John Singleton Copley: The Ascension

WORSHIP VIDEO LINK (linked after 10:45 AM Service)

WORSHIP AUDIO LINK

SERMON AUDIO LINK

BULLETIN

SERMON TEXT BELOW

Ascension (Observed) 2025
Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
June 1, 2025
Acts 1:1–11, Ephesians 1:15–23, Luke 24:44–53

Sermons online: 
Text and Audio:         immanuelhamiltonchurch.com   click “sermons”
Text:                           pastorjud.org   
Audio:                         pastorjud.podbean.com 
itunes:                         bit.ly/pastorjud
Full Service Audio:    bit.ly/ImmanuelWorship

            When I was a kid we would go to parades.  In 1976 I went to a lot of parades because my sisters were baton twirlers and there were lots of parades that year for the bicentennial. Something that would happen at almost every parade was both tragic and kind of cool.  A child would let go of the helium balloon that his parents had just bought for him before they were able to tie it to his wrist.  There is no worse feeling for that kid as the tears well up, but now everyone else gets to watch the balloon ascend up into the sky. If it wasn’t windy and the balloon was a bright color you could watch it go up and up and up and get smaller and smaller until it couldn’t be seen anymore.  

            Today we celebrate Jesus’ ascension 40 days after His resurrection.  How did Jesus ascend?  Jesus led the disciples out to Bethany on the Mount of Olives and told them, Acts 1:8–9 (ESV) 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.”

            Jesus promised the power of the Holy Spirit, instructed the disciples to be witnesses, and they witnessed Jesus ascend and a cloud envelope Him so they could not see Him anymore. 

            Where did Jesus go?  Acts 1:10–11 (ESV) 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”  So, where is heaven?  It is easy to get drawn into thinking that heaven is somewhere way, way, way up there… very far away.  But Jesus did not just keep ascending until He was out of sight.  He was enveloped by a cloud which brings to mind the cloud at transfiguration, the cloud of God’s presence at the tabernacle and temple, the pillar of cloud that was God guiding the Israelites out of Egypt.  Jesus was taken into a cloud.  So, where is Jesus now?  Where is heaven?

            We get clues from our Epistle reading today.  Paul is blessing the Christians in Ephesus and praying for them and that they may know… Ephesians 1:19–20 (ESV) 19 … the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,” 

            Just as we confess every week.  Jesus ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  So heaven is at the right hand of God the Father.  Where is that?  Where is God the Father?  God the Father is omnipresent, He is present everywhere. 

            Martin Luther writes about this:  “Scriptures teach us…that the right hand of God is not a specific place in which a body must or may be, such as on a golden throne, but is the almighty power of God, which at one and the same time can be nowhere and yet must be everywhere.” [1]

            It is beyond comprehension.  Our human minds cannot understand.  Jesus ascended in His body and is at the right hand of God the Father which is not a place of location, but a place of power and authority. Jesus is… Ephesians 1:21–22 (ESV) 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church…”  Jesus is above everyone and everything; rulers and authorities and the church.  This is not above in location, but above in power and authority.  All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus.  He rules.  This is the Kingdom of Heaven. 

When we think about the Kingdom of Heaven it is tempting to think about the kingdom as a place of location.  But the word kingdom may be better replaced by the word, “rule”… rule of heaven, the reign of heaven.  The kingdom is where Jesus rules… and where does Jesus rule?  Everywhere.  You pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy Kingdom Come”.  What do you mean by praying that?

      Luther’s explanation in the Small Catechism is pretty good.  “What does this mean? The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.”  You pray that Jesus rules you.

“How does God’s kingdom come? God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.” 

The Spirit brings you into the Kingdom.  Jesus told Nicodemus, John 3:5–6 (ESV) 5 … “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” 

The Father gives you His Spirit so Christ can dwell in your heart, and you can know the love of Christ, and be filled with the fullness of God.

You have been born again of water and the spirit.  Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit is the breath of God in you connecting you to God the Father through the Lord Jesus.  The Spirit shows you your sin through the Word of God and the Spirit points you to Jesus as your redeemer and savior and king through His Word and Sacraments. The Spirit lets you know that you cannot save yourself; that you are in God’s kingdom by the grace of God. 

            In Ephesians 3 we see how God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit work together in believers.  Paul writes…Ephesians 3:14–19 (ESV) 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” 

The Father gives you His Spirit so Christ can dwell in your heart, and you can know the love of Christ, and be filled with the fullness of God.

            Jesus ascends to be enthroned as king; your king, my king, king of all creation.  Jesus is King but Jesus does not force obedience.  It is possible to reject Jesus.  Many rebel against their King.  Many reject Jesus’ reign and authority.  They want to follow their own gods that they can control.  They reject the Holy Spirit and by this, separate themselves from Jesus and salvation.  They put themselves outside the Kingdom of Heaven. 

            Among Christians, folks can sometime worry about whether they have rejected the Holy Spirit because of their sin.  The interesting thing is that if you are worried about rejecting the Spirit it means you still believe; it means you still have faith.  If you have faith, you have the Holy Spirit.  You may be resisting the Holy Spirit, but He is in you, pointing you to Jesus, letting you know you should be troubled by your sins and when you are troubled by your sins to look to Jesus and repent.  Turn away from sin and turn back to Jesus.  Repent… for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.  Repent… and receive the Body and Blood of Jesus into your body in communion with the King.  Pray, Thy Kingdom Come which is the same as praying, Lord Jesus, rule my heart. 

            The Holy Spirit dwells in you and gives you faith as He does with the whole Christian Church.  Jesus’ Church is unified in the Spirit.  The devil desperately tries to tear the Church apart with conflict and false teaching.  The devil wants you to reject the unity of the Holy Spirit.  Paul exhorts the Ephesian Christians. Ephesians 4:1–6 (ESV)  1 I … urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” 

            Jesus did not disappear high up in the sky like a balloon.  Jesus did not ascend way, way up far away to sit on His throne waiting to return.  Jesus ascended to take His position at the right hand of the Father as ruler over everything.  Jesus is King of the universe.  Jesus is King of the world.  Jesus is King of the Church.  Jesus is the King of you.

            “Thy Kingdom come.  Lord Jesus, rule my heart.”  Amen. 

[1] LW Vol 37, Pg. 57