Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

I. What The Angels Said Towards God

“Glory to God in the highest,
Praise be to God; honor be to God.

A. Who Are These Angels?

Angel: messenger
The Holy Angels are the messengers of God
The fallen angels are the messengers of Satan, the “god” of this world.

1. Their origin- they are created beings, unlike God, who has always
been.
Psa 148:2,5 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! 5 Let
them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created.
Col 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
When?- Job 38:4-7 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
The angels were there when God created the earth.
They saw the power, the creativity, the genius of God.

2. Their purpose- to serve God and saved men and women
Psa 104:4 Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.
Heb 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
3. Their appearances- they are generally not seen.
On occasion, they were seen in the form of a man.
Heb 13:2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
4. They are vast in number-
Heb 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable (1,ooos & 1’ooos )company of angels,
Rev 5:11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, Rev 5:12 saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain…
5. Where are they?
Matthew 22:30, John 1:51, Mark 13:32:- They reside mainly “In heaven”

B. What Do They Know About God?

They experience the presence, power, and glory of God.
The angels see God in His glory in heaven.
Job 1:6 One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them.

They hear and obey the very commands from the mouth of God.
Psa 103:20 Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Psa 103:21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.

C. What Happened At The Birth Of Christ For Them To Get So Excited?

They were present when Jesus created all things.
They saw Him in His glory.
John 1:3 He created everything there is–nothing exists that he didn’t make.

They were subservient and worshipful to Jesus when He came to earth as a child.
Heb 1:6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”
The angels were fully aware of what happened at the incarnation.
They were present when Jesus created this earth.
They knew Christ in all His glory before He ever took on human flesh.

The angels were very involved in the incarnation and life of Jesus.

1. The birth of Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist, was announced by an angel.
2. The mother of Jesus was informed by an angel that she would be the mother of the Savior.
3. Joseph was assured by an angel concerning Mary’s pregnancy.
4. Angels informed the shepherds of the birth of Christ.
5. Joseph warned by an angels to take Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod.
6. Joseph told to return when it was safe.
7. Angels ministered to Christ during His temptation.
8. Angel strengthened Christ in the garden
9. Jesus said the Father would send 12 legions to save him from the roman crowd.
10. Angel rolled back the stone at the tomb, spoke to Mary on Easter morning.
11. Present at His ascension.

D. What Is One Thing Angels Want To Know?

1 Pet 1:10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care,
1 Pet 1:11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
1 Pet 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

God allows the angels to look on at the affairs of men
1 Cor 4:9 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men.

God intends that the wisdom of his plan be noticed in heaven.
He is pleased for all creation to know how He planned to save people.
He desires for spiritual beings to recognize the glory of His plan.
Eph 3:8 Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
Eph 3:9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
Eph 3:10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
Eph 3:11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How much of all this did the angels understand when Jesus was born.
Probably not a lot.
They never will know salvation like us poor lost sinners that have been saved.

But what they did know was this:
God the son took on human flesh and stepped into His creation.
He limited Himself to the confines of a human body.
He limited Himself to the confines of time and space.
He willingly subjected Himself to all the infirmities of humanity.

And so this one angel was joined by a multitude.
plethos, play’-thos; a fulness, i.e. a large number, throng, populace:–bundle, company, multitude.

They may have not understood all that would take place through Jesus’ life.
They seem to have limited knowledge.
They still desire to look into the things concerning salvation.
To investigate those things.

But when Jesus was born, one angel wasn’t enough.
A multitude was needed to attend this event.

WHY?
Because God became man.

And the praised Him for it.
They gave Him glory.
Glory to God in the Highest.

Let the universe be filled.
May there not be a silent portion of all the created galaxies.
May the heavens of God give glory to God.

The angels know and understood what took place in the incarnation.

Turn to Philippians 2:6
2:6 “the form of”- In v. 6, it speaks of the deity of Christ, v. 7, the humanity.

Wuest- to subsist in that mode of being in which one gives outward expression of their essential nature.
Jesus, being in the form of God, tells us that as Jesus was looked upon by the angels, prior to his incarnation, God was what He was.

did not consider it robbery to be equal with God….
Ryrie– Who, though of the same nature as God, did not think this something to be exploited to His own advantage.
Wuest- Who did not, after weighing the facts, considered it a treasure to be clutched and retained at all hazards.

2:7 Literally– emptied Himself.
c. Jesus, did not, and could not, become “less God” in the incarnation. No deity was
subtracted (though he did renounce some of the rights of deity), rather humanity was
added to His nature

d. How did Jesus empty Himself? He did this through taking the form of a
bondservant; Jesus did not empty Himself of His deity, or of any of His attributes, or
of His equality with God. He emptied Himself into the form of a servant; not merely
the form of a man

i. Taking (labon) does not imply an exchange, but an addition

e. How did Jesus empty Himself? He did this by coming in the likeness of men

i. We can think of someone who is a servant, but not in the likeness of men;
Aladdin’s Genie was a servant, but not in the likeness of men

ii. The word for likeness here can refer to merely the outward form of
something; while Jesus did have the outward form of humanity, the outward
form was reflective of His true humanity, which was added to His deity

taking the form of a servant-
Wuest- to subsist in that mode of being in which one gives outward expression of their essential nature.
His essential nature became that of being a servant, instead of His right to be served as God.
He forfeited His rights, and took up less than what He deserved.

and coming in the likeness of men– this is how He took the form of being a servant. He put on flesh in order to serve us.
He became like men by taking on one of our bodies.

2:8 His divine glory was laid aside, and He took on all our infirmities, weaknesses, and inabilities.
In that mode, He lived as does a servant of God, and humbled Himself to a death He didn’t deserve.
He lived as a servant to God the father.
He set aside all his rights, and took upon all our liabilities.
WILLINGLY. THIS IS THE POINT. HE DID IT WILLINGLY.
Self-renunciation.

AND SO THE ANGELS CRIED GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST.
They understood the great condescension that had taken place when Christ came in human flesh.

II. What The Angels Said To Men

A. Peace- turn to Col. 1:17-23

Peace now possible through His death
Peace made available to be received
God’s good will available to man through peace w/God thru Christ.