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Six Reasons Jesus Left Earth After Easter · Pastor John Piper's answers

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  Welcome back to the Asked Pastor John Podcast. I mentioned Monday that we're in
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  the middle of answering a batch of apologetics questions on the life and work of
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  Christ, and today's question is one several of you have asked about over the
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  years, namely this, why did Jesus have to leave Earth after the resurrection?
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  Seems like he could do some amazing ministry if he were still here on
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  earth with us. That's Dalton's question, and he asks it for many of
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  you. Pastor John, Hello and thank you for the APJ podcast. He
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  writes, a question I have for you, is this, why did Jesus
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  leave Earth after his resurrection? I understand that Jesus left to leave us the
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  Holy Spirit, but couldn't he have just stayed and continue his ministry as the
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  risen Christ in tandem with the Spirit. Wouldn't that have been more effective?
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  Why did Christ leave the earth? A question like this can have value if
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  we make it a stepping stone to insite into Christ's present ministry from heaven.
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  In other words, if it helps us understand the wisdom and the goodness of
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  what is is the case and doesn't just become an occasion for curious speculation of
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  what might have been the case. So let's tackle Dalton's question that way with
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  that goal in mind. So the question is, couldn't Jesus have just stayed
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  on planet Earth and continued his ministry after the resurrection and not gone back to
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  Heaven as the Risen Christ in tandem with alongside the work of the Spirit.
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  Wouldn't that have been more effectives? Why did Christ leave the Earth? Here's
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  a few thoughts. Number One, if the Risen Christ remain on Earth for
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  all of church history, a serious competition would be introduced into global Christianity.
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  Who has the Risen Christ nearby? He would be spatially bound. He could
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  not be in one place and another place and another place at the same time,
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  and the temptation would always be there to make the place where he was
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  the sacred place. His presence would introduce a serious confusion for how Christians are
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  to relate to him. Some would be relating to him face to face at
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  any given moment as he visits churches. Some would be trying to relate to
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  him by the spirit, but put off balance knowing that he's like a hundred
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  or ten thousand miles away on Earth. The role of the Holy Spirit in
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  relation to Christ would be confused if his role is to glorify Christ John sixteen
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  fourteen. Would we seek the fullness of the Spirit in order to experience Christ
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  by the spirit's revelation of him in the Gospel, or would we seek the
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  Spirit to bring him, say, from Chicago to Minneapolis. It would,
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  in other words, be a confusing way to go about God's work. Number
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  two, Christ's post resurrection role as the god Man ruling the cosmos is better
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  signified if he's sitting at the right hand of God then walking on the earth,
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  and his role as the head of the Church would be misrepresented if he
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  were part of the Church on earth. And here's the key texts from Ephesians
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  twenty. God raised him up from the dead and seated him at his right
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  hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority, and power
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  and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this
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  age, but also in the age to come. And he put all things
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  under his feet and gave him his head over all things, to the Church,
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  which is his body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all
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  this exalted rule, as above all rule and authority in the universe and as
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  the head of the Universal Church, would be obscured, wouldn't it It would
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  be obscured if Jesus were still walking among us. Number three. The exaltation
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  of Jesus to the right hand of God Majesty is the fitting coronation for his
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  triumphant work on the Cross and his new incarnate superiority over angels Hebrews one three.
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  After making purifications for sins, he sat down at the right hand of
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  the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name
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  he inherited is more excellent than theirs. If he had not taken this seat,
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  the greatness of his achievement on the Cross and the greatness of his new
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  incarnate superiority would be obscured. Number four, The present intercession of Christ at
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  God's right hand would not be rightly exercised or exhibited if Christ were still here
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  among us after the resurrection Romans eight thirty three. Who shall bring any charge
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  against God's elect It is God who justifies who is to condemn Christ. Jesus
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  is the one who died more than that who was raised, who is indeed
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  at the right hand of God who intercedes for us. So it is fitting
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  that Jesus be in the exalted presence of God as he intercedes for us and
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  brings his sacrifice to bear on our behalf before God. Number five. The
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  holy Spirit that Jesus promised to send when he returned to the Father John fifteen
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  twenty six is the spirit of the risen Christ, and according to John seven
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  thirty nine, the spirit of the risen Christ could not come until Christ were
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  completely glorified, which included his ascension to the Father. Here's what Jesus said.
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  Now, this Jesus said about the spirit whom those who believed in him
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  were to receive, For as yet the spirit had not yet been given because
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  Jesus was not yet glorified. So the glorification of Jesus at the right hand
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  of God was essential. Because the spirit who would be sent by Jesus and
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  the Father is the spirit of the glorified Christ. Finally, number six,
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  God's plan is that the risen Christ would get great glory at the end of
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  this age, not by itinerating on the earth for two thousand years, but
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  by descending from heaven in power and great glory and defeating the man of lawlessness,
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  and be marveled at by all his people. Second Thessalonians, chapter two,
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  the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, inflaming
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  fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who
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  do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus. The man of lawlessness will
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  be revealed, the son of destruction, and the Lord Jesus will kill him
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  with the breath of his mouth and bring him to nothing by the appearance of
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  his coming. So the second coming of Christ is the great climax of God's
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  way of glorifying his son. These are some of the reasons why Jesus did
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  not stay on the earth after the resurrection, and there are many more.
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  God's ways are great. God's ways are good and wise. Let's revel in
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  what He's doing through Christ from heaven. Yeah. Amen. Fascinating points to
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  ponder on why it's better for Christ to not be here. Thank you Pastor
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  John for that, and thanks for joining us today. If you want to
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  ask Pastor John your best apologetics question, type it out and email it to
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  me at ask Pastor John at Desiring God dot org. Speaking of hard questions.
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  If the consequence for sin is eternal suffering, why isn't Christ still suffering
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  on our behalf today? Why did he suffer for no more than thirty three
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  years. That's another gospel question many of you asked over the years, and
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  one that will showcase for us the glories of who are safe. The truly
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  is which we will do to start our next week together. I'm your host,
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  Tony Rinki. Let's see Monday