Sermon Central
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Angels: God's Heavenly Warriors, Pt. 2 Series
Contributed by Jerry Shirley on Apr 6, 2006 (message contributor)
Summary: Several things we need to know about ’fallen angels’ and our enemy, Satan, and what we can learn from all this about God, HIS angels, and ourselves. Link included to formatted text, handout, and PowerPoint Presentation.
God’s Heavenly Warriors, pt. 2
There is a mighty angelic conflict being fought--because Satan, and a multitude of other angels chose to rebel against God.
Last time we said, ’We are never more like Satan than when we rebel against authority.’
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
But here’s an important balance:
Not every leader is truly ’of God’--and a spiritual dictator is not worthy of having any following whatsoever. The proper platform of leadership is example. Worthiness of followship should be demonstrated, and respect should be earned, not demanded. Any member deserves this, and if they don’t feel they have it, they should do what the Bible says and ’Go to him...alone’ [Mt. 18:15]. If that fails, then move along w/ the Biblical progression, and if all else fails, you should quietly go and find the kind of place that you as a child of God deserve.
In order to understand angels as God’s army of warriors, we must understand the enemy. Let’s move along from Satan to his demon following...
Demons:
1. They are spirit beings just as the angels of God are.
When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
People don’t become angels after they die. Nor do people become demons after they die [some become demons after 9 PM! :-) ]
Seriously, they do not have the power to return and haunt you. The number is fixed. No more angels or demons are being created.
2. They are real. They are not the product of imagination.
And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. [2] And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs [the possessed are obsessed w/ death--just look at the rock groups like Mega Death, Slaughter, Poison, etc.] a man with an unclean spirit, [3] Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: [4] Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. [5] And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. [6] But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, [7] And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. [8] For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. [9] And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
Demons are real, and just because you cannot see them, doesn’t mean they aren’t there. They exist in a different dimension.
Albert Einstein wrote ’It is very possible that right now, in a different dimension, a railroad train is coming thru the middle of this room. We cannot perceive it only because it is in an entirely different dimension.’
This room is no doubt filled w/ both angels and demons at this preaching hour. Maybe one is sitting next to you! :-)
Billy Graham, in his book, ’Angels: God’s Secret Agents’ said, ’I do not believe in angels because someone has told me about a dramatic visitation from an angel, as impressive as such testimonies may be. I do not believe in angels because UFOs are astonishingly ’angel-like’ in some of their reported appearances. I do not believe in angels because ESP experts are making the realm of the spirit world seem more and more plausible. I do not believe in angels because of the sudden world-wide emphasis on Satan and demons. I do not believe in angels because I’ve ever seen one, because I have not. I believe in angels because the Bible says there are angels, and I believe the Bible to be the true Word of God.’
And that means what the Bible says about demons is true, too!
You cannot have it both ways--you wanna believe in heaven, you must believe in hell. You wanna believe in angels? Well, demons come with them. It is all or nothing.
3. They usually deceive by appearing as angels of light and ministers of righteousness.
2 Cor. 11:13-15
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. [14] And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. [15] Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
