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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
December 24, 2023
The Message of the Angels
Selected Scriptures
Introduction
The presentations in our worship service this morning have included a lot of references to angels, so in keeping with that theme my sermon today will be about angels and their message. However, before I get to that we need to understand something about these spiritual creatures according to what the Bible reveals about them. That will be in contrast to what is commonly thought about them that comes from myths, fairy tales, imaginative stories and the demonic. We must always keep in mind that we are in a spiritual war and our adversary, the devil, will use anything he can to steer people away from truth about the character and nature of God, what He has done and how He works in the lives of humanity. This includes fictional stories about angels to create confusion about what is true and then replace truth with lies – more on this in a moment.
Remember that Satan’s ultimate goal is to usurp God (Isaiah 14), and anything that he can use to take away from God’s glory is a move in that direction. From Satan’s first interaction with man recorded in Genesis 3 in the temptation of Eve, Satan slanders God in order to make himself seem better by contrast. One of the names for Satan, the devil, which means “slanderer,” “false accuser,” comes from this characteristic of his. Satan begins by questioning what God had actually commanded (“Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?”), then directly contradicts God’s warning (“You surely will not die!”), and finishes by accusing God of keeping from Eve something that is good (“For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil”). Satan continues to use the same technique today using the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes and the boastful pride of life to entice man to satisfy himself in ways other than God’s will and design (1 John 2:15-16). Exploiting myths about angels fits this purpose. Let me quickly contrast some of the fictional ideas about angels with truth.
Angels – Fiction vs. Truth
1) Fiction: Good people become angels after they die. A corollary to this is that such angels earn their wings by doing service for humans.
1) Enticement: a) Helps satisfies questions of what the afterlife will be in terms understandable in present life. This may include giving them human desires to make them more like us. (Dudley in “The Bishop’s Wife”) b) Gives hope of being better in the afterlife than in present life – even having some supernatural powers (Clarence in It’s A Wonderful Life). c) Gives assurance that someone who knows and loves you is watching out for you and intervening for your protection. A common idea and especially so among those that attribute supernatural powers to dead “saints.”
1)Truth: Humans do not become angels. a)Angels were created by God before humans as a different class of being (Job 38:7). Humans made righteous by faith in God become like angels in the resurrection only in having immortal bodies (1 Cor. 15:53) and being non-sexual in their relationships with one another (Matt. 22:30). b) The righteous will be sinless in heaven, so there will no longer be moral deficiencies. Only the Cherubim and Seraphim, two classes of angels, have wings. c) God watches over all men (Heb. 4:13). Jesus is with the righteous always (Matt. 28:20) and the Holy Spirit intercedes for them (Romans 8:26). No one loves you more than God (John 15:13; Romans 5:8). Other than worship, there is no defined role for the righteous until the Resurrection (Rev. 20:6). The unrighteous dead are in torment (Luke 16:19f).
2) Fiction: Angels are feminine. Enticement: Angels have feminine characteristics such as gentleness and compassion so they will care for you and not harm you. Truth: Angels are always referred to as masculine, and those that physically manifest themselves to humans appear as men. Angels carry out the commands of God which can include wielding a sword (Numbers 22:23; 1 Chron. 21:16) and killing thousands (2 Kings 19:35).
Angel Defined: Both the Hebrew and the Greek words translated as angel refer to a messenger or representative of the person sending the angel. The term is used for both human and supernatural beings. The range of action taken by an angel, whether just delivering a message or taking action, was determined according to the purpose of the person sending him.
There are several classes of these supernatural beings including angel, archangel, seraphim and cherubim, with each having and carrying out their roles as determined by God. Seraphim are described in Isaiah 6:2 has having six wings, being above the throne of God in the temple and calling out to one another, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is Yahweh of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” A Cherubim was stationed on the east of the garden of Eden with a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life. They are also the creatures depicted on top of the Ark of the Covenant and in the Holy of Holies of the temple. Ezekiel 10 describes seeing Cherubim in his vision. Michael is described as the archangel in Jude 9 and in Daniel 12:1 as the “chief prince” who stands guard over the Jewish nation. Hebrews 1:14 describes all supernatural angels sent to interact with humans as “ministering spirits sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation.” They have the same functions as human messengers as determined by God’s purpose ranging from just delivering a message to taking strong physical action. However, the very presence of a supernatural angel would also present an aspect of the glory of God.
I should also mention here that the “angel of Yahweh (the Lord),” though He has the same general range of functions as other angels, is usually considered to be a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ due to similarity in function and speaking for God in the first person in passages such as Genesis 16:10 and Exodus 3:2,6. Jude 2:1 uses the phrase “angel of God” in the same way. Context would have to determine exact identity.
There is much more that I could say about supernatural angels, but it is not my purpose today to give you a full course in angelology. My purpose is to consider the messages brought by angels concerning the birth of Jesus, the incarnation. However, it is important for you to understand at least the basic identity, nature and purpose of these supernatural beings that brought the messages.
The Message of Hope
The messages from the Angels that are repeated in our Christmas Carols did not take place in a vacuum. They were based in prophecies of hope given by God to man starting with Adam & Eve. These prophecies of a future deliverer continue throughout redemption’s history and culminate in the coming of Jesus to atone for man’s sin.
The first message of this hope comes from God Himself and it occurs in the midst of a curse. The devil deceived Eve into believing his slanders against God. She then broke the commandment of God taking and eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil then giving also to her husband, Adam, with her, and he ate. The result was the fall of mankind into sin. Every human has inherited a sin nature from Adam because of this. Adam and Even hid from God because of their shame, but God came looking for them. That is still true today. People do not search for God, it is God that finds us.
Genesis 3:12-19 records the conversation between God and Adam and the curses pronounced on the serpent, Eve, Adam and the earth. Adam blamed Eve for giving him the fruit and God for giving him Eve. Eve blamed the serpent. The serpent lost his voice, and then his legs as part of God’s curse on him. The woman was cursed with pain in childbirth and her husband’s rule over her. Adam was cursed with toil in order to eat bread because the ground was cursed to produce thorns and thistles and he would eat of the plants of the field instead of the fruits of the garden of Eden, and he would die and return to being dust. It is in verse 15 that the first message of hope is given at the end of the curse upon the serpent. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”
This is referred to as the proto-evangelicum by theologians because it is the first good news promise of a future descendant that would put an end to the serpent. It is literally “crush” his head, with the serpent being a reference to Satan that had used the serpent as a mouth piece. In addition, the reference to “her seed” is a reference to child that would be born without a human father. There would be a future deliverer from the curse of sin. This is a prophecy that would become more clear as further prophecy would be given over time.
Genesis 6-9 records God’s intervention to preserve the promise though without a specific reference to a future deliverer. By the time of Noah, mankind had become so wicked “that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually,” so God planned to “blot out man” from the face of the land along with all the animals, creeping things and birds of the sky though a world-wide flood. However, God granted Noah grace in His eyes and instructed him to build an ark that would preserve the lives of his family and a pair of all of the air breathing land creatures. (See: God’s Judgment & Grace)
Genesis 12 & 15 records Yahweh’s covenant with Abram which included promises of land, a multitude of descendants, a great name and having all the families of the earth be blessed through Abram. Yahweh repeats this covenant to Abram’s son, Isaac (Gen. 26:4), and then to his grandson, Jacob (Gen. 28:14). Please note that it is an unilateral covenant meaning that God will keep His promises even if Abraham’s descendants do not. I will be expanding on the importance of this covenant in the future. It importance in today’s sermon is the promise that through Abraham’s seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed (Gen. 22:18). The future deliverer of man from sin comes through the line of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (See: Abraham – The Friend of God)
The next mention of this line is in the blessings of Jacob upon his sons in Genesis 49. Included in the blessing on Judah is “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” As the fourth son, this blessing should have gone to one of his older brothers, but Reuben, Simeon and Levi each disqualified themselves in different ways. The line would go through Judah.
The next mention of this line of hope was Yahweh’s message to king David through the prophet Nathan in 2 Samuel 7:8-17 which is commonly referred to as the Davidic Covenant. It includes these promises: 12 “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever,” and 16 “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”
Yahweh speaking through Isaiah confirmed that the promise of a future Messiah was part of the Davidic Covenant in this prophecy recorded in Isaiah 9:6–7, 6 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will accomplish this.” It was also through Isaiah that the Lord gave the sign that the future Messiah would be born of a virgin and he would be named Immanuel, meaning, “God with us.” (Isaiah 7:14).
God would reveal through other prophets additional details concerning the coming of this promised deliverer. Micah 5:2 set the location for his birth saying, “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” The prophecy in Daniel 9:25 gives the timing that it would be 69 weeks of prophetic years from the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince. I went over that prophecy in detail in our recent sermon series on Daniel (https://www.gracebibleny.org/11211-2).
In the gospel accounts of Matthew and Luke there are several angels that appear to various individuals to give them messages related to the hope given in these prophecies. We are going to take a brief look at each one of them.
An Angel of the Lord & Zacharias – Luke 1:5-25, 57-80
Luke 1:5 introduces us to Zacharias, a priest of the division of Abijah that was married to Elizabeth. Verse 6 -7 describes their character and situation. 6 “They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.” In that time, place and culture, being barren would have been humiliating for Elizabeth, and now she is past the time for normal child-bearing.
As the story continues, Zacharias is serving in the temple burning incense when an angel of the Lord named Gabriel appears to him standing to the right of the altar of incense. This causes Zacharias to be afraid. Verses 13-20 record their interaction. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. 14 “You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. 16 “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 “It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 “And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”
The angel’s message is in fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah 40:3-5, Malachi 3:1 and 4:5-6. Messiah would be preceded by forerunner that would come in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare the way. This message also meant that the time of the arrival of the Messiah was also near. True to Gabriel’s declaration, Zacharias would no longer be able to speak until the prophecy was fulfilled. When Zacharias returns home, Elizabeth became pregnant and gave birth at the proper time. Only after Zacharias wrote down that his son’s name would be John could he again speak. He was then filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy in verses 68-79.
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant— 70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old— 71 Salvation from our enemies, And from the hand of all who hate us; 72 To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, 73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, 74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. 76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; 77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, 78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, 79 To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Notice that what Zacharias says is about God’s fulfillment of prophecies of redemption though a descendant of David according to the promise give to Abraham. There is only a brief mention of his son, John, and even that is in relationship to his part in the fulfillment of these prophecies of the hope of salvation and forgiveness of sins. That is in accordance to the message the angel Gabriel had given him. (See: The Coming of the Herald)
Gabriel and Mary – Luke 1:26-38, 39-56
When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth with a message for a virgin named Mary, who was as descendant of David and was betrothed to a man named Joseph, who was also a descendant of David. Verses 28-38 record Gabriel’s message to Mary and her response.
28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 “For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Gabriel’s message to Mary, like his message to Zacharias, was completely in keeping with the messages of hope given by God long before to Adam and Eve, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and David and through many prophets. Notice the promises given that Gabriel says will be fulfilled by what is about to happen.
Since Mary is a virgin she is confused on how she is to have a son and Gabriel makes it clear that God will be the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit. For that reason He will be called the Son of God. Yet the promise to Eve would also be fulfilled for Jesus would be a man born of the seed of a woman. The rest of that promise would also be fulfilled for though Jesus would be bruised on the heel by Satan, Jesus would crush the serpent’s head though the atonement and resurrection providing a means of salvation from sin to man.
Jesus would also be the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant meaning he would also fulfill the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Judah. Notice that the Scriptures are careful to note that both Mary and Joseph are descendants of David. Here in Luke that is important because the promised Messiah would have to be a physical descendant of David, and the genealogy given in Luke 3:23-38 does just that tracing Mary’s lineage all the way back to Adam. The genealogy in Matthew 1:1-16 traces the lineage of Joseph as the royal line of David who has the right to the throne, and as the adoptive father of Jesus, Joseph passes that right to Jesus. This means that Jesus is a physical descendant of David with the right to be king, yet avoids the curse on Coniah (Jeremiah 22:30).
Mary traveled to see Elizabeth, who was her relative, after she received the message from Gabriel. When she arrived, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and blessed Mary even calling her “the mother of my Lord” (vs. 43) and remarked that John “leaped in my womb for joy” at Mary’s greeting (vs. 44). Elizabeth knew what the Lord had revealed to Mary (vs. 45).
Mary understood that Jesus was coming to save His people from their sins in fulfillment of the promises made long before. This is seen in her response to Elizabeth in Luke 1:46-56. She begins in verses 46-47 saying, “My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my savior.” Mary understands that what is happening to her is in relationship to God providing salvation for His people. She not only remarks that God had done great things for her, but she then recites mighty deeds God has done for His people. She concludes by tying these to God giving help to Israel in “remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his seed forever” (54-55). (See: The Birth of the Promised Messiah)
An Angel and Joseph – Matthew 1:18-25
Matthew 1:18-25 gives us the next record of an angel giving a message to someone in regard to the coming of Messiah. Imagine Joseph’s dilemma when he finds out that Mary, to whom he is betrothed, is found to be with child. He has not been with her, and being a righteous man he is caught between not wanting to disgrace Mary, but at the same time, how can he continue forward to complete the marriage? A betrothal at that time in that culture was more serious than an engagement is in our culture. There was a legal aspect to it that required a form of divorce to end it. That is what Joseph decided he was to do, but to do so secretly. Since the text does not give specifics beyond that, it is speculation to guess at how he planned to carry that out. The only thing that comes to my mind is for Mary to go away to some distant place to have the baby away from the eyes and gossip of the local people. The baby would then be adopted by another family before she could return. Perhaps part of the reason for Mary to go stay with Elizabeth was to be away from the local community.
However, God had a different plan and He sent an unnamed angel of the Lord to appear to Joseph in a dream. The message of the angel was good news, though it would require Joseph to change his plans. The angel said to him, 20 . . .“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Mary was a righteous woman, and though it was certainly an unusual and awkward situation. Matthew then comments that this was in direct fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 I had pointed out earlier.
The narrative then continues with a confirmation this prophecy would be kept true. Joseph got up and took Mary as his wife, which means he completed the rest of the marriage requirements so that they were fully and legally married, except that Joseph kept Mary a virgin until she gave birth to a son, and Joseph named Him Jesus in keeping with what Gabriel had told Mary.
Angels and Shepherds – Luke 2:8-20
The final message of angels concerning the promised arrival of Messiah was to shepherds out in the fields watching their flocks the night of Jesus’ birth. Luke 2:8-14 records, 8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
After the angels left, the shepherds made their way to Bethlehem and found Joseph, Mary and the baby as He lay in the manger. They told them about the angels and their message, which they told to whoever else they saw in Bethlehem. “Mary treasured all of these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherd went back to their flocks glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.”
Conclusions
What is your response to the message of the angels? For those of us who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our response is the same as the shepherds. We glorify and praise God for Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of the promises from long ago of a redeemer that would provide salvation from our sins. Jesus is God in human flesh, who lived as sinless life, then voluntarily died as the substitute sacrifice for our sins paying the redemption price that all who will place their faith in Him should be forgiven, justified and adopted into God’s family. We eagerly await His return so that we will be with Him forever and for Him to set up His millennial reign in fulfillment of all of the rest of the prophecies to David and the righteous among Israel’s descendants.
If you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then we implore you to consider His claims and all the evidence that proves them to be true. We urge you to turn from your sin and self to the Savior that you may know peace with God and assurance that heaven and not hell will be your future home. You can then joyfully join us in praising Him in word, song and deed.
Sermon Notes – 12/24/2023
The Message of the Angels – Selected Scriptures
Introduction
We are in a spiritual _____& Satan will use fictional ideas about angels to confuse & replace truth with lies
Satan _________God in order to make himself seem superior in the effort to usurp God & lead man astray
Angels: Fiction vs. Truth
Fiction 1: Good ___________become angels & earn wings by their service
Enticement 1: A good afterlife; make angels more humanlike; assure a loved one ___________out for you
Truth 1: Humans do not become angels; only Seraphim & Cherubim have wings; _______watches over you
Fiction 2: Angels are _____________
Enticement 2: Angels are gentle & compassionate
Truth 3: Angels get masculine pronouns & manifest as ______They do God’s bidding including destruction
Angel Defined – a _______________or representative of the person sending him
Seraphim (Isaiah 6:2) – ____________, above the throne of God calling out to each other in worship of God
Cherubim (Gen. 3:24; Exod. 25; 1 Kings 6; Ezek. 10) ___________, position themselves as guardians
Archangel (Michael – Jude 9 / Daniel 12:1) – “Chief prince” stands guard over Jewish ___________
All angels – Heb. 1:14 – Ministering _________for the sake of those who will inherit salvation
The Angel of Yahweh (the Lord) – usually a pre-incarnate ________________of Messiah
The Message of Hope
The devil deceived Eve & man fell into sin. Sin brought _________upon the serpent, Eve, Adam & the earth
Genesis 3:15 – The seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head – a future _____________
“Her seed” refers to a future son that would be born without a ___________father
Genesis 6-9 – man’s wickedness results in God flooding the world, but He grants __________to Noah
Genesis 12 & 15 – God’s unilateral covenant with _______- land, a multitude, a great name, a blessing to all
The same covenant given to __________(Gen. 26:4) and __________(Gen. 28:14)
Genesis 49 – Jacob’s blessing extends the blessing through ___________
2 Samuel 7:8-17 – the ____________Covenant – a future descendant with an everlasting kingdom
Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7 – confirmation the ________was part of the Davidic covenant, born of a virgin, Immanuel
Micah 5:2 – Messiah would be born in ____________Ephrathah of Judea
Daniel 9:25 – There would be ____weeks of prophetic years between decree to rebuild Jerusalem & Messiah
An Angel of the Lord & Zacharias – Luke 1:5-25, 57-80
Zacharias & Elizabeth are righteous and blameless – but ____________(vs. 6-7)
An angel of the Lord, Gabriel, tells Zacharias that Elizabeth would bear the ___________of Messiah (13-20)
The angel’s message is in fulfillment of the ________________of Isaiah 40:3-5, Malachi 3:1 and 4:5-6
Gabriel message come true & Zacharias blesses the Lord for the fulfillment of ________________ (68-79)
Gabriel and Mary – Luke 1:26-38, 39-56
Vs. 28-39 – Gabriel visits Mary with a message from God that she would be the mother of ___________
Gabriel’s message was fully in keeping with the ___________made to Adam & Eve, the Patriarchs & David
Gabriel assures Mary, a virgin, she would bear the Messiah ______________by the power of the Holy Spirit
Jesus would fulfill the _____________covenant – physical descent through Mary, legal right through Joseph
Vs. 40-45 – Elizabeth recognized by the Holy Spirit that Mary was “the mother of ______________”
Vs. 46-56. Mary exults the Lord rejoicing in God her savior in providing promised _________to His people
An Angel and Joseph – Matthew 1:18-25
Joseph, a righteous man, faces the ________of Mary being found with child, but not wanting to disgrace her
Joseph decides to “put her away” (______) her secretly to spare Mary shame & keep his own righteousness
An angel of the Lord _________in a dream revealing Mary’s child is by the Holy Spirit – Joseph marries her
The prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 is _____________ and Joseph keeps Mary a virgin until after Jesus is born
Angels and Shepherds – Luke 2:8-20
vs. 8-14 – Angels _____________Messiah’s birth to shepherds out in the fields watching their sheep
vs. 16-20 – The shepherd’s go to Bethlehem _____________for all they have seen and heard
Conclusions
We glorify & praise God for the message of _____________from sin offered to man by faith in Jesus Christ
Those still in unbelief need to seriously consider the claims about Jesus’ & turn from sin & self to the Savior
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down the scripture references and look them up later 2) Count how many times the term “angel” and “wrath” is mentioned 3) Discuss with your parents what angels are and God’s purpose for them. What was their message about Jesus?
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. Who is Satan and how did he deceive Eve (Gen. 3)? Contrast common fictional beliefs about angels with the truth about them revealed in the Scriptures. What is an angel? What kinds of angels are there? What message of hope was given to Adam & Eve after they sinned? What promises did God make to Abraham in His covenant with him (Gen. 12; 15)? To which of Abrahams’s descendants was this covenant passed? What is the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:8-17), what is it importance, and what promises did God make in it? Where would Messiah be born and when would he come? What did Gabriel reveal to Zacharias? How was the fulfillment of this a miracle? How did the birth of John fulfill ancient prophecies? What was the focus of Zacharias’ praise to God? What did Gabriel reveal to Mary? How would his message fulfill ancient prophecies? Why was it important that Mary was a virgin? Why was it important that both she and Joseph were descendants of David? What praise did Elizabeth give to God? What praise did Mary give to God? How and why did an angel have to intervene to get Joseph to take Mary as his wife? What was the message of the angels to the shepherds in the field? How did they respond? What is your response to the message of the angels? Who will you tell the good news? If you are not yet saved from sin by faith in Jesus, what is keeping you from believing His claims? What will you do to find out the truth?
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