Six Reasons Jesus Left Earth After Easter
00:00:00.000 | (upbeat music)
00:00:02.580 | - Welcome back to the Ask Pastor John podcast.
00:00:06.420 | I mentioned Monday that we're in the middle
00:00:08.780 | of answering a batch of apologetics questions
00:00:11.180 | on the life and work of Christ.
00:00:12.480 | And today's question is one several of you
00:00:14.960 | have asked about over the years, namely this.
00:00:18.320 | Why did Jesus have to leave earth after the resurrection?
00:00:22.360 | Seems like he could do some amazing ministry
00:00:24.560 | if he were still here on earth with us.
00:00:29.180 | That's Dalton's question and he asks it for many of you.
00:00:33.400 | Pastor John, hello and thank you for the APJ podcast.
00:00:35.760 | He writes, "A question I have for you is this.
00:00:38.800 | Why did Jesus leave earth after his resurrection?
00:00:42.340 | I understand that Jesus left to leave us the Holy Spirit,
00:00:45.120 | but couldn't he have just stayed and continue his ministry
00:00:48.920 | as the risen Christ in tandem with the spirit?
00:00:52.720 | Wouldn't that have been more effective?
00:00:55.440 | Why did Christ leave the earth?"
00:00:59.160 | A question like this can have value
00:01:04.160 | if we make it a stepping stone to insight
00:01:09.440 | into Christ's present ministry from heaven.
00:01:13.860 | In other words, if it helps us understand the wisdom
00:01:18.740 | and the goodness of what is, is the case
00:01:23.740 | and doesn't just become an occasion for curious speculation
00:01:27.940 | of what might have been the case.
00:01:31.260 | So let's tackle Dalton's question that way
00:01:34.740 | with that goal in mind.
00:01:36.940 | So the question is, couldn't Jesus have just stayed
00:01:41.940 | on planet earth and continued his ministry
00:01:46.900 | after the resurrection and not gone back to heaven
00:01:50.820 | as the risen Christ in tandem with alongside
00:01:55.100 | the work of the spirit?
00:01:56.300 | Wouldn't that have been more effective?
00:01:59.780 | He asks, why did Christ leave the earth?
00:02:02.640 | Here's a few thoughts.
00:02:03.900 | Number one, if the risen Christ remained on earth
00:02:08.900 | for all of church history, a serious competition
00:02:13.900 | would be introduced into global Christianity.
00:02:17.620 | Who has the risen Christ nearby?
00:02:20.700 | He would be spatially bound.
00:02:24.660 | He could not be in one place and another place
00:02:29.660 | and another place at the same time.
00:02:32.980 | And the temptation would always be there to make the place
00:02:38.660 | where he was the sacred place.
00:02:40.960 | His presence would introduce a serious confusion
00:02:45.820 | for how Christians are to relate to him.
00:02:49.020 | Some would be relating to him face to face
00:02:51.220 | at any given moment as he visits churches.
00:02:54.780 | Some would be trying to relate to him by the spirit,
00:02:58.000 | but put off balance knowing that he's like 100
00:03:03.260 | or 10,000 miles away on earth.
00:03:06.740 | The role of the Holy Spirit in relation to Christ
00:03:09.660 | would be confused.
00:03:11.700 | If his role is to glorify Christ, John 16, 14,
00:03:15.600 | would we seek the fullness of the spirit
00:03:19.520 | in order to experience Christ
00:03:22.300 | by the spirit's revelation of him in the gospel?
00:03:25.780 | Or would we seek the spirit to bring him,
00:03:28.020 | say, from Chicago to Minneapolis?
00:03:30.260 | It would, in other words, be a confusing way
00:03:34.180 | to go about God's work.
00:03:36.660 | Number two, Christ's post-resurrection role
00:03:41.660 | as the God-man ruling the cosmos
00:03:46.620 | is better signified if he's sitting
00:03:49.640 | at the right hand of God than walking on the earth.
00:03:53.080 | And his role as the head of the church
00:03:56.940 | would be misrepresented
00:03:59.880 | if he were part of the church on earth.
00:04:02.420 | Here's the key text from Ephesians 1, 20.
00:04:06.600 | God raised him up from the dead
00:04:09.320 | and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
00:04:14.280 | far above all rule and authority and power and dominion
00:04:18.360 | and above every name that is named,
00:04:20.440 | not only in this age, but also in the age to come.
00:04:25.360 | And he put all things under his feet
00:04:27.840 | and gave him as head over all things to the church,
00:04:32.440 | which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
00:04:37.440 | This exalted role as above all rule and authority
00:04:43.920 | in the universe and as the head of the universal church
00:04:47.440 | would be obscured, wouldn't it?
00:04:49.520 | It would be obscured if Jesus were still walking among us.
00:04:54.320 | Number three, the exaltation of Jesus
00:04:58.980 | to the right hand of God's majesty
00:05:01.320 | is the fitting coronation
00:05:05.180 | for his triumphant work on the cross
00:05:07.880 | and his new incarnate superiority over angels.
00:05:12.400 | Hebrews 1, 3, "After making purification for sins,
00:05:17.400 | he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high,
00:05:23.000 | having become as much superior to angels
00:05:26.680 | as the name he inherited is more excellent than theirs."
00:05:30.060 | If he had not taken this seat,
00:05:33.260 | the greatness of his achievement on the cross
00:05:38.760 | and the greatness of his new incarnate superiority
00:05:43.600 | would be obscured.
00:05:46.240 | Number four, the present intercession of Christ
00:05:50.540 | at God's right hand would not be rightly exercised
00:05:54.920 | or exhibited if Christ were still here among us
00:05:59.920 | after the resurrection.
00:06:02.340 | Romans 8, 33, "Who shall bring any charge
00:06:05.360 | against God's elect?
00:06:06.680 | It is God who justifies.
00:06:08.440 | Who is to condemn?
00:06:10.040 | Christ Jesus is the one who died
00:06:13.320 | more than that who was raised,
00:06:15.800 | who is indeed at the right hand of God
00:06:19.360 | who intercedes for us."
00:06:23.280 | So it is fitting that Jesus be in the exalted presence
00:06:28.280 | of God as he intercedes for us
00:06:32.880 | and brings his sacrifice to bear on our behalf before God.
00:06:38.600 | Number five, the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised to send
00:06:43.600 | when he returned to the Father, John 15, 26,
00:06:48.160 | is the Spirit of the risen Christ.
00:06:51.120 | And according to John 7, 39,
00:06:54.880 | the Spirit of the risen Christ could not come
00:06:57.880 | until Christ were completely glorified,
00:07:03.800 | which included his ascension to the Father.
00:07:07.860 | Here's what Jesus said.
00:07:09.740 | "Now this Jesus said about the Spirit,
00:07:12.900 | whom those who believed in him were to receive,
00:07:16.460 | for as yet the Spirit had not yet been given
00:07:20.780 | because Jesus was not yet glorified."
00:07:25.220 | So the glorification of Jesus at the right hand of God
00:07:29.660 | was essential because the Spirit
00:07:33.620 | who would be sent by Jesus and the Father
00:07:37.420 | is the Spirit of the glorified Christ.
00:07:40.240 | Finally, number six,
00:07:43.260 | God's plan is that the risen Christ
00:07:47.940 | would get great glory at the end of this age,
00:07:52.120 | not by itinerating on the earth for 2000 years,
00:07:58.820 | but by descending from heaven in power and great glory
00:08:03.820 | and defeating the man of lawlessness
00:08:06.780 | and being marveled at by all his people.
00:08:10.820 | 2 Thessalonians 2,
00:08:14.120 | "The Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven
00:08:17.800 | with his mighty angels in flaming fire,
00:08:20.780 | inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God
00:08:24.220 | and on those who do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus.
00:08:27.780 | The man of lawlessness will be revealed,
00:08:30.660 | the son of destruction,
00:08:31.800 | and the Lord Jesus will kill him
00:08:34.620 | with the breath of his mouth
00:08:37.980 | and bring him to nothing by the appearance of his coming."
00:08:42.980 | So the second coming of Christ is the great climax
00:08:49.660 | of God's way of glorifying his son.
00:08:55.860 | These are some of the reasons
00:08:58.020 | why Jesus did not stay on the earth after the resurrection,
00:09:03.020 | and there are many more.
00:09:06.260 | God's ways are great.
00:09:08.980 | God's ways are good and wise.
00:09:11.940 | Let's revel in what he's doing
00:09:16.140 | through Christ from heaven.
00:09:19.340 | - Yeah, amen.
00:09:20.180 | Fascinating points to ponder
00:09:21.540 | on why it's better for Christ to not be here.
00:09:23.980 | Thank you, Pastor John, for that,
00:09:25.940 | and thanks for joining us today.
00:09:27.120 | If you wanna ask Pastor John your best apologetics question,
00:09:30.620 | type it out and email it to me
00:09:32.420 | at askpastorjohn@desiringgod.org.
00:09:35.360 | Speaking of hard questions,
00:09:39.580 | if the consequence for sin is eternal suffering,
00:09:44.020 | why isn't Christ still suffering on our behalf today?
00:09:49.720 | Why did he suffer for no more than 33 years?
00:09:54.440 | That's another gospel question
00:09:55.520 | many of you have asked over the years,
00:09:56.760 | and one that will showcase for us
00:09:58.520 | the glories of who our Savior truly is,
00:10:01.600 | which we will do to start our next week together.
00:10:04.400 | I'm your host, Tony Reinke.
00:10:05.760 | I'll see you Monday.
00:10:06.760 | (upbeat music)
00:10:09.340 | (upbeat music)
00:10:11.920 | [BLANK_AUDIO]