God’s Heavenly Warriors, pt. 1
Colossians 2:18
With 273 verses in scripture dealing with angels, you have to wonder why most preachers don’t deal with the subject anymore.
3 reasons many churches don’t talk about angels:
1. Reaction against speculation.
Theologians are often guilty of dealing w/ questions nobody cares about, that don’t matter. Such as: How many angels can sit on the head of a pin? / How much time passed between the creation of angels and the fall of 1/3rd of them? / Is there a guardian angel assigned to every child born? None of these are addressed in the Bible, but scholars love to talk about them, and it’s a turnoff to most of us who want to know, not what they think, but what God has said!
2. Reaction against the worship of angels by the Roman Catholic Church.
They, of course, worship saints, Mary, and others, in addition to God. But since the 4th C. they have also promoted the worship of angels.
Sept. 29th is a holiday called ’Michael mass’, which focuses on worship of the archangel.
Col. 2:18
Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.
As a knee-jerk reaction, Bible believing churches have been guilty of backing off of the subject of angels, fearing lest they be accused of giving them too much attention. Just like us Baptists are often guilty of backing off of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, just because some other groups have abused it to great extremes.
3. Reaction against paganism.
Did you know that in every known pagan group in the world, the people believe in spirits, demons, and angels? Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and the endless Indonesian and jungle tribes of the world.
Ill.-The pagoda styled roofs in China are that way because they believe demons who try to slide down their roof will stick themselves and not come back! Same concept as with earrings and other piercings.
We’ve now covered the basics about angels, in our first 4 messages-now we get more detailed, and there will be powerful applications to each of us as we go along.
Angels aren’t soft, cloud-clothed babies floating around. They are God’s secret agents, and messengers, and also Warriors!
God sends them on missions to kill and destroy, and to make war, as well as to protect His own.
Ill.--Twice I have had the privilege of leading music in special services for Missionary J.T. Lyons, and heard him tell his now famous story of his experience with angels. [This has been quoted and misquoted in many various forms over the years, so I feel privileged to have the ’inside track’ on the true details of his encounter.] Bro. Lyons spent a lifetime working in Africa, and much of that time in dangerous areas w/ remote tribes, some of which were cannibals and head hunters. He recounted how they warned him they were coming after his family on a certain night, and how all they could do was remain in their hut and pray for God’s protection--but then they heard it, their war cry and their violent approach. They still had children in the home, and these natives were known to rape and abuse before killing their victims. They were prepared to die if it was their time, and willing to do so for their Lord, but they prayed for God’s protection. You get chills when you hear Dr. Lyons tell the story of how their cries and their music just stopped cold. Looking out, he saw them standing motionless, almost as in shock, and then seeing them quickly and quietly retreat back into the jungle. They thanked God for His protection, but it was a year later before they learned what had happened from a chief in that tribe who had just got saved. Bro. Lyons asked him why they didn’t attack that night, and his response was something like this, and now I’m paraphrasing: ’Because of the men who appeared all around your hut.’ When asked whom he was talking about, he said, ’the men you had protecting you, they scared us with their swords and their shining clothing.’
You’ll never convince Dr. Lyons that those were any other than God’s heavenly warriors, sent to protect them that night, because their ministry was not done, and because that chief and many others were still to be saved!
Why must they fight and make war? Why do they wipe out entire cities, entire armies, and other huge people groups in the Bible, both OT and in the end times? Why does God have this standing army, prepared to spring into battle?
There is a mighty angelic conflict being fought--because Satan, and a multitude of other angels chose to rebel against God.
Isaiah 14:12-15
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! [13] For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: [14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. [15] Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
And another passage about Satan’s fall...
Ezekiel 28:13-19
Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. [14] Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. [15] Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. [16] By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. [17] Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. [18] Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. [19] All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
[the beginning, above, seems to indicate that Satan had to do w/ the music in heaven in some regard¡Kso, watch out for those music directors who want to become the pastor--wait a minute, that’s me!]
Lucifer was his name at that time, and he was bright, beautiful, and full of wisdom. He had a position of authority over other angels. But he wanted more--the throne of God! And there’s been war ever since, raging in the heavenlies!
The Bible speaks of Satan’s angels...
Rev. 12:7
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels. [who is the dragon?]
Rev. 12:3-6
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. [4] And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
How do we know that stars represent angels in Revelation?
Rev. 1:20
The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
1/3rd of the host of heaven followed Lucifer and fell to the earth, becoming disembodied demon spirits.
So a war rages, and for the next couple of weeks we’ll study God’s Heavenly Warriors in more detail.
But let’s make some practical application before quitting: What can we learn from Satan’s rebellion?
’We are never more like Satan than when we rebel against authority.’
Here’s an amazing verse:
The context is the rebellion of Saul--who rebelled against what God had told him to do. Samuel the prophet confronted him here in...
1 Samuel 15:23
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Rebellion is a form of Satan worship, because Satan himself is the author and inventor of rebellion.
We live in a day of wholesale rebellion--in every area of our lives. Children against parents & teachers / wives against husbands and vice versa / men rebelling against God / employees against their boss / people against their government / and in churches, as sheep rebel against the shepherd God places over them.
Anything w/ 2 heads is a monster, and so God provides us authority and headship, leadership in all areas of lives. Many of us are leaders, but all of us are followers in some form or fashion, myself included. I may be the pastor here, but I also work under some of you in some areas of ministry, such as our Wed. nite food ministry--and it’s refreshing once in a while to just take orders and do some grubby work, not make any decisions for a change!
But as Pastor, my job is to ’lead and feed,’ and your job is to ’swallow and follow!’ And even on wed. nites my servant’s position is to feed!
I’m so thankful for such a great following of people here. Your loyalty and submissive spirit is uncharacteristic of the age we live in, and even in recent days many of you have pledged your loyalty and given your help in letting me know things I need to know, or where the devil may be trying to gain a foothold.
It’s not that way everywhere, so I’m thankful for how good we have it here. Kimberly and I both grew up in the ministry, and now have been at it ourselves for over 15 years. We know how it can be. I have over 1,000 pastors on my Grace Notes subscription list, and every week I get emails or calls from some who are so broken hearted over constantly dealing with people rebelling to their God-given authority, or who feel they have been given authority of God to become armchair pastors or ’the pastor police’ as some call them.
Rebellion is akin to witchcraft / Satan worship. A study of Satan is a study in rebellion, so God is in control of these comments, tho’ they may not be needed today, there may come a day when they are!
And all of our homes can benefit from this, husbands and wives¡Kand our teens and children can benefit from hearing this as I address you parents: ’don’t put up with rebellion’’don’t put up with the ’I will’s’ of rebellious kids!
What can we learn from Satan’s rebellion?
’We are never more like Satan than when we rebel against authority.’
Also, ’Sins of the heart are the most dangerous!’
2 reasons:
They are easy to hide from other people.
They are sometimes hidden even from ourselves.
--we can easily be blinded to our own sins.
Think about it--the difference between drunkenness and envy. The Bible says as much about one as the other. But jealousy or envy is hidden away, but a drunk is easy to spot!
Ill--a drunk staggers down the aisle and comes to the platform, and wants to sing a song...
[sing] ’I’m sorry I broke your heart mother!’ That’s sin. And it’s easy to spot.
But here’s another scenario: a soloist sings a special, and someone sitting in a pew says, ’that should be me up there--if they had half a brain they’d ask me to do a special before her!’ That’s sin, but easily hidden!
That’s why it says in...
Proverbs 4:23
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart!
You can fool all the people some of the time¡Ksome of the people all the time--but you cannot fool God, who says in...
Proverbs 10:18
He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.
Proverbs 26:26
Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.
Guard your heart from hidden sins, such as rebellion.
And let’s be thankful for God’s special forces for good, protecting us, ministering to us, and fighting mighty battles for our Lord and our benefit.
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http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/HeavenlyWarriors.html
