Get Ready to Fly

Devotional

Day 1: Scars in the Locked Room

The disciples huddled behind locked doors, fear tightening their chests. Jesus stood among them - alive, scarred, eating broiled fish. His wounds proved death’s defeat. “Peace be with you,” He said, breathing the Holy Spirit upon them. Their terror melted into joy. [09:23]

Jesus’ resurrection body carried eternal truth: death holds no power over those He redeems. His scars weren’t erased but transformed into victory badges. When Thomas later touched those wounds, doubt shattered before living proof.

What locked doors are you hiding behind? Jesus walks through barriers you can’t breach. His scars declare your worst failures forgiven. Will you let His “Peace” disarm your deepest fear today?

“That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! ‘Peace be with you,’ he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord!”
(John 20:19-20, NLT)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal His living presence in your most barricaded place.
Challenge: Unlock one literal door today - open your home to pray with someone for 5 minutes.

Day 2: Emmaus Road Revelation

Two disciples trudged home defeated, blind to the Stranger walking with them. Jesus unfolded Moses’ writings like a scroll, connecting every prophecy to His crucifixion. Their hearts burned as Scripture came alive. At supper’s breaking of bread, scales fell from their eyes. [12:21]

The resurrected Christ transforms Bible reading from duty to discovery. He remains the Word made flesh - every story whispers His name. Those who seek Him in Scripture find their confusion turned to clarity.

Open your Bible expecting fire. What dry passage might ignite when you ask: “Where does this point to Jesus?” Start with Exodus 12 - how does the Passover Lamb prefigure Christ’s sacrifice?

“Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
(Luke 24:27, NLT)

Prayer: Confess one Bible passage that confuses you; ask for resurrection insight.
Challenge: Read Exodus 12:1-13 and write three connections to Jesus’ death.

Day 3: Clouds of Departure

The disciples gaped as Jesus’ feet left the ground. A cloud received Him like a royal chariot. Two angels broke their skyward stare: “Why stand looking up? He’ll return the same way.” The men walked back to Jerusalem, their grief transformed by coming promise. [17:38]

Ascension wasn’t abandonment but promotion - Christ now reigns as active High King. His physical departure made room for the Spirit’s global invasion. Every cloud since whispers: “Preparation, not paralysis.”

We’re called to work, not gawk. What practical task have you neglected while obsessing over end-times speculation? How can you plant gospel seeds today in view of His cloud return?

“After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!’”
(Acts 1:9-11, NLT)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for ruling actively now; intercede for three unreached people groups.
Challenge: Share “He’s coming back in the clouds” with one person today.

Day 4: Caught Up in Clouds

Living believers will vanish mid-stride, snatched upward like Elijah’s fiery chariot ride. No plane, no effort - Christ’s shout alone propels them through clouds to eternal embrace. This sudden departure turns graves inside out, the dead rising first in perfected bodies. [21:54]

The Rapture isn’t escape from life but into fuller life. As brides anticipate the Groom’s arrival, we labor while looking up. Each sunrise could be the last before cloud transport.

What unfinished Kingdom business would haunt you if Christ came today? Write that letter. Make that call. Forgive that offense. His imminent return makes present obedience urgent.

“Then together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.”
(1 Thessalonians 4:17, NLT)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to make His return your daily motivation, not just future hope.
Challenge: Write a 50-word note about Christ’s return to place in your workbag/wallet.

Day 5: White Horses in the Clouds

Christ thunders from heaven on a stallion, robe dipped in blood-red judgment. Behind Him ride the raptured saints on white steeds - former teachers, truck drivers, and toddlers now crowned conquerors. The same clouds that received Him disgorge heaven’s army to establish His millennial reign. [24:30]

This second coming concludes history’s war. Every knee bows - some in worship, others in terror. Our present faithfulness determines our future mount: Will you ride as victor or face the Rider’s sword?

Does your daily life align with the white-horse destiny? When tempted to compromise, hear hooves in the clouds and remember: the Rider trains His troops through today’s battles.

“Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True... The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses.”
(Revelation 19:11,14, NLT)

Prayer: Ask for courage to live as Christ’s cavalry-in-training.
Challenge: Text one believer: “Keep riding - our white horses await!”

Sermon Summary

We gather around the resurrection and ascension as fixed signposts of God’s movement from death into triumphant life and then from life into heavenly presence. We name resurrection as an irreversible victory that brings the dead to life, a reality that shapes hope and ethics in everyday living. We trace the forty day period after Easter as concentrated apprenticeship where Jesus appeared and vanished, taught the scriptures about himself, performed tangible miracles, and formed the apostles for their mission. We notice that those appearances served not merely to prove survival but to reorient understanding of the kingdom and to impart authority and practice for the church’s mission.

We attend closely to ascension as a distinct act: Jesus left earth alive and entered the clouds, showing a pattern of being lifted up into heavenly space. That ascension opens a mode of travel and presence that the New Testament reuses for future events. The scriptures present two promised flights for those in Christ. First, the catching up of believers to meet the Lord in the air where the body of the church moves into clouded presence with Christ. Second, the return on white horses when Christ descends with heavenly armies and the faithful accompany him to vindicate and rule. Both flights belong to God’s calendar even if their dates remain hidden from us.

We commit to living in the tension of known past events and unknown future timing. The resurrection and ascension anchor our identity now; the promised rapture and second coming shape our hope and mission until they occur. We take practical encouragement from this chronology: the teaching that followed resurrection equips us now, the commissioning impels us outward, and the certainty of Christ’s return refocuses our affections and priorities. We invite all who lack this relationship with Christ to embrace him now, for those who enter the covenant inherit the promised flights and the responsibilities that precede them.

Key Takeaways

1. Resurrection brings irreversible new life The resurrection does not merely symbolize hope. It changes ontological reality so that death no longer dictates outcome for those united to Christ. This transforms our daily courage, dissolves fear of finality, and orients our moral decisions toward kingdom fruitfulness. It anchors pastoral and personal confidence in the present work of God. [04:22]
2. Ascension models our upward hope Ascension shows that life in Christ moves from earthly presence into heavenly participation and authority. That ascent validates our expectation that spiritual realities have spatial and public consequences, not only inner consolation. It invites us to live with a horizon above current circumstances and to embody heavenly priorities now. [17:38]
3. Forty days formed apostolic vocation The post-resurrection forty day teaching functioned as concentrated formation for mission, combining revelation, demonstration, and practice. We see that apprenticeship involves scripture-centered explanation, embodied miracles, and direct commissioning. This pattern invites intentional discipleship that blends truth, experience, and sending. [06:43]
4. Two future flights await believers Scripture promises a catching up to the clouds and a triumphant return with Christ on white horses, realities that frame both private hope and public eschatology. These events remain on God’s calendar even when their dates are hidden, motivating faithful readiness rather than speculative timetables. The promise reframes suffering, mission, and worship toward a decisive, communal destiny. [21:28]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:19] - Mother’s Day greeting
[02:07] - Title: Get Ready to Fly
[03:46] - Defining risen and rise
[04:22] - Mark 16:6 on resurrection
[05:49] - Introducing Ascension Day
[06:43] - Acts 1 and forty days teaching
[08:38] - Appearing and disappearing miracles
[13:10] - Miracles and commissioning
[17:38] - Ascension into the clouds
[21:28] - Rapture introduced in Thessalonians
[22:24] - Second coming in Revelation
[26:06] - God’s calendar and timing
[32:31] - Invitation to receive Christ
[34:17] - Missions, giving, and closing

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Acts 1:9-11 (NKJV): "Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.'"
- 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (NKJV): "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."
- Revelation 19:11-14 (NKJV): "Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True... And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses."

Observation Questions

What specific actions did Jesus perform during the 40 days after His resurrection, and how did these prepare the disciples for their mission? ([06:43])
How does the description of Jesus’ ascension in Acts 1:9-11 connect to the two future events (rapture and second coming) mentioned in the sermon?
What role do "clouds" play in both Jesus’ ascension and the promised future flights of believers? ([17:38])
According to Revelation 19:11-14, what distinguishes Christ’s return on a white horse from His ascension?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus have chosen to appear and vanish repeatedly during the 40 days instead of staying visibly present? What does this teach about His post-resurrection authority? ([08:38])
The sermon describes ascension as a "model for our upward hope." How does Jesus’ physical departure into the clouds redefine what it means to live with heavenly priorities?
How do the two future flights (rapture and second coming) create both "private hope" and "public eschatology"? What tensions might this create for believers? ([21:28])
Why is it significant that the disciples were instructed to focus on their mission after Jesus ascended, rather than speculating about His return (Acts 1:7-8)?

Application Questions

The resurrection is described as an "irreversible victory" that dissolves fear of finality. How could this truth reshape your response to a current struggle or loss? ([04:22])
Living with a "heavenly horizon" means prioritizing eternal realities over temporary circumstances. What practical step could you take this week to align your decisions with this perspective?
The 40-day period involved intentional discipleship through Scripture, miracles, and commissioning. Who in your life could you intentionally mentor or encourage in faith, and how? ([06:43])
The sermon urges readiness for Christ’s return rather than date-setting. What habits or attitudes might hinder your readiness, and how can you cultivate "faithful expectancy"?
How does the promise of being "caught up in the clouds" (1 Thess. 4:17) influence your urgency to share the gospel with someone who doesn’t yet know Christ? ([32:31])
If the second coming includes riding with Christ to "vindicate and rule," how should this shape the way you engage with injustice or suffering in the world today?

Sermon Clips

It's gonna happen to us. It's coming this day. We won't be flying through the clouds. We are. That's right. I'm looking forward to that. I don't know about you, but I am. And so, of course, May 14, which is coming up, is the Ascension Day, and this is when he went from the living into the clouds. I I decided let me find out what the Greek word for clouds is in in the translation. And cloud and clouds in the Greek is translated cloud and clouds. Congratulations. [00:15:39] (32 seconds) #AscensionDay

To let you know, they're real clouds. They're really flying through the clouds. He he really did. He really just think. Jesus rose from the dead, but they weren't there when he actually did. They saw him after it was done. Amen? Nobody watched him rising from the dead. He was in the tomb. Here, he's being ascended. It's totally different. And and they didn't realize it, you know, come later after it happened. They they were there, and they watched him. [00:16:11] (28 seconds) #WatchedHimAscend

He provided a great catch of fish, a 153 fish. That was really a nice miracle for them. He provide he ate broiled fish and honeycomb in front of them. Well, that's a miracle unless you're, you know, you're dead. You can't do that. So he was alive eating honeycomb and broiled fish. And then he instructed his disciples to touch him and to see his wounds. That's a very interesting time. All of this happened in those forty days. [00:13:10] (29 seconds) #ProofsOfResurrection

They I would have loved to have been there for those forty days. How about you? Amen. Now this is a specialty group here because, you know, of course, he did a lot in public before he rose from the dead. After he rose from the dead, he he really spent an most of his time with his disciples, amen, in teaching them. And he did some great other miracles too, which we'll talk about. But so one thing that he did in the during these forty days to convince them that he was alive and well is he appeared and disappeared. [00:08:04] (32 seconds) #AppearedAndDisappeared

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