Angels' Song

Intro

This is the third week in our Advent series. We have been singing along with our forefathers and mothers in the faith. We have the pleasure of gaining an understanding of the beautiful melodies composed by our ancestors in the faith. Mary and Zechariah were people just like us who believed in the Jesus as the savior of the world.

Today, we shift from hearing about melodies from human lips to melodies from angelic voice. We move from earthly praise to heavenly adoration.

What is the best concert you have ever attended? Or what musical artist do wish you could attend one of their concerts. I’ve only been to maybe two concerts in my life and I realized it just wasn’t my thing. I prefer to go and sit and take in the musical performance rather than stand for hours in a crowded environment. So, don’t buy me a concert ticket if you’re planning to. A residency performance in Las Vegas is more my thing, I’ll take that ticket.

Whether you’re like me and you prefer a chill musical performance environment or you love going to concerts, there is not a musical performance that you have experienced that is better than what we have in our passage for today.

There is not a musical artist or a combination of musical artists that can outperform the performers in our passage for today.

The message of the song blared out by the angels is this: The birth of Jesus brings glory to God and peace to people because God made it possible.

There are three questions that this song forces us to honestly ask ourselves. 1) Do we live our life for the glory of God? 2) Do we embrace the peace that is ours? 3) Do we help others get a hold of that peace?

Converting those questions to statements, we can say that we should live our lives to the glory of God, we should embrace the peace that is ours, and we should help others get a hold of that peace.

Open your bible to Luke 2:13-14. We’ll read and ask for God’s blessing on the proclamation of his word.

Living for the Glory of God

Luke tells us in 2:13 that suddenly a multitude of hosts appeared and were praising God. This was not a three-person band, It wasn’t even a 10-person band. It was a multitude of hosts band. Multitude is a large indefinite number. It is a number so large, you can’t count it. Hosts is simply an imaginative word used to describe angels. It is used of armies in an earthly context. When it is tied to God, it is meant to convey a great number of angels that are understood like an army would be in a great war.

Wars have thousands, hundred of thousands, maybe even millions of soldiers in battle. This is what we are to imagine when we hear the phrase a multitude of hosts. It is why we call God the Lord of hosts. He is the Lord of the heavenly army.

All the multitude of angels in unison began to praise God saying “Glory to God in the highest heaven.”

While we might not have been present for this performance, we can use our holy imagination to picture what it was like. No orchestra could rival this performance. Imagine yourself standing there, and all you hear is hundreds of thousands of angelic voices praising God. I’m not sure if my eyes would be filled with tears or a wide smile would be on my face.

When we gather each Sunday and we sing as a church, that is a small picture of what we see the angels doing here. We are practicing for the day when we would join them in praising God.

But we have to ask the question before going into the song, why are they praising God? Why did the angels appear suddenly to the tune of praise and worship?

We find the answer in the verses that come before. Luke 2 starts with the birth of Jesus. It’s fascinating how there’s no fanfare with the birth of Jesus. We’re simply told he was born in a manger, wrapped tightly in a cloth because there was no room for them.

Just as quickly as we are told of his birth, we are hurried away from that event to another. We are told in 2:8-12 of the first proclamation of the gospel. The first time that humans were told that a Savior has born just for them! Shepherds were out doing their jobs and suddenly an angel appears to them. The angel tells them that a Savior who is the Messiah and Lord has been born for them. This is the gospel! This is the good news of great joy! This is what we celebrate every year. That Jesus, our Savior, was born for us!

This is what led to the choral performance of the angelic hosts from the heavens. The proclamation of the good news that Jesus has been born.

They opened the song with the words “Glory to God in the highest heaven”

The announcement of the birth of Jesus caused them to declare that God deserves all the glory. They give glory to God because as we learned last week in Zechariah’s song, God is the architect of our salvation. God has made this birth possible. God himself is the one who has put on human flesh to be born to a virgin.

The angels could think of no better words of praise than to profess that God is deserving of the glory.

What does glory to God mean? It means to praise God, to recognize the importance of God, to give weight to God.

The angels are saying God deserves all the praise because of what he has done, God deserves to be seen as all important because of what he has done, God deserves to be seen as weighty because of what he has done.

But the angels aren’t alone in ascribing glory to God. This is the duty of all created being. It is why the historical christian document called the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which is a question and answer document created by Pastors in the 1600s to help Christians learn their Christian faith, it is why the document starts with the first question what is the chief end of man? What is it that man was created to do? To which the answer given is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

There is no other more prominent duty for man than to live for God’s glory and God through his creation.

The angels understood the assignment. The question is do we? Do we in our everyday live sing with the angels that Glory be to God in the highest? Does the way we go about our decision making show that God is indeed recognized as important?

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:31

1 Corinthians 10:31 CSB

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

Our lives are to be lived in such a way that it shows that God is important, that God deserves all the praise, that God is seen as weighty.

After all, there are plenty of reasons for us to give him glory. He’s the provider of all that we have, he’s the protector of our lives, the giver of the mercy and grace that we enjoy.

It’s not enough to simply say the words “all glory be to God.” How do we show it on our life? In our jobs? In our finances? In our relationships? In our education? In our speech? In our decision making? In out spiritual walk?

One of the ways which I was challenged early this week was in how I glorify God in my finances. Modesta and I have always tried to be generous but I was challenged this week and said to Modesta we have always given from what we bring home and never on what we make. Meaning on our net and not on our gross. I said if we have not problem giving to the IRS on our gross, and we have no problem giving to our retirement on our gross, why do we have a problem giving to God on our gross?

So, our challenge is to change that in 2025. I’m not telling you to do that, but where are the areas in your life where God is not being made much off? Where are the areas in your life where you’re not giving God enough praise for? Where are the areas in your life where God’s input doesn’t match the fact that he made that area of your life possible? For us, it’s our finances. What is yours?

Our chief end is to make much of God in all areas of our life because he is the source of all life.

So we can sing along with the angels because our lives shows it to be true that glory to God in the highest.

Embracing the Peace that is Ours

But the angels didn’t stop at glory, they sang about peace. They said “Peace on earth to all men whom God favors/ is please with.”

We talked about this a little bit last week but it’s worth repeating again today.

Not only does God deserve glory for the birth of Jesus, all kinds of people get to have peace because his birth.

The peace of God is upon all whom God is pleased with. This peace isn’t the peace that connotes trust in the middle of a storm. It’s not the peace that when all is breaking loose, you’re standing firm. We’ll talk about that peace in the new year, but this peace here is the peace that is opposite of war.

War exists between people and God and we are on the losing end. But that changes because of Jesus. Those whom God favors or pleased with are those who chose to believe in the savior that he provided.

When we place our faith in Jesus, there is no more war, no beef, no more back turned between us and God. This is what comes from being a believer in Jesus.

The question then is, do we embrace that peace? Or do we engage with God like we are walking on egg shells? Do we attempt to justify our righteousness through the thing s we say and do? Do we believe God will dispatch us if we like Paul said do what we don’t want to do?

The peace we have with God that the angels sing about means our relationship with God is no longer frosty. We can look God face to face and not feel unworthy. We don’t need to hide or manipulate. All is grace and mercy is ours because of this peace. We can talk freely with God.

I know the popular saying is true that we can be our own worst critic. So, maybe you’re very critical of yourself because you’re not where you want to be spiritually. Let me encourage to keep going. Keep striving toward the goal of Christ. But let me also encourage you that the peace that strips the enmity that exist between you and God should free you from shame.

We must sing along with the angels that peace on earth to me because God is please with me. And God is pleased with me because I have placed my faith in Jesus.

Sharing that Peace

To wrap things up, here’s our last point. We must share that peace with others. Notice the angels are sharing that peace with the shepherds. The shepherds are for the first time hearing that there is a Savior who has been born and peace is available for all who embrace him.

We can’t hold this peace in and refuse to let others who are still at war with God no that there is a cease fire deal to be made. We must let others know that you cannot keep firing empty bullets, you can put the your guard down and embrace the one who can give you joy, give you hope, give you forgiveness, give you grace, give you love, and give you peace.

That’s why we have been fasting and praying. We want God to use in an intentional way to be a vessel of honor unto God, a vessel by which others come to be at peace with God.

If you’ve ever experience being part of someone’s conversion story, it is a beautiful thing. It is a rewarding experience. Let 2025 be the year to cry out to God to use in a redemption of someone who is at war with God. Earnestly desire to see others come to faith in Jesus.

And when they do, the multitude of hosts will put together another musical performance singing “Glory to God in the Highest and Peace on Earth to all whom God favors.” We might not hear it, but heaven is having a party.

In conclusion, we must live for glory of God because that is what we were created to do and it is what we have been saved to do. We must embrace the peace that is ours because we have placed our faith in Jesus, and we must share that peace with other so they so can be friends with God.