so that you can be an active participant in the new life and Kingdom that God has given you. Thus, salvation not only means a share in Kingdom life, it also means a share in the Kingdom labor (which underscore the believer’s value, the actual nature of our relationship with God, and the current operation of new life in us).
7] Importance: the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the direct application to every believer personally of all the factors and realities of Christ’s reign. In other words, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit is literally Christ’s reign internalized. Consider:
2 Peter 3:13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
4. Finally, one last point needs to be made in our demonstration that every aspect of the Spirit’s work is concerned with, defined by, and thus has its chief reference to the application of Christ’s reign (and this final point is a big one). Remember, Christ is seated in the very throne room of God, the true and heavenly Holy of holies (Heb 9:24). Notice then, that the Shekina Glory of the Holy Spirit, that once filled the Old Testament Holy of holies in promise, now fills the believer’s heart.
Exodus 40:35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
In other words, it is not simply that the Spirit applies bits and pieces of salvation to you in the course of His other activities. Instead, the Spirit applies (envelopes you in) the fullness of the very reality that defines God’s throne room and the salvation that is seated there for you. Notice then, Scripture teaches us that it is through the Spirit that the whole Triune God (Father, Son, and Spirit- the entirety of God’s throne room presence) dwells in the believer.
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.
Subsequently, it is this very throne room fellowship that is set before you at the Lord’s Table. Thus, each week, we enter the heavenly court by way of the Spirit, coming before the Father, through the Son and the completed sacrifice that is ever before the Father’s throne. In other words, every week the Sacrament underscores, reinforces, and is the most comprehensive manifestation (this side of Christ’s return) of the very fellowship that already abides in you through the Spirit. It is no surprise then to find that it is by the same Spirit and His work of setting apart the elements, that each week you are truly and personally drawn into the fellowship of the Heavenly Court depicted at the Table. In other words, there is a non-redundant, inside-out correspondence between the Spirit’s work in the Sacrament and His indwelling every believer. The result is, that in both cases (sacrament and indwelling), the Spirit envelops you in and applies to you the reality that marks the Heavenly Court.
Bottom line: the Holy Spirit’s role in the work of redemption must be understood comprehensively (in all its aspects- His sealing, sanctification, the gifts of the Spirit, and etc.) as the application of Christ’s reign. There is a one-to-one agreement between the two. As such, what the Spirit is doing in you, is applying to you, the fullness of that which is seated for you, at the Father’s right hand
John 16:13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 4 “He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall disclose it to you.
Thus, whenever we turn to consider any single work of the Spirit (its nature, its purpose, or its function) we must always do so with direct reference to Christ’s seating and reign.
8] To be theologically precise: why is presentation necessary for application? Why not simply move from the Cross and Resurrection to Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, and application? Was not the Cross a sacrifice presented/made unto God? Was not the Resurrection a bestowal of the New Life accomplished by Christ? The answer to these last two questions is, “Yes, but…”. Yes, the Cross was a sacrifice presented/made unto God. However, it is not the reward we receive. Instead, it is the payment made on our behalf by which the reward is secured in full. Again, yes, the Resurrection was a bestowal of the New Life accomplished by Christ. However, it is not the bestowal we are looking for. It is not the bestowal of the new life upon us, the believers. Instead, it was a bestowal given specifically to Christ (on our behalf). Thus, Christ receives for us what He then bestows on us. Notice then, our reception of this new life (its bestowal on us) always has reference to Christ. That is, it is always given through the Son, by the Father. The point is, when Christ ascends to the Father, it is not with bits and pieces of our salvation. Instead, He ascend with the completed fullness of that salvation (a salvation both accomplished and received). Simply put, at the ascension Christ has with Him the totality of all that He was sent to secure for us (both the accomplishment and the thing accomplished; both the grounds and the content, both the Cross and the Resurrection). It is this totality, this complete package, that Christ then presents to the Father as our representative that it might be bestowed on us in full.
To put the same answer another way: to understand why presentation is necessary for application we must note the progression and the distinction as we move from the Resurrection to the Ascension: in the Resurrection God bestows on Christ the salvation that He accomplished for us and that is to be ours in Him. On the other hand, in the Ascension, Christ our representative presents to God this completed salvation (both the grounds and the content, both the Cross and the Resurrection) in order that what He has done for us may now be applied to us.
Ephesians 4:8 Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.”
In the Ascension, Christ returns to the Father in the fullness of our human nature as our head and representative. Not only that, He ascends with the fulness of the comprehensive salvation that He accomplished and received for us. Simply put, at the ascension Christ has with Him the totality of all that He was sent to secure for us. It is this complete package that Christ, our representative, then presents to the Father that it might be bestowed on us in full.
Importance: notice the point here: it is not until Christ- His onetime sacrifice and the fullness of the New Life that He accomplished for us are receive by and seated before the Father in our flesh, as our representative, that the salvation accomplished for us is applied to all who belong to Christ (to all who are included in Him and thus seated with Him- Col 3:1-3). Simply put, in receiving Christ, God receives all who are in Christ according to the terms (the salvation) that Christ has established. Thus, our security, our assurance, our hope and certainty have but one singular source/focus/basis. It is Christ our savior, eternally and irrevocable seated at the Father’s right hand as our representative.
9] Recently we looked at Christ’s burial. Paul says that Christ’s burial is a matter of “first importance” (I Cor 15:3-4). We found that while the Cross is the source of our salvation and the resurrection is the content of that salvation (i.e. the new life that Christ accomplished for us), Christ’s burial establishes the way we experience this salvation while on earth.
Christ’s burial provides for an essential delay between the completion of salvation (on the Cross) and the reception of the full measure of its reward (at the Resurrection). As such, Christ’s burial establishes the very context of your whole existence on this earth. Thus, between the completion of salvation (the Cross) and the reception of its full blessings (your own resurrection) there is a delay. A delay in which the Church is sent into the world, enduring its conditions and even its death, yet not under God’s judgment but under God’s promise that the whole of our salvation is secure and that our certain victory is already underway.
Case in point: as we turn our attention to Christ’s Ascension and His reign, Christ’s burial is not the bases of that reign (Christ would reign as our head over all creation even if there had been no burial). However, Christ’s burial does determine the way we experience that reign while on earth as well as the way that Christ administers His reign in light of His people’s mission/delay. Importance: on Holy Saturday, Christ not only established the terms of our delay, He also established the very manner in which He will unfold His reign in light of our delay. Notice then the way that Hebrews 2:8 talks about Christ’s reign in terms of the very delay that His burial established for His people:
Hebrews 2:8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him (also see Psalm 110 FN#3 above).
In the end, it is the very framework established by Christ’s burial which determines the immediate manner of His reign. In the same way, it is Christ’s reign which determines the terms by which His people’s will endure this fallen world during their delay.
10] Notice then the connection and the significance of Christ burial and the reason that Paul tells us it is a matter of first importance: on Holy Saturday, Christ not only established the terms of our delay (under promise/reign), He also established the very manner in which He will unfold His reign. Christ unfolds His reign in light of the delay He established for His people. That is, Christ unfolds His reign in such a way that His people may participate in that reign and its Kingdom work (during their delay) as witnesses and heralds to a fallen world.
11] Notice at last, the full picture of salvation that Scripture provides (the very pattern promised by the Old and explicitly fulfilled by the New):
Epilogue
Each week as we come to the Lord’s Table, we enter into the already not yet reality of the New Testament Holy of Holies. In fact, the picture presented to us at the Lord’s Table is the very throne room of God together with the full pattern of our completed salvation (a sacrifice made, accepted/risen, presented, and received/enthroned)
Revelation 5:6 And I saw standing between the throne (of God) and the elders (the Church) a Lamb as if slain (I Jn 2:1-2)
As we participate at the Table (on the Lord’s day, in the Lord’s house, on the Lord’s earth, with the Lord’s people), we share in the dynamics of Christ’s reign in the most comprehensive manner this side of His return. It is there at the Table, in the New Testament Holy of holies, that we are nourished by, reminded of, and grounded on the reality of Christ’s reign, which defines the entire terms of our delay on this earth. Our salvation, security, place in God’s presence, and the Kingdom/plan that constitutes our delay are all irrevocably enthroned at God’s right hand. Not only that, His grace and presence are already at work in us, renewing us as citizens of that Kingdom. Simply put, our future as well as our present security are already settled and unalterably seated at God’s right hand. The result is that at each week at the Table we have the definitive word from God and so are reminded of and drawn deeper into the reality that our delay (our lives right now) are defined not by judgment but by His presence and reign. It is Christ’s reign (together with its seated grace, certainty, and Kingdom purpose) that is the concrete promise under which we endure the conditions of this fallen world; and at the Table that we engage this promise in the very midst of life/delay in the most comprehensive manner this side of Christ’s return.