One Sunday evening, Marilyn Clark of Cincinnati, Ohio, overheard her 5-year-old daughter, Julie, practicing “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” It was a song she'd been rehearsing that morning in church for the next week's Christmas program. But something wasn’t quite right. In place of the phrase, “With angelic host proclaim,” Julie sang, “With the Jelly toast proclaim.” (Marilyn Clark, Cincinnati, OH, Today's Christian Woman, "Heart to Heart;" BI# 6/1998.1092)
We laugh, but little Julie may not be that far off. Hebrews 1:14 says, Angels are “ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are to inherit salvation.” The word for “serve” is the same word used in Acts 6 to describe those who “serve tables” – I.e., a table-waiter. In other words, angels are sent by God to “wait on” God’s people just like a waiter or waitress does in a restaurant. And who knows, maybe they even bring jelly toast sometimes.
You don’t hear much about angels, except at Christmas time. That’s because they are a prominent part of the Christmas story. The angel, Gabriel, announced the coming of Christ to Mary and then to Joseph. Another angel announced the birth of Christ to the Shepherds. Then the whole sky was filled with angels praising God for the incarnation.
Well, this Christmas, I’d like to explore a little more in depth the ministry of these angels, because they’re not only a prominent part of the Christmas story; they are a prominent part of our every-day lives. In the next couple of weeks, we’ll see the angels as guardians, warriors, and messengers.
But today, we’ll see them as “ministering spirits,” waiting on God’s people. If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 1 Kings 19, 1 Kings 19, where we see how an angel ministered to an Old Testament Believer.
1 Kings 19:1-4 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” (ESV)
Let me set the story in its context. Just before this, Elijah had prayed down fire from heaven in a spectacular contest with 450 prophets of Baal. For six hours, they called on their god, asking him to send fire from heaven, but nothing happened. This was disconcerting, especially since Baal was the god of thunder.
About halfway into it, Elijah began to make fun of them. “Cry louder,” he said. “Perhaps your god is asleep. Maybe he’s away on a journey. Or maybe he’s going to the bathroom.”
This made them mad. They danced themselves into a frenzy, crying louder, and even cutting themselves to get Baal’s attention, but nothing happened.
Then, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, Elijah built a simple altar with 12 stones. He arranged the wood on top, and cut up an ox, which he put on the wood. Then he drenched the altar with water, soaking the wood and filling the trench all around it.
He prayed a simple prayer, and the true God answered with fire. It came down from heaven, and consumed the ox, the wood, AND the stones. The people worshipped the true and living God, and Elijah killed all 450 prophets of Baal.
Now, at this point, Elijah is physically and emotionally drained. That’s why he is running scared from one woman, Queen Jezebel, even after he’s overpowered 450 men. He runs into the desert, sits down under a desert shrub, and asks God to take his life. That’s where the ministry of an angel comes into Elijah’s life.
1 Kings 19:5-8 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. (ESV)
The angel let him sleep – More than anything else, Elijah needed rest. Then the angel touched Elijah, woke him up and had a meal ready for him – twice.
AN ANGEL MINISTERED TO ELIJAH’S PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL NEEDS.
He strengthened Elijah, so he could hear God’s call back into the ministry. That’s what the rest of the chapter is all about. Elijah goes to a mountain where he hears God’s still small voice. God tells him, “I’m not through with you yet. I have kings for you to anoint, a young man for you to train, and more great things for you to do.”
Have you ever felt physically and emotionally drained? That’s when you need to stop, take a rest, and let the angels of God minister to you as they did to Elijah. Then, you’ll hear God’s still small voice again, and you'll be ready to do even greater things for Him.
That’s how Billy Graham was able to preach to thousands of people well into his 80’s. In his book on angels, he said, “As an evangelist, I have often felt too far spent to minister from the pulpit to men and women who have filled stadiums to hear a message from the Lord. Yet again and again, my weariness has vanished, and my strength has been renewed. I have been filled with God’s power, not only in my soul, but physically. On many occasions, God has become especially real, and has sent his unseen angelic visitors to touch my boy to let me be His messenger from heaven, speaking as a dying man to dying men” (Angels, p.87).
Do you know, God’s angels not only minister to prophets and evangelists. They minister to young mothers at the end of their rope. They minister to students at the end of a semester, and to fathers struggling to provide for their families.
If you know Jesus as your personal Savior, God sends His angels to minister to YOU! So if you’re overwhelmed today, take a break and let yourself be strengthened by their ministry. An angel ministered to Elijah. And…
ANGELS MINISTERED TO JESUS, AS WELL.
That’s because even Jesus needed their strengthening ministry while He was here on earth.
Turn with me to Matthew 4, Matthew 4. When you get there, you’ll notice that this is the account of Jesus’ temptation by the Devil. Satan knew that Jesus had come to deal him a deadly blow, but if he could get Jesus to sin, if he could get Jesus to fail just once, then he’d have Him.
Now, Jesus had gone without food for 40 days. He was physically weak and therefore spiritually vulnerable, as well. That’s when Satan chose to strike. And let me tell you, that’s when Satan always strikes. He hits us when we’re down.
Well, Jesus withstood Satan’s attacks. He resisted temptation. And when it was all over, Matthew 4:11 says, “Then the devil left Him, and behold angels came and were ministering to Him.” Literally, they served Him a meal; they waited on Jesus. Jesus was physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained. So God sent him angels to minister to Him, just as they ministered to Elijah in the wilderness.
They ministered to Him in a time of great temptation, and they also ministered to Him in a time of great trial.
Turn with me to one more passage: Luke 22, Luke 22. Here, Jesus is in the garden of Gethsemane. He is facing the cross, and He asked His disciples to watch and pray with Him. He needed their support, but they all fell asleep.
That’s the way it is with people. They get tired; and at a time when you need them most, they have often “checked out.” NOT GOD’S ANGELS.
Look at Luke 22:43: “And there appeared to Him an angel from heaven strengthening Him.” (ESV) Literally, an angel made Him strong on the inside. An angel gave Him inward strength.
Luke 22:44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (ESV)
The cross was not an easy thing for Jesus to face. Not only was there the physical agony of being nailed to a wooden plank; there was the spiritual agony as well. Jesus, for the first time, was going to experience separation from His Heavenly Father. He was going to experience the wrath of God, not for His own sin, but for yours and mine.
The Bible says, “For our sake [God] made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV).
Can you imagine Jesus having a criminal record? I can’t. But if you could, what do you suppose would be on His record? He loved God. He loved people. He always did what was right. He was perfect.
What’s on your criminal record in heaven? Murder? The Bible says, if you’ve hated somebody, you’ve already murdered him in your heart. What else is there? Lust? Lying? Stealing? Our records are not too good, are they?
So Jesus switched records with us on the cross. He took the blame for our crimes. He was penalized for our sins, so that now, when we trust Christ, God sees HIS record in OUR file in heaven, and God declares us righteous.
That meant that God had to declare Jesus “un-righteous.” God had to see YOUR record in CHRIST’s file in heaven, and God had to treat Jesus as a sinner, so he could treat you as a saint.
All you have to do is trust Jesus with your life. Call on Him and ask Him to save you from your sins. Then God will declare you righteous, because Jesus paid the penalty for your sins on the cross.
It was a horrible thing for the pure, spotless Lamb of God to face, but an angel came along and gave Him the inner strength to face it.
An angel ministered to Elijah. Angels ministered to Jesus. And…
ANGELS MINISTER TO BELIEVERS TODAY.
Your Heavenly Father sends them to give you inner strength, to give you what you need to hear His voice again, and to face the trials and temptations that come your way.
Many people consider Anthony Burger, who died at age 44, the finest gospel pianist that ever lived. He had spent ten years playing for the Gaither Vocal Band when he joined them in 2006 on a Christmas cruise in the Caribbean. 1,500 people were on the cruise. They vacationed during the day, and they enjoyed a concert in the ship's theater at night. On the fourth night, Anthony Burger had just played a piano solo. Then five minutes later, as the concert continued, he collapsed of a massive heart attack and died instantly at the piano. It shocked everybody, especially his family.
Becky Pippert was a guest teacher on that cruise, and she was scheduled to address the people the next morning in a Bible study. Becky said that before she got up to teach, a woman came to her and said, “Becky, I want to tell you what happened to me last night—just before Anthony Burger died.” Then she continued, “In the concert last night, after Anthony Burger played his solo, the spotlight went to the other side of the stage, but for some reason I kept my eyes on Anthony Burger. I felt like God was impressing these words in me: I'm going to show you something from my realm that will be an encouragement to people. I was troubled! And suddenly,” she said, “I saw standing behind Anthony Burger, an angel.” She said, “He appeared to be seven feet tall, dressed in white and gold, and he just stood there for about 30 seconds. He put his hand on Anthony's shoulder, and Anthony looked up and then slumped down and died—when just minutes before, he had played the song "We Shall Behold Him.” (Bob Russell, in his sermon “Heaven: How Do We Get There?” www.preachingtoday.com)
That angel was there to minister to Anthony Burger just before he died. And dear believer, angels are there to minister to you in your time of greatest need.
Are you facing a time of temptation? Are you facing a severe trial? Are you physically and emotionally drained? Then ask God to send one of His holy angels to minister to you. They’ll help you face the temptation. They’ll give you strength in the trial. They’ll minister to you in your time of need.
Dr. S. W. Mitchell, a celebrated Philadelphia neurologist, had gone to bed after an exceptionally tiring day. Suddenly, he was awakened by someone knocking on his door. Opening it, he found a little girl, poorly dressed and deeply upset. She told him her mother was very sick and asked him if he would please come with her. It was a bitterly cold, snowy night, and even though he was bone tired, Dr. Mitchell got dressed and followed the girl.
When they arrived at their destination, he found the mother desperately sick with pneumonia. After arranging for medical care, he complimented the sick woman on the intelligence and persistence of her little daughter.
The woman looked at him strangely and said, “My daughter died a month ago.” She added, “Her shoes and coat are in the clothes closet there.”
Dr. Mitchell, amazed and perplexed, went to the closet and opened the door. There, hung the very coat worn by the little girl who had brought him to tend her mother. It was warm and dry and could not possibly have been out in the wintry night (Billy Graham, Angels, p.14).
Now, the Bible teaches that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So we know that it was not the little girl’s spirit that knocked on the doctor’s door. She was with Jesus that night. No, it was one of God’s “ministering spirits,” one of God’s angels, who came that night in the form of a little girl.
I know it sounds incredible, but no more incredible than the angels appearing to Mary, then to Joseph, then to the Shepherds that first Christmas. You see, God’s angels are not just for the characters of Christmas. They are here for you today!
As the Bible says, God sends them out as “ministering spirits... to serve those who are to inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). Trust God to send His angels to minister to you in your time of need.
