- [Narrator] Paul urged Christians to put
on all the armor of God
so that they could stand firmly
in the face of darkness.
Ephesians 6:10-12.
"Finally, my brethren be strong in the Lord
and in the power of his might.
Put on the whole armor of God
that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places."
Our struggle is not against flesh and blood
physical powers alone,
but against the spiritual, superhuman forces of wickedness
in heavenly territories.
Satan, the Prince of the power of the air,
promotes a religion, but not a true faith.
He promotes false prophets.
Thus, the powers of light
and darkness are fastened in deep conflicts.
Thank God for the angelic hosts that fight
against the works of darkness.
Angels never minister selfishly.
They serve so that all glory can be given to God.
When believers are strengthened.
A classic example of the protective agency
of angels is found in Acts 12:5-11,
"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 pass 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 has sent his angel
and rescued me from Herod's clutches
and from everything the Jewish people
were hoping would happen.'"
As the scene unfolded, Peter lay bound in prison
waiting for execution.
James, the brother of John, had already been killed
and there was little reason to assume
that Peter would escape the executioner's ax.
The magistrates intended to bring him to death as a favor
to those who oppose the gospel and the works of God.
In fact, the believers had prayed for James,
but God had chosen to deliver him through death.
Now the church was praying for Peter.
As Peter lay asleep, an angel appeared, not discouraged
by things such as doors or metal rods.
The angel came into the prison cell,
shook Peter awake, and told him to prepare to escape.
As a light shone in the prison,
Peter's chains fell off and after dressed,
he followed the angel out.
Doors open supernaturally
because Peter could not pass through locked doors
as the angel had.
What a powerful deliverance God has achieved
through his angel.
Angelic intervention.
Many experiences in both the Old and New Testaments grew out
of the imprisonment of God's saints,
who either called for God to deliver directly
or intervene by angels acting in his name.
Many today who are captive
in the chains of despair can take courage to believe
in the prospect of deliverance.
God has no favors and declares
that angels will minister to all airs of faith.
If we, the sons of God would only realize
how close his ministering angels are, what calm
assurances we could have
in dealing with the cataclysms of life.
Although we do not place our faith directly in angels,
we should place it in the God who governs the angels
then we can have peace.
Hebrews 11 contains a long list of men and women of faith.
For most of them, God performed miracles and save them
from disease, calamity, accidents, and even death.
Someone has called this chapter God's Hall of Fame.
Angels help these great men and women to subdue kingdoms,
to make promises, to stop the mouths of lions,
to quench fire violence, to escape the edge of the sword,
and when they were weak to stand
with the help of angels to defeat entire armies.
However, the tempo changes in verse 35
with the opening words, "There were others
who were tortured, refusing to be released
so that they might gain an even better resurrection.
Some faced jeers and flogging
and even chains and imprisonment.
They were put to death by stoning.
They were sawed in two, they were killed by the sword,
they went about in sheepskins
and goatskins destitute, persecuted, and mistreated.
The world was not worthy of them.
They wandered in deserts and mountains,
living in caves and in holes in the ground.
Time after time, they must have called on God
to send his mighty angels to help.
No delivering angel came, they suffered
and endured as if there was no God.
God's winners.
Why?
We find a clue when our Lord faced Calvary
as he prayed, "If it be possible,
let this cup pass from me, 'but then he added,'
nevertheless not my will, but thine be done.'"
Matthew 26:39.
Going a little farther,
"He fell with his face to the ground and prayed,
'My father, if it is possible,
may this cup be taken from me?
Yet not as I will, but as you will.'"
Luke 22:42.
In the suffering and death of these great saints
who were not physically delivered,
God had a mysterious plan
and performed his will.
Knowing this, they suffered and died by faith.
This concluding parts of Hebrew 11 suggests
that those who have not received visible help in responding
to prayer will have a much greater heavenly reward
because they have endured it alone by faith.
"But after they died, they enjoyed the ministry
of angels who then escorted their immortal souls
to the throne of God."
If the first part of Hebrews 11
is called God's Hall of Fame,
the second should be called God's winners
of the metal of honor.
Regardless of whether or not we perceive
and feel the presence of the Holy Spirit
or one of the Holy angels, we are sure
that God will never leave us or forsake us by faith.