We read God's Word this morning as it is found in Hebrews 9. Hebrews 9. The word Hebrews, the title of this book, is another name, children, the Jews, the people of Israel. And so the writer of Hebrews has as his audience, the church, made up mainly of Jews, Jewish Christians. And this book of the Bible is meant to explain to the Jews in particular who are familiar with the Old Testament and the Old Testament ceremonies, explain to them how those Old Testament ceremonies picture or typify the New Testament work of Jesus Christ. And so you find that especially here in Hebrews chapter 9 as The Holy Spirit guides the words of the writer to explain the furniture, the parts of the tabernacle, as well as the work of the high priest in the tabernacle, all of which point to Jesus. Hebrews 9, hear the word of God. Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service and a worldly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle made, the first, or the first part, compartment, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary, or the holy place. And after the second veil, the tabernacle, which is called the holiest of all, or the holy of holies, which had the golden censer and the Ark of the Covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant," referring to the tables of the law. And over it, the cherubim, or angels of glory, shadowing the mercy seat of which we cannot now speak particularly. Now, when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first or the first part of the tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the errors or sins of the people. The Holy Ghost thus signifying that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest while as the first tabernacle was yet standing, which was a figure or picture for the time then present in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience. which stood only in meats and drinks and diverse washings and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation. But Christ, being come, and high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building, Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifyeth to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the First Testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead, otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood, for when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop and sprinkled both the book and all the people saying, this is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover, he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry and almost all things are by the law purged with blood. And without shedding of blood is no remission or forgiveness. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us. Nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others, for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world, but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many And unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. We read that far in God's holy and inspired word. On the basis of this chapter, as well as on the basis of many other portions of the scripture, we have the teaching of the catechism. in Lord's Day 18. Lord's Day 18 explains our faith as Christians regarding the ascension of Jesus Christ. Lord's Day 18 explains the doctrine of ascension. Page 10 and 11, we read these words of Lord's Day 18. How dost thou understand these words? He ascended into heaven. The answer, that Christ in the sight of his disciples was taken up from earth into heaven and that he continues there for our interest until he comes again to judge the quick and the dead. Is not Christ then with us even to the end of the world as he has promised? Christ is very man and very God. With respect to his human nature, he is no more on earth, but with respect to his Godhead, majesty, grace, and spirit, he is at no time absent from us. But if his human nature is not present wherever his Godhead is, are not then these two natures in Christ separated from one another? Not at all, for since the Godhead is illimitable, and omnipresent, it must necessarily follow that the same is beyond the limits of the human nature he assumed and yet is nevertheless in this human nature and remains personally united to it. Of what advantage to us is Christ's ascension into heaven? First, that he is our advocate in the presence of his father in heaven. Second, that we have our flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that he as the head will also take up to himself us, his members. And thirdly, that he sends us his spirit as an earnest. By whose power we seek the things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God and not things on the earth. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, we've come to church, as we say, to consider the work of our Savior. But sometimes when we consider the great work of our Savior Jesus Christ, we become very narrow in our thinking about His saving work. We tend to limit our thoughts of Christ's work to His work on the cross. But, beloved, His saving work is far broader and far greater than His work on that cross. That's, of course, not to minimize his work on the cross. His work on the cross, indeed, is the most important work. It's his central work. His suffering and his dying is extremely important. Every sermon that we consider, including the one this morning, always ties the doctrines that we're considering back to the central cross of Jesus Christ, back to his sacrifice. That is the most important. We don't minimize that in any way. And yet, while we do see the cross as his greatest work, we may not limit his saving work only to his atoning work on the cross. His work includes far more. We celebrate all of his works. I pray you've seen that in the past sermons already through the doctrines of the Heidelberg Catechism. We haven't so long ago considered how the Savior's work is the work of a prophet, priest, and king. That encompasses a lot. We've considered recently his work of incarnation. God being made flesh. That's a saving work too. We've thought about how He didn't just suffer at the cross, but He suffered immediately when He came to this earth all His life long. And we know that as He was suffering all His life long, He was also obeying all of God's law in our place. That's a lot of saving work that we have to remember and praise God and thank Him for. Last Sunday we especially focused on his resurrection and we saw how that too was a saving work of Jesus Christ because without his resurrection he would have proved himself not Lord and not one who has conquered our sin. But with his resurrection he shows us that his death indeed did pay for our sins. His resurrection is a proof of that purchase. His resurrection we saw last Sunday is what benefits us with the power of a new and godly life. His resurrection also gives us the privilege of a pledge of our own blessed bodily resurrection someday. You see how there are many works of Jesus Christ for our salvation. so that we might receive many blessings of salvation. And today we see how his saving work includes his ascension. His ascension into heaven is tied to the saving work of Jesus Christ. It's part of it. He continues there, the catechism says, for our interest, for our good, for our salvation even. As I said earlier, before the scripture reading children, the book of Hebrews that we read focuses us upon the saving work of Christ only from a Jewish point of view. But it's important for us to understand that too, even in the New Testament. The writer of Hebrews makes effort to show us how Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament pictures or types and shadows. And so it talks about the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies and the altar of incense and the candlestick and the burnt offering and the blood and the high priest especially that brings the blood into the Holy of Holies and prays for the people. All of this, the writer of Hebrews is saying, in some way pointed the Old Testament Jews as well as points us to the same Jesus Christ and His great work of salvation. In verse 15 we find the great name, the great name of Jesus, Mediator. For this cause He is the Mediator, the Mediator of the New Testament. You remember what Mediator means? Mediator means a go-between. Someone who comes between God and us, the sinful people, so that there might be a relationship, peace and friendship and fellowship. Jesus Christ is that mediator. And notice the present tense in verse 15. Jesus Christ is not described as someone who was the mediator when he died on the cross, though that is true too. But the point of Hebrews now is he is a mediator. He continues now to be the mediator. That is his work right now, today as we speak. As the ascended Lord especially, he continues as the go-between. Without his ascension, he cannot continue as this mediator. Notice that this point is emphasized in verse 24 again with the word now, with the word now. Verse 24 is perhaps the verse in Hebrews 9 that is most pertinent to Lord's Day 18 that we consider today. For Christ has not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but he's entered into heaven itself. Don't skip over that next word though. Now to appear in the presence of God for us. The work of Jesus is this saving work that He has ascended to now, in the present, appear before the presence of God for us. His saving work continues because He has ascended. I call you this morning not only to marvel at the saving work of Jesus Christ in the past, but to marvel at all the saving work of Christ, including what He does at present as our ascended Lord. If you've come to church to worship Him and worship Him in your hearts as you think on these things. The ascension of our mediator is the topic or theme. The ascension of our mediator based on the scriptures and doctrine explained in Lords Day 18. First the fact and then the benefits. Two points, the fact of the ascension of our mediator and then the benefits of this mediator ascended to heaven. The ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven is a fact, meaning it was a real event that took place. It was a real event that took place just as his death was a real event that took place in history. Just as his resurrection was a real event that took place in history. Just as his trial before Pontius Pilate, remember we said Pontius Pilate placed him in history. So also his ascension into heaven took place 40 days after he arose from the dead. It was a real event in history. The first thing we especially get into this morning because of Hebrews 9 is that this event, this fact of human history that he ascended to heaven was something that God predicted in the Old Testament. Christ's saving work of ascending into heaven was something that God revealed to the Old Testament people. a long time before Jesus actually ascended into heaven, so that the Old Testament people could see this ascension in picture form and believe in the same Christ. This real event was pictured especially through the types, or the shadows, as we call them, in the tabernacle of Israel's ceremonies and worship. That's what Hebrews 9 is focusing our attention on. Hebrews 9 points us to the high priest's work as a picture of Christ, and the high priest would first perform the work of sacrificing a lamb, you remember, on the altar of burnt offering. And then the priest would take coals and blood of the lamb into the temple or tabernacle, the tent proper, where he would pray for the people. This was the early Old Testament picture of Christ ascending into the presence of God for us. The writer of Hebrews explains, however, that this high priest had many limitations. The priests of the Old Testament and all the ceremonies were limited in their way of showing forth Jesus. Obviously, right? Because these priests in these Old Testament ceremonies were only pictures. They were not the reality. And so they were limited. They were lesser. than Christ the priest or high priest to whom they pointed. In verses 6 and 7, notice with me, we find one of those limitations. Now when these things were thus ordained, The priests went always into the first tabernacle, meaning the first compartment of the tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God, but into the second went the high priest only once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the errors of the people. You remember the tabernacle or the temple had a holy place, but then there was another tent or curtain behind which was a second compartment called the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies. And what the writer of Hebrews is saying is that the priest could enter into the first compartment pretty regularly and pray for the people there like Zachariah, John the Baptist's father did. But they were not allowed to enter into the second compartment into the closest presence of God before the Ark of the Covenant except once a year. when the high priest, like Aaron, could go into that holy of holies, into the close presence of God before his tabernacle, and there pray to him for the people. So they were limited. Only once in a while could they have the priest go in and pray. On that feast day called the Day of Atonement, the high priest could enter into that holy of holies. But, the writer of Hebrews says, there's another limitation. He always had to bring blood with him. Not just for the covering over the sins of the people out there, those sinners, but he was a sinner too, as the high priest. and the blood had to be shed for him. So he would take that blood and once a year he would put that blood on the Ark of the Covenant, the cover of it, the top of it, called the Mercy Seat, to plead for the people and for himself in order that God would forgive them. Because of these limitations, the people of God in verse Eight, we read, not yet. It was not yet revealed or manifested to the Old Testament people how they could be brought into peace with God and to pray to God. They knew somehow, those who believed at least, they knew it was through a savior, but they could not understand it like we do today. That God was this merciful God in Christ. And verse 9 explains the result of this, and this is really important for us to see. In verse 9, the result of this is that the souls of the priests and the people did not experience the same thing as we do in the New Testament, which was a figure for the time then present in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the surface Perfect, and then this phrase, as pertaining to the conscience. That's an interesting phrase. The people of the Old Testament, like us, have their consciences burdened due to sin. Especially when they saw the blood shed of the lamb and the sacrifice of the lamb, it was brought back to their remembrance, Hebrews 10 says, their sins. They sorrowed for their sins and their consciences are bothered for their sins because they knew that the wrath of God ought to come upon them for their sins. And we feel that too. Consciences are burdened, they're pricked when we sin. They should be pricked more. But they're also still burdened by sin. And what happened in the Old Testament was when they came to the temple and they saw the sacrifices and the high priest would bring the blood into the tabernacle, yes, there was a measure of the lifting of their burdens. They knew in some measure the forgiveness of sins. But it wasn't like we know it today. Not in the lifting. of the consciences of God's people as they gaze upon Jesus, the fulfillment of the high praise. All our sins are covered because one has taken all our sins upon himself and shed his blood and suffered for them and enters into heaven in our place. Christ has come, the writer of Hebrews explains. And what the Old Testament priests and their work picture was limited. But Christ is the fulfillment. Fulfillment of all of these types and he had no limitations. Verse 11, Christ being come and high priest of good things to come by greater and a more perfect tabernacle not made with hands that is to say not of this building. When the writer of Hebrews is saying is that Christ came and when he came he entered not into the picture form, the tabernacle or temple, into the holy place or the holy of holies, but he went into heaven. The holy of holies above. And to go there he first shed his blood just like the priest did. as a sacrifice for his people. And while the high priest of the Old Testament had to sacrifice and shed blood for himself, Christ did not have to shed the blood for himself because he had no sin. He sacrificed for the people. And while the Old Testament high priest could only enter into the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement, Christ has entered in and He stays there in the Holy of Holies, continuing every day to pray for us as people. He's in the highest of heavens and the result, verse 14, There is the purging of our consciences. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, to purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Because we know of this Jesus, we see Him so clearly in the New Testament now, fulfilling the Old Testament types, Hebrews says, when we look to Christ by faith, our conscience, The burden by sin is purged. We have a calming of a conscience that is far greater even than the Old Testament people had. We enjoy forgiveness of our sins. The book of Hebrews helps us to understand the work of Jesus from the Old Testament Jewish perspective. It helps deepen our understanding too of what Christ has done as our ascended Lord. But it emphasizes to us also the fact, the fact of the ascension. What was predicted and shown in picture form in the Old Testament was fulfilled. Christ came and did exactly what God had pictured for the Old Testament people. You know the event. The event should be very familiar to us or remind you of that today. Acts 1 shows us how Christ was on a mountain in Jerusalem. or near Jerusalem called the Mount of Olives. And there on the Mount of Olives, 40 days after his resurrection, he appeared before the eyes of his disciples. And there, as he stood there before the eyes of his disciples and gave some last instructions, especially about waiting in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit to come, then he lifted up his hands. Like you see every Sunday in a benediction to bless his disciples and as while he was blessing them, Luke tells us that he was lifted up. He went up into the sky. And while he went up and up into the sky, the disciples saw a cloud come, cover him from view and take him up. He disappeared from their view, and while they were still staring up into the sky, trying perhaps to still get a glimpse, another last glimpse of Jesus, two angels appeared, and those two angels said to the disciples, why, men, do we stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go up into heaven. Acts 1, verse 11. He went up into heaven. Children, he really did. The Catechism makes this point clear. He was taken up from earth into heaven. And we might say, I already know that. But very simply, you need to hold to this fact as part of what you believe regarding Jesus. And very simply, the point is, with Christ's human body, the same human body that died, the same human body that rose again from the dead, with His human body, He is no longer here on this earth. The fact is that with His human body, He has gone up. With His human body and soul, He is no longer here with us. That's the fact. of the ascension, that's the event predicted in the Old Testament and then accomplished by Jesus in the New. I make that point because this fact is compromised, it is denied by the Lutheran Church. I'm not saying that the Lutheran Church is filled with all unbelievers. There are brothers and sisters in Lutheran churches today, but they hold to an error, a serious error. And that's what questions and answers 47 and 48 are combating. They're combating or battling against a Lutheran error regarding the ascension of Jesus Christ. And as you read, as we read through 47 and 48, you might have been confused if you did not know that. So let's look at that briefly. You'll remember that the Catechism was written in Heidelberg, Germany, and in Germany during the Reformation. You'll recall that the reformers didn't only have the Roman Catholic heresies and errors to fight against, but the reformers in Heidelberg, Germany had to also oppose the Lutheran errors that were in existence in Germany, where Martin Luther was from. And so here in the catechism, it does not shy away from battling, using fighting words, against the errors of the Lutheran Church. The Lutherans insisted on something, and they still insist today, of the real presence, they say, the real presence of Jesus Christ, especially at the Lord's Supper. By real presence, though, they mean a real physical presence of Jesus Christ at the Lord's Supper. And there are many problems we can point to regarding that, but the main problem which the Catechism points out is very simple. To insist upon the real physical flesh presence of Christ at the Lord's Supper is to deny the ascension of Jesus Christ, because He's with His flesh in heaven, Not here at the Lord's Supper with his flesh. Jesus said in John 16, I came forth from the Father and come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father. I leave the world. But many in the Lutheran Church deny that. And many also explain this, they explain how Christ then could be in heaven, but at the same time also be here at the Lord's Supper with his real physical presence. They explain that by teaching something called the ubiquity of Christ's body, which is the omnipresence of Christ's body they claim. And so for the Lutherans, Christ's ascension is not really a change of location of Christ's body, but rather a transformation of Christ's flesh to become omnipresent, which has many problems, including a denial of the humanity of Jesus Christ, which we won't get into. But the point of the catechism here is to combat the Lutheran error of Christ still being here rather than ascended into heaven. Question 47 would be a question that the Lutherans would challenge or would bring against the Reformed Church. It's asked, is not Christ then with us even to the end of the world as he hath promised? So you can picture the Lutheran brethren pointing to the Great Commission, Matthew 28, and saying Christ has promised Go into all the world and teach all nations, do missions, and I will be with you, I am always with you, even unto the end of the world, Matthew 28. He promises to be with us. And so they insist that he really is present with us physically as he promised. The answer, as you can see, in answer 47 is that While we agree he is present with us, we ask how? How is he present with us? He's not present with us with his body, but with his spirit especially. Christ is very man and very God. And with respect to his human nature, referring to his flesh, his body and soul, he is no more on earth. He's ascended. But with respect to his Godhead, meaning as a second person of the Trinity, God the Son, His majesty or glory, His grace, irresistibly working in His people, and His Spirit, He is at no time absent from us. He's not present with His body, but He's present as the second person of the Trinity, always omnipresent, and especially by His Holy Spirit and grace. Question 48 is a little more complex. If his human nature is not present wherever his Godhead is, are not then these two natures in Christ separated from one another? So the argument of the Lutheran Church is twofold. First, if God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, is indeed omnipresent and here with us, then his human nature must also be present here with us. That's the first faulty argument. And if you as Reformed people claim that God the Son is omnipresent with His divine nature, But his human nature, his flesh and blood, is not omnipresent, then you're separating the divine and human nature of Jesus Christ. And the Reformed answer insists that those two points are false. Those two points are wrong. That's man's philosophy rather than God's word. Not at all. For since the Godhead is illimitable and omnipresent, not denying that God the Son is everywhere, it must necessarily follow that the same is beyond the limits of the human nature. It's beyond His flesh and blood even before His ascension. It's a point, an interesting point, a mysterious point that we cannot fully understand that even when He came to this earth as a human being the first time in His incarnation, God the Son remained omnipresent everywhere while His human nature, His flesh and blood was only in one place at one time. Because his divine nature the catechism is saying is everywhere including joined to his human nature at no time is it separate. It's a false claim, a false charge that the Lutheran Church makes against the reformers that our position argues the separation of the human and divine nature. From the ascension onward his human nature, is not here with us and not in the Lord's Supper, but we lift up our souls to heaven where His human nature is. But He is with us, very really, by His Spirit. We've established the fact of Christ's ascension, we've seen it predicted, typified in the old and fulfilled in the new. We've defended the truth against the Lutheran doctrine, but now we consider the benefits. Many benefits, we don't have time to explain all the benefits. In fact, Psalm 68 says about the ascended Christ, blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits. There's so many benefits of Christ in His ascension. He daily loadeth us with benefits. Christ raises hands, remember, on the Mount of Olives so that His disciples will remember Him blessing them. And so from heaven above, you ought to remember He continues every day to bless us, His people, The first blessing that the Catechism focuses on is his benefit or blessing as our intercessor. That's also what the writer of Hebrews focuses on in Hebrews 9. He is our mediator or intercessor. The Catechism says he is our advocate. Another synonym to intercessor and mediator, he's our advocate in the presence of his father in heaven. Verse 24 of Hebrews 9, he entered into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us. He's there in heaven to appear in the presence of God for us. He's there with our human nature. He's there not to sacrifice himself again and again and again and again as the Old Testament priest had to, but he's there to point to his finished work. His one sacrifice, the writer of Hebrews emphasizes, and to pray on the basis of that one sacrifice. That Old Testament priest of the day of atonement would take the blood with him, into the holy of holies and sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat and then he would burn incense and then he would pray. And that incense as it was burning was a good smelling smoke that went up to God as a picture of the sweet smell of our prayers to God's nostrils, a sign that he hears our prayers. Christ has fulfilled that. On the basis of blood, he, our savior, prays so that all of our prayers smell sweet to God. As weak as they are, as tainted with sin as they are, He prays many kinds of prayers for us, but the most important petition that He prays for us is for forgiveness. Remember what we heard on Good Friday. Jesus prayed on the cross, Father forgive them for they know not what they do. He didn't just pray that on the cross. He continues to pray that as our mediator today. He ascended to do this. He is saying right now in heaven on the basis of my blood, on the basis of my one sacrifice, forgive them, forgive them. Have you ever thought about that? That even before, even before you're sorry for your sins, even when you're like that malefactor still continuing in sin, or that centurion by the cross still wanting that Christ dead, that Christ, while you're still in your sin, is praying for your forgiveness. That's a merciful high praise. That's what He's doing right now. You might still be angry. You might still be bitter. You might still have lust. You might still be disobeying your parents in rebellion. You might still not want to keep the Sabbath day. You might be lazy in all your work. And even before we pray, Father, forgive us, He's saying, Father, forgive them. And God hears. That's the only reason, you see, that you are brought to repentance and brought to your knees before Jesus. And here today, on the basis of Christ's Word, you're forgiven. You're cleansed of all your sins. Righteous before God. You have an advocate in heaven who pleads in your behalf. Hebrews 9.14 again, the result of his prayer for forgiveness, his advocate is that he purges your conscience. Conscience is bothered. Yes, even when you're continuing in sin, though you try to numb it, you say, no, I'm not sinning, but you are, you know it. Conscience is burdened. He brings you into his house, he brings you to his word, he brings you to your knees in repentance. And he says, I forgive you. And your conscience experiences calm, peace, purging. Not because you're so good, but because Christ is your righteousness before God. Besides this interceding for forgiveness, Christ has ascended to pray many other prayers, I said. Many other prayers, he prays even when we get distracted in prayer. He prays even when our prayers are interrupted by these distractions. He prays for us even when we're neglecting prayer, when we haven't prayed for some time. He prays for us when we include sins with our prayers. Yes, we include sins with our prayers. He includes that which we should be praying but we omit in our prayers. He takes out that which we should not be adding in our prayers. He sympathizes with us. He's our understanding high priest. Hebrews 4 says, touch with our feelings so that even when we're not as sincere as we ought to be, he's praying with our feelings for us before God perfectly. I have a question for you. in knowing this benefit of your ascended mediator who prays for you perfectly before God so that even though your prayers are interrupted and so defiled with sin, God still hears you. In hearing this gospel, how does that affect you? Do you say, Well, then I don't really need to pray. It doesn't matter whether I pray. He prays for me. Well, that would be a taking of the gospel and twisting it. It's really a form of what we call antinomianism, a twisting of the word of God to excuse our sins or a lack of prayer. Don't do that. No, the child of God who hears that gospel of our ascended mediator says, what a great savior, what a merciful God, and what a privilege it is to pray. And he's so merciful that even when I haven't prayed, I can restart and he'll still hear me. Even if I know I'm not as, I don't feel as sincere as I ought to be, he'll still hear me. I'm going to pray. I want to pray, gives us boldness especially in prayer as Hebrews 4.16, let us therefore come boldly into the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. And if nothing else, it ought to stir us up, this gospel of our ascended mediator ought to stir us up into prayers of thankfulness, of gratitude for so great a savior, so merciful a God who receives us. Even though we despise one of his greatest gifts, and privileges of fellowship with Him in prayer. The second benefit of Christ's ascension, which the Catechism points out, is the pledge of our ascension one day. Secondly, we read, we have our flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that He, as the head, will also take us up to Himself, His members. You remember the word pledge, we talked about it last week at the resurrection. A pledge is not only a promise, but it's also an act that Jesus performs to confirm the promise. When we make the pledge of allegiance, we make a promise. We also put our hands over our heart as an act to confirm that our promise is indeed sure. Christ promises that he will raise our bodies. And then he raised his body, which is our flesh and blood, as a pledge to show us our bodies will rise too. But don't stop there. The point of the catechism is this. Christ promises not only the resurrection of your body, but this body ascending up to heaven. Picture your body going up into the sky. And Christ does a pledge, remember. He ascends with his flesh, his body and soul up into the sky to confirm yours will too. Let me put it this way. Beloved, we as Reformed people believe in a rapture. We do. We believe in a rapture. We don't believe in a secret rapture that the premill dispensationalists believe in. Where people go up and no one knows what's happening. Everyone's confused. What happened to that person who disappeared and we're all left behind? That's not what we believe. But we do believe that our bodies and souls will be caught up. That's a rapture and we will know what's going on. All the world will know what's going on because it will be at the time when Jesus returns, just as he came. That's 1 Thessalonians 4. All who are dead in Christ shall rise first, and we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to be with the Lord, and so shall we ever be. That's what will take place, a public ascension. That's a better word than rapture. A public ascension of our souls and bodies just as Christ has ascended into heaven. That's what the Catechism points out. We have our flesh in heaven, that's Christ, as a sure pledge that He, our Head, will also take us up to Himself as His members. This is so sure for us. So sure that Ephesians 2 verse 6 says, Paul puts it this way, God hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So sure is it that Paul speaks of us as already sitting in heavenly places. We're already in heaven, Paul says to you. How can I be already in heaven? I'm right here on this earth. He says, your flesh and blood is up in heaven. Your head's there and you as members are sure to follow. So it's as good as done. It's as good as done. Finally, the third benefit of our mediator's ascension is that he sends his spirit. Thirdly, he sends us his spirit as an earnest. By whose power we seek the things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, and not things on earth. If Christ had remained physically on this earth and had not changed location in his ascension, you wouldn't have his Holy Spirit poured out upon you. You wouldn't experience the close presence of Christ by his Spirit in your heart. That's the irony of the Lutheran error. They insist on the real presence and they mean physical presence. But the very departure of Christ's physical presence is supposed to result in a real spiritual presence with us. He needed to ascend, he needed to leave us with his body so that he might send the Comforter. He says in John 16, verse 7, it is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send him unto you. Christ's ascension profits us with the Holy Spirit coming close, near to us and causing us to enjoy Christ's presence. at the Lord's Supper not only but every day. But one more word, the catechism focuses on earnest, earnest. That's a word from 2 Corinthians 1, 22, but it speaks of the Holy Spirit as an earnest. The word earnest means down payment, down payment. When you purchase a large, of property or something valuable like a car, you make a down payment. Down payment is a good sum of money that you pay to the seller and to the bank to show, to prove that you are able and you intend to pay the rest of it when the time comes. That's the illustration, here's the reality. Christ gives us a down payment. Of course, He doesn't owe us anything. He doesn't have to pay us anything. This is an illustration of a down payment. He doesn't have to give us anything, but He has earned for us, He has earned for us all the fullness of salvation. He has earned for us a possession far greater than houses and properties put together on this earth. He has earned for us eternal life in a place that is in the new heavens and the new earth, the half of which is not told us. You're looking forward to that? There's a full sum to come of eternal life. But the point is that since he has ascended into heaven, he gives us a down payment of that eternal life already. You already have a taste of heaven. You already have a down payment of it. That's what the Holy Spirit brings you. That's why you enjoy comfort today. That's why you know your forgiveness. That's why you have a peace. That's why you're able to live a holy life and fight against your sin. And that down payment confirms to you that the fullness of your eternal inheritance in heaven will be given or paid to you, not because you deserve it, but because Christ has earned it fully. And by His power, the Holy Spirit's power, we seek the things which are above, where Christ sitteth and not the things on this earth. If you have that Holy Spirit as a down payment or as an earnest given to you today, then you already taste heaven and you don't say, I don't really want to go there. I'd rather stay here. You don't say that. I taste heaven. I want to go there. I especially want the holiness of heaven. No more sin and fellowship with God. But I can experience it here today, too, as I wait for His return. Thank God for the ascended Christ who sends his spirit as an earnest. May God grant you hearts that truly cherish our ascended mediator and all the benefits he bestows on us. Amen. Let's pray. Oh God, we pray conscious of our savior who with our human flesh has ascended to the holy of holies above to pray for us as our advocate as a way to assure us with His pledge that we will ascend one day, too, and who sends His Holy Spirit as an earnest for us. We pray, forgive us our forgetfulness of this Savior. Forgive us for our unthankfulness of His many gifts and pour forth upon us, we pray, today, too, blessings and heavenly places from His uplifted hands. In His name we pray, amen.