THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS IN OUR LIVES TODAY
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OUTLINE
1. DELIVERANCE
2. PROTECTION
3. JUDGEMENT
4. STRENGTH
5. REVELATION
6. GUIDANCE
7. ESCORT
THE MESSAGE
THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS IN OUR LIVES TODAY
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1. DELIVERANCE
The Lord sends His angels to minister to His children . The angels are sent by the Lord to deliver us. When Peter was in prison , the Lord answered the prayer of the church and sent His angel and delivered him. When Daniel was thrown into the lions den , the Lord sent His angel and delivered him. The angel of the Lord delivers us even in situations when it is not humanly possible for us to be delivered.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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HEBREWS 1:14
Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
PSALM 34:7
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
ACTS 12:1-11
It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.
He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.
When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.
So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.
Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.
Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him.
Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.
They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating."
DANIEL 6:12-23
So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: "Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or man except to you, O king, would be thrown into the lions’ den?" The king answered, "The decree stands—in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed."
Then they said to the king, "Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day."
When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.
Then the men went as a group to the king and said to him, "Remember, O king, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed."
So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!"
A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed.
Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.
At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den.
When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?"
Daniel answered, "O king, live forever!
My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king."
The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
2. PROTECTION
The Lord sends His angels for our protection. When Elisha was surrounded by a hostile army , his servant was full of fear . But Elisha prayed that the Lord would open the eyes of the servant . And the Lord opened his eyes and he could see the angelic host surrounding them. When the people of Israel left Egypt , the Lord sent His angel to protect them and guard them in their journey . When Paul was journeying towards Rome , the Lord sent His angel and protected them in times of danger. The Lord sends His angels and protects us as we go through the journey of life.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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PSALM 91:11-12
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
2 KINGS 6:14-17
Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked.
"Don’t be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
EXODUS 14:13-20
Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.
The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.
Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.
I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.
The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen."
Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them,
coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
EXODUS 23:20-23
"See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.
Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.
If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you.
My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.
ACTS 27:21-25
After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.
But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.
Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me
and said, ’Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’
So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.
3. JUDGEMENT
The Lord sends His angels to execute His judgement on the wicked. In times of battle when the people of God cried unto the Lord , the Lord sent His angel and destroyed their enemies. When Herod was filled with pride , the angel of the Lord smote him and he died. At the end of the age , the Lord would send His angels to execute His judgements on the earth. The angels have a very important role to play as we reach the end of the age . Even today the Lord would send His angels to fight our battles and grant us the victory.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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2 KINGS 19: 32-36
"Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria: "He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it.
By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city, declares the LORD.
I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant."
That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!
So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.
PSALM 35:1-6
Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.
Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid.
Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to my soul, "I am your salvation."
May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay.
May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away;
may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
ACTS 12:21-23
On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.
They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man."
Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
REVELATION 12:7-9
And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.
But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.
The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
4. STRENGTH
The Lord sends His angels and girds us with strength in our times of weariness and discouragement. Elijah was disheartened when faced with the threat of Jezebel and wanted to die. When Elijah was in this state of discouragement , the Lord sent His angel to strengthen him . When the Lord Jesus was weary after the forty days of fasting and was tempted by the devil , the Lord sent His angels and strengthened him. When the Lord Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane and was filled with great agony , the Lord sent his angel and strengthened him to face the cross. The Lord sends His angels to strengthen us in our time of weariness and to empower us to face the challenges ahead of us.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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1 KINGS 19:1-8
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them."
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat."
He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you."
So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
MATTHEW 4:1-11
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
Jesus answered, "It is written: ’Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’"
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
"If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: " ’He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’"
Jesus answered him, "It is also written: ’Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’"
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ’Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’"
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
LUKE 22:39-44
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him.
On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation."
He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed,
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.
And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
5. REVELATION
The Lord sends His angels to grant us a revelation of His plans and purposes for our lives. The angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah , Mary and Joseph and revealed the plan of God for their lives. After the resurrection of the Lord Jesus , the angel of the Lord appeared to the disciples and confirmed the truth of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The Lord sends His angels and reveals His purpose and plans to us.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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LUKE 1:8-13 , 26-31
Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.
You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.
MATTHEW 1:18-21
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
MATTHEW 28:1-6
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
LUKE 24:1-6
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.
They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.
In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?
He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:
6. GUIDANCE
The Lord sends His angels to grant us guidance and counsel and warning. The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and gave him warning and guidance to protect the life of the baby Jesus. The angel of the Lord appeared to Philip and gave him guidance concerning the ministry that the Lord wanted him to do. The angel of the Lord appeared to the family of Manoah and told them how to raise the child that would be born to them. The Lord sends his angels to guide us and warn us and help to fulfill the task that the Lord wants us to do.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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MATTHEW 2:13 , 19-20
When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."
After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead."
ACTS 8:26-28
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."
So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.
JUDGES 13:1-5
Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.
A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless.
The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son.
Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean,
because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines."
7. ESCORT
The Lord sends His angels to escort us on our journey to heaven. The angels minister to us not only during our time on earth , but they also have a special role to play when our time on earth is over. The Lord sends His angels when we are about to leave this world and they safely escort until we reach the presence of God in heaven. They protect us from any interference from satan during our departure from the earth. When the Lord Jesus returns to the earth , He will send His angels who will gather His people unto Himself.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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LUKE 16:19-22
"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.
At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores
and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.
JUDE 1:9
But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
MATTHEW 24:30-31
"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.
And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
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