Preached on May 30, 2019
Order of Service: The Order of Vespers, Page 41.
Psalmody: Psalm 47, Page 134.
Lection: Acts 1:1-11.
Apostles Creed.
Sermon: “In View Of Christ’s Ascension We Are To Seek Those Things Which Are Above.” Colossians 3:1-4.
Hymns: 221, 217, 430, 215
Dear Friends in Christ,
Of all the Christian Festivals, the Ascension of Christ gets the least attention. Yet Christ’s ascension was a most significant event. The Son of God who came into the world to redeem mankind from its sins, returned to the Father who sent Him. Thus, we can rightly say that the Ascension was the climax of Christ’s earthly ministry. The fact that He went back to heaven means Christ finished what He was sent to do. If He had further work to do, He would not have ascended back to the Father.
For just a moment, let’s review the actual event of Christ’s Ascension. St. Lukes’s Gospel describes it this way: “And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.” Thus we see Jesus standing before His disciples and lifting up His hands in a kind of benediction. Then the disciples saw Jesus slowly but gradually lift up from the earth, going higher and higher until a cloud received Him out of sight.
As simple as this event is described, it had to have overwhelmed the disciples. In fact Acts 1:11 tells us how the disciples reacted. The disciples continued to gaze upon Jesus as He went higher and higher and eventually a cloud received him out of their sight. Thus, when two angels appeared, they said to the disciples, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus which was taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11) The disciples acted as if they would never see Jesus again. Yet the angels reassured these disciples that they would see Jesus again. They and all mankind will see Him again on the Last Day when He shall come in clouds.
Thus, as we have often said, that Christ ascended back to heaven means that the next event on God’s calendar is Christ’s coming back on the Last Day. Then He will raise up all the dead, judge all mankind by separating the sheep from the goats, and taking us up to enter the mansions of heaven. It will be the final and last prophecy to be fulfilled.
In the meantime, between now and when Christ returns, what shall our state of mind be? With what perspective are we to live our lives? Our sermon text tells us. It says, “Seek those things which are above.” Although our feet are planted on the ground, our hearts and minds are to be focused chiefly on the things above, on heavenly things. Therefore, our sermon will lay out all that our text says on seeking those things which are above.
Our text begins by saying, “If ye then be risen with Christ.” Since our bodily resurrection will not take place until the Last Day, the word risen in our text must have a different meaning than a bodily resurrection. This harks the question, what resurrection is there beside our bodily resurrection on the Last Day? From Scripture we learn that there is also a spiritual resurrection. When you and I were baptized into Christ, we underwent a resurrection from spiritual death to spiritual life. As another Scripture says, “And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.” (Eph. 2:1) Thus, in being converted from unbelief to faith, we rose from spiritual death to spiritual life. This is what our text means when it says, “If ye then be risen with Christ.”
Yet how are we to understand the word “if? When Paul says, “If ye then be risen with Christ,” he is not implying that perhaps we have not risen. Rather, the word “if” has the meaning of “since.” Thus, Paul is saying, “Since ye are risen with Christ.”
Therefore, when Paul says, “If ye then be risen with Christ,” he is telling us that something else should be a foregone conclusion. It should be a forgone conclusion that since we have been risen spiritually with the ascended Christ, we are to seek those things which are above where Christ sits on the right hand of God.” Since we have risen spiritually with Christ, the focus of our life ought to be on Christ who now sits at God’s right hand. His sitting at God’s right hand means Christ is seated at the very center of the power and majesty of God. Thus, to seek those things which are above means we are to be heavenly-minded. Here on earth we are just pilgrims passing through. The whole while we are sojourning here, we should see all things in terms of our future life in heaven.
However, there are two factors which get in the way of our seeking the things which are above. One factor is our Old Adam or sinful nature. Our Old Adam is earthly-minded. Our Old Adam constantly seeks those things which are on the earth. Our Old Adam always seeks those things which satisfy our carnal desires. Our Old Adam is a lover of sinful pleasures. Our Old Adam is spiritually blind, dead and an enemy of God. Thus, our Old Adam is one major factor which hinders our seeking those things which are above. This is why Scripture says, “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.” (v. 5) Likewise, Scripture says, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” (Gal. 5:24) Thus, it is in the interest of seeking things above that we resist and suppress our Old Adam. As the Bible says, “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Eph. 4:22-24):
A second factor which hinders are being heavenly-minded is that we do have to live our lives in this world where we have many duties and responsibilities which occupy our minds. We have to work, pay bills, do housework, mow the lawn, trim the shrubbery, drive children to music lessons, attend their ballgames. All these things are legitimate activities of which there is no sin. Yet just the demands of living in the world tend to hinder our focus on heaven. They can tax our energy. We can become so absorbed in dealing with these demands of life that without intending to, we lose sight of those things which are above.
Also, as we live in this world, we encounter the many evils of this world which can actually threaten our very existence There are gangs like MS-13, terrorists, and evil conspiracies. O how many evils there are in this wicked and fallen world. While these are real threats even to our bodily existence, they are not to consume us with worry and fear. As Jesus once said, “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather, fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt. 10:28)
Therefore, if we view all these things in terms our faith, we are able to cope with this earthly life with all its duties, responsibilities, sorrows and fears. For example, if we keep in mind that work and earning a living is God-pleasing, this elevates even our work above the mundane. If we see that domestic duties at home are also God-pleasing and in keeping with seeking those things which are above., we have a totally different perspective on work and making a living. Indeed, all the various duties and responsibilities are to be seen in a positive light. Our faith elevates all the various activities of this life on earth. As the Bible says, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” (Col. 3:23-24) Also, even the various evils of this world cannot daunt us as we continue to seek those things which are above! As the Bible says, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)
Furthermore, even when life’s discouragements weigh us down, these very discouragements are used of the Lord to help us to look up to Him. As one of our fellow-members once said, “Sometimes God puts us on our back so that we can only look up! O how true! The sorrows and discouragements of this life serve to show us why we should all the more seek those things which are above. The discouragements and sorrows of this present life scrape away the glamor of the vanities of this earthly life and show us that they are not worth our loyalty. As the Bible says, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (II Cor. 4:17-18)
In this regard, the Bible records for us how King Solomon learned this lesson by personal experience. As we know, King Solomon was rich and had many temporal advantages. Yet as the years went by, Solomon realized that the things of this earthy life are not so great and important since they have the potential of keeping us from seeking the things whichreally matter – – -the things which are above. Hear just one section of what Solomon wrote in his Book of Ecclesiastes. It is most telling! He said, “I made me great works: I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted me trees in them of all kinds of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart hath rejoiced in all my labor; and this was my portion of all my labor. Then I looked on all that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do: and, behold all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” (Eccl. 2:4-11) This is why our text says, “Set your affection on things above, and not on things on earth.” (v. 2)
However, our text gives us another compelling reason why we should set our affection on things above, and not on things on the earth. Paul says, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” (v. 3) What does Paul mean by saying we are dead? Obviously we are recurrently alive in the body. Also, by faith in Christ we are very much alive spiritually. How then are we dead? In several places in Paul’s epistles he declares that we as believers are dead to sin. In Romans 6:2, Paul says, “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Again in Romans 6:11 Paul says, “Reckon ye also your selves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”Because our sin and guilt were imputed to Christ on the cross, sin is now a dead master. When Christ died on the cross, the power and guilt of our sins were killed. In that sense we died to sin. Sin as a dead master is no longer to be served. Our servitude to sin died along with its guilt and power. As Paul says, “he that is dead is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:7)
Yet at the same time, when we died to sin in Baptism, we also gained a new life which is hidden with Christ in God. Paul says, “and your life’s hid with Christ in God.” (v. 3b.) How is our life hid with Christ in God? First of all, the very source of our spiritual life is Christ Himself. Our spiritual life is imbedded in Him. The Bible says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20) This life we have in Christ is not external, but internal. Our spiritual life in Christ is hidden in our hearts. Since our life is hidden with Christ in God, and since it is hidden in our hearts, the world cannot see it. It is hidden from the world, and is a mystery to the world.
However, at Christ’s return in glory our hidden life in Christ will be fully manifested. Paul says, “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” (v. 4) Christ Himself is our life, and when He returns visibly and in glory, He will raise us up in glory. Then our hidden life with Christ will be manifested or revealed for all to see. As Paul says, “then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” This is what Scripture means when it speaks of “the manifestation of the sons of God.” Likewise, the Apostle John writes, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (I John 3:2-3)
But what is the chief way to seek those things which are above? The chief way is to hear, learn, and meditate on God’s Word. The Holy Spirit uses the Word to instill in our hearts the desire for the things which are above. The Holy Spirit working through the Word focuses our hearts and minds on spiritual truth and all that pertains to eternal life. Thus, through His Word the Lord Himself helps us to seek those things which are above. Thus, even this sermon text is being used by the Holy Ghost to instill in us the desire for things above.
Now then, having heard what our text says, we should more fully understand and more fully appreciate why our text says, “Seek those things which are above.” In seeking those things which are above, we do three things. First, we free ourselves from letting this earthly life get us down. We see that this earthly life is not worth troubling our souls. Secondly, by seeking those things which are above, we keep our focus on Christ who gives us that peace which the world cannot give. Thirdly, by seeking those things which are above, we gain patience to wait for Jesus to come back for us. We realize that is is worth waiting and hoping for. The Bible says, “For we are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” (Romans 8:24-25)
Therefore, we close our sermon with the words of the text. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Amen.