[Sermon] The Ascension of Jesus Christ (4)

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb 10:19-12)
 
Review
We are currently sharing about the ascension of Jesus Christ. Although the ascension of Jesus Christ does not occupy many pages in the Bible and is not a subject frequently dealt with in sermons, it is a very foundational and important doctrine in our understanding of who Jesus is.
 
The Meaning of the Ascension of Jesus Christ
1. Enthronement as the Ruler of All Creation
The ascension of Jesus Christ is the event where He is officially enthroned as the true King and Lord of the entire universe.
The Bible provides various images of Jesus. In the Scriptures, we find Jesus coming as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and as the suffering servant hanging on the cross, but that is not the entirety of Jesus' image depicted in the Bible.
We also see Jesus who overcame death and rose again, who was lifted high into heaven and is at the right hand of God, ruling this world as the King of kings.
That is the important message that the ascension of Jesus Christ gives us. It lets us know that Jesus rules this world with all the power and authority He received from God.
2. Jesus, Christ, the Eternal High Priest
In the last sermon, we shared about the second important theological meaning of the ascension of Jesus Christ. The ascension is also the event where He enters the true sanctuary in heaven as our eternal High Priest. The image and ministry of Jesus as the High Priest are well recorded in the Book of Hebrews.
Hebrews 8:1-2 says,
"Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being." (Heb 8:1-2) 
Here, the author of Hebrews explains by connecting the event of Jesus sitting at the right hand of the throne of God in heaven—namely, His ascension—with His becoming our High Priest. This is an important metaphor that tells us who Jesus is, what He has done for us, and also what He is doing right now.
After bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, God led them to Mount Sinai and made a covenant with them there. And God gave them the Law to follow and told them to build the tabernacle. The tabernacle was a symbol of God's presence. However, it was also a symbol of the blocked wall between God and people.
In the tabernacle, there was a place where no one was allowed to enter. It was the Most Holy Place where the Ark of the Covenant was placed. Because that was the place where the direct presence of God dwelt, a sinner could not enter. The way leading to the Most Holy Place was blocked by a curtain. That curtain symbolized the blocked wall between God and people because of sin.
However, there was only one person who could enter the Most Holy Place. It was the High Priest. The High Priest entered the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement, when the sins and offenses of all the Israelites were forgiven. Yet, because he was also a sinner, he could not enter the Most Holy Place without any preparation.
On that day, the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place three times. First, he went in with incense and made smoke so that it completely covered the top part of the Ark of the Covenant. This was because that part was the throne where God said He would sit. Second, the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place with the blood of a bull and sprinkled it seven times on the atonement cover. This was to make atonement for his own sins.
What these two procedures implied was that, no matter how much of a High Priest he was, he was nothing more than a sinner before God who could not enter the Most Holy Place without such procedures.
Afterwards, finally, the High Priest slaughtered a goat, entered the Most Holy Place for the third time with its blood, and sprinkled the blood on the atonement cover. This was to make atonement for the sins of all the people of Israel.
This was the most important duty given to the High Priest. However, even after the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement and sprinkled the blood of the goat on the atonement cover to forgive the sins of all the Israelites, the curtain still remained. And the Day of Atonement was repeated every year.
This shows that the efficacy of the sacrifices offered by the High Priest with the blood of bulls and goats was not perfect enough to completely remove sin, and that the way to cross the curtain and enter the Most Holy Place to come before the presence of God had not yet opened.
Hebrews 9:7-8 says,
"But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning." (Heb 9:7-8) 
However, the Gospel is that Jesus Christ came as our eternal High Priest to accomplish a perfect and eternal atonement for our sins, completing our redemption once for all through His own blood and death rather than the blood of goats, and entered the true Most Holy Place in heaven, not the sanctuary on this earth which is a mere shadow.
Hebrews 10:12 says,
"But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God," (Heb 10:12)
This short verse explains three reasons why Jesus Christ is far more excellent than all the high priests who existed in the history of Israel combined.
First, Jesus was without sin and therefore His atonement was perfect, making Him superior to the high priests of the past. While the sacrifices offered by all the high priests of the past had only a 'temporary' effect, the sacrifice offered by Jesus had an 'eternal' effect.
Hebrews 9:12 says,
"He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption." (Heb 9:12)
Second, Jesus is superior to all the high priests of the Old Testament because He is at the right hand of God's throne not in a tabernacle built by human hands, but in the true tabernacle set up by God.
Lastly, Jesus is superior to all high priests because He lives forever. There was only one High Priest at a time, but there were numerous high priests throughout the entire history of Israel. The reason was that they could not continue to carry out the office of High Priest due to the limitations of their flesh and death. But Jesus is the one who lives forever. Therefore, His ministry as High Priest is also eternal.
 
This is Jesus Christ, the eternal High Priest we have. Because He is without sin, the atonement He accomplished through the blood of the cross is perfect, and its effect is eternal. He serves in the better tabernacle of heaven and sits at the right hand of God. Lastly, furthermore, He lives forever, so He can be with us and help us eternally.
This is the reason why we must consider the ascension of Jesus Christ important, celebrate it, and meditate on its meaning. If the cross is the event where Jesus paid the price for our sins, and the resurrection is the event where God officially recognized that the price was sufficient, then the ascension is the event where Jesus, as our eternal High Priest, officially crossed the curtain, entered the sanctuary in heaven, and sat at the right hand of God's throne.
 
The Ministry of Christ as High Priest
All right. Starting from today, I would like to talk about the ministries that Jesus Christ does for us as High Priest. The author of Hebrews organizes this into four ministries. First, Jesus reconciles us with God. Second, Jesus intercedes for us. Third, Jesus helps us. And lastly, Jesus rules us with His faithfulness. Now, let us jump into each area.
 
1. Christ Who Reconciles
First, Jesus Christ reconciles us with God as our High Priest. The word reconciliation has a deeper meaning than the word forgiveness. What do you think salvation is? Some Christians say that salvation is the forgiveness of sins. Other Christians say that salvation is entering the Kingdom of God.
Both answers are correct. Salvation includes both the forgiveness of sins and entering the Kingdom of God to enjoy eternal life. However, we cannot capture the full meaning of salvation with only the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. This is because the true meaning of salvation is precisely becoming reconciled with God.
The forgiveness of sins is nothing more than a condition for this. Since no sinner can stand before the holy God, a sinner must first be forgiven of their sins and made righteous in order to be reconciled with God. That is what Jesus did. Because Jesus knew that we could not pay the price of sin on our own, He paid that price of sin, opening the way for us to receive forgiveness of sins through faith in Him and be made righteous freely.
However, the forgiveness of sins was not the ultimate purpose of Jesus' death on the cross. What Jesus wanted to achieve through His death on the cross was to reconcile us with God. The forgiveness of sins was nothing more than a necessary prerequisite for this.
We can discover this in the two names of Jesus as well. The meaning of the name Jesus is the one who will save his people from their sins. However, another name of Jesus prophesied in the Old Testament is Immanuel. It means God is with us. When we connect the meanings of these two names, the purpose that Jesus wants to achieve through the death and suffering of the cross is clearly seen. It is to reconcile us with God by saving us from sin and making us righteous.
Peter wrote this in his first letter:
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." (1 Pet 3:18)
 
Then, what does it mean more specifically that we have been reconciled with God? It means that we have gained the qualification to enter the Most Holy Place in heavenly tabernacle and come before the throne of God boldly.
This is something that truly makes no sense when viewed from an Old Testament mindset. As mentioned earlier, the Most Holy Place in the Old Testament was a forbidden zone. It was a place where only the High Priest could enter one day a year, and even then, he could enter only after passing strict conditions such as burning incense and sprinkling the blood of a calf on the atonement cover. The Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place was an object so dangerous that anyone other than a Levite would die just by touching it. Furthermore, that Most Holy Place was not even the real one. It was a mere shadow of the true sanctuary in heaven.
Yet, what Jesus does as our High Priest is to enable us to enter the sanctuary in heaven and come before God's throne, not into a sanctuary built by human hands. That is a tremendous blessing that is unimaginable from an Old Testament perspective.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians chapter 2,
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus," (Eph 2:4-6) 
Here, four things that God did for us through Christ are written. God caused our old self to die, made us alive again, raised us up, and seated us in heaven. This matches exactly with the four core ministries of Jesus Christ—namely, His death on the cross, resurrection, ascension, and seating in heaven. What Paul is saying is that all those things Christ experienced were for us, and when we believe in Him, all those things become our spiritual reality.
When we believe in Jesus Christ, we experience death. Just as He died on the cross, we also, united with His death, have our old self and sinful desires crucified and put to death on the cross.
The Apostle Paul stated in Romans 6:4 that "we were therefore buried with him through baptism into death" (Rom 6:4) and in verse 6 he said, "our old self was crucified with him"  (Rom 6:6) and in Galatians 5:24 he wrote, "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Gal 5:24)
But death is not the end here. It is merely the first step for the beginning of a new life. By believing in Jesus Christ, we become united not only with His death but also with His resurrection life. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:5:
"For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his." (Rom 6:5)
Most Christians are well aware of these two meanings. However, this is not the entirety of the meaning of the reconciliation with God that Christ gives us. There are still two more stages left.
The third thing God did for us through Christ is to raise us up with Him. When many people read this part, they confuse this expression 'raise up' as another expression for resurrection. But it is not. Paul already used a clear expression for resurrection by saying 'God made us alive with Christ when we were dead.'
Therefore, that God 'raised us up' with Christ must be interpreted in connection with His ascension, not the resurrection. After rising again, Jesus Christ entered the Kingdom of God by ascending into heaven.
In this way, by raising us up with Him, God made us those who hold citizenship in the Kingdom of God and let us to enter the heavenly sanctuary.
Hebrews 9:24 says,
"For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence." (Heb 9:24)
The author of Hebrews says that Christ entered heaven and appeared before God 'for us.' Christ did not enter the heavenly sanctuary alone. Now, all those who believe in Him can also enter the heavenly sanctuary with Him and come before the throne of God. We too have spiritually participated in Christ's ascension.
Hebrews 6:19-20 also proclaims the same truth.
"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever…” (Heb 6:19-20) 
Here, the author of Hebrews says that Jesus became our High Priest and entered behind the curtain 'on our behalf' and 'as our forerunner.' That means, if we believe in and follow Him, we also can cross the curtain with Him and reach the heavenly Most Holy Place.
 
Lastly, Hebrews 10:19 through 22 says,
"Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." (Heb 10:19-22)
Here, the expression that we have come to enter the sanctuary by relying on the precious blood of Jesus Christ appears more directly. This means that the ascension of Jesus Christ is a spiritual blessing given equally to those who believe in Him.
This is the true appearance of the reconciliation that Christ wanted to accomplish. It goes beyond simple forgiveness of sins and reconciles us with God. It means that, beyond merely dying to our old person and living as a new person, we boldly go out to the throne of God in the heavenly sanctuary and dwell in His presence. What a great blessing this is!
We were those who could not dare to enter even the sanctuary set up on this earth, which is a mere shadow of the true heavenly sanctuary. This was because our sin blocked our relationship with God.
But now, we have gained confidence to enter the heavenly sanctuary. The curtain has been removed, and the way has been opened. Now, not by our strength, ability, or righteousness, but relying only on the blood of Jesus and relying on His righteousness, we can follow behind Jesus—our eternal High Priest who goes ahead of us—and go out to God.
That is the reason why Jesus said that He is the only way through which we can go to God. That is the reason why there is no other name under heaven given to us by which we must be saved except the name of Jesus. Jesus Christ becomes the new and only living way that allows us to enter the Most Holy Place with confidence and have an intimate relationship with God the Father.
Today, despite our weakness, sinfulness, and unworthiness, the reason we can sit in this place of worship, call God our Father, and boldly go out into His presence is solely because that unique channel called the name of Jesus is open to us.
At this time, I want us to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ once again. If you are struggling with your own worthlessness, or if you think you are not qualified to come to God, the only advice I can give you is to look at Jesus Christ. We can never stand before God by our own strength. We cannot go out to the Most Holy Place where God's throne is by our own righteousness.
However, when we believe in and welcome Jesus Christ as the only Savior and Lord of our lives, and when we move forward relying on His precious blood, we too can follow Christ—who entered the Most Holy Place for us and ahead of us—and boldly go out before the throne of God. Only Jesus becomes our way, our truth, and our life.
I bless your lives to always live in victory amidst an intimate and reconciled relationship with God by believing in and relying on Him.
Let us pray.
 
Prayer
Heavenly Father, rich in mercy and boundless in love, we bow before You with hearts full of gratitude. Thank You for revealing to us today the glorious depth of Your salvation. We praise You that Your ultimate purpose in the death of Jesus Christ was not merely to wipe away our sins, but to reconcile us completely to Yourself—bringing us out of the darkness of separation and into the light of Your eternal presence.
Lord, we marvel at the reality of our union with Christ. We proclaim that that when He died, our old self and sinful desires were crucified with Him and that when He rose, we were united with His resurrection life.
And today, we especially praise You for the reality of His ascension—that You did not leave us in this dark world, but You have raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms. Thank You for giving us our true citizenship in heaven and allowing us to spiritually participate in His heavenly victory.
Forgive us, Lord, for the times we have struggled with our own unworthiness and allowed our flaws to keep us at a distance from You. Remind us daily that the curtain has been torn, the barrier has been removed, and a new and living way has been opened through the body of Jesus.
We thank You that we do not stand here on our own merit, but we enter the Most Holy Place boldly, relying solely on the precious blood of our eternal High Priest, who has gone before us on our behalf.
We proclaim that Jesus Christ is our only Way, our only Truth, and our only Life. Help us to fix our eyes on Jesus alone.
May we live each day in victory, walking in deep intimacy with You.
We commit our lives into Your hands. In the precious and mighty name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray.
Amen
 
[Reflection Questions]
1. That Jesus Christ reconciles us with God means that, beyond mere forgiveness of sins, our identity and belonging have been completely transformed. It means that we have been enabled to enter the Most Holy Place in heaven and come before the throne of God. How are you currently enjoying this reconciled relationship with God that Jesus Christ has accomplished? What hinders you from doing so, and how can you overcome it?
 
2. To believe in Jesus Christ means that all the things He has done—His death, resurrection, ascension, and seating in heaven—become your own spiritual reality. Among these four aspects of union, which one do you need most in your life right now?