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10250 North Freeway @ West
Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
What
We Believe and Why - Vol. II
Written by Dr.
Lester Hutson
Copyright
- Lester Hutson - 1982
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced
without the express written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.
Chapter Forty Three
Guardian Angels
Part II
INTRODUCTION: TEXT: Psalm 34:6-7
B. A chief function of angels, as direct agents of God, is the delivery of messages.
1. Remember that the Hebrew word for angel is "MAL'AK," which literally translates "to dispatch as a deputy." The Greek word is "ANGELOS" meaning "to deliver a message."
2. When God got ready to announce the conception and birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah, He sent three angels to deliver the message to them (Genesis 18:1-15).
3. God determined to deliver Israel by Gideon from the hand of Midian. You will find in Judges 6:11-21 that God used an angel to deliver His message.
4. In Acts 10 God sent an angel to tell Cornelius that help was on the way (see verses 3-7 and 22).
5. It was an angel that delivered most of the message of the book of Zechariah to the prophet Zechariah. (Zechariah 1:9,13-14,19; 2:3; 5:5)
6. God sent His message about the coming birth of John the Baptist to Zacharias by an angel. Listen to Luke 1:11-19, "And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine or strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings."
7. An angel was chosen as the messenger of God, to tell Mary that she was going to give birth to Jesus Christ. (Luke 1:26-38) An angel gave that same message to Joseph. (Matthew 1:19-24) Angels announced this same birth to the shepherds near Bethlehem. (Luke 2:8-15) An angel was God's messenger to warn Joseph of Herod's plot to murder Baby Jesus. (Matthew 2:13) An angel also told Joseph when it was time to return home at Herod's death. (Matthew 2:19)
8. It was angels who made the formal announcement of Christ's resurrection from the dead. Matthew 28:2-7 reads, "And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you."
9. It was an angel who gave the revelation of Jesus Christ to John on Patmos. Revelations 1:1 says, "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John."
10. The scriptures certainly justify the meaning of angel being "messenger." The delivery of messages seems to be one of their prime roles in God's service.
III. LET US NOW TURN OUR ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT GOD HAS DIRECTED CERTAIN OF HIS ANGELS WITH THE SPECIFIC JOB OF WORKING ON BEHALF OF HIS SAINTS.
A. In considering this fact it is important to realize that once an angel of God is commissioned by God to care for you in a given area, no power can harm you in that area.
1. Satan himself is really only a fallen angel. (II Corinthians 11:14) He has no power beyond what God grants him. (Romans 13:1) Once God commissions an angel to guard and protect you, there is nothing Satan or anyone else can do about it.
2. The angel actually becomes a hedge, or protective barrier, around you. Job 1:10-12 mentions that hedge, and I personally believe that until God calls off all his guardian angels, Satan can't touch a saint. The whole context of this Bible study bears that out.
B. The fact is that under God's direction an angel has miraculous power.
1. The power is not superhuman. It is above that of man or devil. The angels are called "mighty angels" in II Thessalonians 1:7, and their power is very real. Theirs is not just some sort of mental, mystified or ethereal power. It is heavenly, but it is also very tangible in earthly affairs.
2. For example, the angels of Genesis 19:10-11 smote the men of Sodom with blindness. Their power was a miraculous power with a very tangible result.
3. According to Acts 7:35, it was an angel which appeared to Moses in the burning bush and caused it to burn, yet not be consumed as recorded in Exodus 3:2.
4. Listen to the miraculous, angelic power demonstrated to Gideon in Judges 6:21, "Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight."
5. Look at the spectacular occurrence in Judges 13:19-20, "So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on. For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground."
6. King Herod of Acts 12 was an extremely proud and vain man. When he presumed to act as though he were a god Acts 12:23 says, "Immediately the angel of the LORD smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost."
7. According to Acts 13:39, most of the destruction of the tribulation will actually be carried out by the angels. They are called God's "reapers." A quick look at the Revelation will show you their power to kill men, cause earthquakes, destroy forests and cities and plenty more.
C. The beauty of God's truth is the fact that His angels use their mighty power to protect and help saints to whom they are assigned.
1. Remember the text. It says, "The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." (Psalm 34:7) There is no question as to the purpose of the angels being there. They are for our protection and deliverance. And, those angles are there. God's saints have them. As a believer there are guardian angels assigned to you.
2. God actually uses the angels to drive away your enemies. Psalms 35:5-6 declares, "Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them. Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them."
3. Further insight into the protection role your guardian angel plays is revealed in Exodus 23:20-23. Here God is saying what His angel will do for Israel, although, by comparing Psalm 34:7, it is evident that this is an explanation of what God's guardian angels do for all His saints. "Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off."
4. God told Moses how His angel would go before him to preserve him in the way. (Exodus 32:34; 33:2) He did the same with Jacob, (Genesis 48:16), and Israel. (Exodus 14:19; Numbers 20:16; Isaiah 63:9)
5. Once Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael were cast alive into a burning, fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:19-24) The guardian angel of God miraculously delivered them so that not even the smell of fire passed upon them. (Daniel 3:28)
6. Daniel 6:16-17 tells how Daniel was cast into a den of hungry lions. He stayed there all night and when the king came to check on him at daybreak, Daniel said, "Oh, king, live forever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me." (Daniel 6:21-22) That's the kind of help guardian angels give. They are in the deliverance business.
7. Once Simon Peter was in a Roman prison under heavy armed guard. (Acts 12:1-6) Then, his guardian angel stepped forth and within minutes Simon Peter was out of prison and with the saints of the church. (Acts 12:7-11) By the power of the angel the soldiers could not wake from sleep, the chains fell from Peter's hands and the doors of the prison swung open. It is a classic case of guardian angel deliverance.
8. Even in the case of Jesus on earth angels came and ministered to Him. (Luke 22:43)
9. When Jacob saw a ladder to heaven in Genesis 28:12 the angels were "ascending and descending" upon it. You will notice that they were left on earth, indicative of the fact that angels have an earthly mission, and we know from the foregoing scriptures that the mission is to minister to the needs of God's saints.
10. Perhaps the clearest of all cases illustrating this truth is II Kings 6:16-17. Elisha and his servant Gehazi were entrapped with no conceivable, earthly means of escape. But their earthly enemies were absolutely no match for their heavenly host of guardian angels.
11. What a comfort it ought to be to the saints of God to realize the protection they have in God! Truly He can deliver His saints. He can help when none can hinder. He sends His own personal representatives with miraculous power to supply the every need of those whom they are sent to protect. He doesn't elect to deliver everyone from every circumstance. Sometimes God deliberately allows sickness, loss and even death. But once He sets Himself to the deliverance of one of His own, there is no power that can prevent it.
"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"