St. John's Franklin Podcast

Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “Incarnate Forever” for Ascension Sunday on June 1, 2014. In the ascension Jesus continues as the incarnate Word--He ascends to heaven with a human body--He is exalted as our King but through the Cross.

The Ascension of the Lord
Acts 1:1-11

Psalm 93
Ephesians 1:15-23

Luke 24:44-53

A Reading from a commentary on St John’s Gospel by Cyril of Alexandria 

Our Lord Jesus Christ has opened for us a new and living way into God’s presence, ‘not entering a sanctuary made by human hands, but by entering heaven itself to appear before God on our behalf’. For Christ has not entered heaven in order to make his own appearance before God the Father. He was, and is, and always will be in the Father, in the sight of the One from whom he receives his being, for in him is the Father’s unending joy. 

But today, the Word, who had never been clothed in human nature before, has ascended as a human being, revealing himself in a new and unfamiliar way. And he has done this for us and in our name, so that being like us (though with the status of the Son) and hearing the command to ‘Sit at my right hand’, he might transmit to fellow members of the human race the glory of being children of God. For since he became man it is as one of us that he sits at the right hand of God the Father, though in truth he is above all creation and is one in being with his Father: God from God, Light from Light. 

It was, then, as a human being on our behalf that he appeared before the Father today, to enable those who had been cast out from the Father’s presence because of sin to once again behold the face of God. As the Son he took his seat to enable us as sons and daughters through him to be called the children of God. That is why Paul, who claims to speak for Christ, teaches that the whole human race participates in the life of Christ, saying: ‘God has raised us up with Christ and enthroned us with him in the heavenly places.’

Direct download: Known_By_His_Scars.mp3
Category:Sermons -- posted at: 10:15am CDT