Angels and Jesus

1. Have we ever thought about Jesus and how His life often involved angels?

2. Jesus and angels interacted with one another many, many times and this is not surprising.

3. Angels are heavenly creatures.

4. If Jesus came from heaven, then He and the heavenly angels were familiar with one another.

5. We would almost expect that while on the earth angels had dealings with Him.

THROUGHOUT THE NEW TESTAMENT WE ARE REMINDED OF HOW JESUS CAME TO THE EARTH ABOUT 2,000 YEARS AGO.

a) Jesus was not the only one to come to our planet. Angels also came.

b) Tonight we want to study a number of passages which deal with this subject.

2) All four gospels have references to angels during Jesus’ earthly existence.

3) We see angels involved at the time prior to His birth, during His birth, and His early childhood.

4) We see angels right after His temptations.

5) We do not find, however, any reference to angels during the Lord’s 3 ½ year ministry.

6) Jesus did, however, speak about angels during His ministry.

7) Angels and Jesus are really tied together time and time again.

8) If we accept Jesus, we accept angels. If we somehow deny angels, we must deny Jesus.

a) In some ways our culture is similar to the first century world.

b) In other ways it is not. One distinction is the arrival of an important person.

c) In ancient times when a king or nobleman traveled abroad, he would have a “herald.”

d) There would be someone would serve as an announcer. Angels served as announcers for Jesus.

9) According to the Bible, Elizabeth was the mother of John the Baptist.

10) Six months after Elizabeth began pregnant, the angel Gabriel was sent to Mary, her cousin.

11) Mary was an ideal candidate to bring the Messiah into the world.

12) The angel Gabriel showed up and said she was the chosen one.

13) Lk. 1:26-37 says Gabriel told Mary what heaven had planned.

14) Mary was satisfied with the information from the angel Gabriel.

15) Joseph did not immediately have this information so he was concerned when he found out about the baby.

a) He was thinking about what to do and an angel appeared to him (Mt. 1:20).

b) Since Gabriel went to Mary, many think Gabriel also appeared to Joseph.

c) We do not know if Gabriel went to see Joseph or it was some other angel.

d) Matthew does not say it was Gabriel who visited Joseph.

e) We do find an angelic visit to both of Jesus’ parents.

16) The pregnancy proceeded and Jesus was finally born.

17) Because of a census, Jesus, Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem (Lk. 2).

a) In this area we find shepherds who were out in the field (Lk. 2:8).

b) Lk. 2:9 says an “angel of the Lord stood beside them.”

c) Then the angel delivered a message – verses 10-11– READ.

d) It then seems other angels were present or became visible – verse 13 – READ.

18) The verse that really stands out—something we may not have noticed—is verse 11—READ.

19) Have we ever paused to study this passage?

20) At Jesus’ birth there was angelic recognition of a very specific point: Jesus was born to be a savior.

21) Angels had some knowledge of why Jesus had come to the earth.

22) Based upon Eph. 3:10, angels did not fully understand what was taking place.

a) They did have some understanding about man and redemption.

b) Peter said (1 Pet. 1:12) that angels were very interested in the salvation of mankind.

23) It fascinates me to hear people talk about angels.

a) Our society is just infatuated with angels.

b) If we really delve into angels we find something.

c) We learn that angels are not really all that fascinating.

d) No, what is really interesting is God and His plan of salvation for man.

e) The actions of angels tell us that we need to be looking at Jesus and ourselves instead of them.

f) Our world usually focuses on the wrong things time after time.

24) One more example of how the world gets things wrong involves who is important.

25) Society says the important people are those who have wealth and power.

26) Angels show us that such is not true in the eyes of God.

27) Staying with Luke 2, who do we find angels appearing to in this chapter?

a) Luke says they appeared to shepherds in a field.

b) Why announce the birth of the world’s savior to shepherds?

c) Why not go to the Pharisees and Scribes? Why not tell the Sadducees?

d) Why not alert Herod? We may not know all the reasons, but I can offer this one.

e) Shepherds represented one of the lowliest classes of people in first century times.

f) By having angels appear to them we have lasting proof that God is really concerned about all people.

28) No one is too insignificant, poor, or something else to be saved.

29) After Jesus’ birth we find angelic involvement a little later in His life.

30) There were angels in His childhood.

a) After Jesus was born Joseph took his family into a house (Mt. 2:11).

b) We are not given any details about this house. We do know this.

c) There is a substantial amount of time between Lk. 2 (the shepherds) and Mt. 2.

d) In Mt. 2 the shepherds are long gone; we now are introduced to the wise-men.

31) These men had appeared to Herod in Jerusalem and asked about the Lord (verse 1).

32) They said they had “seen His star” (Mt. 2:2) and wanted to worship Him.

33) That worried king so this ruler gathered a lot people and started to ask questions.

a) He wanted to know where Jesus would be born.

b) He got a Bible answer: Bethlehem.

c) The wise men were then told to go to this community and find Jesus.

d) They did, and upon locating the Lord they worshipped Him.

34) God knew that Herod was not honest; Herod had lied to the wiremen.

35) Because Herod was an evil man, the wiremen received a heavenly message – verse 12 of Mt. 2 - READ.

36) After these men were gone, angels again appeared on the scene – verse 13 – READ.

37) The end of verse 13 has a very interesting statement.

a) The angel said, “stay there till I TELL THEE.”

b) This angel recognized that he had a two-part mission.

c) He would need to return to Joseph at a later time.

d) Furthermore, notice how this angel communicated with Joseph: it used a dream.

e) I do not understand how an angel could be incorporated into a human dream.

f) I do not know why God used a dream instead of a more direct approach.

38) I do know the angel was able to communicate to Joseph in a way he understood.

a) This communication reveals to us a significant point of application.

b) How many times has someone said to us, “the Bible cannot be understood”?

c) A similar statement is, “everyone understands the Bible differently.”

d) “You have your interpretation and I have mine.”

e) When we look at angels and their communicating to man, people understood.

f) If men were able to understand angels, can they not also understand the Bible God wrote?

g) Are angels mightier than God? Why can angelic speech be understood but not the Word of God?

39) Related to this point is the command in Mt. 2 to flee into Egypt.

a) Joseph was not told Asia was off limits.

b) The angel didn’t say, “You cannot go to Italy or Greece.”

c) What if Joseph had preferred one of these other locations?

d) Could he have gone to a place besides Egypt and pleased God?

e) Virtually everyone would say he could not have done that; it would have been wrong.

f) An angel specified one country but said absolutely nothing about other countries.

g) Because this angel gave a detailed command, that omitted all other possibilities.

40) Most would agree that Joseph was authorized to go to only one place.

41) The angel did not say where Joseph had to stay in Egypt.

a) Joseph could have rented a place, bought a house, or camped out by the Nile river.

b) A country was specified so he was obligated t go there.

42) If this principle is granted, then people have a major breakthrough in understanding the Bible.

43) If God is specific about something, then that that specific points prevents us from doing something else.

a) God has specified by example the elements for the Lord's Supper.

b) We have bread and the fruit of the vine. This is what Jesus used and the first Christians used.

c) Since God has given us an example of what to use, we cannot use orange juice and doughnuts.

d) There is no passage in the Bible that says “thou shall not use orange juice.”

e) Yet, we can say this absolutely wrong? It is wrong because an angel said “go to Egypt.”

f) When God gives a specific command, that command cannot be altered (added to or taken away from).

g) When it comes to music God has said “sing.” What does that mean

h) It means sing. If this were not enough the Bible also says, make melody with the heart.

i) What if we want to make melody on a piano? That would be like Joseph saying no to Egypt.

j) God has said the contribution is to come through free-will offerings.

k) What does this mean? There are no bake sales and care washes.

l) Joseph was not told how he had to get to Egypt; such is also true for us with God’s word.

m) There are some commands that are specific, but we have leeway in carrying them out.

n) How are we going to distribute the elements for the Lord's Supper each Sunday?

o) We are restricted in what we use, but we are not restricted in how we distribute the items.

p) We might use one cup or many cups. One might use disposable cups or cups we need to wash.

q) Where is the bread going to come from? God has not been specific on that point.

r) From angels we find a critical tool in interpreting the Bible, a tool many do not understand.

44) We have more to say about angels and the life of Jesus, but that will be saved for next week.

45) Tonight we want to close on the fact that angels are interested in man; they want people to be saved.

46) They would like to see each one here saved. Is that our spiritual condition?