THINGS ANGELS SAY THIS SAME JESUS INTRODUCTION: So here we are, one week before Christmas. Have you seen some angels - in decorations? On cards? In movies or TV? What are some of your favorite angel stories (not from the Bible)? We haven't watched it yet this year, but we usually do watch It s a Wonderful Life which of course depicts the angel Clarence helping George Bailey. In preparation for this series, I did a simple image search for angel images, and I saw: Wings Feathers Long-flowing hair Buff guys and girls, with odd wings protruding from their shoulder blades Halos Baby angels (cherubs) Women angels Harps other??? -------- Many of our ideas and visual cues about angels are either extra-biblical or even anti-biblical. They come from some other source rather than the Word of God. We will see lots of angel depictions, angel stories, angel decorations, etc. throughout the holidays, which I think is great. And I would like for us to pause and reflect that angels do in fact exist they don t fit in the same category as Frosty, Rudolph, and The Night Before Christmas. The real deal angels may not fit in all the ways we have seen them portrayed but the Bible gives compelling imagery and specific instances aplenty for our consideration about angels. -------- The Bible speaks of angels throughout the generations, from the beginning in Genesis, to the end in Revelation. Here s a list of some things that are true about angels, according to the Bible: Created by God and Christ. Worship God and Christ. Are ministering spirits. Communicate the will of God and Christ. Obey the will of God and Christ. Execute the purposes and the judgments of God. Celebrate the praises of God. The law was given by the ministration of angels. 1
They are innumerable. They announced the conception, birth, resurrection, ascension, and second coming of Christ. They ministered to Christ. They are subject to Christ. They rejoice over every repentant sinner. They have charge over the children of God. They are NOT to be worshipped. They are examples of meekness. They are wise, mighty, and holy. Angels are servants of God. They do and they say what he tells them to. So far we have heard them say: NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD DO NOT BE AFRAID GET UP AND GO and today we will hear THIS SAME JESUS. -------------- TEXT: John 1:1-18, Acts 1:6-10. Please stand for the reading of God s Word. John 1: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, This is the one I spoke about when I said, He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me. ) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, ---who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, ---has made him known. 2
Acts 1: 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? 7 He said to them: It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 Men of Galilee, they said, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Let us pray. THIS SAME JESUS. John s account of the incarnation is very different from Matthew and Luke. He waits until verse 17 to use the name Jesus Christ it reads sort of like a grand introduction where someone s accomplishments and accolades are all listed first, and then finally the announcer says, we present such and such very famous person. But it is absolutely clear that he is referring to THE SAME JESUS, the one that in Matthew the angel told Joseph you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. and in Luke, the angel said to Mary You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. In The Message translation, John 1:14 reads: The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. Jesus the eternal Son of God became a human being, and moved to our side of the tracks. As we consider the angel s message in Acts 1 it s important to fully grasp who THIS SAME JESUS is. He is the one whom the angels announced to the shepherds. The one that was protected when the angel warned Joseph to escape. The one that angels attended in the wilderness following the temptation. The one that the angels announced, He is not here! He is risen! THIS SAME JESUS he is coming again. Craig and I were visiting with our good friends Don and Linda Webb a couple of weeks ago after church. Don hiked the Appalachian Trail a few years back, and is planning a cross-country bicycle trek in 2017. So we were discussing gadgets and planning and various details involved in such a venture, including training. Don prefers to find a loop if possible; Craig is fine with an out-and-back approach. I think I m somewhere in the middle I enjoy finding a route that is more of a loop, but the reality is, you eventually have to wind up back where you started. 3
One way to think about the angel s words in Acts 1 is that Jesus is in the middle of an out-and-back route. He described it himself in John 14: 2 My Father s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. We heard our friend Rich Neubauer, who pastors in Arlington, say this the other night. He has been in a months-long health battle that has included a long hospital stay. One day, one of the healthcare professionals was asking him what he would preach on. He said, Well it s pretty simple. He came down here so that we could go up there, so that we don t have to go down there. So, out and back. We could also say that this is a multi-lap course. As we read in John 1, Jesus is eternal, from the beginning. So the first leg was Jesus coming from heaven to earth, then back to heaven, then back to earth to receive us, taking us back to heaven. The way I understand the passages describing the Second Coming, there s another lap the saints return back to earth with Jesus for a thousand-year reign of peace. And then the finish line, which is also the starting line for a new and wondrous world that our imaginations cannot fully comprehend. We do not have time today for a full explanation of the end times, but let s start with believing what the angel said: THIS SAME JESUS will return! -------------- As we have been discussing things angels say the most crucial point is to remember that angels say what God has told them to say. Jesus himself backs up each of the sayings we have studied. Other scriptures affirm the truth of what the angels said. The Word of God is true. It is inspired. We do not waver on this point. It is a core value the scripture is our authority for life. We live in an intellectual age that would like to dissect, dilute, and destroy our faith in God s Word. Some will flaunt their lack of faith, their Unbelief, as a badge, leaning instead on their prized intelligence. Beware. Jesus is not a once upon a time figure. He is eternal. THIS SAME JESUS will one day come again to THIS SAME EARTH. As Paul said in Galatians, But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God s curse! He is using an extreme example, because the Bible also says that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. A true angel of God would not preach another gospel. But IF I ever heard one do so I must choose to stick with the Word of God. I cannot settle for Jesus being anything less than the eternal Son of God, incarnate, born of a virgin, living 4
a sinless life marked by miracles, dying an atoning death, raised on the third day in glorious victory, ascended to the Father, sending the promised Holy Spirit, and THIS SAME JESUS will return in the same way the disciples watched him leave! THIS SAME JESUS. What did those words mean to the crowd who had watched him ascend? Who was Jesus to them? What conversations had they shared? What miracles did they witness? Had they travelled together? Had they seen the blind eyes open? THIS SAME JESUS. Did they smell the aroma of death when the grave of Lazarus was opened? And did they help unwind the grave clothes when he walked out alive? THIS SAME JESUS. Could they feel the rough hands and warm water on their skin as they remembered that night just a few weeks ago that Jesus washed their feet? Could they taste the wine and the bread? Did it now catch in their throat? THIS SAME JESUS. The Apostle Paul recounts that over 500 people watched Jesus ascend. How many memories! How numerous the stories! THIS SAME JESUS. Was Jairus there, with his resurrected daughter? Was the healed leper who returned to give thanks watching? Was the boy who had shared his lunch able to join in the crowd? THIS SAME JESUS. Did the woman who had touched the hem of Jesus robe reach out once more as he ascended? Were Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea among the worshippers? THIS SAME JESUS. Were any of the shepherds from Bethlehem there? Or perhaps some of those to whom they had spread the word? THIS SAME JESUS. Had the man from the pool of Bethesda joined the disciples no longer an invalid, but now able to spread the word? Did the woman caught in adultery leave her life of sin; was she now among Jesus followers? THIS SAME JESUS. What tender memories of Jesus touch in your life are coming alive right now? Do you remember your first love? The times when you felt his presence and were overcome? THIS SAME JESUS will come again. He will never leave you, nor forsake you. He is not slack concerning his promises. THIS SAME JESUS is coming back. So then, what do we do with this information? How does it impact our day-to-day life? 1 John 3:2 But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. We can't deny this reality. When we have a current, active hope of Jesus return, we will live differently. And when we lose sight of this hope, we tend to be less concerned with purifying ourselves. Let s return to our training metaphor. Many passages in the New Testament compare our life in Christ to a race. Philippians 3:14: I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. 2 Timothy 4:7: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 5
1 Corinthians 9:24: Don t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! Galatians 5:7: You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? Hebrews 12:1: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. The books of Hebrews provides a great template for this part of the race the leg of the multi-lap outand-back course that we find ourselves in. Chapter 3:1 Fix your thoughts on Jesus; NLT says Think carefully about this Jesus. Chapter 12:2 Fix your eyes on Jesus; NLT says Keeping our eyes on Jesus. Our thoughts and our eyes keep them on THIS SAME JESUS. We live in a time full of images, facts, information, fake news (which is a really weird descriptor), ideas upon ideas, opinions shouted against opinions, entertainment that is so engrossing SO MANY DISTRATCTIONS! It takes intentional discipline to turn our eyes and thoughts to Jesus. And another thing I have noticed Many times I hear an encouragement to focus on my dreams. Or on my future. Or to think about my options. My desires. Etc. This could be a good exercise for a limited time-frame. But I feel concerned that our focus, our thoughts, our watchful eye, has been turned away from Jesus and onto ourselves. I am convinced that if we truly keep our thoughts and our eyes on Jesus with a vibrant expectation that THIS SAME JESUS is coming back that s what drives the engine for transformation in our lives. So what are some ways to Fix Our Thoughts and Fix Our Eyes on THIS SAME JESUS? One idea is for this last week of Advent to choose to read through a Gospel. Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. It would take a few chapters each day, depending on which book you choose. But as you read the narrative of Jesus life on earth, and consider that this is THE SAME JESUS that is coming again for you how encouraging! How I love him! How I long to see him! We ve heard the angels say, Nothing is impossible with God. Do you believe it? Will you accept it? Jesus understands when it is hard, and still says, With humans this is impossible. But everything is possible with God. They have told us, Do not be afraid. Yes obeying Jesus has consequences. It will change your plans. It will take you places you didn t think you d ever go. But as the love-infused fear of the Lord overpowers your natural fear, you can follow Jesus anywhere. 6
The angel said to Get up and go. Leave your prison. Go and proclaim the good news. Spread the word. Let Jesus disrupt the narrative and give you a new script to live by. Don t stay trapped in an elevator speech that denies the Good News. Get up and go because you are the redeemed, the transformed, the ones with the privilege of making disciples. And the cord that weaves through every single day, a hope that serves as an anchor, not to this earth, but as a taut-line through the clouds and into the heavens remember! THIS SAME JESUS, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven. Even so, come Lord Jesus. 7