Angels Among Us

Angels Among Us 5/07

Col. 1:15-17, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created through Him and for Him."

The Occasion For The Writing Of The Letter To The Colossians - ALTHO PAUL WAS A ROMAN PRISONER, HIS PRISON WAS A RENTED HOUSE. HE WAS ALLOWED TO ENTERTAIN MANY VISITORS AND TO TEACH AND PREACH. PAUL HAD LEARNED THAT THE CHURCH AT COLOSSE WAS THREATENED BY FALSE TEACHING, IT SEEMED TO BE A MIX OF PART JEWISH AND PART PAGAN. THE JEWISH ELEMENT SAId THEY HAD TO OBSERVE CERTAIN DAYS, DENY THEMSELVES CERTAIN FOODS AND FOLLOW CERTAIN RITUALS. THE PAGAN ELEMENT EMPHASIZED SELF DENIAL, THE WORSHIP OF ANGELS AND A MYSTICAL WISDOM. To deal with the new false teaching, Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians. Paul never explicitly describes the false teaching he opposes in the Colossian letter . The system was a combination of Judaism and paganism, but it wore the mask of Christianity. It did not deny Christ, but it did dethrone Him; it gave Christ a place, but not the supreme place.Worship of Angels was one of the false doctrines being taught at Colossae (Col 2:18) .

Did you know that angels are mentioned either directly or indirectly nearly 300 times in the Old and New Testaments? The hosts of Heaven stand at attention ready to do God’s will at any moment of any hour of any day. In Colossians 1:16 “For by him were all things created, that are in Heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible.” Angels are indeed among the invisible things made by God, for “all things were created by Him, and for Him.”

Hebrews 1:14 calls angels “ministering spirits.” They do not possess physical bodies, although they may take on the form of physical bodies when God appoints them to special tasks.

Illus( Sermon Central) The Missionary and his Heavenly Helpers

The Reverend John G. Paton felt drawn towards missionary work. He had completed his education and training, and finally he and his wife, Jenny, moved to their new mission assignment in the New Hebrides Islands, where they would reside for the next year in a thatched-roof single room hut.

Both Reverend Paton and his wife were concerned about the many obstacles they knew that they would face on the islands. Disease, deadly animals and fierce natives all figured to play a factor in their lives for the next year. Nevertheless, they knew and believed that God was in charge and they were where He wanted them to be at this time of their lives. During their time in this remote mission field that God had called them to, they found many opportunities to hold Bible studies and to teach the local tribes about their faith, and about the Lord Jesus Christ. However, there was one tribe , known for their fierce fighting, which grew more hostile towards the missionaries with each passing day. For weeks they had threatened to attack the Patons and kill them, because they had interfered with ancient tribal traditions and taught their people a new and strange way of faith. Soon the hostile tribe made plans to carry out their threats. Late in the evening of June 23, 1973, the Patons sat in their tiny thatched home, and listened to the sound of war cries outside their hut growing louder and louder. “They’re coming for us, John,” a terrified Jenny whispered to her husband. John nodded and said “Pray Jenny, talk to God, keep praying!” Then John began to pray aloud. “Heavenly Father” he began, “You have commanded us to come to You in time of need, and to ask for your intervention. We come before You now and ask You to protect us as You have so many times in the past. Please deliver us from the danger we are in. In Your name we pray, amen.”For nearly an hour the sounds continued outside their bungalow. By the end of an hour the Patons could see dancing lights surrounding their home. “Fire!” John whispered, holding Jenny tightly. “Keep praying Jenny! I think they are going to try and burn us out.” Another fifteen minutes passed while John and Jenny continued to pray for protection. Then suddenly, the screaming began to lessen and grow more and more distant. The tribesmen were moving farther and farther away from the Patons hut. Finally the sounds completely disappeared. Three months passed by and the Patons had no explanation for why the tribesmen had chosen not to kill them that terrifying night. Then, in a very strange turn of events, the chief of that tribe contacted the Patons and began asking them questions about their mission work and about Jesus Christ. Shortly thereafter, the Chief accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior and received salvation. Then John decided to ask the Chief that burning question within his mind. “Why didn’t you kill us that night?” he asked, staring into the Chief’s eyes. “We tried” said the Chief, “but your guards wouldn’t let us past.” “What guards?” asked the missionary. The chief waved his arms dramatically. “Hundreds of guards, big men in shiny clothes with swords drawn and with torches. They circled your hut. We had no choice so we left.”