Luke 24:50-53 and Acts 1:9-11
50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently u...
Luke 24:50-53 and Acts 1:9-11
50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
Lesson Notes
Special Days Website: daysoftheyear.com
Ascension Day: it is the 40th day of Easter. It is a Christian holiday that commemorates the belief of the bodily ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven. This year it was on Thursday, May 29.
Book: The Ascension of Christ: Recovering a Neglected Doctrine by Patrick Schreiner.
Five Reasons Why The Ascension Has Been Neglected:
1 The Bible speaks little of it
2 It seems like a bad plan.
3 The implications are unclear.
4 The event is abnormal.
5 The resurrection subsumes the ascension.
Andrew Murray on the Ascension: “Faith has in its foundation four great cornerstones on which the building rests – the Divinity of Christ, the Incarnation, the Atonement on the Cross, and the Ascension to the Throne. The last one, the ascension, is the most wonderful, it is the crown of all the rest, it is the perfect revelation of what God has made Christ for us. And so, in the Christian life, it is the most important, for the ascension is the glorious fruit of all that goes before.”
Discussion Questions
1. Have you ever been part of a church that has emphasized the ascension of Jesus Christ? Have you ever been part of a class or read a book about it? Would you agree that the ascension of Jesus Christ is a neglected doctrine?
2. Five reasons were shared as to why the ascension might be considered a neglected doctrine. Which one of the reasons do you think might have the most to do with its neglect?
3. In your own words, why do you think it is important to properly emphasize the ascension?
4. Discuss Andrew Murray's quote about the ascension. Do you agree that the ascension should be considered as the most important cornerstone of our faith?
5. Read again the above seven verses from Luke 24:50-53 and Acts 1:9-11. What stands out to you from these verses about the ascension of Jesus Christ?
View more
