How important are angels?

(Heb 1:14)  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

 

      How important are angels in God’s plans and purposes for us and the world? Our text tells us that they are spirits that minister to those who are the heirs of salvation. They are ones who serve the Lord God, their Creator and do what He desires of them . According to Jesus they are about children (and probably adults as well) – “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.”  The suggestion being that they are to protect little ones.

      One of the candles of the Advent ring is called the Angel Candle and represents those angels involved in the Christmas account. Gabriel was sent to Zacharias to announce to him that he and Elizabeth would have a son in their old age and he would be the fore-runner of the Messiah. Then Gabriel went to Mary to announce to her that she was to be the mother of Jesus. He carried these important messages to those related to the Christmas story. He did not go beyond what he was to do, but performed the service God directed him to perform.

      Then there was the angel chorus that announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds while they were watching their sheep in the fields. They were not concerned that they startled them because they had a mission and they performed it; although they quieted their fears with “fear not” and then told them of the birth of the Savior and the sign of a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger. Then they broke in singing that the final chapter of earth would be one of peace on earth and good will toward men because of this baby. It was an angel that warned Joseph that Herod would try to kill Jesus so that he would flee into Egypt for safety. So we see that God uses these servant spirits for His purposes and also for our good.

      We know from Scripture that we may not always know when we meet an angel because the writer of Hebrews tells us – “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” They are always on the job doing what God commands them and also helping us.

      Billy Graham’s book Angels, Angels, Angels tells of numerous incidents when God protected His children or used angels to do some very unusual things in order to help us. But Paul gives us a warning regarding angels that we must not ignore nor should we take it too lightly – “Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,” There are some who make too much of angels and even begin to worship them rather than God. The devil does not care if you worship angels or anyone else as long as you do not worship God. The devil is a fallen angel and he desires that people worship him as God. The angels were sent to be God’s servants to announce the birth of Jesus and all the others in the story are mere humans (even Mary) and if they would be alive today they would renounce any worship of angels or even themselves by those beguiled and led into worship that is against God and his commands.

      As we prepare for Christmas let us not get bogged down with those who were servants in this most magnificent of all events, but focus on the True center of it all – Jesus.