The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1911, Page 33

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSION

ARY MONTHLY.

PusiisnEep BY THE Evancenica, Lutnienan Syxopicat Conrerence or Norti AMERICA.
R. A. BISCHOFFY,

Entered at the Post ONice at St. Lous, Mo., as second-class matter.

Epiror.

ST.

LOUIS, MO.,

1911.

MAY, No. 5.

Vol. XXXIII.

Ascended into Heaven.

Christ to heaven is gone before
In the body here He wore;

We that as our Brother died
Is our Brother glorified.

Fear not, ye of little faith,
For He hath abolished death;
And no longer now we die,

We but follow Christ on high.

As our Shepherd He is there,
With the comfort of His care;
Fear no evil! Doubt no more!
Christ is gone to heaven before.
, George Rawson.

— — seo -—

Christ in Glory.

Christ, after His resurrection, tarried on earth
forty days, showing Himself alive to His disciples
at different times and at different places. At last
He led them out to a mount called Olivet, where
IIe ascended into heaven. While He blessed them,
He was parted from them and carried up into
heaven. Thus He that was God manifest in the
flesh was “received up into glory,” 1 Tim. 3, 16.

Christ in glory! ‘This gives us the assurance
that the work which He came to do on earth for
the salvation of sinners is finished, that His sacri-
fice for sin has forever satisfied the Father. He
who in His sufferings was crowned with thorns is
now crowned with everlasting glory. He that was
forsaken by God on Calvary is now glorified by God
in heaven. Our sins which nailed Him to the cross,
our judgment which put Him to death, are gone
in His sufferings. Through sufferings He entered
into His glory, Luke 24, 26. The battle with our

enemies, sin, death, devil, and hell, has had a
glorious outcome. In His triumphant resurrection
Christ triumphed over these our enemies, and in
His glorious ascension we see them led captive by
the mighty Conqueror, who enters into the glory
which He had with the Father before the world was.
Hence it is written of the ascended Savior: “Thou
hast ascended on high; Thou hast led captivity
captive,” Ps. 68, 18. ‘Therefore Christ, before His
ascension, gave His disciples the command: “Go ye
into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every
ereature!” The Gospel is the glad news of a fin-
ished redemption, to be accepted by faith for the
sinner’s salvation.

Christ in glory! ‘This gives all true believers
the “assurance that they also will come to glory,
Christ Himself will lead them there. He said:
“Let not your hearts be troubled; ye believe in
God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are
many mansions; if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And
if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come
again and receive you unto myself, that where I
am, there ye may be also,” John 14, 1—3. In our
life’s journey there is much to dishearten us. But
our hearts need not be troubled. Jesus Himself is
leading us step by step to our heavenly Father’s
house, where He has prepared a place for us. A
little while, and all the labors and sufferings of
earth shall be past, and we shall be with Him in
glory. His prayer, the prayer of our great High
Priest, will be fulfilled: “Father, I will that they
also whom Thou hast given me be with me where
I am, that they may behold my glory which Thou
hast given me,” John 17, 24.