Angels

This is from a transcript of a sermon preached by Dr. Jack Graham on July 24, 2016

Good morning! I guess I should say, “Hi, y’all”, since I’m from Texas and I started to wear my boots, but I wore California-cool instead, alright? Really good to see you! We had a great beginning this morning with our 8 o’clock service. I can’t get over how many people show up at 8 o’clock and then more! You come here and then we’re off to Orange County and to the campuses round and about. Just great to be a part of Harvest today and always! I do want to thank you, church. You’re an incredible church because you have this vision and mission to reach the world for Christ.

And coming up, of course, is the crusade here that you’ve been doing for years. We’ve been a part of that. We love to attend. But then you brought it to Dallas! And the The Cowboy stadium… I know there are not a lot of Cowboy fans in this room probably, Oh, a few! Okay, ha. We train out here in the summer. They’re coming next week. But that stadium is an amazing stadium. And we didn’t know whether it would fill or not. But an hour before we started… packed, jammed, turning people away. Cowboys… you know, the Cowboys haven’t been winning a lot of games lately, but we were winning that night, I guarantee you as thousands were coming to Christ there and around the world! And thank you!

And, of course, we love Greg and Cathy and this entire team here. Deb and I just consider your pastor and Cathy to be among our closest and dearest friends. And to be able to partner with you, this church and this incredible outreach to the world. Now to Atlanta coming up. And it’s just, it’s a thrill to be a part. And I just commend you for your heart for God and your heart to see people know Jesus. It’s an incredible thing.

Thank you also for praying for Dallas in these days. And those five police officers were shot down in our streets. And our city is stunned, we’re grieving still. Every one is still on edge as we are across the nation. These are dangerous and violent times, not only in our country, but around the world.

But we had the opportunity to host two of the funerals services for the officers and it was one of the most astounding sights and great experiences really to see police officers, law enforcement officials from all over the nation bike there, drive there, from Washington State to Florida to New York City, Philadelphia, the northeast, all across the south, southwest, and we met many people, officers who came from California to support us and support those officers and their families. And it was a powerful experience to be able to speak a word of hope in that dark hour in our nation and in our city. But thank you for praying for us.

I brought a photograph for you of our church right before one of the services. That’s about two or three thousand of the officers. There were seven thousand present for that day. And I’ll tell you this. Our church was never more protected, ha, than that day, and it was remarkable to see it. And when I see those police officers like an angel army surrounding our building I’m reminded that there are these heavenly warriors who, like the police, are there to serve and to protect.

I was invited a couple of years ago actually to write this book on angels. I had done a previous book called Unseen, and entered a chapter about the angels. And pretty much figured that that’s what I had to say about angels. But the publisher came to me and said, “We believe there’s interest in angels today, and we’d like for you to write a major book on angels.” And I thought about it and prayed about it, and I actually got out my faithful legal pad and pen— I’m not so much a computer guy, I don’t type well—I should have listened in high school when they were teaching it.

So I get out my legal pad and I’m writing and I’m writing reference after reference after reference regarding angels from Genesis to Revelation! It’s like every time you turn a page, it’s like the brush of angel wings! Because angels keep showing up again and again and again and again, from Genesis when the angels are present at Eden, when God executed judgment upon fallen man, and throughout the book of Genesis starting with Abraham and on to Jacob and again the angels are appearing and they are engaged. When God sent death angels, the death angel into Egypt. And often we see in the Bible and in the future we’ll see angels executing the righteous judgment of God!