THE POWER OF ANGELS (Part V) Angels in the Life of Jesus

THE POWER OF ANGELS

(Part V)

Angels in the Life of Jesus

       I.            ANGELS PREPARED THE WAY FOR CHRIST’S COMING

Angels have shown and continue to show a great interest in the person and ministry of Jesus Christ. Fifteen distinct references in relation to Jesus are attributed to angels’ ministrations.

Eight angelic appearances surround the birth of Christ through five dreams and three visions.

Before the birth of Jesus, the chief angelic messenger Gabriel appeared to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist who was to be the forerunner of Jesus (Luke 1:5-13).

1.   Insight from chief angel Gabriel

·         He stands in the presence of God

·         He was sent from God to speak for God and show glad tidings about God

Luke 1:19

¹⁹ And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.”

2.   The angel Gabriel came to Mary

Luke 1:26-37

²⁶ Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” ²⁹ But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. ³⁰ Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. ³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. ³³ And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴ Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” ³⁵ And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. ³⁷ For with God nothing will be impossible.”

         The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph before the birth of Jesus.

Matthew 1:20-21

²⁰ But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

3.   The angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds with a multitude of the heavenly host

Luke 2:8-14

⁸ Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

4.    The Angel of the Lord appeared in dreams in order to protect Jesus

Matthew 2:13, 19, 22

¹³ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him”… ¹⁹ Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, ²⁰ saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead… ²² But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.

5.   Wise men warned in a dream

Matthew 2:10-12

¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. ¹¹ And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹² Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

                 

     II.            MINISTERING ANGELS STRENGTHEN JESUS AS AN ADULT

1.    Jesus was seen (overseen) by angels while here on earth

I Timothy 3:16

¹⁶ And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

2.      Angels ministered to Jesus during wilderness temptation

Mark 1:13

¹³ And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

3.    Jesus told Nathaniel that he would see angels ascending and descending

John 1:51

⁵¹ And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.

4.      An angel strengthened Jesus during His time of agonizing in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane

Luke 22:42-43

⁴² saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” ⁴³ Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

  III.            JESUS’ COMMENTS CONCERNING ANGELS

1.      Jesus let us know that children have angels…”their angels” (Matthew 18:10).

2.      Jesus said He would confess or deny those before the angels according to their confession or denial here on earth

Luke 12:8-9

⁸ “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. ⁹ But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

3.      Joy in the presence of angels over one sinner that repents (Luke 15:20)

Jesus revealed that angels do not die nor marry, and in the resurrection, we shall be as the angels who never die nor marry

Matthew 22:30 

³⁰ For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.

4.  At death saints are carried by angels to paradise

Luke 16:22

²² So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.

5.      Angels do not know the time of Christ’s return

Matthew 24:36

³⁶ “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only

6.  Jesus will return with His mighty, holy angels

Matthew 16:27

²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works

7.      Angels are reapers at the end of the age.

Matthew 13:39,49

³⁹ The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels…⁴⁹ So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just.

 IV.            ANGELS ASSISTED IN THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS

1.    Jesus could have prayed and God would have sent twelve legions (more than 80,000) of angelic hosts to deliver Him

Matthew 26:53

⁵³ Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?

           

2.    An angel rolled the stone away from the tomb

Matthew 28:1-2

Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. ² And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.

3.               Angels appeared at the tomb to announce the resurrection

John 20:11-12

¹¹ But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. ¹² And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

4.      Two Angels spoke to disciples at His ascension

Acts 1:9-11

⁹ Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, ¹¹ who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

    V.            JESUS’ AUTHORITY OVER ANGELS

1.    Angels submit to the glorified Jesus

I Peter 3:22

²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

2.      Jesus sent revelation to John by an angel

Rev 1:1

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things, which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John.

3.      About 100 trillion angels say with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb”…referring to Jesus

Revelation5:2,11-12

² Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?... ¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

 VI.            ANGELIC HOSTS WITH JESUS AT HIS RETURN

1.      They herald Christ’s return with the voice of the archangel (Michael?)

I Thessalonians 4:16

¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

2.      They Accompany Jesus at His return

2 Thess 1:7-8

⁷ and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, ⁸ in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

3.    Jesus was made a little lower than the angels when He humbled Himself to be obedient to the will of the Father

Hebrews 2:9

⁹ But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

Angels were created by Jesus, were with Jesus throughout His life here on earth, are with Him now in heaven, are subject to Him, and will return with Him.