R573 The Hark Of The Herald Angels Pt.1

God has an encouraging word for you and me today. Through the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton about the Herald Angels yesterday. Dr. talks about the heart of the Herald Angels as we open God's word together will head Luke chapter 2 in just a moment, but if you haven't opened our website lightly.

Let me encourage you to do so. It's DEW all online.org that's tewonline.org that you will find on with a beautiful leather bound devotional that were excited to launch into 2022 with Joseph I Dr. opens will call Saturdays with Billy home remarkable wonderful book about the time the doctor will consent of the last 20 years as being the pastor of Dr. Billy Graham that and so many more resources are there on our website@dewonline.org. I now today's message, the heart of the Herald Angels of the Herald Angels, one of most favorite Christmas carols popular Herald Angels Sing. Now this is interesting within itself. We've already discovered that Angels play a very prominent part in the dispensation of God's grace and of the things that God would so deem necessary for people like you and me that little word Herald there is an interesting word. I thought for a minute of time from the Spartanburg Herald Journal but then I began to read and discover a lot more about it. That would Herald. There is literally the word company all gathering together. It is the hawk of the gathering together of God's but that would Herald.

There also carries the significance because that word can also mean the barrel of the gospel.

There is a sense in which all of those of us who love the Lord Jesus Christ Herald we we sound full.

We gospel lies the gospel we Herald full, the gospel, the Spartanburg Herald Journal is the secular means by which news is sent out or same. It is a collection together on a daily basis of news items that are being heralded out. They are shameful. There is a sense in which when I stand here this morning, I am God's Herald. The quiet is heralding the message of the Lord Jesus Christ. What's the hawk I like that it's positively British is the hawk of the Herald Angels. Well the hawk is literally the message which the company of angels sound full on be half of Almighty God. Hawk the Herald Angels Sing glory praise to this newborn King and then the message which encapsulates or epitomizes or summarizes or provides a précis of the message of the Lord Jesus Christ. The hawk of the Herald.

I well I want us to look at that this morning I want you to take your Bibles and turn with me to Luke's gospel in chapter 2 we going to be in one of my most favorite passages of Scripture dealing with the shepherds and the appearance of the angel to the separate always love the story about the shepherds and I just confesses to you because I'm one of those men who at one time in my life. I went to boarding school download.

Not a lot of you been to boarding school, Martin Wildman and I fit into that category together. We both went to boarding school and when you get all the boys together boarding school, they can do anything they want, and I boys love this thing about the shepherds because there was Al Carol about the shepherds went like this at boarding school, while shepherds wash their socks but not all seated around the tub, a bar of sunlight soap came down and they began to scrub charges.

Steve called me off to this morning service that's going on with the new CD. I just wanted you but I love the story about shape.

As you know, that's what Christmas is all about folks Christmas.

Christmas is about joy. It's about real people, living in the real world. Knowing a real Lord Jesus Christ who came and was born for real in the real manger and lived a real life and died a real day and rose again for reading from the grave, ascended to be seated at the right hand of the father makes intercession for you and for me for real is going to come back in person, literally and broadly to receive us unto himself.

What part did the Angels have to play in this. The hawk of the Herald of angels.

Let's read together in the sight of Luke chapter 2, there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night and angels singular.

It's notice this in Angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them not just stop there for a month as I want to show you something.

Did you notice here that the Bible says that the glory of the Lord shone round about them. Now we normally associate at the pic that Gloria shining around the angel and and so we should be but you know that here this is definitively tied into the shepherds themselves that I'm going to show you something that's very interesting here, my friends, because the heart of the Herald's all the message that God uses through the Angels to be transmitted to us. God immediately is beginning to show a connectedness between the glory that is associated with God in heaven, and the glory that is made available to all people upon the earth, and there is a real sense in which the Angels God is using the Angels to connect the Shekinah glory of a God who is enthroned in the heavens above for long time and all eternity with the media mortality and frailty of mere man upon the server and infecting just the moment we going to discover that the Angels gathering together sorry. Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to all men. Angels are the one to make that connection between the God of heaven and the Lord of the and the dispensation of the grace of God which results in the dispensation of the peace of God upon all people friends. This is something very interesting here. What happened in Bethlehem was so singularly significant that God would reach down from the portals of heaven and because of his love, he would send the Christ child who became sin for us, even though he knew no sin. And when Jesus was born in Bethlehem's manger in place called Bethlehem.

Jesus Christ was literally bringing heaven to earth and the dispensation of the grace of God is heralded by the Angels them so the hawk of the ancient has to do with the good news and the connection between the love of God and the hope that all people have in Christ Jesus. Now watch how this works. Verse 89 an angel of the Lord appeared the glory of the Lord shone around about them, and they were terrified. I would've been to but the angel said to them, do not be afraid, for I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you and share as a definitive statement he this one, the Savior is Christ the Lord. This will be assigned to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great company. Garrett is the Herald of angels. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel get the picture.

Your folks this one range. This one angel comes down the glory of the Lord is manifest the glory of heaven is brought down to rest upon mankind. Upon the spirit the pipe despite their sinfulness.

God had a plan and God understood that it was through this baby Jesus Christ that the manifestation of the glory of God from heaven was going to be able to come down upon the earth. It was the only way it was God's way and yet the angel is making this announcement and all the sudden he is surrounded by heavenly host, and together they begin to say glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on the via the Shekinah glory of Almighty God rest. I am here to announce something to you. I'm here to tell you that the eternal sovereign God has so decreed that all that he has in store in heaven for all time and eternity for his own son is now being made available to all people.

By virtue of the fact that he is grace and favor will come and rest upon all people by virtue of this one is Christ the Lord, that's what Christmas is all about.

This is the Christmas message. The hawk of the Herald Angels. Well, let's see what happened when the angels had left them and gone into heaven just by the way, way too Angels live anybody not in heaven later in heaven. I wish I had time to get in the book of Revelation do some eschatology of this morning, but I want you to know that when you get into the book of Revelation we find time off. The time off. The time after time after time that the heavenly hosts the gathering of the Angels, the number of whom is, as of the sand of the sea gathered together around the throne of the throne of God and they sing, and I praise his name and a full down and they worship him. But you know something Fritz, it's true, I'm just going to tell you sub when I look out across the congregation I see someone standing there Christmas time and looking like they recovering from lukewarm treatment and we see in glory to God in the highest and hawk.

The Herald Angels and I say to myself, my Omar Omar.

Are you going to be in for a surprise because when you get to heaven, you are going to sing your voice out because that's what the Bible teaches well look what happens when the Angels would let them gone back into heaven, the shepherds said to one another. Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that is happened which the Lord has told us about frames. Did you notice that did you notice here that the shepherds didn't say which the ship which the angel told us about. Remember that angels are not a substitute for God. We are never given permission in the Bible to ever magnify Rivera worship or a dull Angels All Saints or anybody else in between runs in the face of God. It is idolatry. The Bible says it is on monitors – NO other gods before me.

The shepherds did not have the permission of Almighty God, to the review. The Angels even referred to the Angels because they understood that anything that the Angels did is attributable in totality, Almighty God.

That's what the Bible teach well look what happens. Bible says it's going to Bethlehem see this thing that is happened which the Lord has told us about. They were even corrected one of the Angels didn't say excuse me, it wasn't the Lord was an angel but I knew it was the Lord.

I knew that I just couldn't say anything without the Lord. They knew that they were the emissaries of the Lord. They only spoke with the authority of the Lord, and I could only acknowledge God is so they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby was lying in the manger. And when they had seen him lay spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child and all who heard were amazed at what the shepherds said to them, but Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they'd heard and seen, which were just as they had been told the accuracy of the hawk of the Herald Angels.

It was right on the button why because they were speaking with the voice of God. Nothing more accurate than that well is much to be said about Angels. We discovered three foods which are believed to be the overriding trees number one that angels are not a shortcut to God. Number two angels are not a substitute for God and number three angels are not a safe haven from God. They can never protect also prevent us from all that God is angels are not a shortcut to God and they not a substitute for God and I can never be a safe haven from God and the shepherds here. I think understood that more than we do. Perhaps so it is that when we look at angels and Christmas we discover a number of things I want to share them with you. Number one, we discover that angels are individual like I'm one of the time on one select I committed time with one specific purpose at a time.

They are singularly significant and stand at the express commandment of Almighty God and once again, that is reinforced when the angel appears to the shepherds number two angels are company, they gathered there is such a thing as a heavenly host, there is a herald of angels, a company of the committed number three I speak with the voice of God.

The shepherds reinforce that this is nothing that the shepherds would do anything less than to give absolute glory and honor to the words which God had spoken to them and number four that I have something very important to cite now want to just say this to you before we go on hasn't been remarkable to note that every time an angel appears what ever it is that the angel has to say is very very important.

I think we can conclude that fact. I haven't found a time of frivolity. As far as the Angels are concerned.

I have never found the time in Scripture yet. I hope I don't. I have not found an instant yet where the Angels came around and wallowed in their own self-pity. You wasted someone's time. There was always an express purpose with a monumentally significant and important message that they had to transmit to the person God had sent them to speak to and so it seems to me that there must be something very important about the hawk of these arrangements.

I want to submit two things to you this morning I want to say to you that there hawk of the hawk of the angel is very important in message it is a message and it is important. Number one, perhaps first and foremost because it is designed for people just like you and me. What is the message of the angel hawk, the Herald Angels Sing. What is important about this message.

It's important blasting the fact that it is designed for people just like you and me about an announcement to Mike which is not by announcement, God has given to us this announcement. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not die but should have eternal life. What God is saying to us is that his message is designed for people like you and me.

Indeed, it is a message designed for you and for me and not just for us to hold, but to share and we are having the opportunity to share the love of Christ with so many people and yet opportunity is on the horizon share with even more as we take just a pause in the broadcast today will be back with the rest of today's message with Dr. Wilton just a moment I would like to ask Dr. Wilton to ship just a bit of the insight on what's happening about this challenge. Giving at the end of the year. Wow God has done incredible things again this year. Through the Encouraging Word board cost ministry.

Do you know that over hundred and 35,000 people have called us, telling us what this ministry means to them in their spiritual life and so many are coming to know Jesus.

A friend has just given a $200,000 challenge gift to this ministry and we are asking as he is asking that our listeners will give an additional $300,000 to this ministry by December 31 so that God's word could continue to go out across the room in London. Recently someone came up to me and said thank you for the Encouraging Word and for what it means.

Would you help me do this. If the bus participated even at 2 to 3 to 4 dollars each. God will help us to reach this goal together. Yes we can do that with the Lord is leading you to give want to call this right now at 866899 word that's 866-899-9673 email us at online@tewonline.org you're giving right now between now and the end of the year is is not only matched and challenged an opportunity to see God do more in the coming year by lifting up the name of Jesus to biblically-based teaching like Dr. Don Wilton again. Call 866-899-9673 or me this online@tewonline.org that's TE W online.org. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton.

It seems to me, my friends, but God has always had a plan with people like me in my what kind of people. Well, just think about the shepherds at the same time think about who we all wanted Jesus Christ appear through the Angels to the shepherds why did God do this well.

We are a people Festival carrying out life's assignments-based site says the site says they were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night, shepherds shepherds back in these days were very very ordinary people tell you they were very ordinary people. They were not doctors and lawyers. They were not teachers imposters. They were not. They were not people from from regular society shepherds. In fact, in many regards were regarded somewhat as the lower portion of society. Most of the shepherds had never had a guy even in the kindergarten, they were they were somewhat uneducated people. And if you'd gone up to some ordinary Shepherd out there in the shepherds field and said to him I want your life comprise of he probably would've said well I began attending my father's flock when I was just three years old. I've done nothing else and I know how to do this and that's what I meant to do for the rest of my life and God in Christ Jesus was coming to this for people just like you and me. It's not without significance that the Magi also received the same message. You see, when the Christmas child was born, God was reaching out to people just like you and me. People carrying out relapse assignments. All of us are engaged in trying to meet the needs that we have the need for work in the need for food and the need for shelter and when Jesus was born in Bethlehem's manger and when that Shekinah glory came down upon those shepherds what the hawk of the Herald Angels was all about was the fact that God designed a plan to bring his heavenly glory down upon a people know different than you and me, but there's a second thing we can say about ourselves. The people your people overcome by life's challenges.

Don't kid yourself about the shepherds they had challenges.

Perhaps something of which we cannot appreciate it was winter time so we know that it must've been rather nippy out there in those fields. They would dangers everywhere, not just from wild animals but from robbers and people who would come to deprive them of everything that they had. They were faced with all kinds of uncertainties that have to try and meet the needs of their families. The shepherds had families and children have to feed young ones that they had sickness and health. They had all kinds of challenges. I wonder what kind of challenges you are not facing the when we worship the Lord today on this Christmas Eve.

I don't think we're any different. We are a people who are carrying out relapse assignments. We are a people who are overcome by life's challenges, but will also people who are captured by life's emotions.

Bible says when the angels appeared to them in verse nine, they were terrified. The King James version says it even better by work soul afraid. I love that.

That means they were scared today. I would be as well. I can just imagine what they went through this and frames we are captivated and captured. We are in bondage to our emotions, we're up and one minute down the next we're on an emotional roller coaster. I wouldn't be surprised if there's someone here this morning who is bent out of shape.

I wouldn't be surprised to be someone here today who has is facing all kinds of problems. Some folks you need to pray for you ministers for your pasta for counselors. Christmas is a wonderful time but cannot tell you something about Chris it is time frames that accentuate the emotional challenges. One of those emotional trials right now you need to know you're not alone. God's promise never to leave you or forsake you and we're here for you at the Encouraging Word listing to Dr. Don Wilton when this ministry was founded. Dr. Don insisted we have an opportunity to pray for each other. We would love to pray with you right now, 86689 is the number that's 866-899-9673 would love to talk with you and if you've heard Dr. Wilton accident preaching. Pray you open your heart to what he wants to share next are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm so happy to hear that wanting to pray this prayer with me today. Dear God, I know you love me very, very much and I know that the Lord Jesus Christ came and died on the cross so that I might be forgiven of my sin. Today, I repent of my sin.

I confess my sin.

And I invite you to come and Jesus name. If you pray that that may be the first one welcome to the family of one. I hope that you know how much I'm going to be praying how very important this is for me: says we can talk to connect to the right place you can begin this wonderful journey. It could be that you are praying along with Dr. Wilton.

Moments ago to give your life to Christ or we dedicate your life to Jesus. So, we are so excited and we want to pray with you and for you. Dr. Wilton wants to pray with you before you you'd like to share that decision with Aeschylus right now at 8668.

That's 866-899-9673 has free resources. He wants you to have you given your life to Christ or we dedicate your life to Jesus today. Either way, we want to hear from you Dr. Don would love to hear from you every day we gather together these emails. Dr. read some praise over them.

I pray that you consider writing him.

Don at tewonline.org RG that's D0 and at tewonline.org G. Again, we would love to corporately pray for you, Dr. Don would love to pray for you and also give you those resources, 866899 word phone number or email us at online@tewonline.org how Iger website GE W online.org you'll see wonderful resources like the leather bound devotional heaven life and the resurrection that's available at tewonline.org RG as well as Dr. Don's book Saturdays with Billy about his time over 20 years of being the pastor Dr. Billy Graham all is resources available for you at tewonline.org