Sermons Vander Kam on HC Lord's Day 18
Q&A 46 & 49 Sermons Vander Kam on HC Lord's Day 18
Q&A 46 & 4946 Q. How do you understand the words, He ascended into heaven?
A. That Christ, in the sight of His disciples, was taken up from earth into heaven, and there continues for our interest, until He comes again to judge the living and the dead.
49 Q. Of what advantage to us is Christ's ascension into heaven?
A. First, that He is our Advocate in the presence of His Father in heaven; second, that we have our flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that He, as the Head, will also take us, His members, up to Himself; third, that He sends us His Spirit as an earnest, by whose power we seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God, and not the things that are upon the earth.
Beloved in the Lord, when we are dealing with the ascension of Jesus Christ, then we are dealing with something quite a bit different from all of the other feast days in the church. It is one of those things of which it seems almost as though the Bible itself is a little bit ashamed that it does not have more to say aboet it. When we look at the Gospel accounts for example, that Matthew and John don't even mention it. And it is only mentioned in one sentence by both Mark and Luke. And it is here only in the first chapter of Acts that we really have an account of it, that He has ascended into the heavens. Now we are to realize that here we are dealing with something that is natural. That is natural even though it is also a miracle, and therefore a miracle of course can never be natural but, that as far as the Christ is concerned it is entirely natural. And that we see for example, from this, that as Romans 8 tells us, and so it is also found in a few other places; where the whole ordo salutis, that is, the order of salvation is given, not exhaustively, but nevertheless, that it is given to us there, "that those whom He foreknew, those He also predestined, and those He predestined, them He also called, and those whom He called, those He justified, and then those He justified, them will He also glorify."
Those are the natural steps. Now you would never say of course, that there is nothing miraculous about this. No, it is something that is miraculous from beginning to end, but yet at the same time, it is also the natural steps. You can almost prophesy from the one what is going to happen at the next. These are the things that naturally and logically follow the one upon the other. And therefore those are the things that we also expect.
No, when it comes to the work of Jesus Christ, then we realize that we were dealing first of all with the matter of His state of humiliation. That He was born of a virgin; that He suffered; that He was crucified; that He died; that He was buried; that He descended into hell. Those are the various steps in His humiliation. And then last Sunday for the first time, we dealt with the matter concerning His exaltation, and that is, that He rose again from the dead. He rose again from the dead and now, what is there going to be. What is He going to do after He is risen from the dead; why should He stay here? It is even a question why did He stay here for the 40 days? And He has stayed for those 40 days no doubt, in order that by convincing proofs, as Luke tells us in Acts one, by convincing proofs He might also make it very clear to everybody that He is indeed risen again from the dead. But He is not going to remain this way, so that now it also logically follows, that He rose again from the dead and He ascended into the heavens. Why should He stay here? There's nothing more to do. All has been done, and therefore He ascended again into the heavens.
Now, when we look at the Biblical accounts beloved, as I mentioned a moment ago, that it is found only in Acts 1, and just a statement of it in Mark and in Luke. But nevertheless, in the Old Testament there there was already mention made of it in Psalm 24, of which we sang a moment ago; that ye gates are to lift up your heads, for the King of glory is going to come in. He is going to come in because He is going to come in with His royal estate. He is going to come in because He comes as Conqueror. And so we also read of it for example, in Psalm 68, that He is ascended into the heavens and that He is ascended on high and has led captivity captive. Those are the things of which the Old Testament church was therefore already aware, and it spoke to them even more perhaps than what it does to the New Testament church.
So that we are to realize that with that ascension, these are the things that naturally follow upon that which has taken place before. That it is therefore something that could almost be prophesied. That if He rose again from the dead, then He would ascend, and if He has ascended then you can also depend on this, He sits at God's right hand. And He is sitting there, not that He has retired; but He is coming again. And so the one thing comes after the other, and it comes in perfect logical order, and it comes in the order of redemption. In order that the people of God may be redeemed completely, that they may receive all the things that are necessary for them in this life and for the life to come.
We speak to you this morning on, Christ's Ascension.
That we notice in the first place, its importance; secondly, its meaning; and finally, its benefits. Its importance, its meaning, and its benefits.
Now when we deal with the importance of it beloved, that seemingly is almost already taken away because of the fact that so little is given us concerning it. So little space is given to it by the Gospel accounts, and consequently this is something that is not to be looked into so much because of the fact that it is so natural. So natural even though it is a miracle, but nevertheless, this is something that you could expect; He would not stay here. And at the same time, it is something that the church has never really realized the importance of. Have never really realized how important it is, that He has also ascended into the heavens because of the fact that they never understood. And if you want proof of that, then you will also see it, that in the church, that is, in those churches where the ascension of Jesus Christ is still recognized, He is still observed; and that is very few. There are very few churches that still observe the ascension of Christ, that have an Ascension Day service; very few. And then when you look at the secular calendars, they will also not have it. It will have for example, Christmas, and Easter, of course. Even Pentecost, perhaps. But Ascension; what's that! Those are the things that they do not understand because the ascension of Jesus Christ seems to be all loss. He has left. With His death you are able to understand that there is something that comes to us, that accrues to us. With His resurrection there is ever so much, but with the ascension, if He were only here, had He stayed here. Yah, how much better it would have been for the church. That we would have had that champion to go before us. That we would not have to follow a Calvin, or a Luther; that we would not have to follow great reformers, but that we could follow Jesus Christ as He was still ministering on this earth. And that would have been the desire of a good many.
But no, it is this, that He is risen again from the dead and therefore He is ascended into the heavens. Because all the work that the Father had given Him to do, concerning that, He says on the cross, "It is finished." And if it is finished, then He is going to go into an entirely different realm, then it is going to be an entirely different situation from now on. And that He is not going to continue in those things that He has done before; that is finished. So that now He ascends, and that He goes up, goes up from whence He had come, because normal states will have to come into being. It was totally abnormal that He should leave heavenly glories, and that He should here suffer and be humiliated. God Himself, humiliated; born of a woman, born under the law, crucified, dead, buried, descends into hell. Father, restore the glory which I had with Thee before the world was, He prays in the High Priestly prayer, and God hears Him.
And as a result, He ascends, so that He may again have that glory which He had with Him before the world was, and that is the glory that He longs for. Which is normal, which is natural for Him; hat is the glory that He seeks.
Now it is this beloved, that He is ascended into the heavens and that He is there also as far as this question and answer is concerned, He is taken up from the earth into heaven and there continues for our interest, continues for our interest. And then you and I better realize what those interests are. Because He has ascended for the interests of His people that is, that He is ascended for them in order that He might pray for them, in order that He might rule over them; as a later question and answer is going to say, when He is seated at the right hand of God. That He is ascended on high in order that He might prepare a place for them. All for the interest of God's people. He is ascended, not to leave them, not to leave them and leave them as orphans, but He is ascended for their interests, for their welfare, for their wellbeing, for the good of the church, for the good of every individual believer. That is the reason why He is gone above.
And for a long time after He had ascended above, this was the one of the difficulties that was in the church, you find a little bit of it in the early chapters of Acts. They cannot understand that Jesus is gone, that He is no longer physically, bodily present with them. Had He only remained that way; oh, it would have been an entirely different life, this world would have been an entirely different world. He would have been the leader of the whole universe here, He would have been leader of this world's government. But, instead of that, He ascended. For the interests of His people, so that He might there pray for them. You think that it is as important that He is praying for you than if He would be in the White House? Do you think that it is as important that He is praying for you as if He would have the rule of the universe in His hands? He does, you know, but we don't see it. He holds the reins of the universe in His hand, as the apostle speaks of it, and He is guiding and directing everything. He is in complete control. It is for the interest of His people that He is gone above. He has here accomplished the things that have been given Him to do. He has purchased their redemption, He has purchased it with His own blood, and that went so far that He not only suffered and died, and was crucified, but that He even goes to the extent of descending into hell. I didn't think that was necessary before, but He did. There is nothing left that was on the agenda for us that He has not taken care of. And now Father, glorify me with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.
So that He may now go above, and that He may there pray for His people, and that prayer for His people is already so different than what it was before. Notice sometime, that High Priestly prayer in John 17. And there He speaks for example, in this way; "Father, I will, I will, that they also whom Thou hast given me be with me where I am." It is not this, if it is possible, no, this is my will. And the expression of His will is going to be fulfilled. His will is perfect, it is in complete harmony with the Father's, and therefore those who have been given Him are going to be with Him. There you are already given an indication, in that High Priestly prayer, where He is in such intimate contact with His Father in that prayer; there you get an intimation of what it is going to be like. That they are going to be with Him, and that is His desire. He places His will over against anything else, and that will is going to dominate, and that will is going to be fulfilled. "I will that they be with me where I am."
That is one of the greatest comforts for anyone that is standing at a deathbed of a saint, or that is standing at an open grave. "Father, I will that they also whom Thou hast given me be with me where I am, above." He is there preparing the place, they are not going to go an unprepared state. But He is there preparing the place. It is for their interest, says our Confession, for our interests that He has gone above, that He has now ascended into the heavens for our interests.
And consequently beloved, when we come to an understanding of what that ascension of Jesus Christ really is, then we would also consider that that is perhaps one of the most important holidays on the calendar of the church. That we are to celebrate that like we celebrate very few other things. That He has ascended, that my Savior is above, that He is seated at God's right hand; and that He's going to come back from there, and that He is going to rule over all things in the meantime, and also ever after. That is the importance of the ascension of Jesus Christ.
Secondly, notice also, its meaning.
Now the meaning of the ascension beloved, is in one way, as I mentioned, that it is entirely natural. That you couldn't expect anything else but that He would now rise and that He would rise into the heavens. He is not going to stay here on this earth and there become two thousand years old. No, He is going to ascend into the heavens to receive again the glory that He had with the Father before the world was. He has accomplished all that had been given Him to do, and now He is therefore ascended; that's natural. On the other hand, there you are also dealing with one of the greatest mysteries, one of the greatest miracles that has ever occurred.
He has a body, and that is not a filmy body, that is a body like yours and mine, of flesh and blood. And He has taken that into the heavens. This is already a guarantee of what is going to happen later, because other bodies are going to come too. But it is an indication of this, that that is a possibility. And that Christ has gone above, they saw Him, they see it with the physical eye; He is rising from the ground, "and a cloud came and received Him out of their sight." But they saw Him go up. So that the body, the physical body is now in the heavens. That hasn't happened before. Oh, an Elijah goes up, I know, and an Enoch is also taken up; but those were strange, strange things. But here you have it in all clarity. That this mystery is now made known, this is now the natural, that Jesus Christ, in the body; they have seen the nail prints, they have seen the spear slash, they have seen it in His body; it's the same. They did not dare ask Him, "Who art Thou?", knowing that it was the Lord. And that body goes up, and was received out of their sight.
That is the meaning of it, that our flesh is above. And if our flesh is above beloved, that is a guarantee that more is coming. It is this, that He is the first fruits, and if there are first fruits, that means that there are also going to be followers, otherwise you don't speak of first fruits. He is the first fruits of those that slept, and He is the one who is gone above. And therefore also this body, body which even in some church circles is demeaned, and looked upon, you know, in such a way that that is not very important, so that a Francis of Assisi could say that Brother Donkey, that was his body; Brother Donkey. No! It is the formation that God has made, that miracle of a body. That body wondrously constructed, fearfully and wonderfully made; and that is now in the heavens. That is the import, and that is the meaning of the ascension.
And again, when we look upon that ascension of Jesus Christ then we are to realize of course, that He has gone above for a very definite purpose. And that He has gone above in order that He may there rule over His church, and that He is going to pray for His people. And that He is there going to prepare a place for them. And the amazing of it is this beloved, that He is going to do everything on their behalf, that is, for the building up of the church of Jesus Christ here in this world, in order that it may come to one with that church above, and that church here below. That church militant, and that church triumphant, that church together, the one church of Jesus Christ, and that He is binding them together by means of this Word, this Word alone. And that Word alone is going to go out and proclaiming also that He is indeed ascended into the heavens.
So that is that Word that is going to bind the two together, but they are not two really, they are one, they are only in different realms. That church above, and that church below, that is the body of Jesus Christ, and that physical body is gone above, and that now He is there in the midst of His people, in the midst of His own, He is there guiding them, He is there praying for them, He is there in their midst, as the one who rules.
When we look upon the meaning, then we are to realize that He is the one who is indeed praying for His people and that is the One who is coming again as judge, as king. For notice, until He comes again to judge the living and the dead; that's as long as He is going to be there, continues for their interest, until He comes to judge the living and the dead. So that that fear, that fear that so many have, concerning the end of time, concerning judgment; that fear is all taken away. The One who has been praying for you, is going to come to judge you. You realize! The One who has been praying for you above is coming again as king, to judge.
Now, then I have no fear, do you? If that is the One who is going to judge me, that One who has complete control, whose judgment is going to be accurate, and whose judgment is going to be just. But that is also the One who has been pleading for me before the throne of God, and has been pleading for me over against Satan's wiles, that disturber of the brethren, that accuser of the brethren has been cast out. There is now no accusation against them anymore, because that accuser of the brethren has been cast out. The accuser of the brethren cast down, and the Christ ascending, I tell you, people, at the ascension, it was a tremendous trade, if I may put it that way. The accuser of the brethren cast out of heaven, as Revelation 12 tells us. And the Christ ascending, taking his place. And now He prays for us, until He comes again to judge the living and the dead.
So that, all the fear of judgment is removed. As I mentioned a few weeks ago; I know already what the judgment is going to be, and you do too. And it is going to be, NOT GUILTY! INNOCENT! Innocent by virtue of His blood, by virtue of the sacrifice that He brought. And then to hear out of this judge's mouth, "that I have been praying for you, and I have been praying for your welfare, and I have been praying for your life. I have been praying for your cementing of the tie that binds you to the living God." And that is the One who judges me; I am safe. Totally safe. There's no possibility that He would now say, "and I condemn you." It can't be done. And so it all binds together. From the time that He has come until the time that He leaves, the time of His ascension, until He comes again to judge the living and the dead, this is the One who has my interest in mind all the time, and consequently there's no fear. Then there's no fear of death; you're going to meet Him.
There's only this, aw, there are those who speak of an intermediate state, that is very misleading, very misleading. Intermediate state only can be thought of in this way, that there is a time that we are without the body, before the body rises again, and that should also be done, and will finally be done. And therefore, according to Revelation 6, "the souls cry out under the altar, Lord, how long before our body comes too?" Man is body and soul, and it has to be together, and otherwise he is not complete man. And if our souls are saved, that's not enough; men have to be saved, and they are, and He is the One who is going to judge them, and He is the One who is going to take them up to Himself. So that they may enjoy the glory that He has, with the Father, such as it was already before the world began. That is the meaning of the ascension of Jesus Christ.
And now finally, because the Catechism always asks, are there any benefits to this now, further. Of what advantage to us is Christ's ascension into heaven? What are the benefits that we receive from that? Well, these benefits already are ever so many of course. So that you are able to say that all the various things that we have in our spiritual life, all the various things that we have here below, all the various things that we have in church, or as a member of the church; these are the things that already accrue to us because of the ascension of Jesus Christ. Whereby, it has been made clear that His work has been accepted, that His work of redemption has been accepted, that His sacrifice has been accepted. Otherwise He would not have arisen. He would not have arisen from the dead nor would He have ascended, but that is a strict guarantee that His work has been accepted by the Father, and that therefore there is nothing more to be done. So He has ascended into the heavens.
Now what is the further benefit of that, the further advantage of that; notice, that here it speaks of it that He is our advocate in the presence of the Father; we have our flesh in heaven; third, that He sends His Spirit. So that all these things come to us as a result of the fact that Jesus Christ has ascended. Now, first of all, that we have an advocate above, that is, that we have a lawyer; that's what the word means. We have a lawyer in heaven, one who is pleading our cause, and He is pleading our cause in a very, very able way. And if you have a good lawyer, then you are going to be able to do ever so much. And then you are going to be safe ever so often, especially if you are standing on good grounds, on solid ground, and then if you have a lawyer who is able to explain it to the courts, then everything is going to be well.
Here we have the Advocate above, Jesus Christ the righteous, says the apostle Paul. He is the One who is our Advocate, and we have an advocacy there before the throne of God. So that it is really double. As the New Testament speaks of it, Paul speaks of it in various of his epistles, that the Spirit is within us, and is an advocate. That is our lawyer within, and we have one above. We have one both places; how can you lose! Then is it any wonder that Jesus says, toward the close of His life, when He is going to show to His people that all is well, He says; "Of those whom Thou hast given me I have lost no one. No one can snatch them out of my hands; not a one." Because we have an advocate above.
And this is something of course, that God's people must realize ever more fully. Must realize that all these things are in such good condition. That where you and I many a time do not pray; He does. He never falters in that. That where we are pleading upon His merits, He pleads upon them too, but He says, "Father, I will." Now it's something that has been accepted and therefore I demand that they be with me. So that we have that kind of an advocate, that kind of a lawyer above, and that is God's own Son, and He is here pleading for you and for me. How can you lose! It's an impossibility. So that of course, people are ever safe. And this is the kind of a thing that must always come through to us, so that there may be that assurance of faith. That assurance of faith must be there and without an assurance of faith we are of all men most miserable. Then we have had a glimpse, a glimpse of the glory, but we have not partaken of it. Have had a glimpse of the truth, but we have not really, really received it.
But He is the one who is our Advocate above, and that is the One who goes on with this advocacy constantly. Pleading upon that finished work, and that stands as the rock of Gibraltar; nothing can move it. And upon that He pleads, "My God, these people, these people are mine, and I will that they be with me, where I am." That is the ascension.
Not only that, but He has also given His Spirit, as an earnest. So that we are not going to go into that whole matter concerning what is now the Spirit of God, and who He is; all those things come in Lord's Day 20. But here it is simply spoken of in this way, that He is above and that He has sent His Spirit upon the church, He does not leave them comfortless. But when I leave, says Jesus in John 14 and again in 16, He said, when I leave I will send that Comforter, that paraclete, that one that is called into the side of that other advocate, that He may be with you forever. That's an earnest. You know what earnest money is; you buy something and you put something down, that's earnest money. That's what this is called. This is the earnest of the Spirit, this is only the down payment of it; there's coming a whole lot more. You don't give half as an earnest, you don't give a quarter as an earnest, but only a certain amount. Small in comparison to the whole bill, so it is here. Yah, but earnest of the Spirit that He has given, and that is already so tremendous, is it not. That He moves, that He moves the church of God, that He moves His people, that He binds them unto the Christ. And that's only the earnest. When that comes in fullness, the blessings of the Spirit of God as He has been poured out upon the church, when we see that in its fullness, it is more than we are able to contain. That has been given to us.
In all the blessings that accrue to us from the work of Jesus Christ; He was born, He suffered, He was crucified, He died, was buried, descended into hell; but He rose again, and then He ascended. Ascended to the right hand of God, for you and for me. That's what it is all for, for you and for me. And this the church must grasp; that we are not here dealing with an objective truth alone, not only an objective truth that we could debate about; but that we are here dealing with our life blood, our spiritual, eternal life blood that binds us to the living God. That is the whole counsel of God. That is the way in which He has been revealed. Amen....
We thank Thee heavenly Father, for the grace and for the mercy wherewith Thou dost greet us. Where in that Word Thou hast given us all the things that we need. We pray, Lord God, that it may be applied unto heart and life, that our minds may be filled with it, and also our hearts. That we may ever rejoice in Jesus Christ. Grant us Thy blessing further. Bless the Catechism and Sunday School classes as they meet. Bring us together into Thy house again in this evening. Forgive our sins and keep us close to Thee. For Jesus sake. Amen....
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