Sermons 2024

Video

1.    Angel Misconceptions
2.    Biblical Reality
3.    Point us to JC

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

My dear beloved flock, the text for our mediation today is the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew the tenth chapter, specifically verse ten, “Their angels.”

Boys and Girls, I pray that you are doing well today. Today, I need your help. I have some math problems here. Can you help me? There are lots of angles that we need to figure out. Like this square. It has four ninety degree angles. After all today is Saint Michael and all…oops. It’s supposed to be angels not angles. An easy way to remember that is that angels have gel in their hair. Today we are going to talk about angels. What are angels? How do they point us to Jesus? Ponder those questions as you hear the rest of the sermon. You may go back to your seats and those who love you.

1.    Angel Misconceptions

In our world today, there is a lot of discussion concerning angels. This is not a new phenomenon; Paul writes about people doing angel worship in his letter to the church in Colossians. Just walk into any bookstore and you will find shelves about seeing or experiencing angels. Even on Television they are popular, I remember watching a show called “Touched by an angel” when I was growing up. There’s also Amazon’s “Good Omens” today. We have many common misconceptions about angels. For example, what image do you have of an angel? I am the one that springs to most people’s mind is the one we see every Valentine’s Day. Angels pictured as cute plump babies playing little harps, bearing little bows and arrows tipped with hearts. Another common misconception is heard many times at funerals, typically when someone young has died. I have overheard people while standing by the casket remark, “Well, God just needed another angel.” It’s even posted on our cars. “Never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly.” That’s just the good angels. What springs to mind when we think of the fallen angels? I am sure that many today picture Satan as a mean guy, dressed all red with a big pitchfork, ruling hell and laughing as he does so.

2.    Biblical Reality

Yet, as common as these sayings and depictions can be, what does the Bible, the very Word of God, actually say about angels? The word we translate as angel Malakh and Angelos respectfully occurs 377 times in the Old Testament, translated as angel 217 times. It occurs in the New Testament 301 times, translated as angel 175 times. When translated as angel it means a messenger generally sent from God. Scripture sometimes also applies the word to human beings who deliver divine messages (like the clergy of today).

What are angels? Even though we cannot see them, angels are real. They are spiritual, not physical. They are a part of God’s good created order. As a part of God’s creation, angels are angels and humans are humans. As a separate order of creatures, angels are both distinct from human beings and higher than humans with powers far beyond human abilities in this present age (cf. 1 Cor. 6:3; Heb. 1:14; 2:7). For example, one angel in a single night destroyed most of an enemy army that was surrounding Jerusalem. As creatures they are limited in their powers, knowledge, and activities (1 Peter 1:11-12; Rev. 7:1). Like all of creation, angels are under God’s authority and subject to His judgment (1 Cor. 6:3; Matt. 25:41). When we die, we do not turn into angels. If we did, we would no longer be human creatures! 

It should be noted that there are both good and evil angels, which we typically call demons. Rather than ruling over hell, an idea made popular from Milton’s Paradise Lost and Dante’s Inferno, Satan is cast there in order to be punished. Scripture teaches that an everlasting fire has been prepared for Satan and his evil hench-angels (Matt. 25:41).Demons are spoken of throughout Scripture. The devil tempted our Lord in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1). Scripture describes demons possessing various people, causing sickness and afflictions, and engaging in combat against good angels (Rev. 12:7–8).

Some even know Scripture and can manipulate it to further their diabolic cause (Gen. 3:1; Matt. 4:6). Satan can masquerade as an “angel of light” when it suits him (2 Cor. 11:14). Evil angels are primarily concerned with one thing: destroying the relationship between God and humanity, chiefly by destroying faith. This sounds scary, and, in fact, it is. Yet as strong as they are, they are still subject to God’s rule and authority. 
What does Scripture state about the good angels? Their main goal is the worship and praise of God. They always see the face of their Father in heaven. Isaiah in chapter six sees the Seraphim flying around the throne crying, Holy, Holy, Holy. They rejoice when sinners repent, and God uses these angels in service of His people.

We might think of the service of the two named angels in Scripture, Gabriel and Michael the Archangel. Gabriel appears to Daniel, gives him the interpretation of a vision, and an answer to prayer. However, that is not what he is most well known for. 500 years later, God sends Gabriel to Zechariah to proclaim that his wife will bear the Forerunner, John the Baptist. Gabriel is also sent to the virgin named Mary to tell her that she is going to bear a Son, Jesus, the Messiah. We might also picture the angels appearing to the shepherds announcing and rejoicing over the birth of Jesus or warning the Wise men and Joseph of danger. Michael is the other named angel. On Daniel’s behalf, Michael contended against the princes of Persia and Greece—presumed to be fallen angels (Dan. 10). He also fights with Satan himself in spiritual battles, see our first reading from Rev. 12.

Angels are usually messengers but they also guard and protect God’s people. One protects Daniel in the lion’s den, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, a whole host defends the city that Elisha is in as recorded in 2 Kings 6:19. 

This is where we get our common phrase, guardian angels. It should be noted our Gospel text does say “their angels.” This is sometimes used as an argument that we all have a guardian angel assigned at birth that watches over us. Yet, that is not the important part of our text. What this verse does tell us is that angels serve mankind by protecting them at God’s command. The emphasis is placed on the angels always looking to the face of the Father in heaven — they are not on earth protecting a person whenever they choose.

The importance rests on the angel's obedience to the Father, not so much their actual role of protecting. Angels can protect believers, but it is always at the will of God. God knows all things, so He knows when a person is in need of help, deliverance, and safety.  The Lord does send angels to help us as Hebrews 1:14 states, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” In this passage of Scripture, angels are referred to as “ministering spirits.” This is to emphasize the truth of angels being servants to God. In a sense, we have not one guardian angel, we have the whole heavenly host.  The Lord can send angels to protect us, but the ultimate protector is God Himself. 

3.    Point us to JC

That is why we have had all this talk about angels. That is why we celebrate Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael and all angels. Because the work of the angels points us to the work of God on our behalf, for our salvation, as well as our protection upon this earth.  It reminds us of how the Lord delivered us from the lying accusations of Satan. Because Jesus took all of Satan’s accusations against us on Himself when He went to the cross, Satan has nothing more to say to the Lord about us or about our sins. Every evil deed, every sin, every impure thought or intention was placed upon Jesus. Now Satan is not only silenced but is cast down from heaven, never more to stand before the Lord to deliver slander or accusation against His people.

How is Satan cast down? Not with weapon or sword but with the word of God. As Michael says while fighting Satan over the body of Moses in Jude 9, “The Lord rebuke you.” The Lord employs His holy angels to battle Satan and to silence his mouth with the Word of God and to protect us from harm and danger. When bad things hap¬pen to us, when we have a close call and when we hear of disasters averted, we can be certain that the Lord’s holy angels were involved. And when we die, we can be cer-tain that our Lord’s angels will take us to be with our Lord forever; their job of pro¬tecting us is not finished until we are with our Lord in eternity. For the protection of the holy angels, we can and should thank our Lord as we pray daily, “Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen” (Small Catechism, p. 33).

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, guard, and keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.