WEBVTT 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:04.320 The subject of angels has long fascinated most 00:00:04.320 --> 00:00:10.119 people. Books have been written about them. Movies 00:00:10.119 --> 00:00:13.839 and TV series have been based upon their existence. 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:18.399 And frankly, students of the Bible are no less 00:00:18.399 --> 00:00:22.059 curious than the population in general when it 00:00:22.059 --> 00:00:26.539 comes to the matter of the angels. Inquiring 00:00:26.539 --> 00:00:31.940 minds want to know. about these beings from another 00:00:31.940 --> 00:00:37.719 realm who can on occasion appear and who witness 00:00:37.719 --> 00:00:43.759 human events. Who are the angels? Hebrews chapter 00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:46.520 1 is a chapter that tells us something about 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:48.920 the angels. I invite you to turn there with me 00:00:48.920 --> 00:00:51.399 as we begin our study of scripture this morning 00:00:51.399 --> 00:00:56.079 and our theme, the meaning of Christmas to the 00:00:56.079 --> 00:01:01.880 angels. Hebrews chapter 1 is, in its context, 00:01:02.840 --> 00:01:05.879 a chapter about the superiority of Jesus Christ 00:01:05.879 --> 00:01:12.239 over the angels. He is superior to, supreme over, 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:18.359 the angelic realm. In verse 6, the writer says, 00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:23.599 And when he again brings the firstborn into the 00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:27.510 world. a reference to the coming again of Jesus 00:01:27.510 --> 00:01:32.730 Christ, he says, and let all the angels of God 00:01:32.730 --> 00:01:39.329 worship him. And of the angels, he says, who 00:01:39.329 --> 00:01:45.010 makes his angels winds and his ministers a flame 00:01:45.010 --> 00:01:50.129 of fire. And then in verse 14, are they not all 00:01:50.129 --> 00:01:54.310 ministering spirits? sent out to render service 00:01:54.310 --> 00:01:59.849 for the sake of those who will inherit salvation." 00:01:59.849 --> 00:02:01.890 You see several things about the angels here. 00:02:02.010 --> 00:02:05.090 In the first place, angels are God's servants. 00:02:05.989 --> 00:02:10.310 They do His bidding. We also see that they are 00:02:10.310 --> 00:02:15.210 spirits. That does not mean that they don't exist, 00:02:15.689 --> 00:02:19.699 the figment of imagination. But it means they 00:02:19.699 --> 00:02:21.900 exist in a different realm than the one that 00:02:21.900 --> 00:02:24.560 we live in. We live in a physical, material realm. 00:02:25.419 --> 00:02:27.740 Their realm of being is the spiritual, and so 00:02:27.740 --> 00:02:30.219 they are spirits. They are fitted to live and 00:02:30.219 --> 00:02:34.439 to serve God in that realm. And we see that angels 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:39.639 render service, it says in verse 14, to the heirs 00:02:39.639 --> 00:02:43.479 of salvation. I would take that to mean you and 00:02:43.479 --> 00:02:50.539 me. Here is a text. that at least suggests the 00:02:50.539 --> 00:02:54.340 concept of guardian angels, which some of us 00:02:54.340 --> 00:02:56.680 hear about occasionally in our growing up years. 00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:01.379 Angels have some ministry of service to those 00:03:01.379 --> 00:03:06.979 who will be the heirs of salvation. In Hebrews 00:03:06.979 --> 00:03:10.360 chapter 12 and verse 22, we find out one more 00:03:10.360 --> 00:03:16.639 fact about the angels. In contrasting us in this 00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:21.560 age, to those who were related to God in the 00:03:21.560 --> 00:03:25.900 past age, the age of the law. He says in verse 00:03:25.900 --> 00:03:32.759 22, but you have come to Mount Zion and to the 00:03:32.759 --> 00:03:36.479 city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem 00:03:36.479 --> 00:03:42.319 and to myriads of angels. The thought here is 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:46.759 that angels are many in number. And when John 00:03:46.759 --> 00:03:50.680 sees them in the book called the Revelation of 00:03:50.680 --> 00:03:53.699 Jesus Christ, he says that there are too many 00:03:53.699 --> 00:03:58.199 to number, at least from his perspective. We 00:03:58.199 --> 00:04:00.620 also learn from the New Testament that angels 00:04:00.620 --> 00:04:05.379 are organized into hierarchies or systems of 00:04:05.379 --> 00:04:10.780 authority. They are not all created equal. Some 00:04:10.780 --> 00:04:14.680 have greater authority than others. And some 00:04:14.680 --> 00:04:19.540 have particular responsibilities. The seraphim 00:04:19.540 --> 00:04:22.500 and the cherubim seem to have a special relationship 00:04:22.500 --> 00:04:26.759 to the throne of God. They seem to be a special 00:04:26.759 --> 00:04:32.100 class or kind of angel. They are described as 00:04:32.100 --> 00:04:37.639 having wings. But angels in general are not necessarily 00:04:37.639 --> 00:04:40.519 pictured as having wings, except on our Christmas 00:04:40.519 --> 00:04:44.730 cards, of course. But as much as we know of angels, 00:04:44.990 --> 00:04:48.550 they do not, the general kind of angel that appeared, 00:04:49.350 --> 00:04:55.589 they do not possess wings. Only a few of them 00:04:55.589 --> 00:04:57.790 are identified for us in the Bible. There are 00:04:57.790 --> 00:05:03.629 three of them specifically. One is Michael. Not 00:05:03.629 --> 00:05:06.029 all angels are Michael and not all Michaels are 00:05:06.029 --> 00:05:10.149 angels, that's for sure. But this Michael is 00:05:10.149 --> 00:05:14.660 an angel. He is named in Jude verse 9, Daniel 00:05:14.660 --> 00:05:17.819 chapter 10, and also Revelation 12, a passage 00:05:17.819 --> 00:05:21.000 we're going to look at a little bit later. Michael 00:05:21.000 --> 00:05:26.519 is called the Archangel, which means that he 00:05:26.519 --> 00:05:30.819 is a very powerful angel, perhaps the most powerful 00:05:30.819 --> 00:05:34.800 of God -serving angels. And then there is another 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:38.899 angel that is named, and that is Gabriel. who 00:05:38.899 --> 00:05:41.540 had the privilege of announcing the birth of 00:05:41.540 --> 00:05:46.019 John the Baptist to Zacharias, and then the announcement 00:05:46.019 --> 00:05:50.800 to Mary also of the birth of Jesus. And then 00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:53.480 a third angel is named, and that is the angel 00:05:53.480 --> 00:05:58.339 called Lucifer in Isaiah 14 -12. His name means 00:05:58.339 --> 00:06:03.980 morning star or bright one. This is the angel. 00:06:04.399 --> 00:06:07.540 that fell from heaven because of his pride and 00:06:07.540 --> 00:06:11.540 rebellion against God. He has now been renamed 00:06:11.540 --> 00:06:17.160 as the devil and as Satan. So who is Satan? He 00:06:17.160 --> 00:06:21.839 is an angel who fell because of his rebellion 00:06:21.839 --> 00:06:26.860 and pride against God. Now the angels are deeply 00:06:26.860 --> 00:06:31.180 involved in the flow of history, human history. 00:06:31.929 --> 00:06:35.449 Their efforts in the angelic realm affects the 00:06:35.449 --> 00:06:39.689 direction that human history takes. This is clearly 00:06:39.689 --> 00:06:42.189 stated to us in the tenth chapter of Daniel, 00:06:42.449 --> 00:06:43.949 a place that we don't have time to read this 00:06:43.949 --> 00:06:47.649 morning. The angels were involved in the coming 00:06:47.649 --> 00:06:51.689 of Christ to the earth, just as in the future 00:06:51.689 --> 00:06:54.689 they will be involved in his return to the earth 00:06:54.689 --> 00:06:59.310 in glory. He will be accompanied by an army of 00:06:59.310 --> 00:07:05.370 these angelic beings. Now to the angels, the 00:07:05.370 --> 00:07:08.769 meaning of Christmas might include three ideas. 00:07:09.529 --> 00:07:11.350 This is a sermon, of course, so there have to 00:07:11.350 --> 00:07:17.110 be three ideas. First, the idea of work. Secondly, 00:07:17.470 --> 00:07:19.670 warfare. They all begin with W, too, because 00:07:19.670 --> 00:07:23.810 this is a sermon. Work, warfare, and wonder. 00:07:23.990 --> 00:07:26.230 Those are the three key words I want us to think 00:07:26.230 --> 00:07:29.329 about this morning as we consider the meaning 00:07:29.329 --> 00:07:34.069 of Christmas. to the angels. In the first place, 00:07:34.110 --> 00:07:37.269 to the angels, Christmas means an assignment 00:07:37.269 --> 00:07:42.829 of work. An assignment of work. The angels were 00:07:42.829 --> 00:07:46.209 created by God and are employed by Him in carrying 00:07:46.209 --> 00:07:50.850 out His divine purposes in the universe. As I've 00:07:50.850 --> 00:07:55.529 already suggested, they assist God in providentially 00:07:55.529 --> 00:07:59.430 and sovereignly overseeing the events of time 00:08:00.180 --> 00:08:04.500 so that God's plans are ultimately realized. 00:08:05.740 --> 00:08:08.459 Don't ever think that somehow God's purposes 00:08:08.459 --> 00:08:12.459 are going to be derailed along the way by any 00:08:12.459 --> 00:08:17.439 human effort or any effort of Satan. All of that 00:08:17.439 --> 00:08:21.399 is limited. God's sovereign purposes will ultimately 00:08:21.399 --> 00:08:25.259 be accomplished, and the angels are employed 00:08:25.259 --> 00:08:27.959 by God in causing those purposes to come about. 00:08:29.230 --> 00:08:33.450 Keep in mind that the angelic realm is another 00:08:33.450 --> 00:08:39.549 whole reality, which we know very little about. 00:08:40.990 --> 00:08:43.529 But we are given some windows of insight here 00:08:43.529 --> 00:08:47.450 and there in the scriptures. As I've also already 00:08:47.450 --> 00:08:51.129 said, the angels were dispatched to announce 00:08:51.129 --> 00:08:55.440 Christ's birth. Now we want to look at the announcement 00:08:55.440 --> 00:08:58.039 that was made in Luke chapter 2. So would you 00:08:58.039 --> 00:09:02.299 turn there with me to the Gospel of Luke as we 00:09:02.299 --> 00:09:05.879 come to a rather strange bunch of people who 00:09:05.879 --> 00:09:09.200 hear the first announcement of the birth of Christ. 00:09:12.940 --> 00:09:20.360 And we look at verse 8. There were some shepherds 00:09:20.360 --> 00:09:22.860 staying out in the fields and keeping watch over 00:09:22.860 --> 00:09:27.600 their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:30.740 suddenly stood before them, and the glory of 00:09:30.740 --> 00:09:33.500 the Lord shone round about them, and they were 00:09:33.500 --> 00:09:37.200 terribly frightened." And so we see a singular 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:41.419 angel who appears to the shepherds to make the 00:09:41.419 --> 00:09:44.820 announcement. And as he suddenly stands before 00:09:44.820 --> 00:09:47.220 them, notice he is not flying up in the air. 00:09:47.600 --> 00:09:53.179 He is standing before them. There is light all 00:09:53.179 --> 00:09:56.460 around them. It's called the glory of the Lord, 00:09:56.519 --> 00:10:01.279 which would be the Shekinah, one would think, 00:10:01.399 --> 00:10:05.220 of God, or at least the reflection of that. The 00:10:05.220 --> 00:10:08.200 glory of God was there to lit up the whole area 00:10:08.200 --> 00:10:13.899 where the shepherds were camped. And the angel 00:10:13.899 --> 00:10:17.750 said to them, do not be afraid. That was important 00:10:17.750 --> 00:10:20.990 to say because at the end of verse 9 it says 00:10:20.990 --> 00:10:22.950 they were terribly frightened and it's hard to 00:10:22.950 --> 00:10:25.730 put into English what the original says but it 00:10:25.730 --> 00:10:29.950 says that they feared a great fear. These men 00:10:29.950 --> 00:10:33.289 were scared out of their wits just like you would 00:10:33.289 --> 00:10:36.730 be had you been there that night. And so the 00:10:36.730 --> 00:10:39.190 angel tries to calm them and he says do not be 00:10:39.190 --> 00:10:44.100 afraid for behold I bring you good news. of a 00:10:44.100 --> 00:10:47.200 great joy which shall be for all the people. 00:10:48.039 --> 00:10:51.500 For today in the city of David there has been 00:10:51.500 --> 00:10:56.799 born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:00.659 And this will be a sign for you, you will find 00:11:00.659 --> 00:11:05.360 a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:07.879 So although the angel did not specify that they 00:11:07.879 --> 00:11:11.240 were to go to Bethlehem, at least he implicated 00:11:11.240 --> 00:11:14.899 that by what implied that by what he said here 00:11:14.899 --> 00:11:18.519 and how to find the baby and as soon as he had 00:11:18.519 --> 00:11:21.340 spoken that suddenly just as suddenly as that 00:11:21.340 --> 00:11:23.799 first angel had appeared and God turned on the 00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:27.639 light bulb just that suddenly there was another 00:11:27.639 --> 00:11:32.220 group of angels that appeared with the first 00:11:32.220 --> 00:11:35.399 one and they were saying something different 00:11:35.399 --> 00:11:37.899 they were praising God and this is what they 00:11:37.899 --> 00:11:43.730 said verse 14 Glory to God in the highest, and 00:11:43.730 --> 00:11:48.590 on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased." 00:11:48.590 --> 00:11:50.789 Notice the rendering of the last part of verse 00:11:50.789 --> 00:11:53.730 14. It's much better than the King James, which 00:11:53.730 --> 00:11:57.169 has led to some misunderstanding about what the 00:11:57.169 --> 00:12:00.830 angel was saying here. In the first place, they 00:12:00.830 --> 00:12:03.909 direct a message toward heaven. Glory to God 00:12:03.909 --> 00:12:08.120 in the highest. And then they direct a message 00:12:08.120 --> 00:12:11.879 to the earth. And on earth, they say, peace. 00:12:12.940 --> 00:12:16.919 Glory to God, peace to men. But not to all men. 00:12:17.960 --> 00:12:22.440 Not to all men. To those with whom God is pleased. 00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:26.519 And who are they? Well, they are the ones who 00:12:26.519 --> 00:12:29.919 are in obedience to God. They are the ones who 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:32.740 have believed God. They are the ones who are 00:12:32.740 --> 00:12:35.299 trusting Him. Those who have pleased Him in that 00:12:35.299 --> 00:12:40.039 sense. To those, God gives peace. G. Campbell 00:12:40.039 --> 00:12:43.700 Morgan says, the heavenly host was chanting the 00:12:43.700 --> 00:12:47.320 anthems of welcome not merely to that baby but 00:12:47.320 --> 00:12:51.899 to a new race, the race that will spring from 00:12:51.899 --> 00:12:56.059 that baby. From that child, that son of God, 00:12:56.159 --> 00:12:59.820 child of Mary, born and laid in a manger, will 00:12:59.820 --> 00:13:03.299 spring the race which will satisfy the divine 00:13:03.299 --> 00:13:07.139 demands and please the heart of God. Peace there 00:13:07.139 --> 00:13:11.679 is, peace for them. The old prophetic word rings 00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:14.799 its minor chord of solemn warning down the ages. 00:13:15.379 --> 00:13:18.620 There is no peace, saith my God to the wicked. 00:13:19.659 --> 00:13:24.500 First pure, then peaceable. Now Morgan's point 00:13:24.500 --> 00:13:28.360 is that that evening as the angels made their 00:13:28.360 --> 00:13:31.779 announcement they were proclaiming peace to a 00:13:31.779 --> 00:13:37.110 new race of people. A new family, a new entity, 00:13:38.009 --> 00:13:40.789 those who belong to God through this babe that 00:13:40.789 --> 00:13:44.669 was born, his death and resurrection. Peace to 00:13:44.669 --> 00:13:47.009 them who would be related to God through this 00:13:47.009 --> 00:13:50.470 child in his saving work later at the cross. 00:13:51.710 --> 00:13:55.429 But to those who remain in unbelief and in sin, 00:13:56.389 --> 00:13:58.929 there rests that ancient word from the prophet 00:13:58.929 --> 00:14:03.500 that says there is no peace to the wicked. In 00:14:03.500 --> 00:14:05.960 our world today there are those who are at peace 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:09.139 with God because they have believed on the Lord 00:14:09.139 --> 00:14:11.919 Jesus Christ and there are those who have no 00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:15.539 peace with God because they remain in their sin. 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:18.379 And every one of us in this room this morning 00:14:18.379 --> 00:14:20.980 is in one group or the other. There's no middle 00:14:20.980 --> 00:14:24.159 ground. Either we have peace with God or we have 00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:28.379 no peace with God. And the whole difference rests 00:14:28.379 --> 00:14:32.080 upon what we do with Jesus Christ. and what our 00:14:32.080 --> 00:14:37.580 response to Him is. Well, the angels then slowly 00:14:37.580 --> 00:14:41.820 withdrew from the shepherd's field back into 00:14:41.820 --> 00:14:45.639 heaven. Now, how they did that, we are not told. 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:49.840 But they slowly went back, they withdrew, until 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:53.240 finally they were taken out of the sight of these 00:14:53.240 --> 00:14:56.740 shepherds. They went back actually to their normal 00:14:56.740 --> 00:15:00.679 realm of existence, which is the spiritual realm. 00:15:01.360 --> 00:15:03.940 Can you imagine the joy that was the shepherds 00:15:03.940 --> 00:15:09.240 on that first Christmas night? As they heard 00:15:09.240 --> 00:15:11.679 the good news and then went to Bethlehem and 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:15.519 found the situation just as the angels had said 00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:19.019 to them, they went away rejoicing and sharing 00:15:19.019 --> 00:15:21.940 with everyone that they met what had happened 00:15:21.940 --> 00:15:26.559 and what an example they give to us. that having 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:29.500 come to the Savior and found in Him all that 00:15:29.500 --> 00:15:32.779 God says we'll find in Him, we should then go 00:15:32.779 --> 00:15:35.720 out and spread that news to all who will listen, 00:15:36.139 --> 00:15:39.620 just as did the shepherds. But coming back to 00:15:39.620 --> 00:15:42.820 the angels, can you imagine the excitement that 00:15:42.820 --> 00:15:46.480 was in their ranks that night as at least a group 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:49.980 of them were given this assigned work of coming 00:15:49.980 --> 00:15:53.460 into the realm of the material and announcing 00:15:53.460 --> 00:15:57.559 to us the birth of a Savior who is Christ the 00:15:57.559 --> 00:16:02.259 Lord. To the angels Christmas means work, but 00:16:02.259 --> 00:16:05.299 to the angels it also means warfare. It means 00:16:05.299 --> 00:16:09.899 an intensification of warfare. We're going to 00:16:09.899 --> 00:16:12.100 turn now to the book of the Revelation in the 00:16:12.100 --> 00:16:25.240 12th chapter. As we read this text, keep in mind 00:16:25.240 --> 00:16:29.320 that the language here reflects what John literally 00:16:29.320 --> 00:16:34.899 saw. We can only try to imagine the difficulty 00:16:34.899 --> 00:16:39.360 that he had in attempting to relate this vision 00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:47.539 to his vocabulary and experience. But he is led 00:16:47.539 --> 00:16:49.879 by the Spirit of God in doing that, and what 00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:52.500 he writes he literally saw, but also keep in 00:16:52.500 --> 00:16:56.559 mind that what he saw is somewhat symbolic and 00:16:56.559 --> 00:17:01.759 representative of actual entities. In other words, 00:17:01.779 --> 00:17:06.079 what we see here represents something else. As 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:10.619 we'll see, a great sign appeared in heaven, a 00:17:10.619 --> 00:17:16.019 woman clothed with the sun. and the moon under 00:17:16.019 --> 00:17:21.039 her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 00:17:23.119 --> 00:17:27.059 And she was with child, and she cried out, being 00:17:27.059 --> 00:17:32.799 in labor and in pain, to give birth. And another 00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:36.240 sign appeared in heaven, and behold a great red 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:41.059 dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and 00:17:41.059 --> 00:17:45.480 on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail 00:17:45.480 --> 00:17:49.480 swept away a third of the stars of heaven, and 00:17:49.480 --> 00:17:53.460 threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood 00:17:53.460 --> 00:17:56.180 before the woman who was about to give birth, 00:17:56.700 --> 00:18:00.680 so that when she gave birth he might devour her 00:18:00.680 --> 00:18:07.359 child. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, 00:18:08.500 --> 00:18:11.640 who is to rule all the nations with a rod of 00:18:11.640 --> 00:18:15.880 iron." and her child was caught up to God and 00:18:15.880 --> 00:18:18.720 to His throne. And we'll stop there for the moment 00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:23.460 because this part of the chapter is historical. 00:18:24.740 --> 00:18:29.319 In other words, these things are indicators, 00:18:29.759 --> 00:18:33.119 are symbolic of events that have already taken 00:18:33.119 --> 00:18:36.819 place. Now we need to identify these people or 00:18:36.819 --> 00:18:40.000 these characters or these entities. Who is the 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:43.839 woman? Commentators have a variety of descriptions 00:18:43.839 --> 00:18:49.180 for this. I believe that the best one, for a 00:18:49.180 --> 00:18:52.619 number of reasons, is that the woman represents 00:18:52.619 --> 00:18:58.559 the nation of Israel. The nation of Israel. The 00:18:58.559 --> 00:19:01.019 nation of Israel here is said to be pregnant, 00:19:01.380 --> 00:19:05.740 to be great with child. And who is this male 00:19:05.740 --> 00:19:09.710 child? Well, the identity of the child helps 00:19:09.710 --> 00:19:12.529 us to identify the woman. The child's identity 00:19:12.529 --> 00:19:16.349 is very clear to us in verse 5, for this child 00:19:16.349 --> 00:19:19.349 will rule all the nations with a rod of iron. 00:19:20.210 --> 00:19:23.630 Furthermore, this child was caught up to God 00:19:23.630 --> 00:19:29.029 and to His throne, and so the child is the Lord 00:19:29.029 --> 00:19:34.049 Jesus Christ, to whom birth was given by the 00:19:34.049 --> 00:19:38.519 nation of Israel. He came from the Jews. And 00:19:38.519 --> 00:19:41.599 then the great red dragon, well again that's 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:44.720 identified for us in the text a little bit later 00:19:44.720 --> 00:19:51.319 on in verse 9. It is Satan, the devil. And finally 00:19:51.319 --> 00:19:54.460 there is in verse 7 another important character 00:19:54.460 --> 00:20:00.180 here that is Michael and his angels who waged 00:20:00.180 --> 00:20:03.599 war with the dragon. Now let's talk about verses 00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:06.819 1 through 5 just very quickly. We learn from 00:20:06.819 --> 00:20:09.259 this in the first place that Christ's lineage 00:20:09.259 --> 00:20:14.579 naturally is from the Jews. He is an Israeli. 00:20:17.140 --> 00:20:19.099 A lot of us like that little Christmas carol 00:20:19.099 --> 00:20:22.220 the children sing. Some see him lily white, the 00:20:22.220 --> 00:20:25.160 baby Jesus born this night, and then the verse 00:20:25.160 --> 00:20:28.420 is gone. Each child pictures him like himself. 00:20:29.700 --> 00:20:32.839 I think it's a beautiful carol, and it's true. 00:20:34.349 --> 00:20:36.390 But if you stop to think about it at the moment, 00:20:36.529 --> 00:20:40.609 our Savior is probably not light -skinned with 00:20:40.609 --> 00:20:44.970 blue eyes and blonde hair, as we often see Him 00:20:44.970 --> 00:20:50.750 pictured in our Caucasian paintings, depictions. 00:20:52.049 --> 00:20:54.950 But rather He is probably dark -haired, olive 00:20:54.950 --> 00:21:01.349 -skinned, with dark eyes, being a Jew. He was 00:21:01.349 --> 00:21:07.339 born of the woman. And just as it says here, 00:21:07.500 --> 00:21:12.220 the dragon was waiting to destroy the child, 00:21:13.059 --> 00:21:16.440 so we see throughout the Old Testament, as well 00:21:16.440 --> 00:21:18.720 as at the very birth of Christ, the attempts 00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:23.880 of Satan to cut off the Christ. Time and again 00:21:23.880 --> 00:21:27.619 he sought to kill the possibility of the Savior 00:21:27.619 --> 00:21:31.190 being born to the Jewish people. And then when 00:21:31.190 --> 00:21:34.089 the Savior was born, he worked through Herod 00:21:34.089 --> 00:21:39.369 to try to literally kill the child himself. All 00:21:39.369 --> 00:21:42.630 of that is history. And then we see the child 00:21:42.630 --> 00:21:45.549 being caught up to the throne of God in verse 00:21:45.549 --> 00:21:48.890 5, and that is a description of his ascension 00:21:48.890 --> 00:21:52.869 back to heaven. And so certainly it's a sweeping 00:21:52.869 --> 00:21:55.950 and broad description of the child. It does not 00:21:55.950 --> 00:21:58.529 include the cross or the resurrection. but it 00:21:58.529 --> 00:22:00.569 picks out some of the important things and it 00:22:00.569 --> 00:22:02.890 puts him back in heaven. All of that is history. 00:22:02.930 --> 00:22:06.430 That's where Jesus is today. Now in the chapter, 00:22:06.470 --> 00:22:11.029 there's no indication of a time separation between 00:22:11.029 --> 00:22:14.970 verses five and six, but that is the case. Because 00:22:14.970 --> 00:22:17.049 in verse six, what is described is something 00:22:17.049 --> 00:22:20.470 that yet takes place in the future. It's elaborated 00:22:20.470 --> 00:22:23.410 upon later in the chapter. We don't have time 00:22:23.410 --> 00:22:26.299 to go into all of that. But this woman, and who 00:22:26.299 --> 00:22:30.000 is the woman again? Israel, fled into the wilderness 00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:34.039 where she had a place prepared by God, so that 00:22:34.039 --> 00:22:37.960 there she might be nourished for 1 ,260 days. 00:22:38.039 --> 00:22:40.480 You say, are those literal days? I take them 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:46.019 that way. And the same period of time is again 00:22:46.019 --> 00:22:48.440 repeated later in the chapter. Oh, it's called 00:22:48.440 --> 00:22:54.500 differently there. Now in verse 7, John moves 00:22:54.500 --> 00:22:58.240 his description to the angelic realm. He says, 00:22:58.500 --> 00:23:01.299 there was war in heaven. Now that doesn't mean 00:23:01.299 --> 00:23:04.819 in the New Jerusalem, in the abode of God, but 00:23:04.819 --> 00:23:07.240 it's talking about the heavenly realm, the realm 00:23:07.240 --> 00:23:11.460 of spirits. There was war in heaven. Michael 00:23:11.460 --> 00:23:16.440 and his angels waging war with the dragon. And 00:23:16.440 --> 00:23:20.519 the dragon and his angels waged war and they 00:23:20.519 --> 00:23:23.799 were not strong enough. And there was no longer 00:23:23.799 --> 00:23:27.380 a place found for them in heaven, that is, in 00:23:27.380 --> 00:23:29.420 the realm where they are at the present time 00:23:29.420 --> 00:23:32.339 in their activity. Satan is called the prince 00:23:32.339 --> 00:23:38.019 of the power of the air. So his realm of operation, 00:23:38.160 --> 00:23:42.019 his activity is in the atmosphere. And he has 00:23:42.019 --> 00:23:44.579 access, in some sense, to this spiritual realm, 00:23:44.720 --> 00:23:49.039 the heavens. But in verse 9, things change. Now 00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:51.960 remember, we're talking prophecy here. We're 00:23:51.960 --> 00:23:54.319 talking about what will happen in the tribulation 00:23:54.319 --> 00:23:58.619 period yet to come. The great dragon was thrown 00:23:58.619 --> 00:24:02.579 down, the serpent of old who is called the devil 00:24:02.579 --> 00:24:05.000 and Satan who deceives the whole world. What 00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:07.920 a dreadful description of him that is. But how 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:12.000 accurate. He deceives the whole world. He was 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:15.700 thrown down to the earth and his angels were 00:24:15.700 --> 00:24:20.220 thrown down with him. And so however this is 00:24:20.220 --> 00:24:24.059 accomplished, What it tells us is that Satan's 00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:27.819 realm of operation is limited at this particular 00:24:27.819 --> 00:24:31.640 point in the future to the earth. He no longer 00:24:31.640 --> 00:24:35.039 has the kind of access that he has today and 00:24:35.039 --> 00:24:39.619 he responds very angrily. A loud voice was heard 00:24:39.619 --> 00:24:43.480 in heaven saying, now the salvation and the power 00:24:43.480 --> 00:24:46.460 and the kingdom of our God and the authority 00:24:46.460 --> 00:24:49.980 of his Christ have come. For the accuser of our 00:24:49.980 --> 00:24:53.200 brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them 00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:56.400 before our God day and night. And they overcame 00:24:56.400 --> 00:24:59.160 him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because 00:24:59.160 --> 00:25:01.839 of the word of their testimony, and they did 00:25:01.839 --> 00:25:05.019 not love their life even to death. For this reason 00:25:05.019 --> 00:25:08.259 rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them. 00:25:09.519 --> 00:25:13.339 Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil 00:25:13.339 --> 00:25:16.940 has come down to you, having great wrath. knowing 00:25:16.940 --> 00:25:21.640 that he has only a short time. So there is a 00:25:21.640 --> 00:25:24.259 statement here in these verses anticipating that 00:25:24.259 --> 00:25:27.859 final victory that will come. Satan's being thrown 00:25:27.859 --> 00:25:31.599 down just one step toward that. In verse 13, 00:25:31.619 --> 00:25:34.019 when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to 00:25:34.019 --> 00:25:37.200 the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth 00:25:37.200 --> 00:25:40.819 to the male child. And so this is that yet future 00:25:40.819 --> 00:25:43.420 persecution that will come to the Jewish people 00:25:43.420 --> 00:25:46.529 in the tribulation period. which will exceed, 00:25:46.710 --> 00:25:50.170 I am sorry to say in its ferocity, the persecution 00:25:50.170 --> 00:25:53.609 that Hitler plagued them with in World War II. 00:25:54.569 --> 00:25:57.670 But God supernaturally intervenes and protects, 00:25:58.269 --> 00:26:02.450 and in verses 14 through 17 that is further prophesied 00:26:02.450 --> 00:26:05.869 to us. Now I read this chapter because it tells 00:26:05.869 --> 00:26:08.670 us of that warfare that is constantly taking 00:26:08.670 --> 00:26:12.170 place in the heavenly realm. And it mentions 00:26:12.599 --> 00:26:17.539 the birth of the male child and then his being 00:26:17.539 --> 00:26:21.839 caught up into heaven at his ascension. And it 00:26:21.839 --> 00:26:25.240 mentions the woman and it mentions the persecution 00:26:25.240 --> 00:26:27.720 that will come to her and the anger, the wrath 00:26:27.720 --> 00:26:30.779 of the great dragon who was thrown down to the 00:26:30.779 --> 00:26:34.259 earth. All of this suggests to us that to the 00:26:34.259 --> 00:26:40.599 angelic realm Christmas means and intensification 00:26:40.599 --> 00:26:46.000 of spiritual warfare. The point here is that 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:51.920 the birth of Christ signaled to the angels the 00:26:51.920 --> 00:26:56.160 coming defeat of Satan. Now when I say to the 00:26:56.160 --> 00:26:58.279 angels, I mean to the holy angels as well as 00:26:58.279 --> 00:27:02.019 to the fallen angels. The birth of the Christ 00:27:02.019 --> 00:27:07.000 signaled to both groups the coming defeat of 00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:11.640 Satan. And it undoubtedly caused the warfare 00:27:11.640 --> 00:27:14.700 in that realm of the heavenlies to be intensified 00:27:14.700 --> 00:27:20.859 and to grow worse. And one day, when Michael 00:27:20.859 --> 00:27:26.140 and his angels finally succeed in casting Satan 00:27:26.140 --> 00:27:28.680 and his angels down to the earth and limiting 00:27:28.680 --> 00:27:32.680 them, that warfare will even become more intense, 00:27:33.200 --> 00:27:37.099 particularly as it affects human beings. and 00:27:37.099 --> 00:27:42.259 the Jews in particular. We need ladies and gentlemen 00:27:42.259 --> 00:27:48.099 to be aware of spiritual warfare. If we do not 00:27:48.099 --> 00:27:51.259 become aware of the warfare that is going on, 00:27:51.539 --> 00:27:56.920 we become the witless victims of it. There are 00:27:56.920 --> 00:28:02.180 cosmic forces of good and evil that are battling 00:28:02.180 --> 00:28:08.410 for supremacy. Now, we know already who is going 00:28:08.410 --> 00:28:12.369 to win. The Word of God tells us that. But Satan 00:28:12.369 --> 00:28:16.529 does not believe it. Not only is he able to deceive 00:28:16.529 --> 00:28:20.690 the whole world, but he is thoroughly able to 00:28:20.690 --> 00:28:25.230 deceive himself. He is the most deceived of all 00:28:25.230 --> 00:28:29.930 and is convinced that somehow, in the end, he 00:28:29.930 --> 00:28:32.769 is going to be able to destroy the male child. 00:28:33.019 --> 00:28:36.279 and take the place of God on the earth. He is 00:28:36.279 --> 00:28:40.339 convinced of that. Therefore his warfare is very, 00:28:40.339 --> 00:28:46.400 very intense. And so as the angels of God think 00:28:46.400 --> 00:28:49.819 of Christmas, I believe they must surely identify 00:28:49.819 --> 00:28:54.940 with Christmas, with the incarnation, the intensification 00:28:54.940 --> 00:29:00.980 of their struggle against angelic evil beings. 00:29:02.829 --> 00:29:05.490 I believe that's part of what Christmas means 00:29:05.490 --> 00:29:09.849 to the angels. So as you and I enter into Christmas, 00:29:10.029 --> 00:29:14.509 we ought to be aware of some facts too. That 00:29:14.509 --> 00:29:18.529 around this whole event that we commemorate at 00:29:18.529 --> 00:29:24.970 Christmas, there is unseen warfare taking place 00:29:24.970 --> 00:29:29.150 which has intensified because of it. And if you 00:29:29.150 --> 00:29:32.289 and I do not learn to enter into that warfare 00:29:32.289 --> 00:29:36.750 by prayer, if we do not learn to put on our spiritual 00:29:36.750 --> 00:29:42.369 armor, we will become the victims of the enemy 00:29:42.369 --> 00:29:44.829 and not the victors that God wants us to be in 00:29:44.829 --> 00:29:52.890 this world. A Christian who is living for the 00:29:52.890 --> 00:29:56.779 world, who is living carnally, is a Christian 00:29:56.779 --> 00:30:00.559 who is just begging to be defeated by the enemy. 00:30:00.839 --> 00:30:04.759 In fact, he's already halfway there by the lifestyle 00:30:04.759 --> 00:30:07.220 he's choosing, by the disobedience in his life. 00:30:08.019 --> 00:30:10.279 So what this tells us is that as we come to Christmas, 00:30:10.480 --> 00:30:12.740 you and I need to be alert. We need to be on 00:30:12.740 --> 00:30:15.039 guard. We need to be obedient. Our lives need 00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:18.900 to be right. We need to be living purely so that 00:30:18.900 --> 00:30:22.910 we are standing. in spiritual warfare and through 00:30:22.910 --> 00:30:25.230 prayer entering into it. You say, how does that 00:30:25.230 --> 00:30:27.589 affect it? I don't understand all of that. I 00:30:27.589 --> 00:30:30.210 just know that as we pray it makes a difference 00:30:30.210 --> 00:30:36.650 in the successes that the angels have. So as 00:30:36.650 --> 00:30:40.609 we pray for the advance of the gospel into the 00:30:40.609 --> 00:30:44.769 darkness of heathenism, it makes a difference. 00:30:45.829 --> 00:30:48.920 It makes a difference. And so I exhort all of 00:30:48.920 --> 00:30:51.599 us to be involved in that as we come to Christmas. 00:30:54.359 --> 00:30:59.099 Finally, to the angels, Christmas means wonder. 00:30:59.859 --> 00:31:04.599 A source of wonder. You say, are the angels really 00:31:04.599 --> 00:31:07.599 capable of wondering? Well, I believe they are. 00:31:07.640 --> 00:31:11.599 They are described as having personality. We 00:31:11.599 --> 00:31:13.799 can point to places in the Bible where it says 00:31:13.799 --> 00:31:17.430 they have emotion. There's great joy in the presence 00:31:17.430 --> 00:31:21.990 of God over a sinner who repents. They have intellect. 00:31:23.569 --> 00:31:28.549 They know. And they learn. And by the way, they 00:31:28.549 --> 00:31:32.609 learn from watching you and me. I wonder what 00:31:32.609 --> 00:31:37.869 they're learning. And in addition to that, they 00:31:37.869 --> 00:31:45.019 have will. They can choose. For example, Michael 00:31:45.019 --> 00:31:48.539 chose to do battle with Satan over the body of 00:31:48.539 --> 00:31:52.559 Moses, according to a very mysterious verse in 00:31:52.559 --> 00:31:56.740 the book of Jude. So they have personality and 00:31:56.740 --> 00:31:59.519 they are able to wonder. I believe that in the 00:31:59.519 --> 00:32:02.539 first place they wonder at God's appearance in 00:32:02.539 --> 00:32:06.880 human form. I think they must, by wonder, by 00:32:06.880 --> 00:32:10.220 the way I mean astonishment. I think they are 00:32:10.220 --> 00:32:13.779 astonished. at God's appearance in human form. 00:32:14.539 --> 00:32:18.420 Turn with me back to 1 Timothy chapter 3 and 00:32:18.420 --> 00:32:24.500 verse 16. We find here a condensed statement 00:32:24.500 --> 00:32:29.079 that the Apostle Paul draws from some source 00:32:29.079 --> 00:32:33.200 in his day. Perhaps a hymn or perhaps a doctrinal 00:32:33.200 --> 00:32:36.900 summary of some sort. But he says, and by common 00:32:36.900 --> 00:32:39.819 confession great is the mystery of godliness. 00:32:42.160 --> 00:32:48.359 1 Timothy 3, 16. He who was revealed in the flesh, 00:32:48.960 --> 00:32:53.920 we know who that is, was vindicated in the Spirit, 00:32:55.000 --> 00:33:00.579 beheld by angels. Isn't that interesting? That 00:33:00.579 --> 00:33:03.160 in the middle of these brief statements it says, 00:33:03.759 --> 00:33:06.380 he who was revealed in the flesh was beheld by 00:33:06.380 --> 00:33:09.940 angels. Now angels live in the very presence 00:33:09.940 --> 00:33:15.109 of God. They're able to look upon, as much as 00:33:15.109 --> 00:33:21.130 we know, the essence of God. And yet, now they 00:33:21.130 --> 00:33:24.609 see God coming in human form. He was revealed 00:33:24.609 --> 00:33:29.670 in flesh. He was incarnated. I believe that that 00:33:29.670 --> 00:33:33.190 night at Bethlehem there must have been a scrambling 00:33:33.190 --> 00:33:39.390 for room. to look into that stable to see God 00:33:39.390 --> 00:33:41.650 incarnated. You say, how many angels have to 00:33:41.650 --> 00:33:43.970 scramble to look in? I don't know. If you can 00:33:43.970 --> 00:33:46.210 tell me how many can stand on the head of a pin, 00:33:46.230 --> 00:33:48.950 I'll tell you how many have to scramble to look 00:33:48.950 --> 00:33:52.029 into the stable. But the point is that I believe 00:33:52.029 --> 00:33:55.490 that they were absolutely amazed at what they 00:33:55.490 --> 00:34:00.369 were seeing. That the eternal God who had created 00:34:00.369 --> 00:34:04.700 them, who dwells in magnificence, and majesty 00:34:04.700 --> 00:34:09.239 on high should now be found here in the body 00:34:09.239 --> 00:34:14.260 of this baby. I believe that Christmas to them 00:34:14.260 --> 00:34:19.679 is a source of wonder. And I also believe it's 00:34:19.679 --> 00:34:22.820 a source of wonder because of God's display of 00:34:22.820 --> 00:34:29.039 grace towards sinners. Turn over to 1 Peter chapter 00:34:29.039 --> 00:34:35.090 1. For what is our last reference this morning? 00:34:35.510 --> 00:34:41.510 1 Peter 1 Peter says in verse 10 as to this salvation 00:34:41.510 --> 00:34:44.849 the prophets who prophesied of the grace that 00:34:44.849 --> 00:34:47.409 would come to you made careful search and inquiry 00:34:47.409 --> 00:34:51.309 seeking to know what person or Time the spirit 00:34:51.309 --> 00:34:53.789 of Christ within them was indicating as he predicted 00:34:53.789 --> 00:34:56.230 the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow 00:34:56.909 --> 00:34:59.849 What these verses say is that the prophets themselves, 00:34:59.869 --> 00:35:02.050 as they were inspired by God to write their words, 00:35:02.110 --> 00:35:04.250 did not understand fully what they were writing. 00:35:05.329 --> 00:35:07.969 And they sought diligently to try to understand 00:35:07.969 --> 00:35:10.530 what the Spirit of Christ in them was saying. 00:35:12.170 --> 00:35:14.349 And it says in verse 12, it was revealed to them 00:35:14.349 --> 00:35:19.210 that they were not serving themselves, but you. 00:35:20.730 --> 00:35:26.789 You. Isaiah, Jeremiah, David, Moses. They were 00:35:26.789 --> 00:35:29.369 not serving themselves as the Spirit of Christ 00:35:29.369 --> 00:35:34.769 was prophesying. They were serving you in these 00:35:34.769 --> 00:35:38.150 things which now have been announced to you through 00:35:38.150 --> 00:35:40.909 those who preach the gospel to you by the Holy 00:35:40.909 --> 00:35:43.750 Spirit sent from heaven. Now notice the end of 00:35:43.750 --> 00:35:49.409 verse 12. Things into which angels long to look. 00:35:52.559 --> 00:35:55.739 The language here suggests that the angels are 00:35:55.739 --> 00:36:00.659 bending forward and stretching out and gazing 00:36:00.659 --> 00:36:06.260 intently with deep desire that they might seek 00:36:06.260 --> 00:36:10.300 to understand and comprehend the gospel of the 00:36:10.300 --> 00:36:18.079 grace of God. They wonder. They are amazed at 00:36:18.079 --> 00:36:23.159 the grace that God has poured out upon you and 00:36:23.159 --> 00:36:28.820 me through the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:36:30.480 --> 00:36:32.599 So what does Christmas mean to the angels? It 00:36:32.599 --> 00:36:36.500 means that it's a source of wonder. A wonder 00:36:36.500 --> 00:36:40.119 that the infinite God would come in form of a 00:36:40.119 --> 00:36:44.880 baby. Wonder the display of the grace of God 00:36:44.880 --> 00:36:50.309 for sinners like us. And yet, And yet, how else 00:36:50.309 --> 00:36:55.849 could God teach the angels of His grace except 00:36:55.849 --> 00:36:59.170 that it be displayed for unworthy sinners whom 00:36:59.170 --> 00:37:05.150 He has chosen? As for the angels, I believe that 00:37:05.150 --> 00:37:08.510 Christmas ought to be a source of wonder to us. 00:37:10.130 --> 00:37:14.050 We too ought to be amazed at what God did 2 ,000 00:37:14.050 --> 00:37:19.559 years ago when He came into the world. We ought 00:37:19.559 --> 00:37:22.179 to consider the grace of God better. We ought 00:37:22.179 --> 00:37:27.719 to receive the grace of God that was manifested 00:37:27.719 --> 00:37:35.579 then. What was a wonder to the angels is an opportunity 00:37:35.579 --> 00:37:40.340 for us. You see, the Savior was not born to save 00:37:40.340 --> 00:37:46.760 angels. Angels cannot be saved if they have fallen. 00:37:48.840 --> 00:37:51.639 The Savior was born in the likeness of human 00:37:51.639 --> 00:37:56.619 flesh to save human sinners. So what is a wonder 00:37:56.619 --> 00:38:00.360 to the angels is an opportunity for every sinner 00:38:00.360 --> 00:38:09.780 to be saved. Dr. Andrew Bonar of Scotland was 00:38:09.780 --> 00:38:12.820 on one occasion saying goodbye to a medical missionary 00:38:12.820 --> 00:38:17.449 friend of his. happened on that occasion to be 00:38:17.449 --> 00:38:22.389 accompanied by his sister. It was to her that 00:38:22.389 --> 00:38:25.349 the aged servant of Christ, Dr. Bonar, said, 00:38:26.010 --> 00:38:30.590 well, my dear, what is your name? And she replied, 00:38:31.269 --> 00:38:37.690 Christine. What a lovely name, he said. You see, 00:38:37.750 --> 00:38:41.510 my dear, you have Christ in your name. But have 00:38:41.510 --> 00:38:47.210 you Christ in your heart? The missionary's sister 00:38:47.210 --> 00:38:49.429 remained silent, but she could not escape the 00:38:49.429 --> 00:38:52.750 question. And that night, after a long talk with 00:38:52.750 --> 00:38:57.289 her brother, she received Jesus Christ and her 00:38:57.289 --> 00:39:03.989 heart was saved. And then she went on to serve 00:39:03.989 --> 00:39:08.449 in Edinburgh, students, and was a great servant 00:39:08.449 --> 00:39:11.309 of the Lord Jesus Christ. My friend, the issue 00:39:11.309 --> 00:39:14.710 this Christmas season is not Christ in the manger. 00:39:17.110 --> 00:39:21.329 But it is rather whether Christ is in your heart. 00:39:22.090 --> 00:39:29.530 That's the question. You may wonder, as the angels 00:39:29.530 --> 00:39:34.030 did, but have you received personally by faith 00:39:34.030 --> 00:39:37.530 this Christ who was born that He might later 00:39:37.530 --> 00:39:42.869 die and be resurrected for you? Is Christ in 00:39:42.869 --> 00:39:46.349 your heart this morning? Let's bow together. 00:39:51.679 --> 00:39:57.219 With our heads bowed, our eyes closed. I wonder 00:39:57.219 --> 00:40:00.940 how many can say this morning with assurance 00:40:00.940 --> 00:40:05.179 that only the Spirit of God can give that Jesus 00:40:05.179 --> 00:40:08.059 Christ is living in your heart. Would you lift 00:40:08.059 --> 00:40:13.199 your hand? Yes, He's there. That's wonderful. 00:40:14.900 --> 00:40:16.840 I wonder if there is someone this morning who 00:40:16.840 --> 00:40:20.219 would receive the Savior though. You know, the 00:40:20.219 --> 00:40:23.980 angels are watching. And somehow the angels are 00:40:23.980 --> 00:40:26.800 able to perceive who is and who isn't a child 00:40:26.800 --> 00:40:30.920 of God. And it says that there's joy in their 00:40:30.920 --> 00:40:37.780 ranks when even just one, just one sinner repents 00:40:37.780 --> 00:40:42.119 and trusts the Savior. Would you be that one 00:40:42.119 --> 00:40:45.820 this morning that would cause the angels to rejoice 00:40:45.820 --> 00:40:49.380 at this Christmas season? And how much greater 00:40:49.380 --> 00:40:56.980 your joy? than theirs should you do that. Will 00:40:56.980 --> 00:41:08.079 you in your heart of hearts right now pray and 00:41:08.079 --> 00:41:11.780 by faith tell the Savior that you know you're 00:41:11.780 --> 00:41:18.079 a sinner, one of those He came to save, that 00:41:18.079 --> 00:41:21.510 because He loves you, and died for you and rose 00:41:21.510 --> 00:41:26.530 again, you're giving yourself to Him and receiving 00:41:26.530 --> 00:41:36.670 Him for yourself. If you've done that this morning, 00:41:36.789 --> 00:41:38.750 I hope that you'll come by the front door here 00:41:38.750 --> 00:41:43.369 as you exit and shake my hand and say to me this 00:41:43.369 --> 00:41:47.550 morning, I receive Christ. I'd like to be able 00:41:47.550 --> 00:41:49.389 to mail some things to you that will help you 00:41:49.389 --> 00:41:57.329 to grow in your Christian life. Father, I pray 00:41:57.329 --> 00:42:02.389 that having learned something of what Christmas 00:42:02.389 --> 00:42:06.670 means to the angels, we will learn something 00:42:06.670 --> 00:42:10.489 more of what it can and should mean to all of 00:42:10.489 --> 00:42:16.619 us who are yours by faith. I pray that we will 00:42:16.619 --> 00:42:20.420 be busy with our assignment of work, sharing 00:42:20.420 --> 00:42:24.460 the good news. Thank you that you've given us 00:42:24.460 --> 00:42:29.539 that privilege. I pray that we will be involved 00:42:29.539 --> 00:42:34.139 in spiritual warfare, realizing the intensity 00:42:34.139 --> 00:42:37.780 of it because Christ has come and is coming again. 00:42:39.739 --> 00:42:42.559 God make us faithful and good soldiers of Jesus 00:42:42.559 --> 00:42:47.579 Christ. to stand on the front lines and not to 00:42:47.579 --> 00:42:52.280 be defeated. And then I pray that we will all 00:42:52.280 --> 00:42:54.679 find Christmas a source of wonder and amazement 00:42:54.679 --> 00:42:59.340 and worship as we recall and remember what you've 00:42:59.340 --> 00:43:03.840 done, the amazing things that you've done in 00:43:03.840 --> 00:43:09.159 coming into this world to save us. We pray in 00:43:09.159 --> 00:43:10.619 Jesus' name, amen.