Tuesday, November 30, 2004
You hear a truck pull up in front of your house. You look out - it's a UPS truck. Most folks are interested to find out what is coming with this special attention and then they want to know who sent it. What most folks don't do is go to the door and gush all over the delivery person, "Oh! I'm so glad you came. Please come in for some lunch, sit down, tell me all about yourself." I'll bet you've never done that. In fact, it isn't the messenger that's the big deal; it's what's being delivered and who it's from.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Fascinated With the Messenger."
In today's climate of curiosity about spiritual things we've become fascinated with spiritual messengers. They're called angels. Suddenly we've seen all kinds of books about angels, and TV programs, and pictures, and decorations, and toys. Something's happened to us 21st century folks. We've started to look beyond earth stuff for some answers and for some hope. For many, this spiritual quest has taken them to the realm of angels.
Here's a word from their boss. God tells us honestly where His angels fit in the whole scheme of things, and I'm glad because everybody else's opinion about angels is guesswork. God knows.
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Hebrews 1:5. "For to which of the angels did God ever say, 'You are my Son, today I have become your Father.'" In verse 6 it says, "And again, when God brings His first born into the world He says, 'Let all God's angels worship Him.'" In other words, God is saying that angels may be interesting, but they're nothing compared to my Son. What's their job? Chapter 1 verse 14: "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" So they are ministering spirits sent to serve. Other places in the Bible show that they are God's delivery people - messengers, like our express mail deliverer. If we fuss over them, we miss the point. What's important is who sent them. He's the one to pursue. He's the one to study. He's the one to be fascinated with.
In this angel bulletin from God, we've learned something incredible about the one that the angels came to the earth to announce, God's one and only Son. Chapter 2, verse 9 of Hebrews says, "But we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone."
Beyond those angelic messengers is a life or death message for you. Jesus left the glory of heaven to "suffer death." The one person in history who could not have His life taken from Him, the Son of God, had to give His life and He did on a cross outside of Jerusalem - tasting "death for everyone" - for you, for me.
The bad news from the Bible is that you and I are under an eternal death penalty for our sin for running our own lives instead of letting God run them. But, Jesus loved you and me so much He did what only He could do. He died the death penalty that we deserve to give us the eternal life we could never deserve.
Maybe you've been looking many places for spiritual peace and spiritual reality, and it's been waiting for you all along in Jesus Christ. And that becomes yours when you commit yourself to this awesome Savior. Don't you want to belong to Him? Tell Him that right now - "Jesus, I'm yours." And then I would love to send you the booklet I wrote about beginning this relationship called Yours For Life if you'll just let me know you want it. Your long search could end today at the nail-pierced feet of Jesus Christ.