The Ministry Of Angels (2)

The Ministry of Angels

Introdcution: We have began a series of messages on The Ministry of Angels and Doctrines of Demons. Today we will finish what we started a couple of weeks ago on the ministry of Angels. I hope this message is encouraging and informative. My goal is to teach you the different types of angels with a spiritual lesson and then follow that with a summary of the End time angels and different testimonies from those who have experienced God's divine intervention either by circumstance or by Angels.

Ill. Two pals are sitting in a pub watching the ten-o'clock news. A report comes on about a man threatening to jump from the 20th floor of a downtown building. One friend turns to the other and says, "I'll bet you ten bucks the guy doesn't jump."

"It's a bet," agrees his buddy.

A few minutes later, the man on the ledge jumps, so the loser hands his pal a $10 bill. "I can't take your money," his friend admits. "I saw him jump earlier on the six-o'clock news."

"Me, too," say the other buddy. "But I didn't think he'd do it again!" (Ohio Motorist, quoted in Reader's Digest, June, 1994, p. 72.)

Transition: So there is definitely a need to learn things. ;) This morning we are going to learn that there are three different types of Angels mentioned in the scripture and apply a spiritual truth to each one. We begin with:

The Seraphim

We read about the Seraphim in Isaiah 6:1,2:

"In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne lofty and exalted, with the train of his robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew."

The word "Seraphim" means 'fiery ones'

In regular use those six wings were used for flying, most likely very rapidly. If a hummingbird can move across a garden of flowers, like a cursor across your computer screen, with only two wings. Imagine how swiftly an angel with six wings could carry out God's orders. Just as Angels themselves are put to different uses, These two verses in Isaiah show that when in the presence of a Holy God, the Seraphim must put even their wings to a different use.

One pair of wings covered their head from the overwhelming brightness of His glory. We have read about several encounters in the Bible of men and angels, who themselves have had men bow down to them because of their brightness, must cover their own faces in the brightness of God.

Another pair of the Seraphims wings covered their feet. Rememember that Moses' dusty sandles were not appropriate to be worn in the presence of the Holy God. What unclean thing can exist in the presence of the purity of God? Nothing. It's amazing that even the wonderful Seraphim must cover their feet while flying in the presence of the Holy God.

Adam and Eve looked for something to cover their shame, but only after they knew evil as well as good. Take note that: once you know the difference between good and evil, you must be held accountable for what you know. Before Jesus, we could only cover the shame of our sin with animal sacrifices, and before the law of sacrifices, we see our first parents attempting to cover their shame with fig leaves. It is our nature to cover our shame from the Holy God. What fellowship does light have with darkness? What do righteousnes and wickedness have in common? Even when the holy name of Jesus is spoken it can evoke shame. Others, like Adam show a contempt for what God commands and a desire for what God did not want him to have.

Today, the rebels pride desipses the shameful feeling that God's holiness brings. They despise it so much that they not only refuse to humble themsleves and repent, but they take their contempt out against God, they speak against him, they curse him, they blame him for all their problems, they accuse him of everyone elses problems, and they speak against the only thing that represents Christ on earth: his disciples. Calling them "hypocrites" "haters" "bigots" and worse. We have to remember that there is a great danger in not retaining God in our knowledge; in fact there is a point of no return. There is a coming moment when God will turn unrepentant unbelievers over to a reprobate mind. He has done it before and will do it again. God's patience and mercy is everlasting, but God only turns on those who are destined by their own determination to refuse to ever turn to him. He allows them to live in the prison of sin that they desperately desire to live in. Unlike Adam and Eve and the Seraphim angels these people don't try to hide their shame, Paul says these enemies of the cross "glory in their shame" (Ph.3:19)