Jesus takes us from fear to joy.

 

Sermon for Ascension, May 18, 2023

Grace to you and peace from God our Father; “this same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven."  Alleluia! 

Jesus takes us from fear to joy. (Luke 24:44-53)

Dear friends in Christ,

            It was quite a ride, wasn’t it?  We went from the excitement of Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem to the depths of agony as our dear Friend, the One in whom we had placed so much hope, was arrested, bound, and led to His death after suffering more bloody torture than we would ever have imagined.  Such terror afflicted us as He laid those three days in the grave, while we ran, hid, and worried that we were next on the hit list.  But then, what surprising, overwhelming joy filled us as He met us face to face, again, truly alive, one more.  It was quite a ride, wasn’t it? 

Did you come here tonight expecting to be treated as one of Jesus’ disciples?  Did you come here with the same courage, or lack thereof, that the eleven chosen men displayed?  Would you be offended, if I suggested that we have just as many fears as Jesus’ disciples showed in the days they kept themselves hidden behind a locked door in the upper room?  Please don’t be offended, though, for like those disciples, Jesus takes us from fear to joy.

It had now been forty days since Jesus rose from the grave.  In his Gospel, Luke doesn’t elaborate very much about those few weeks, but he reports on the last day; Jesus “said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’  And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.  Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.’” (Luke 24:44-47)

With three short sentences, Luke sums up all the many appearances Jesus made to His chosen witnesses in those forty days.  St. Paul tells us that over five hundred people witnessed Jesus alive after His resurrection.  The various writers of the New Testament record just a few incidents in which Jesus further instructed and re-assured His followers, but those forty days, and the multiple appearances of our Lord, assure all generations to come that Jesus is, in fact, who He claimed to be, the Son of God and Man, and that everything He came to accomplish was now complete. 

The disciples Jesus hand-picked and taught for three years needed those forty days.  Their understanding of Christ and His mission had been weak at best.  Though oh so bold when Jesus was leading them, they lost all courage after His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.  The guilt those men felt as they learned the true purpose for Christ’s time on earth paralyzed them.  They had been looking for a new king to lead the puny nation of Israel against the Roman horde.  They had expected Jesus to restore David’s kingdom and set up His disciples to have glory and honor among their peers.  No longer would they be just simple fisherman and tax collectors but the right-hand men of the King of Israel—oh how they had looked forward to that honor—until all appeared lost and fear set in.

But, how about you and me?  How much do we fear that we will never have honor among men?  You don’t worry about that, you say?  Then why do we worry about what others think of us?  Why do we worry that some enemy of our Lord might hurt or kill us?  For that matter, why do we ever worry about anything in this earthly life?

Most Christians will tell you that they aren’t afraid to die, but often, they will admit that they are afraid to suffer the pain of dying.  Does that sound like you and me?  Many Christians will tell you that they are not ashamed of Jesus, but then will also admit that they are afraid to tell, at least some, people about Him.  Why?  Why are we more afraid of not having the approval of our neighbors than of our Lord?  The answer is sin, so are we afraid God will judge us for saying the wrong thing?  Or that we won’t tell the good news of Jesus in just the right way?

Dear friends, Jesus takes us from fear to joy.  Jesus told His first followers, “You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:48)  The twelve men, especially, had been given this privilege.  They got to see the promised Messiah face to face for three years, to walk with Him and talk with Him, to be built up in the faith, to be corrected when wrong and restored when they fell.  They were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ holy life, His innocent sacrifice, and ultimately, His resurrection from the grave on Easter morning. 

Three times Peter had denied Jesus, so three times Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep.  Jesus was lifting Peter up from his fear and guilt.  Jesus forgave Peter completely and restored him to the position of eyewitness and apostle that Jesus had intended him to be.  Remember how Jesus assured His disciples while He walked with them: "Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." (Luke 12:11-12)

Luke gives us a glimpse into the last moments the disciples spent in Jesus’ physical presence.  Jesus promised them, “‘Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.’  And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.  Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.” (Luke 24:49-51)  Just like that, Jesus disappeared from their sight.  However, they now understood that all their sins were forgiven, there was nothing to fear anymore, and Jesus would help them.

Jesus appointed His disciples to do the work His Father had planned for them from before time began, but still, Jesus wasn’t leaving them alone.  He wasn’t abandoning them to the terrors of the world.  Jesus had already promised His chosen ones, “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18)  The Holy Spirit has certainly also come to you, because we are assured that “No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Cor. 12:3)

So much changed in those forty days!  Remember where Jesus found His disciples Easter Sunday evening—cowering in terror behind locked doors as they hid from the rulers of the temple, from the Roman authorities, and from anyone who might threaten them or connect them with Jesus.  But now, after forty days of resumed instruction from Jesus?  “It came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.  And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God.  Amen.” (Luke 24:51-53)  The disciples weren’t yet fully ready to go out into the world to proclaim what Jesus had done for them and for all people, but with great joy and public thanksgiving, they obeyed Jesus’ instructions to wait in Jerusalem for the Helper He promised to send. 

Notice, they didn’t wait in hiding.  The former cowardly ones were now bold in their faith.  Their confidence in Jesus was permanently restored.  The disciples worshiped the Lord God in word and deed.  They went boldly to the temple praising God who had saved them from sin and death.  While the disciples waited for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, they spent their days singing praise to God in the presence of those whom they had formerly feared.  Having seen the resurrected Jesus, they no longer worried about what the Scribes and Pharisees could do to them.  They were no longer afraid of the Roman soldiers.  They knew Jesus had risen from the grave just as He promised He would.  Jesus lives, and all those ancient prophecies now made sense.  All the promises God had ever made to the nation of Israel were fulfilled.

Today, you and I are the witnesses.  Today, we are left here on earth to continue sharing the wonderful news of the Savior from sin and death.  Will we make mistakes?  Sure!  Will we grow weary at times?  No doubt.  Will we sometimes say things a little wrong?  Perhaps.  Will we offend the unbelievers around us?  Yes, certainly, but we can never do more harm than by not sharing Jesus at all, for without Him, people are already lost and condemned to spend eternity in the devil’s prison.

So, why would we be afraid?  Jesus makes the same promises to you and me that He made to His first disciples.  He sends His Spirit, the Comforter and Spirit of truth to each and every one of us through Baptism and through the hearing of His Word.  The Holy Spirit gave us the whole Bible to show us God’s plan of salvation and that Jesus has fully accomplished it, and Jesus promises to be with each of us every step of our way.  Most importantly, Jesus’ ascension to His Father’s side gives us the assurance that nothing in this world can ever really harm us.  The gates of heaven are open to those who believe.  The devil has been defeated.  The Gospel of Christ Jesus keeps Satan chained.  Oh, the devil can growl at us, tempt us with his lies and distortions, but Jesus holds out His hands to us, as to Thomas, saying, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29) 

The witnesses Jesus chose to spread the Good News assure us that Christ’s wounds were suffered for you and me.  The Old Testament prophets foretold who and what to look for.  They told us what the Messiah would do to make us right with God; the great suffering He would bear so we don’t have to.  The New Testament apostles teach us the fulfillment of all God has promised.

Before Jesus went to the cross to die for you and me, He told His disciples, “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:26-27)  In our sermon text from Luke’s Gospel, we see the initial fulfillment of Jesus’ promise.  The disciples’ fear was gone.  In its place came bold faith, bold trust in everything written in the Bible, and bold confidence in the Savior and Redeemer of all.  That’s the legacy Jesus gives to those He has adopted into His family. 

It’s been quite a ride, hasn’t it?  Once, you and I were helpless sinners, afraid of God’s judgment, afraid to stand before Him.  Like Adam and Eve, we wanted to hide our shame.  Worse yet, we were even more afraid of what our neighbors thought about us, or what they might do to us, than we were of God’s wrath. 

Today, we no longer have to fear any of that for Jesus has made us His own beloved friends through faith.  By the outpouring of the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament, Jesus gives each of us the assurance that His life and death is full satisfaction for all of our sins.  Christ’s resurrection and ascension show that our heavenly Father’s righteous demand for justice for all our crimes and offenses has been satisfied, and the Spirit They together send works faith in your hearts to believe it.

For Jesus’ sake, you and I and the whole world are declared innocent and free of all charges.  By His ascension to His Father’s side in heaven, and by His Father’s promise that all authority in heaven and on earth is now in Jesus’ hands, we are assured that we have nothing to fear. 

Our dear Friend and Savior is in control, working all things for the good of those who love Him, (Romans 8:28) interceding on our behalf for every sin, every error, every fear, every weakness, every frailty.  For as long as this world is allowed to continue, Jesus declares to us, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

The psalmist foresaw this day when he wrote, “Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!   Shout to God with the voice of triumph!” (Psalm 47:1)  Jesus takes us from fear to joy.  Amen.

Now may the God of all grace, bless you and strengthen your faith with the peace of His Son, Jesus Christ, through the comfort and assurance of His Holy Spirit unto everlasting life.  Amen.