ANGELS & DEMONS - Lesson 10

Today we completed our series Angels & Demons with a review of all that we have learned. Angels are God's messengers and serve a very important function in God's overall plan.

"The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them." Psalm 34:7

 We begin our series Marriage Builder, August 7th. This is a series for both married couples and singles.

ANGELS & DEMONS - Lesson 9

What is the ministry of Angels to unbelievers?

Unlike believers... Angels don't guide unbelievers. They don't protect them. They don't watch over them. They don't deliver them at death to the presence of God. They don't deliver answers to prayers. All they do is wait until the time when they're dispatched to carry out judgment. They "... inflict vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus." (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Angels are God's executioners to the unbelieving.

Throughout the Bible we read stories of how God dispatched His angels to carry out horrendous acts of death upon those who rebelled against Him: Sodom and Gomorrah, Pharaoh, the Assyrians, Herod, and more (see lesson slides). Angels act only on God's command, but they do so without hesitation.

One such story: In 2 Samuel 24, the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel because of David's census of the people. It resulted in the Lord sending an angel to perform a pestilence on Israel resulting in the deaths of 70,000 men. "And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, 'It is enough; now stay your hand.'" (2 Samuel 24:15-16)

That's what angels do! They are God's executioners on the ungodly--those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ. In the final days, the angels will sound the seven trumpets before time is no more and the mystery of God is finished! (Revelations 6-19)

Next week (24th) will be our final lesson on Angles and Demons. Then, the 31st will be our 5th Sunday where we will learn more about one of our couples, or singles, from our class. Next up: The Marriage Builder series will begin August 7th.

ANGELS & DEMONS - Lesson 8

Sunday's lesson came to me during a few quiet minutes I had with God on Sunday morning. I was prepared to teach on the "Ministry of Angels to Unbelievers." Instead, I shared a personal testimony of God's mercy in our lives.

As instructed in Mark 5:19, Jesus told the man who was freed from demons to "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." This is what I believe Jesus wants us to do, too. So that is what I did on Sunday. I shared with the class the mercy, miracles, and blessings that God had poured out on our lives over the last three years--especially during the last four months.

Looking back and placing the events on a timeline shows God's miracles. There is no better way to encourage other believers towards a life of permanent (24/7) faith than to see God's mercy and miracles in the lives of others around you. In Romans it says, these things were written to Abraham "...not written for his sake alone, but for ours also." (vs. 23-24)

I highlighted the passage in Romans 4:13-25, concerning Abraham, in order to emphasize the blessings that are waiting for those who, like Abraham, "In hope he believed against hope...as he had been told." (v. 18). Often we find ourselves in darkness--a place where all hope seems lost. But as it says in Isaiah, "I will give you the treasures of [while you are in] darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord..." God has given us over 6,000 promises covering practically every possible concern. The catch is that we have to believe them.

Oswald Chambers writes: "My vision of God is dependent upon the condition of my character. My character determines whether or not truth can even be revealed to me. Before I can say, 'I saw the Lord,' there must be something in my character that conforms to the likeness of God. Until I am born again and really begin to see the kingdom of God, I only see from the perspective of my own biases. What I need is God's surgical procedure--His use of external circumstances to bring about internal purification."

The trials and test we experienced were God's surgical procedure through the use of external circumstances. Because of them, we see Him more clearly. And while we thank Him for his mercy, miracles, and blessings, we quickly lay them at His feet so as not to claim ownership or take credit. It is ALL about Jesus, not what He has done for me!

ANGELS & DEMONS - Lesson 7

The ANGEL of the LORD...

When you read in the Bible "the angel of the Lord" it is referring to the 2nd Person in the trinity--Jesus Christ. It was the manifestation of Christ before His incarnation. The reference only occurs in the Old Testament from the time of Abraham to the last mention in Zechariah. The angel of the Lord speaks as God, identifies Himself with God, and exercises the responsibilities of God.

Amazingly, the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament parallels the ministry of Jesus Christ in the New Testament toward His people (see lesson notes or slides).

Below you will find my lesson notes from last Sunday which includes the many scriptures that will allow you to dig deeper into "the" angel of the Lord.

ANGELS & DEMONS - Lesson 6

The story of Jacob's life and his many encounters with angels in not just a story about what happened to Jacob. These accounts, and the truths they teach, have great relevance for our lives today, particularly when it comes to the subject of how to enjoy the ministry of angels in our lives. It's great that angels were active in Jacob's life, but those who follow Christ can have that same blessing in their lives.

The story of Jacob's life set the stage for our lesson today. Jacob was a man who lived in fear and found it hard to trust God. The guy was full of deceit. His name even meant trickster. After deceiving his father, Isaac, and stealing the birthright of his twin brother, Esau, Jacob fled far away in fear of his life--after hearing his brother wanted to kill him.

Running in fear for his life--filled with anxiety and stress--one night while he slept on the cold ground with a stone for a pillow, he had a dream. In his dream he saw a ladder that was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven while the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. (Genesis 28:10-17)

There are four things that God promised Jacob in conjunction with his ladder--four blessings that are also available to us when we commit ourselves to follow God: God's PROMISES; God's PRESENCE; God's PROTECTION; and God's PROVISION.

When you are in God's will, you need not be anxious, defensive, or possessive. There is no reason to fear anything! When you are in God's will, He will keep you for whatever purpose He has for you. He will give you all you need to fulfill His purpose--health, finances, relationships, abilities, etc.

Even when God sent His holy angels to remind him and guide him, Jacob spent most of his life living in fear. His difficult lessons and hard times were used by God to develop his character. Finally, after an encounter with an angel, Jacob was broken and he said, "...for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." (Genesis 32:30) At that time, Jacob's name was changed to Israel.

It took Jacob nearly his entire life to come to the point of trusting God completely. Although he endured many personal hardships with his family, his uncle, his wives, his children, and his work, God never gave up on Jacob.

The story of Jacob's life has many life lessons for us (slides 15-19). The bottom line: If we want to activate the blessings of angels in our lives, we must do two things: Have faith in God's Word and take it seriously; have faith in God's Son--entrust yourself completely to Him. Jacob's ladder is the bridge between the visible and the invisible worlds. It becomes actively traveled by angels, for our benefit, when we believe and have faith.

ANGELS & DEMONS - Lesson 5

Today we looked at three of the ministries of angels and angels as agents in judgement.

1. Observation - Angels are watching over us, viewing our actions and reactions, taking in the nuances of our everyday lives--witnessing with great delight every Godward move we make. Amazed and captivated by our thankful hearts toward God for His grace and mercy [something the angels have never needed].

"...we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men." (1 Corinthians 4:9)

2. Guidance - Angels provide supernatural direction on earth (Acts 5:12-42; 12:6-11; Acts 8:26-39). They also usher the saints from this temporal time-bound life to Jesus' side in eternity (Luke 16:22-25). For all who are in Christ, death need not be a final or fear-filled tragedy. Instead, it is a triumph--the culmination of our faith.

3. Protection - Throughout scripture we see the holy angels sent to provide protection for the saints (Daniel 6:22; 2 Kings 6:14-17; Acts 27:23-25)

God also uses angels to carry out His will against sinners. Angels are "avengers" who use their great power to fulfill God's will in judgement (Hebrews 1:7; Genesis 19:1,3; Judges 5:23; II Samuel 24:15-17; Acts 12:23; Psalm 35:5-6; Exodus 12:18-30; Hebrews 11:28; 1 Corinthians 10:10)

Last week, after the passing of my father, my thoughts often focused on death and what scripture tells us about life after death. Where does our soul go after our bodies die? When will our souls be joined with our heavenly bodies? I thought about the angels and the part they play as God's emissaries, His messengers, His representatives here on earth. The more I contemplated the invisible world, the more I realized how incapable I was of understanding the amazing mysteries of God.

My thoughts are bound by my understanding and experience of my finite world which consists of only four dimensions - length, breadth, height, and time. However, God is obviously not bound by these dimensions. He can be anywhere at any time. He is omnipresent (Proverbs 15:3; Matthew 18:20; etc.). Therefore, there must be higher dimensions. We read in scripture that angels often appeared in our three-dimensional world as men, then disappeared. Where did they go? How is that possible? Jesus also appeared after His resurrection and then suddenly disappeared. Enoch was walking with God and then disappeared because God took him. Poof! Gone! (Genesis 5:24). Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11). After baptizing the Ethiopian Eunuch, Philip was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord. These events are not possible in a world defined by only four dimensions. How does your current view of the invisible world limit your focus on eternity?

How many dimensions are there? Do those believers who have died and are now in heaven experience this multi-dimensional realm? Can they see us? I believe that when we look at scripture and study how God, Jesus, the angels, and other saints were not bound, as we are, by the four dimensions that define our universe, we will become more aware of the invisible world that exist around us. Hopefully, this will help us maintain more of an eternal focus.

Next week I will look further at the mysteries of the invisible world where angels exist.

ANGELS & DEMONS - Lesson 4

Angels are the ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are to inherit salvation--the saints. (Hebrews 1:14)

The MISSION and MINISTRY of the holy angels is summed up: to worship God and to accomplish His will. They are His emissaries, His messengers, His representatives here on earth. To see the effects of their involvement is to see something of God Himself. They are fearsome, as is God. They are strong, as is God. They are pure, as is God. They are caring, as is God.

The MISSION of angels includes: attending, encouraging, submitting, advocating, speaking, guarding, protecting, ministering, and accompanying. Angels are preachers, proclaimers, avengers, warners, recruiters, rescuers, explorers, executors, comforters, communicators, attenders, lion tamers, messengers, and more. 

In today's lesson we began by looking at the MISSION of angels as WORSHIPERS and WARRIORS. Next, we will look at three of the many ministries of angels--OBSERVATION, GUIDANCE, and PROTECTION. Then we will look at angels and their role as agents of JUDGEMENT -- mostly against sinners. We will see how angels use their great power to fulfill God's will in judgement.