FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES
2 Kings 6:8-23
INTRODUCTION
Just a week or two ago I was talking to some friends, who would not by any stretch of the imagination be considered people of high influence, and yet during that conversation I was told of a possible job prospect. They said, ‘Just mention that so and so, friends of Shane, suggested that you try out for a position there.’
Well, I met the boss and told him the story. He said, ‘So David tell me the names of these people again who know Shane?’ I told him, and he just smiled and said quietly, ‘It’s just amazing how contacts can be made and through whom!’ He desperately needed someone to employ part time and I got the job! Start Monday!
Now, to me, that whole incident put flesh on two common sayings – ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’ and, as far as that job was concerned, I had ‘Friends in high places.’
I believe most of us want ‘friends in high places’. And that is what I have called this message – ‘Friends in High Places’.
Why is it that we want and perhaps need friends in high places?
(AWAIT RESPONSES)
And people are looking to the spiritual to find their ‘friends in high places’. In the year 2000, 60,000 people paid to go through the ‘mind, body & soul’ festival in Sydney. People are searching for spiritual meaning like never before.
They are searching for ‘friends in high places’!
Elisha had ‘friends in high places’. We heard about them earlier this morning in our Scripture reading. Listen again to verses 15-17.
2KI 6:15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. 16 "Don’t be afraid," the prophet answered. (I’ve got ‘friends in high places’, he goes on to say) "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17 And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (NIV)
I would like us to consider those that Elisha had as his ‘friends in high places’ – those known as angels.
Firstly, we need to recognise:
1. INTEREST IN ANGELS IS WIDESPREAD
According to a recent (1994) US Gallup Poll, 72 percent of the respondents believed in angels and another 13 percent did not discount their existence. 85 percent of people surveyed expressed some degree of belief in angels.
Books, magazines, films, stories, talk shows and angel paraphernalia abound. The film ‘City of Angels’ exemplifies this – (HOLD UP CITY OF ANGELS). We are told that this film, starring Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan is about (quote), ‘an angel who gives up heaven to be with the woman he loves’. The little script that goes on the advertising says this, ‘Maggie Rice didn’t believe in angels…until she fell in love with one’.
The extent to which the angel craze is captivating the West is aptly summarised by Newsweek (Dec 27, 1993): ‘Angels are appearing everywhere… those who see angels, talk to them, and put others in touch with them are prized guests on television and radio talk shows. Need inspiration? There are workshops that assist you in identifying early angel experiences or in unleashing your ‘inner angel’. Tired of your old spirit guide? New Age channellers will connect with Michael the Archangel. Have trouble recognising the angels among us? Join an angel focus group.’
We are wise in recognising the popularity of angels for 3 reasons –
1. It should inspire us to learn the truth from God’s word about them so we are not misled. For eg. Would the love of a human tempt an angel to leave the glory of heaven, like ‘City of Angels’ seems to portray? And are they merely lovable? Or do they inspire awe, worship and fear? Why in fact do we have angels? And what are they like? Can they of themselves provide our needs? Is there some criteria for receiving blessing and help from angels? And are some angels dangerous? Is discernment required in dealing even with angels? And so on…
2. Secondly, we are wise in recognising the popularity of angels because it emphasises the need to maximise this interest, in order to point people to Christ - who is the head of all angelic beings. What an opportunity! People are talking about angels. What better opening to point them to the One who made angels. And to describe to them why He made angels.
3. Thirdly, we are wise in recognising the popularity of angels because it should highlight an area in which emphasis has been lacking - we need to make angels popular in our lives and recognise the part they play. It seems as though people can find teaching on angels everywhere except in the church! In one Australian city alone we have 60,000 people paying to go to a ‘mind body and soul’ festival to learn about angels, amongst other things – whereas most of those would not set foot in a Christian church if you paid them! I can hear them saying, ‘I can find 10,000 sites on the internet about angel movies alone, yet Christians don’t even seem to acknowledge they exist!
The community at large has given us a challenge. How will we respond?
Let’s consider:
2. HOW TO MAKE ANGELS OUR FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES
The first step in having angels on our side is to trust Jesus. Jesus is shown by His resurrection to be none other than God Himself. And God is head, creator and sustainer of the angels. So the key to angelic blessing is to embrace Jesus. It would be a mistake to settle for the created angel, without their Lord, as do so many who focus on angels without considering their Maker!
What are some of the benefits that angels bring to us?
(ASK PEOPLE TO COME UP ONE AT A TIME TO HOLD UP BENEFIT FOR ALL TO SEE)
· Serve believers (Heb 1:14)
· Protect from harm (Acts 5:19; 12:6-11)
· Watch our lives (1 Cor 4:9; 1 Tim 5:21)
· Are present within the church (1 Cor 11:10)
· At death they take us to be with the Lord (Lk 16:22)
· Angels reveal and communicate God’s message to mankind
· They execute judgement upon the enemies of God (Acts 12:23)
With regard to carrying out judgement I’m reminded of the following story – ‘Malcolm, a man with a terrible temper, was playing a round of golf with his pastor. After leaving three straight putts on the edge of the cup, Malcolm exploded. "I missed!" he screamed. "How could I miss?" With that he heaved his putter into a nearby lake, kicked a wheel on the golf cart and drove his fist into a nearby tree.
Pastor was shocked. "I have never seen such a terrible display of anger," he said to the poor man. "Don’t you know that God doesn’t like it when we are angry? I have heard that there are angels whose one assignment is to search out people who express their anger so ferociously and to send lightning bolts from heaven to burn them to a crisp."
Malcolm was embarrassed. Heeding the warning of Pastor, on the next few holes, he managed to control himself. However, on the last three holes his putting failed him again. When the last putt veered off to the right just in front of the hole, Malcolm went crazy. "I missed!" he screamed. "How could I miss?" He broke his club across his knee and threw it as far as he could, he kicked up several large clumps of dirt on the edge of the green, and once more drove his fist into a nearby tree.
Suddenly the sky grew dark as an ominous cloud passed over. There was a clap of thunder and an awesome burst of lightning-and the pastor was burned to a crisp!
An eerie silence filled the golf course. All that could be heard was a quiet voice from heaven: "I missed! How could I miss?"’
· They can be sent to bring us strength (Lk 22:43)
· They are involved in the affairs of nations and protecting God’s ambassadors in those nations (Dan 6)
· They are sometimes used to bring answers to prayer (Dan 10)
· They can appear as human and we could unknowingly have entertained some
· On occasions they bring with them the presence of God and inspire great fear and awe.
Their great power is derived from God and they remain dependent upon His favourable will to exercise it.
There has probably been multitudes of times when God’s angels have saved us and we haven’t had the remotest idea. There have been occasions in my life when I have been aware of angelic presence.
The second step in experiencing the full benefit of these ‘friends in high places’, is to open our eye of faith and see the angelic host which surrounds us.
One of the most dramatic recent missionary stories tells of five young men who went to a particular tribe in the Auca territory in Ecuador. They were all speared to death. Some time later the widow of one missionary and the sister of another went to live with the tribe. Since then many of the tribes people have found a personal relationship with God, partly as a consequence of the women’s heroic follow up. And partly because of a strange phenomena which occurred as the young missionary men were being killed.
A son of one of the martyred men discovered after speaking with some of the tribesmen who were present at the slaying, that they heard singing as the men were dying – like the sound of a great choir! And figures were seen above trees and along the ridge. Lights were shinning and moving everywhere. And the sky was full of what they described as ‘fire flies’.
Was it the angels taking them home? And did God allow these tribesmen to witness the presence of these angels in order to make them sympathetic to the witness that was to come to them through these two women?
CONCLUSION
We need to believe in angels! Perhaps it’s time for some of us to open our eyes to this realm.
But we need to believe in angels – not figments of our imagination! Or worse still, dark angels, demons who work to destroy us. We need discernment. We are told in Scripture that Satan can appear as an angel of light as his demons as ministers of righteousness.
Lord give us wisdom. Lord give us discernment.
And Lord thank you for your angels
16 "Don’t be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
Do you have ‘Friends in High Places’. Jesus is the ultimate Friend in High places – He is King over all the angels.
