When Jesus ascended to heaven after his mission on earth, the angels asked Him: "Did You accomplish your task?" "Yes, all is finished," the Lord replied. "We have a second question," said the angels. "Has the whole world heard of You?" "No," said Jesus. The angels next asked, "Then what is your plan?"

Jesus said, "I have left twelve men and some other followers to carry the message to the whole world." The angels looked at Him and asked: "…What is your plan B?"

Friends, there is no Plan B. Jesus desires to reach the whole world through men and women like you and me.

I think at the time of Jesus’ ascension that the disciples were hoping there was a "Plan B." They were up on a mountain with Jesus. Three of them had been there before with Jesus at his transfiguration. They had seen his glory. They had seen a cloud envelop Him. And now, as He was being taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight, a few of them may very well have been expecting Jesus to come back when the cloud dissolved again. But this time, Jesus did not come back. He removed his physical presence from them. He didn’t retire. He was still going to finish the work He began to do by spreading his Word to the world, and He left the disciples with the promise that He will always be with them.

But I think those disciples were still thinking and hoping that Jesus was going to stay physically to do most of the work. That is why they were standing there gazing at the sky, almost in disbelief that He was no longer walking and talking among them. It is a good thing that the two angels came and gave those disciples a message that they really needed at that point. The message they gave them also very much applies to you and me: "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." In other words, "Why are you standing here? Don’t worry about Jesus. He is still with you and will be coming back. You have work to do!"

The disciples had been all concerned with times and dates, and the possibility of Jesus restoring an earthly kingdom. But right before Jesus ascended, He focused them instead on what they needed to be concerned about: their new job! He said, "Don’t worry about dates, or whether you are equipped to do this yet, or whether you have the power to do it or not. But, because of what you have seen me do, You Will Be My Witnesses!" Friends, starting with those twelve disciples, that was Jesus’ plan to tell the world about Him. No Plan B. And Jesus was including you in that command. You will be his witnesses. So don’t just stand there wondering how "little old you" will be able to do something like that.

First of all, You have the Facts. Does it seem to you that you do? Do you have a way to tell others about Jesus? Do you know enough facts about the Bible to do that? Are you able to quote enough passages from God’s Word to demonstrate to somebody what Jesus has done for them? Do you have those facts of God’s love for you so cemented in your heart that you live your lives according to his will for others to see that? No? Do you have an answer ready for the hope you have at all times? Not really? Then you maybe need to look at how much time you study God’s Word. Has it been a priority in your life? How much time are you spending with his Word compared to the time you are spending with your earthly pursuits? Pretty shameful, isn’t it?

But friends, you do have the facts. You do have an answer for the hope God has given you. Jesus spent 40 days with his disciples after He rose again so they would have proof that He was alive. The disciples would have had to be sure Jesus was alive before even considering following his command! He also spent time teaching them the facts about the Kingdom of heaven, so that you also would now have those facts. You know that you are a sinful, worthless being. You and I don’t give God the time of day we ought to by devoting ourselves to his Word and to his mission. We don’t live our lives as we know the facts. But we can be sure of the fact that Jesus came here as a human being, suffered for us, gave his life away on a cross to pay for our sins, and then rose again to prove that this sacrifice has taken your sins away and assured you of heaven. Those are the facts! You know that! You are forgiven because Jesus loves you!

You also have the power to share those facts with others. Does it feel like you do? Those disciples sure didn’t yet. They were still confused as to what Jesus’ kingdom was. But He gave them the power. He told them to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit would visit them on Pentecost Day and give them the power. Jesus gave an extra measure of spiritual gifts to these first twelve disciples, because they were the ones who had to begin this task. You don’t think you have the power to share this news? It is probably because you are trusting in yourself! You probably think that it relies on how good of a speaker you are. That is a pretty vain idea! In reality, you and I often lack the confidence we should have in the power of God’s Word. That is where the power is! Not in how polished our presentation is!

But friends, you do have the power. You have the power, because the power is in God’s Word! That Word has the power to change hearts! That message which tells about Jesus’ death and resurrection is all that is needed to bring people to faith in Him. That is the same message that assured you that your sins are forgiven! And since you know best what an awful sinner you can be, you have seen the power of the Word work in your life! That will work for others, too!

So why are you standing here? Why are we standing here? You will see Him Again! If your boss at work gave you an important assignment, and he came back some time later only to find you standing there wondering if he was really serious or not, would he be very happy? I don’t think you would want to be in that situation and find out! Well, when Jesus does return, you don’t want to be standing there still scared to go out and be his witness. You won’t want to have to admit that you have no one you shared this message with yet. That would really be too bad.

You and I can be sure that we will see Jesus again! This is going to be a wonderful event for you. Because when He comes back, Jesus is going to take you into heaven with Him where you will live forever! All of this, because He loves you no matter what you have done for Him! But how awesome wouldn’t it be to be able to bring a bunch of your friends and family along with you for all eternity, because you didn’t just stand there, but you listened when Jesus promised you that you will be his witness! He is with you! He will give you all the help you need to make this be the case on the last day. This is Plan A. So, Don’t just stand here! Amen.

Back to the Easter page
Back to the Pastor's Messages page