Pathway to Victory

Speaker 1

Hi, I'm Robert Jeffress. Before we begin today's podcast, I want to invite you to partner with us at Pathway to Victory.

Every month, millions of people are watching and listening to God's Word through this ministry. If this program encourages you, would you help us reach even more people with the truth of Scripture?

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Speaker 2

Hey podcast listeners, thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress.

And right now, your generous gift will have twice the impact, thanks to the Now Is the Time Matching Challenge, active now through December 31st. To give a special year-end gift, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes.

Now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 3

Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to study God's Word with you.

Speaker 1

Every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition, a Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 3

The angels were saying to those shepherds, do you understand what the incarnation means? That God became flesh, that he humbled himself to come to earth to die for your sins?

It means the Creator loves you. He loves you and gave Himself to die for your sins.

And that's what the Incarnation meant to the angels.

Speaker 2

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. Most nativity scenes include the familiar cast of characters: Mary and Joseph, the baby Jesus, shepherds, and wise men.

But there's one group that witnessed the entire Christmas story, and they understood its significance better than anyone else. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress shares what the angels know about Christmas and why their response should be our response as well.

But first, let's take a minute to hear some important ministry updates.

Speaker 1

Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. I've always wondered who really had the best view of Christmas. I'm not convinced it was the obvious people like Mary, Joseph, or even the shepherds. You know what I think? Well, the angels had the best seats in the house. They saw it all. And today we're going to see Christmas through their eyes.

But first, I'm eager to remind you that December 31st represents a significant deadline for Pathway to Victory. At midnight on New Year's Eve, Pathway to Victory will conclude the largest matching challenge in our history. Because of this matching challenge in the amount of $1.7 million, every single dollar you give on or before December 31st will be automatically doubled in size and impact.

Now, it's possible that you've never stepped forward with a gift to Pathway to Victory. Or maybe it's been a very long time since we've heard from you. If so, this is the perfect time to participate. Plus, we'll be saying thanks for your generous year-end gift by providing the 2026 Pathway to Victory Daily Devotional as well. This beautiful tanned leather-bound devotional provides a practical way to hear God's voice and discern his plan for you. You can request the Daily Devotional right now by going to ptv.org.

David and I will share more details later in the program, but right now let's turn in our Bibles to 1 Timothy Chapter 3. I titled today's message "What the Angels Know About Christmas."

Speaker 3

A Nativity scene like we do, you probably have in that Nativity scene the major players of the Christmas happening. But there's one group of people most nativity scenes don't represent. It's not really people. It's another group, a group that probably had the best seats in the house for the Christmas story and understand the significance of Christ's coming more than any other. Who was that group? Well, we find them described in 1 Timothy chapter 3, beginning with verse 15. Look at it with me. Paul's writing to his son in the ministry, Timothy, he says, in case I'm delayed, I'm writing so that you may know how one should conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

And what is that truth of Christ we're to uphold? Look at verse 16, he says, by common confession, great is the mystery of godliness. And then what follows is really probably one of the earliest, if not the first song that was sung in the church. Some people say it's the first Christmas carol because it's a song written about Jesus Christ. Here it is talking about Christ. He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. This is a song about Jesus Christ and I want us to center in on that phrase. He was seen, he was beheld by the angels.

What does that mean? Jesus was seen by the angels. Colin Smith in an article titled "Christmas as the Angels Saw it" suggests that there are seven facets about the life and ministry of Christmas, Jesus Christ that the angels were witness to from heaven. And I want to expand on those seven facets. First of all, the angels were witnesses to Christ's glory in heaven. Before Bethlehem, Christ was in heaven and the angels understood that. They beheld his glory in heaven. The angels, Job tells us, existed before the world did. They were present when God created the world and they clapped for joy. But Jesus is the one who created the angels.

And what did the angels see the moment they became into being in heaven? Have you ever thought about that? What is the first thing they saw? Scripture tells us in Isaiah 6:1, Isaiah, the prophet wrote, in the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of his robe filling the temple. He saw Jesus. It wasn't God the Father; it is Jesus he saw. John 12:41 tells us it was Jesus Christ Isaiah saw. He saw. The angels responded. They encircled the throne, crying out, holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty. The earth is full of his glory. Before Bethlehem, Jesus Christ was seen by the angels in his glory, which makes amazing the next thing they saw: his incarnation at Bethlehem.

Because they understood the glory of Jesus Christ, imagine how astonished they were when they saw the Lord Jesus Christ step down from his throne, take off his kingly robe, and descend to earth to be a tiny embryo planted in the womb of that peasant teenager named Mary. It's astonishing when you think about it. The creator of the universe poured himself into that tiny teenage girl. C.S. Lewis said, the greatest miracle of all time is not the resurrection. It's not even the atonement. It's the incarnation. That the God who created this universe became flesh so that he might live with us.

What does that mean? That thought was so thrilling to the angels, they couldn't contain themselves. In Luke 2 we see in verse 13, and suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army of angels praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace among people with whom God is pleased. The angels were saying to those shepherds, do you understand what this means? Do you understand what the incarnation means? That God became flesh, that he humbled himself to come to earth to die for your sins. It means the Creator loves you. He doesn't hate you. He's not indifferent towards you. He loves you and gave himself to die for your sins. That's what the incarnation meant to the angels.

And that was a prelude to the third thing that the angels witnessed, and that is Christ's temptation. In the wilderness, when he was about 30 years old, he was baptized. And immediately after his baptism, Matthew 4:1 says, Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. You remember those three different temptations that represent every temptation you and I face. They had as a common thread this line of deceit from Satan. If you will disobey God, you can escape pain and experience gain. Are you hungry, Jesus? You don't have to go hungry. Just take these stones and turn them into bread. You can escape pain and experience gain.

And he says the same thing to us. Do you want riches? Do you want power? Do you want recognition? Just disobey God in a few areas and you can escape pain and experience gain. But Jesus said no. He successfully endured those temptations. Now, I know what you're thinking, because I used to think it too. I think, well, of course he passed those tests. The test was rigged. He couldn't sin. He was the sinless Son of God. Jesus, of course you obeyed God, but you don't understand how hard it is for people who are sinful. May I suggest to you Jesus actually experienced temptation beyond what any of us has ever experienced?

I mean, think about it. Your body is designed to withstand a certain level of pain, but if you go beyond that level, you pass out or you die. Meaning there's a level of pain no human being has ever experienced before. But if you couldn't pass out, you couldn't die, you would experience what other people don't experience. It's the same way with temptation. Because Jesus was sinless, he experienced a level of temptation that none of us will ever experience. And yet he did so without sin. And that's why Hebrews 4:15 says, in talking about Jesus, we don't have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, and yet without sin. God understands the temptations you're experiencing.

They were so exhausting to Jesus physically, emotionally, spiritually that Matthew 4:11 says, when he had completed his test, the angels came and they ministered to him. They were amazed that the Son of God would put himself through such an ordeal for our benefit. The angels were also witnesses to, fourthly, Christ's agony in the garden. The next time we see the angels directly involved in Jesus' life is in the garden of Gethsemane. Remember, he went there to pray before he was betrayed and would start facing his trials. He wanted to pray. And so he said to Peter, James, and John, now you stay here and I'm going to go further in to pray to the heavenly Father.

Mark 14:35 says, he went a little beyond them and fell to the ground and began praying that if it were possible, this hour might pass him by. Jesus did not want to have to go to the cross. He was looking for another way. Why? He was a physical being. He did not want to undergo the physical horror of crucifixion. It was the worst pain that had ever been invented by man. Death by crucifixion. A person who was crucified would spend hours dying. No wonder Jesus wanted to escape that. But that physical pain paled in comparison to the spiritual pain of bearing the sins of the world.

Because he loved you, he was willing to suffer separation from his heavenly Father. Now, you know most of us, that's no big deal. Separation from God. We remain apart from God. We can go hours, days, weeks without ever talking to God because we are sinful human beings. But not so with Jesus. From eternity past, he had had perfect fellowship with God. But now his Father would turn his back on him, and Jesus would experience a degree of loneliness that he had never experienced before. And that's why he said, father, if there is any way, let this cup pass from me. But then he added, but not my will.

Speaker 1

Your will be done.

Speaker 3

Ladies and gentlemen, I want to suggest to you that the greatest struggle you and I will ever face is not a struggle with Satan.

Speaker 1

It's a struggle with ourselves.

Speaker 3

The struggle over whether it's going to be my will or God's will that gets done. You see, to pray in faith means to ask God for whatever is in your heart, but then say, yet, Father, not my will, but your will be done. Jesus experienced that surrender, and so intense was that struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane. Luke 22:43 says, now an angel from heaven appeared to strengthen him. Of course, this experience was only a prelude to the reason Christ came and something the angels witnessed, and that was Christ's sacrifice on the cross.

Colin Smith in his article says, imagine what the angels must have thought when after Gethsemane, they saw those Roman soldiers put a fake scepter into his hands, a reed, and put a robe around him, and put a crown of thorns on his head and mocked him, saying, hail, King of the Jews. What must the angels have thought? What did the angels think when they saw those Roman soldiers driving those nails into his hands and feet, the hands and feet of Almighty God, as the hymn writer said, "See from his head, his hands and feet. Sorrow and love flow mingled down. Did ever love and sorrow meet o'er thorns compose so rich a crown?" What must the angels have thought of humanity as a whole as they saw the Son of God given as a gift from God, delivered back to God on the bloody tip of a Roman spear?

I believe all the angels in heaven were watching for a sign from Jesus. All they needed was the word from Jesus to come, and they could have delivered him from the soldiers. In fact, Jesus said himself in Matthew 26:53, "Do you not think that I can appeal to my Father and He will at once put at my disposal more than 12 legions of angels?" But Jesus never asked for assistance. He realized he was fulfilling his purpose on earth. For the Son of God, he said, came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

At this time of the year, so close to Christmas, I often think of a friend of mine in another church who died close to Christmas Day. He was in his 80s, and I went by the hospital to visit with him. He said, "Pastor, I've made so many mistakes. I've committed so many sins. I've been such a disappointment to God. But praise God, who loved me and sent his son Jesus to die for all of my sins." That's what Christmas means. It means God loves you. He loves you so much he sent his only Son to suffer an excruciating death, to suffer separation from his heavenly Father for one reason only: to give you that gift of forgiveness. And the angels were witness to all of it.

But the story doesn't end there. The angels were also witnesses to Christ's resurrection from the dead. Look at Matthew 28, beginning with verse one. "Now, after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the tomb. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred. For an angel of the Lord had descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook from fear of him and became like dead men." Wouldn't you have loved to have been there to see that happen?

And the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know you're looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for he has risen. Just as he said, Come and see the place where he was lying." I just picture it this way: that angel on the top of the stone, sitting there with his arms crossed. The women come looking for Jesus, can't find him anywhere. Where is he? And the angel smiles and defiantly says, "So much for the power of death." Death could not contain him.

The story doesn't end at the graveyard for you and me either. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live again." You remember seven weeks after that resurrection, Jesus was meeting on the Mount of Olives with his disciples, a place so many of us have been before. And then the Bible says he started to rise from the Mount of Olives. His disciples couldn't believe what they were seeing—seeing the Son of God rise into the air. And two angels were there and saying, "What are you gawking at? Why are you gazing into the sky? Do you not realize the same Jesus who has been taken from you is coming back one day in all of his glory?"

And that leads to the seventh, the final facet of Jesus' existence that the angels understand, and that is Christ's return for his people. I don't know when he's coming back again. Nobody knows. Jesus said, not even the angels know. But one day, one certain unnamed day, God's going to turn to the angels in heaven. He's going to turn to His Son and say, "It's go time." Aren't you looking forward to that? When Christ comes, the Bible says in Matthew 25:31, "But when the Son of Man comes in all of his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne." He's coming back.

And every heartache you've ever experienced, every disappointment you've ever had, every problem you're trying to solve right now will evaporate because the King of Kings has returned. And the angels will be with him. And you and I will be with him as well. But until that time, what are the angels doing right now? We don't have to wonder about it. Revelation 5 tells us that the angels are circling the throne of Jesus Christ, crying out with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive riches and power and might and wisdom and glory and power and honor and blessing. Worthy is the Lamb." The angels are worshiping God. They are adoring the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now let me ask you a simple question. Who has the best grasp on reality right now? Do we have the best grasp on reality? Or is it the angels in heaven who have seen it all? They've seen Christ's past, they see where he is now, and they see what's going to happen in the future. They understand reality. And their response is to worship, to adore Christ. And so should our response be.

You know, unbelievers respond to Christ by rejecting him. They don't believe he's the Savior of the world. Many Christians ignore him. They live as if there is no God. They live as if they're not going to die. They live as though there is no Christ who's one day going to reward the righteous and punish the unrighteous. Unbelievers reject him. Believers ignore him, but the angels adore Him. They adore him and worship him. And we should too.

What does it mean to worship God? It doesn't mean to get this little tingly warm feeling inside and oh, I'm adoring Christ. No. To adore Christ, to worship him means to trust in him as your Savior. It means to obey him when we are tempted, just as the angels obey him perfectly right now. To adore Christ means to give not our leftovers, but our very best gifts to Jesus and his church so that we might do that thing he left us here to do: to uphold, to proclaim to the world the truth of Jesus Christ. To adore Christ, to worship Christ means to say in our heart about any and everything, "Not my will, but your will be done."

Speaker 1

To adore Christ means that we're willing to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ to the world. Before I hand things over to David, I need to pause and share what's been stirring in my heart these past few weeks.

The response to our Now's the Time matching challenge has been nothing short of remarkable, watching so many of you step forward with such generosity. If you haven't yet joined us in this challenge, I want you to know something. I understand the hesitation when you see a goal of $1.7 million; it's easy to think your contribution might get lost in the shuffle.

But here's what I've learned over decades of ministry: God doesn't measure impact by dollar amounts alone. He multiplies faithful obedience in ways we can't always see.

Speaker 3

Your gift.

Speaker 1

Whatever amount God has placed on your heart will literally be doubled through this matching challenge. And who knows, your contribution might be the one that helps someone far from God take their first step toward Him. That's eternal significance, friend.

As my way of saying thank you, I'm going to send you our brand new 2026 Pathway to Victory Daily Devotional. We've designed it with a larger, easier-to-read font. Think of it as a daily reminder that you're not just supporting a ministry; you're walking alongside us as we point people to Jesus.

The calendar is our enemy right now. We're running out of time to maximize this matching opportunity. If you've been waiting for the right moment to give, this is it. Let's finish this year strong and launch into 2026 with doubled momentum for the Gospel.

Here's David to tell you more today.

Speaker 2

When you give a generous year-end gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, we'll say thanks by sending you the brand new 2026 Pathway to Victory Daily Devotional. Call 866-999-2964 or visit ptv.org, and when your gift is $100 or more, we'll also send you "Celebrate the Savior," a DVD, video, and MP3 format audio disc set featuring the best Christmas teaching messages by Dr. Robert Jeffress.

And remember, your donation today to Pathway to Victory will have twice the impact because of our Now Is the Time Matching Challenge. So contact us right now with your special year-end gift. You can give by calling 866-999-2965 or online. Go to ptv.org. If you'd like to send your donation by mail, write to P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. That's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, TX 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins inviting you to join us again next for a very special Christmas celebration from the First Baptist Dallas Choir and Orchestra that's coming up Wednesday on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas.

You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible, and right now your special year-end gift will be matched and therefore doubled in impact thanks to the Now Is the Time Matching Challenge.

Take advantage of this opportunity to double your impact before the deadline on December 31st. To give toward the matching challenge, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.