Spiritual Warfare – The Feast of St. Michael and All Angels

Spiritual Warfare

Revelation 12:7-12 T Feast of St. Mihael and All Angels

INI

The physical world is saturated with the spiritual world. For various reasons, people believe heaven is off in the clouds, and hell is underneath the ground somewhere. But the material world we see is much more saturated with the spiritual world we don’t see. That’s how the Father has created this world, as we confess in the Creed, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.” So, a part of the Christian faith is to believe in angels, and recognize the angels who rebelled against God, namely, Satan and his demons. It’s important to know this, lest we disregard Satan’s tactics in spiritual warfare. So, the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels serves as a reminder of who angels are, what they do, and how they are active in battle.

First of all, what are angels? The most important point we can make is that they are a part of God’s creation! Thus, they aren’t all powerful, all-knowing, or present everywhere, like the Triune God. Even though they are a part of this unseen world, they’re limited. Much like us!

There are good angels. St. Michael and all the angels who fought against Satan in the Revelation reading are among them! They serve obediently to the Triune God without complaint. They work for His good, and for the good of His creation.

Then, there are evil angels. They’re in active rebellion against God, and seek to drag a creation with free will down with them. They’re also in the reading from Revelation. But whether the angels are with God or against Him, they’re a PART of God’s creation, not above it.

So, they’re created beings, but what do they do? Primarily, angels are messengers. That’s what the Greek word ‘angelos’ means. It means ‘messengers’. So, functionally, they’re God’s delivery boys to us mere mortals. They tell humanity of God’s Will. For example, the angel Gabriel came to Mary to tell her that she’d give birth to Jesus. Angels were at the tomb to tell the women that Jesus rose from the dead. Angels give messages.

But remember, the physical world is saturated with the spiritual. Thus, angels still give messages today. Angels both good and bad are giving messages to us through different mediums – whether that be video games, television, people, social media. When you interact with something, ask yourself: what is this teaching me or showing me? Perhaps you can start to exercise discernment in your life and understand the ways that Satan is trying to attack you.

Angels aren’t only messengers though. They’re also warriors. Now, we normally think of angels as little babies with wings or majestically luminous women who can fly. But most often, they’re pictured as warriors. Particularly St. Michael. Angels protect and defend. We see that from the readings from Daniel and Revelation. St. Michael is described in Daniel as a protector of God’s people, guiding the nation of Israel over and against her enemies. Then in Revelation, Michael is described as this warrior who casts the enemy out of heaven through the power of the blood of Christ, and the Word of God.

And of course, the enemy is Satan and the other evil angels. And what do they do? They deceive, and they accuse. Satan first popped up in Genesis as the serpent in the Garden, deceiving Adam and Eve, tempting them to live outside of how God has commanded them. Not only does he deceive creation into rebelling against the Father, but he also accuses mankind of their sin to the Father. For example, in the book of Job, Satan tried to convince God that Job wasn’t all that faithful. That if all his stuff was taken away, then Job wouldn’t praise God anymore. Of course, that turned out to be a lie. Job DID praise God despite losing everything.

But even though Satan and his demons are crafty, intelligent, and more powerful than you and I, it’s important to remember that they’re just angels. That is, they aren’t God. They’re created beings. They aren’t as powerful as God. They aren’t more intelligent than God. They aren’t everywhere like God. But they are around us constantly, looking to use the things we love against us, causing us to break the first commandment by doubting two things. First, that we shouldn’t trust God with our lives. Second, that God’s teachings aren’t all that good.

So, this is what happens in spiritual warfare. It’s a battle of messages. The message that Satan pushes on you is that God shouldn’t be trusted, and He doesn’t want your good.

That’s Satan’s one ‘message’. Satan and his angels try to get us to doubt God’s Word in one way or another, BECAUSE God’s Word is how He’s defeated. He was defeated by the blood of the Lamb and by the WORD of the angel’s testimony. The word of their testimony is a reference to the preaching of the cross – that through the preaching of the cross the devil is defeated and cast out of heaven.  He has nothing to accuse sinners of before the Father. In that sense, the war between God and Satan has already been won! Thanks be to God!

Yet, the battle still rages on. Unfortunately, Satan’s ‘message’ strikes a chord with sinful man. When Rachel and I were in Spain last month, we took a tour around Madrid. Being a historically religious country, there were a lot of beautiful statues and churches that promote the Christian faith. Then, there was one statue that depicted Satan in the middle of a roundabout. But why have a statue of Satan in your city? Because the artist felt that Satan was misunderstood. That what Satan wanted wasn’t all that bad. Because deep down, don’t we want the same? Don’t we want to have control over our own lives, and call our own shots? That message lives on through this piece of art. Which unseen forces are behind the message of that work of “art”?

That’s why we should smother ourselves with the message that St. Michael and God’s angels bring. He brings a message of life. A message of conquering evil. A message of renewal in the Holy Spirit, that we not live according to the flesh, but according to the Holy Spirit. The fact of the matter is that Satan and His angels are powerless against God and the message of salvation He brings to you through Christ crucified.

In Christ, there’s nothing to accuse you of. God’s angels seek to protect you, ministering God’s Word to you constantly. Because Satan and the demons prowl around like a roaring lion, seeking to devour you, as they attempt to lead you away from God’s Word, and away from living it.

So, even though Revelation demonstrates that Jesus’ death on the cross has defeated Satan and cast him out of heaven, the devil has come down to earth in great wrath, for he knows his time is short. He knows the war in heaven has been won, but also that he can still have revenge against God by going after His people on earth.

This is why the angels fight for us. To keep the devil at bay, because He isn’t set loose on the world. I once heard someone refer to Satan as a chained dog. As long as you don’t get close to him, he can’t get you.

So what should Christians do, as spiritual warfare wages on? Are we just bystanders while the angels duke it out? No. We actively follow one message or the other. We’re either touching holy things, or we’re engaging with unholy things.

So, what’s the holy things we should be doing? Pray. Pray how Luther’s Morning and Evening prayer has taught you to pray. “Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me.” Pray for God’s holy angels to guard and protect you, to keep you in God’s pure Word and teaching. This is actually what you’re praying for in the third petition of the Lord’s Prayer “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” For “God’s will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to make God’s name holy or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die.” In Scripture, there’s also the example of coupling prayer with fasting, so that distractions in one’s life might be eliminated, that focus might be strengthened in the spiritual fight.

After praying for God’s angels to accompany your life, read the Holy Scriptures. Read the verses that hurt you the most; like “it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to heaven.” Or “This is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor.” Receiving God’s messages that hurt, with thanksgiving, praise, and repentance means that the angels and all the company of heaven celebrate. Because you’ve received their testimony. That means that you’ve received the whole armor of God – the belt of truth that guards against the lies of Satan. The breastplate of righteousness that guards your heart and desires. Shoes for your feet to make you ready given by the Gospel of peace, that your steps would align with the Lord’s will. The shield of faith that protects you from the unholy messages of Satan. The helmet of salvation that protects your mind from being corrupted by worldliness and your own sinful passions. Finally, you’ve received the weapon that delivers the crushing blow: the sword of the Spirit that is the Word of God. The testimony of the angels to you about Christ the crucified guards and protects you from the enemy.

Finally, mark yourselves with the blood of the lamb by receiving the Lord’s Supper weekly. Satan cannot stand in the presence of Jesus. Live in mercy and generosity towards one another.

In the ongoing spiritual battle, you’re called to trust in God’s Word, pray for His angels’ protection, and embrace the victory Christ has already won over Satan through His death and resurrection.

INI

Pastor Joshua Ralston