And in Jesus - Part 4: Ascension and Judgement
After completing the lesson, the student will be able to:
List two reasons Jesus gives for why He ascended into heaven
Describe what it means that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father.
Identify two other places that Jesus is present according to God’s Word (in addition to “at the right hand of God”)
Explain how you would measure up to God’s standard if you were judged based on your own thoughts, words, motivations, and actions.
Show how trusting in Christ changes how God sees you on Judgement day.
SECOND ARTICLE OF THE APOSTLES CREED (fill in the blanks using your Small Catechism)
Second Article of Redemption
He ascended __________ heaven, And is _________________ on the right hand of _______ the Father _____________; From where ______ shall come ____ judge _______ living and the ___________.
And __________ and ___________ to all ____________________. This is __________ certainly ___________.
Acts chapter 1 describes Jesus ascending into heaven. What does that mean? It says Jesus literally flew up into the air and the clouds hid him from the disciples’ sight. Amazing!
Read Acts 1:1-11 and answer the following questions:
What reasons does Jesus give for why He ascended into heaven?
Seated at the Right Hand of God
So where did Jesus go when he ascended? Read the following passages, and write down where each one says Jesus is:
Some Christians would use the phrase “seated at the right hand of God” to describe the exact, physical location of Jesus. However, scripture teaches that Jesus is not only physically sitting at God’s right hand. Instead, Jesus is present in many different places. Here are a couple of examples from God’s Word:
Matthew 26 - Jesus teaches us that when we eat the bread and drink the cup in the Lord’s Supper, that He is physically present in the bread and wine. That means when you take the Lord’s Supper, Jesus is right there! He is forgiving your sin and strengthening your faith.
Galatians 2:20 - Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;” Now, Paul is not the only one who can say “Christ lives in me.” All Christians can say that! That means Christ lives in you… and in me… and in the Christians in Minnesota, Mexico, Africa, China, and everywhere around the world at the exact same time.
So if the phrase “seated at the right hand of God” is not teaching that Jesus is only ever located in one particular place, what does it mean? It teaches us that Jesus is in a place of power and authority. When Jesus ascended into heaven, He took up His rightful place of authority and power as God rightly should. Notice too, He is “seated”, which means He is confident and isn’t worried that His authority or power would be taken away.
A couple lessons ago, we started talked about the three offices of Christ. They were:
Prophet
Priest
King
Jesus didn’t just come with a final Word of the Lord (as Prophet), or stand between God and the people to pay for sin (as Priest), but He also rules and reigns at the right hand of God, with all power and authority (as King). Jesus is in charge! In a world full of turmoil, difficulty, sin, sickness, and death, we have a King who not only suffered and died for you and me, but we have a King who will be coming back again to make all things right again!
As king, Jesus will Judge everyone: Those who are still alive and also every single person who had ever lived, but had since died. This includes people like Adam and Eve, Moses, King David, Abraham, Esther, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Donald Trump, your great-great-great grandpa, your parents, and you.
Read the following passages of scripture and the reference from your Catechism, and write down what the standard or rule that Jesus will use to Judge everyone?
Remember that according to God’s Word, perfection is necessary. How do you think you would measure up to God’s standard? Every thought, every word, and every action will be weighed, as well as every motivation for your actions. And not only those things you have done… but also what you have left undone!
While many people seem to think that God is unfair to expect perfection, it is actually a pretty normal idea. What if I told you that I was 99.5% faithful to my wife. 364 days a year I am totally faithful to her, and I only sleep with other women one day a year. Is that ok? NO! Faithfulness to my wife is an all or nothing concept. I ether am faithful to her for my whole life, or I am not. In the same way, any sin we commit breaks our relationship with God, and so must be judged and punished accordingly.
But the fact that you will never be able to measure up to God’s standard is precisely why Jesus came to die on the Cross. Because Jesus lived a perfect life, and His perfect life is credited to you through faith, you will not be seen as a worthless, miserable sinner when you are judged. Instead, you will be seen as perfect, blameless, and holy. Instead of trusting in our own ability to be a good person, and trying our best to love and obey God, we trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin!
