DOCSLIB.ORG

XI. the Apostles' Creed in Biblical Perspective “I Believe...” “He Ascended Into Heaven” Acts 1:1–12 Dr. Harry L

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
XI. the Apostles' Creed in Biblical Perspective “I Believe...” “He Ascended Into Heaven” Acts 1:1–12 Dr. Harry L XI. The Apostles’ Creed in Biblical Perspective “I Believe...” “He Ascended into Heaven” Acts 1:1–12 Dr. Harry L. Reeder III August 16, 2020 • Sunday Sermon God’s Word is true, inerrant, infallible and sufficient for all of faith and practice. As believers we build our lives on it and we look through life from it. Acts 1:1–12 says [1] In the first book (referring to the book of Luke), O Theophilus (referring to Luke), I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, [2] until the day when He was taken up, after He had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. [3] He presented Himself alive to them after His suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. [4] And while staying with them He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, He said, “you heard from Me; [5] for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” [6] So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” [7] He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. [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. [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.” [12] Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. The grass withers, the flower fades, the Word of God abides forever and by His grace and mercy may His Word be preached for you. We are at an interesting point in our study of the Apostles’ Creed – He ascended into heaven. In the Reformed church out of the Reformation, here is a truth we embrace but don’t really celebrate it as I think we ought. I have been thinking on why this is for the past two weeks. I believe in the creed and look at the section of Jesus. The Apostles’ Creed is as follows; I believe in God the Father Almighty, (first affirmation) maker of heaven and earth; I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, (second affirmation) who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, (third affirmation) the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen. I believe ‘ascended into heaven’ is the ultimate symbol clashing moment in the creed. What about the resurrection? I believe that’s the penultimate moment for that’s the one you have to have to get here, but the resurrection was designed to be affirmed in the celebration and coronation of Jesus. Remember this creed is a collection of the essentials – not all the essentials but we believe more than we find in the creed but we don’t believe less. The first affirmation in the creed about God the Father gives us our created identity. Then it goes to His Son and of the 100 Latin words the creed is comprised of, 75 belong to Jesus. It doesn’t say anything about what Jesus teaches but only focuses on what He has done. The first half that talks about Christ is the flow that you find in the Philippians 2 passage that talks about the humiliation of Christ. That humiliation is the descent even to the implications and consequences of the separation of the soul and the body in His atoning death – His body buried in the tomb, His soul to paradise, hades, Sheol. But He did not abandon the soul of the Messiah to Sheol/hades and He did not allow His body to suffer corruption and the third day He arose. Now we start the exaltation but this is the penultimate moment in His exaltation. The ultimate is that He ascended into heaven. Interestingly, in the life of the church the first part of what Jesus has done we celebrate and we call that Advent Season – conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. We sing all those Christmas hymns that celebrate this and rightly so. And we celebrate, contemplate and reflect on ‘suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried, He descended into hell, on the third day He arose’ and we call that Holy Week. But much of the professing church does not bring much emphasis to ‘He ascended into heaven’ on the church calendar. The church calendar is a matter of an assisted element and there is no obligation on conscience. The only obligation on conscience is the Lord’s Day, but the church calendar has been used a teaching tool and is an opportunity for outreach around the events on it. So why is it, that we don’t deal with ascension and what affirms the ascension? What affirms the ascension? It is Pentecost. There is no Pentecost without the ascension. Jesus said ‘I must go away to send the Holy Spirit to you.’ I don’t think this is just a matter of the church but I think it’s a matter of us as individuals. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say ‘I just living for Jesus but I would have given anything to have been alive when He was alive.’ Jesus says we’re better off living now than when He was on the earth and said this to those He was around when He was on earth. Here’s a hypothetical question. If you were given the power and the authority to make this decision – would you want Jesus where He is right now or sitting next to you where you are now? Our inclination would be for most of us to say ‘right next to me where I am now.’ But then you would be making a lesser choice. We all have an inclination for it because we are all waiting for the Blessed Hope. Many of us have heard John 14:1–3 where Jesus says [1] “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. [2] In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” We all want to be with Him but right now it’s better that His glorified body is at the right hand of the Father on the throne for you than if He was sitting right next to you now. I know that because He told the Disciples that. One of the places Jesus told them that is in the Acts 1 passages at the beginning of the study and in John 14. When Jesus tells His Disciples that He is going to go away from them they do not like that and He sees that they do not like that. We see this in John 16:4–7 which says [4] But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. [5] But now I am going to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are you going?’ [6] But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. [7] Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.” Until He comes again, it is better for Him to be where He is now than to be sitting right next to you. I hope you will see this as we go through this study. We go to the passage that records the last day, the last hours and the last minutes that Jesus was bodily on this earth until He bodily comes again and this is in Acts 1. In this text we are informed that Jesus has been risen, He has been in ministry in His resurrected, glorified body where His soul coming from the place of the dead (Abraham’s bosom, paradise, hades, the intermediate state for the believer), joined with His body and they saw Him as He was with them.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Philippians: Joy in Learning to Think Like Jesus – Lesson 3 of 8 (Philippians 2:1-10)
    Philippians: Joy in Learning to Think Like Jesus – Lesson 3 of 8 (Philippians 2:1-10) LEARNING GOALS Ø Discovering what real fellowship looks like biblically. Ø Learning what it means to think like Jesus. Ø Increasing our understanding and worship of who Jesus is and what Jesus did for our salvation. Ø Understanding the way up is down because God humbles the proud and exalts the humble. Ø Recognizing the urgency of sharing the Gospel with others. OUTLINE 1. INTRODUCTION 2. FELLOWSHIP ISN’T ABOUT ME—IT IS ABOUT OTHERS 3. THE TRANSITIONAL STATEMENT THAT CHANGES HOW WE THINK 4. THE HUMILIATION AND EXALTATION OF JESUS INTRODUCTION In our study of Philippians 1 we saw the importance of fellowship within the life of the church and within the life of every Christian in two ways. First, the joy fellowship with those who love us, encourage us, help us, pray for us, and are united with us in sharing the Gospel brings our hearts. Second, is the fact we need fellowship with one another in the hard times if we are going to have joy in every circumstance. Drew Tucker’s statement emphasizes this point, “All of us are stronger than any one of us.” Fellowship, koinonia, is not an extra in the Christian life. It is an essential. 1 But what does fellowship really look like? In Philippians 2:1–4 Paul gives a biblical description of fellowship. Then in Philippians 2:5–11 he teaches that true fellowship means thinking like Jesus, and as he does, he gives one of the greatest passages about Christ in the New Testament.
    [Show full text]
  • The Humiliation of Christ
    Christ Presbyterian Church Foundations Class Lesson 6 "Suffered...crucified, dead, and buried... He descended into hell" Christology: The Humiliation of Christ Phil. 2:5-8 Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death--even death on a cross. I. The Extent of His Humiliation: From Birth Until Death Observe how the Lord Jesus was a "man of sorrows" even from his infancy. Trouble awaits Him as soon as He enters into the world.... It was only a type and figure of all his experience upon earth. The waves of humiliation began to beat over Him, even when He was a sucking child... J. C. Ryle WSC # 27 Q. Wherein did Christ's humiliation consist? A. Christ's humiliation consisted in his being born, and that in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross; in being buried and continuing under the power of death for a time. A. Surrendered the glory of heaven to become human Gal. 4:4-5a, But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law. B. Born in a lowly manger Luke 2:7, And [Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
    [Show full text]
  • Jesus Christ Our Lord – Sęlâ!
    Jesus Christ Our Lord Books | 1/2/2012 @ 6:00 Since I don't have as much time to study while working on our precious Bible school as I used to have as its student, my ability to absorb such an extensive masterpiece on christology and related topics by John F. Walvoord dramatically decreased. I'm done with that, though. In his christological discourse, Walvoord didn't miss a spot. His sense for doctrinal discrepancies along with his perfectionism made this book superb source of theological knowledge on Jesus Christ Our Lord. Author: John F. Walvoord Published by Moody Publishers (June 1, 1980) ISBN: 0–8024–4326–5 318 pages Preface Bernard of Clairvaux: Jesus, the very thought of Thee With sweetest fills my breast; But sweeter far Thy face to see, And in Thy presence rest. (7) Human pens falter attempting to describe Him. Charles Wesley: O for a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer's praise, The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of His grace. (7) No other person is given more biographical attention, than person of Jesus Christ. Divine revelation of Jesus Christ leaves writer/biographer in futility due to it's immensity. With this confession, however, comes necessity of systematic formation of the many truths relating to the person and work of Christ. Upon this systematization the whole structure of Christian preaching and teaching must be erected, … (9) Must keep on mind: While there is progress in doctrine, there is no increase in spiritual revelation. It is, therefore, more important to discover what Paul or John says about Jesus Christ than to follow the latest learned theological pronouncement.
    [Show full text]
  • The Church Alive “…About All That Jesus Began to Do and Teach” (Acts 1:3)
    The Church Alive “…about all that Jesus began to do and teach” (Acts 1:3). The Church Alive – Living In Light of the Risen Christ Acts 1:9-11 Let me begin this morning by asking you a question, a question I would like you to take a moment to answer, not out loud, just make a mental note of what first comes to your mind with the question; “What are the most significant events of Jesus' life or aspects of His work for us?” Take a moment to think about this. I would suspect that some of the most common answers to such questions would include things like His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His crucifixion, and His resurrection. Correct? However, there is another significant event that is sadly neglected among us; a neglected doctrine or teaching that serves as a very pillar for all that we believe about Jesus and His work for us. A doctrine that without which, all that Jesus had done up to the point of His resurrection from the dead would become mute and meaningless. What is that doctrine? It is the doctrine of the ascension of Jesus; His being lifted up and taken into heaven forty days after His resurrection. Concerning the work of Christ, J. Oswald Sanders, in his book, “The Incomparable Christ” made this observation that would do us well to consider: An ascension such as the gospels record was essential for a number of reasonsHis redemptive work required such a consummation. Without it, it would have remained incomplete for it rests on four pillars —incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
    [Show full text]
  • Charles Simeon-Index to Sermons-2
    Charles Simeon-Index to Sermons-2 Horae Homileticae Index 1 of Horae Homileticae -- A thru G Index 2 of Horae Homileticae -- H thru O Index 3 of Horae Homileticae -- P thru Z You are presently at Index #2 INSTRUCTIONS & HINTS FOR UTILIZING THIS INDEX TO 13,000 PAGES OF SIMEON'S EXPOSITORY PREACHING First, note that all 21 volumes of Horae Homileticae (Genesis through Revelation) are online (links listed below) and all are paginated in the online electronic edition which allows you to go directly to a specific page. It is amazing to me that these 13,000 pages of sound, evangelical, expository messages representing Simeon's life word have been fully indexed alphabetically by subject which is easily retrieved with the VOLUME NUMBER (I-XXI) and PAGE NUMBER. When you find a subject of interest, note the volume and page number, Then open the respective volume from the list below and type in the page number to go to the discussion, which is often identifiable by the title of the Sermon but sometimes is not obviously designated (by a title or subtitle) which requires you to read the page to find the discussion related to the Topic being studied (eg, note the subject "affliction… designed for our good" which is found in Volume VII, page 195 -- the discussion is at bottom of page). Page numbers that are not directly adjacent to Volume Numbers go with the preceding (not following) Volume number. (e.g., Note the entry in the index that says "Separation of Abram and Lot, I. 105–110.
    [Show full text]
  • Systematic Theology—Christology I
    Systematic Theology—Christology i Systematic Theology: The Doctrine of Christ Christ’s Community Study Center Mbarara, Uganda Donald F. McNeill i Christ’s Community Study Center—Mbarara, Uganda—[email protected] Systematic Theology—Christology ii The Doctrine of Christ—Table of Contents I. Introduction 215 II. Names of Christ 215 A. Son of Man 215 B. Son of God 216 C. Lord 216 III. Prologue of the Gospel of John 216 IV. The Kenosis Passage: Philippians 2: 5-11 219 V. The Incarnation of Christ in Human Flesh 220 VI. Human and Divine Natures in the One Person of Christ 221 A. Historical Development of this Doctrine 221 1. The Council of Nicaea—AD 325 221 2. The Council of Constantinople—AD 381 221 3. The Council of Ephesus—AD 431 221 4. The Council of Chalcedon—AD 451 221 5. The Council of Constantinople—AD 680 222 6. The Reformation (16th Century) 222 B. The Effects of the Two Natures in One Person 222 C. A Human Analogy of the Two Natures of Christ in One Person 223 VII. The Virgin Birth 224 VIII. The States of Christ 224 A. Christ’s Humiliation 224 1. His Incarnation 225 2. His Poverty 225 3. His Suffering 226 4. His Subjection to the Law—Its Conditions and Curse 226 5. His Death 227 6. His “Descent into Hell” 227 B. Christ’s Exaltation 228 1. The Resurrection of Christ 228 a. Evidence of the Resurrection 228 b. Continuity and Discontinuity in the Resurrected Body of Christ 230 c. Agents of the Resurrection 230 2.
    [Show full text]
  • The Humiliation of Christ One of the Songs We Sang in the Cantata a Few
    The Humiliation of Christ One of the songs we sang in the cantata a few minutes ago was the Poverty Carol, a song composed many years ago by a musician in Wales. It’s a song I was not familiar with until we learned it for this program. The lyrics are: All poor men and humble, All lame men who stumble Come haste ye, nor feel ye afraid. For Jesus our treasure, With love past all measure, In lowly poor manger was laid. … Then haste we to show him The praises we owe him; Our service he ne'er can despise: Whose love still is able To show us that stable Where softly in manger he lies. The song urges the poor and the humble to come to Jesus, who himself began his human experience in poverty and humility. He was born in a stable and laid in a “poor manger.” He was content to be born into that very humble condition. 2Co 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. There is more than one variety of poverty. We may be poor and lame in a physical or a spiritual sense. Jesus conferred a blessing on those who were poor in spirit. In fact, it’s only those who recognize that they are spiritual bankrupt who turn to Christ for salvation. It’s the sick who need a physician. Jesus came to earth in humility, and those who follow Jesus must humble themselves and admit their own weakness and failure.
    [Show full text]
  • Baptism of Our Lord Year A
    Baptism of our Lord January 8, 2017 Doug Floyd St. Brendan’s Church Matthew 3:13-17 Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. It is fitting to begin our new journey of St. Brendan’s Church by rehearsing the event that inaugurates Jesus’s public ministry. As we seek to follow Christ, we remember and reflect on His baptism, His obedience, and His humility. The story starts with John the Baptist: a voice crying out. Away from the city of man, from grind of human strife, of political corruption, of religious manipulation, a voice echoes across the barren landscape. From the wilderness at the edge of the Jordan River, John cries out, “Repent. Turn around. Behold. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” The old systems, the old powers, the old oppressions are all passing away. The Kingdom is at hand and all things will become new. As John cries out, he baptizes. Inviting people into the Jordan, into the path of Israel’s forefathers who followed the Lord through the wilderness and crossed the Jordan to enter the Promised Land. John’s baptism is a baptism of repentance, of rehearsing the promises of God, of returning to the original call to the children of Israel. John knows that these waters also point to Another who is coming: to One who will usher the Kingdom of Heaven. As John speaks of the One who is to come, he says, “I am not worthy to carry his sandals.” The sandal covers the very lowest part of a person.
    [Show full text]
  • Journal of Theology Volume 053 Number 03 2013
    JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY VOLUME 53 SEPTEMBER 2013 NUMBER 3 CONTENTS A Lenten Series: Repentance Questions Answered ................................. Frank Gantt When Should I Repent? (Sermon #4) Where Do I Obtain Repentance? (Sermon #5) The Importance of Christian Education .................................................. Paul F. Larsen The Holy Spirit and Christmas: A Series for Advent .............................. Paul Tiefel, Jr. The Relation of Christ’s Incarnation to His Humiliation ......................... David Baker “Blest ” or “Blesséd”? ............................................................................ John Pfeiffer Book Review: The Intolerance of Tolerance ............................................................ (Reviewer: David Schaller) By: D. A. Carson Circulation Manager Benno Sydow ([email protected]) 2750 Oxford Street North Roseville, Minnesota 55113 Correspondence regarding subscriptions, renewals, changes of address, etc., should be directed to the circulation manager. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When Should I Repent? Matthew 26:69-75 and Acts 17:30-31 Frank Gantt Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen. In 1541 Muslim invaders, who had already conquered most of the Middle East, all the northern parts of Africa, and a sizeable portion of eastern Europe, were threatening the borders of Germany. The leader, Suleiman the Great, had led his army into Asia Minor the previous year and was showing no signs of being stopped. The threat that Islam was posing against Germany in the 16 th century was far greater than any threat posed against America in the 21 st century so far. Martin Luther was certainly no pacifist. He supported Germany’s right to defend itself, and in a pamphlet entitled “Appeal for Prayer Against the Turks,” he even encouraged the various feudal lords to send troops to protect the towns and cities of eastern Germany.
    [Show full text]
  • Philippians to Live in Harmony, to Lay Aside Their Disagreements, Their Personal Ambitions and Pride, Their Desire for Prominence and Prestige
    The Attitude of Christ Phil 2:5-11 Nov 22, 2020 Phil 2:5-11 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Introduction: Jesus Christ – our example Paul is pleading with the Philippians to live in harmony, to lay aside their disagreements, their personal ambitions and pride, their desire for prominence and prestige. To have in their hearts a humble, selfless desire to serve, which was the essence of the life of Christ. This section is about the humility of Jesus Christ. We have the mind of Christ (1Cor 2:16). This mind is one of humility that seeks to meet the needs of others. It is the solution to solving church problems and disunity. Humility is the first step to solving problems between individuals and nations. For humility seeks to meet the needs of those who are hurting and needy.
    [Show full text]
  • 9781781912935781781912935 - Kellykelly SSTT Ssecondecond Vvol.Inddol.Indd 5 111/26/20131/26/2013 88:43:20:43:20 AMAM CONTENTS
    The Beauty of Christ: A Trinitarian Vision Douglas F. Kelly 99781781912935781781912935 - KKellyelly SSTT SSecondecond VVol.inddol.indd 5 111/26/20131/26/2013 88:43:20:43:20 AAMM CONTENTS Thanks and Acknowledgements ....................................................................................9 Introduction The Beauty of Christ: The Trinitarian Context of Christology ............................11 PART ONE The Trintarian Context of the Person and Work of Christ Chapter I The Witness of Old and New Testament to Christ ...............................................43 Chapter II Names and Titles of Christ in Old and New Testaments ......................................69 Appendix II.1 The Genealogies of Jesus Christ .................................................................................99 Aooendix II.2 The Issue of Translating Divine Familial terms for Muslim Language Communities ............................................................................... 109 Chapter III Crucial Passages on the Lord’s Incarnation and Atonement .............................137 Chapter IV The Hypostatic Union ................................................................................................ 181 Appendix IV.1 Early Thirteenth Century Development of the Theology of the Hypostatic Union in Western Church ....................................................................217 Appendix IV.2 Historical and Contemporary Application of Chalcedon ..................................221 Chapter V Questions Raised by the Hypostatic Union
    [Show full text]
  • The Gospel of Matthew
    C. The Temptations of Christ Matthew 4:1-11 In the first section of Matthew 4, we find the account in Scripture of the temptation of Jesus Christ. Just before this at the end of chapter three, Jesus is introduced to the public for the first time at his baptism. Richards notes, “The baptism of Jesus launched His public ministry. But id did even more than that. It demonstrated how fully Christ as a Man identified Himself with humanity. One of the central doctrines of the Christian faith is that of Incarnation.”1 He goes on to say that “God, in the person of the Child of promise would fully identify Himself as a human being. In every way this promised individual would be God, yet would be God with us.”2 Here at His baptism, Jesus’ divine origin is also confirmed—the Holy Spirit anointed Him by descending upon Him in the likeness of a dove and God the Father spoke from heaven confirming that Jesus was and is the Son of God. This is extremely important because it is immediately contrasted with Jesus’ identification with humanity in His temptations. Richards stated, “If the baptism of Jesus impresses us with the complete identification of the Saviour with us in our humanity, His temptation stretches our minds to grasp the depths to which Jesus stooped.”3 The Kenosis (or Emptying) of Christ What is the kenosis of Christ? Why is it important? Kenosis refers to the emptying or self-humbling of Jesus. o “The act of the incarnation is described by the strong word ekenōsen (English, kenosis), from kenoō, meaning “to empty.”4 o The primary passage that teaches this is Philippians 2:5-11.
    [Show full text]