Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Lenten Midweek 1
Text: Hebrews 1
Sermon Audio
Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
He sent no angel to our race, of higher or of lower place, but wore the robe of human frame, and to this world Himself He came.
The topic of angels and demons always draws a crowd. Going to youth conferences, those sessions always were packed to the gills with people wanting to learn more.
Because there’s a lot of popular conceptions of angels that are not based in reality. Whether it be the cute cupids of Valentine’s Day which we just celebrated earlier this month, or helpful guides as in the once popular television show Touched by an Angel.
Demons also appear in popular media. Their portrayals can run the gamut between a cute harmless creature to an invulnerable monster. Their demise can be as simple as saying a quick prayer or two, or simply by ignoring it.
But the Bible helps dispel any superstition or misconceptions of angels and demons. I. The Bible portrays angels as spirits who are messengers and warriors of God. First, we see that angels are spirits. They have no bodies. We read in our text: “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” Thus, we see angels appearing out of nowhere because they don’t abide by the normal rules of physics.
Second, angels are messengers. We see them deliver news from God. For example, an angel appears to Mary to announce that she is pregnant with the Son of God. Angels appear at Christmas to announce the birth of Christ to the shepherds. An angel is present at the tomb announcing the resurrection of Christ. Two angels stand by the disciples to speak at Jesus’ Ascension. As messengers, they especially herald the important events of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection, but we can also see their presence throughout the Old Testament.
Third, angels are warriors. They are fearsome creatures, far from the cute cupids and Hallmark channel beauties with golden wings. In 2 Kings, angels in chariots of fire surround the city of Dothan to protect it. The angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 soldiers in the camp of the Assyrians. In the book of Revelation, the archangel Michael fought Satan and won. Whenever people see angels, immediately the angel needs to say, fear not, giving you the impression they are terrifying, mighty beings.
We’ll talk more about demons in another sermon, but II. The Bible portrays demons as fallen angels who work against the Lord. Demons and evil spirits make an appearance in the Old Testament. Mysteriously, we see that God sends an evil spirit between two rulers in the book of Judges. When the Spirit of the Lord departs from king Saul, the Lord sends an evil spirit upon King Saul. The prophets and Psalms warn against the worship of demons. We can certainly see the work of Satan, sometimes simply translated as, the accuser, as a fallen angel who accuses Job as well as accuses Joshua the High Priest. In one instance, Satan incites David to take a census of his army.
But in the New Testament, the devil and his demons come out in full force to fight the cosmic battle that takes place when the Son of God becomes human. The demons cry out to Jesus, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” They are shocked that Jesus would attack them before the end of time.
Demons are fallen angels who seek to undermine God, and they are still present with us now, even though Christ has defeated the devil and his fallen angels through his death and resurrection.
Now, if you had a choice, would you like to be an angel? I think many of us would. It might seem pretty cool, but the Bible teaches us that we have a leg up on angels. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians “Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!” Peter tells us that the great mystery of God become man in Jesus Christ, that angels long to look into this.
The angels are jealous of us, not the other way around. This is precisely because God became man in the person of Jesus Christ. II. God became man to redeem us.
The author of the Hebrews writes, “[Jesus] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.”
Much of the book of Hebrews discusses how Jesus is not an angel, but better than an angel. He is the Son of the Heavenly Father. He is God Himself. The angels worship Christ, not the other way around. The demons tremble at His presence. The Son sits in the throne room, the angels sit on either side and worship Him.
Jesus became man so He could redeem us. He had to become man so He could take our place. In our popular mythology, Cupid shoots the arrow and then the man is struck with love, but that merely guides him to his sweetheart. In Touched by an Angel the angel simply gives nudges in the right direction.
If only it were so simple. But the fact of the matter is that we failed to make the grade. If it was a nudge or an arrow, we would have ignored the summons and gone about our own sinful way. We needed someone to take our place.
This Lent, we can rejoice because it is Jesus who takes our place. He leads the perfect life when we couldn’t. He suffers for sin when we would shy away at the first sign of pain. He endures the cross, the pain, and the shame. He isn’t the messenger; He is the message. He isn’t the warrior; He is the general who fights the battle and wins. He is much greater than an angel.
III. He does not “get us,” but He is us. A few years ago, a multi-million dollar ad campaign came out to rebrand Christianity in a positive light called “He gets us.” The success of it remains to be seen. In many ways by trying to appeal to everyone, the advertisements appealed to no one, but that’s a topic for another day.
Yes, we can say that Jesus gets us, but, to quote our hymn Jesus, “wore the robe of human frame, and to this world Himself He came.” To say you get someone implies a kind of distance. Jesus doesn’t just get us. He is us. We read in Hebrews chapter 2: “Therefore [Jesus] had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”
A Christian pastor, Gregory Nazianzus wrote, “that which he did not assume, he cannot redeem.” Jesus took on all things for you: your doubts, your sins, your sickness, your human frailty, your hunger, your fears, so that He could redeem them.
Jesus was tempted just as you are, but overcame sin. Jesus faced doubts, but overcame them. Jesus healed the sick, and gave sight to the blind. Jesus hungered, but He did not sin in His hunger. Jesus faced fears, but entrusted them perfectly to our Heavenly Father. Jesus died, and He rose again.
He doesn’t just get us. He is us. More than an angel. More than a demon. Jesus became human for you, that He could take your place and give you eternal life. What a wonderful gift. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all understanding guard and keep you in the true faith unto life everlasting. Amen.