Christians Have No Need to Fear Death

Today’s text comes once again from the book of Hebrews. As I’ve mentioned last week, the entire book speaks specifically of the superiority of Jesus to angels, His superiority over Moses, His superiority over the Levitical priesthood, and the superiority of the new covenant over the Old Covenant because He died as our propitiatory sacrifice – our atoning sacrifice – on the Cross when, through His death, He appeased God’s wrath for our sins.

 

Today we focus on the last few verses of chapter two. For the sake of time, I won’t read the full chapter. I encourage you to do that on your own. So, beginning with verse 14 of the second chapter:

 

“Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

 

I will make only two major points from this short text as it appears in context with the whole of Scripture: First, the true Christian has no reason to fear death, and second, I want us to understand WHY the true Christian has no reason to fear death. I’ll address the second point first, because in doing so, the first point becomes clearer.

 

What does it mean that Jesus made ‘propitiation’ for our sins? The word takes us back to the sacrificial system found in the Books of Moses, especially during the Day of Atonement. On that day each year the High Priest sprinkled the sacrificial blood on the Ark of the Covenant, thereby appeasing God’s wrath against Israel’s sins. His wrath was pacified by the bloody death of the sacrificial animal. ‘Propitiation’ – the appeasement of God’s wrath by that sacrifice – explains how a just and holy God can fully judge sin while at the same time offer His mercy to the sinner. In New Testament terms, the bloody propitiatory sacrifice of the sinless Son of God on Calvary’s cross appeased God’s wrath against our sin and allows His justice to offer mercy to the penitent sinner.

 

We find the word ‘propitiation’ [‘appeasement] in passages such as Romans 3:23-26  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God – [no exceptions, except for Christ Jesus] – being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness . . .  for the demonstration of His righteousness. . .so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

 

We see it again in 1 John 2:1-2 “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins.”

 

But all this talk of appeasing God should raise the question – WHY do we need to appease God? Isn’t God a God of love and mercy and compassion?  Yes, of course, He is. That is why the concept and the act of His propitiation in and through His sinless Son is so marvelous, so wonderful a truth – because God’s mercy makes (present tense) – God makes a way for His enemies to be brought near to Him in intimate, loving relationship.

 

Enemies of God.

 

Let’s pause a moment and examine a Biblical truth which is uncomfortable for many people. Before we come to Christ in repentance, we are all enemies of God. Of course, modern sophisticated men and women don’t like being told God calls them His enemies. But if we believe what He tells us through the Scriptures, we cannot avoid or soften that reality.

 

James writes, (James 4:4) “Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

 

St Paul adds, (Romans 5:8-10) “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

 

As I said, people without an obedient faith in Christ don’t like to hear that they’re God’s enemies, yet it proves to be a somber thread throughout the Old and New Testaments. When anyone refuses to bow the knee to God in confession and repentance, they do exactly what Satan did before his fall. As I demonstrated a week or so ago from Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, Satan was the most beautiful of the holy angels until the sin of pride was found in him; Pride. He wanted to dethrone God.

 

And just to be clear, you and I do the same thing when we make ourselves our own little gods, doing whatever is right in our own eyes, placing ourselves on the throne of our lives where only God belongs.

 

This is not complicated. Enthroning ourselves on the place only God belongs makes us God’s enemy. And THAT is why this passage at the end of Hebrews 2 is so heartening and encouraging because it tells us God Himself took on human flesh, lived an utterly sinless life, and became a propitiation, an atonement, an appeasement of His wrath against our sin – a propitiation for all who want to be made right with God.

 

Listen! God does not spend His wrath on his friends. He spends His wrath on His enemies. And as the writer to the Hebrews will say later: (Hebrews 10:31) “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

 

God WANTS to reconcile all humanity to Himself through our obedient faith in Jesus, His Son.  And so, Christ stands at the door of each heart, waiting for us to open that door and invite Him to His rightful place on the Throne of our heart.

 

I hope you have all done that – not only once, but repeatedly, because we each, repeatedly and consciously or unconsciously – want to dethrone Him and take His rightful place on our heart’s throne.

 

And now that we know WHY God sent His Son to Calvary’s cross, to wash away our sins with His blood, we can better understand why the Christian needs not to fear death. As a reminder, here is that particular text from today’s section in Hebrews: “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. 

 

There are many reasons people fear death. Some are afraid to die because it is an unknown. From my experience over the years talking with Christians, I’ve spoken to those who sit in church pews each week and who are unsure about what happens to them after death. They think eternity is a huge question mark. But for the Christian, the unknown is not as unknown as non-believers think of it. God gives us enough information about death for the Christian that no child of God should fear the grave. Let’s look only at two texts that speak directly to those who belong to Christ.

Here is Revelation 22: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea . . . And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new . . . . and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

 

Here is what the apostle Paul had to say about death: (2 Corinthians 5:1-8) “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. . . . Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”

 

I hope you heard that last line: Absent from the body and home with the Lord. As the Lord Jesus said to the penitent thief on the cross: “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”(Luke 23:43)

 

For the Christian, death is like walking through the doorway leading out of your apartment. THAT is what the death of the body is like for the faithful follower of Christ – walking through the doorway leading from this life to life eternal. Immediately in the presence of God. No such thing as what some call ‘soul-sleep.’ No further cleansing or purging of our sins necessary in a place some call ‘purgatory.’ Scripture could not be clearer: The Christian closes their eyes in death and immediately opens them in the presence of their Savior. Absent from this life means to be present in eternal life.

That being the case, WHY would any Christian fear death when what we have waiting for us on the other side of that door is eternal joy in the presence of God? Eternal joy in the company of all our family and friends in Christ who have gone on before us – gone to that Promised Land where there is no longer death, sickness, loss, pain, or loneliness.

But there are those in and outside of the pews who argue within themselves, “I am such a bad person. You don’t know the horrible things I’ve done. How can God really forgive me?”

 

Surely, I don’t know the horrible things some have done in their life, but let’s let the infallible and wholly inspired word of God answer their question. Here is what He tells us through Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth – a church FILLED with those who came out of sinful lifestyles:

 

“Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, HCSB) 

We all need to hear this. It’s important: Despite the litany of damnable sins Paul cites in this text – the Holy Spirit quickly focuses attention on the good news in verse 11: “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” 

Let’s unwrap this verse. “You were washed,” means the person’s sins were completely, thoroughly, utterly cleansed through their baptism and ongoing confession and repentance of their sins.

 

“You were sanctified,” means God had purified them from those sins. He pronounced them ‘pure.’ He set them apart for His work and declared them to be holy because they were covered with the propitiatory blood of Jesus.

 

And finally, Paul tells them, “You were justified,” meaning, God pronounced them righteous, innocent, and without guilt. And if GOD Himself pronounces us to be without guilt – He means what He says and He says what He means. God declares the penitent sinner to be righteous and innocent and without guilt. Period. Full stop. End of sentence.

 

I will pause again and make another important comment: If you are not a Christian, do you want to be one? Do you want to have no fear of death and – for you – the inevitable and eternal judgment? Then trust God’s promises to wash you, sanctify you and justify you as soon as you confess to Him your sins and repent – meaning you purposely and intentionally turn from them.

 

And, speaking of that judgment, let’s look at yet another reason some fear death. They fear it because they fear their final and eternal Judgment. For good reason the non-believer, the non-Christian fears that judgment because it will be devastating, agonizing, and eternal. But for the one who has come to God through obedient faith in Christ, they have no reason whatsoever to fear eternal judgment – because, as I have said repeatedly in this message, God has ALREADY and forever judged their sins on Calvary’s cross.

 

Let me reiterate what I just said because it is so important to our peace of mind when we think of our own death. Christian! One hundred percent of God’s wrath against your sins – 100% pressed down, shaken together, and running over – it was all spent on Jesus.

 

Not one fraction of a fraction of God’s wrath is held in reserve for any of His children covered by the propitiatory blood of Jesus. As the apostle John tells us: (1 John 4:15-18) “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God . . . By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment . . . There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”

 

I hope you caught that. There’s no fear of punishment after death for the Christian. That’s one reason St Paul tells us, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (Romans 5:1) and “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” (Romans 8:1-2).

 

Listen, please – and I need to hear this as much as anyone – the more our love for God is perfected, the more we will trust God to be true to His promises. If we love God only a little, then we will trust God only a little. But the more perfectly we love God the greater peace we will have at death because we know Whom we have believed, and are persuaded that He is able to keep what we have committed to Him until that final day. (see 2 Timothy 1:12)

I will close with these final words of reminder: The Christian – and ONLY the Christian has no Biblical reason to fear death because death no longer has any sting for us. Listen again to God’s word: “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:56-58)

 

If you belong to Christ, He has set you free from death’s chains. Why? Because Jesus became your propitiatory sacrifice. He death appeased God’s wrath against your sins.

 

And if you do not yet belong to Christ – why would you delay? God WANTS to reconcile you to Himself; And so He stands right now at the door of your heart, urging you to open that door and invite Him to His rightful place on the Throne of our heart.

 

And so, the Christian can ever say, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

 

Beware the Drift

Our text today comes from Hebrews 2. For the sake of time, I will read only portions of the chapter. I hope you’ll take time later to read it for yourself:

 

(Hebrews 2:1-4, 14-15, 17-18) “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will . . . 14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives . . . 17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

 

My message today focuses on the first four verses. When chapter two starts, “For this reason” (some Bible translations begin the verse with the word, ‘Therefore’ ) the writer is referring to what was written in chapter one – primarily, the declaration that God’s final word to Mankind is through Jesus Christ.

 

It is therefore – or ‘for this reason’ – the reader must pay much closer attention to what they’d heard – so that they not drift away from it.

 

Now, for a moment, please take note: The writer uses the first-person plural in this warning – “So that ‘we’ do not drift.” In other words, the writer places himself in the same category as those who can drift from the truths he is writing to his audience. And why might that be a danger for him? Well, in short, “WE” are all susceptible to drifting from truth. You. Me. Pastors and priests and teachers and choir directors – and every man and woman in the pew. All of us. Which is why WE must each pay much closer attention to the things we’ve heard, and been taught, and have read for ourselves. Repeatedly, Scripture warns us, “Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23

 

Let’s pause a moment and think this point through. There are a dozen reasons a person can drift from what he or she knows is the correct way to live. Disappointment with God over unfilled dreams and expectations; Blaming God for the way life has turned out; Being angry and frustrated with Him because of His insistence that we obey His commandments. Any of those reasons – and more besides – can and often do lead to excuses to stop praying, stop reading the Scriptures, stop going to church. And as I just said, I must be careful myself not to drift because I am just susceptible to drifting like anyone else.

 

Please hear this – and if you’ve been walking with Christ for a long while you know this is true – no one who honestly comes to Christ in the beginning turns from their walk with Christ overnight. It ALWAYS occurs as a slow drift, by degrees, one degree after another. To illustrate this truth, look at the illustration in your handout. I drew a 90-degree angle and next to it an 89-degree angle.

 

The 90-degree angle represents an honest conversion. The man or woman begins in earnest to read their bible, to attend church, to determine to make their lifestyle match what they read in Scripture. But if they stop paying close attention to their walk, they begin to drift. They compromise to fit in. They make excuses that allow them to do what they want to do – even if God’s word calls it sin.

 

At first, they can hardly tell the difference. Eighty-nine degrees at the start seems nearly identical to 90 degrees. But, as the drawing illustrates, extend the 89 degrees a while and the difference between the ‘straight and narrow’ walk with Christ becomes clearer. Extend it six months, a year, five years . . ..

 

And, so, what is the point? “We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”  And HOW ought we to pay closer attention? St Paul exhort us: (Colossians 3:1-3) “If you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

 

In other words, to avoid drifting, keep seeking Christ daily; Keep setting your mind on Him through daily and frequent prayer, through daily reading and reflecting on His Word. Listen again to the apostle’s words to Timothy which dovetail with the answer to the question about drifting:

 

(2 Timothy 3:14-17) “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

 

I hope you see it’s impossible to get away from the Bible’s exhortation – from Genesis through Revelation: Get into the Word of God. Stay in the Word of God. I’ll revisit this point again later in this message because it simply cannot be overstated.

 

To further drive home this point, I’ll use another illustration to highlight the danger AND THE EASE with which we can slowly drift from the 90-degree path that leads to the Celestial kingdom.

 

Many of us know about eye cataracts from personal experience. We know that they develop slowly over time as the lens of the eye becomes progressively cloudy. Without surgical intervention, cataracts will inevitably lead to blindness.

 

Metaphorically, physical blindness is used by the Biblical writers to illustrate spiritual blindness. For example, God says to Israel through Isaiah: (Isaiah 6:9-10) "Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, otherwise they might see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed.”

 

The Lord Jesus told the religious clergy of His day (John 9:39), "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind." And Paul told the Corinthians, (2 Corinthians 4:4) "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

 
And once more, Jesus said of the religious leaders (Matthew 15:14): “Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

 

I’m sure you’ve noticed in your own study of God’s word, the Holy Spirit never softens for anyone His warning of the eternal danger faced by all who drift from the 90-degree path. Whether religious clergy or irreligious pagans, whether kings, warriors, or farmers, whether prosperous or those living in poverty – the Holy Spirit spoke Truth – and continues to speak truth – to everyone who has eyes to see and ears to hear.

 

We also know from personal experience, people can slowly blind themselves into rejecting the lifestyle changes God requires of all men and women, designed to conform us to His unchanging Truth. People can nurture their pride, or their spirit of revenge, or unwillingness to forgive others. They can hold onto impure or immoral thoughts or acts – and a dozen other sins everyone in this room knows by experience to one degree or another.  

 

And it is a self-evident truth: The more often we turn to darkness, the darker our vision becomes. It's really as simple as that. As the prophet Hosea warned: “Their deeds will not allow them to return to their God. For a spirit of harlotry is within them, and they do not know the Lord.” (Hosea 5:4)

 

Surgery is the only definitive treatment to restore sight to those with physical cataracts. Likewise, spiritual cataracts can only be removed by the spiritual Surgeon – the Lord Jesus. And that is why our only hope for definitive treatment of our spiritual cataracts is to come to Him – not once, not a hundred times – but every day, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to us our sometimes nearly imperceptible dimming eyesight. Remember what King David prayed: (Psalm 139:23-24) “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me and lead me in the everlasting way.”

 

How do we obtain healing for our spiritual cataracts? We stop making excuses for keeping our Bibles closed. Listen to the apostle Peter: (1 Peter 2:2) “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”

 

A newborn’s persistence in poor feeding is good reason to bring the child to the pediatrician. Infants need to eat, or their health will suffer. Likewise, All Christians of every age and maturity need to feed on the word of God or their spiritual health will suffer. If a Christian persists in his poor feeding on God’s word, it is INEVITABLE that their spiritual health will suffer.

 

I don’t know how to make the urgency of this point clearer.  Salvation itself is a well that is deep and wide and high and never runs dry. When we feed on the word of God, ruminating on it, pondering its message, we grow into more of what salvation is to our lives and our futures.

 

I never cease to be saddened to be reminded how infrequently Christians read the Scriptures or attend a church where the pastor is unashamed to proclaim its entire truth to the congregation week after week. And what is the most oft used excuse people use to avoid opening their bible? They don’t have time to read the bible.

 

But as Fr Jacques Philippe noted about prayer – which works equally well with reading the Scriptures: “No one ever died of hunger because of not having time to eat."

 

And the pages between the covers of our Bibles are a veritable feast. Listen to the psalmist: (Psalm 34:8) “O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him!”

Healing spiritual cataracts also requires consistent and thoughtful prayer and gathering with others of like faith. But when we find excuses to avoid time in prayer and attending church services we eventually find ourselves saying things, watching things, listening to things, and participating in things that only a year or two earlier we’d have ardently proclaimed we’d never do such things.

 

To heal the spiritual cataracts we must ask Him to open our eyes that we might clearly see our sins because the more clearly we see our sins, the more clearly we see what those sins have done to ourselves, to others, and to Him, we will better we understand the unfathomable and inexplicable love God has for us.  Romans 5:8 will become even more precious to us: God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

To be healed of spiritual cataracts requires we practice forgiveness toward others. It doesn’t matter if the other person asks for forgiveness. Practice forgiveness anyway. Living with an unwillingness to forgive someone is like drinking poison and hoping the person you don’t like gets sick.

 

Forgiveness is not the same as trust. Forgiveness does not mean you stay in a dangerous situation. It simply means, in the words of an article from the Mayo Clinic: you make a conscious decision “to let go of resentment and thoughts of revenge. The act that hurt or offended you might always remain a part of your life, but forgiveness can lessen its grip on you and help you focus on other, positive parts of your life.”

 

And, oh, by the way: Why else must we forgive? Because God commands it: (Matthew 6:14-15) “If you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”

 

You and I MUST pay close attention to what we have learned by reading, and studying, and hearing the Word of God taught and preached. If we do not pay close attention, we run the very likely risk of drifting far afield from the straight and narrow path that leads to the Celestial City, and we run the risk of progressive spiritual blindness – to such a degree as we have seen many times in past sermons of those in the pews and the pulpits endorsing such sins for which untold millions and millions of men and women will hear the Lord Jesus say, (Matthew 25:41) “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.”

 

People can choose to remain in the dark to avoid the light of Truth and the requisite lifestyle changes that conform to Truth. They can choose to nurture their pride, or their spirit of revenge, or unwillingness to forgive others. They can choose to continue to nurse impure or immoral thoughts and acts – and a dozen other sins everyone in this room knows by experience to one degree or another.

 

Or they can choose to turn to the Great Physician for healing. The more often we turn to darkness, the darker our vision becomes. But it is also true, the more we turn to His light, the deeper our love and our willing obedience to His commandments grows.

 

 

Ministering Spirits

 

The book of Hebrews speaks of the superiority of God’s revelation to humanity through Christ. We saw that in the first three verses of chapter one. As we continue to work our way through Hebrews, we will see Christ’s superiority to angels, His superiority to Moses, His superiority to the Levitical priesthood, and the superiority of the new covenant to the Old Covenant.

 

Today we look at Christ’s superiority over angels. Our primary text comes from verse 14 of this first chapter, but I will read the entire chapter for context: “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You”? And again, “I will be a Father to Him and He shall be a Son to Me”?

 

And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, “And let all the angels of God worship Him.” And of the angels He says, “Who makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of fire.” But of the Son He says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your companions.” And, “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands; They will perish, but You remain; And they all will become old like a garment, And like a mantle You will roll them up; Like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end.” But to which of the angels has He ever said, “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet”? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” 

 

When we talk about angels it’s vital that we maintain a biblical worldview during our discussions. Indeed, when we talk about anything related to our lives on earth and after death – maintaining a biblical perspective is critical to our spiritual health, our spiritual safety, and to the eternal destiny of our souls and the souls of those whom we love.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). When we say God created all things, it means He created ALL things – whether visible or invisible – including the supernatural beings called ‘angels.’

 

Let me say that again for emphasis so we are clear: God created all the supernatural Beings we call angels. They are not eternal. Only God – whom we know as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – only God is eternal.

 

Scripture identifies two categories of angels: holy angels and fallen angels. It’s important to understand that when God created the angels, they were ALL holy angels. But scripture records that one of the holy angels named Lucifer rebelled against his creator and sought to dethrone God from His throne. We find in Isaiah this text about Lucifer (Hebrew: Light-bearer), “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God . . .‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ (Isaiah 14:13-14)

 

We find reference to Satan in Ezekiel 28:12-17: “You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God . . You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you . . . “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor.”

I don’t want to spend more time talking about the enemy of our souls than is necessary, but I continue a bit longer because we must be reminded not only of Satan’s existence, but also of his powerful influence in the affairs of men and women, and his strategies for our eternal destruction. Without a keen awareness of Satan’s activities, we render ourselves and our loved ones defenseless against his deadly attacks.

And while on the subject of Satan’s power to influence, it’s important to note that Satan was able to convince 1/3 of God’s holy Angels – supernatural Beings who lived in the very presence of Almighty God, Beings surrounded by the love of God, by the glory of God, by the beauty of God – Satan convinced 1/3 of them to also rebel against their Creator. (see Revelation 12:4).

Let me pause a moment to reiterate what I just said. Satan was able to persuade 1/3 of the holy angels living in heaven to rebel against God. So, don’t think for a moment that he cannot persuade humans to do the same. The history of planet earth overflows with blood-soaked evidence of that tragic and ongoing reality. And the histories of many of our families also give mournful testimony of the devil’s ability to influence man and women away from God.

 

Regarding also Satan’s ability to influence humanity to rebel against God and His commandments, consider how he has perverted and corrupted the gifts God has given us, for example, in the areas of human sexuality and marriage.

 

The most recent National Survey of Family Growth, done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and completed in 2019, has found that 43 percent of evangelical Protestants ages 15 to 22 said they definitely or probably would cohabit in the future. More than two-thirds of evangelicals ages 29 to 49 had cohabited at least once. And 53 percent of evangelical Protestants currently in their first marriage cohabited with each other prior to being legally wed. And just to be clear, to ‘cohabit’ in this context is synonymous with committing fornication – a damnable sin, unless remedied by repentance.

 

Furthermore, according to a recent Pew Research survey of Americans who identify as Christian, 54% believe homosexuality should be accepted, rather than discouraged, by society – another damnable sin, unless remedied by repentance.

  

Do you begin to understand how successful the Dark Forces of hell have been to seduce men and women away from God’s light?

 

We should also look at yet another example of Satan’s strategy to move people toward disobedience to God and His commandments – and this one has to do with the commemorations the Christian Church has given us as a means of remembering and reflecting on God’s goodness, His holiness, His love, and His commandments.

 

The Church originally celebrated ‘Christ’s Mass’ – which was shortened to ‘Christmas’ – the Church celebrated Christmas as a day to remember the birth of the Savior in that little town of Bethlehem. But Satan hijacked Christmas and corrupted its original intent so that the day is often now synonymous with Santa Claus and reindeer, and scant thought (if any at all) about Jesus.

 

Easter is another holy day perverted by the devil. What originally began as a celebration of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ now focuses our attention on cute bunnies and chocolate eggs.

 

And, since we are so close to the holy day that used to be called ‘All Hallows Eve’ and its companion, ‘All Saints Day’ – on which Christians used to remember and honor the holy martyrs of the church who died for their Christian testimony – today All Hallows Eve has been perverted into Halloween. Instead of honoring those who died for Christ, witches, ghosts, and black cats rule the night of Halloween.

 

Please hear this: By diverting our attention from the holiness of the original holy days, Satan has desensitized men, women, AND children – to the love of God AND what should also be the FEAR of and REVERENCE to God.

 

So – application time. God knows the spiritual danger we all face in this life and has provided us with spiritual protection through His Word, His Holy Spirit, and, as we shall see in a moment, through His holy angels.

 

THEREFORE, we ought to conduct our lives strictly according to God’s word. What that means regarding the evil spirit world is we MUST avoid everything that opens our soul to demonic seduction and danger. That includes, as I spoke of earlier in this message, it means turning our backs on the culture’s current means of celebrating All Hallows Eve – now called Halloween. Living according to God’s instructions also means we avoid reading our horoscopes. It means not caring a whit if our birthday falls under the pagan sign of Gemini, or Aries, or Virgo, or whatever. Those pagan symbols are demonic at their very source. Leave them alone.

 

Conducting ourselves according to God’s word means we don’t mess with occult and paranormal so-called ‘games’ such as Tarot cards, and Ouija boards. Living according to God’s word means we don’t watch horror movies that depict supernatural evil – of which there are dozens and dozens available on Prime and other streaming services. Remember, God tells us through the apostle Paul: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12). The Greek word Paul used for ‘struggle’ denotes a wrestling contest between two people and which is decided when the victor can hold his opponent down with his hand on his neck.

I say all this by way of guidance. Our role as parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts – whatever – our role is to help our families live biblically in this fallen culture.

 

Now we turn attention to the other category of angels: God’s holy angels.

Scripture gives us only glimpses into their supernatural realm, but what God’s word DOES tell us is sufficient for us to know what God wants us to know about the holy angels.

 

First, angels worship God. And it ought to seem incomprehensible if they would not worship Him. He surrounds them with His incredible beauty, intimate warmth, His light, His tenderness, His love.

 

Have you ever stopped to stare at a rainbow and get lost for a moment or two in its beauty? Have you ever been awed by a sunset when it painted the sky with pastel yellows and reds and blues? Have you ever been so touched by a symphonic orchestra that tears came to your eyes?  

 

Angels live in the ineffable presence of God’s incomprehensible love and in the midst of heaven’s sights and sounds of beauty – sights and sounds that far exceed anything we have ever experienced on earth. As St Paul wrote to the church at Corinth: “Things which eye has not seen ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

 

No wonder angels worship. And when we see and hear and sense the glories of heaven, we also will worship as we have never been able to worship in this life.

 

Now, moving on, the writer to the Hebrews tells us angels are ministers of God sent by Him to serve those who will inherit salvation. In what ways to they serve the child of God? Well, for one thing, angels are God’s messengers. They obediently deliver to us words from the Father. Angels usually appear as ordinary humans. That’s why Hebrews tells us: (Hebrews 13:2) “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

 

They appeared in physical form, in Genesis 18 to Abraham and Sarah. An angel appeared to Zechariah with a message about the birth of John the Baptizer. An angel appeared to Mary with the message that she would be the mother of Messiah Jesus. Angels physically appeared to Jacob, and Gideon, Samson’s parents, to Peter and to Paul. There are many other examples, but for the sake of time, we will stop here.

 

Angels also wage spiritual battle for us, fighting against the forces of spiritual darkness – fighting as only THEY can battle. We find such references in Daniel 10, Ephesians 6, and Jude 1. Angels execute God’s judgment on nations and people who persist in rebellion against God. For example, when Pharaoh refused to let God’s people leave Egypt, God sent an angel to kill every firstborn son (see Exodus 12). Herod was killed by an angel in Acts 12 because of his persistent evil and rebellion. And God sends angels to rain destruction on all of humanity in Revelation chapters 8-10.

 

God uses angels to protect us. As the Psalmist tells us: “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and rescues them.” (Psalm 34:7) We see that played out in the story of Lot, when angels dragged him and his family from Sodom before its destruction (see Genesis 19). We see it in the story of Elisha in 2 Kings 6 when the Arameans surrounded the city of Dothan.

 

As we live biblically with God’s holy angels, Scripture provides some clear guidelines as to our interaction with them. Essentially – those guidelines tell us to ‘stay in our own lane.”  What I mean by that is, first, we don’t seek them. We don’t pray to them. We don’t honor them. We don’t initiate conversations with them. And we don’t have the right to name any angel, including our so-called ‘Guardian’ angel. Throughout Scripture, naming a person or a thing meant having authority over it. For example, Adam gave names to all the animals (Genesis 2). Parents give names to their children.

God never gives us the authority to name HIS angels.

 

We seek Christ and Him alone. Not angels. Christ alone is the focus of our prayers, our honor, and our conversations. To do ANYTHING different is to open our spirits to the dark forces I’ve already mentioned. St Paul was not joking when he told the Corinthian Christians: (2 Corinthians 11:14b-15) “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.” 

 

And 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 – “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

 

As I said at the beginning of this message, when we talk about angels – or indeed, when we talk about anything related to how we ought to live our lives – it’s vital that we maintain a biblical perspective. To do otherwise opens our spirits to enormous spiritual danger.

 

Seek Christ alone. Not people. Not angels. No one but Christ. Obey His Word in all things. And give Him thanks for the protection He provides moment by moment through His holy angels, sent by Him to serve those who will inherit salvation.

 

Next week I want us to move into chapter two and this text: “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”