The Ascension of Christ is more than just another event, another miracle, in the life and ministry of Jesus. It contains the authoritative framework whereby we have assurances of God’s promises. One of those assurances He gives us is the ability to do His will here until He returns. We call these Spiritual Gifts, and every born-again believer has been given at least one. Now you are capable of doing the very things God created you to do, and it is all through His power.

The Ascension of Christ is more than just another event, another miracle, in the life and ministry of Jesus. It contains the authoritative framework whereby we have assurances of God’s promises. One of those assurances He gives us is the reality of our own salvation, our own soon-coming deliverance. Because Jesus died, was buried, came to life again, and ascended into heaven, I can know for sure that He will return again to take me home in victory and triumph.

Your identity and your value cannot be determined by the achievements in your life – and thankfully, neither your identity nor your value is defined by your past mistakes. Leah, Rachel, and these other moms are struggling with that very issue. If they only knew then what you know now: that your identity is in Christ, thus your value and worth are determined by Him and what He declares concerning you.

The Bible mentions 4 moms to Jacob’s children. You know, although the Bible, and the Old Testament specifically, records occurrences of polygamy, the Bible never condones nor promotes the practice. In fact, in every instance, multiple spouses is a recipe for disaster. In Jacob’s case, it makes for a highly competitive and highly dysfunctional family. And each woman is trying to find her identity through that mess.

After the disciples were convinced that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead, they may have forgotten about those times that He told them He was going away and both what and how they were to keep on going. His ascension was an abrupt reminder that He really was going away and would thus send the Holy Spirit. His ascension brought their duty to the Great Commission to the forefront.

Luke’s Gospel ends with the Great Commission and the Ascension of Christ into Heaven; his next Book, the Acts of the Apostles, begins with the Great Commission and the Ascension of Christ into Heaven. It is a “hinge event” that connects the teachings of the Gospels with the disciples living out what Jesus had taught them even though He is gone from their presence. So, now, while we await His return, we find ourselves still trying to fulfill the Great Commission.

Jacob was the swindler who got swindled. He thought he’d worked those 7 years for Rachel, the woman he fell in love with at first sight. Yet he was tricked into marrying Leah. In this one passage, and for chapters that follow, you find a man who is both happy in his marriage and unhappy in his marriage. And from such a unique perspective, we can learn lessons for our homes today.

The story of Jacob’s life never seems to follow a straight line. Many of the twists and turns are of his own making – he is the usurper after all. And when it comes to his marriage, his love relationship with the beautiful Rachel, it’s just as up and down. From the moment he lays eyes on her, he is smitten, but he won’t get to be with her for another 14 years. Why? Let’s explore his story together.

A focal point of each one of the Gospels is the Great Commission. After telling the story of Jesus, each writer shares His instructions to His disciples for taking His gospel around the world. Luke’s telling may not be as memorable as Matthew’s or as succinct as Mark’s, but if He can “open their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures,” then He can do the same for us.

It has been said that the marching orders for this great Christian army called the church is the Great Commission. Our appointment, as soldiers of the cross, is to take the gospel of Jesus Christ across the street and around the world. Wherever we are, we are His ambassadors. Like a good courier, we are to faithful to deliver the message of our Commander-in-Chief wherever He sends us.

Welcome to part 2 of this fourth and final message in the series, “Because He Lives: The Aftermath of Jesus’ Resurrection.” Today, we are talking about what the Book of Revelation calls The First Resurrection. And if there’s a first, that must mean there is also a second. There is. But the second is not as good, as blessed, or as holy as the first. Let’s discover the horror of the Second Resurrection.

There is a beautiful promise found toward the end of the Book of Revelation. It reads, “Blessed and holy is he who has a part in the first resurrection.” I can be blessed by God by being a part of this first resurrection. My question then is, What is the first resurrection? And then, How do I get in on it? Those questions are answered as we study this passage in Revelation, chapter 20.

Our culture is fascinated by stories of ghosts and zombies and such. And though Hollywood uses the best of effects that make them seem so real, the Bible gives us no indication of such a thing. While the world would have you celebrate death, God would have you celebrate life. Jesus makes it clear in this passage that He is no ghost, but the glorified Son of God resurrected from the dead. And here He gives His disciples and us reason to believe Him.

On that first Easter night, with the disciples of Jesus fearfully hiding in the Upper Room, the glorified Jesus mysteriously appears in their midst. They know that He’s dead, so they presume that they are seeing a ghost. But in the encounter, as Luke describes it, Jesus clearly demonstrates to them that He is no ghost, rather He gives them good reason to believe that He has been raised from the dead. And this gives us good reason to believe that He has been raised from the dead.

Welcome to part 2 of this third message in the series, “Because He Lives: The Aftermath of Jesus’ Resurrection.” Today, we are talking about the relationship between baptism and the resurrection. The water we use in a baptistery simply helps us portray a profound truth: because Jesus is alive, everything in my life is made new.

Scriptural Baptism is a special and significant event in the life of every believer. We invite our family and friends to see it. We give new Bibles and certificates to the baptizee. But in reality, that water baptism is just a picture, a symbol of what is going on on the inside of me, a portrayal of the resurrection of Jesus. My pastor used to say, “Baptism is an outward symbol of an inward reality.” So, His resurrection is my victory.

Sunday School or Life Groups or Bible Study Groups, whatever an individual church may call these kinds of gatherings need to be healthy and effective and growing. The principles that we find in the account of Jesus and the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus are the very principles needed to make a Sunday School class what it ought to be.

On the afternoon and evening of that first Resurrection Day, the glorified Jesus mysteriously met with two unnamed disciples as they made their way down the road toward Emmaus. The conversation that ensued is remarkable. The whole situation is strangely much like modern-day Sunday School or Bible Study Groups. Maybe our Sunday School classes should be more like this Sunday School in the Street.

Welcome to part 2 of this second message in the series, “Because He Lives: The Aftermath of Jesus’ Resurrection.” Today, we are talking about what the Bible says about, what I would call, a Resurrection Revolution. In other words, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead changes everything in your life. We’ve talked about some of those radical changes in part 1, now let’s finish this passage together.

Philippians 3 is such a beautiful chapter, and in it Paul gives the evaluation of his life a three-count. Three times in that passage, he says that he counts, and each of those times he is taking what the world counts as an asset and he counts it as a loss. Do you ever find that your priorities and the things you value in this life don’t really match up with what the world is trying to sell you? Paul had a Resurrection Revolution, and it changed everything for him. It’ll change things for you too.