Angels from the Realms of Glory: Psalm 85:1-3

SERMON TITLE: Angels from the Realms of Glory

TEXT: Psalm 85:1-3 (NLT)

SPEAKER: Josh Hanson

DATE: 11-26-23

TURN MIC ON / WELCOME

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time or are joining us at our North Main Campus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

SERIES INTRO

We’re starting a brand new preaching series this weekend. And — believe it or not — it’s our Christmas series. This Christmas we’re returning to an idea we looked at five years ago — carols that help tell the Christmas story. This year we’ll be looking at carols you’ll know and love — like Joy to the World, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, O Little Town of Bethlehem, and O Holy Night — but we’re starting our Christmas series by looking at a carol not as popular as those I just mentioned. Our carol for today is Angels from the Realms of Glory.

Before we get to our carol — a few other things will be good for you all to know. As you’ve already seen — our worship and tech teams have put together their own recordings of each of these carols that we’ll be releasing each week. So — by Christmas Eve — you’ll have recordings of all five of these carols available to listen on Christmas Day. In addition to the carols — a few other topics are helping to drive this series. First, there’s the Advent calendar. The Advent calendar is a long tradition in the Christian church where each week — leading up to Christmas — focuses on a specific theme — the themes being hope, love, joy, and peace. We’ve done our best to connect the words from a carol to the specific theme for each week — which you’ll be reminded of during the sermons.

Finally, our passage — psalm eighty-five — admittedly isn’t what we usually think of when we think of Christmas. But — again — in church history — many passages have been used to help tell the Christmas story. But — knowing that it doesn’t quite feel like Christmas if there’s no mention of Mary and Joseph or the shepherds, angels, and wisemen — those passages will be incorporated each week in our services.

So — with that — as our introduction to this Christmas series — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to psalm eighty-five. Since this is our first week of this series — I’m going to read the entire psalm — but we’ll only focus on the first three verses today.

We’re in psalm eighty-five — beginning in verse one.

Psalm 85 (NLT)

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. 1 Lord, you poured out blessings on your land! You restored the fortunes of Israel. 2 You forgave the guilt of your people — yes, you covered all their sins. Interlude 3 You held back your fury. You kept back your blazing anger. 4 Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more. 5 Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath to all generations? 6 Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you? 7 Show us your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. 8 I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways. 9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be filled with his glory. 10 Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed! 11 Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven. 12 Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful harvest. 13 Righteousness goes as a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps.

INTRODUCTION

Our carol for today is Angels from the Realms of Glory. One book on carols states that this carol is “possibly the best-written sacred Christmas carol of all time.” The author of the carol — James Montgomery — was born in 1771 — to Irish parents who left their young son in a boarding school in Ireland while they left to be missionaries in the West Indies — both parents would die a few years later. Young James was never interested in school and ended up flunking out and for the next few years went from job to job — with unemployment and homelessness mixed in.

James did have one academic type interest — writing. He’d spend whatever money he had on pencils and paper to write poetry. He couldn’t get a publisher to take notice of him — but an editor — who was rather radical — like what he saw in Montgomery’s poetry and hired him to do what he loved most — to write for the paper. The editor who hired him — was run out of town — leaving the twenty-three year old James to keep the newspaper going.

Now — we Americans are familiar with US history — but Irish history — probably not so much. What was happening at this time was a stirring for Ireland to be free from England. And James used the paper to keep the revolution alive — which landed him in prison multiple times. He was also a big opponent to slavery which he wrote about often.

But — most of all — he studied the Bible to understand what had motivated his parents to move across the world and ultimately give their lives. It seems that in 1816 he had discovered their motivation. On December 24th, 1816 — those who opened the paper hoping to read another fiery headline calling revolution in the land — instead they read a poem titled “Nativity” which would eventually become the Christmas carol Angels from the Realms of Glory. Some of the lines in the original poem have since been removed from the carol as we know it — lines about “breaking chains” that were direct statements about slavery and Ireland’s freedom.

And this is where the story of our carol gets really interesting. If not for a — wait for it — Englishman — Montgomery’s poem would’ve most likely been forgotten and never become the carol that it is today. Henry Smart was one of England’s biggest revolutionaries — he wasn’t fighting for a revolution for Ireland — but for a revolution in church music. You see — Henry was one of the best organists and composers in all of England. And — at this point in history — the organ wasn’t accepted in the church of England. But Smart was pushing boundaries and writing new music styles for hymns in the church.

Twenty-years after Montgomery had written his poem — Smart composed the music to go along with the words. The two men joined forces with Montgomery writing words for hundreds of hymns and Smart’s music style revolutionizing worship in England. Since — as I said earlier — this is the least known hymn of our series — here are the words from the carol.

Angels from the realms of glory, Wing your flight o'er all the earth; Ye who sang creation's story, Now proclaim Messiah's birth: Come and worship, Come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King! Shepherds, in the fields abiding, Watching o'er your flocks by night, God with man is now residing, Yonder shines the infant Light; Come and worship, Come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King! Sages, leave your contemplations, Brighter visions beam afar; Seek the great desire of nations, Ye have seen his natal star; Come and worship, Come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King! Saints before the altar bending, Watching long in hope and fear, Suddenly the Lord, descending, In his temple shall appear: Come and worship, Come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King!

So let’s allow our biblical text, our Advent theme of hope, and our carol lead us to worship Christ the newborn King.

LOOKING BACK TO GOD’S FAITHFULNESS

The psalms that come right before ours narrate the up and down relationship between God and his people. The people are rebellious and find themselves far from God and — during other times — faithful in gathering to worship him. Our psalm — it’s believed by many scholars — was written as a prayer near the end of the Babylonian exile. So — after the consequence of their sin and rebellion — being conquered and exiled to Babylon for seventy years — the time is coming near an end and this psalm is a prayer written on behalf of God’s people. Thus — it begins — by remembering God’s faithfulness to his people in the past.

Psalm 85:1–2 (NLT)

1 Lord, you poured out blessings on your land! You restored the fortunes of Israel. 2 You forgave the guilt of your people — yes, you covered all their sins.

Now — there’s nothing specific for us to go on to know exactly what is being referred to here. There are many times in the people’s history where God pours out blessing on the land. There are many times when he restores the fortunes of the nation. There are many times that God forgives the guilt of his people and covers their sin. If you’ve been with us during our Finding Jesus series — then you’re very familiar with these themes because this is the history of God’s people which is repeated over and over again in the Old Testament.

The people demonstrate unfaithfulness, rebellion, and sin — with sporadic moments of faithfulness and devotion to God — all while God uses both discipline and mercy to draw the people back to him. They don’t deserve blessings on their land — they don’t deserve having their fortunes restored — they don’t even deserve being forgiven of their sins — and yet God — because he is loving, kind, gracious, and patient with his people — he blesses them, restores their fortunes, and forgives them of their sins.

When you look back over you life — can you see how God was at work in your life? Maybe you couldn’t see it then — and maybe if right now is a particularly difficult season you may not see how he’s at work — but think back to that moment from years ago that seemed hopeless, dark, as if there was not light at the end of the tunnel. Now — when you look back — can you see God’s blessing? His faithfulness? The restoration he was doing even though you were completely unaware of it at the time?

This doesn’t mean that there still isn’t heartache from that season of life — but heartache doesn’t mean God wasn’t being faithful to you. Remember — God’s people were most likely in exile when these words were written. I can’t even imagine what that must’ve been like. Conquered by a foreign nation. Kicked out of — not only my home — but my homeland. Forced to live in a country with foreign food, a foreign language, in a foreign culture, with foreign gods. I mean — I know some of you love to travel — but me — I like being home. And this kind of resettlement — being forced to live somewhere else and knowing that this was a consequence due to the sin of my people — well — that’d be a difficult season to say the least. Especially when it’s a seventy year long season.

LOOKING AHEAD WITH HOPE

And what I love about the opening of our psalm — is how the writers held on to hope by looking back to God’s faithfulness to his people in the past. One writer says this about the opening of our psalm. It “functions as a hope for the future completion of the kingdom. It is a prayer that stands as a constant hope for the people to strive for the promises of God.” A constant hope for the people to strive for the promises of God. I love that quote. That’s what Christmas is all about, right?

God had made promises to his people — promises that weren’t fulfilled in the years after their exile was over. They return to Jerusalem. The temple is destroyed — the city is destroyed. They try to rebuild things but the hope-filled expectation of our psalm — God pouring out his blessings on the lands, the restoration of Israel’s fortunes, the guilt of the people being forgiven and covered — are left unfulfilled. The people know that God’s promised something more to them — they’re holding on to hope that God — who’s been nothing but faithful to them in the past — will be nothing but faithful to them in the future.

And that’s why the New Testament interrupts what turns out to be not just a seventy year exile — but an exile of waiting that went on for hundreds of years. But then — on that first Christmas morning — hope broke threw.

Matthew 1:18–25 (NLT)

18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. 20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: 23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born — the One who will save his people from their sins — the One who is God with us. Hope broke through and began to spread in a dark and hopeless world. The Messiah — the Savior — was born. And he will save his people — he will rescue them — not just from an oppressing nation — like the Egyptians or the Assyrians or the Babylonians — Jesus was born to save his people from their sin. He will come to offer forgiveness for our sins — he will come to cover our sins.

Which leads us back to our carol — Angels from the Realms of Glory. Think of how our carol — in few words — describes the hope that we’ve been reflecting on. The carol begins by looking back — to the time when God spoke all things in to existence — the moment of creation. The angels — who witnessed God creating our first parents — Adam and Eve — thousands of years later witness the birth of God’s promised Messiah.

Next — we look back to the shepherds — whose night was interrupted by an angelic host who tell them that God now dwells with man — that God is with us — which is how Matthew describes the birth of Jesus in his gospel. Then our carol has us look back to the wise men who saw the star of Bethlehem which indicated the birth of the One who came to cover the sins of his people — which he would do so by his sacrifice on the cross. But this star not only indicated that he’d been born — the star indicated where he had been born. For God had made a promise — hundreds of years earlier — a promise to his people — that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and the star was pointing the wisemen to Bethlehem for that is where God’s King had been born.

Finally, comes the saints who’ve been watching long in hope and fear. History tells us that Montgomery was thinking of Simeon and Anna here. The man and woman waiting for God’s Messiah to be born — waiting for the Lord to descend from Heaven and appear at the temple — which is what will happen when they both see the Christ child whom they had been longing to appear.

CONCLUSION

So I hope you appreciate what James Montgomery has done in his carol. He’s had us look back, and look back again, and look back again and again to God’s faithfulness to his people while penning these words we now sing as a carol. But remember — we’re not only to look back to God’s faithfulness — we’re to look forward to his future faithfulness and do so with great hope. Which brings me to one last observation about our carol.

Now — I don’t know if Montgomery intended to do this or not — but his last stanza does point us forward. “Wait, what?” You just covered the last stanza and showed us how it points us back to Anna and Simeon. Well I think that the last words of the carol both point us to God’s faithfulness in the past and fix our eyes on the future — to a promise yet fulfilled — though it’s a promise guaranteed. And — this guaranteed future promise gives God’s people great hope. So — if you’re in need of some hope this Christmas — if you’ve been in a season where hope has been sparse — know that — if you believe in Jesus — this promise is yours — it’s guaranteed — and it give hope. So what’s the promise?

The promise is this: the babe born on that first Christmas morning was the King of kings and Lord of lords — he was the promised Messiah and Savior — the One whose blood would be the atonement — the covering — for the sins of all who turn to him in faith. And — after defeating Satan, sin, death, and Hell on the cross — and after rising from the grave — Jesus ascended to Heaven where he reigns and rules right now as King and Lord. And — the promise of hope that’s still to be fulfilled — is the promise that Jesus will return. One day — one glorious day in the future — Jesus will descend from Heaven — and this time not as a babe — but as the One to whom every knee will bow down and every tongue will confess that he is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. And the invitation to all of us — the invitation repeated again and again in Angels from the Realms of Glory — is the invitation to come and worship. To come and worship Christ the newborn King.

We are being invited to come and worship Christ the King. You are being invited — right now — to come and worship Christ the King. To worship the One in whom hope is found. The One who made hope possible. The One who came to earth — and has promised to come again — so that your life and mine — will be full of hope. May you respond to the hope being offered to you in Jesus Christ the One who is called the newborn King.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, what hope we have because of your faithfulness to your people. We rebel — you are faithful. We sin — you are merciful. We turn away from you — you draw us back. No matter the lengths we go to run — your great plan of salvation will not be thwarted. What hope we have.

Spirit of God, thank you for the wonderful promises that have been fulfilled to us. Undeserved blessings, restorations, forgiveness, and mercy. None of these are deserved — but what marvelous gifts they are. Thank you for being such a wonderful gift giver — help us to cherish your gifts to us.

And — Jesus — you are the promised Messiah, the Savior from Heaven, God’s great Rescuer. The child born — fulfilling promises of old — Immanuel — God with us — a truth that is astounding — the One who will return as King of kings and Lord of lords. We have heard your invitation today — to come and worship you. May you receive the worship of your grateful people — people who know they don’t deserve your forgiveness, mercy, and love — but have been promised that we are the recipients of your forgiveness, mercy, and love because we worship you — Christ the King. In your name we pray. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)

A May you go with great hope as you worship Jesus Christ the King of all kings. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.