“Spiritual Things: Part 3 – Angels”
Series: Spiritual Things [on screen]
Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD
First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida
May 24, 2020
Introductory Comments:
I hope you were blessed by worshiping through music. Now, let’s transition to our time of studying God’s Word together.
When I was growing up, one of my favorite shows to watch was Highway to Heaven. One of the reasons I enjoyed that show is because Michael Landon’s character was an angel. I was intrigued by angels.
The fact of the matter is, many people are intrigued by angels. There are movies about angels, TV shows about angels, books about angels, people named after angels, and much more. People are fascinated with angels.
Well, today, we’re going to discover what the Bible says about angels.
Before we do, let’s pray and ask God to teach us as we look into His Word.
(prayer)
We are continuing our series called “Spiritual Things.” [on screen] Thus far we have discussed Heaven and Hell. Today, we will discuss angels. [on screen]
As we do, let us start by answering this question . . .
I. What are angels? [on screen]
Well, angels are created beings, generally in spirit form, who serve God and His
purposes.
(pause)
First of all, they are created.
Nehemiah 9:6 says, “You, Lord, are the only God. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their stars . . .”[on screen]
Revelation 4:11 says, “Our Lord and God, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because you have created all things, and by your will they exist and were created.” [on screen]
Second, angels generally take on a spirit form.
Angels are present, in spirit form, all around this world and in Heaven.
They are not generally even visible to the human eye. For example, Balaam did not see the angel standing before him when he was riding his donkey.
Numbers 22:31 says, “Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the path with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam knelt low and bowed in worship on his
face.” [on screen]
In order for us to see these spiritual beings, the Lord must supernaturally open our eyes.
To be sure, sometimes angels may take on a form that is physical or at least appears physical to us.
For instance, Matthew 28:5 describes when the women were at the tomb of Jesus and they saw an angel. We read, “The angel told the women, ‘Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.’”[on screen] So, we may see them at times.
Angels also possess characteristics that are similar to humans in some ways.
For instance, angels seem to possess the ability to make moral choices. In 2 Peter 2:4, we learn that a certain group of angels rejected God’s ways and sinned against Him. It says, “For if God didn’t spare the angels who sinned but cast them into hell . . . ”[on screen]
Angels also seem to express a certain level of intelligence as they are able to have conversations with people. In other words, they’re not like animals. Think again, of the angel speaking to Balaam or the women at the tomb of Jesus. We’ll hear more examples of this later.
Angels are personal in that at least some of them have names like humans. We’ll learn about a couple of famous angels in a moment.
Angels have emotions. For instance, we see joy expressed in Luke 15:10. It reads, “I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.” [on screen]
We also see some characteristics that angels have that are unlike humans.
One that we’ve mentioned already is that angels are generally invisible. None of us are invisible. I can’t see most of you now, which is good because some of you are still in your pajamas. However, you’re not invisible because you are a physical being.
We see that angels have great power. Psalm 103:20 says, “Bless the Lord, all his angels of great strength, who do his word, obedient to his command.” [on screen] Most humans don’t have great power like angels.
Angels also appear at times with brilliance and brightness, sometimes accompanied by the glory of the Lord. Luke 2:9 says, “Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” [on screen]
Finally, in terms of what angels are like, we learn that there are many angels in existence.
Hebrews 12:22 says, “Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering.”[on screen]
Jesus said in Matthew 26:53, “Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and he will provide me here and now with more than twelve legions of angels?”[on screen]
So, that’s a little bit about what angels are. However, not all angels are the same There are different types of angels! Let’s learn about them!
II. Types of angels. [on screen]
There are at least three different types of angels. A couple of these are pretty
fantastical.
The first type of angel that we will discover is the seraphim.
The seraphim have six sets of wings and they go about singing praises to the Lord.
Listen to Isaiah 6:2-3, “2 Seraphim were standing above him; they each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth.” [on screen]
Another type of angel is the cherubim.
The cherubim have four different faces and four wings. Listen to what we learn from Ezekiel about these. Ezekiel 1:5-6 says, “5 The likeness of four living creatures came from it, and this was their appearance: They looked something like a human, 6 but each of them had four faces and four wings.”[on screen] Ezekiel 10:20 says, “20 These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the Chebar Canal, and I recognized that they were cherubim.”[on screen]
We hear of cherubim in other parts of the Bible as well. We learn in Genesis 3:24 that cherubim were stationed to guard the garden of Eden. It says, “He drove the man out and stationed the cherubim and the flaming, whirling sword east of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life.” [on screen]
Also, artistic renderings of cherubim were placed on the ark of the covenant in the book of Exodus. Exodus 25:19-20 says, “19 Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. At its two ends, make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 The cherubim are to have wings spread out above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and are to face one another. The faces of the cherubim should be toward the mercy seat.”[on screen]
Finally, we discover the archangels.
Archangels are special angels who seem to have authority over other angels.
There is one archangel for sure, and perhaps another, whom most of us could probably name from memory, which takes us to our next point!
III. Famous angels. [on screen]
Probably the two most famous angels are the ones who we know by name: Gabriel and
Michael. We know from the Bible that Michael is an archangel.
Archangels have greater influence and authority than many of the other angels.
For instance, of Michael, Revelation 12:7-8 says, “7 Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, 8 but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer.” [on screen]
Also, Jude 9 speaks of Michael. It says, “Yet when Michael the archangel was disputing with the devil . . . ” [on screen]
Then there is Gabriel. Gabriel may very well be an archangel also, but we are not told that in the Bible. However, he is a famous angel. He’s mentioned several times.
Speaking to Zechariah at the announcement of the birth of John the Baptizer Luke 1:19 says, “The angel answered him, ‘I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news.’” [on screen]
Similarly, Gabriel is there to announce the coming of Jesus. Luke 1:26-27 says, “26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.” [on screen]
Surely these two famous angels did much more than this, but this is just some of what these two angels did in the Bible.
Well, what do angels do anyway? That takes us to our final point:
IV. What do angels do? [on screen]
Basically, angels serve God and His purposes. They do whatever God wants them to
do.
So, what does that involve?
Well, angels may serve as those who go to war on behalf of God. In fact, they are sometimes called the host or army of God.
For example, as we read a moment ago, Revelation 12:7-8 says, “7 Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, 8 but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer.”[on screen]
Angels also praise God. That’s a major part of what they do.
See, for instance, Psalm 148:2, “Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly armies.”[on screen]
Or, how could we forget the famous passage from Revelation 4:8, where the angels say, “Day and night they never stop, saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come.’” [on screen]
Additionally, angels minister to followers of Jesus as God directs them.
For instance, Hebrews 1:13-14 says, “Now to which of the angels has he ever said: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation?”[on screen]
Another example of angels ministering to people is seen when the apostle Paul was visited and encouraged by an angel. Paul said in Acts 27:23, “For last night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me.”[on screen]
Angels are spiritual ministers who do the work of God, which at times involves ministering to human beings.
Now, I also want to share a few other interesting tidbits about angels.
First of all, angels are not to be worshiped. They are not gods, they are created beings. The apostle John learned this lesson in Revelation 19:10. It says, “Then I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ‘Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters who hold firmly to the testimony of Jesus.’”[on screen]
Also, did you know that angels can be undercover? We learn from the book of Hebrews that when we help strangers on the earth, it may actually be an angel in disguise. Hebrews 13:2 says, “Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.”[on screen]
Remember though, angels are not humans, and humans are not angels. In fact, at some point, humans will judge angels. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:3, “Don’t you know that we will judge angels—how much more matters of this life?”[on screen]
(pause)
I told you that the topic of angels was fascinating, didn’t I? The truth is, we are just scratching the surface of what the Bible says about angels, and there is surely much more that God has not revealed to us about angels.
Concluding Thoughts:
We must remember that these heavenly creatures were created by God for the glory of God.
That takes us to our bottom line:
Bottom Line: Angels are spirits created to serve and glorify God. [on screen]
(repeat)
Angels are majestic, lovely, and brilliant. However, their majesty, loveliness, and brilliance is nothing compared to the majesty, loveliness, and brilliance of Jesus.
So, thank God that He loves us so much through Jesus that He is willing to create heavenly creatures to further glorify Him and minister to us.
Challenge yourself to take these steps this week as a result of learning from God’s Word:
Weekly Challenge: [on screen]
1. Marvel at the work of God through angels. [on screen]
Think about how incredible it is that God not only created everything on the earth but also created galaxies far beyond our comprehension. What’s more is that He created a supernatural realm called Heaven, complete with other beings who are spiritual in nature and can pass from this realm to that.
This is mind-blowing and should cause us to marvel at His work.
This should cause us to bring Him glory!
Take some time this week to marvel at God and His work. Spend some more time in study of God’s marvelous work through angels and more!
2. Serve and glorify God with angels. [on screen]
There are some things that we have in common with angels and one of those things is
that we were both created to bring glory to God.
So, join the angels and live a life that glorifies God.
Imagine the moment when we get to glory, in the future heaven, and stand shoulder to shoulder with angels glorifying our Creator. What a beautiful day that will be!
Closing:
Perhaps this has been interesting to you but you don’t really know God. I want you to know that you can have a personal relationship with God that is just as supernatural as the reality of angels. God can change your life.
If you’ve been changed by God already, live as if you’ve been changed. Live supernaturally!
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
(Sing Doxology)
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