Luke 1:5 (NLT) It all begins with a Jewish priest, Zechariah, who lived when Herod was king of Judea. Zechariah was a member of the priestly order of Abijah. His wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7They had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and now they were both very old.
8One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary and burn incense in the Lord’s presence. 10While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
11Zechariah was in the sanctuary when an angel of the Lord appeared, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12Zechariah was overwhelmed with fear. 13But the angel said, "DON’T BE AFRAID, Zechariah! For God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John. 14You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice with you at his birth, 15for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or hard liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16And he will persuade many Israelites to turn to the Lord their God. 17He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, the prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom."
We’re in the series "Christmas Calms Our Fears" and were looking this month at the four times angels appeared to central characters of the Christmas story with this message from God: "Don’t be afraid."
Last week we saw how the angel told Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary to be his wife. Today we’re looking at Zechariah, father to John the Baptist. The angel appears to him while he is doing his work as a priest in the Jewish Temple.
The word angel means, "messenger," but although they deliver God’s message, the activity of these celestial beings on God’s behalf most often goes unseen to the human eye. (They are mentioned in 34 of the 66 books of the Bible.) They mostly operate in the spiritual realm. But occasionally God allowed angels to appear in visible form. Their appearances are rare and therefore somewhat mysterious.
Angels were especially active in the earthly realm during the time period of the first Christmas. The case we consider today is that of the appearance of the angel to Zechariah the priest, informing him that the prayers of he and his wife for a child were going to be answered. The reason a guest appearance by an angel was called for by God was because this child was going to be so special, so integrally woven into God’s plan for the public ministry of Jesus. He would prepare the way for Christ.
In keeping with the theme of our current series we note that the angel told Zechariah, "Don’t be afraid." Last week we saw how the angel of the Lord told Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary to be his wife even though she was already expecting a child. In this instance, it seems to be the appearance of the angel that motivates Zechariah’s fear.
Why are humans afraid of angels?
I guess that question can be answered easily enough. Angels come from another realm. They’re characteristics aren’t familiar to us even though the Bible most often describes them as being very human-like in their appearance. Another thing, they don’t make public appearances that often. We also read in the Word of God that sometimes they showed up because God was using them as messengers of judgment, not just bearers of good news. Perhaps Zechariah feared the worst.
Satan plays on our fears. God and His angels tell us not to be afraid. We must choose who we’re going to listen to.
You might say, "Well if I had been Zechariah I wouldn’t have been afraid of an angel!" Really?
We probably shouldn’t be so quick to judge Zechariah for being afraid. How upset do you get when things happen in your life that you didn’t expect? How fearful and anxious and angry and depressed and discouraged do you become?
What has God been trying to teach you lately by letting the unexpected transpire in your life?
For whatever reason, Zechariah’s fear and alarm were definitely in response to witnessing the presence of the angel in the temple. Why is it that we are sometimes afraid of the very things that ought to bring us courage? Why do we sometimes shy from spiritual things?
Many people are afraid of spirituality because they are afraid of what they can’t see. In this case, Zechariah was afraid of something he had never seen before. He believed in angels – but up to this point in his life – their existence was only a matter of academics.
God doesn’t want our spirituality to be something we only talk about. He wants it to be something we live. Sometimes He allows us to face spiritual realities so that we can grow in our understanding and be at ease with the workings of spiritual life. We live on the physical plane and often treat it like it’s the only reality. What is going on in the spiritual world is just as real and is going to last forever while what we see is temporary.
I want to walk some holy ground with you today – which is what Christmas is all about. The first Christmas was a season of heavenly visits – the greatest being God Himself visiting us with the gift of His Son. But I want to focus more on the visits of the angels today and see how you can glean some information to help you with the fears you face in life - especially why you don’t need to fear angels and other aspects of the heavenly realm. I think we need to prepare for eternity’s environment since we’re going to be going there and since we’ll be there forever.
I want to do this by reminding you of what the Bible teaches concerning how the ministry of angels intersects your life. We know angels were created to worship and praise God. That’s something we have in common with them. But what I want you to see today, something that’s very encouraging, is why, like Zechariah, you don’t have to fear angels or any other spiritual reality, why you can actually thank God that He created them. Why you need to be aware of their ministry in your life. Why you need to recognize and walk on the spiritual plane.
1. Angels served to communicate God’s Word.
For example, angels were involved in revealing God’s law to Moses. When Stephen was talking to his fellow Jews he said in Acts 7:53a (NCV) "You received the Law of Moses, which God gave you through his angels…"
Moses wrote down God’s law in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, but he had help. We know the Holy Spirit inspired him, but here we learn that one of the ways the Holy Spirit delivered God’s Word through Moses and others was that angels communicated parts of the story from God.
The Bible also makes mention of their similar ministry to Daniel in writing his prophecies and John while writing the book of Revelation.
Not only did angels help Bible writers at times, but they also guided God’s people with His instructions at important junctures. Angels gave instructions to Joseph about the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1-2), to the women at the empty tomb of Jesus (Mt. 28, Mk. 16, Lk. 24), to Philip, one of the deacons in the early church (Acts 8:26), and to Cornelius, a Gentile seeking salvation (Acts 10).
The important thing to us is that we can read the Word of God with all of its blessings upon our lives because angels did their job.
The skeptics immediately infer that claiming the involvement of angels in the dissemination of the Word of God makes it less reliable. "How can you verify something otherworldly?" they question.
The question we really must ask is; "How can you consider what you have as the Word of God if it is not otherworldly?"
How can you claim the Bible is the Word of God if God didn’t oversee its design? Many critics want to take all of the miraculous out of the Bible and yet claim it is a good book. If the miraculous in the Bible is not true then it cannot possibly be a good book. If the angels, and miracles and mighty works of God are not true then the Bible is not true – and a book of lies can’t possibly be a good book.
The involvement of angels is just one of the many reasons we can trust the reliability of Scripture!
Scoffers claim that they are neutral observers and that it takes faith to believe the Bible while their viewpoint is based solely on rational thinking. The speak of people who believe the Bible to be literally true in patronizing tones.
"Even skeptics have faith. They have faith their skepticism is true. Likewise agnostics have faith that agnosticism is true. There are no neutral positions when it comes to beliefs." ("I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist," Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek.)
Remember, the question we are considering is; "Does God still send angels?" He doesn’t have to send angels to complete the Bible because that revelation is already finished. You and I need to take advantage of the work angels have already had a hand in.
Read the Bible with all the confidence in the world that it is totally and completely the Word of God. And since it is the Word of God what it can do in your life is revolutionary! The Bible can give you wisdom for every area of your life.
The second answer to the question, "Does God still send angels?" is this:
2. Angels help provide physical needs and protection.
The angels ministered to Christ after 40 days of fasting and afterward being tempted by Satan in the wilderness.
Matthew 4:11 (GNT) Then the Devil left Jesus; and angels came and helped him.
When Elijah the prophet was running from the wicked king and queen of Israel who were trying to kill him, he fell exhausted in the wilderness.
1 Kings 19:5 (NLT) Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, "Get up and eat!" 6He looked around and saw some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.
There are other such instances in Scripture. But the question remains, "Does God still do this today? Does He still send angels when we face life’s wilderness experiences? Do they deliver God’s assistance when we are at the end of our rope?"
Hebrews 1:14 (GNT) What are the angels, then? They are spirits who serve God and are sent by him to help those who are to receive salvation.
Psalm 91:11 (NLT) For he orders his angels to protect you wherever you go.
If you are a follower of Christ, you have spiritual bodyguards! Their purpose is to serve God by helping and protecting you.
It was an angel that shut the mouths of the lions when Daniel was thrown into their den. (Daniel 6) Angels delivered several apostles from jail in Acts 5, and an angel delivered Peter from prison in Acts 12.
Consider this account from "Angels, God’s Secret Agents" by Billy Graham.
"The Reverend John G. Paton, pioneer missionary in the New Hebrides Islands, told a thrilling story involving the protective care of angels. Hostile natives surrounded his mission headquarters one night, intent on burning the Patons out and killing them. John Paton and his wife prayed all during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see that, unaccountably, the attackers had left. They thanked God for delivering them.
"A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Jesus Christ, and Mr. Paton, remembering what had happened, asked the chief what had kept him and his men from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, "Who were all those men you had with you there?" The missionary answered, "There were no men there; just my wife and I." The chief argued that they had seen many men standing guard - hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords in their hands. They seemed to circle the mission station so that the natives were afraid to attack. Only then did Mr. Paton realize that God had sent His angels to protect them. The chief agreed that there was no other explanation."
Graham continues, "Christians must never fail to sense the operation of angelic glory. It forever eclipses the world of demonic powers, as the sun does the candle’s light.
If you are a believer, expect powerful angels to accompany you in your life experiences. And let those events dramatically illustrate the friendly presence of ‘the holy ones,’ as Daniel calls them."
The third answer to the question, "Does God still send angels" is this:
3. Angels strengthen and encourage.
As we already read, they ministered to Jesus in the wilderness, and to the prophets and apostles.
One specific Scriptural incident perhaps best illustrates this encouraging ministry of angels. The Apostle Paul was on a ship bound for Rome. He was a prisoner for preaching the Good News about Jesus. Sometimes people get angry at us for communicating the Good News but we need not fear. A storm arose and everyone was fearful of their life. That’s when Paul spoke up.
Acts 27:23 (NLT) For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, 24and he said, "Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you." 25So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said.
The ship Paul and the other 275 men were on broke apart in the stormy sea, but all of them survived.
May I suggest to you that it’s a good idea to hang out with people God is protecting? May I also remind you that God’s messengers bring hope and encouragement today?
The book of Revelation starts out with a very interesting premise. The seven letters addresses to the seven churches of Asia were to be delivered to the "angels" of those churches.
Revelation 1:1 (NLT) This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him concerning the events that will happen soon. An angel was sent to God’s servant John so that John could share the revelation with God’s other servants.
Who were the "other servants?" All of us who follow Christ. But how were we to receive the message?
Revelation 1:20 (NLT) This is the meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Seven times in Revelation chapters two and three Christ instructs John to send His Revelation to the angels of each the seven Asian churches – Ephesus, Smyrna, etc. So John originally addressed the revelation that Jesus gave him to the angels of the churches.
Since the word "angel" means "messenger" all Bible commentators that I’m aware of believe Jesus was instructing John to send the letters to the pastors of those churches. The messenger of God in the local church is the pastor.
You didn’t know your pastor was an angel did you? A pastor is like an angel in that, he’s God’s messenger. And when you hear God’s message it strengthens and encourages you. That’s why you should make it a regular habit to be faithful to attend worship and hear the Word of God proclaimed. Satan, the culture around you, and the weakness of your own selfishness will try to provide excuses to keep you from hearing the Word so you’ve got to make it a priority to be faithful to hear God’s Word by personal choice. You must decide other things are not going to take you away from the proclamation of the Bible. You must have the strength and encouragement from God’s message via God’s messenger.
Let me wrap it all up with a Scriptural account that tells us how important it is that we believe in and acknowledge the ministry of angels in our lives.
During the time Israel was ruled by kings in the Old Testament, a prophet named Elisha spoke for God when Israel was at war with Syria. The king of Syria was furious because someone kept telling Israel’s king of Syria’s troop movements. He called in his officers and wanted to know who was spilling the beans and they informed him that their intelligence said Elisha the prophet was to blame.
2 Kings 6:12 (NLT) "It’s not us, my lord," one of the officers replied. "Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!"
13The king commanded, "Go and find out where Elisha is, and we will send troops to seize him."
When the king of Syria found out where Elisha was he sent troops after him. The enemy soldiers surrounded the city of Dothan to take Elisha. The servant with Elisha was filled with fear when he saw the enemy soldiers with their horses and chariots. So this is what Elisha said.
2 Kings 6:16 (NLT) "Don’t be afraid!" Elisha told him. "For there are more on our side than on theirs!" 17Then Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!" The LORD opened his servant’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.
Those horses and chariots of fire were angels sent to protect Elisha. Elisha knew they were there but his servant did not – not until God let him see.
Today I want you to see that God still sends angels. I want you to know that these servant spirits of God helped get the Word of God written and still help it get communicated today. They’re God’s messengers and we should pay close attention to the messages in the Bible that God has arranged for our good.
Angels help God deliver our needs and provide protection.
They strengthen and encourage us.
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NCV) We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see. What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever.
Do you believe that just because you cannot "see" God at work right at this moment, He isn’t working?
In your life, in your job, in your relationships, in your finances, in your church, God is at work. Angels are always hovering around you. Live by what you cannot see. It will last forever!
Let’s pray together.
If you have never entered a truly spiritual lifestyle by making a faith commitment to Christ, why not do it right now? Christ is real just as angels are real. You sense His reality right now because His Holy Spirit is speaking lovingly to your heart asking you to say "yes" to Jesus.
You may pray a simple prayer like this from your heart: "Dear God, thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sins. I am now committing myself to believing in Jesus. I want to live a truly spiritual life by following Him. Help me as I begin this new life."
If you’re already a follower of Christ thank God for the ministry of angels. Thank God that even though you don’t see them you know they’re there because the Bible says they are. Because of angels and because of the spiritual promises of the Word of God you don’t have to be afraid.
I want to ask you to take whatever fear it is that you have, whatever anxiety, whatever worry, and take it to God in prayer right now. If you want to come forward in prayer with a specific need you are more than welcome to do so. Someone will pray with you if you’d like. If someone here wants to come forward to acknowledge his or her decision to receive Christ today we also encourage you to do so.
(Closing Prayer)
Our Heavenly Father we thank you today for the ministry of angels and for everything else in the spiritual realm that we cannot see with our human eyes that you have set in operation for our good. Help us to live by faith and not by sight. We worry so much about the material things when it is the spiritual things that are the most important. Forgive us and help us in our weak condition. When we are tempted to be afraid help us to remember that your love for us has made sure we are not alone. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
