The Scrolls is a weekly Bible study written by pastors and other leaders at Central Bible Church, based on that week’s sermon topic. Use The Scrolls as a personal Bible study tool, for family devotions, and for small group discussions. You can read part of it below. The downloadable PDF also includes discussion questions, more in-depth commentary, end notes, and a kids’ page designed for families to study the topic together. This lesson goes with the sermon "Identified Flying Objects."
Advent and angels, the two just go together. Consider the carols we sing at Christmas that have “angels” in the title: “Angels from the Realms of Glory,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” and of course, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” not to mention numerous others that have “angels” in the lyrics. The connection was established through the various announcements angels made to people surrounding the birth of Jesus. There were six.
First, an angel appears to Zechariah to announce the birth of John the Baptist (c. fall 6 b.c.). Once when he was on duty serving beside the altar of incense, an angel of the Lord appeared to him. When angels appear out of nowhere to unsuspecting people, they typically have to speak calming words. To calm Zechariah’s fear, the angel spoke these words to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord . . . He will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah . . . to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Lk 1:12-15a, 17b).
Second, six months later (c. spring 5 b.c.), an angel, who identifies himself as Gabriel, appears to a virgin named Mary, living in the town of Nazareth. To her he said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you . . . Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.” Then he explained, “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” To her “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” question, the angel explained,” The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Lk 1:28, 30-33, 35).
Third, perhaps three months after that (c. summer 5 b.c.), having learned that Mary is pregnant, Joseph, a righteous man, has in mind to divorce her privately, but before he does, an angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream. In the dream the angel told him, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:20-21).
Fourth, another six months pass, and Jesus is born in Bethlehem (c. winter 5/4 b.c.). Joseph and Mary traveled there to register for the census that took place before Quirinius was governor of Syria (c. a.d. 6), and while there, Jesus was born. An angel announced Jesus’ birth to shepherds that were in nearby fields watching their sheep. The angel said, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” At that point the angel was joined by an angelic host praising God saying: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Lk 2:10-12, 14).
Fifth, approximately two years pass before angels make another appearance in connection with the birth of Jesus. Following the visit of the Magi, Herod decided to eliminate any would be contender to his throne by having all the boys in Bethlehem under two years old killed, perhaps about twenty children in all. But prior to that an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him’” (Mt 2:13).
And finally, sixth, after Herod’s death (c. 4 b.c.) the angel appears again to Joseph in Egypt. He told him, “Get up, take the child and his other and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’ life are dead” (Mt 2:20).
God used angels, Gabriel in particular, to inform and guide those associated with the birth the Jesus to ensure that the plan of redemption would unfold as intended.
Central Message of the Text:
There is a myriad of angelic beings who glorify God in their diversity and support his unfolding plan of redemption.
Family Talk:
Remember the first few months of parenthood when your sweet little one kept you up all night long? No amount of bouncing, patting, shushing, feeding, burping, diaper changing, noise machining or endless-circle-walking around the house would help. Just about the time you were pushed to the edge of exhaustion, that little darling would crash on your chest drooling in their milk coma. The frustration of the night would instantly melt away, and you’d fall hard in love with your baby all over again, thinking, “What an angel!” Where did that expression come from? We think of things being angelic when they are calm and kind and peaceful. While there certainly are angels you could attribute these characteristics to, there’s so much more about angels that the average person, present company included, doesn’t know or understand. This Christmas, we have an opportunity to dive into the deep end of our Bible and discover the true nature and character of angels and what they have to do with the birth of our Savior. This is the perfect time for family discipleship! Be open and vulnerable with your kids. It’s likely this information will be new to your whole family, so open the Bible and discover God’s Word together. Give your kids a sense of wonder by taking the time to do the Family Scrolls and ponder what you’re learning. Help your kids understand the truth of God’s Word compared to the false teaching of the world. We want our kids’ understanding of truth to be based on Scripture. We’re looking forward to going on this journey with you this holiday season!