12-20-20 “Batteries lose their power, but His angels are Eveready”

 
4^th Sunday of Advent            Scripture    Matthew 26:50-54
 
The angels had seen Jesus, as God, previously to Him becoming human. When Jesus humbled Himself in becoming human, they saw the Lord of creation make Himself into a servant. These same angels, who had seen Jesus banish the angel Lucifer who became the Devil, Satan; then see this same fallen angel tempting Jesus. The angels observed Jesus suffering at the hands of sinful humanity, agonizing in the Garden of Gethsemane, and dying a humiliating death between two thieves. Over and over again, they observed the great love that Jesus showed toward humanity.
The ministry of angels can be found throughout the life of Christ. From His birth, to His ascension into heaven, angels played an important role in the ministry of Christ. The fact that angels had an attentive role around the ministry of Jesus is another testimony of His Deity. Just as they surround the throne of God the Father and serve Him, they also were around Jesus - attending to God the Son.
1 Timothy 3:16   This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough: He appeared in a human body, was proved right by the invisible Spirit, was seen by angels. He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples, believed in all over the world, taken up into heavenly glory.
 
We know angels are integral to the Christmas story. Even before Jesus is born an angel appears to Zechariah announcing Elizabeth will give birth miraculously to John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, then to Mary who would even more miraculously give birth to God’s son, and finally in a dream to Joseph who would serve as the earthy father of Jesus.
Let’s look at the angels much further out in their biblical relation to Jesus, and work our way back to the angels of Christmas. I have divided them into 10 events listed somewhat like the 10 commandments of the OT. The first 4 commandments are about our relationship with God and the other 6 are about our relationship with each other. The first 4 angel events have to do with things beyond the earthly life of Jesus, and the other 6 have to do with his time on earth from his ascension into heaven back to the very first moments of his birth.
 
1)      At the Second Coming, the angels will gather the elect
Matthew 24:30-31   At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
 
2)      When Jesus returns, mighty angels will come with him
2 Thessalonians 1:5b-8   You're suffering now, but justice is on the way. When the Master Jesus appears out of heaven in a blaze of fire with his strong angels, he'll even up the score by settling accounts with those who gave you such a bad time.
 
3)      Jesus will have the angels separate the wicked from the righteous.
Matt 13:40-41, 49   As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous.
 
4)      Jesus makes our salvation known to the angels:
Luke 12:8-9
I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. Making a list & checking it twice – gonna find out who is naughty or nice.

DURING JESUS MINISTRY ON EARTH

 
 
5)      Angels were present at Jesus’ Ascension
Acts 1:9-11   These were his last words. As they watched, he was taken up and disappeared in a cloud. They stood there, staring into the empty sky. Suddenly two men appeared — in white robes! They said, "You Galileans! — why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly — and mysteriously — as he left."
 
6)      There were 2 angels present at Jesus resurrection (you need to read all 4 gospels to get the whole story, but I particularly like this description of the first angel who appears.
Matthew 28:2-7   There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.   His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
 
7)      They angels were not present but were battle ready at Jesus’ arrest. A legion was approximately 5000 foot soldiers and horsemen. 12 legions would equal an army of about 60,000.
Matthew 26:50-54   Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. "Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"
          Satan said, throw your self off the temple…  At the cross, those who passed by said, come down from the cross and save yourself.
8)      When Jesus was exhausted and alone, the angels showed up to minister to him.
Luke 22:41-43   He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."  An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.
Matthew 4:10-11   Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
9)      When Jesus’ life as a baby was threatened, the angels made sure he would be protected.
Matthew 2:13   When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."
Matthew 2:19-20   After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."
 
10)    The first angel, then angels, appear just after Jesus is born to Tweet, or announce, his arrival into the world.
Luke 2:8-12   And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
THE ANGELIC EXCLAMATION POINT
Luke 2:13-15   Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." The angels had left them and went back into heaven.
          What is a great company or multitude? The Greek says, στρατιά,n (stratia)  Jerome translated it with the Latin word militia. Both words refer to an “army.” The word previous to army πλῆθος or plethos in Greek (plethora or a great number). Put that together and you have a vast army of angels – say maybe 60,000?...........
          ….…60,000 angels…….Who are announcing the greatest event in human history, the birth of Christ, who prepared Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph for Christ’s coming into the world, who protected baby Jesus by communicating with Joseph and the wisemen, who ministered to Jesus after Satan tempted him, who were eveready to save him at his betrayal, arrest and trial, who rolled away the stone to awaken Jesus from death and announce is resurrection, who told the disciples that Jesus would return in the same way he ascended into heaven, who listen to Jesus acknowledge every sinner who puts their trust in him, who at Jesus’ call will separate the wicked from the righteous, who will come again with Jesus to make things right in the world, and who will stand with Jesus giving a loud trumpet shout as they gather all Christians to bring them into the eternal glory that awaits every one of us with Jesus – the baby who has become our king!

 

          His angels are Eveready to minister to you if you are dealing with depression, anxiety, broken relationships, poverty, exhaustion, betrayal, temptation, grief, loneliness, isolation, physical illness, spiritual emptiness, sin or any other issue you may feel like you face alone, he has a vast army of angels who are ready to do battle for your sake and the really good news, they not only see you in your situation, they have seen and continue to see Jesus in all his glory. When your eyes have grown dark because of the world crashing in around you, Jesus sends a bright light that pronounces to you “DO NOT BE AFRAID, I BRING YOU GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY, JESUS PROMISED HE WOULD BE WITH YOU TO THE VERY END OF THE AGE!