Angelic Warfare! by Keith Malcomson

we're turning now to psalm 34 and uh we're going to continue with our series on spiritual warfare that we've been doing over the past uh several uh weeks uh we we last looked in part eight at fasting and spiritual warfare that was our last message then we took a week's break there uh i taught 33 messages and translated into the german just had a brilliant school uh with god's blessing and we'll catch up have some testimonies this mor uh tonight uh concerning that uh but it's just been a very precious very important week so we just had that week's break we will come back and do more of the school in july we'll do about three weeks uh just teaching day in day out for about 20 days but here this morning i want to come back to our series a very important series on spiritual warfare for this hour and my message this morning i believe is going to be an encouraging one some messages are going to convict others to correct maybe to rebuke but there are messages to encourage and exhort us in an evil hour and i do pray this will encourage you this morning so part 8 of this series angelic warfare turn into sam 34 on our message angelic warfare it says there in psalm 34 reading from verse 3 o magnify the lord with me and let us exalt his name together i sought the lord and he heard me and delivered me from all of my fears they looked unto him and were lightened and their faces were not ashamed this poor man cried and the lord heard him and saved him out of all of his troubles and please note this is my text this morning verse seven the angel of the lord encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth them here this morning let's pray together as i come to this message angelic warfare father we do thank you that we can gather break bread rejoice in the precious blood remember the work of calvary turn our eyes upon the lord jesus christ thank you there's hours time seasons where you come to encourage to bless to pour out revelation and father i pray that you'd open up our eyes at this table nor god as we open up the word of god would you strengthen every single individual every family every group of believers that listen this message this morning my god would you lift our hearts heavenward would you open our eyes that we might see an unseen world that we so easily get distracted from nor god let our eyes be single upon the lord jesus christ but more than not let us say god approached by faith minds sion nor god the city of the most high god lord god let us come lord god to the blood of sprinkling unto an innumerable a company of angels will you bless us this morning as we open up your word in jesus name amen my text here this morning from sam 34 and verse 7. the angel of the lord encampeth round about them that fear him and he delivereth them my message the title of givenness is angelic warfare and this is our text that the angel of the lord encampeth round about them that fear him i want you to notice before we come to our three major points that i'm gonna deal with here this morning and we're gonna go into all of scripture or look take a broad aspect view of this but i wanna start with this one single view the angel of the lord i want you to see in this first it's talking about one angel encamping around god's people it's singular not plural all the lord needs to do is send one angel to encamp around an entire church or body of people one angel is more than a match for the enemy for the adversary of the soul and so this verse in psalm 34 verse 7 it says the angel of the lord i'm talking about an angel that belongs to the lord and angels that belong to the lord they are governed by the lord created by the lord ruled by the lord commanded by the lord sent by the lord possession by the lord they are they give utter devotion to the lord jesus christ do you know that the angels right now we don't see them we don't feel them we may not sense them but i assure you in this gathering as we are gathered in different homes and different lands different places i assure you that the angels gather with us that's why the bible says in 1 corinthians 11 concerning a woman covering her head it's because of the angels that's something that most christians utterly ignore they're not aware that the angels gather with the church looking in on the proceedings looking at these sinners that should have went to hell but yet they're saved given a second chance washed from their sins made ready from heaven a fallen angel will never have that opportunity here in this scripture it says the angel of the lord i want you to be very aware this morning i'm not talking about fallen angels i'm not talking about lucifer i'm not talking about demons i'm not talking about our warfare and this is a series of warfare but i'm not talking primarily about our warfare against powers of darkness i actually want you to think and consider and for us to pull back the veil on the angels of the lord those angels that actually belong to the lord jesus christ you see it says in john chapter 1 and verse 3 all things were made by him that is christ jesus all things the entire universe and it says and without him was not anything made that was made then over in colossians chapter 1 verse 16 it says for by him that is jesus where all things created since anything that's been created was created by christ it says there are in heaven and that are in earth visible and invisible all these things do you know there's things created that are invisible you cannot see them you cannot touch them they are not physical they are invisible and yet they are created there are things that don't even comprehend in our mind we cannot see them you cannot touch them they are invisible yet they were created by god it says whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created by him and for him all the angels were created they're actually created in genesis chapter one many people argue debate question when were the angels created they were created in genesis 1 because in genesis chapter 1 all things were created in genesis 1 there's nothing created that wasn't created in genesis chapter 1 and you know what somewhere in that chapter although we're not specifically told it the angels were created by the lord jesus christ the word of god the eternal son of god he created the angelic forces it says all things were created by him and for him and he is before all things and by him all things do inconsist here in psalm 34 they are called the angel of the lord this singular angel that's mentioned in this verse is called the angel of the lord do you know this angel he mentions was created by the lord jesus by god himself all angels are created beings and they do not match god's power they are mere servants of the most high god these angels are also called elect angels or chosen angels they are chosen ones by the lord the lord knows them the lord rules them the lord uses them to accomplish his will and it says about the angel of the lord notice what it says here that the angel of the lord singular encompass round about them that fear him look at that beautiful word in campus and this is where we really get into spiritual warfare you'll say why am i preaching on spiritual warfare from this first it's because of this word in campus notice the angel of the lord in campus round about the saints of god you and i the wording campus is a military term it is a war term it's not talking about a physical battle or a physical army or a visible army it says the angel of the lord encampeth that term in campus means to pitch a tent or to set up a military camp or a military tent in other words this is talking about a very specific angel in a very specific situation this angel isn't dwelling in heaven this angel is at war this angel is encamping in the field of battle it's talking about an angel in the battle or in the warfare do you know our god actually is called the lord of hosts or it's another name for jesus christ in psalm 80 9 and verse 6 it talks about the lord of hosts that word hosts specifically means armies you see the church the real christian the real believer in the lord we are on a battlefield we are in a war and it's a very real warfare and our god our lord jesus christ is called the lord of hosts he is the lord of the armies of heaven who are these armies they are angels they are angelic beings and you know what they march in rank and file they are very organized they are put in in order and detachments regiments you know in the british army we have regiments battalions depending on the battle you can have a small troop of men or you gonna have a large regiment and then it goes further when you go out into war well i want to tell you when the lord really goes to war he is the lord of hosts he is the lord of the armies of angels do you literally do you realize that we the church are actually caught up in a warfare where it's not just us fighting the devil you're not just fighting demons i want you to be aware of this this morning it's not that we are in a spiritual warfare and you're there having to face the devil and having a face of powers of darkness and having a wage of warfare against powers of iniquity do you realize that when there's a real warfare in the church of god or with some lone christian who's praying do you realize that the lord is involved and not only the lord he sets his armies do you know god puts his armies in the field he detaches them from heaven above and he actually places them in the battlefield where it's hot where the enemy is raging where the enemy is attacking are you under attack today i want to tell you god does not leave you in the battlefield alone you are not alone this morning it's utterly impossible if you love jesus if you're praying if you believe in them it doesn't matter if you're discouraged or or if you feel like giving up do you realize god that the angel of the lord encampeth he encampeth do you know what it means he comes if you're in a battle he comes and pitches his tent where your home is or your workplace or your church or your ministry he literally encamps his temple he says i'm here for the battle i'm here to accomplish something i'm here with a task it says a very strange thing in genesis 32 and verse 1 and jacob went on his way and the angel of god met him angels actually met him and do you know what it was an hour he was going to face a great trial he was going back to see his brother he thought his brother might kill him he didn't know what was going to happen tomorrow but you know what the angels of god met him before you meet your trial god will send his angels and it says and when jacob saw them he actually saw them he said this is god's host literally this is the army this is god's army and he called the name of the place mahanam which means a double camp or two armies do you realize on that day with jacob it was a family battle family problems he didn't know what was going to happen tomorrow but you know what he actually got opened his eyes to see these two entire armies that would come with them they met him they come out to meet him can you imagine having two entire armies of angels coming out to meet you you may say god wouldn't do that for me i'm not spiritual enough jacob apart from god's grace was a twister a conniver i'd tell you he was a shrewd operator and yet here he is in the day when he's facing trouble he's worried he's concerned about the future god actually sends out two armies of angels and opened his eyes that he could see do you know what as soon as we're born again a new convert we're placed in the battlefield day one we're in the battlefield we wouldn't stand a chance if god left us to our own self we're so weak we have no power no ability the bible says in hebrews 2 and 7 that man is made a little lower than the angels angels have remarkable power speed ability knowledge wisdom all of this we don't since the battle rages around per week clay vessels like you and i this is where the battle rages all the hosts of heaven with their great power remarkable power they actually are sent in to fight on our behalf to march with us in a battle you may feel nothing you may see nothing you may not be able to hardly to believe this and yet the bible teaches it since it's not a once in a millennium that god sends an angel to help some saint saint that's not uh likely at all notice further as we go in this first i i'm already getting worried i won't get through my message here this is such remarkable stuff but the angel of the lord encampeth and notice this next term round about round about isn't that a beautiful thing it's one angel but he is encamping a military camp against spiritual darkness and all manners of harm intervening in your behalf sent by god to you he encompassed roundabout and that word roundabout means to form a circle around you to cover every single side that there's no approach unto you without going through that angel he is one angel but he is encamped sowing around you that no power of hell can come near you no trial no trouble without going through him whatever he is set there to do he is not gonna fail you may fail but that angel isn't going to fail and performing his task he's sent there with the divine task it was the old preacher spurgeon who talking about these angels he says that god decept a a watch are the watches kept this watch over you day and night day and night night time while you're sleeping or you're exhausted and you're tired the watch is kept by warriors of sleepless eyes the angels don't sleep they don't get tired they don't give up they don't leave their tasks they don't go awol if they're sent there with the task they'll stay there so who is it that the lord sends this singular angel to encamp to circle and around because you know what if you can find out you can find out if you're such a person and if this has ever happened to you or if it is happening today or if it will happen in the future it says this angel of the lord in campus round about them that fear him them that fear him if you fear the lord then the angel of the lord encamps around you this is something for you do you fear god this morning you see you can't act like a rebel and fear god you can't live like a sinner and yet fear god if you fear god you depart from iniquity you depart from sin you tremble you know we brought the fear of the lord down to some vague respect we call god the father papa daddy we we treat him like a chum and a friend we have lost what it means to tremble in the presence of god it used to be the church trembled at the presence of god now in churches they act like idiots with no respect or reverence we need to recapture the fear of the lord maybe this is why there's so little angelic visitation in the church of this day certainly in the western world you know what we've lost the fear of god and the angels don't encamp round about i guess the angels don't like encamping around about those that don't fear god maybe if an angel was sent he would say why why should i be protecting this scoundrel he doesn't love god he doesn't fear god he doesn't obey god why should i be sent here to rescue them and guard them night and day do you know what the fear of god means it means to live with a sense of reverential awe to actually be there with a an awareness that this god could cast you into hell body and soul if you rejected him that's what the fear of god is i'm so aware of who he is yes i love him and i know he loves me oh i know that but the fear of god the real fear of god doesn't make you draw back it makes you come close do you know the fear that the lord of me does that it makes me intimate with him it drives me closer if you say oh i fear god and you hold back you're scared to go near him that's not the fear of god that that's a natural human carnal fear but the true fear of god makes you draw very close to the lord and stay very close to him and notice as well it says the angel of the lord encompassed round about them that fear him and delivereth them the angel of the lord not only encampeth around you but he delivers do you know what that means he draws you out of your troubles he delivers you from danger he draws you away from a place of danger he snatches you onto himself away from danger evil or the enemy since the angel of the lord is very real all this is is one verse but look how powerful it is that the angel of the lord in campbell in camps and circles around a man or a woman a christian who truly fears god you say i want to take you to some scriptures but i also want you to be aware that things like this have always happened in church history there was an english martyr in london in the 1500s who's awaiting to be martyred the next day that night he was so scared so fearful but he loved the lord that night an angel of the lord came to him in a dream of the night he knew god had sent an angel to speak to him to reassure him to face martyrdom don't think it's a new charismatic thing to experience dreams about angels or to actually see angels no it's not all for 30 years now the charismatic movement has almost destroyed this teaching and we're scared to touch on it or to believe it because we're in the toronto revival you go into meetings and you get these men and women on platforms pointing saying that the angels are swinging off the lampshades oh what foolishness it destroys the church away with such foolishness i've got no time for it but i do believe in angels i believe they can come in dreams i believe they can come and speak to men and women it was just after the year 1600 a young samuel rutherford who became one of the greatest preachers of scotland a scottish covenant or a presbyterian he actually just after 1600 he was a small boy about five years old near the town of jibra where our where i used to preach every week for a period of time and he fell in a bit of water and he said he said this many years later that a man all dressed in white came along and pulled them out and saved them from drowning a little boy he would have been lost his parents wouldn't have even known but a man all dressed in white he believed it was an angel of the lord do you know the lord knew the plan he had for samuel rutherford so he saved him as phi at the age of five many years ago heading towards 200 years ago in the new hebrides which is down in the south pacific just north of australia there is a whole chain of islands about 450 miles long and they were filled with aboriginal peoples and many of them were actually cannibals they used to if if anyone landed there they would eat them roost them for dinner that night literally this is what happened but in those islands christians began to evangelize in the year 1839 on one of those islands called the new hebrides there was a couple a married couple burdened for the souls of men for the cannibals in that island 1839 they landed on the beach to evangelize to pray to reach out to these lost souls and they were killed and eaten for lunch three years later the london missionary society sent two more missionaries called john g patton he was a scotsman and him and his wife went out there they knew what had happened before but they went they prayed and said lord we need to reach these souls that was in the year year 18 and 42. listen by 1887 just over 40 years later there were 12 000 converts amongst that people remarkable revival i mean thousands and all through those islands other missionaries went there and evangelized but it began with bloodshed people laying down their life but listen that isn't all i'm coming to something here john g patton tells a remarkable story of once on the 23rd of june 1873 as they're in the midst of evangelizing the these pagan peoples that this night the tribesmen got stirred up and decided to kill them and to eat this christian couple that night the natives began to gather around the small camp mr patton knew we're on dangerous ground here he told his wife his wife was very scared the people began to dance around the camp and scream and yell and began to bring fire his wife was very scared he just kept telling her just keep praying keep praying all through the night they prayed oh god protect us oh god deliver us oh lord would you save us from the enemy and as they saw the fire coming he said they intend to burn aside he said wife keep praying he had his children there as well what a terrifying night they went through what a terrifying night but as it seemed like all hope was lost all of a sudden it began to get very quiet on all these tribesmen suddenly left do you know what was a year later after one of the chiefs got converted he actually asked him he said why did you leave us that night what was it we thought it was all over you're gonna kill us that night he said it was a very fearful night why did you leave us and the the chief said well it's obvious all those soldiers that you had around you hundreds of men dressed in white with swords drawn we were terrified we were scared we we had to leave you and we knew we couldn't touch you do you realize the angels of the lord were sent to those missionaries don't tell me this is only a thing for the bible it's a thing that's happened all through the generations there was another single lady called me marry ma monson from norway she went out she was a lutheran missionary and she was sent out to china a remarkable lady in 1901 just before she went out there had been an uprising where all the missionaries were killed in china and tens of thousands of christians were killed well that was the very time she volunteered i'm going as a missionary to china give us christians like this again she served from 1901 through to 19 and 32. she was a remarkable woman of prayer when the chinese uh used to come in the chinese leaders and and western missionaries used to come in she'd go to the white western missionaries and she'd say are you born again they would get angry with her imagine colin asking me a missionary am i born again and that's what she would do she was a woman of prayer she loved god with all of her heart she was no fool a remarkable lady and in fact god used her up into the 1920s and 30s to bring revival in china it was an amazing national revival broke out and god really used this little lutheran lady well do you know what she tells a remarkable story in fact she tells many i don't have time to tell you them all here but she tells one particular story one night when she was in her missionary camp and the chinese bandits began to gather and to shoot off their weapons and begin to they were in a drunken terrible state they were coming to massacre her and there were women and children and some men gathered to that camp they were scared for their lives and they took refuge in the missions camp and as they did that night she was suffering terrible malaria she'd been in bed she was very sick but as these people began to gather at the camp she felt very responsible for them and these these men these violent men began to gather around they're gonna set the place on fire and kill them all and come in and take them and there that night when she was with the people she began to minister onto them and to say pray pray for god's protection pray that god say begin to worship the lord jesus christ well you know what happened all of a sudden just again as these drunken men are laughing and mocking and threatening all of a sudden it died down and they all left do you know the next morning all the surrounding people villages people come out of their homes and they come shocked saying how were those four men well she said which four men said you had four large tall men dressed in white this missionary lady never seen them never felt them didn't know they were there god didn't show her a vision but those other chinese actually saw them and that's why these bandits left i can tell you about fanya um who was a young russian soldier he joined the russian army he was born again loved jesus a young baptist man and he went there he eventually died in 1972 the year of my birth at 20 years old well he joined the russian army the soviet union you're not allowed to be a christian in there they tortured him they persecuted him he went through terrible suffering i don't have time to tell you about it but he had angelic visitations if you ever get the chance read the testimony of vanya the young russian soldier he had real experiences of the angels of the lord coming to him to help him and to comfort him praise god it is so real that the angel of the lord encompass around them that fear him i could keep telling you contemporary testimonies real testimonies i'm not talking about foolish people strange revivals are false prophets i'm talking about real people have suffered for christ who have had these experiences and they wouldn't lie they love jesus love the word of god i've got three points here i i feel like i could preach all day long on this but i want to try and confine myself we'll come back and do a series at another time but this is my first point protected by angels i want you to see this morning that we're in spiritual warfare and i believe the three points i'm gonna give to you apply to spiritual warfare all of you are involved in spiritual warfare even if you're not saved this morning you're involved in spiritual warfare the devil wants you the devil wants to send you to hell but god sends forth his angels even to minister on behalf of those like samuel rutherford even before they get saved god sends angels gone they're gonna get saved one day and i'm gonna put an angel there to protect them the devil wants to damn them and send them to hell i'll send send my angel to protect them that's why some of yous aren't in hell today you should have been in hell but god sent an angel that you never knew about you won't know it until eternity do you know the bible says we christians are going to judge angels on that day i wonder if we're going to see all that they've done how they intervened in each one of our lives i wonder if we're going to be responsible for handed out rewards we are told that we're going to judge them it's not a thing of condemnation they can't be condemned they're not sinners they can't do wrong so how are we judging we we must be handing out rewards and god brings us in i'm not that we're even gonna judge the angels but listen protected by angels my first point protection by angels in spiritual warfare both physical and spiritual unseen attacks warfare against our spiritual life we do receive protection by angels in second kings chapter 6 and verse 15 it says and this is talking about elisha the man of god they were being pursued by their enemies and took refuge in a city and it's he's there elijah's there with his young servant and it says there and the servant of the man of god was risen early and gone forth he looked over the wall of the city and he said he's seen and host encamped against the city both with horses and chariots and his servants said unto him unto elisha i'll ask my master how shall we do and elijah answered him fear not it's okay for a man of god you know you mature christians can turn around to younger ones or sometimes it's the other way around and you you can say there's maybe a christian gets all scared and you say fear not and you go it's okay for him to say that well the servant must have thought the same it's fine for elisha to say that look at the armies the horses we're trapped they are going to kill us look at all of these chariots these horses these soldiers look at their spears and their swords we're finito we're trapped in here they tracked us down i'm gonna get killed because of my master he's a prophet they want to kill him and now i'm gonna die my young life is finito it's over can you see the fear in his heart but the old prophet says fear not and listen this carefully for they that be with us are more than made to be with them young man all you're seeing is the enemy all you can see is the devil all you can see is your problems all you can see is what is against us and it all joins up until it's unbearable in fact you can't see a way out you cannot see god in the situation you're not applying god's word to the situation all you can say is it's over i'm finished i'm finished do you realize there's a protection by angels in this warfare when you come to a point where you cannot see you cannot believe you cannot hear you do not know all you can see is the natural warfare all you feel is the natural battle do you know what the prophet of god would say and this preacher is saying to you this morning fear not this is the word of the lord to fear not for they that be with us are more than neither be with them you say but you don't understand oh yes i do oh yes i do one angel and camping around you is enough but listen he goes on and elijah prayed and said lord i pray thee open his eyes that he may say some of you are in a dark place because you cannot say you need to pray i'm going to pray for you before we're over i'm going to pray that god opens your eyes i i was praying for this message that god would open your eyes that even as we preach from i've just begun this morn that your eyes are going to begin to open to see things you couldn't see before and the lord opened the eyes of the young man and he saw what did he say i mean he could see physically he can see the enemy he can see the battle he can see what's against him he can see the problems he can see the impossibility but god had to do something god opened the young man's eyes what did he see then how did god answer in prayer what what difference does prayer make if you don't think prayer makes a difference you know very little prayer makes a difference when you when he prayed the eyes of a young man was opened and listen and behold when the word behold is used in the bible it means stop what you're doing look this is major behold the mountain was full of horses and of chariots round about elisha do you see that the armies the angels were in around elisha not the young man as he looked at this prophet suddenly he sees the great hosts of armies of angelic angels are there in about elisha in fact it says more than that the mountain was full the mountain where they were where was literally full there was no room for any space you you thought there was nothing there oh there's lots there you see some of you this morning you you go i'm alone in my trial you you don't know what you're talking about oh i'm facing you you don't know what i'm facing i'm all alone in the battle no christian understands you don't know what you're talking about this morning you're blind your eyes are closed to see reality what i'm telling you is reality your troubles aren't reality the enemy isn't the reality all the things are against you your own fears aren't the reality this is reality the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire do you see this angelic presence there were horses candace is going to love this because she loves horses she's always asking will there be horses in heaven will there be dogs in heaven will shiloh make it to heaven well i i don't know i don't know that's my diplomatic answer especially when you have a dog and your wife loves the dog but i tell you there's horses there's and horses there these are horses and chariots of fire they are burning with fire this young man all he had to do was have his eyes open and it changes the whole situation then there was a whole story here of elijah praying and the eyes of the entire physical army outside the wall they're struck blind we're not going to go into the story but i just want to point this side this invisible angelic army was a camping around elijah elisha didn't fear because he knew to be true he could see it he could literally see it in a round do you remember when elijah was caught up to heaven we're told that he got carried off in a chariot of fire and horses of fire and they and elijah was parted from elisha they were part of the sunder and elijah went up into in a world wind to heaven again it says in psalms 68 17 the chariots of god are 20 000. even thousands of angels the lord is among them it says over in ezekiel chapter one and thirteen concerning the angelic beings their appearance was like burning coals of fire and like the appearance of lamps the appearance of lamps since it's very real we're talking about angelic armies that encamp around the people of god it's real and god doesn't show you these things to satisfy curiosity don't be praying and saying god show me these you know what he might put you in a in a very hard situation to answer that prayer in daniel chapter 6 we know about daniel being put in the den of lands because he refused to stop praying and when he was delivered he said and god has sent his angel and has shut the lion's mouth that they have not hurt me why did the lance not eat him because an angel one angel was sent into that den of lands and that was enough to stop it for as much as before him innocency was found in me daniel was innocent there'd be some believers would would have got eaten up that would have went to heaven but they would have got eaten by those lands because there's some christians aren't as innocent as others i want to tell you but this lion was sent sorry this angel was sent to shut the land's mouth they dare not touch him do you know the animal kingdom is affected by an angel an angel has power over a whole group of lands a whole prison cell filled with lands and one angel can stop them from harming even one hair on the head this is so real i'm talking about protection by angels angelic protection we're in a spiritual warfare it's very real it manifests physically there are powers of darkness against us but we have angelic protection in spiritual warfare over in acts chapter 5 verse 19 it says and peter was in prison thrown in prison for preaching the gospel it said but don't you like those buts here is another box of the bible and it says there in acts 5 verse 19 but the angel of the lord by night opened the doors and brought them forth and said go stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life now don't get that mixed up in acts 5 with acts 12. there is another incident in acts 12 where an angel is sent to deliver peter out of the prison it's two different things what a simple verse an acts 5 just said an angel came open up the door and sent them out to preach the gospel a simple thing since it's so real what god does acts chapter 12 verse 6 and when herod would have brought peter forth the same night peter was sleeping peter was put in prison they're gonna kill him the next day do you realize that the angels get active in crisis in great tragedies in great trouble when things are gonna happen to stop the plan of god i assure you the angels of god are active whether you see them or not they're active in acts 12 it says that peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains and the keepers before the door kept the prison no way he could have got out of there verse 7 and behold the angel of the lord again just one angel angel of the lord came upon him and a light shined in the prison and he that is the angel smote peter on the side raised him up saying arise get up quickly and his chains fell off his hands an angel said unto him gird thyself and bind on thy sandals isn't it wonderful how the angels of god look after this man put your coat on put your shoes on and removed your chains now follow me an angel said unto him gird thyself and he did and he saith on him cast thy garment upon me and follow me and he went out and he followed him and he was not that it was true um that which was done by the angel but thought he saw a vision he couldn't even believe this was physically happening he actually thought i i'm having a vision god's given me a vision of what he would like to do no it was real this angel has made sure he's clothed right so he doesn't get a cold and candace always makes sure my scarf and had her on she won't let me out the door in a cold night well this angel is doing the same for peter i'm gonna get in trouble with candace by the end of this message anyway this angel will not even let peter out into the cold night air without being closed correctly doesn't god look after you in a wonderful way a beautiful way an amazing way says that when they were past the first and the second ward our guard they came to the iron gate that lead us into the city which opened to them of his own accord and they went out and passed through one street and fourth with the angel departed from him and when peter was come to himself he said now i know for sure today that the lord has sent his angel and that delivered me out of the hand of herod and then you know the story how he went to the prayer meeting and they couldn't believe that that it was peter utterly impossible since i'm telling you about a singular angel what an angel can do these are not things merely of scripture of a few old testament stories or a few new testament stories i believe these are things for this hour this generation and the church we are going to need to know these things happen i when i was young i nearly drowned three times once in the south of england uh we're at the beach and i i i basically almost drowned a man a swimmer there pulled me out resuscitated me the water came out of my mouth my brother ian was there and said that water was coming out as that man resuscitated me there was once i was trapped in a barn that was on fire um when we were young with my next-door neighbor we went into the big uh uh barn of bales and we always used to make huts inside right in the heart of those pails so it was something we've done all through the years we stopped after this i can assure you but we tunneled our way down and had a beautiful hut built in the center of it but it was dark so my young friend decided to make his own candles and bring them into that barn we were right in the center we went down there he let the candle let the match let the candle he dropped his matches and he put the match above his head to see where the matches had gone and as he did it caught fire and it went up between two bales that fire just went up well we put out what was inside there and then i said go out and see if everything's so okay outside so he went out and i'm sitting waiting everything looks okay inside he didn't come back i i was waiting waiting he's gone so i decided i better go see where he is so i went out and as soon as i stuck my head out i'm right in the the barn the whole top of all the bales are on fire there was a strong wind that day it just blew the fire was everywhere well i couldn't go anywhere i went back in um i'm young you don't always do the right thing i went right back in sighed again and i sat there i was panicking now friends i i don't fully understand what happened next i have the memory i can see it but i don't understand it i don't know how else to explain that but there was a rolling motion the next thing i'm standing outside i mean i'm just standing instantly and i'm looking up at that barn the whole thing's ablaze i didn't see anything i didn't feel anything but i believe the hand of the lord the angel of the lord was there to rescue and to save in 2002 i was in a car wreck in texas in america i i was an english driver that was my mistake we cut across the carriageway and being an english driver he looked the wrong way the last thing as i looked at out of my window up to the right a big massive truck i mean it was right on top of this i closed my eyes it hit the car i went we're really hit bad but yet our lives were preserved or not the car was utterly written off i believe the angel of the lord i'm talking about protection by angels and the spiritual warfare my second point provision by the angels provisioned by the angels i'll take you to someone who doesn't have a good reputation doesn't get preached about much in a good light isn't thought about us as a church and a good light and that is hagar and her little boy that was born ishmael in genesis chapter 16 we read about hagar who was a handmaid of sarai uh the wife of abraham she was an egyptian and it actually says there in genesis 16 that she um you you know the whole story about how sarai came up with this plan that her handmade in hagar would sleep with abraham and would have a child and that child would become abraham and sarah's because she wasn't believing god it was an act of unbelief by someone who love god there's always consequences when you don't trust god you do things you ought not to be very very careful in a very real way and it says when hagar was pregnant that sarah who couldn't have children was despised in her eye now i want you to note here as we look at the provision by angels our god providing through angels are working through angels how that he works in imperfect situations with imperfect people to bring about his perfect plan and purpose in the earth isn't it amazing that god is so gracious and so good even unto hagar even with sarai having dealings with her well it says that sarai dealt hardly with um with hagar hagar was now despising sarai sarai was treating her badly and made her flee from the camp of abraham what a terrible situation and yet god is still there working you you may feel like god isn't working in your family situation but i want to tell you god works in imperfect families but oh that we would trust him and seek him and walk right before him if god can do this for hagar will he not do it for you if you think that angels only work on behalf of the most perfect most mature most gifted of people you're terribly wrong terribly wrong says in genesis 16 7 and here in this condition an angel of the lord found hagar by a fountain of water in the wilderness and by the fountain in the way of sure and he said hagar sarai's mind whence came as thou and whether wilt thou go an angel comes to her here she is by a fight and she's fled for her life and she said i flee from the face of my mistress sarah an angel of the lord said unto return to thy mistress and submit thyself to her han i know it's a bad family situation but god has sent me an angel to make sure you that you go back there an angel lord said hunter i will multiply thy seed exceedingly and it shall be numbered for multitude and the angel of the lord said unto her behold heart with child and now shall bear a son and shall call his name ishmael because the lord hath heard thy affliction and he will be a wild man and his hand will be against every man and every man's hand against him and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren and she called the name of the lord that spake unto her thy god seized me for he said i have also looked after the unseen scene they saints i'm going to tell you about this little lady running here she is bearing a child god has a plan and the angel lord i want you to return and just do what is right again some years later a similar thing happens in genesis chapter 21 and now the boys are grown isaac has been born to sarah so now you've got two boys in the camp one after the spirit one after the flesh one and the perfect will of god um what one in the a large will of god it wasn't god's perfect will but he's there and god's gonna use him and it says abraham rose up early in the morning and he took bread sarah i wanted that child and that mother out of the camp this time god tells abraham do it do it so abraham gets up early in the morning and takes a bottle of water gave it onto hagar put it on her shoulder and the child and sent her away and she departed and wondered in the wilderness of beersheba and when the water was spent in the bottle and she um cast the child under one of the shrubs and she went and sat down over against them a good way off as it were a bow shot away and she said let me not see the death of my child and she sat over against him and lifted up her voice and she began to wait you know this mother she's a hagar there's many of the arab peoples descend from her and this child i mean many arab people who have been born again of god have come out of this seed line as well god had a plan here he's going to be a rough man but god has a purpose but here's this mother again a second time the first time god looked upon her no here she is she doesn't want to see the death of her child god spoke and said he had a plan but it's all over you know some of you know god has a plan with you and for you and through you until you hit the hard times but when you hit the point of death that point of impossibility you say it's over oh yes you know god's got a plan but you cannot even believe that something good is going to happen and god heard the voice of the lad and the angel of god called the hagar out of heaven and said unto her what else say hagar i just love this angel that dealt with with hagar all these times where are you going hagar what are you doing she's lying there wanting to die he said fear not for god has heard the voice of the lad where he is arise lift up the lad hold him in nine hand for i will make him a great nation and god opened her eyes remember the first time she realized that god's eyes are upon her now it's the reverse god opened her eyes and she saw a well of water and she went and filled the bottle with water and gave the lad drink and god was with the lad and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness i'm talking in this second point about provision by angels first of all delivered by angels second of all provided for by angels you see god has a plan for your life as a christian and you may not see demons or feel like you're in a spiritual warfare but there are a set of circumstance and family in whom that seem to be against god's will in your life all of it seems out of order it seems like nothing's going to happen it's all over and yet god not only is his eyes open to you but also he opens his eyes to you to him and to his full provision you know god in both these cases with hagar god sent an angel to protect hagar and this young boy ishmael first in the womb and then as a young boy that was gonna die and thirst isn't the lord wonderful let me give you another couple of examples of god's provision in one kings 19 and four we read about elijah get him very discouraged he'd not long ago called fire down from heaven and seen the death of all these prophets of baal but that wicked queen jezebel writes him one letter and that letter as he reads the word as he receives that email see there's powers of darkness behind an email there is there can come a spiritual attack from an email and as he read that letter he went down i i'm an eagle discouraged depressed elijah he's a man like you and i oh yes calls far from heaven yet straight afterwards can get terribly discouraged well it says in one kings 19 and four but he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and he came and sat down under a juniper tree and he requested for himself that he might die and he said it is enough now lord take away my life for i am not better than my father's here he is lying down under a juniper tree and verse 5 and as he lay and slept under the juniper tree behold remember what that word means stop look something important's about to happen behold open your eyes then an angel touched them what a delicate touch this man of god who should have known better who should have believed better who should have been praying who should have seen beyond all of this a man who should have been able to take this he's utterly at the end of himself and he wants to die lord take away my life that's how he's praying he's not saying lord deliver me lord encourage me lord help me lord destroy jezebel he said take my way my life it's all over i'm finished there's no future the angel delicately touches him and said onto him arise and eat and he looked and behold there was a cake bacon on the coals and a cruise of water at his head and he didn't eat and drink and he laid him down again the angel laid him down again so an angel sent to him to feed him and make sure he has another good night's sleep and make sure he's got water and then the angel of the lord came again the second time and touched them again and woke him and said arise and eat you've got a second meal because the journey is too great for thee and he arose and he did eat and drink and went in the strength of that meat 40 days and 40 nights onto horeb the mount of god what an amazing thing let me give you another couple of incidents acts chapter 27 you remember paul's in the boat in this storm and in the middle of night he actually stands up and encourages all the people our lives aren't going to be lost yes it looks like it it seems like it it seems there's no hope in this storm but it says he he said be of good cheer for there stood by me this night an angel of god whose i am whom i serve saying fear not paul because all those that are with you their lives are going to be to see be saved in matthew 4 verse 11 again after the 40 days of temptation jesus is in the wilderness and on that 40th day it says then the devil leaveth him and behold angels came and ministered onto him they waited upon him attended him served them i wonder if they provided a meal for him do you not think that if god sends angels to minister to jesus after a time of temptation do you not know that he would do the same for you do you not know there's been supernatural encouragement ministered to you restoration of heart comfort and tone about provision ministered from god for you in an hour of need thirdly and finally let me finish here in this third point prevailing by angels now this is something we've dealt with a lot in our daniel series and over past weeks going back to the new year that we've dealt with daniel 10 and with revelation chapter 12 so i'll be brief in this last point but i want to point it out to you again prevailing by angels are you in a warfare of prayer fighting for loved ones do you find the clouds roaring around you do you feel that you're in a war a battle do you feel you're fighting with the enemy that you're wrestling with the powers of darkness that it's a struggle to get through in prayer it's a struggle to go through with god do you know there's a prevailing by angels it's not just you trying to get through to touch god it's not just god you're dealing with god actually sends his angelic host to help you when the spiritual battle is raging you may not feel you're doing well but you know what god doesn't leave you at that time he wants to help you he wants to come through for you first of all in prevailing with angels in daniel 10 in daniel 10 concerning daniel we read that he was in a time concerning the vision god was going to give him the time appointed was long concerning the vision or the prophetic word that god gave him ta the time appointed was very long do you know what it reads in the hebrew that it was a great that this time it was long it was a great gathering of soldiers an army organized for war prepared for a long campaign do you know the man daniel was in prayer here 21 days he's in prayer and you know he feels this intensity of the battle he doesn't see it he doesn't know what's going on but he feels this long warfare and gathered against him he has to be told that time appointed was long there is a great army gathered against him against his prayers against the purpose of god against the people of god there is a great unseen demonic army i mean there's powers of darkness that stand against god's people against the church in this generation don't you think that this hour 2021 is a year that the hosts of hell are marching against the church never have we worldwide had the entire church locked down at the same time forbidden to attend church then the than the past year there's been certain times when people have stayed home never has that happened worldwide globally in 2000 years of history don't tell me that the hounds of hell the forces of darkness are marching organized setting themselves against the church of god it's a long warfare it involves conflict it's hard there is suffering involved in it you feel like you're discouraged you feel like giving up don't you know this is not a natural battle we're involved with and daniel was caught up in such it says in daniel chapter 10 and verse 2 in those days i daniel was mourning three full weeks it was a partial fast he was on i ate no pleasant bread neither came flesh nor wine into my mouth neither did i and not myself at all till three whole weeks were fulfilled three weeks he's praying and it's a warfare nothing he feels nothing sees nothing hears nothing three weeks then in verse five then i lifted up my eyes and i looked and behold a certain man clothed in linen whose loins were girded with fine gold of you pass his body was like the barrel and his face like the appearance of lightning and his eyes like his lamps of fire and his arms and his feet like in color to polish brass and the voice of his words we're like a voice of a multitude as we study these chapters you see that this angel he's an angel he wasn't the son of god he was an angel he is equal to michael the archangel i believe it was gabriel sent to daniel here look at the appearance it's a warfare he's involved in then in verse 12 he says then city unto me fear not daniel for from the first day that thou did set thine heart to understand that the chasing thyself which means fasting chasing myself before god thy words were heard and i am came forth for thy words but the prince of the kingdom of persia this is an angelic prince a fallen angel is hindering gabriel getting through and he was stood in one and 20 days 21 days but lou michael one of the cheap princes came to help me since spiritual warfare is a real thing and angels are dispatched to help us prevail you're praying praying praying there's no answer just wait since there's an angel coming do you realize angels are caught up in our prayer life they are affected by our prayer life they come to answer even our prayers they may be sent to come to deliver you or to provide for you or to cause you to prevail against the enemy do you remember again in revelation 12 where we looked in verse 7 it says and there was war in heaven this is a prophecy about our generation what's just about to happen there was war in heaven michael and his angels fought against the dragon and the dragon fought against his angels and prevailed not neither was their place found any more in heaven they were cast out and the great dragon was cast out that old serpent the devil and satan which deceiveth the whole world who cast him out michael and his angels there was war in the heaven against the dragon real warfare you see the last days the days were entering is going to be a remarkable hour and time of spiritual warfare i actually believe there's going to be a great increase in angelic intervention if you think that it's becoming dangerous in our world for the church for the christian i assure you it's going to be an hour of greater angelic visitation there are two kingdoms in this world and i believe there's going to be an intense warfare in this hour our world is changing politics is changing society is changing and i believe the church is going to change it is an hour of great spiritual warfare put on the whole armor of god that you may be able to stand against the wilds 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 can i tell you it is a time of great warfare in isaiah 37 and 36 isaiah and king hezekiah go to prayer the enemies are coming against them overwhelming armies they don't stand a chance in jerusalem but you know what the secret is king hezekiah goes to prayer with the man of god called isaiah and listen god answered prayer it says in isaiah 37 36 and the angel of the lord went forth and smote the camp of the assyrians and it says there that that one angel killed 185 000 soldiers that were on the battlefield standing against them i want to assure you we are entering an utterly unique hour of spiritual warfare how do we fight this battle on our knees in prayer but i promise you by the word of god by the authority of heaven itself i promise you as we pray and as we face whatever may come in the future maybe it'll be like some of these people like john g patton not missionary the new hebrides or maybe like mary monson who went to china or maybe like vania i don't know what awaits us but i promise you church that angels are working for this church for you for i i don't feel them i don't see them i've only had two dreams in my life where i knew it was an angel from the lord delivering a message to me it was nine years ago just over nine years ago may maybe nine and a half we were preparing trying to sell our house and let in cork for three years we tried and it wasn't possible it wasn't selling everything had changed no mortgages uh our our two mortgages were going higher we were coming to the end of our financial resources in fact we got so close one week later we would have been in serious trouble financially but the lord knew you know i was worried about these things there's two things i was concerned about and this night in a dream an angel came to me and said i'll be okay everything's gonna be okay concerning these two things just trust the lord everything's gonna be all right and not in that dream with this angel i knew it was gonna be okay it was a miracle how god provided for us and nine years ago we we sold that house moved here to limerick we're able to do it all and be financially free it could have been a disaster it got to within a week of it but you know an angel of the lord i believe people can argue or laugh at that but i believe the angel of the lord as soon as he spoke that word peace came into my heart i've never seen a physical angel i don't need to see them i may never see them but they're no less real to me i believe the word of god as we close to pray here psalm 34 and verse 7 the angel of the lord encampeth round about them that fear him and he delivereth them father i pray for my friends those in this church those scattered elsewhere in other countries and other nations and other places those that feel they're a part of this church we pray for them i pray this morning lord god that you'd send this message that you'd open up eyes even as you have done from the beginning of this message i believe it's ordained of you to encourage to strengthen to equip us to help us my god i pray will will you help your saints that are listening to this message will you deliver them from harm will you provide for them in the day of trouble and lord god will you prevail against powers of darkness as they pray and seek your face i pray that you would endure us with power that you prepare us that even as we go into uncertain days in the year ahead as we face many trials many troubles persecution opposition that you are going to send your angels to deliver us to help us to show us the way through i do pray that you help my friends in jesus mighty name amen

Channel: SermonIndex.net

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Keywords: Revival, Character Of God, Free Sermons, Video Sermons, Jesus Christ, What Is The Gospel, SermonIndex, What Is The Truth, Keith Malcomson

Id: 3b1hevdNxoY

Length: 77min 55sec (4675 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 25 2021