Common Confession Series
“Taken Up in Glory”
I Timothy 3.16
Scripture Reading of the Ascension
Leader:
To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs,
appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the
kingdom of God.
(Acts 1.3-4)
Congregation:
And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud
received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was
going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee,
why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into
heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
(Acts 1.9-11)
Leader:
He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all
things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the
right hand of the Majesty on high.
(Heb.1.3)
Congregation:
far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not
only in this age but also in the one to come.
(Eph.1.21)
Leader:
And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the
church.
(Eph.1.22)
Congregation:
For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above
every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and
on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father.
(Phil.2.9-11)
All:
By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:
He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit.
Beheld by angels,
Proclaim among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.
(ITim.3.16)
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Introduction
Today we come to the sixth and final statement in the ancient creed, “Taken up in glory.”
(ITim.3.16) For the past five weeks we have seen that the early church had formulated a
creed that was recited in the churches of the first century. We have seen how the creed
makes six declarations concerning pivotal aspects of Christ’s earthly ministry from the crib
to the throne and the continuing results of His ministry in the world.
The first statement, “revealed in the flesh” refers to the incarnation of the eternal Son of
God.
The second statement, “vindicated in the Spirit” refers to the immeasurable outpouring of
the Spirit upon Jesus’ life from conception to the resurrection proving that He was the Son
of God.
The third statement, “seen by angels” refers to the angels being the first to witness the
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The fourth and fifth statement, “Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world,”
refers to the wonderful truth that the good news of Jesus Christ would be preached to all
nations beginning in Jerusalem and that people throughout the world would believe the
good news of salvation through Christ until Christ comes again.
The Ascension of Christ – “Taken up in glory”
Today, we come to the sixth and final statement, “Taken up in glory,” which refers to the
glorious ascension of Jesus Christ back to heaven. The ascension of Christ is often
overlooked with the incarnation and resurrection of Christ taking center stage especially
with the celebration of Christmas and Easter. But I want you to understand that the
incarnation, resurrection, and ascension of Christ are inseparable. It is important to
understand that the ascension of Jesus Christ brought the climax to Jesus’ earthly ministry
which began at His incarnation and the completion to His victorious triumph over death
which began at His resurrection. As the great theologian Louis Berkhof states, “Christ’s
transition to the higher life of glory, begun at the resurrection, was perfected in the
ascension.” The ascension of Christ was the natural sequence from His incarnation and
earthly ministry to His resurrection which is the exact sequence of the creed in First
Timothy. He was revealed in the flesh (incarnation), vindicated in the Spirit (earthly
ministry), beheld by angels (resurrection), taken up to glory (ascension).
The doctrine of the ascension of Christ might be overlooked by many today but it was not
overlooked in the historical creeds of the church throughout the centuries. We find it here
in this ancient creed from the first century, we also see the ascension of Christ mentioned
in both the Nicene and Apostles’ Creed of the fourth century all the way to the Heidelberg
Catechism and Westminster Confession of the sixteenth century. Let’s recite that portion of
the Apostle Creed together. “He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God,
the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.”
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The Ascension in the Life of the Disciples
Before we dig into the significance of Christ’s ascension, I briefly want to point out the
difference of conduct in the life of the disciples after Christ’s resurrection as compared to
their conduct after Jesus’ ascension. After Christ’s resurrection the disciples were doubters,
confused, and fearful but after Jesus’ ascension they were confident, bold, and scripturally
sound. It seems that the ascension of Christ brought the mission and ministry of Jesus
Christ theological together for the disciples and gave them a better understanding of their
role as a follower of Christ. For that reason, we need to see what Scripture says about
this vital doctrine.
The Scriptural Record of Christ’s Ascension
Let’s begin by looking at the scriptural record of Christ’s ascension. There are numerous
texts we could look at regarding Christ’s ascension but this morning I want us to look at the
classic passage on the ascension in Acts chapter one. Luke records that Jesus presented
Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period
of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. (Acts 1.3) The
question for this morning is why did Jesus wait for forty days to ascend to the Father? Of
course, forty is a significant number used many times in the Scripture. But as we consider
the ascension, I believe that one reason why Jesus waited for forty days to ascend to the
Father is that Jesus wanted there to be an abundance of eyewitnesses to convince His
followers that He rose from the dead. The resurrection of Christ was the physical
proclamation that Christ is victorious over death, hell, and the devil! Christ was not dead.
Christ was not held in the bondage of death. Christ is risen! Christ’s resurrection was a
physical proclamation that He was the victorious Son of God. (Rom.1.4) So, Jesus used these
forty days to convince His followers with certainty that He rose from the dead and to teach
them certain things concerning the kingdom of God that would prepare them for their new
stage of ministry as Apostles. Being eyewitnesses to the resurrection and receiving these
teachings gave them confidence, boldness, and scriptural accuracy for their apostolic
ministry.
9 After He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud
received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was
going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee,
why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into
heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1.9-
11)
Luke uses four words and phrases to describe the ascension. “He was lifted” (1.9) indicates
that the Father took His Son upward into heaven. “A cloud received Him out of their sight”
(1.9) not only gives a reference of distance but mostly indicates the transition into another
atmosphere. “While He was going” indicates that the ascension was not a disappearance but
an actual journey from earth to heaven. (1.10) And “taken up from you into heaven” denotes
that Christ arrived in heaven as the ultimate destination of His journey. (1.11)
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These four words and phrases give us the entire picture of Christ’s ascension. The Father
lifted His Son up from the earth into another atmosphere to journey from earth to His
ultimate destination, heaven. I believe that in the same way the forty days of Christ’s post
resurrection appearances gave the Apostles physical proof that Jesus was the risen Lord,
the ascension gave them physical proof that Jesus was the exalted King of heaven and earth.
The ascension was the capstone event that solidified the Apostle’s faith that gave them the
confidence, boldness, and scriptural accuracy they needed to fulfill their apostolic ministry.
The Significance of the Ascension of Christ
But what significance does the ascension of Christ have for believers today? Even though
we were not present at the actual ascension of Christ, how can the ascension of Christ give
us the confidence and boldness that the apostles experienced? This morning I want to
highlight the truths that the ascension of Christ secures our redemption, provides us with
an eternal advocate, and typifies what will eventually happen to every believer.
The Ascension of Christ Secures our Redemption
The writer of Hebrews tells us as Jesus passed through the heavens, as described earlier in
Acts chapter one, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal
redemption by making purification of sins by His sacrifice on the cross. (Heb.4.14; 9.12;
1.3b) Having offered the one sacrifice for sins for all time Jesus sat down at the right hand
of God. (Heb.10.12) The Father highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is
above every name not only in this age but also in the one to come (Phil.2.9; Eph.1.21b) and
gave Him dominion over all rule and authority putting all things in subjection under His
feet. (Eph.1.21a, 22a). Now in putting everything in subjection to Him, the Father left
nothing outside Jesus’ control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to
Him. But in His ascension, we see Him who for a little while was made lower than the
angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so
that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. (Heb.2.8-9) Therefore, since we
have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold
fast our confession. (Heb.4.14)
The Ascension of Christ Provides us with an Eternal Advocate
Christ seated at the right hand of the Father is not sitting in a heavenly recliner kicked back
and taking it easy. The Bible tells us that Jesus is seated at the Father’s right hand ruling
and protecting His children by interceding for them during times of distress, persecution,
famine, nakedness, peril, and sword. (Rom.8.34-35) He always lives to make intercession
for His children. (Heb.7.25) This intercession is Christ’s primary activity on the throne of
God. His prayers never go unheard, nor do they ever fail. The exalted Christ also intercedes
for us during times of weakness and temptation and God’s Word encourages us during
these times to draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy
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and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb.4.14-16) The ascension of Christ places Jesus at
the Father’s right hand to plead for believers based on His finished work on the cross.
The Ascension of Christ Typifies What Will Eventually Happen to Every Believer
The ascension of Jesus Christ is a pledge that every believer in Christ will also enter the
heavenly realm. Remember at the incarnation the eternal Son of God took on flesh and
blood and so was and continues to be God and man in one person forever. (Heb.2.14) At His
death Jesus body was separated from His soul for a short period of time. In His case three
days. But at His resurrection Jesus’ body was reunited with His soul to formulate a glorified
body. Therefore, at His ascension into the heavenly throne Jesus did not simply return to
His preincarnate glory as the eternal Son of God but He entered into the heavenly realm as
the glorified God-man. Therefore, Jesus entered the heavens as a forerunner for us.
(Heb.6.20) Jesus’ glorified ascension into heaven typifies what will happen to every
believer. By God’s grace through Christ, we will be welcomed into heaven and live in a
glorified existence with Christ forever. This is when this perishable will put on the
imperishable and this mortal will put on immortality. Then will come about the saying that
is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ. (ICor.15.53-57)
Closing Thought
As I close this series of sermons I want to turn to a heavenly scene of that great day when
we are gathered at the throne of God in heaven. As I read this portion of Scripture, I want
you to pick out the different truths of the ancient creed.
And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for
You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and
people and nation. “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they
will reign upon the earth.” Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the
throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of
myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that
was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and
blessing.” 13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth
and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to
the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” (Rev.5.9-13)
He who was revealed in the flesh is represented by the Lamb who came to take away the
sin of the world. Was vindicated in the Spirit is represent by the Lamb being worthy to
receive glory, honor, and dominion as the Son of God. Beheld by angels is represented by
many angels around the throne. Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world is
represented by the people from every tribe and tongue, people and nation. Taken up in
glory is represented by the Lamb being worthy to take the book and to break its seals.
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On that glorious day we will gather at the throne and praise God for the truths of the
ancient creed. So, as I close this morning let me ask you a question that has been asked of
Christians throughout the ages.
Pastor: Christian, what do you believe concerning Jesus Christ?
Congregation: He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.