Good Will Toward Men 2
Good Will Toward Men • Sermon • Submitted
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Text: Luke 2:8-20
Christ is Greater than the angels.
This is not a surprise to us. bibletalk.tv did a break down on what Scripture says about the angels.
They are spirit beings and appear in the Bible as men (Genesis 18:2), but never as women or babies;
created by God (Psalms 148:1-5; Colossians 1:16).
They are not human and have no sensual desires (Matthew 12:25).
Sometimes described as having wings (Isaiah 6:2; Daniel 9:21).
They have intelligence and free will which explains why some (Satan) are condemned because of rebellion (II Peter 2:4).
They were present and rejoiced at the creation of the world (Job 38:4-7) which suggests that they were created and rebelled before the creation of the world.
There are no personal descriptions of angels, only a description of their order and function:
Heavenly powers - Psalms 29:1
Holy ones - Psalms 89:5
Watchers - Daniel 4:13
Council (archangels) - Psalms 89:7
Congregation (host) - Psalms 82:1
Spirits - Hebrews 1:14
Powers/princes/dominion (positive sense) -
Colossians 1:16; Ephesians 6:12
Archangels - I Thessalonians 4:16
Angel of God/Lord (special "type" for Christ where terms angel and Lord are interchangeable) - Genesis 22:11-15
Sons of God - Job 38:7
Angels serve God in a variety of ways:
Among
Destroyers - Passover (Exodus 12)
Ministers - desert (Matthew 4:11), garden (Luke 22:43)
Worshippers - constantly praising God (Psalms 103:21)
Guardians - God's people (Daniel 12:1), children (Psalms 103:1)
…there is the role of Messenger. In the account of Christ’s birth this is one of the major times we see the angels in announcement mode.
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Scripture has much to say about angels, might I remind you that Jesus when born of a woman took upon himself the form of man and was made a little lower than the angels. Which tells us our place in this whole scheme of things.
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,
And hast crowned him with glory and honour.
Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
Don’t let this hurt your feelings because in Christ you are positioned in the kingdom of heaven in authority over angels. When speaking to the church in Corinth Paul said:
Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
So what we can establish is that man is not the top of the food chain. And according to Hebrews it goes something like this.
Jesus - Angels - Man
we serve them
they serve us
How is Christ greater?
Christ is the creator of the angels.
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Christ is God.
But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
So what is the purpose of having the angels come and announce Jesus birth?
You will notice a pattern...
When God interacts with men he will often times bring the message with an angel. There is a certain credibility that comes with an angel.
They minister to Jesus after his temptation (Matt. 4:11) and appear at his resurrection and ascension (28:1–7; Acts 1:11). Angels are now subject to Christ and will administer his mission when he comes again (1 Pet. 3:22; 1 Thess. 4:16; Matt. 25:31).
These same messengers are used by God at an empty tomb. Matthew 28:6
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
Or when Jesus ascends to heaven.
Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Angels will come back with him and be a part of Christ’s second coming.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
There is another moment that held an announcement from angel hosts.
Well the angels are significant in that God used them in the writing of the law of Moses.
And he said, The Lord came from Sinai,
And rose up from Seir unto them;
He shined forth from mount Paran,
And he came with ten thousands of saints:
From his right hand went a fiery law for them.
This event is referenced in Psalm 68:17
The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels:
The Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.
To the OT Jew it was very well agreed that God had angels present with him when He gave the Law to Moses. This is no small point to the Hebrew. They loved that the word they loved had been
Moments before his death Stephen says that the law was spoken by the angels.
Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
Paul told us that the word of the law was ordained by angels.
Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
I submit to you that there is more than just servanthood going on in this announcement.
There is the value to the announcement of Christ’s birth.
Jesus was not just incarnate God - He was the Incarnate WORD
CIT: Consider the Perfection they actually saw compared to what they thought they would see.
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Let me remind you of this verse we just read. The author of Hebrews points out the word that sustains everything.
So did John the beloved when he annoucned.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
The historical value of lining Christ’s annoucnement with the annoucemnt of the Law is that they are one and the same.
When God point out that the Word was born into the flesh uses the same method of announcement so that we could see the historical as well as proof value.
What was the purpose.
To demonstrate what the word would actually look like
They thought it was going to be like the Pharisees.
He was not.
They had used the word to divide and hate and separate people from God.
Jesus was close and loved and was kind and brought people to God.
