Ascension Day Service
In Acts 1 v 6-11 the account is given
of the Lord Jesus’ ascension into heaven. It
starts off with the disciples asking the Lord whether He would now restore the kingdom of
Israel. Their minds were far from the actual
issue that the Lord Jesus was busy with. In
the same way, Christians can still be affected by the old way of thinking. The Lord Jesus has not touched it and Christians
are bound by their own perceptions.
In Ephesians 4 v 8-13, it is written
that the Lord Jesus became poor, like a man, and suffered with no place to put his head. He humbled Himself to the lowest degree and drank
that cup of each person’s sin. He had to
descend to a terrible death. Jesus came to be
with us, forgive us and remove our sin. He
grappled with our sin and overcame it and said “it is finished”. The demons were conquered by the Lord Jesus as
well. In Colosians 2 v 15, it says that He
disarmed the authorities, principalities and powers.
Sin should have no power over you because the Lord Jesus conquered it. If Satan tempts you one day, cast your eyes to
heaven and see the Lord Jesus there interceding for you.
He is not just sitting at the right hand of the Father doing nothing, He is
interceding for you. It will only take one
look at what He is doing for you and you will be delivered from that sin and you
won’t continue with it. It will cut you
to the heart.
If the Lord Jesus ascended then it also
means that He descended. In 1 Peter 3 v 19,
the Lord Jesus descended into Hades and preached to the disobedient angels. His victory was proclaimed to every soul. At services in Donnybrook, the people came weeping
and confessing their sin, affected by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. In the same way, Esau desired his blessing and
wept. You will weep more when you see what
you have lost.
After forty days, the Lord Jesus showed
how mightily He had conquered. It is written
that He ascended on high. He went through
the forces of the air and lead captives in His train.
Who were these captives? Satan, death
and sin were taken captive. This is the
greatest day because of the Lord Jesus’ victory.
One can only bow and worship Him. He
then gave gifts to men to prophecy, evangelise, be teachers etc. In Ephesians 4 v 13,14 , it speaks about the whole
measure of Christ. May the Gospel go forth
and may His people become strong in the Lord.
