The angels didn't stop singing after the first Christmas. They are undoubtably all around you, ministering to believers today. Why do they have reason to rejoice, even now? You'll learn how special your salvation is—to heavenly angels!
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Transcript: Welcome to "5 Minutes with Pastor Lutzer" I'm so glad that you joined us again today as we talk about Christmas, the Christmas story, and angels. No matter how long I've lived I always look forward to Christmas. It's a time for celebration of course, we think of Jesus Christ's birth, but also it's a time for family, it's a time for the well-being that we have for one another. There's nothing like Christmas. But I want to talk about the angels of Christmas.
You know, there's some mythology that goes around regarding angels, that they are out there to bless everybody. Well, God's angels are really directing their attention to us. Hebrews 1:14—"Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation?" There's something else about the angels that so stirs my soul it brings joy to me, and I think of how wonderful it will be when someday we will be in heaven. You say what is that? Think of it this way, the angels rejoice in our redemption even though they don't participate in it.
You know, in 1 Peter 1:12 the Bible talks about how the prophets try to find out and try to discern the time of Jesus Christ's coming, and then it says: These are the things that the angels delight to look into." You see, angels don't know the future, but they were trying to figure out when is Jesus Christ going to be born. And you can imagine how excited they were when they were given the opportunity to announce His birth to the shepherds. Of course, we have the angel Gabriel coming to Mary and you have these angel stories—true angel stories surrounding the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
They rejoice even though they can't be redeemed and don't have to be redeemed, and I might emphasize that when it comes to the other side of the angelic world, namely demonic spirits, Satan could not be redeemed even if he repented. And the reason was there was no sacrifice made for him. In the book of Hebrews it says expressly that Jesus, "was made like unto His brethren..."—He became one of us to redeem us.
But now back to the good angels. Imagine this: They rejoice in our salvation even though they can't participate in it and, of course, they don't have to. Even though we are going to be exalted above them and we most assuredly will be, no angel could ever be an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. No angel would ever be able to sit on the throne with Jesus, as Jesus promised to the faithful. Even though that is true they rejoice in our salvation as if it were their own. They rejoice in our exaltation totally and completely without any envy.
In fact, I hope that this Christmas season the angels in heaven are constantly rejoicing. Because the Bible says Luke 15—Jesus said that the angels in heaven rejoice over a sinner that repents. Angels are real beings. We're not talking here about mythology. They were created by God and I'm sure that they always surround us. We're unaware of them. They were created by God, they watch us and they themselves sing glory to God in the highest and they do that for our benefit and for the joy that it brings them to see us redeemed.
Would you witness to someone today at this Christmas season, whether it's today or this week? Would you remind them about the coming of Jesus Christ, the fact that He died for our sins and rose again? Give them that message and if they savingly believe, angels in heaven will rejoice. And we, together with the angels, will constantly throughout all of eternity give praise to God for the fact that we have been redeemed and the angels will celebrate our redemption. Thanks so much for joining us today. I hope that you have a very blessed Christmas and let's learn from the angels that salvation is special and let us give praise to God for that redemption. As for today, of course, as you've heard me say many times, just go with God.