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My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father\u2014Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:1-2).

This week, the focus of the church shifts from Easter to Pentecost. But in between these two events in Jesus\u2019 ministry is His Ascension to the Father\u2019s right-hand side. Probably, because the Ascension is celebrated on a Thursday, rather than a Sunday, the church has not given it nearly the kind of attention it should.

If you highlight the references to Christ\u2019s ascension in the New Testament letters, you might need more than one highlighter (if you are still using a paper copy of the Bible). I will take several editions of Wilderness Wanderings to explore why this event is giving such biblical weight. To find a very brief rundown you can read answer 49 of the Heidelberg Catechism.

So, this Thursday, we will celebrate Ascension Day, marking Jesus\u2019 official movement from earth back to heaven. Just as at Christmas we celebrate Jesus Incarnation, God taking on human form, with Ascension, we celebrate, Jesus, still God in human form, sitting down beside the Father\u2019s throne in heaven. The point is: our human flesh is in heaven. The Bible says that this is important.

Our text gives us one reason why: But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father\u2014Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. This is a deep biblical theme begun in Isaiah 53:12, worked on in Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25 and here in our text.

In all these passages, Jesus\u2019 intercession is on behalf of sinners. At first glance we may conclude that somehow Jesus\u2019 death is insufficient, that only by his continued prayers are we actually saved. But that is not what is going on in these passages.

The thing is, we do not take sin seriously enough. We live in a culture in which the idea of sinning against the gods has simply been erased. And many Christians are so steeped in the doctrine of grace that we only give a fleeting glance at our sinfulness. How often do you take time to ponder how to live holy before the Lord? The Bible takes sin seriously. Ancient civilizations did too. People spent excessive time and money appeasing the gods. The gods were simply cantankerous. One was never totally sure if one had done enough to please them.

For the ancients, this new doctrine of grace proclaimed by the church was too good to be true. How could one man\u2019s one sacrifice of himself bring forgiveness to all who believed in him? That was just too much. More than that, it seemed that these forgiven sinners kept on sinning. Could they really claim this grace? Could they really be assured that God would not come down on them in judgement?

As the church reflected on these things, she came to understand that Christ\u2019s ascension into heaven, the fact that he was sitting at the right hand of God was a matter of great comfort and reassurance to the struggling Christian. Just as Jesus had prayed for Peter (Luke 22:32), so he now prays for all God\u2019s children as he sits beside God the father.

Sometimes we feel estranged from God. At other times we feel accused by Satan or our own conscience that we are not good enough. We might even come to think that Christ\u2019s death is not enough for us sinners that we are. In those times, we are invited to see Jesus, with nail scarred hands, sitting at the Father\u2019s side. God will never forget the cost he experienced to make us his children. Its not that if Jesus stops praying, God will forget. Jesus\u2019 very presence is intercession.

Jesus\u2019 intercession is not something added to his death and resurrection. Rather, the crucified one is now crowned in glory. All the power and glory are his. He has the final say in all things. He has said that through faith we are redeemed, and we are the children of God himself. His ascension is the crowning glory of his work. It is the exclamation mark of his cry from the cross, \u201cIt is finished!\u201d No longer a cry of agony torn from a dying man, but now the word of triumph from the throne of heaven itself.

When ever you doubt your place with God, look up, see Jesus, covered in the scars of crucifixion, interceding for you at the right hand of God. Do not be afraid, Jesus has you covered