Angelic Peace

Last week we were impacted by Isaiah’s audacious hope as his prophecies were fulfilled with pinpoint accuracy. Jesus was a sure sign, a sent Son, and a Savior. Isaiah reminded us that one can never start too early when getting ready for something really big. On this second Sunday of Advent, our focus is on Angelic Peace. While the Christmas story is saturated with the supernatural, some of us miss the meaning because we just skim by this season on a superficial level. I want to suggest that we must see the mysterious and miraculous elements surrounding the birth of Jesus. In his book called, “Rumors of another World,” Philip Yancey writes, “The Bible presents a…view of reality that encompasses both the familiar visible world and an invisible world that coexists as a kind of parallel universe” (Page 165).

Angels appear in more than half of the books of the Bible, with over 300 total references. They have three primary responsibilities.

Primary Responsibilities of Angels

1. They Magnify God

The number one job of angels is to adore God. (Slide) Nehemiah 9:6: “You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.”

According to Job 38:7, at creation (Slide) “the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy.”

You and I can’t duplicate the mighty works of the angels, but we can imitate their devotion to the Lord as they worship before His throne. And we have more cause to praise Him than they do! We have been saved by the grace of God and shall one day be like the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not just His servants; we are His children and will dwell with Him forever!

2. They are Messengers of God

The word “angel,” as used in the Bible, literally means messenger. Their job is to do what God sends them to do. Angel messengers basically convey two types of messages. Sometimes it’s good news like announcing the birth of Christ. But, other times they bring bad news.... When they serve in this capacity, they are not cute and cuddly cherub dolls that we put on top of our Christmas trees. 2 Thessalonians 1:7: says “This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.” The Book of Revelation is full of avenging angels and it is anything but pretty....

3. They Minister to People

Hebrews 1:14 puts it best (Slide)

Hebrews 1:14 NKJV

Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

Most of the time angels are not seen; they minister invisibly behind the scenes. And yet, on occasion, they break into our world, appearing for a short time to accomplish a specific purpose. The Bible mentions that when they do appear, they often look just like humans. Listen to Hebrews 13:2: (Slide) “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”

Angelic Encounters

It is impossible to read the Christmas story without understanding a little about angels because it begins and ends with them. The birth of Christ is so incredible and so earth shaking that only the angels could be entrusted by God to be the appropriate messengers. No earthly channels of communication could be relied upon to get this amazing message out because no human person could possibly be persuasive enough. One interesting point to be made is that if you were to look at all the major events in the Bible, there is no other occurrence that has as many messages from so many angelic messengers.

As we read the Christmas story, there are several times when messengers from the angelic world make an appearance into our world. I’d like us to look at how four Christmas characters responded to these angelic encounters. It is hard around this time of year to keep things fresh as we have all heard the Christmas story, I am sure, many times over. But as we go through this, let’s try hard to read these accounts as if we were hearing them for the first time.

In fact, let’s put ourselves in their sandals, remembering that four hundred years have gone by when God was silent between the end of Malachi and the beginning of Matthew. People have been pleading with God to come down into their world with words similar to what Isaiah said in Isaiah 64:1: “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down…”

As we look at these accounts, I want you to notice a couple of things about the Angels.

1. Angels appear suddenly to ordinary people doing ordinary things.

Angels don’t come with an announcement beforehand. Actually, they come bearing an announcement and they often break into our world unexpectedly with messages of amazing proportions.

2. Angels cause people to be afraid.

When an angel appears in Scripture, a sense of fear and wonder blasts through the hearts and minds of the people that are there to witness it.

Prophets like Isaiah came face to-face with seraphim who cried out in Isaiah 6:3: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” With the doorposts shaking and the temple filled with smoke, Isaiah cried out in fear, “Woe is me!”… ... Knowing that they have this kind of affect on humans, some of their first words are: “Do not be afraid.”…

and the last thing to notice is...

3. Angels are never to be adored.

Every reference to angels in the Bible is incidental to some other topic. We need to be careful to not give them too much attention. Psalm 103:20 says that they are “mighty ones who do His bidding.” Good angels never draw attention to themselves. They can get our attention, but they always do it for God’s sake, not their own. When Biblical angels accomplish their task and deliver their message, they quickly withdraw from human contact. They don’t stay long because they don’t want us to focus on them; they want us to focus on and worship God.

We know that angels were present, with Jesus, at His Temptation (Matthew 4:11), in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:43), at His Resurrection (Mark 16:5), at His Ascension (Acts 1:10-11) and they will accompany Him at His Second Coming as well (Matthew 25:31). And angels were very involved during His first coming. So Let’s look at four different reactions to these early angelic encounters in Matthew and Luke.

Reactions to Angelic Encounters

1. Denial and Doubt

Turn to Luke 1… … The first appearance of an angel in the gospel accounts takes place in the opening verses of Luke when Gabriel, one of only two named angels in the Bible (the other being Michael) appears to Zechariah to tell him that he and his wife Elizabeth were going to have a son named John… (Read vv.5-11)

Here is a couple that were completely committed to what God had called them to do v.6 Says “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”

v.7 goes on to tell us that “they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.”

Zachariah was a priest and when it was his turn to serve in the Temple to burn incense, the angel of the Lord appeared to him. As I stated before “Angels appear suddenly to ordinary people doing ordinary things.” Zechariah was going about his daily business, taking care of the daily, Priestly tasks, when this angel appeared… Lets continue reading… (Read vv.12-17)

Again, as I stated before, Angels cause people to be afraid. v.12 says “when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.” I like the way the NASB words this verse as I believe it captures the state of Zachariah a little bit better. It says “Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.”

Keep in mind what had just happened to Zachariah a few moments before this encounter… He was chosen to burn incense. This was a high Honor for any priest. John MacArthur writes in his commentary

“Because of the large number of priests, most would never be chosen for such a duty, and no one was permitted to serve in this capacity twice. Zacharias no doubt regarded this as the supreme moment in a lifetime of priestly service. The incense was kept burning perpetually, just in front of the veil that divided the holy place from the Most Holy Place. The lone priest would offer the incense every morning and every evening, while the rest of the priests and worshipers stood outside the holy place in prayer”

So given the position that was just granted to Zacharias, along with being alone in the holy place, When the angel appeared, he was shaken to the core. Why? first of all have you ever had someone appear in a room that you thought was empty?? My kids love doing that to each other… the louder the scream of the person the scared, the more satisfaction they get out of it...

that is not the only reason he was so scared… … When Gabriel appeared by the altar, Zacharias was frightened, because the angel’s appearance could have meant divine judgment. If you walked into the holy place when you weren’t supposed to, or if your heart was not right with God when performing certain priestly duties… , it meant certain death. I am sure this was one of the first things that went through Zachariah’s mind and “fear gripped him”

The angel comforted him and said in verse 13, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.” The angel then proceeded to describe what kind of person John would be as well as his purpose: which was “…to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” … And Even though Zechariah had been praying for a child and even though he was a religious guy he denied and doubted the message of the Angel… (Read vv.18-20)

Because of his doubts, he is made dumb (literally) and is not able to speak until the baby is born. v.64 tells us that when he is finally able to speak eight days after John’s birth, the first thing he did was praise God. He then breaks into a song with these opening lyrics in verse 68 “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people,”… … Lets move on to the next encounter…

2. Unsure yet Surrendered

In this next angelic encounter, Gabriel appears to a virgin named Mary, roughly six months after appearing to Zacharias… (read vv. 26-33)

After Gabriel’s greeting, Mary is greatly troubled and so we hear these words of comfort once again: “Do not be afraid…” Mary is then told that she will be pregnant and give birth to a son and she is to give him the name Jesus. In verse 32 Gabriel tells her a little about the baby she will give birth to: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High… … and then we get to the point where Mary is unsure of what she is being told… (Read vv. 34-37)

While Zachariah denied and doubted when he heard the amazing news, Mary was simply not sure how all this would happen when she asks in verse 34: “How will this be…since I am a virgin?” … and after Gabriel gives her a few more details that must have been very difficult for a teenager to comprehend, Mary’s turns her uncertainty into total surrender verse 38: Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”

Are you totally surrendered today? Even when you are unsure of what God has called you to do, are you able to say “I am your servant Lord! Let is be to me according to your word”??

Mary wasn’t sure how it was all going to work out but she surrendered anyway… what a testimony of faith!… …

The Reaction to our next encounter is...

3. Acceptance and Action

Turn to Matthew 1… and we will look, very quickly, at Joseph’s reaction… Joseph needed some divine intervention after he found out Mary was pregnant because he knew he wasn’t the father. His reputation was on the line. What was he going to do? Because he was a righteous man, he determined to end the engagement as quietly as he could… (Read vv. 18-19)…

In the middle of his misery, Joseph gets a visit… (Read vv.20-23)

This unnamed angel fills in some of the blanks for Joseph but first he settles Joseph’s anxious heart by saying, “Do not be afraid.” Amazingly, he is being asked to raise a child that is not his. And, he’s given a glimpse of the glory of this child as the angel tells him that this boy will be the Savior, fulfilling the prophecy of a “sure sign”, that we looked at last week, from Isaiah 7:14. What was Joseph’s reaction???… He immediately accepts his assignment and jumps into action! (Read vv. 24-25)

Joseph actually had two more encounters with angels several months later, that we do not have the time to look at this morning. But, just like the first time, he accepted these messages and immediately acted on them.

Our final reaction to these Angelic encounters is...

4. Belief and Broadcasting

Look at Luke 2 … This final exhibit of angelic intervention takes place when God rocks the routine of some guys who are just out doing their job… (Read vv. 8-9)

In the midst of the mundane, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared. Into the darkness of a silent night came the brightness of the glory of the Lord. I’m sure these shepherds were rubbing their eyes and shaking in their sandals. Again, I believe the NASB gives a better picture here… v. 9 “And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.”

They were terrified!… and so, again, the Angel has to tell them to calm down, take it easy,… “Do not be afraid”… The reason they did not need to be afraid is because the messenger was bringing good news… (Read vv. 10-12)…

As the shepherds are trying to handle the message from this one messenger, they are surprised again because of what happens next… (Read v. 13-14)…

The word “suddenly” means that the heavenly host came unexpectedly and without warning. The word “multitude” means there were so many that it was impossible to count; a vast array of angels. The sky was filled with a multitude of mighty messengers. The shepherds watched as heaven opened up and literally saw an entire militia of messengers, hundreds and thousands of angelic warriors worshipping God… … After witnessing this incredible display of unbridled adoration and praise, the shepherds knew that they had to move. (Read vv. 15-16)… …

There was no delay. The phrase “Came with haste” carries with it the idea of speed. Keep in mind that it was no small matter for them to leave their sheep behind because they could have lost their jobs for leaving them unattended. But they believed what the Angel had said and desired to see the newly born, Christ Child… … But they didn’t just believe, go see him and then return to life as normal… they started broadcasting the story!… (Read v.17-20)...

With hearts filled with gratitude, these men broke out praising and glorifying God for keeping His Promise to send a Savior...

Closing:

There are angels everywhere and I believe they are still doing God’s work today. But whether we see or hear an angel doesn’t really matter. What matters most is that we get God’s message and that we respond to it... The question for you today is; (SLIDE)

How are you responding to God’s Message?

- Are you denying and doubting? … … Don’t be like Zachariah and allow your doubts to delay your decisions...

- Are you a bit uncertain but ready to surrender?… … Mary wasn’t sure about everything but she surrendered anyway. Luke 2:11 says that a Savior is born to you. Christmas must become personal. Have you personally received Him even if you’re a bit uncertain? When you repent and receive all that Jesus has for you, Luke 15:10 tells us that “there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels over one sinner who repents.”

The angels are ready to throw a party on your behalf but you must first receive Jesus as your personal Savior. Will you do that today? Friends, heaven is now open but it won’t stay that way forever. John 1:51: “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” At the heart of Christmas is a gift heralded by the angels. It’s a present that must be received; a gift that must be opened.

- Are you ready to accept and act? Joseph is a good model of someone who put feet to his faith. What is God asking you to do right now? No matter how difficult it is, if God is telling you to do it, that’s what you need to do. And if you are commited to doing what God has called you to do, then I can guarantee that He will help you accomplish the task.... … And finally....

- Do you believe and will you broadcast the good news? We are called to believe and broadcast the good news now, just like the angels did back then. The shepherds communicated the Christmas story. We are now the messengers of the Saviors story… …

For those that are nervous and uncomfortable talking to others about spiritual things, let me leave you with some words of “Angelic Peace”...

“Don’t be afraid, for you will be sharing good tidings of great joy, that are meant to be shared with everyone”...

(SLIDE)

Prayer

Help us not do doubt Your Words

Help us to be totally Surrendered

Help us to accept what you have called us to do and give us the strength and willingness to jump into action.

Help us to live out what we say we believe and share the Good News of the Gospel with all people.

Lord, give us the peace that only You can give...

Amen!