Introduction
Please open your Bibles to the book of Acts, chapter 1.
This is the second account of the ascension of Christ into heaven, having completed His earthly journey and His earthly work.
It is a significant event, maybe, in some ways, far more significant than most people give it credit for.
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The Gospel and Acts
Luke is the only Gospel writer who tells us about Jesus’ ascension twice—once at the end of his Gospel and again at the start of Acts.
It effectively creates a watershed between the work of salvation, finished on the cross and the work of sanctification as it were, for the establishment of the church.
Jesus’ life on earth began with something supernatural—His virgin birth—and it ends in the same way: with a supernatural return to Heaven.
The ascension is like Heaven’s stamp of approval on all that Jesus said and did. That’s why Luke ends his Gospel with it—it’s the final confirmation. But then he starts Acts with the ascension too, because while Jesus’ earthly ministry is complete, His heavenly ministry is just getting started.
The growth and expansion of the church, which we see in Acts, flows out of Jesus’ ongoing work from Heaven, e.g.: Peter’s/the disciples life turned around
At the very start of Acts, Luke reminds us that his Gospel told the story of all that Jesus began to do and teach. (Acts 1:1)
And by implication, Acts is the story of what Jesus continues to do and teach—but now from Heaven.
Even though Luke doesn’t spell it out explicitly, that’s the idea he’s getting at. Jesus may be physically gone, but He’s still very much active, building His church through the Holy Spirit.
The Acts
That’s why the title "Acts of the Apostles" doesn’t quite do justice to the book.
Most of the apostles don’t even appear in it.
A better title might be “Acts of the Risen Christ through the Holy Spirit.” Time and again, it’s Jesus who is guiding, directing, and empowering His people. Important moments in the story aren’t attributed to the apostles’ brilliance or strength, but to “the Lord.”
In one sense, that finished work is just the beginning of His ongoing mission – to establish the Kingdom of God.
So we can’t divide Christ’s earthly teaching from the teaching we find in the rest of the New Testament, especially in the Epistles.
Some people say, “I’ll only follow what Jesus said in the Gospels, not what Paul or John wrote.” Or at least minimise the epistles in relation to the Gospels – yet they are ONE. But that kind of thinking ignores how Jesus continues to teach and lead His people through the Spirit and the Word.
Lesson 1 - we must take to heart that it is the WHOLE scripture which is given for our edification and sanctification. Minimise or sideline some and our is stunted.
The Separation
Luke gives a quick summary in Acts 1 of the 40 days between Jesus’ resurrection and His ascension.
During those 40 days, Jesus did three main things.
1. First, He gave His disciples commands.
2. Second, He showed them He was truly alive—He let them see, hear, and touch Him.
3. And third, He taught them about the kingdom of God.
But His appearances weren’t constant anymore.
They were occasional.
He would show up unexpectedly and then leave just as suddenly.
It was as though He was slowly preparing them for a new way of relating to Him—not by physical presence, but by faith and the Spirit.
That change must have been difficult.
Their time of walking with Him daily was over.
But Jesus was gently teaching them to live by faith, not sight.
There’s a tenderness in that transition—it wasn’t abrupt or harsh, but full of grace.
Lesson 2 - is that we need to not be discouraged or let despair take hold of us when Jesus seems distant. Like the disciples we must seek the Lord through prayer, fasting, fellowship and the Word that our faith might increase.
1. The Task – there is a job to be done
Jesus’ teaching in those days focused on helping them understand how everything in Scripture pointed to Him, especially how the Messiah had to suffer and rise again. The kingdom of God wasn’t going to look like what they had expected.
It would be built not through political power but through the preaching of the gospel, starting with the message of the cross – it was God’s timeline not theirs.
From v4 onwards, we’re told about Jesus’ final meeting with the disciples. It probably started in Jerusalem and ended on the Mount of Olives.
You can imagine how heavy the moment must have felt—maybe they sensed this was goodbye.
And Jesus confirmed it by giving them final instructions.
He told them what not to do and what to do after He left.
One of His clearest commands was: “Don’t leave Jerusalem.”
That must have been hard.
If left to themselves, the disciples might have run back to Galilee—to their homes, to familiar places, far away from the city that had killed their Lord.
They must have felt like sheep among wolves in Jerusalem, surrounded by religious leaders and Roman soldiers.
But Jesus tells them to stay.
Jerusalem is where their witness has to begin.
Jesus doesn’t leave them without help.
He tells them to wait for the Holy Spirit—the promise of the Father.
They had heard about the Spirit before, especially in the Upper Room when Jesus called Him “the Comforter.”
But now they’re told that the Spirit will come in a powerful new way.
They weren’t ready to go out and preach just yet.
First, they needed to be filled—baptized—with the Spirit’s power.
Notice how kind Jesus is in how He tells them this.
Notice the order - He doesn’t start by laying out their big mission. He starts with the promise. Only after He’s reassured them of the Spirit’s help does He tell them that they will be His witnesses.
That’s a good pattern for us too.
Lesson 3 - It’s not about where we are most comfortable; it’s about who we have within us empowering us and then where we are to be most useful for His kingdom. Sometimes God calls us to stay in hard places because that’s where we’ll make the biggest impact.
Don’t rush into anything in your own strength.
Wait on the Lord. Wait to be empowered. Times of waiting aren’t wasted times. Rushing ahead without the Spirit often leads to failure.
Better to be still until you’re ready.
2. The Extent – how far does our task extend
The promise of the Spirit got the disciples excited.
Maybe they thought that this was it—Jesus was finally going to restore the kingdom to Israel.
In their minds, the Spirit’s coming meant political transformation.
Luke records in Acts 1:3 that Jesus had taught about the Kingdom of God and they were eager to have Israel’s promises fulfilled, but it was not time yet for that to be accomplished. But Jesus doesn’t rebuke them harshly. He doesn’t even correct their misunderstanding of the timeline directly.
Instead, He gives them a bigger vision.
He reminds them that God alone knows the times and seasons.
Their job isn’t to figure out the timeline—it’s to be His witnesses.
The Spirit’s power would equip them for that task, starting in Jerusalem and then spreading to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.
These words weren’t just for them. They’re for us too.
We’re called to be witnesses—to tell others about Jesus with our lives and our lips. We’re promised the same Spirit to help us.
Lesson 4 - And our mission field starts right where we are and stretches outwards. God will roll out His timeline. We can rest assured on that.
That’s still how the church grows today until it’s fullness is reached.
3. The Ascension – Looking up
Then, in what must have been a breathtaking moment, Jesus was taken up before their eyes. Luke tells it with such quiet dignity. No grand spectacle—just a peaceful, holy moment.
His Gospel adds the beautiful detail that Jesus was blessing them with uplifted hands as He ascended.
What an affectionate farewell.
He didn’t shed His humanity when He ascended. He carried it with Him.
The same Jesus who walked with the disciples now sits at the right hand of God, fully God and fully man.
They had looked up as Jesus was raised up on a cross, now they looked up as they saw the risen Saviour ascend to go to heaven to continue his glorious work from there.
And the cloud that took Him out of sight? Most likely the same kind of glory-cloud that symbolized God’s presence in the Old Testament.
That wasn’t just mist or fog—it was a sign of divine majesty.
Lesson 5 – We are not to only look up to the cross and see the perfect sacrifice there for our sakes (leave Christ on the cross), look not only to the cross and the tomb which are empty(where have they taken my Lord), BUT look up also to the Christ ascended, sitting at God’s right hand, the commander in chief continuing his work - rolling out the Kingdom of God - from where and to which our life purpose is to be directed.
Conclusion
Let me close by saying it’s easy to relate to the disciples staring into the sky long after He was gone. It says they were looking “intently” mesmerized by the whole scene. So caught up the on the “wonder of it all” that we forget his last instructions.
That’s when two angels appeared – well “men in white”. I’m surprised they did not have to say “Do not be afraid!!”.
They gave them a promise: “He’s coming back.” – but not yet - The same Jesus, in the same way. Visibly, bodily, gloriously - What a comforting picture.
Right in the middle of their sorrow, hope shines through.
He’s coming again. That’s our anchor.
We will see Him, just as they saw Him go.
He will come with the same love, the same tenderness, the same power. And He’ll gather us to Himself.
BUT there are things to do, places to be in the meantime.
No wonder they returned to the upper room with hearts full of anticipation. That room, still echoing with memories of the Last Supper, became the place where they waited, prayed, and prepared their hearts for what God would do next. That’s a beautiful example for us.
When we’re waiting on God—between promise and fulfillment—we’re called to wait with prayer, unity, and trust.
May we do the same.
May we trust the risen and ascended Christ to be at work today, just as He was then. He hasn’t stopped working, and He hasn’t forgotten His promise. Let’s wait on Him, walk with Him, and be His faithful witnesses in the world.