October 23, 2005
FROM THE REALMS OF GLORY
Hebrews 1:14
At about nine o’clock in the morning a preacher and some friends left to out of town in a horse drawn carriage. All of a sudden and without warning the horses took off and flew down the hill like an arrow out of a bow. The one man, John, fell off the coach-box as the horses lurched between the ditches. They avoided an oncoming cart, crossed a narrow bridge right down the middle and ran up the next hill as people scattered to one side and the other. At the top of the hill was a gate that stood open and led into a farmer’s yard. They turned and ran through that- without touching either side of the gate. At the end of the yard was another gate- closed. Surely, “the gate which is on the other side of the yard, and is shut, will stop them.” Nope. They rushed through it as though it had been a cobweb and galloped into a corn field. The little girls cried out, “Grandpa, save us!” But the preacher riding with them looked at them and said, “Nothing will hurt you; do not be afraid.” He himself testified that he felt completely at ease and as though he was in his study. Just then, Mr. Smith was able to cut off the horses and slow them down to a stop. Had they kept going they would have gone over a steep embankment to certain injury and maybe even death?
Upon having that exhilarating experience, the preacher we all know as John Wesley, wrote that he was persuaded that both good and evil angels had a large share in this event. How large, he could not say but he observed the numerous close calls and the safety of them all in the end. He writes, “Let those give thanks whom the Lord hath redeemed, and delivered from the hand of the enemy!”
Today I want to discuss the topic of angels. How interactive are angels in the lives of human beings and how we should as Christians approach the subject.
Angels are real and Biblical. The Scriptures clearly teach that there is “an order of intelligences higher than that of [humanity.]” It also tells us that these beings are connected through God’s “redemptive economy” and by His own divine intervention. (Introduction to Christian Theology, Wiley/Culbertson pp. 143-145)
What I have to preach and teach today will fall far short but I hope that it will help us to understand how God works and what our response should be.
1. Angels- who they are and what they do.
To say that angels do not exist is like saying God does not exist. Okay, so maybe you are an atheist. Then for you say that angels do not exist is still like saying God does not exist. My point is very simply that many people will believe in angels before they believe in God. And what is frightening is the high number of Christians who have replaced the work of the Holy Spirit in their life with an unusual addiction to angels.
I like this quote I came across in research:
"Angels in the Bible never appear as cute, chubby infants! They are always full-grown adults. When people in the Bible saw an angel, their typical response was to fall on their faces in fear and awe, not to reach out and tickle an adorable baby."
Angels are powerful creatures. They think, they act and they may take on bodily form.
Angels are messengers from God. They carry out His purposes. For example, I believe that God has an angel who either pours out blessings or curses upon the Church. I assume this from my personal study of Revelation and Jesus speaking to the Seven Churches. (But that is for another sermon.)
So what do we know?
First, angels are created beings. God created heaven and all that is within it and he has created earth and all that is within it. These spirit-beings were created by God’s own hand- somewhat similar to human beings.
Second, angels have particular powers and ranks.
a. Archangels. The Archangel Michael and the angel we know more commonly called Satan are the highest rank of angels we are aware of in scriptures. It is surmised that both Satan and Michael have equivalent powers. Satan obviously chose selfish use of his.
b. Angel of the Lord. These angels have specific duties that bring them into proximity with human beings. For example we see the angel of the Lord opening the eyes of Hagar in Genesis 16. We see the angel of the Lord bringing a message to the parents of Samson- that they would have a son.
c. Angels of the Lord. In groups, these angels were terrifying. Consider Ezekiel 9:2-11 and Revelation 8:2. In Ezekiel there are six angels and a seventh clothed in linen. These angels were to go through the city of Israelites and kill those who were not marked by the one in linen. They were to give no compassion to either young or old, women or men. In Revelation, there are seven angels who stand ready to carry out the apocalypse.
d. Seraphim and Cherubim. These angels surround God’s throne with praising and shouting. You could call them “old camp-meeting” angels. Their only calling in life is to bring attention to the holiness of God. Isaiah describes them in his sixth chapter as calling to one another saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.”
e. Living creatures. These high ranking angels are spoken of in Revelation 4:8. Similarly, they say, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and Is and Is to come!”
f. Guardian angels. “Yes, Virginia. There is a Guardian Angel.” Okay, there I have said it. I admit that I was somewhat skeptical except that as I delved into the Scriptures I have become convinced more and more of the Biblical basis for this. The Bible does not use the specific word “guardian” but we can still make this assumption because of various scriptures. I have found through my personal assumption that guardian angels perform a sort of “hedge of protection” for God’s people. Notice these verses:
1) “The angel of the Lord encamps around those that fear Him.” (Psalms 34:7) As we purpose in our hearts to serve God, we can be assured that God will set a hedge around us according to His will.
2) “He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:11) This hedge is a protective hedge that guides us through life.
3) In Acts 12:12-15 the young lady Roda mistakenly assumed that rather than seeing the Apostle Peter at the door she had seen his angel. This does not necessarily tell us that each person has an earthly guardian angel. Please remember that there was a Jewish belief in guardian angels. How far this goes we do not know for sure.
4) “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father...” (Matthew 18:10) Jesus was supporting the Jewish belief in guardian angels- and he specifically speaks of this in regards to children. Both John Wesley and John Calvin believed that God provided angels to protect us from danger and evil.
Third, there are good angels and there are evil angels. John Wesley preached two excellent sermons on angels- “Of Good Angels” and “Of Evil Angels.” We know from the scriptures that Jesus watched Satan fall. We understand through various assumptions made from verses that about one-third of the angels fell from grace. These left their proper domain (Jude 6) and are under eternal judgment. The good angels are used of God for His ministering purposes.
Should we look for angels? How involved must a Christian be in regarding angels? If we know that angels exist is that enough?
2. Our response to angels.
First, we do not worship angels. This is absolutely forbidden. Those who engage in angel worship are treading on dangerous territory that I cannot begin to describe. We are to worship the One and true God through Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit. We do not pray to angels nor do we look to make conversation with angels.
“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.” (Hebrews 13:2)
Second, we do not seek out angels. These are angelic beings disposed of by God for His purposes only. As ministering spirits they answer only to God and do only as God calls on them to do. They are not given for our personal use.
Third, we keep a balanced view of angels. Most of us will go our entire life-times without ever realizing a personal encounter with an angel. I am always concerned when someone becomes over-enamored with angels. We must be very careful with this. Remember, anything God does or has can be imitated by the devil. There are angels in this world who are not “good angels.” These are evil angels. We must not meddle in these matters.
Fourth, our power comes from the Holy Spirit. As true believers in Jesus Christ we find life not from angels but from faith in God. Too often people will put their faith in angelic beings that do not have the power to do what the Holy Spirit can do. Only the Holy Spirit can regenerate a person’s dead spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can sanctify entirely the believer’s heart and life. Only the Holy Spirit can provide the power necessary to live a holy life. Angels cannot do any of these things.
Conclusion
There is a lot more to be said but I don’t have the time. But I hope that this gives us some guidance concerning angels and their work.
Let me close with this story from Billy Graham’s book Angels: God’s Secret Agents.
The British express train raced through the night with its powerful headlight piercing the darkness. Queen Victoria was a passenger on the train.
Suddenly the engineer saw a startling sight. Revealed in the beam of the engine’s light was a strange figure in a black cloak standing in the middle of the tracks and waving its arms. The engineer grabbed for the brake and brought the train to a grinding halt.
He and his fellow trainmen clambered down to see what had stopped them. But they could find no trace of the strange figure. On a hunch the engineer walked a few yards further up the tracks. Suddenly he stopped and stared into the fog in horror. The bridge had been washed out in the middle and ahead of them it had toppled into a swollen stream. If the engineer had not heeded the ghostly figure, his train would have plummeted down into the stream.
While the bridge and the tracks were being repaired, the crew made a more intensive search for the strange flagmen. But not until they got to London did they solve the mystery.
At the base of the engine’s headlamp the engineer discovered a huge dead moth. He looked at it a moment, then on impulse wet its wings and pasted it to the glass of the lamp. Climbing back into his cab, he switched on the light and saw the [so-called] “flagman” in the beam. He knew the answer now: the moth had flown into the beam, seconds before the train was due to reach the wash-out bridge. In the fog, it appeared to be a phantom figure, waving its arms.
When Queen Victoria was told of the strange happening she said, “I’m sure it was no accident. It was God’s way of protecting us.”
No, the engineer did not see an angel in the head light but what did happen is quite miraculous and “quite possibly through the ministry of [God’s] unseen angels who possibly placed the moth on the headlight lens exactly when and where it was needed.”
Truly, angels are God’s secret agents. Created to serve and protect.