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Feast of St. Michael and All Angels – September 29^th, 2024 Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas Rev. Joshua Woelmer Text: Revelation 12:7–12 “How Do Angels Serve God?” Theme: God uses angels to protect us from the devil’s lies and attacks. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Today is a day that’s all about angels, both the good ones and the bad ones. I have three questions that will lead us through this great topic of angels. One of them is a trick question. Let’s see if you can guess which one. Here are the three: Who is more valuable to God: angels or man? Who or what is the opposite of God? Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Who is more valuable to God: angels or man? The answer to this question may surprise you, but it is straightforward: We are more valuable to God than the angels. They are his servants who minister to us. But how do we know this? For one, we do not know when the angels were created. It’s not in the Bible, but I suspect on the fourth day of creation when God creates the sun, moon, and stars. They are beings of pure spirit, so they are quite different from us, although they can appear as humans when God needs them to. God created animals, which have no soul, on days five and six. His creation culminated in the finale when he created Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed His Spirit into his nostrils, then created Eve from Adam’s rib. Man is the only being with a body and a soul. This combination of the two is remarkable. It is why we are made in God’s image, whereas the angel and animals are not. It also means that we will not become angels when we die. Yes, our soul will be separated from our bodies for a time and go to be with God in heaven, but our bodies and souls will again be rejoined on the Last Day. So, how should we regard the angels? There are many kinds, but they all serve us. Hebrews 1 gives this good overview for us: “Are [the angels] not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” (14). A seraph was sent to serve Isaiah by cleansing his tongue of sin (6:6). The cherubim guarded paradise so Adam and Eve would not return (Gen 3:24). Gabriel served as a messenger to Zechariah and Mary (Luke 1). Michael, the prince of the angels, was sent to Daniel. The unnamed angels are considered an army in many places. It is good to see the angels as soldiers. We certainly see this in our Revelation text as “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon” (7). That isn’t the only place. When Jesus rebukes Peter for defending him in the Garden of Gethsemane, he says a pretty awesome thing: “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt 26:53). A Roman legion was around 5000 soldiers, for comparison. If Jesus wanted a military defense, he would have gotten it. Finally, the angels do defend us. When Jesus sets a child before his disciples, he concludes his statement with these words: “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” (10). Imagine if you—or your child—had a member of the Army or the Marines or any branch of service attached to defend them from the worst threats imaginable? The angels certainly protect us from some physical dangers, but God does allow bad things to happen to us at times. But an even worse threat than physical danger is spiritual. That leads me to my next question. Who or what is the opposite of God? Now, what’s the knee-jerk answer? The devil, right? Satan! But that’s not actually true. Here’s the thing: there is no opposite for God Almighty. There is no opposite for the one who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present. If it existed, “nothingness” would be the correct answer, but there is no such thing as that, not from God’s perspective. Who is Satan then? Well, he is a created being. He is an angel, albeit a fallen angel. But if we were to ask who is the opposite of Satan, the answer would not be God, but rather Michael, the archangel. Before we get deeply into Satan and the demons, it is important to say that we should not make too much his power, nor should we pretend that they don’t exist. On the one hand, movies that depict demons often go way overboard in emphasizing their power and abilities. On the other hand, there is a great quote about modern-day America: “The greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing the world that he did not exist.” So, returning to our texts for today, there is a force that opposes God. It is not equal to God. God will have the final word on the Last Day when he says to all unbelievers and demons, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt 25:41). In our reading from Revelation, we get a vivid description of Satan and all his forces being thrown down out of heaven to earth. Satan has six names in this Revelation text: dragon, ancient serpent, devil, Satan, deceiver, and accuser. Dragon and serpent refer to his work in the Garden of Eden, when he tempted Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit and fall into sin. Devil and deceiver go together, because they talk about his work of tempting us to sin. The devil makes us thing that something is fine to do, when it is actually against God’s will. Satan and accuser also go together. They both mean an accuser at court, also known as a prosecuting attorney. Satan wants to accuse you of all your sin. In fact, it might be that he was able to do this at one time. The book of Job talks about Satan being able to ask God about righteous Job. Regardless, he does not have this ability anymore. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again on the third day, he bound Satan. This binding means that Satan can no longer accuse you day and night before God. It also means that Satan’s activity on earth is limited. He is controlled by the Word of Christ. Imagine a dog that is on a strong chain. That dog cannot attack you unless you get too close. It might bark, it might foam at the mouth, but if you stay away from it, Satan has no power. Stay away from Satan’s temptation, and guard yourself from his barking that you are a damned sinner who deserves hell along with him. You do not, because you belong to Christ. Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? The answer to this is a simple believer in Christ. Even a child, as Jesus demonstrates, is the model of our simple trust in God. Greatness in the kingdom of heaven does not ask who is the strongest, wealthiest, smartest, or most powerful. Greatness in the kingdom of heaven is about faith. Even entering the kingdom of heaven is all about faith: “Truly, I say to you, 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” (3–4). I think it’s great that we got to have a baptism today. It’s a time to celebrate that little ScottiLyne has faith. It’s not a rational faith yet that knows about the Bible. But it’s a child-like faith that trusts. Can babies trust? Yes they do! They trust their mommy and daddy and God. What Baptism has done for ScottiLyne is to give her this faith. It has also transferred her out of this worldly kingdom into the kingdom of God, as the Baptismal address says: “The Word of God also teaches that we are all conceived and born sinful and are under the power of the devil until Christ claims us as his own.” She renounced the devil, all his works, and all his ways. She was baptized into Christ and faith in him. We are baptized and protected from Satan and his ways. This is our ongoing reality and promise: that God continues to use his holy angels to protect us from the worst evil ever. We ought to pray that God would protect us from the deceiver and accuser. Martin Luther includes this line at the end of his morning and evening prayers: “Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me.” This ought to be our prayer all the time. We cannot see what the devil has in store for us, to bring us down to despair and sin. But we can know what God’s will is, and we know that not only does he send his angels to protect us, but He Himself dwells in us and guards and protects us in this life and faith until we die. Amen, come Lord Jesus, Amen. Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen. Return to Top \| Return to Sermons \| Home \| Email Church Office

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Feast of St. Michael and All Angels – September 29^th, 2024

Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas

Rev. Joshua Woelmer

Text: Revelation 12:7–12

“How Do Angels Serve God?”

Theme: God uses angels to protect us from the devil’s lies and attacks.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Today is a day that’s all about angels, both the good ones and the bad ones. I have three questions that will lead us through this great topic of angels. One of them is a trick question. Let’s see if you can guess which one. Here are the three: Who is more valuable to God: angels or man? Who or what is the opposite of God? Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

Who is more valuable to God: angels or man? The answer to this question may surprise you, but it is straightforward: We are more valuable to God than the angels. They are his servants who minister to us. But how do we know this? For one, we do not know when the angels were created. It’s not in the Bible, but I suspect on the fourth day of creation when God creates the sun, moon, and stars.

They are beings of pure spirit, so they are quite different from us, although they can appear as humans when God needs them to. God created animals, which have no soul, on days five and six. His creation culminated in the finale when he created Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed His Spirit into his nostrils, then created Eve from Adam’s rib. Man is the only being with a body and a soul. This combination of the two is remarkable. It is why we are made in God’s image, whereas the angel and animals are not. It also means that we will not become angels when we die. Yes, our soul will be separated from our bodies for a time and go to be with God in heaven, but our bodies and souls will again be rejoined on the Last Day.

So, how should we regard the angels? There are many kinds, but they all serve us. Hebrews 1 gives this good overview for us: “Are [the angels] not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” (14). A seraph was sent to serve Isaiah by cleansing his tongue of sin (6:6). The cherubim guarded paradise so Adam and Eve would not return (Gen 3:24). Gabriel served as a messenger to Zechariah and Mary (Luke 1). Michael, the prince of the angels, was sent to Daniel. The unnamed angels are considered an army in many places.

It is good to see the angels as soldiers. We certainly see this in our Revelation text as “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon” (7). That isn’t the only place. When Jesus rebukes Peter for defending him in the Garden of Gethsemane, he says a pretty awesome thing: “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt 26:53). A Roman legion was around 5000 soldiers, for comparison. If Jesus wanted a military defense, he would have gotten it.

Finally, the angels do defend us. When Jesus sets a child before his disciples, he concludes his statement with these words: “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” (10). Imagine if you—or your child—had a member of the Army or the Marines or any branch of service attached to defend them from the worst threats imaginable? The angels certainly protect us from some physical dangers, but God does allow bad things to happen to us at times. But an even worse threat than physical danger is spiritual. That leads me to my next question.

Who or what is the opposite of God? Now, what’s the knee-jerk answer? The devil, right? Satan! But that’s not actually true. Here’s the thing: there is no opposite for God Almighty. There is no opposite for the one who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present. If it existed, “nothingness” would be the correct answer, but there is no such thing as that, not from God’s perspective. Who is Satan then? Well, he is a created being. He is an angel, albeit a fallen angel. But if we were to ask who is the opposite of Satan, the answer would not be God, but rather Michael, the archangel.

Before we get deeply into Satan and the demons, it is important to say that we should not make too much his power, nor should we pretend that they don’t exist. On the one hand, movies that depict demons often go way overboard in emphasizing their power and abilities. On the other hand, there is a great quote about modern-day America: “The greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing the world that he did not exist.”

So, returning to our texts for today, there is a force that opposes God. It is not equal to God. God will have the final word on the Last Day when he says to all unbelievers and demons, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt 25:41). In our reading from Revelation, we get a vivid description of Satan and all his forces being thrown down out of heaven to earth.

Satan has six names in this Revelation text: dragon, ancient serpent, devil, Satan, deceiver, and accuser. Dragon and serpent refer to his work in the Garden of Eden, when he tempted Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit and fall into sin. Devil and deceiver go together, because they talk about his work of tempting us to sin. The devil makes us thing that something is fine to do, when it is actually against God’s will. Satan and accuser also go together. They both mean an accuser at court, also known as a prosecuting attorney. Satan wants to accuse you of all your sin. In fact, it might be that he was able to do this at one time. The book of Job talks about Satan being able to ask God about righteous Job. Regardless, he does not have this ability anymore.

When Jesus died on the cross and rose again on the third day, he bound Satan. This binding means that Satan can no longer accuse you day and night before God. It also means that Satan’s activity on earth is limited. He is controlled by the Word of Christ. Imagine a dog that is on a strong chain. That dog cannot attack you unless you get too close. It might bark, it might foam at the mouth, but if you stay away from it, Satan has no power. Stay away from Satan’s temptation, and guard yourself from his barking that you are a damned sinner who deserves hell along with him. You do not, because you belong to Christ.

Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? The answer to this is a simple believer in Christ. Even a child, as Jesus demonstrates, is the model of our simple trust in God. Greatness in the kingdom of heaven does not ask who is the strongest, wealthiest, smartest, or most powerful. Greatness in the kingdom of heaven is about faith. Even entering the kingdom of heaven is all about faith: “Truly, I say to you, 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” (3–4).

I think it’s great that we got to have a baptism today. It’s a time to celebrate that little ScottiLyne has faith. It’s not a rational faith yet that knows about the Bible. But it’s a child-like faith that trusts. Can babies trust? Yes they do! They trust their mommy and daddy and God. What Baptism has done for ScottiLyne is to give her this faith. It has also transferred her out of this worldly kingdom into the kingdom of God, as the Baptismal address says: “The Word of God also teaches that we are all conceived and born sinful and are under the power of the devil until Christ claims us as his own.” She renounced the devil, all his works, and all his ways. She was baptized into Christ and faith in him. We are baptized and protected from Satan and his ways.

This is our ongoing reality and promise: that God continues to use his holy angels to protect us from the worst evil ever. We ought to pray that God would protect us from the deceiver and accuser. Martin Luther includes this line at the end of his morning and evening prayers: “Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me.” This ought to be our prayer all the time. We cannot see what the devil has in store for us, to bring us down to despair and sin. But we can know what God’s will is, and we know that not only does he send his angels to protect us, but He Himself dwells in us and guards and protects us in this life and faith until we die. Amen, come Lord Jesus, Amen.

Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.

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