TRINITY EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
  • Home
    • Missions
    • Swaddling Clothes
  • What We Believe
    • Christian Education: Sunday School and Catechism Program
    • Baptism
    • Worship
    • Confession and Absolution
    • Holy Communion
  • Our Pastor
  • Sermons
  • Calendar
  • Choir

"For faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." ~ Romans 10:17

Guardian Angels

10/5/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Pietro da Cortona, The Guardian Angel, 1656. Public Domain.
St. Michael and All Angels (Observed) 
Matthew 18:10 
Pastor James Preus 
Trinity Lutheran Church 
October 2, 2022 
 
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10) 
 
September 29th is the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, known as Michaelmas. October 2nd is also celebrated as the Feast of Guardian Angels. So, it is fitting for us to take time today to learn about angels.  


Scripture calls St. Michael the archangel, meaning that he is the chief of angels. He battles Satan and casts him out of heaven with the blood of Christ. His name means “who is like God?” And he is commonly stated to not be a created angel at all, but Christ, the Second Person in the Holy Trinity. Only Christ can be said to be like God, because he is God. Only Christ can cast Satan out of heaven. Only Christ is the prince of the people of Israel (Daniel 10:13; 12:1). So, like the Angel of the LORD, who is himself God, Michael is also said to be a title given to Christ. However, most claim that he is only the chief of all the angels, doing the bidding of Christ.  


Angels are created beings. They were created during the six days of creation, yet Scripture does not tell us on which day. They are spirits and do not have bodies; however, angels often take on visible forms, always appearing as men and sometimes with wings. Angels are not divided into men and women as mankind is. Jesus tells us that they do not marry, so they also do not have children. Yet, there are very many angels. Scripture does not tell us how many, but rather uses expressions like “ten thousand times ten thousand” (Daniel 7:10), and “innumerable angels” (Hebrews 12:22). So, it is clear that God has a mighty host of angels ready to serve him.  


People do not become angels when they die. Angels are a different order of creation from humans. Humans have both a body and a soul. Angels are only spirit. Yet, angels are mighty and are able to affect the physical world.  


The word angel means messenger. And angels certainly are messengers. An angel announced the conception of John the Baptism and Jesus. Angels announced the birth and resurrection of Jesus. And God has sent angels to warn his people of danger, like when an angel warned Joseph in a dream to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt. Yet, angels do much more than relay messages for God. Scripture tells us that they are “ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). Psalm 103 states that angels are mighty ones who do the Lord’s word, obeying his voice. So, angels are mighty creatures who serve us at God’s pleasures. Psalm 91 even promises us, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” So, we have the promise of God that angels will protect us from danger, both physical and spiritual.  


And Scripture gives many examples of angels doing just that. God sent his angel to close the mouths of the lions when Daniel was thrown into their den (Daniel 6). God sent angels to rescue Lot and his family from Sodom before they rained down burning sulfur to destroy those wicked cities (Genesis 19). God sent an angel to kill 185,000 soldiers of Sennacherib as they camped against Jerusalem (2 Kings 18). And there are more instances than time allows of angels rescuing believers and demonstrating great might in Scripture, as well as many other instances throughout history.  

Of course, angels especially serve Christ Jesus. Angels ministered to Jesus after he was tempted by Satan, having fasted for forty days. An angel strengthened Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, before his crucifixion.  

Angels are believed to escort Christians to heaven when they die, because in Jesus’ story about the rich man and Lazarus, angels carried Lazarus to Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16). And Jesus teaches us that at the close of the age, he will send his angels to separate the evil from the righteous, taking the righteous to his kingdom, but casting the evil into the fiery furnace of hell (Matthew 13).  


Scripture also warns of Satan and his angels, often called evil or unclean spirits and demons. We know that Satan was originally created to be a good angel, yet he fell. Revelation 12 states that when Satan fell, a third of the stars fell with him, indicating that a large number of angels fell and became demons. Satan is often called Lucifer, which means light-bearer and is also a name for the planet Venus. Satan is compared to Venus because Venus often rises in the east before the sun as if it is the morning star, but when the true morning star appears, Venus disappears from sight. So likewise, Lucifer tried to exalt himself above Christ, but was cast down from heaven (Isaiah 14:12). Revelation also says, woe to the earth and sea, because Satan roams here in his great wrath.  


So, Scripture teaches us that there is much more to this created world than what we can see and observe. There are innumerable good angels, sent by God to do us good. And there are also many evil angels, minions of Satan, who mean us harm.  


So, with this knowledge, we should be humble. The angels of God have not sinned. They do not possess our shame. And they are much more powerful than we are. Yet, they serve God willingly, even serving us for Christ’s sake. So, we too should be humble, and gladly serve and obey God. We should not take angels for granted and test God, but walk in the way God has given us confident that angels stand ready to protect us.  


Jesus says not to despise one of these little ones, because their angels always see the face of His Father in heaven. But who are these little ones Jesus speaks of? Earlier Jesus said that unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven and he warns against tempting one of these little ones who believes in him. So, one of these little ones is clearly one of his Christians. We should not despise our fellow Christians. Yet, Jesus could hardly tell us to become like children without himself having an affection for children. And indeed, he does. Jesus says, “Let the little children come to me, and by no means hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14) 


But what does despising children or your fellow Christians have to do with the angels? Jesus says that they always behold the face of His Father in heaven. But what does that mean? God the Father does not have a face you can see. He is Spirit. What does it mean that angels behold the face of God the Father in heaven? And what does that have to do with little ones who believe in Christ?  


First, Jesus clearly says that whoever has seen Him has seen his Father (John 14:9). So, these angels obviously keep their eyes on Jesus, the Son and image of God. Yet, there is something else even more telling.  


God commanded Moses to build the tabernacle and its furnishings. The most important of these furnishings was the Ark of the Covenant upon which sat the Mercy Seat. The Mercy Seat was pure gold. And it had two golden angels called cherubim on either end, who faced each other with their wings pointed toward each other, so that the tips of their wings touched. Upon the Mercy Seat, God declared that he would dwell. The ark and the Mercy Seat were put in the Holy of Holies, where only the High Priest could go once a year and sprinkle the blood of atonement on the Mercy Seat. Now, Scripture tells us that this tabernacle and the ark with the Mercy Seat were copies of heavenly things, meaning, this Mercy Seat with the cherubim facing the seat of God is a picture of what is going on in heaven. And these angels see the blood of the atonement sprinkled on this seat where God dwells.  


We now know that the bloody sacrifices of the Old Testament all prophecy of Christ’s bloody sacrifice on the cross. Jesus is true God and true man. The cross then became the Mercy Seat of God as God’s own Son sprinkled his blood to make atonement for the sins of the whole world. And although you can’t see them, the cherubim are there gazing at this sight.  


That is what it means that their angels always behold the face of Jesus’ Father in heaven. The angels are always gazing at the sprinkled blood of Jesus, which speaks peace and forgiveness to all people. That means that when the angels look at you, they do not see your sin, but they see you dressed in a white robe washed clean in the blood of Christ (Revelation 7:14).  


Jesus said that whoever confesses him before men, he also will he confess before the Father in the presence of the angels in heaven (Matthew 10:32-33; Luke 9:26). And when Jesus confesses you before the angels, he confesses that he has washed all your sins away in his blood. Jesus says that there is joy among the angels over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10). That means that when you become like a little child and humble yourself, repenting of your sins and believing in the blood Jesus shed to save you, the angels rejoice and sing.  


For this reason, we should at all times seek to be reconciled with one another, forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven each of you (Ephesians 4:32). When you hate your fellow Christian, you are hating him for whom Christ shed his blood. And the angels see it. The angels do not hate those who have been washed clean in the blood of Christ. Rather, they love them and seek to protect them for the sake of Christ’s blood.  


Likewise, we should take care not to despise our own children. If parents were to refuse to give food to their children, what would you call them? If parents refused to clothe their children, to give them a proper bed, to clean their filth, and to educate them, what would you call them. You’d call them child abusers, wouldn’t you? And you’d be right! Yet, what is more important? The needs of the body or the needs of the soul? What then would you call parents who refuse to teach their children the Gospel, who refuse to bring them to church to have Jesus’ blood sprinkled on them, to be washed and fed that spiritual food? It’s spiritual child abuse. For this, negligent parents need to repent and consider the angels, who stand ready to protect their children for the sake of that shed blood, which is meant for their children. They should also consider that these angels will be charged with separating the righteous from the wicked on the Day of Judgment.  


When we consider our sins and our failings, especially that we have despised those for whom Christ shed his blood and for whom the angels dedicate such care, we can be filled with shame at the thought of guardian angels. Do they see my wickedness as they watch over me? Will they testify against me to God for my sins? And so, we should humble ourselves and repent of our hatred and laziness. The angels in heaven rejoice at such a repentance. And we should confess Christ Jesus, who shed his blood for us. The angels hear Christ’s confession of those who confess him. And you should take confidence that as your Father in heaven does not look at you apart from the blood Christ Jesus shed to take away all your sins, so too the angels look at you through that shed blood, and are ready to protect you for the sake of that holy blood, and finally, for the sake of Christ’s blood, to escort you safely to your eternal home in Christ’s kingdom. Amen.   
0 Comments

God sends His Angels to Serve the Humble, Who Receive Christ’s Blood through Faith

9/30/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Archangel Michael, Guido Reni, 1636, Santa Maria della Concezione, Rome, The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN: 3936122202. Public Domain
Matthew 18:1-10; Revelation 12:7-12; Daniel 10:10-14; 12:1-3  

September 29, 2019  
 
 

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. We Christians believe that God created the invisible, those things which cannot be seen. I’m not talking about the air or microscopic organisms, which cannot be seen with the naked eye. I’m talking about things that cannot be seen by the human eye, things which can only be seen by faith. When we confess in the Nicene Creed that we believe that God is the maker of all things visible and invisible, we confess our belief in angels.   
Angels are real. They are God’s servants. They do not have bodies; they are spirits. Yet, when they do reveal themselves to the sight of humans they are always depicted as mighty and powerful. And they are. Psalm 103 calls them “mighty ones.” They make up the mighty armies of God. And the Bible teaches us that God uses these angels, these mighty spirit-servants, to guard and protect us.   
“I walk with angels all the way, They shield me and befriend me;   
All Satan’s power is held at bay When heav’nly hosts attend me;   
They are my sure defense, All fear and sorrow, hence!   
Unharmed by foes, do what they may,   
I walk with angels all the way.”  
How true! “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” (Psalm 91:11-12) We tell our children that guardian angels watch over them. This isn’t a childhood story. Angels are real. They are mighty. They do God’s will. They see the face of our Father in heaven. And they guard us day and night.  
Angels fascinate people, probably because they are so mysterious. We can’t see them. And when they show up in Scripture it is usually for a very short period of time, and our questions about them are rarely answered. Angels are not as popular media portray them, beautiful and elegant ladies or chubby bare-bummed babies. Again, angels are spirits and do not have bodies, but when they take on a visible form, they are always powerful beings, often with flaming swords and chariots. Angels guarded the way to the tree of life after Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden. Angels fought and conquered Israel’s enemies, closed the mouths of lions, and protected the holy family in their flight to Egypt.   
We are not being superstitious when we say angels kept someone safe when their car crashed or guided them through a painful cancer treatment. Yet, we must remember that our greatest danger is not physical, but spiritual. As there are faithful angels who do God’s will, so are their evil angels. Satan was once an angel of God, but he rebelled. And all the demons are fallen angels, who fought against Michael and his angels. Our enemies are not of flesh and blood, but they are the rulers, the authorities, the cosmic powers over this present darkness, the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, these are the enemies we must wrestle and fight.   
Such battles sound exciting. Many an adventure-hungry young boy longs to see the battle of angels in the sky with the dragon being slain. How we would love to strap on our armor and bear our sword. We’re eager to fight Satan; to mock his demons; to stand side by side with the angelic hosts and strive for victory! Oh, how confident we are that we’d stand with the good angels and fight against the bad!  
Yet, we don’t see the angels, good or bad. Satan doesn’t appear as a red dragon with sulfuric breath and evil eyes. He’s much more subtle. Our battle against Satan and his hordes does not take place in the sky and we don’t get to brandish fiery swords. Rather, we must battle our own temptations and unbelief here in the visible world. We’re attacked by Satan when we let our anger rise up and take control of our senses. When we choose division and discord over peace and reconciliation. Satan attacks when lust rises in our hearts, when our eyes look on those things that should not be seen and when our mouths speak words that should not be said. Satan gains ground in his warfare when he persuades us to ignore God’s Word for days, weeks, and months at a time, to treat it as an afterthought with no place of influence in our lives. Satan advances when your pride convinces you that you are better than others and more worthy of the title of Christian. Satan gains ground when he plants doubt in your mind, which makes you disbelieve God’s word and doubt his promises. Satan’s greatest achievement is the conquest of your invisible soul.   
We can’t see Satan and his demonic hordes at work, but that does not mean they are not there. They’re real. And they work in real life. It doesn’t look exciting. In fact, it’s often boring. Yet, it is destructive. Woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!  
So, who are they who will conquer these dark angels? Who will stand side by side Michael and his angels, dressed in the armor of God, victorious on the battle field? Who are the greatest in the kingdom of God, who can stand such insidious warfare, which turns the world and even your own flesh against you? Can you picture in your head, who they are? These saints? What does Jesus say? … A little child. A humble weakling.   
“Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” These are the words of our Lord Jesus, who crushed the head of Satan. The humble will be exalted. The meek are the greatest. To be humble like a child means to receive from God by grace. Children don’t earn their pay. They receive all they have freely. They don’t deserve it. And so, each of us, if we want to be great, if we want to stand victorious over Satan, must humble ourselves and receive from God by pure grace.   
What is it that we humble children receive from God that makes us great? It is the blood of the Lamb Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ himself has conquered Satan. Satan accuses us of sin before God, and Jesus shuts him up by blotting our sins out with his own blood. Satan bruised Jesus’ heal when our Lord was crucified, but Christ crushed his head when he paid for our sins and for this reason, God has raised him from the dead and seated him above all things on his heavenly throne. It is the humble children who are the greatest, because they receive as a gift the greatest, most powerful weapon imaginable. Through faith in the forgiving blood of Christ, you have the power to thrust Satan down from heaven.   
It is not those who overcome temptation every time, who conquer Satan. It is not those, who can boast that they have never sinned or that they have withstood Satan consistently, who can claim victory on the battlefield. The righteous fall seven times, but rise up again. It is those who in humility repent of their sins to God and claim nothing of themselves, but only the shed blood of Jesus, which washes away their sins.   
At Jesus’ darkest hour in the garden as he was betrayed and arrested by the thugs of the chief priest, he refused to request twelve legions of angels to come to his aid, because Jesus knew that all the myriad of the heavenly hosts could not rescue us from sin, death, and eternal damnation. Only his precious blood shed in the atoning sacrifice could take away our sins, undo death’s grip, and raise us to heaven. Only Jesus’ blood can conquer Satan forever and give us victory.   
When you were baptized, Satan was cast down from heaven and his accusations against you were silenced. Every time you receive Jesus’ blood in humble faith, Satan is cast down from heaven at your feet and silenced. Your greatest weapon is not all the heavenly armies, but the precious, inexhaustible, unconquerable blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.   
God grants us, his humble children, the service of angels to guard and protect us both from physical danger and from the assaults of the devil and his minions. They guard us in all our ways, as we cling to the cross of Christ and the truth of his words. Angels do not work independently of Christ Jesus. And they do not help us overcome our foes apart from the blood of Christ. The word angel means messenger. The greatest work angels did was when they announced the birth, resurrection, and ascension and return of Jesus Christ. They announced the Gospel. And through faith in the Gospel, we possess the blood of Christ and have victory over Satan.  
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”, says our Lord. Our angels serve us on behalf of Christ, for we are washed clean in his blood. When they see our Father's face, they see that he is pleased with us on behalf of Christ's blood. Let us not despise our fellow Christians, who are victorious by the blood of Christ, whose Father looks down upon with pleasure, and whom God has sent his angels to protect. Rather, let us love one another and pray for each other. And so, we will fight with the angels against Satan. And with the blood of the Lamb, we will win.  
Let us pray.  
Saturday night: I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that you would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.  
Sunday morning: I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that you would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings in life may please you. For into your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen. 
0 Comments

    Rev. James Preus

    Rev. Preus is the pastor of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ottumwa, IA. These are audio and text of the sermons he preaches at Trinity according to the Historical Lectionary. 

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016

    Categories

    All
    Advent 1
    Advent 2
    Advent 3
    Advent 4
    All Saints Day
    Angels
    Ascension
    Ash Wednesday
    Baptism Of Our Lord
    Christmas 1
    Christmas 2
    Christmas Day
    Christmas Eve
    Circumcision And Name Of Jesus
    Confirmation
    Easter 2
    Easter 3
    Easter 4
    Easter 5
    Easter 6
    Easter Sunday
    Easter Vigil
    Epiphany
    Epiphany 1
    Epiphany 2
    Epiphany 3
    Epiphany 4
    Exaudi (Sunday After Ascension)
    Funeral
    Good Friday
    Good Shepherd
    Last Sunday
    Lent 1
    Lent 2
    Lent 3
    Lent 4
    Lent 5
    Lenten Services
    Maundy Thursday
    Means Of Grace Lenten Series
    Name Of Jesus
    Nativity Of St. John The Baptist
    Palm Sunday
    Pentecost
    Presentation Of Our Lord
    Quasimodogeniti
    Quinquagesima
    Reformation Day
    Robert Preus
    Second Last Sunday
    Septuagesima
    Sexagesima
    St. James Of Jerusalem
    St. Michael And All Angels
    St Stephen
    Thanksgiving
    Transfiguration
    Trinity
    Trinity 1
    Trinity 10
    Trinity 11
    Trinity 12
    Trinity 13
    Trinity 14
    Trinity 15
    Trinity 16
    Trinity 17
    Trinity 18
    Trinity 19
    Trinity 2
    Trinity 20
    Trinity 21
    Trinity 22
    Trinity 24
    Trinity 25
    Trinity 26
    Trinity 27
    Trinity 3
    Trinity 4
    Trinity 5
    Trinity 6
    Trinity 7
    Trinity 8
    Trinity 9
    Trinity Sunday

    RSS Feed

© 2017  www.trinitylutheranottumwa.com
  • Home
    • Missions
    • Swaddling Clothes
  • What We Believe
    • Christian Education: Sunday School and Catechism Program
    • Baptism
    • Worship
    • Confession and Absolution
    • Holy Communion
  • Our Pastor
  • Sermons
  • Calendar
  • Choir