R572 Angels and Christmas

Encouraging Word for you and me today. The Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton message on Angels and reopen God's word is another world on our website@gwonline.org weather devotional for 2020 book about Dr. Billy Graham.

It's all there double online.are the Gospel according to Luke, so it is we come to this time of Christmas in your posture immediately began to ask himself what is it about angels and Christmas. What is it about them. What do they teach us like us to reading God's word this morning from Luke's gospel chapter 1 and I'm really going to begin reading at verse five in the time of Herod the king of Judah, Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah who belong to the priestly division of obligor, his wife Elizabeth was also a descendent of Aaron.

Both of them were up right in the sight of God observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly, but I had no children. Because Elizabeth was barren, and they would both well along in years once when Zachariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God. He was chosen by law. According to the custom of the priesthood to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense cop everybody would look at me for just about want to remind you how important this is if you could just imagine in the Old Testament that this is the temple in the Old Testament. If this was the temple you would not be in here because the people were not allowed into the tank they could come into the temple courts, but not into the tank.

The only people who would be allowed in here would be the ministers of this church and if this was the temple. The ministers of the church. Steve Skinner and Britt Dillard and Eddie Robertson on and on down the list safe.

Berkeley, the ministers of the church would not be allowed any further than perhaps this area down in front of me this year would be considered the holy of holies and the only person who could go into the holy of holies was the high priest for today's purpose will: the senior pasta and so I am standing at the moment.

If we were to do a rough kind of comparison which we cannot do. I would be standing here in the holy of holies. Now there is something very important about this, we must remember number one that it was very exclusive. Only priesthood coming here. Second of all, only the high priest, the senior pasta could going to the holy of holies but nobody was allowed to sit down. In fact, all of us quiet you would be in violation right now of the sanctity of the temple in the Old Testament because we would not be allowed to be seated.

That is why it is so significant that often Jesus died.

What happened to him.

He is sanded to be seated. Are you with me.

He ascended to be seated at the right hand of God the father in heaven now hold on here for a month.

The way in which people had access to God. One of the ways was by virtue of the burning of incense that I have time to get into detail this morning, but I think it's important for us to understand this.

I want you to keep your finger in the book of Luke, everybody go to Revelation chapter 5 just very quick Revelation chapter 5 very very quickly.

I'm going to show you something here that is remarkable. Revelation chapter 5.

We are looking at the throne of God in heaven.

Just prior to the tribulation. The Bible says in verse chapter 5 in verse one then I saw him listen in the right hand of him I saw in the right hand of him who sat upon the throne a scroll watch what happens. If we go on further down the road we going to discover in verse seven he came. That is the Lord Jesus Christ. He came and he took the scroll from which hand of God will see that they the right hand of God.

God was holding in his right hand a scroll of the Bible says Jesus sat down actually right hand of the father. The significance of Jesus sitting down.

First of all, secondly, that he was on the right-hand side of God the father said of all that God had in his right hand.

The scroll, and he took from his right hand the scroll. Now let's go down.

He came to the right from the right hand of him who sat on the throne and when he is taken at the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb watchlist.

Each one had 1/2 and they were holding golden bowls full of locked say that there they had in their hands. Golden bowls full of human science which the prayers of the saints gearbox this?

How did people in the Old Testament before Jesus Christ came to the cross. How did Old Testament saints gain access to God. The Bible tells us according to the Levitical role, the burning of incense, the smoke, the sacrifice, the sweet savor of the presence of God Jehovah Kathy Old Testament prophets and the Old Testament saints gain access and the Bible says here in the throne of God in heaven after the rapture of the church in pre-tribulation. Here, as we are waiting for that to unfold, God reminds us of this incredible covenant relationship that he has with these people Israel now cloaks keep your seat go to Luke chapter 1 because this is important. Now we talking about angels and Christmas is something very interesting here Bible tells us Zachariah was chosen to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

Remember, Jesus hadn't been born yet Jesus hadn't even gone to the cross yet. By the way what is the Lord's supper role about what is communion all about Jesus said this is the new testament in my blood.

This is the new covenant in my blood.

Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. Jesus became high priest after the order of vouchers and Jesus did away with the old covenant, the new cabinet is Jesus Christ. And Jesus said I am the way, I am the truth I am the life no man from now on can gain access to the father but by me.

That's the New Testament no longer is the burning of incense of any value. No longer is the burning of candles of any value. No longer is any ritual of any value. No longer is any liturgy of any value. What is of value is the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.) I am in a small bug snapshot in time at Christmas. I want you to know I want to show you something that happens with angels coming to this verse 11 verse 10, when the time came for the burning of incense all the assembled worshipers were praying where outside then an angel of the Lord appeared to him. Garrett is standing at the right side of the altar of incense yelled Zachariah in the temple on the role these Levitical restrictions following the clothes and the creeds of the Old Testament covenant and all of a sudden an angel appears and an angel doesn't just appear anywhere an angel appears and the audacity of it standing on the right side of the altar of God, oh God, you're listening to Dr. Don Wilton, our teacher, your own The Encouraging Word this message and many more on her website anytime GW online.org that's TW online.org while you're there, be sure and sign up for the daily devotion and check out the wonderful leather bound devotional for 2022.

It's online@twonline.org that's TEW online.org. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don no one when we read Zachariah was beside himself with fear. This was a learned man. This was a man of the priestly class. This was a man who understood the theological and spiritual significance of what Jesus did through the Abraham make this was a man who began to try not because God was speaking from heaven. God was reaching down from the portals of heaven and saying something that the Scripture incredible. I'm not even gonna read to you the rest of that passage. I'm going to pick up in verse 19 the angel of God comes to Elizabeth and Zachariah and says you gonna have a baby and she says impossible. I'm too old.

Verse 19 the angel on said I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God. I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you there's good news and now you will be silent and not be able to speak until the day this happens because you did not believe my words which come truth.

A proper time to get up in verse 26 lesson in the six-month God sent the angel Gabriel yet comes they will again. Gabriel was all busy at Christmastime to Nazareth, a town in Galilee to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendent of David. By the way.

Note all the connections. Elizabeth was connected to Aaron who is connected to David who is connected to Mary was connected to Joseph, who is of the line and lineage of the house of David is Jesus Christ the Lord the genealogy of the king writes about Scripture, the Bible re-generates and reemphasizes time and time and time again, this baby boy is virgin's name was Mary, the angel went to her and said great you who are highly favored. The Lord is with Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, do not be afraid, Mary found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you ought to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the most high, the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, these kingdom will never in how will this be Mary off the angel since I'm a virgin.

She said the angel onset. The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the son of God, even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age and she was said to be barren is in her six-month phone. Nothing is impossible with God. I am the Lord's servant, Mary on said might be to me as you said in the eye. Laughter never wanted about angels and Christmas just a moment I want to say to the television audience we going to be going off the air. There's never a time that I like to go if the air in the middle of a message you know that this message is critical to your life and mine.

What is it that angels tell us about Christmas.

Well, they tell us three things going to give them to you very briefly and you can write them down. I know I've still got some time live, one at Christmas angels are used for carrying God's plan for the ages. Angels are used to carry out the plan of God. Number two at Christmas angels are used to carry the authority of God number three. The third thing we gonna look at this morning is that it Christmastime angels are used, to carry the message of God.

Now let's just look at this focus is incredible concerning angels and Christmas someone at Christmastime. Angels are used to carry the plan of God for things we need to know chair when we talk about the plan of God number one God has always had a plan not love their country. I wish we could take a survey. Jedediah and Cy wonder if there is anyone worried about tomorrow.

Well, there's a lot of concern about tomorrow.

I think even America of these possible months since November 7 there was a lot of consternation and concern even about the election about leader and and we are a people who worry about tomorrow. Listen to me folks God has always had a plan. Someone came up to me recently and I said to me pasta what you think about the book of Genesis.

I said, the book of Genesis. I said yes I said will number one, it's in the Bible and I believe every word from the beginning of Genesis to the end. But the reason why I believe every word from the beginning to the end of the book of Genesis and to the end of the book of Revelation is that the book of Genesis says the beginning God any more questions.

Can you feel it. There is a sense of capitulation at this point of the application of my own human genius.

At this juncture in the beginning God when was the beginning I don't know. I've tried to think about it, I cannot. How flawed is the beginning go back as far back as you and I could ever imagine. Back to the beginning, what, where is the beginning I don't know it's way back there. We can never get there. The beginning is tied into the sovereign, the heart of a God who loves us and of a Savior who died for us. The beginning God. God has always had a plan.

What wind that plan stock always win in the beginning any more questions number two God is not changed his mind and we can understand angels and Christmas we got understand God is not changed his mind. He doesn't alter his opinion.

God doesn't say you know what I'm gonna do you Old Testament signs you struggle, you cannot handle it all.

This thing is man I'm going to say in Jesus because God so loved the world lesson, the fact that God so loved the world, was not a suggestion that God might.

It was not an option. It was not an opinion expressed God in the beginning, from before the foundation of time determined in the heart of a sovereign God in the beginning God is what means in the beginning and God determined as God determined because God is God and God hasn't changed his mind. God doesn't alter his opinion, God is not subject to an election that goes bad. God is not subject to the rise and fall of the stock market God's giving is not based on anything that traits to the human condition God does what God does.

Because God is God in the beginning and he always will be. God's got a plan God has not changed his mind. Number three God always delivers.

Needless to say, and number four God controls the future. Romans 828 tells us that all things are working together for the good of those that love God, to those who are the cold, according to his purpose. You and I cannot necessarily decipher therefore determined that or try to figure it out in any kind of life we can put all kinds of scientific evaluation we can bring all our philosophical existentialism to bear upon that we can write books and we can get into theological treatises about it, but the word of God is absolutely certain at this point that if God is in the beginning that God is already at the future God is in control and I've got an announcement to make at this Christmas time to reduce angels are used, to carry out the plan of God. Just think about God loves us his plan includes us, Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of his plan. Herein lies the love of God in Genesis 22 verse 12 God said to Abram like Isaac going killing Abraham took him walked up Mount Moriah, God stopped him and provided another way the alternative.

This is the picture of God's plan through the ages.

God providing an alternative for the predicament of mankind. Isaiah chapter 7 go back in the prophecy.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Emmanuelle. If you going to Isaiah chapter 9 verses six through seven you'll read I just repetitive analysis of the very heartbeat and character of this one the Christ child Emmanuelle God with us.

Yes, I at Christmastime. The age are used to carry the plan of God. Number two at Christmastime.

Angels are used to carry the authority of God. Now, folks. We bought a listen carefully, because this is tied into the altar into incense into their position. It is a big subject, I know that I'm not doing justice to the subject about, but I want you to understand it Christmastime. The significance of what God teaches us through his eye and if we going to understand that there are three critical things we must not forget number one that angels are not a shortcut to go. They are not a shortcut to God.

You cannot get to God through angels number two angels are not a substitute for God. I cannot type God's place and number three angels on not a safe haven from God course one of the things about Christmastime in its proper is that many people look for tax shelters, that's good.

Nothing wrong with that we have that made available to us. I know they will be lots of people in our church.

You will be saying you know I need to give this major gift to the Lord's work at First Baptist Church because if I don't give it it's going to go to Uncle Sam or it's going to be swallowed up in some kind of legal ramification and and and from a tax perspective. This is what I have at my disposal. I bought tax shelters but tax opportunities. The Bible teaches us that angels are not a safe haven from God. They don't protect us from God. In this study of angels you can imagine all the reading I've done I've read secular books and poetry's and philosophers of all kinds of things as I've scrounged around in bookstores and picked up little bits here and there, and it has just amazed me how many people write things about angels in which they are substantially saying that angels are a shortcut to God or angels are a substitute for God. Angels are a safe haven from God and the Bible unequivocably says that it is impossible at this is tied into the authority of God.

Angels are not the authority God is the authority angels are simply the careers all the areas of their authority, see my friends, we must remember that angels cannot convict us only the spirit of God can do that angels cannot indwell us only the spirit of God can and will us angels and God's bidding.

Should God choose to do so. Angels are only dispatched to God's bidding.

One angel at a time on one assignment at a time.

If God chooses to do that angels on the omnipresent, omnipotent, or omniscient, only the Holy Spirit of God is and if we going to understand the authority that the angels have we go to understand it in terms of what they carry with them not in terms of diet. All well let's look at the authority by which the angels speak care to Zachariah and Mary is emphasized by three important reminders number one by the fact that we are reminded that angels stand in the presence of God. I've talked about that verse 19 of chapter 1, I am Gabriel. I stand in the present God, we will know why the angels stand while they not sitting yes we know that now, but the fact is that they were in the presence of God. The Bible says folks that when the Angels stand in the presence of God. This is not just simply a hearsay little hello there, how are you doing there is something singularly significant about having God's permission to preach his presence, medically and eternally, and I made to submit to you today that if we going understand angels and Christmas we go to understand that there was something markedly significant about the fact that the angels stood and off standing in the presence of God Jehovah, to we are reminded that they are saying to speak. The good news of God tells us that in verse 19 I been sent to speak to you to tell you this good news. Number three we are reminded that they stand on the right side of the altar of God singularly significant.

I've explained to you the dynamics involved in the altar of incense is absolutely remarkable. There is a sense in which God by virtue of these three things, has put his other authority upon. He is angels Christmas. No wonder, an angel of God could come to someone like Elizabeth and Elizabeth could say I'm dead scared.

I don't understand this and the angel said done for Bob water authority to decide on for the authority of God.

No wonder that both Elizabeth and Mary said wait a minute. Elizabeth said I'm too old to have children.

Mary said I'm not even married.

It's impossible for me to have children. I'm an honorable lady and the angel of God by the old authority of God said to the older lady you gonna have a baby and to the lady who wasn't married, you gonna have a baby and this is how it's going to happen. God spoke there and in through the night angels carry the plan of God that he carries the authority of God. But there's 1/3 thing angels carry the message of God. You know the most wonderful thing about the Christmas message that the angels bolt is that it hasn't changed. Not one iota.

God's justice. I am the Lord Jesus loves us yesterday and today and forever. What a powerful message.

It is you've heard Dr. Wilton preaching and teaching from the pulpit. Now hear him as he shares from his heart.

Mr. are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now. Dear God, I know that Arneson and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross. Today I repainted my arson and by faith I receive you into my heart.

In Jesus name, my friend. I welcome you today into the family of God. This is exciting new teachers gave your life to Christ rededicated your life to Jesus. Dr. Wilton wants to share your and your joy to pray for you and give you some free resources if you call and let us know at 866896738668999673 or you can connect with us on our website as well. At TW online.org that's TW online.org did you know The Encouraging Word has a YouTube channel on this channel you can watch over 100 of Dr. Wilton sermons. He can also listen to the weekly words of encouragement and devotional series written by Dr. Wilton. Visit us on our YouTube channel today sharing Jesus with rich YouTube broadcast podcasts wherever we are lifting up the name of Jesus with the Bible based Dr. Don Wilton you haven't heard, a friend of the ministry has given $200,000 challenge matching gift you'd like to give we could use your right now more than ever that 866-899-WORD also give online at our website, TW online.org now more than ever. Every gift is managed. 866-899-WORD is the place to call as well. That's 866-899-WORD 967