The Angels of God - Part B

The angel of the Lord guards. All those who fear him, and rescues them. I'm sure that we were to go through this room with this the 50 people we have here. I'm sure about. Ask your audience at home. You could tell me stories in your life could or couldn't have been the intervention of the Angels are real, they are powerful and the attempt to import works of God today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip shares of God's angels work in your life you get what you know about a resource that will encourage you in your purpose and challenges to impact your world with the truth of Jesus Christ to be thought of as normal basic human instinct, but would you believe the children as young as three years old already want to follow the crowd and fit in with the group of researchers counted at Duke University study Bible we learn that some of the people who make the most impact have done self identifying normal here. Skip, I think.

I think the Bible calls us to defiance of the status quo. Paul the apostle said, do not be conformed to this world but be trans formed by the renewing of your mind to go from formed to transform find out*expect to find normal thanks to you when you get $35 or more to help expand his ministry today.

Also include the mice here for direct line get your copies of these bold resources copies hundred 9288 or give online securely connectwithskip.com/author of Hebrews chapter 1 for today study so much joy Skip I read about one guy in the Middle Ages name Albertus Magnus or Albert the great philosopher. He was a theologian and he also taught science at the time and he said he knew the precise number you want to know exactly how many angels are so according to Albertus Magnus.

There are 399,920,004 have no idea how he calculated that her came up with, but we know there must be a lot because, for example, when God gives the law on Mount Sinai. We are told in Deuteronomy that the Lord came with myriads of his holy ones or angelic beings at the birth of Jesus Christ. There was a multitude of the angelic hosts or company of angels in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 22. It says that when we worship we worship with an innumerable company of angels, innumerable Number them doesn't mean that you can't have an exact number eventually. But when he saw that is just an innumerable crowd probably closer to the number is Revelation chapter 5, when John sees the vision of the heavenly system and set opposite. Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures. The elders and the number of them was 10,000×10,000, and thousands of thousand. So at least there are 100 million angels. That's the math there plus thousands of others. So let's just safely guess there are probably millions of angels there innumerable. So there significant to God's plan. There are several in number third trait of angels. They are seen only rarely notice that they are called spirits here verse 14 of Hebrews 1. Are they the Angels. Not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation so their spirit beings. They are non-corporeal beings, that is they don't have a physical body. Ordinarily I want to qualify that ordinarily say ordinarily what is that mean sometimes they do, for whatever purpose God's purpose, he allows angels from time to time to have some kind of a human visage.

After all, even in Hebrews is that some have entertained angels without knowing it. So they have some kind of a physical manifestation or God gives a person the ability to see into the spiritual realm which is very, very real. We don't see it but from time to time. God allows that to happen now.

The best example I can think of when it comes to trying to to understand this comes from a movie comes from a series called Star Trek. So in Star Trek. Any Trekkies here have any Trekkies okay so in Star Trek. What they do for entertainment on long trips is called the holodeck the holodeck the holodeck was a room that you went in and it was like a virtual reality room in the hall.

The deck you could create holograms three-dimensional images that you design and then have an experience like a vacation. So if you're an EarthLink.

You could create in the holodeck. The Alps and you could have attracted a hike through the Alps. If you were a Klingon you could re-create famous battles from the past and hone and test your battle skills and when you're all done with the holodeck simply say computer and program so from time to time. God puts his program in place so people can actually see angels. One of the famous ones is a guy by the name of bail him bail and was on a donkey was not obeying God in Numbers 22 the Lord opened Baylon's eyes and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with him with his sword drawn in his hand.

All don't mess with that Angel.

One of my famous or favorite stories is a less famous story but I love it. It's about Elijah and second Kings chapter 6 and second Kings chapter 6 Elisha the prophet and his assistant go to a town called Dothan DOT HN the kind of hiding there until there found out the Syrians come down and surround the town of Dauphin, so the assistant to Elisha says alas master were surrounded and I love it. Elisha said actually there more with us than with them and I'm sure that his assistant looked at him and said there are I were surrounded by an army. How is that possible, and so Elisha, the prophet prayed. I love his prayer Lord, open his eyes that he may see, and the servant of Elisha look and was able to see chariots and horses and a vast army all around the Army of Syria surrounding them, so before he was think of poor us were surrounded the thought for them there surrounded by an entire army of angels, so they are seen rarely give you a couple more examples they were security guards there. The first security guards in the Bible, Genesis chapter 3. They kept Adam and Eve from going back into the garden, holding up a flaming sword, Adam and Eve were able to see them.

Three angels were Abraham's dinner guests in Genesis chapter 18 actually two of the more angels one was God. The Bible tells not to know what you serve an angel for dinner.

I'm guessing angel hair pasta would be a safe bet, topped off with angel food cake. You can go wrong with that but we don't know. They were also divine bouncers. They showed up in us in a physical form in Sodom and Gomorrah when the men of Sodom, made sexual advances at lot and his family and here's an interesting thing one time it seemed that an angel shows up and and enjoyed scaring people.

What I mean by that is when Jesus rose from the dead. In Matthew 28 it says an angel of the Lord descended from heaven came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it above his love that rolled the stone away just sit there and wait and it says his countenance was like lightning, his clothing as white as snow, and the guards, the Roman guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. I just picture the unit is going that's fine.

Then there was a special ops agent in acts chapter 12 that released Peter from prison. Peter was able to see this being the church had prayed for him, and an angel was sent so there significant in God's plan. There are several in number. There seen only rarely give you 1/4 trait as seen in Hebrews 1. They stand in God's presence they stand in God's presence.

There is a hint of that in verse six, where we are told when he brings the firstborn into the world of this event, the Nativity, this is the Christmas scene when he brings the firstborn into the world. He says let all the angels of God worship him like troops that surround the king like Secret Service group of agents that surround or stand with a dignitary sewer.

These angels, they stand in God's presence there, ready for action ready for service.

Daniel chapter 7.

Daniel gets a vision of heaven. He sees the ancient of days on a throne and he writes a thousand thousands ministered to him.

Then thousand times 10,000 stood before him. There they are standing before the Lord. Revelation chapter 8 and insight into what's going on in the heavenly scene I saw the seven angels who stand before God. Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all of the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of all the saints, ascended before God and the angels hand in Luke chapter 2 Gabriel identifies himself as one who stands before God we gave that announcement, you can have a son. I am one who stands before the Lord of some theologians try to get really picky with this and they call the seven angels that I just told you about in Revelation 8 the presence angels. But Daniel, there's thousands upon thousands standing at a ministering waiting to to do the bidding of the Lord, 1/5 trait or characteristic of angels as they share in God's work verse seven of the angels.

He says who makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire. Do you know the word angel means a messenger so somebody who sent somebody whose dispatch and it would seem that angels were used by God, a different periods of history for special events that occurred that God wanted their involvement wanted their help in Psalm 103. They are called mighty ones who do his bidding, and who will pay his word. Years and years ago Billy Graham wrote a book about angels called God's secret agents sometimes are secret sometimes are not so secret, but they share in God's work. For example, they were present at creation Job 38, they served God when the law was given at Mount Sinai when the revelation was given to Daniel, God used angels, and they were very involved in the life of Jesus Christ is a party, showed you an angel announced his birth angels were singing in the skies above Bethlehem at his birth, angels warned Mary and Joseph about Herod the great, wanting to kill the child. When Jesus was tempted in the desert. The angels ministered to him when he was in the garden of Gethsemane and sweating great drops of blood and agony angels came and ministered to him. And of course at the resurrection. They rolled the stone away when you get to the book of Revelation the end times will have almost like a the activity of angels on steroids. There mentions 75 times in the book of Revelation alone. An angel doing this angels worshiping angels with bowls poured out on the earth angels with trumpets announcing the future judgment. This is something that shouldn't surprise us. Jesus said that angels will assist in the final judgment. Jesus said the Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of the kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Quick question. How powerful our angels welder called mighty ones. Paul calls them powers dominions authorities throne.

So these are rankings of angels that have an enormous power one angel in the Old Testament killed 185,000 Assyrians you don't want to take off an angel. And if you think of one angel killing 185,000 that puts a whole new blush and texture on what Jesus said in the garden of Gethsemane when he said to Peter, put up your sword, don't you know that I could call for 12 legions of angels at 72,000's of one angel can knock off 185,000. Imagine what 72,000 good. They are very very powerful. So there significant in God's plan.

There are several in number. There seen only rarely.

They stand in God's presence and they share in God's work or give you a final we could go on but I give you a final six.

They serve God's people. This is to us. The best news of all fun to learn about them, but it's wonderful to think that God uses them for our benefit. For example look at verse 13, but to which of the angels has he ever said sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool, are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth as part of their job description to minister to help to serve to attend to, to minister for those who will inherit salvation. That's us.

God uses angels in your life to do his work is able to. Angels do for me to give you just a few things.

Number one, they watch us.

They watch us. Daniel calls angels watchers so there people watchers think of them as heavenly surveillance teams. Others recall that spying in a widow like when the government knows what were doing watches what were doing me tell you, God's government knows everything you're doing. The mic is always on the camera is always on. There's nothing you do in secret but you don't have an audience of angels, so there watchers they watch our obedience. They watch our disobedience. They watch a second, they protect us.

They protect us.

Psalm 37 the angel of the Lord guards.

All those who fear him, and rescues them. I'm sure that if we were to go to this room with this the 50 people we have here.

I'm sure if I would ask your audience at home. You could tell me stories in your life could or couldn't have been the intervention of an angel. I can tell you my own stories were. I believe angels of God rescued my life happen to Daniel in the lion's den after he was rescued. He said my God sent his angel and shut the lion's mouth ensure he saw some kind of a being go to that date to that line shut its mouth in acts chapter 12 as I mentioned, an angel was sent from heaven to rescue Peter from prison so he wouldn't.so they watch as they protect us, they join us whenever we worship we are joining the choirs of heaven or you might say they are joining us. They are beings who have been worshiping God for a long long time. Hebrews chapter 12, he talks about worship pieces you have come to the heavenly Jerusalem to the city of the living God, you have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly now one of the great thoughts for me that enhances my own worship of God is to realize with a sense of reverence and joy that I am being joined in my worship by these beings excite their doing what we do, let's join them. Bible also says when a sinner comes to repentance. All the angels in heaven. Rejoice, so they watch as they protect us, they join us.

Finally, they usher us. They usher us in the New Testament, Luke 16 Jesus tells a story not a parable story of a rich man and Lazarus and he said the rich man died and was buried, but with Lazarus.

He was ushered into Abraham's bosom ushered into the presence of God. Imagine that one moment you're a beggar on earth in poverty.

The next moment angels of God are taking you into his presence and I think that when every child of God dies they don't turn into angels as unaware of that came from but angels do attend that person's soul and convey it into the presence of God turning every tragedy of death into a triumph for a child of God. That's why in some hundred 16 is as precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints was something else you need to know about angels as they watch us. They study with curiosity and amazement God's grace. It says in first Peter chapter 1 verse 12 talks about our salvation and God's work in our lives. God's work of grace says which things the angels desire to look into, you know, I think angels look at single can't believe that Skip guy is so stupid he doesn't take advantage of God's mercy and grace and help more often or he doesn't do this. I'm looking at. He such a bonehead and yet God loves him so much. I will get it. What's with these people that God loves JB Phillips who is a New Testament scholar brilliant scholar had a fun little story of an angel showing a newcomer angel. The universe and so there flying around and they are whirling past galaxies and they get into this one called the Milky Way and there's one particular planet called the earth and so JB Phillips writes the senior angel pointed to a small sphere turning slowly on its axis. It looked as though, and as dirty as a tennis ball to the little angel whose mind was filled with the size and glory of what he had just seen watch that one. Particularly the senior angel, pointing with his finger said it looks very small to me, said the angel, speaking of the earth.

What's so special about that one.

He listened in stunned disbelief as the senior angel told him that this planet small and insignificant and not overly clean was the renowned visited planets do you mean for the young angel that our glorious Prince stooped so low as to become one of these creeping crawling creatures in that floating ball. I do and I don't think that he would like you calling them creepy crawling creatures for strange as it may seem to us he loves them. He went down to visit them to lift them up to become like him little angel looked blank. Such a thought was almost beyond his comprehension in note, the idea of angelic beings is beyond most of our comprehension. The idea of God is beyond our comprehension.

The idea of God sending his son to die for us is beyond comprehension. The idea of sending his Holy Spirit to live in us beyond our comprehension, but is true. And just as there is a physical universe that is real.

A world that is real and people take get real man live in the real world there's another world.

That's the really real world and one day you'll be able to see it one day you'll be with the angels in heaven. If you're a believer or you'll be with fallen Angels and hell. If you are not overly see God gives you incredible power to make a choice determines your destiny that wraps up Skip message from the series 22. Skip to share how you can keep these messages coming your way to connect you and many others around the world.

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