Please hear these words from Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed[a] to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”[b] 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”[c]
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[d] will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant[e] of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
I’m really looking forward to Christmas Eve. We are going to have a great service here. Usually our family goes to the service together, then we go out to eat together. I’m looking forward to this year in particular, because our brand new daughter in law Kayla will be with us for Christmas Eve. And when we get back home, we will watch my all time favorite Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life.
If you’ve never seen It’s a Wonderful Life, first off, what’s wrong with you? Let this be the year! I’ll give you a very quick recap. It’s a wonderful life tells the story of George Bailey, a good hearted man who comes to a point of discouragement because life hadn’t turned out the way he wanted it to. As the movie opens, it appears that two galaxies are talking with one another about George Bailey’s life. “Tonight is his crucial night,” says one, which you realize must actually be God, because He’s got a deeper voice. “The night when he seriously considers throwing away God’s greatest gift—his life. We need to send someone down there. Who’s turn is it?” The second, smaller galaxy says, “Well, it’s Clarence’s turn. But are you sure you want to send him? He hasn’t even earned his wings yet.” It turns out that Clarence is George Bailey’s guardian angel, and if he can keep George from committing suicide, he will earn his wings. So most of the rest of the movie is Clarence learning about George’s life. Then, in the last twenty minutes or so, Clarence comes to earth, and shows George what the world would have been like if George had never been born. And when George sees the impact he’s made on the world, he calls out to Clarence, repents, runs throgh Bedford Falls yelling out Merry Christmas to everyone, and then the bell rings, Clarence gets his wings, and the credits roll.
There’s so many things I love about It’s a Wondedful Life. However, its theology, specifically what it says about angels, is not one of them. But I’m afraid that “It’s a Wonderful Life” probably reflects a lot of misconceptions about angels. So part of what I want to do is separate what pop culture says about angels from what the Bible says about angels.
“It’s a Wonderful Life,” but it’s bad theology!
• We don’t become angels. Clarence talks about the clothes he was buried in, and what his favorite drink was when he was alive, and you realize that even though he’s an angel now, he was a human once. Does the Bible teach that people become angels when they die? Actually, it doesn’t. The closest the Bible comes to this is in Luke 20:36, when Jesus teaches that the sons of this age (that is, human beings) are “equal” to angels. But that doesn’t mean they become angels.
35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, 36 for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons[g] of the resurrection.
• We don’t command angels. Throughout the movie, George orders Clarence around. Take me here. Show me this person. And the Bible does say that angels are under someone’s command. But its not us. Scripture says God will command his angels concerning us (Psalm 91:11), so it isn’t wrong to beg God for His heavenly protection. But we don’t command angels. We don’t summon them to do our bidding. Throughout the Bible, there is not a single case of anyone calling upon an angel and then having an angel show up. They manifest themselves unsought. Our role is to talk to the Lord, who is himself the commander of all angelic forces.
• We don’t pray to angels (1 Timothy 2:5): There are no examples in Scripture of anyone praying to an angel or asking angels for help.God is able to answer prayer. Paul warns us against thinking that any other “mediator” can come between us and God, “for there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). If we were to pray to angels, it would implicitly give them a status equal to God.
• We don’t worship angels (Col. 2:18; Revelation 22:8-9) “Worship of angels” was one of the false doctrines being taught at Colossae (Colossians 2:18). In the book of Revelation, an angel warns John not to worship him: “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God” (Revelation 19:10).
What are angels?
• They are many (Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 5:11)
On Mount Sinai, God “came from the ten thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire at his right hand” (Deuteronomy 33:2).
We also learn that, “the chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands” (Psalm 68:17 NIV).
When we come to worship, we come into the presence of “innumerable angels” (Hebrews 12:22).
John says, “I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands” (Revelation 5:11). That word “myriad” is a word in the Greek that actually means beyond counting. It’s like us saying”bazillion.”
Every biblical reference to the total number of angels suggests that they’re beyond counting.
They are messengers. The word “angel” is the Greek word “angellios” which means “messenger.” Interestingly, whenever you see the word “gospel” in the Bible, it’s the greek word “euangellion” or good message. And that’s where we get our word “evangelism.” This is the role angels play in the Christmas story. As we will see in a couple of minutes, every time an angel shows up in the Christmas story it is so they can deliver a message.
They are ministers (Mark 1:13, Luke 22:43, Heb. 1:14) Hebrews 1:14 is clear when it says “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” (This is one of the reasons we know we don’t become angels when we die. If you are a believer, becoming an angel would actually be a demotion.)
Angels ministered to Jesus after he was tempted in the wilderness (Mark 1:13), and again when He was in the garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:4)
Fourth, angels are military (Luke 2:13; Rev. 5:10-12). If your idea of angels is little cute babies with stubby angel wings, get that out of your head! When angels are mentioned in Scripture, it is very often in militaristic terms.
In the Christmas story, a “multitude of the heavenly host” appears to the shepherds. A host is an army. In the Message translation, whenever Eugene Peterson came across the phrase “Lord of hosts,” he translated it “God of Angel Armies.” And just as different members of the military have different ranks, there are different roles and ranks of angels:
• At least three different types of angels:
o Cherubim—guarded the entrance to the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:24); God enthroned above them (Ez. 10:1-22)
? Seraphim: only mentioned in Is. 6:2-7
? Living Creatures (Rev. 4:8)
o In a hierarchy:
• Angels in the Bible appear to have a rank and order. The angel hierarchy is supported by Jude 9, when the angel Michael is called an “archangel”—a title that indicates rule or authority over other angels. He’s also called “one of the chief princes” in Daniel 10:13, and appears to lead God’s angelic army in Revelation 12: “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated” (Revelation 12:7–8). Paul also tells us that the Lord will return from heaven “with the archangel’s call” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Scripture doesn’t tell us if this refers to Michael, or if there are other archangels as well.
I think its important to remember this as a reminder that we don’t command angels. When I was studying for this sermon, I found a lot of garbage on the internet about how you can summon your guardian angel. One site, which looks and sounds deceptively Christian, puts it this way:
The Spirit assigned you guardian angels (we all have more than one) before you were even born. Unlike archangels and helper angels, guardian angels are yours exclusively. Think of your guardian angels like private detectives, but they only have one case—you!
Friends, don’t be deceived. The Angels have one commanding officer, and it isn’t you! Imagine if there was a military convoy marching past your house. Could you come up to one of the soldiers and say, “Hey, I’m so glad you guys are here. The drain in my kitchen sink is clogged. I need you to come inside and fix the clog.
One other thing I just want to warn you about—there is a lot online about learning the name of your guardian angel, and knowing the powers of different angels according to their name. You need to know that there are only two angels named in all of Scripture. One is Michael, whom we’ve already talked about, and the other is Gabriel. So if you are browsing online and come across instructions for how to summon Raphael, or Uriel, or Moroni, or Metatron, that does not come from the Bible. In fact, given that there are twice as many demons named in the Bible as there are angels, I have to warn you as a pastor not to mess with any of that.
So let’s talk about the angels in the Christmas story.
The first appearance was Gabriel to Zechariah Luke 1:11-19. We talked last week about the birth of John the Baptist to Elizabeth and Zechariah. It was the angel Gabriel who first announced the birth to zechariah while Zechariah was performing his priestly duties. God’s Word says
“And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.”
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I want you to notice something here that you will see from angels almost every time they make an appearance. The first thing Gabriel says is “don’t be afraid.” Turn to the person next to you and say “Don’t be afraid.” Why do you think he would say that? Because angels are fearsome beings! When God has something to say to us, it is serious business.
But look at the rest of the statement: “don’t be afraid, because your prayer has been heard.” The commander of angel armies hearsour prayers!
The second appearance was Gabriel to Mary: Luke 1:26-38 This was the passage we read at the beginning of the service. Again, notice that its Gabriel. We are going to talk in a minute about why that’s such a big deal, but I want you to skip that part of your outline and focus on the next section of your listening guide. Since angels are first and foremost messengers (remember, that’s their name); the most important thing about angels at Christmas isn’t who they are, but what they say.
So again, just like he said to Zechariah, Zechariah says to Mary in verse 30, “Don’t be afraid.” Just like Zechariah, Mary was greatly troubled.
But look at the first thing Gabriel says: “The Lord is with you.” Can you just ponder for a moment what a meaningful statement that is? God is with you no matter what. He’s with you when you are afraid. He’s with you when you are lonely. He’s with you when you are grieving. The message of Christmas is that God himself has joined us. One of the revealed names of Jesus is Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Say “The Lord is with you.”
Why is the Lord with us? Because he favors us. Gabriel emphasizes this twice to Mary. In verse 28: Greetings, O favored one. And in the reassurance of verse 30: “You have found favor with God.” The word for favor is charis. It’s the same word Paul uses for grace when he says that its by grace that we are saved. It is undeserved favor.
Please understand this, because it is so important to the Gospel. God doesn’t “find grace” in us and so he comes to us. When we hear our Catholic friends say, “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you” it makes it sound like God came to her because she was full of grace. That’s backwards. Grace is unmerited favor. What we should say is that when the Lord is with us, he gives us grace.
Since we are in Luke, let’s stay there and see what the angels say to the shepherds, and then come back to Joseph to wrap up. In Luke 2, a group of shepherds were watching over their flocks by night. Verse 9:
9 And an angel of the Lord [he’s not named here, but most scholars say that it is probably Gabriel again] appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and [no surprise] they were filled with great fear.
Again, no surprise that the first thing the angel says is “Do not be afraid.” He goes on to say that he is bringing good news of great joy to all people. (Angel: Angellos; Good news: euangelizomai)
The most important thing about angels at Christmas isn’t who they are. It’s what they say. So here is what the angel says to the shepherds:
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
A Savior is born. Turn to the person next to you and say, “A Savior is born.” Friends, this is why Hebrews emphasizes that Christ is superior to angels. And why, if we get more excited about angels at Christmas than we do the baby in the manger, we miss the point. Angels cannot save us. Jesus can. Jesus does. And Jesus has. God didn’t send us an angel to save us. God sent angels to tell us about the Savior He sent.
After this, Gabriel gets a backup band. In verse 13, he’s joined by a “multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to god in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.”
Look at your neighbor and say, “On earth, peace.” How many of you long for peace on earth? How many of you long for peace in Washington, DC? How many of you long for peace under your own roof? How many of you long for peace in your own heart? The proclamation of Christmas is that there is peace on earth among those with whom he is pleased.
That peace is only possible through Christ, the Lord.
Now let’s talk about Joseph. It’s interesting that in Luke’s gospel, Luke focuses on Mary. But in Matthew’s gospel, Mary doesn’t even get a speaking part. Matthew focuses on Joseph. When Joseph found out Mary was pregnant, at first he was going to divorce her quietly, until an [unnamed] angel appeared to him in a dream. Verse 20:
“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
So Joseph does what the angel says. He takes his wife.
And then, he takes the child. In Matthew 2, the angel comes back to Joseph and warns him. Look at verse 13
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
Then, once more in verse 19-20:
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.”
In all three appearances, the angel tells Joseph to take action. Take Mary. Take the child. Take the child. Turn to your neighbor and say “Take the child.”
The gospel requires action. For us to experience freedom from fear, the presence of God, and his salvation from our sin, we have to take the child. We have to receive Jesus. Trust him with our lives, surrender our lives to him. We have to take the child.
STOP HERE! IF YOU ARE RUNNING SHORT ON TIME.
Friends, when we invite you to respond to the gospel, we aren’t asking you to put your trust in some made up story. I want to close by pointing out one last thing about Gabriel. Why is Gabriel such a big deal? Because hundreds of years before Jesus was born, Gabriel appeared to the prophet Daniel and told him, almost to the exact year, when it would happen. You don’t have to turn there, but listen to Daniel 9:21-26
21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. …
Skip down to verse 34: Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.
24 “Seventy weeks[a] are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.[b] 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again[c] with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing.
Quick rundown of Jewish history. In 586 BC, Jerusalem was overrun by the Babylonians, the temple was destroyed, and the people were carried off to Babylon, where they stayed in exile for 70 years. In 516, King Darius issued a decree that they could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. We read about that in Ezra chapter 6, and this was done under the leadership of Zerubbabel. But it wasn’t until around 449 BC that Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem.
In Daniel’s prophetic language, a “week” was a seven year period. So get this. 7 weeks plus 62 weeks is 69 weeks, or 483 years. 483 years after 449 BC is 34 AD. Jesus was about 30 years old when he bagan his public ministry, according to Luke 3:23, and his ministry lasted about 3 years.
Do you see where this is going? Hundreds of years before it happened, the angel Gabriel told Daniel to the year when Jesus, the anointed one, would be cut off to put an end to sin, to atone for iniquity, to bring an everlasting righteousness, and to restore the temple.
God is a planner, and we can put our trust in his plan!
