Holy Angels

Before we get started, let's turn over to the back of our sheet. I want to quickly review where we have been. In lesson one, we did a review of the nature and attributes of God. And the reason why we did that, of course, is everything that God does, all of His works, extend from His character, from who He is. So He is the ground of all things, rest in His character. The second week, we looked at the decrees of God, which is the plans of God. And that explains the end of all things, because all things are decreed by God to serve His holy purposes. Week three, we looked at creation, which describes and explains the beginning of all things. Week four, we looked at preservation, which describes the continuance of all things. Week number five, we looked at providence, which explains the progression and the development of all things. Last week, lesson six, we looked at miracles, which are an instance of God's special providence. There are instances of God's providence that makes us stand up and take notice that God is directly acting in an amazing way that brings Him glory. Tonight, we're going to be looking at His holy angels. And next week, we're going to be looking at fallen angels. Angels are ministers of God's special providence, okay? And that's what we'll be looking at tonight.

How often do you think about angels?

Not often, right? You know, when you read the Scripture, they're everywhere. When you read through the Old Testament, you'll find angels mentioned over 100 times in the Old Testament alone, right? The New Testament, which is much shorter than the Old Testament, when you get there, you find over 160 references to angels in the New Testament. And this had a very indelible impression on the early church. The early church was very interested in angels. They were witnesses to these angels. And we see that in Scripture, even in the book of Colossians that we just finished up on Wednesday nights maybe a year ago. Paul actually warns the Colossians in chapter two not to worship angels, right? Because you can become so enamored with them, right?

In the Middle Ages, there was intense preoccupation with angels, probably an unhealthy preoccupation with angels.

The commoners, people who did not know the original languages and couldn't even read the Bible in their own language, regular parishioners, they would look for angels behind every raindrop and every blade of grass. Every instance of God's general providence to them was an act of an angel, right?

And they also looked at the negative — behind every sneeze, behind every headache, behind every shadow must be a demon, right? And it didn't help that priests oftentimes, knowing that the flock was ignorant of the Scriptures, would say, "Hey, follow my commandments or the devil's gonna get you, he's gonna drag you to hell," right? So they had an inordinate fear of demons and an intense preoccupation with angels.

The scholastics, which were the scholars during the Middle Ages, they also had an unhealthy preoccupation with angels. But not based in what we call fables or myths, but based in an overt study and going beyond what Scriptures would say. They would argue things, and these were wise men, men who knew the languages, knew Hebrew and Greek, knew the Vulgate and Latin. They would argue how many angels could fit within a thimble. They would argue, do you have guardian angels? If so, do you get them at conception or at birth or at your baptism as an infant? That's the kind of things that they would argue. They would even take things so widely out of context. In Psalm 78, it talks about God providing manna from heaven, refers to it as the food of angels. And so they figured, well, if angels eat, they've got to use a bathroom. And these are scholarly men who would argue. They took the theology of angels and turned it into the scatology of angels. They turned something that should be holy into something that's common and low. And we laugh about that now. But that is a very instructive thing for us in the church. It is what Paul wrote to the Corinthians. He says, don't go beyond what is written, right? We must stick to what Scripture says and leave speculation for others, not for Christians, right? That doesn't belong in the church. Let's stick to what the Scripture says.

Now, the Reformation came about and they had a resurgence of studying the Bible in the original languages. Languages were translated into German, into English, into French. And people began to read the Bible in their own tongues. And they began to learn what the Bible had to say about angels. So there's a revival, more of a correction to a proper place of angels because of the Reformation. But not long after that came the Enlightenment.

And the Enlightenment swung the pendulum in the opposite direction. They said, there's no such things as angels. They said, you know, God condescended to man and men have always talked about angels from the earliest times. And as a result, He just talked to them in a language that they could understand. But angels are not personal beings. They're not spiritual beings. They are just metaphors for good and evil. Personifications of the good acts of men, or ways of explaining the evil things that come across in the universe. So they actually ignored angels. And what's the old saying about the devil? His greatest trick was — what's that? The devil made it. Yeah, the devil's greatest trick was convincing man that he doesn't exist, right? And Paul says, hey, the devil goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. I bring up that background just because I want you to ask yourself, what do you think about angels?

Do you have an unhealthy preoccupation with them or do you not even believe that they exist? "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, and an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid." And then the angel — the character that frightened, meaning the shepherd — the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which shall be to all people." Amen. Angels are all throughout Scripture and we're going to be studying what Scripture has to say about them tonight.

So let's flip over to the front and let's get started. Number one, holy angels are ministers. That's the first blank. Ministers also means servants. They are ministers of God's providence. They serve God's purpose by holiness and voluntary execution of His will. That's the second blank. So the first blank is ministers, the second blank is will. Holy angels are not to be considered as the mediating agents of God's regular and common providence. In other words, God doesn't need angels to tell the sun to rise or the sun to set. God does that. He doesn't need angels at all, but He uses them, as we're going to read here, as ministers of His special providence in caring for His people. That's the third blank, in caring for His people.

So the first blank is ministers, the second blank is will, the third blank is caring.

They are ministers of the special providence to display His glory in special care for His people. Psalm 103, 20 through 21 describes His angels. It says, "Bless the Lord, you His angels." You see that? Angels worship God, right? "Who excel in strength." Angels are marked by their strength. They're called the mighty ones. They are called the host. They are called the heavenly army, right? "Who do His word, they obey God's word." They're at His beck and call. "Heeding the voice of His word," listening to God, always obeying Him. "Bless the Lord, all you of His host, you ministers of His, you servants of His who do His pleasure." That's what angels are. They are servants of God who hear His word, who obey His word, and who are ready to do His pleasure at all times. Okay.

Flip over to the back.

Reference number one is from the book of Revelation, the very last chapter of Revelation.

It says, "Then he said to me" — this is an angel speaking to John. If you remember, the book of Revelation, the Apocalypse of John, was signified to John by an angel. Okay. So it was mediated to John by an angel. And this angel tells John in the closing verses, "Then he said to me, 'See that you do not do that.'" And what's that? John had fallen down to worship this angel. This angel had shown him mighty things and had just shown him the new Jerusalem and the new creation, the new heavens and the new earth. And John — this was overwhelming to John and this angel was glorious. And John fell down to worship him. And the angel says, "See that you do not do that, for I am your fellow" — what? Servant. That's what angels are. "Fellow servants and your brethren, the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book, worship God."

So he tells him, "Don't worship me. Worship God. I'm just a servant." Right? And that's what angels are. The application is this. Serve God — that's the first blank, serve God — by hearing, that's the second blank, and doing — the third blank — His word. Is that not what the angels do? Do they not serve God continually? Do they not hear His word and do His word? We just read that from Psalm 103. And if the angels serve God continually by hearing God's word and by doing it, shall not we? Right? We serve God in the same way by hearing and doing His word.

Bible point number two.

As with miracles — that's the first blank.

As with miracles, the appearance of holy angels are occasional and exceptional, generally marking the beginning of new — that's the second blank — new epochs. An epoch, by the way, it may not be a word that you come across a lot. It means a new era or a new timeframe, a new age. New epochs of God's unfolding plan — the third blank — of redemption.

As with miracles, the appearance of holy angels are occasional and exceptional. You don't see angels all the time when you're walking down the street, at least you don't recognize them if you see them, right? Like miracles, they are not the rule, they are the exception. And when you do see them, they have a pronounced effect, right? Just like miracles. They generally mark the beginning of new epochs of God's unfolding plan of redemption.

God did not save man at the garden, right? When Adam first sinned, it was through a progressive revelation of God slowly revealing Himself, showing man his need for a savior, through the covenant, showing them the fruitfulness or fruitlessness of keeping the law. He could not keep the law, no one could be saved by it. Showing them through the sacrifices their need for a substitute, right? Showing them through the pageantry of the temple that God would one day dwell with men in the person of Jesus Christ, right? And Christ is the fulfillment of all those types and figures, right? And so the angels are often seen at the beginning of these new eras or new epochs of God's unfolding plan.

For example, at the completion of creation, Job 38:7 says that the sons of God, which is another term for angels, rejoiced at the foundation of this world. They were there at the end of creation and they saw its completeness. They said, "Go, God, way to go." They praised God and gave God glory and worshiped Him for His creative work.

At the fall — do you remember what happened when Adam and Eve sinned and they were expelled from the garden? What did God place at the entrance of the garden? Yeah, a holy angel, a cherubim, right? With a flaming sword, right? To guard the entrance there. Some say that that was actually an act of grace to keep Adam from going back and eating of the tree of life and being confirmed in sin. That's a possible explanation for that. But we see that angel being set up as a guardian for the holy place where God was.

At the giving of the law, we find that in the Old Testament, angels were present at the giving of the law. Yes, the law was given through Moses, but it was mediated through angels.

At the incarnation — Sarah just read from Luke chapter two. And what a beautiful story that is where the shepherds are out watching their flocks by night. In fact, let me read that to you. This is such a beautiful passage.

Luke chapter two verse eight. "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid." You saw an angel and all of his glory and radiance and might — you'd be afraid as well, right?

"Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people, for there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord.'" He's the Messiah. He's Yahweh made flesh. "And this will be the sign to you. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger." Hallelujah. "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host." You see an angelic army appear with this one angel. Normally when you see an army, it spells your doom, right?

It means that judgment is coming against you, that there's going to be a battle and you don't want to stand against God's army, right?

But was this heavenly army proclaiming judgment? No. What was it doing? Exactly. Proclaiming the gospel. It says, "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men." This angelic army was proclaiming peace because the Savior, the Prince of Peace, was born, right?

So we see that in the incarnation. We see angels in the wilderness. Remember Matthew 4 records this where Jesus goes at the very beginning of His ministry out to the wilderness and He's tempted by Satan. And after multiple temptations, Satan is repelled by Christ, by the word of God with every single temptation that is presented to Him. Then who comes to His aid after being 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness? Angels did, right? And they ministered to Him.

We see that all throughout Scripture. Remember in the Old Testament, Elijah. Remember when he was running from Ahab and he tells God, "Kill me," right? God doesn't grant him his request graciously. Instead He sends him an angel and the angel touches him on the shoulder and says, "Eat, get your rest." Comes to him again, "Eat, get your rest." And he went on the strength of that food and that rest 40 days and 40 nights, right? A supernatural empowerment by that angel.

We see angels at probably the toughest point of Christ's life, which was at Gethsemane, right?

After He groaned and sweated great drops of blood, if you will, and said, "Take this from me if it's Your will, God."

Who ministered to Him there? Angels came in Gethsemane.

The resurrection.

Back on the flip side. This is such a beautiful account. Matthew 28 at the resurrection.

Reference verse number two on the back. "Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven." When this angel came from heaven and entered into this world, it shook the whole earth. There was a great earthquake. "It says for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it." This was a stone that was eight feet in diameter, a foot thick of solid granite, weighed four tons, pushed to the side like it was nothing and sat on top of it.

Nothing for him because these are the mighty ones who excel in strength.

"Verse three, his countenance was like lightning."

It's very similar to what we see in the description of the glorified Christ in the book of Revelation, is it not? His servants share the appearance of the glory of Christ because they come from the presence of Christ. So they're reflecting His glory. And so this countenance was like lightning. It says, "And his clothing was white as snow." Just as Christ is described in Revelation chapter one, the same way, because they are holy angels who are always engaged in holiness. "And the guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men."

If you are an unbeliever, you would be the same way.

"But the angel answered and said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen.'" And he said, "Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead. And indeed He is going before you into Galilee. There you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.'" They are messengers of God and of hope, right? Saying that Christ is risen, Christ is Lord. He has defeated death, He's defeated the grave. And you're going to see Him just as He promised. Do not be afraid.

We also see angels at His ascension. Remember at the ascension of Christ, Acts chapter one, where two angels appear as they're looking up to heaven to see Christ ascending up in the clouds. They say, "Why are you standing around here?"

"You have orders. Christ is going to come back just as He left. So go into Jerusalem. Do as you've been told and instructed by Christ." We see angels also at the final judgment. That's something that has yet to unfold in God's unfolding plans, right. But at God's judgment, when He comes again in judgment at His second coming — He's coming — the Bible says in Matthew 25 with His holy angels, right. He's coming with angel armies at that point, to punish the unjust. And what a glorious day that will be.

The application is this. Don't focus on angels. First blank is focus, the second blank is angels. Don't focus on angels, but on Jesus Christ. The third blank is Jesus, the fourth blank is Christ. The angels are all about glorifying Christ. They're all about announcing His glorious plan of redemption and revealing that to men. The focus is not on the angels and their might and their excellence, their strength, their glory, their countenance. The focus is on the Lord Jesus Christ. So first blank again is don't focus. Second blank is angels. Third blank in the application is Jesus. The fourth blank is Christ.

Bible point number three. Holy angels are created — that's the first blank — created by God and thus have a dependent and derived existence.

Everything was created by God, even the angels. The angels do not eternally exist before all things. They had a beginning because they are created beings, right? Only God has no beginning and no end. Only God has a grounded existence in Himself. So angels, just like you and I, are created beings. They thus have a dependent and derived existence. If God wanted to discontinue them, He could, right? They serve at His pleasure. Just as He holds us alive, holds our bodies in life, He holds their spirits in life, right?

They are incorporeal. Now, that's not a word we use a whole lot, incorporeal. But what it means is they are without bodies. They don't have bodies. Okay.

The way I remember that, I think of Louis Armstrong, and if he's in heaven, I can see him playing his trumpet with the angels, singing, "I ain't got nobody," right? Angels don't have a body. They are spirits. They are immaterial beings. Okay. Flip over to the back.

Hebrews 1:14 says, "Are they not all ministering" — what? — "spirits." In a few months when we get to anthropology, we're going to see that men are quite different. We're uniquely created by God with two natures, a spiritual nature or an immaterial nature and a material nature. We have a body and a soul, right? Angels don't have a body. Luke 20:36, Jesus is comparing the resurrected saints to angels and showing a slight similarity, saying, "Nor do they die anymore in the resurrection, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, sons of the resurrection." Angels have an existence that is an eternal existence after their creation. God created them without a body, and so they will either be eternally in heaven or the rebellious angels, which we'll discuss next week, will spend the rest of their eternity in the lake of fire, right? As judged beings. Matthew 22:30, Jesus says, "For in the resurrection, neither are they married nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven." Angels don't have a body, so they don't have offspring.

They're not given in marriage. Ephesians 6:12, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood" — speaking of fallen angels — "but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." They are spiritual hosts, not bodily hosts. Okay.

Let's go back to the front. So they have an incorporeal existence or being. They're also personal beings. That's the second blank, personal beings. Just like humans are created in God's image, angels are not created in God's image, but they are created as personal beings. We talked about this as one of the attributes of God, that He's a personal being. And what we meant by that was this. First of all, they have the capacity — a personal being has the capacity to reflect, which means they have an order of intelligence. They can think about themselves. God thinks about Himself in relation to the three persons, the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. He thinks about Himself in relation to His creation, both the natural order of things and created beings. It's the same way angels think about themselves. They think about God. They think about humanity. They're intelligent beings. They are not like a dead stone, right? Or a tree without feeling.

Not only are they what we would call reflective, but they are also what we would call resolute. They have wills. They act freely from within. Some angels chose to rebel against God, and we'll discuss that next week. And they fell from the holy state from which they were created, right? Holy angels use their wills always to serve God. They voluntarily do this freely out of love for God and of glory to God for what they owe their creator, right?

And not only are personal beings reflective, and not only are they resolute, but they are also relational. And we discussed that in relation to God, right? God relates to His people. He chooses His people. He redeems His people. Angels — they relate to God. They relate to one another, and they relate to God's people. Okay? So in their actual being, they are personal beings.

They're also finite beings. That's the third blank, finite beings. All created beings are finite beings. And what does finite mean? Limited, right?

Angels can't create something out of nothing, right? Angels can't bring life out of that which is dead. Angels cannot usurp the authority of God. Angels can be in only one place at a time. Angels are very, very powerful, especially compared to mankind. They are superior in strength to man. Some would say intellect as well, but not compared to God, right? And they are limited in their capacity. Christ is the one who is the head of all principalities, right?

Look at Colossians 1:16. "For by Him" — speaking of Christ Jesus — "all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers." These are all shorthand terms for angels. They're often referred to as thrones and dominions and principalities and powers. "All things were created through Him, through Christ and for Christ."

So as great as they are, they are still finite creatures, right?

The application is this. Worship the Creator, not the creature. First blank is worship the Creator.

Second blank is creature, not the creature. As glorious as angels are, as strong as angels are, remember they are created beings and they serve the Lord Jesus Christ. So worship Him, worship the Creator and not the creature.

Flip over to the back.

Actually, I'm sorry, flip back to the front. We don't need to look at those verses we already have.

Number four. "All angels were created holy." That's the first point for number four. "Holy angels submit their wills to God." Holy angels are called elect angels. That's the second blank, elect angels, because they are elect or chosen unto obedience. They are confirmed in good — that's the third blank — and continually serve.

"All angels were created holy." Holy angels, which are the angels that we talk about in heaven, God's servants and the angels we're talking about tonight, they are confirmed in goodness and continually serve the Lord. In other words, they can't fall. God holds them in their goodness. They are called elect or chosen angels. Just as God chooses His people, He's chosen His angels. 1 Timothy 5:21, Paul is writing to Timothy. It says, "Timothy, remember, you stand before God, you stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels" — the chosen angels. It carries the same idea behind chosen humanity.

They are confirmed in good and continually serve. Good angels can't stop that.

They will always serve the Lord. God holds them in their faithfulness. Just as He holds us — we as the elect of God, the believers in Christ, everyone who is a believer and has put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible says God has chosen them, right? And they will persevere to the end.

The application is, "Praise God that He alone is holy, holy, holy." Part of this holiness is that God must uphold His holiness. He must uphold righteousness, reward righteousness, and punish wickedness. And He uses His elect angels to that end. Flip over to the back.

Matthew 18:10, Jesus says, "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I say to you that in heaven their angels always

see the face of My Father who is in heaven."

He's saying, "Don't despise these little ones. Their angels are always beholding My face. They're always bringing Me glory, always worshiping Me, and they always have My Father's ear."

Angels continually serve the Lord. We don't always continually serve the Lord, do we? Sometimes our love may wax hot, sometimes it may wax cold, right? And we have to have revival, right? We have to repent. Good angels never need to repent.

They're always confirmed and serving the Lord, always engaged in His holy endeavors.

Bible point number five. Holy angels are great — that's the first blank, great — and we mean that great numerically. Great in number, and are described as an organized army. That's the second blank.

They're often called host, angelic host.

With authority delegated — that's the third blank — by God, they are referred to as principalities, powers, dominions, authorities, and thrones. Those are all names that can be descriptions of earthly powers as well. But the Bible uses these terms, these delegated authority, to describe angels, because all authority comes from who? From God, right? And so the angels who exercise dominion and exercise authority, it is a delegated authority.

Michael, which means "who is like God," is referred to as the archangel. We do not fully understand the ranks and orders of angels. It's not revealed to us. The scholastics in the Middle Ages I mentioned earlier had a complex schema of this based on the Roman army and stuff, saying well, it's the way we do it here on this earth, so it must be the way they do it in heaven. Should be the other way around, right? On earth as it is in heaven. So we don't speculate, but we know that Michael is the only angel referred to as an archangel, so he must be their leader in some respect. Michael seems to be a messenger of law and judgment when we see him in Scripture.

Gabriel, who we read about in Luke — Gabriel's the one who brings the announcement of good tidings to Mary and Joseph, and also to Zechariah, who is John's father, right?

It means "God's hero," and he seems to be the messenger of mercy and promise, because we see him associated with the announcements of the birth of Christ, the long-awaited Messiah. Psalm 89:8 says, "O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty like You, O Lord?"

The Lord God is the Lord God of hosts. It means the Lord of angel armies, right? He's the God of these innumerable armies that we cannot see with our eyes. Flip over to the back.

Hebrews 12:22, which we'll touch on in a little bit, calls the company of angels — what? Innumerable. You can't count them. I love the story in 2 Kings chapter six. If you recall, Elisha is in trouble with the king of Syria, and this is the reason why.

Elisha, being a prophet of God, told him where the king of Syria's armies were going to be. So the king of Syria's armies go, and everywhere they go, they can't find the children of Israel. They can't find the armies to fight against. And the king of Syria is upset because he just knows that someone in his royal palace is leaking information to Israel. He's got to have a turncoat. He's got to have a mole, if you will. Who's being a double agent. Verse 11 says, "Therefore, the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing. And he called his servants and said to them, 'Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?'"

"And one of the servants said, 'None, my lord, O king. But Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.'" God had given him this wisdom to know where the enemy's armies were going to be. So he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him." He wanted to kill him.

"And it was told him, saying, 'Surely he is in Dothan.' Therefore, he sent horses and chariots and a great army there." Chariots would have been like a fleet of M1 Abrams tanks. That was the technological marvel of that day back then. And they came by night and surrounded the city. So you have Elisha and his servant in Dothan. And overnight while they're sleeping, a whole army of Syria encamps around about that city with these chariots and with these soldiers.

Verse 15, "And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army surrounding the city with horses and chariots." How would you like to wake up to that? Wake up to know that you're doomed. You're surrounded. You're outnumbered, outmatched. "And the servant said to him, 'Alas, my master, what shall we do?'" The servant threw his hands up in the air. You know, we're doomed.

Verse 16, "So he answered" — this is Elisha speaking — "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

Now his servant figured, you're nuts. Just me and you, right?

Verse 17, "And Elisha prayed and said, 'Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.' Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."

You know the story, right? God blinded their army and led them straight to the king of Israel. And the king of Israel showed them mercy. And that king did not mess with Israel anymore thereafter. So we have an innumerable army of angels all around us. The Pharisees of Jesus' day actually had probably a pretty good view of angels — they believed in angels, unlike the Sadducees. And they had an adage that if you were to throw a stone, before it hit the ground it probably passed through multiple angels. The Bible tells us in the book of Hebrews that when you entertain a stranger, perhaps you're entertaining an angel unaware, right? Even though we may not see them, they are a real, present reality. Okay?

The application is this. Be assured — that's the first blank — that God is almighty. That's the second blank, overall. Our God is the one who commands the angels. He is almighty, overall. Be assured that no army can come against our God. And did Jesus not — was it Pilate? Or was it the priests? I forget — He says, "I could call 12 legions of angels if I wanted to." And they're at My beck and call. A legion in Roman times was somewhere between 3,000 to 6,000 soldiers. And Christ said, "I could call them up just like that." Now, it takes only one, right? But they are in abundance and they're at the command of our Lord.

Number six. Holy angels serve God's purpose — that's the first blank — by holiness and voluntary execution of His will. The second blank is voluntary, third blank is will. Holy angels serve God's purpose by holiness. They are always about proclaiming His holiness, always about enforcing His holiness. They are the ones who in heaven continually cry out, "Holy, holy, holy." They are the ones who look after the righteous. They are the ones who punish the wicked. Holiness is their game. That's what they are about. They serve God's purpose by holiness and voluntary execution of His will.

The Lord doesn't force them to do this. They are personal beings and they freely serve the Lord out of love and out of gratitude and out of honor to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Holy angels are involved in the following endeavors — and there's more than this, but these are just some of the highlights here.

First bullet point, they worship God in His presence. They're continually before the Lord, worshiping God, right?

You may not be aware of this, but I want to read to you Hebrews 12, verse 22.

The writer of Hebrews says, "But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant and to the blood of the sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel." That's a long sentence and a lot to unpack and we're not going to do it all. It's a sermon in itself. But he's telling them that you're not coming to, as Israel did, to the mountain that scared people off. You're coming to the heavenly Jerusalem when you come to church, to the assembly of saints. This is also to the assembly of an innumerable company of angels.

In a very real way that we don't understand, when we gather together as we are tonight to worship God, there's an angelic presence.

Just as we are seated, the Bible says in Ephesians, with Christ in the heavenly places, His angels are right alongside us, praising God and exalting God and glorifying our Lord.

That should change the way that you worship.

It should change the way you relate to your brothers and sisters in Christ. Angels are often described in the Bible as holy watchers.

Even in things that we don't quite understand — such as the debatable subject of head coverings, because of what? Because of the angels. The angels are looking, they're watching us at all times and they're joining in our praises to the Savior. And they rejoice in the good works that we do.

They rejoice in all of God's works. That's the second bullet point here. We find in Luke 15 that when one person comes to know the Lord, what happens? There's this holy hullabaloo, right? There's a hoedown in heaven, a celebration, because someone was saved by the Lord, and every person that God saves is a testimony of His grace, right? And it's something to celebrate.

They're messengers of God. We just read about the messengers of God coming to the shepherds in Luke chapter two. You find that in Luke chapter one again, coming to Mary and coming to Zechariah, Gabriel being a messenger of God. They are a display of God's power and might. When we see them, they have a way — kind of like miracles — of arresting our attention. The angel we talked about earlier at the resurrection of Christ comes down, rips into this dimension, comes from heaven and amid an earthquake, shakes the earth, and the stone rolls away with his might and his power. They're an awesome display of God's power and might.

They assist and protect God's people, right? Just as we talked about them coming to Elijah and assisting Elijah. And we see the same thing in Gethsemane, right? Where they assist Christ and strengthen Christ. They assist His people. They also punish God's enemies. You read 2 Thessalonians 1:7 through 10. It talks about them coming with wrath to punish those who persecute the church, and what a glorious display that is.

Hebrews 1:14 says, "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation?"

Who are they sent forth to minister to?

To us who inherit salvation.

Pastor Casey this morning just delivered the eulogy, or the funeral sermon, for Pastor Hicks. And Pastor Hicks died. I believe an angel carried him to heaven. We see that. Remember in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. It is an angel that took Lazarus to Abraham's bosom, right? Don't we see that in the life of Elijah? The whirlwind and a chariot and angels come and they whisk Elijah away to heaven. They're sent there to minister to us. And when you think about, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" — as Jacob sweetly recited to us tonight — "fear not, for Thou art with me." In our darkest hour in death, God, I believe, sends His angels to minister to His people. Flip over to the back.

Psalm 91:11 through 12 says, "For He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways." All your ways. Even when you don't notice or are aware of it. "In their hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against the stone."

That is providential care, His special providence for you, right? 2 Kings 19:35.

This is in reference to God punishing His enemies through His angels. If you remember, Sennacherib's army was threatening Jerusalem. They were camped right outside of Jerusalem. Huge army, Israel or Jerusalem was doomed. It says, "And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out and killed in the camp of the Assyrians 185,000.

And when the people rose early in the morning, there were the corpses, all dead." One angel took out an army of 185,000 in one night. Just one angel, right? You don't want to go against God.

Number seven. Holy angels are a distinct — I'm sorry, let me do the application. I forgot that. Application — worship God and rejoice in His works. The first blank for number six, the application is worship. The second blank is rejoice. Worship God and rejoice in His works. If God's angels continually worship Him in His presence, and if they worship God when we meet to worship God and they join us in our worship, shouldn't we always be about worshiping God? If holy angels rejoice at the work of God, shouldn't we rejoice in the work of God? When someone overcomes an addiction, we should say, "Glory, hallelujah," and encourage them, right? When someone comes to know the Lord, we should rejoice in that. When someone makes progress in their discipleship, their walk with the Lord, and they grow in Christ's likeness, we should celebrate that because the angels do.

Number seven. Holy angels are a distinct — that's the first blank — a distinct creation from mankind. That's the second blank. They are a distinct creation from mankind.

Let's look at these bullet points here. Angels are not spirits of departed men. Sometimes people talk about that. Oh, he got his wings. He went to heaven and he became an angel. No, they are distinct. Okay.

Angels have no ancestors or family.

Think about that. All angels were created at the very beginning, sometime between day one and day six of creation,

because they have no ancestors. They have no federal head as we have in Adam, right? When Adam sinned, we all sinned. The angels — all the ones who sinned — all the individuals are individually culpable for that sin, right? So they have no ancestors. They have no family.

One of the greatest gifts that we have as humans is family. Is it not? Isn't it a blessing to see our children recite memory verses, to hear them give reports on historical figures, to see them grow in grace? Isn't it a blessing for those of you who are like me, who have grandkids, to kind of relive everything again now? You had a wonderful time raising your kids. Now you're getting a second chance with your grandkids. What a blessing that is. We have wonderful relations with our church family, right? God sets the solitary in family. You may not have much of a family, but you have a church family, right? And what a blessing that is. Something angels don't have. They don't have families. They have a host. They're united in purpose, but they don't have a family.

Angels are not created in God's image.

Humanity is uniquely created in God's image, but not angels, okay? They are created differently.

And that makes all the difference in the world.

God loves us, even sinful humanity, because even though our sin has blurred the image of God, it has not eradicated the image of God. It's indelible in every human being. Therefore, it gives distinct worth to every human life. Every human life is worth saving, is worth fighting for, is worth evangelizing. Even the most repugnant, evil person has value because they're created in the image of God. But angels don't share that.

Angels are not the object of God's grace.

Angels were not redeemed by God.

Christ was not sent in the likeness of angels to die for them.

He took on humanity, joined in a common nature with us, took on flesh and blood to live as a human on earth, to suffer

for us, to fill up the obedience that we owed God,

that every human being should render to God, that we failed to do. Christ perfectly obeyed the Father.

And He died for us in our place.

What glory.

He didn't do that for angels.

Angels have no common nature with Christ. They can't share in that because they're not created in His image. Angels are not united to Christ by His Spirit. Every Christian is saved by God's grace. They're saved by being united to the Savior, right? They are made spiritually one with Christ. And the Spirit of Christ comes to dwell within us. The Holy Spirit does not dwell in angels. They do not have that closeness, that intimacy, that oneness. They're not brought into the Trinitarian life as we are in the person of Christ and being able to share in the favor of the Father, in the love and empowerment of the Holy Spirit through Christ. Because they are not united to Christ and joined to Him by His Spirit, they're not exalted to reign with Christ. The Bible tells us that we shall judge angels.

Because Christ's exaltation is ours.

When Christ ascended to heaven and sat at the right hand of God Almighty, He rose as a human being, right? A human nature joined to the divine nature. He's the God-man. So He brought humanity into heaven to sit on the throne of the universe. And one day we too will be judging right alongside Him.

Angels wonder at the work of God in mankind.

Angels look at man and they can't understand this love. They can't understand this grace, that God has a special love for humanity. It's a mystery to them because they've never experienced it. Okay.

1 Peter 1:12 says, "To them it was revealed" — speaking of the Old Testament prophets. This passage starts in verse 10. It says that the Old Testament prophets were imbued with the same Spirit. They were imbued with the Spirit of Christ and that they spoke concerning Christ in the Old Testament. And it says, "To them" — these prophets — "it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now had been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit" — saying the things that they preached was the gospel, the same gospel that's now being proclaimed in the New Testament. It says,

"They preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things which angels desire to look into."

Angels, as part of God's creation — and we talk about what Pastor Casey taught us about creation, that creation is a theater for the glory of God.

And angels sit back and they've looked at God's unfolding plan of redemption throughout the ages. They saw the fall of Adam in the garden and wondered what could ever make that right.

They saw and heard the promise of the one who would crush Satan under his foot and Satan would bruise his heel, and they wondered, what could that be?

They looked and they saw the giving of the law. They were there at the giving of the law. And they saw the holiness of God that God demands of every human being,

but that holiness was not able to be attained through the law. They wondered, how could it be?

They heard the prophets talk about the coming Messiah who would fulfill the law, who would be the fulfillment of all the promises. And they looked for that day and were wondering what it was going to be like. How is Christ going to be able to come into this world?

Then they were there at the incarnation. They glorified God at the incarnation. That's why they were so exuberant and showed such great song when the heavenly host declared to the shepherds that unto you is born in the city of David, Christ the Savior, right? Because finally the long-promised Messiah had come and they were rejoicing and observing and participating in the theater of God's glory.

And then they saw the cross. The cross being the greatest revelation of God. For in it we see the holiness, the severity of God, that He exacts penalty on sin — He must, for He is holy. But they also see the amazing love of God that bears that penalty, that would take that up and bear it for people who didn't deserve it, right? For foolish people, for sinful people, that Christ would die for them. The Creator would die for the creature. The judge would be judged himself in our place. And the angels beheld that. The angels beheld His resurrection, right? That Christ was risen from the dead and He defeated death.

And He made a mockery — as we'll read next week — over the fallen angels, the demonic angels. He took the handwritten ordinances that were against the people of God and He nailed them to the cross. And He holds the fallen angels in derision because He knows their day of judgment is coming, right? And the angels will be part of that final judgment, will they not? The holy angels.

So they are there to watch, to observe. And they look in amazement at the grace of God that's given to His people. Flip over to the back.

Hebrews chapter two talks about this. It says, "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood" — meaning we have a human nature — "He Himself, Christ Himself, likewise shared in the same" — He took on human nature — "that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil." We'll read next week about how fallen angels are examples of judged sinners. "And release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." He redeemed us who were in bondage to death. "For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of His people." Christ came in our likeness to be the propitiation for us, to be the mercy seat for us. In the Old Testament, think about the temple.

Inside the temple in the Most Holy Place was the Ark of the Covenant, right? You've all seen diagrams of the Ark of the Covenant. On the top, the covering of the Ark of the Covenant was called the propitiation, or the mercy seat. And if you recall, it had two cherubs, or two angels — carved representations of angels that sat on top of it, and they faced each other.

They weren't facing each other — they were looking into the center of the Ark,

where the presence of God dwelt in a visible manifestation for Israel, to remind them of God. And it was there on that propitiation or mercy seat that the atoning blood was sprinkled each year, right? What those angels were looking at was the face of our Lord Jesus Christ. They were looking into the redemption provided for the people of God. They were beholding the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world. That was their focus. That was what held their gaze, continually being represented there in the Ark. That's what angels do today. They're continually focused on the redemption of our Savior, the redemption provided by His own blood for His people, right? If that's the gaze of angels, should it not be our preoccupation? Should it not be our gaze?