Message and Messangers: Open Heaven

Luke 2:8–20 NKJV

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

What is it about Christmas that is so special. Why does Christmas have this magnetism, even in a society that has tried to empty it of its origin in Christ? The real magic of Christmas is not gifts and goodies. What lies at the very heart of Christmas, and whispers even to souls seeking, is the most stunning and significant fact in the history of the world: that God himself became one of us. The God who created our world, and us humans at the apex of his creation, came into our world as human not just for show, but for our salvation. (Luke 19:10)

Luke 19:10 ESV

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

For those of us who do gladly KNOW Jesus, and greatest Treasure — we know why Christmas is indeed enchanted. Because at the very heart is the essence of the supernatural: God himself entering into our realm. At Christmas God “came down” (Genesis 11:5), to be human and work his mercy from within.

The glory of Christmas celebrates the long-anticipated coming of God himself — the arrival for which God wired our souls from the beginning to ache. “Bethlehem . . . from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2).

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy  before the Lord, for he comes,  for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness. (Psalm 96:11–13)

Frank Peretti novel, This Present Darkness.

It is important to point out that this type of interaction between heaven and earth was not normal. The Jewish people were geared to expect visitations by angels but it was not an everyday occurrence. You can tell this by the fact that in nearly every case, the angels began with “do not fear”.

Where Divinity meets Humanity. Outpouring Of God's Righteousness And Presence. Isaiah 45:8 ... things that God's people can do to see the heavens open.

Isaiah 45:8 Rain down, you heavens, from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, And let righteousness spring up together. I, the Lord, have created it.

John 1:51 And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Hebrews 1:14 ESV

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

The Lord Jesus was ministered to by angels immediately after His temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:11). In the Garden of Gethsemane, in His hour of intense agony, Jesus was strengthened by an angel (Luke 22:43). If Jesus Himself could be ministered to this way, how much more can you and I benefit through the ministry of angels!

Angels also ministered to the apostles. An angel brought the apostles out of prison (Acts 5:19). An angel directed Philip to go down to the Gaza desert, where he was to meet the Ethiopian and share with him about Christ (Acts 8:26). An angel brought Peter out of prison (Acts 12:7–11). We see angels doing several other things in the book of Acts. An angel visited Cornelius and instructed him to send for Peter (Acts 10:3,7,22). This resulted in the Gospel being preached to the Gentiles—a major change in the direction of the Early Church. An angel struck Herod who died (Acts 12:21–23). An angel appeared to Paul and assured him of the safety of his life and those with him in the middle of a storm, just before a shipwreck (Acts 27:23). There are many other ways in which angels can minister to us. Angels and angelic beings protect us (Psalm 91:11), speak to us in dreams (Matthew 1:20), bring divine provision into our lives, cause supernatural healing (John 5:4), alter physical condition (Luke 1:18–20), aid in our consecration and cleansing (Isaiah 6:6-7), and much more.

Ezekiel’s vision in the first chapter of his book, Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3:16, Jesus’ promise to Nathanael in John 1:51, Stephen’s martyrdom in Acts 7:54–61, John’s vision in Revelation 4, and “Jacob’s ladder” in Genesis 28.

an “open heaven” is to have God become more real in our lives as we move away from ritualism into a deeper relationship with Him.

What God so stunningly reveals at that first Noël is that when he himself finally does come, it is not in cloud or wind or fire or earthquake, or even simply in a still, small voice. But he comes in the fullness of his creation: as human. He comes as one of us, and dignifies our own species in doing so. He comes not as a bird of the air, beast of the field, or great sea creature. Even more impressive than a talking lion is God himself as fully human. Christmas marks his “being born in the likeness of men” — the very God who made man, and has long endured our sin with great patience, now scandalously “found in human form” (Philippians 2:7–8).

He Came humble

It is wonder enough that he “came down” at all. But when he did, he came not in human glory and comfort and prestige, but he “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). He came not only as creature, but in poverty, in weakness, in humility. He came as one who rose from supper,

laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with th`e towel that was wrapped around him. (John 13:4–5)

For a brief moment, on the hill of his transfiguration, three of his disciples caught a glimpse of the divine-human glory for which he was destined. “He was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17:2). But the Jesus they knew, day in and day out, on the roads of backwater Galilee was no dignitary. “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). His disciples learned firsthand that “even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45).

To Rescue His People

But this was no mere descent from heaven, as a servant, all the way to death. This was descent for a purpose. This was humility on mission. The death that God himself came to die was no an accident of history. He came to die, and live again. The extent of his people’s rebellion was matched, and surpassed, only by the extent of his final sacrifice. And in so doing he showed us the very heart of love — his own and his Father’s. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

The magic of Christmas is not just that God himself came from heaven as man. And it is not just that he humbled himself as a servant to meet the needs of others. And it’s not even just that he came to die, to unfold his service all the way to death. The magic is that he came down, and did all that, to rescue us. Such was the promise of God’s messenger from the time of his announcement: “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

He came down to rescue us from sin and restore us to the final joy for which we were made: to know and enjoy him. He came to reconcile us “to himself” (Colossians 1:20). He came not to supply us with the bells and whistles of a commercial Christmas, but he “suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).