Skip HeitzigSkip Heitzig

Skip's Teachings > Rediscovering Our Foundations > Touched by an Angel

Message:

SAVE: MP3
BUY: Buy CD
Player will resume where you were momentarily. Please wait...

Cancel
Loading player...
Enter your Email Address:

or cancel

Touched by an Angel
Luke 1-2
Skip Heitzig

Luke 1 (NKJV™)
1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us,
2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us,
3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus,
4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.
8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division,
9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
14 "And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
15 "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
16 "And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
17 "He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
18 And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."
19 And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.
20 "But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time."
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple.
22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.
23 And so it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.
24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,
25 "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people."
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
28 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"
29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.
30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.
32 "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
33 "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."
34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"
35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
36 "Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.
37 "For with God nothing will be impossible."
38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,
40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 "But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 "For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45 "Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord."
46 And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty.
54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever."
56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.
57 Now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son.
58 When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.
59 So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias.
60 His mother answered and said, "No; he shall be called John."
61 But they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name."
62 So they made signs to his father--what he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, "His name is John." So they all marveled.
64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God.
65 Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea.
66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, "What kind of child will this be?" And the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:
68 "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people,
69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David,
70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began,
71 That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us,
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
74 To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
76 "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;
79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace."
80 So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.
Luke 2 (NKJV™)
1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.
3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11 "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 "And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us."
16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
21 And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD"),
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."
25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,
28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
29 "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."
33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against
35 "(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;
37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.
43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it;
44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.
46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.
48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously."
49 And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?"
50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.
51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.

Previous | Next Cookies must be enabled to support these options.
Rediscovering Our Foundations

As even the title suggests, angels have become popular in modern culture. But whether we know it or not, we've all been "touched an angel." Martin Luther helped us to understand their role by remarking, "An angel is a spiritual creature created by God without a body, for the service of Christendom and of the church." He was partially correct, but angels serve an even greater role than being strictly for the church. Their ministry goes beyond us and is principally concerned with the glory and majesty of God.

We live in an age where truth has become a relative term. But the Bible leaves no room for doubt when it comes to the absolute nature of truth. Unfortunately, our culture is vastly biblically illiterate. In this series, Pastor Skip Heitzig gets back to the roots of our faith, looking at what the Bible has to say about God, Christ, the Trinity, mankind, the church, heaven, and hell. Learn to stand on a firm foundation in the midst of an unstable culture.

FREE - Download Entire Series (MP3) (Help) | Buy series | Buy audiobook

Outline

    Open as Word Doc Open as Word Doc    Copy Copy to Clipboard    Print icon    Show expand

  1. The Identity of Angels (Three Identifying Attributes)
  2. The Ministry of Angels (Four Ministry Characteristics)

Transcript

Open as Word Doc Open as Word Doc    Copy Copy to Clipboard    Print icon    Show expand

"Space, the final frontier." We grew up hearing that some of us. "These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise." Now that's fiction, there is no starship Enterprise carousing around the galaxy exploring gut there are other beings who are, who are non-fictional beings, we call them angels. Back in 1985 there was a ship out in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California I believe it was It was an exploration ship and a biologist by the name of Bruce Robison was let overboard in a one-man sub called The Deep Rover. And they put him down about 500 meters, about 1500 feet, to explore the vast deep regions of inner space, the ocean. He went down deep where the light is very very scarce and it is required to have strong lights on the front of his craft. It's an acrylic bulb that surrounded him and this little craft that took him down where the water was inky black. And he's described and photographed millions of little luminescent creatures around him. "When suddenly from seemingly out of nowhere loomed a semi-transparent creature," he said and photographed, "with thousands of tentacles, dozens of stomachs, measuring about a hundred and twenty feet long. Then, also from out of nowhere were swimming with that one were others that surrounded his ship." And no, I am not going to say they attacked and ate it, because that's what Hollywood would do to a movie. That's a real life situation. These large creatures that people for the most part haven't known existed. Now I'm telling you this because just as those creatures are existing and are a part of everyday life, they're out there all the time. But we disregard them, we don't know about them.

In the spiritual realm, there are a host of other creatures on a daily basis that we don't really pay much attention to but it's in a realm all together different, a spiritual realm. God, demons, angels, and we've discovered some of those the last few weeks. If you were to mention angels to some of your parents, the first thing that might come to their minds would be Jimmy Stewart because they would be thinking of that Christmas film that comes out every year It's A Wonderful Life where Jimmy Stewart plays the key actor in the movie George Bailey, and he's very suicidal and an angel is dispatched from heaven to keep George Bailey from committing suicide. And Jimmy Stewart goes from being very depressed to being very excited at the end and he has something to live for. Well, needless to say we popularized angels to the extent that we made them just decorations now. We put them on trees. We collect them. There are whole lines of angels that one can buy for his or her home. I read an article where one Wisconsin homemaker collected a total 11,161 angel artifacts. Now she's so into this that she's boing to remove doors and windows from walls in thehome, patch them up, to make more room for more shelves for more angel artifacts. She's into it.

Not too long ago Publisher's Weekly said that five out of ten paperbacks sold in our country have to do with angels. And of course there's hosts of articles about them. When the national news magazines but out their obligatory twic-a-year spiritual article they often highlight angels. For instance, Life magazine put out an article, "In Search of Angels." Time magazine put one out, "Angels Among Us," and they took a poll and they discovered that sixty-nine percent of Americans believe in angels, thirty-two percent believe they have felt the presence of an angel at one time or another. You can even get angel screensavers off the internet, you can order angel mousepads. And I heard of a Michigan group with the acronym HALO which stands for Helping Angel Lovers Own Stores. No joke. Why not, "Helping Angel Lovers Come up with a better name than that. But they did anyway. In fact, the article author asked, "Can McAngels be far behind?" I have even heard of angel sightings. Now these are interesting. Every now and then somebody will come up to me and basically come up with the same story and I am a skeptic by nature, I don't deny their existence, obviously and we're talking about them and we'll see in the Bible. But I've found that angel sightings are very much like Elvis sightings. And so I'm very wary to just believe them necessarily. In fact one 48-year-old woman by the name of Eileen Freeman claims to be an angelologist and says her guardian angel helped her lose a hundred and fifty pounds. So there's a whole new heavenly diet for you (laughter).

The Bible speaks about them and one of the most familiar passages is found in Luke. And if you look at chapter 1, in verse 11, "Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him (that is, to Zachraias the priest) Standing on the right side of the altar of incense and Zacharias saw him and was troubled and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard. And your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you will call his name John." And if you skip down to verse 26, "In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to here, "Rejoice highly favored one. The Lord is with you, blessed are you among women." And then in chapter 2 we see him again in the most familiar story of all, verse 8, "There were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields keeping watch over their flock by night. Behold an angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were greatly afraid. And the angel said, "Do not be afraid for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which is to be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a savior who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign, you will find the babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men." Now tonight we want to look at the identity of angels and the ministry of angels. Who are they and what do they do? Do you realize that you may have met an angel? You say, "Oh no, no, no. I would've known if I met an angel. You know the wings give it away. The halo, the whole bit, I would've recognized an angel." Well that's just the point. You may have met an angel and you wouldn't necessarily have recognized that being. For the writer of Hebrews tell us, "Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it." I think perhaps one of the reasons we tend to dismiss the idea of angels, at least some who do, is because of all of the lame caricatures that have been put out there about who angels are supposed to be. Who are these beings? What are they like? Do they have long flowing robes? Do they have wings? Do they really play harps? Is there some rule that says they have play harps? Couldn't they play a guitar? Are they always female like is often portrayed? Who are they, what do they do?

A few things I just want to bring up as a preliminary here, preliminary in the identity of angels. First of all, they're all over the Bible. That is they're referred to often in the scripture. How much? Well, thirty-four books of the Bible, seventeen in the Old and seventeen in the New bring reference to thse angelic visitors, these angels. Now these are real references. These are people who write about them, say they have seen them, not in a vision, not in a dream, not because they ate pizza late at night but a real bona fide experience with angelic beings. Thirty-four different books. The word angel is mentioned 103 times in the Old Testament and 165 times in the New. The term angel, angelos, means a messenger. It is often a word that is used for any kind of a messenger, even a pastoral messenger or somebody who would be a human messenger, but mowt often it refers to this special spiritual being that we normally refer to as an angel. Where' they come from? Well, this is where we need to distinguish between myth and reality, between fact and fiction because truth be told, just about every ancient culture, worldview, spiritual ideology mentions or depicts some form of angel. All the way from the Babylonians who pictured spirit beings going between the gods in the heavens, bringing messages to the gods on the earth to the Greeks and the Romans who pictured gods, goddesses, demigods, very active from the heavens on the earth. A Muslim legend says that when Muhammed was transported into heaven, he saw an angel with seventy thousand heads, each head had seventy thousand faces, each face had seventy thusand mouths, each mouth had seventy thousand tongues and each tongue could speak seventy thousand languages. All of this is myth obviously. Ancient Egyptian artifacts and archeological finds show that the Egyptians as well as the ancient Sumerians believed and taught about angels. So, because of that, because every ancient culture mentions them, it would be quite easy to take the biblical account of angels and relegate it as Bill Moyers has done in his powerful series on the myth and say, "This is the Hebrew myth." "This is the New Testament biblical myth, just like so many other myths." Or, what it could show is that these other ancient cultures preserved at least a distorted memory of actual early experiences and revelations of angels. In other words, there were angelic beings and are angelic beings that intersected in history, they were experienced, they were seen, it was revealed but being unbelievers over a period of time as history unfolded it became a distorted picture. Just like the story of the flood is mentioned in virtually every other cosmology. They see to have been present at the creation of the universe.

I'm going to read you a passage, it's in Job 38, I didn't want you to turn to too many passages tonight, so a couple of them I'm going to read. Now in Job 38, Job is sort of about done with his period of suffering. He's been asking, "Why this..? and "Why that...?" and questioning God and so God has a few questions for old Job. And he comes to him and he says, "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?" "Tell me if you have understanding." "Who determined its measurements. Surely you know." Or, "Who stretched a line upon it? "To what were its foundations fastened?" Or, "Who laid its cornerstone? When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy." Or, as the New Living translation puts it, "As the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy." It would seem then then what God is saying is that the angels at the creation had like front-row seats. They had like the best view, just checking it out, watching God fling the planets out and spread out the universe, seeing it all put in perfect order. So these were created beings. Created beings.

According to Jesus in Matthew 22, angels don't procreate. Which means each one (get this) is a special creation by God. Making angels immortal. Not eternal because they had a beginning, they were created, before the material universe. But being eternal in that they are spiritual and they never will died. Because of that reason that they're specially created by God they are sometimes referred to in the scripture as the sons of God. Don't let the term throw you. It means these are specially created beings as a direct creation by God. In Job chapter 1, "The sons of God appeared before God and Satan was among them." We discovered that last week. So, before the material universe God created these spirit being called angelos, angels, a third of them fell with Lucifer as we saw last week, 'The didn't keep their first estate" as the New Testament writer puts it. Two thirds of them remain loyal and it's the two-thirds that we look at tonight.

A second thing in their identity, they're normally invisible. And I say normally invisible. Billy Graham calls them god's secret agents. They are spirit beings, they are non-corporeal, they don't have a body, they are spiritual beings. They are called in Hebrews 1 "ministering spirits," which gives them an advantage, they're unhindered, they're unrestricted like we are. You know we are very restricted in our human bodies and our bodies decay. They are unhindered like humans are and they are not subject to decay. Now I say they're invisible most of the time, on special occasions for whatever reason God has, he clothes them with some form of a body. Now I've been asked to explain this and I have a tough time doing it. I can only give you an analogy. Can I do that? Let's go back to Star Trek (and I'm not a Trekkie by the way, this is just an illustration that comes to mind) you have the Federation starships carousing around the universe, they're taking some long trips. What do they do for entertainment? Do you remember? The Holideck or the Holisuite. And this is this virtual reality where they go into this large room and if they're a human they can program in a scene that is done holographically, three-dimensionally, but it appears, it looks like, it feels like, it smells like reality. So if you're from the earth and you're on this long journey across space you could program in and design the Swiss Alps and climb them. If you're a Klingon you can create a famous space battle in the past and practice your fighting skills. And then when you're all done with it, you can just says, "Computer, end program." And you're back to the room again and you go back and you go on do your duties. So, it's as if in periods of history God clothes these spirit beings with a body. Til he's done and he can just say, "End program."

We see that t he angelic beings appear visually as sort of like divine security guards in the Garden of Eden. They are there with a flaming sword keeping people from coming back in, Adam and Eve. We see them a little bit later as Abraham invites three men who are angels into his tent and they're visitors and they eat with him. What do you feed an angel? (I know you're thinking, "Angel food cake." Probably not.) These guys just appeared like normal human beings. We see that angels are like divine bouncers, a few chapters later, the very next chapter in fact and angels preserve him as they destroy the city. We see angels protecting Peter in Acts chapter 12, spring him from angel, like a Special Op angel. But for the most part thought they appeared now and then, for the most part they're invisible. They're invisible. Why? My opinion: If they were visible all the time humans would have a tendency to worship them. Don't you think? I mean we're worshipping Jesus' face in a tortilla, what would we do if we saw an angel? We'd fall down and worship the thing. Men, we're given to that kind of activity. By the way, even John did this in Revelation. He said, "I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things but he said to me, "See that you do not do this. for I am your fellow servant. Worship God." And that could be a message to anybody who would worship saints or any other personage before God. Even the angel would not accept it, God was to be worshipped.

Third, there's a lot of them, they're mentioned in scripture. There's a lot of them. They're great in number, how many of them? Again we don't know but there's a lot of them. And this, has been actually a theological debate over the years. People have actually tried to assign a number to them. "How many angels can you fit on the head of a pin?" Like, who cares? But one theolotian, Albertus Magnus was precise. He said, "There are (emphatically) three hundred and ninety-nine million, nine hundred and twenty thousand and four angels." Where di he get this from? Probably pizza late one night but it's not from the Bible. But we know there's a lot of them. When Jesus was born, we just read it, "A multitude of the heavenly host proclaimed worship to him." In Revelation 5, "I saw ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands." Millions, innumerable amounts of angels. And they're classified. I don't mean they're secret as much as they have rankings, classifications. We don't exactly know what they mean but we know that there's only three angels that have ever been named, at least to our knowledge, we have the names of them. Lucifer, he fell. Michael, called an archangel in the book of Jude. And Gabriel. Michael has a special duty to oversee the nation of Israel. He's called the prince of your people to Daniel. And he was the guardian and I believe still is, the guardian of the nation of Israel. And just looking at their history, I think he's done a pretty good job of it. I look at a nation that has been attacked several times, the city of Jerusalem has been leveled 36 times, raised from the ashes 37 times. Went through dispersions, one for two thousand years almost. They were brought back into the land. They've gon e through Holocausts and persecution etcetera. And they still are in existence. There is the angel Gabriel and Gabriel seems to be a special messenger from God which handles Jesus' stuff, the Messiah. He announced to Mary that she's pregnant and announced to Joseph and was there at the ministry of Jesus Christ on earth. Then there are cherubim. Satan was a cherub, "the anointed cherub that covers." And cherubim as I see it are like those who attend the presence of God and are intimate with the glory of God. There were two cherubim carved over the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant. There are the four living creatures in Ezekiel called cherubim and again seen in the book of Revelation. Then there are seraphim, which literally means burning ones, on-fire ones. These are being who radiate the glory of God but hover above the throne of God. They're crying out, "Holy, holy, holy, in Isaiah chapter 6, "the whole earth is full of his glory." And their voice is so powerful that the doorposts that Isaiah saw were shaking. Just this radiating sound of the seraphim, burning ones, burning devotion, burning worship for the Lord.

Now when I study angels, if there's so many of them, they've got all these classifications, they do all these things, it reminds me of how great God must be and is. But there's this great number of angels and great positions of the angels, it speaks of the greatness of God. Too many people still picture God as being this lonely being stroking his beard wondering what to do from day to day when he's got millions, billions of angelic beings all around him all the time. Majestic, glorious.

That's their identity. What is their ministry? What do they do? Do angels really sit up on a cloud all day? Playing the harp? Watching reruns of Touched by an Angel or whatever. No, they do four things principally and I've summed them up for you. Number one, first and foremost they stand in God's presence. That's what they do, their main job is to hang out with God. Kind of a cool job, isn't it? And they spend a lot of their time standing before him and rendering him praise. And in chapter 7, "He saw ten thousand times ten thousand standing before him. Revelation 4, the four living creatures, they do not rest day or night saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come."

Now turn with me to Revelation chapter 5, verse 11, "Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures and the elders and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. And every creature which in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, such as are in the sea and all that are in them, I heard saying, "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever." The four living creatures said, "Amen." And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshipped him who lives forever and ever." Now I want you to think about that for a minute. You've got millions of angels worshipping God and the Lamb, his Son. That ought to number one, humble us and number two, encourage us. This is what I mean, it ought to humble us because it shows us that God in heaven will never be without worship even if we fail to worship him. If we stop worship, we just don't do it, there'll be multitudes of angelic beings who are. But it humbles us because if angels who know God much better than we do, understand that worship is vital and important as an ongoing activity, what about Us?

And then it encourages us. Not only humbles us, and this is what I mean by that, there is something here that I think is often overlooked and that is this: The angels are not singing. They're not singing here. They're saying something. But it doesn't say they're singing anything. It says in verse 12, "they are saying with a loud voice." Every Christmas season I listen to that famous Christmas carol that I love as well, "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." But you know what? It's not accurate. I don't want to mess with your Christmas, but if you want to be accurate it would be, "Hark the Herald Angels speak." Because in Bethlehem, when the multitude of the angelic hosts is there, it says, "They're praising God and saying (the Greek word legos, speaking) "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and good will toward men."

Now in Revelation 5 verse 8 we have the twenty-four elders which are humans and four living creatures which are angels, they're singing. But the rest of the angelic host is not. So, listen carefully, if Job 38 speaks of angels, it means the angels sang before the fall and they'll sing when the curse is removed, until then they don't sing. It's as if they are restrained while the earth is still under a curse. One day we'll join them in an anthem, these four living creatures, and we'll sing. But until that time there is no singing among the angels. Here's my point: You're not an angel. And you and I are given an incredible opportunity and mandate to sing praises to God. It says in Ephesians, "Sing, lift up y our voices, sing a new song." We're not angels. We, rather are redeemed ones, been bought by the blood of Jesus Christ, you and I have something to sing about. So, in a worship service, don't you dare just sit there and look around. But get involved and sing because you are redeemed ones and you've got a reason to do it. So, A) they stand in the pr essence of God. B) or number two, they share in God's work. That's part of their ministry. You might say they're God's helpers, they help him out. Because angels are a direct creation of God, they have incredible power God has invested in them. And it is used according to the will and purpoases of God. They were there in creation, they were there at the giving of the law, the writer of Hebrews tells us. They gave and helped Daniel receive a revelation, John receive a revelation, they were involved in the life of Jesus Christ, they announced his birth, they attended his birth, they warned Joseph to leave Herod's domain and go down to Egypt, told them when they should go back. When Jesus was tempted out in the wilderness and in the Garden of Gethsemane later on, the angels came and ministered to him. And who was it that rolled the stone away? The angels did and they sat on it, hung out in the Garden, waiting for people to come. So they're very involved in the work of God upon the earth.

Third, they send God's judgment. They send God's judgment. How powerful are angels? I'll give you an example: In the Old Testament there's the story of Jerusalem being surrounded by the Assyrian army under Sennachrib, the Bible tells us that one angel went out and destroyed a hundred and eight-five thousand Assyrians. One angel destroyed a hundred and eighth-five thousand, you don't want to tick an angel off, okay. That's sort of a rule that we should just kind of get along with. One angel destroyed a hundred and eight-five thousand. Then, remember when Lot was in Sodom and Gormorah, two angels, that's all God needed to destroy the city. Two angels showed up and they came into Lot's house. And you know what happened, the men of the city knocked on the door, right? Saying, "Send those men out," and by the way every time you read about angels in the Bible, they appear in male form, never female form. So they knock on the door, "Send those guys out that we may have sexual relations with them." Now, this didn't like upset the angels, they could handle it, but it did bother them a little bit because they smote everybody with blindness. And then destroyed the city. Two angels destroyed the cit, one angel wiped out a hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians. This adds new light to what Jesus said to Peter, "Put away your swrod Peter, don't you know that I could call twelve legions of angels?" If I wanted to, I could snap my fingers and seventy-two thousand angels would show up now. Imagine if they did. If one angel destroyed a hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians, can you imagine what seventy-two thousand angels would do? Let's even project that into the future, into the tribulation period, who is it that will unfurl the judgments that are the seals on the scroll, the bowls that are poured out on the earth, it is the angels. And you might say, "The earth will be torched by an angel at that time." They will attend to and send the judgment of God upon the earth. Now we're about to wrap up, listen carefully. If you have never had an experience with an angel, and probably most of you don't know that you have, you will one day. Guaranteed. Either in heaven surrounding the throne, worshipping with them, what a cool service that's going to be. Or, you'll experience them in judgment because Jesus Christ said, "The Son of Man will send out his angels and they will gather out of the kingdom all those that offend and who practice lawlessness and will cast them into the furnace of fire where there will be wailing and ganshing of teeth." So one day everyone is going to have an angelic experience of some kind, either in heaven or in judgment. So what is their ministry? They stand in God's presence, they share God's work, they send God's judgment.

And finally, and we close with this, they serve God's people. I left this for last because I wanted you to go away and having the question answered: How do I relate to thse beings? Angels are sent on your behalf. The last verse of Hebrews 1 said, "Angels are ministering spirits sent to minister to those who will inherit salvation, that's you and me. The Bible says, "The angel of the Lord encamps around all those that fear him." You say, "Well what do angels do in particular to serve God's people? Well number one, they protect us. Not always, they don't always keep us from every bad little thing but oftentimes angels protect. Daniel was in a lion's den, right? He got out the next morning, stretched, felt really good And he said, "Aw, don't worry about it king, the Lord sent his angel to shut the mouths of the lions." That would have been great to see. Paul was aboard a ship, prison ship on the way to Rome. Everybody thought the storm was going to sink the ship and the next Paul got up and said, "Hey, last night an angel came and appeared to me and said it's going to be all right." Protecting God's people. I think of the activities that I've been engaged in, whether it's snowboarding or surfing or riding Harley Davidsons, and I just can imagine, I get on that motorcycle, I know my mom always worried, she said, "Don't tell me when you ride that thing." But I'd get on that thing and I'm sure the angels just sort of get on the Walkie Talkie, "Get him, he's on the bike. Send out the angels." They protect us.

So protection. Number two, revelation. Revelation. The angels were there helping when God gave the law at Mount Sinai. So they helped the revelation. Angels appear in Daniel and the book of Revelation helping these two fellas to understand. Often John is interacting with the angel trying to understand, "What is this about?" Now that's for these two men in particular no doubt. I don't think angels give me insight, I think the Holy Spirit does. But there's a great story, you know about it, and angel comes and tells Mary, "You're pregnant." She goes, "I don't understand. I haven't had any relationships with a man." "I know but the Holy Spirit's going to overshadow you and it's virgin birth." But there's a person that needed a good explanation: What was his name? Joseph. Okay, she's supernaturally pregnant, try to explain that to the fiancée. It wouldn't go over well with a guy, "Yeah, right." And so God covers the bases and sends Gabriel, the special angel, to tell Joseph, "Don't be afraid, Joseph to take Mary as your wife." And explains what is going on. Giving hm revelation, helping him to understand.

Number three, supplication. Do you know that angels are sent when you pray? Daniel prayed and immediately Michael was dispatched. It says in Daniel chapter 10 and he says, "I have come to give you understanding for the future." Let me give you and example: Turn with me to Acts 12 and we're going to close with this tonight, this is our last text, it just takes a moment. "About that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews he proceeded to seize Peter also. And it was during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. When he had arrested him, he put him in prison, delivered to four squads of soldiers to keep him intending to bring him out before the people after Passover. Peter was therefore kept in prison but (notice this) constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church." The battle line was drawn, Satan wanted him killed, God wanted him alive. The church is in the middle, they're praying for him. The story gets good. "When Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping." Now that's interesting, you're going to die the next day and you're getting a good night's sleep? There's a good reason, I don't have time to tell you though. "He was bound with two chains between two soldiers and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. Now behold an angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone around him in the prison. He struck Peter on the side and raised him up. So the guy was sawing logs, the angel had to nudge him. "Arise quickly," and the chains fell off of his hands. And the angel said to him, "Gird yourself, tie on your sandals," so he did. And he said, "Put on your garments and follow me." When he had followed, he went out, he did not know what was done by the angel that it was real. But he thought he was seeing a vision. When they were past the first and second guardposts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city which opened to them of its own accord and he went out, went down one street, immediately the angel departed from him." Okay, he comes to, he figures, "Wow that was an angel. That was amazing. He goes to the very prayer meeting where they're praying for him to get out of prison. Verse 13, "As Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer and she recognized Peter's voice. Because of her gladness she did not open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. But they (these are the people with great faith now praying) 'You're nuts.' Yet she kept on insisting that it was so. And so they said, "It is his angel." So Peter kept knocking. You know they left him out there. No I imagine maybe they were praying something like, "Lord you can do anything. Why one angel could kill a hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrians, and you could send an angel to Sodom. And Lord send an angel to deliver him. Knock, knock, knock, "I'm here." "Aw, you're nuts. It can't be him." Isn't it interesting? An angel gets him out of prison, Peter can't even get into a prayer meeting. (laughter)

Finally, angels attend us when we die. There's several examples of this, the most notable is the rich man and Lazarus. Jesus told the story. He said, "the rich man died and was buried. But with the poor man the angels took him and brought him to Abraham's bosom." One guy dies utterly alone and is buried, the other is surrounded with his heavenly buddies, angels who escort his soul into the very presence of God. And you know Daniel called angels watchers. You know they're like heavenly surveillance spies. That's kind of a scary thought, isn't it, somebody once said that "secret sin on earth is open scandal in heaven." They see it all. And I am sure that as they watch they look at some of our activities and our lack of faith and stuff that we do and they go, "I don't get it, God came to this planet and redeemed them and look at their response."

J. B. Phillips told the story of an angel who was being shown the universe for the first time by an older angel. And they're going out through all the galaxies and the senior angel points to a small sphere turning slowly on its axis. It looked as dull as a dirty tennis ball to the little angel whose mind was filled with the size and glory of what he had just seen. "Watch that one particularly," said the senior angel pointing with his finger. "it looks very small to me," said the little angel. "What's special about it?" He listened in stunned disbelief as the senior angel told hm that this planet, small and insignificant and not overly clean was the renowned visited planet. "Do you mean that our glorious prince stooped so low as to become one of those creeping crawling creatures on that floating ball?" "I do and I don't think he would like you to call them creeping crawling creatures. For strange as it may see to us, he loves them. He went down to visit them to lift them up to become like him." The little angel looked blank, such a thought was almost beyond his comprehension. And isn't it beyond ours?

Heavenly Father, we close tonight and really more than studying angels we get a glimpse into your magnificence, your glory, your majesty, that it's not just people on a planet that you created, it's not just billions of other galaxies besides the Milky way, there are millions at least many millions, multitudes of the heavenly hosts in different positions around your throne doing your bidding, performing your word and watching us. What do they see among us Lord? Hearts of worship, praise, surrender, trust, obedience? Lord, may we who are a little lower than the angels in our humanity live in such a way that exemplifies the reality of this spirit world that is constantly around us, even though to ur eyes we don't see it. In Jesus' name.

Additional Messages in this Series

Show expand

 
Date Title   Watch Listen Notes Share Save Buy
9/15/2002
completed
resume  
Does the Truth Really Matter?
2 Timothy 4
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Today I begin a new series I am calling Rediscovering Our Foundations. I am concerned about the vast biblical illiteracy that exists in our country in general and in our churches in particular. Truth is commonly seen by our culture as relative and not fixed. Often sentiments such as, "Well, that is your truth, but it's not my truth," are expressed by many. But if truth is absolute, then why not stand up for it? Why be embarrassed about it? What do you really believe about God, the Trinity, Christ, mankind, the church, heaven, and hell?
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
9/22/2002
completed
resume  
Is Anybody Up There?
Hebrews 11:1-40;Romans 2:1-29
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
We all remember the scene in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy and her three friends come to approach the Great Oz. Out of the corner of their eye they notice a man pulling levers behind a curtain, working the mechanical, smoke-breathing Oz. The man then reacts by announcing, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" But how can they not? The man is the explanation for everything to them. They discovered that Oz didn't really exist! So how do we know that God exists and isn't a fabrication or projection of our own imaginations?
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
9/29/2002
completed
resume  
The Bible - From God or From Men? - Part 1
2 Timothy 3:15-17
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
In this series, Rediscovering Our Foundations, it's time to consider your own personal foundation. What is the final resting place for your cares, concerns, griefs, surprises and sorrows? Where do you turn for answers to life's deepest questions? What is your authority? How sure are you that the Bible is the inerrant and inspired Word of God? Can you articulate to others the difference between the Bible and other "sacred" religious works?
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
10/6/2002
completed
resume  
The Bible - From God or From Men? - Part 2
2 Timothy 3:15-17
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Last week, we discovered exactly what the designation "Scripture" referred to and how books of the Bible were considered as part of the inspired text. We also learned what inspiration means and how God used humans in His process of having exactly what He wanted written down. But anyone can claim inspiration for their work. Yet how do we know that the Bible is the authentic Word of God? Moreover, how can we share with others its uniqueness so they, too, may listen to its message and apply it?
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
10/13/2002
completed
resume  
The God Who Knows It All!
Psalm 139:1-6
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
A little boy climbed his neighbor's apple tree when he saw their car leave. He didn't realize that while he was stuffing his pockets full of apples, another neighbor was watching through a pair of binoculars and saw the whole thing! God isn't spying on people, trying to catch them doing something wrong; but God is aware of everything. Such a truth has a profound effect on us: it can either be very comforting or else extremely unsettling.
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
10/20/2002
completed
resume  
Are You a Big-Godder or a Little Godder?
Psalm 139:7-24
Skip Heitzig
  Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Transcript Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
11/10/2002
completed
resume  
Wholly Holy!
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
In this current series, Rediscovering Our Foundations, we've considered some key attributes of the God we know and love. He is omniscient (knows everything); He is omnipresent (everywhere present); He is omnipotent (operates at full power). But there is another key attribute that is seldom considered, yet is fundamentally key in understanding the Bible—God's holiness. Let's observe one man's encounter with this holy God and what it means to us.
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
11/17/2002
completed
resume  
Good Man, Mad Man, Con Man, or God-Man?
Matthew 16:13-17
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
No other person from history has generated so much controversy and speculation, as well as written literature, as Jesus Christ. Theologians, philosophers, poets and pundits have all weighed in concerning who Jesus is. What is often forgotten is that Jesus can never be overestimated! John said that the, "world itself could not contain the books that should be written" (John 21:25) about His accomplishments.
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
12/1/2002
completed
resume  
A King Among the Critters
Luke 2:1-7
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
In our current series, Rediscovering Our Foundations, we've come to the person of Christ. Last time, we considered His identity; today, we contemplate His nativity. For the next few weeks, we'll look closely at Jesus' birth, His early years, ministry, and death on the cross, which was the very purpose of His birth. It's my hope that we'll all emerge with a fuller understanding of Jesus and a deeper desire to worship and serve Him. Today, let's look at the strange circumstances of His birth.
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
12/8/2002
completed
resume  
Jesus - The Boy With a Purpose - Part 1
Luke 2:1-52; Matthew 2:1-23
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Jesus' upbringing and boyhood has been the subject of much speculation and endless controversy throughout the centuries. Myths have developed about Jesus based (interestingly enough) on what isn't written. The Bible gives us five cameo glimpses of Jesus from early boyhood to age 30. We'll look at three of these today and then two more next week. We discover that Jesus' whole life was marked with purpose.
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
12/15/2002
completed
resume  
Jesus - The Boy With a Purpose - Part 2
Luke 2-3
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
We don't give much thought to Jesus growing up, developing into adolescence and then into manhood. But of course He did. Luke is really the only New Testament author who gives us information about these early years. He speaks generally about Jesus' growth as well as specifically about Jesus' capacity as a young boy of 12. At each stage of His life, Jesus demonstrated He knew His purpose for His life on earth.
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
12/22/2002
completed
resume  
A Lamb at the River
Matthew 3:1-17; John 1:1-51
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
When Jesus turned 30, He presented Himself to the nation of Israel in public ministry. His first appearance, however, seemed so out of character for the kind of Messiah that people were anticipating. What was He doing getting baptized in a river with everyone else? John was about to find out—and so was everyone else.
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
1/12/2003
completed
resume  
The Holy Spirit: Invisible, Personal, Powerful
John 14-16
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Today in our series Rediscovering Our Foundations, we consider the Holy Spirit. Most of us have heard of Him, but who is He exactly? What does He do? How important is the Holy Spirit to your personal life, your family life, your work or your leisure time? Perhaps A.W. Tozer was right when he said, "For multitudes of Christians profess today the Holy Spirit is not a necessity. They have learned to cheer their hearts and warm their hands at other fires." It is my sincere prayer that will change for us in the few weeks ahead.
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
1/19/2003
completed
resume  
The Gracious and Holy Hound of Heaven
John 16:5-11
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Having understood Who the Holy Spirit is (Person, not just power; Deity, not just dignitary), we now find out what He does, specifically what He does in the world of unbelievers. Since the greatest gift God ever gave to the world was His only Son (John 3:16), it stands to reason that the greatest sin one can commit is to reject the Son (John 16:9). How does the Holy Spirit both sentence the world as prosecutor and yet lead people away from judgment? And what role do we play in all of this?
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
1/26/2003
completed
resume  
I Need Somebody, Help! Not Just Anybody
John 14-16
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
To live one's life for God in an ungodly world sounds like mission impossible, right? It would be as if we had to do it without help. But be strengthened by this thought: God never intended for us to do it alone! That's why He has provided His people a Helper, the Holy Spirit. This ever-present divine Person is very busy helping God's people become all He wants them to be.
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
2/2/2003
completed
resume  
Brand-Spankin' New Apostles!
Acts 1:1-8
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
The legendary missionary to India, William Carey, didn't see obstacles; he saw opportunities. He was the "Let's go for it!" kind of guy. In fact, one of his most famous sayings was, "Attempt great things for God; expect great things from God." Carey did both and saw results! The Holy Spirit can take ordinary men and women and do extraordinary things with them. He is the God who "makes all things new" (Revelation 21:5). Such a truth can only create a sense of wonder and excitement in the heart of a child of God. After all, what new thing could God do through you?
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
2/9/2003
completed
resume  
Unholy Responses to the Holy Spirit
Ephesians 4:30
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
You might say that we live in the "Age of the Holy Spirit." Jesus promised Him to us after He was done with His own earthly ministry. We have seen that He is very active both in the world among the unconverted and in the church among God's own people. But He has one overriding goal-to bring glory to Jesus Christ in every life. What does that mean to us? It means a total surrendering to Him. As Oswald Chambers said, "The Holy Spirit cannot be located as a guest in a house. He invades everything." But what happens when people don't respond to Him rightly? Then what?
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
2/16/2003
completed
resume  
How Can Three Be One?
Matthew 28:16-20
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
1+1+1=1. Is this new math? No, it's the doctrine of the Trinity. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. At the very heart of the Judeo-Christian faith is the belief that there is only One God. Yet the Bible clearly teaches the plurality within the Godhead—three persons who are distinct from one another yet perfectly One in essence. What are we to make of all this? Why is it important? And more fundamentally, how should it affect us personally?
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
2/23/2003
completed
resume  
The Exceedingly Un-Holy Spirit
1 John 5:19
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Satan, the prince of darkness, has been around a long time. He has studied mankind for thousands of years, marking his strategies according to what he sees in us and what God's plan for the world is. He hates what God loves; he fights what God establishes. And let's remember, he's got help! Other spirit beings have joined his rebellion and control the system known in Scripture as the world. John even said, "the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19). What should we know about this arch-nemesis of God in order to stand against him?
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
3/9/2003
completed
resume  
Man, Has God Got a Plan For You!
Genesis 1-3
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Alexander Pope once remarked that, "the chief study of man is man himself." That may be true, especially in our culture, but this could also be the reason why mankind is so desperate and spiritually thirsty. Looking only to ourselves rather than beyond ourselves can get pretty lonely! But why are we here? What is the purpose of mankind inhabiting this planet? How can I fulfill the God-given destiny that He originally designed for me?
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
3/16/2003
completed
resume  
From Creation to Corruption
Genesis 2-3
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
How did we, as the human race, get into the colossal mess we find ourselves in? Was it always this way? And what do Adam's actions, acted out so long ago, have to do with us in this modern technologically advanced age? Am I at all responsible? Can the effects ever be undone? Let's look at these issues in the opening chapters of Genesis.
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
4/27/2003
completed
resume  
Church-Building 101
Matthew 16:13-20
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
The church was God's idea; it was never man's notion. Jesus Christ is the founder, director, architect, owner and builder of the church. But there is an awful lot of confusion about what a church is supposed to look and function like. Today, we look at the first New Testament mention of the church and look at our spiritual origins. As we are Rediscovering Our Foundations, let's also rediscover our spiritual roots as the people of God.
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
5/4/2003
completed
resume  
What Jesus Wants His Church to Be - Part 1
John 17
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
The church is not a place, but a people (a called-out assembly of people who gather together and whose heartfelt conviction is that Jesus is Lord). Jesus laid claim on the church—it belongs to Him ("I will build My church"). So then, what does He want His church to be like? What should mark us overall? In Jesus' longest recorded prayer before His crucifixion, He prays for four characteristics that are to mark the people of God. Today we look at the first two.
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
5/25/2003
completed
resume  
What Jesus Wants His Church to Be - Part 2
John 17
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Church shopping and church hopping have become one of American Christians’ favorite pastimes. We want a church that suits us, helps us, and pleases us. But since Jesus paid for it, it’s His church (Acts 20:28). So what does He want from us? What should the people of God be like? What ingredients and activities ought to be part of our makeup? In this series, Rediscovering our Foundations, we must rediscover the foundational purpose for our existence as His church.
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Transcript Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
6/1/2003
completed
resume  
How to Build a Beautiful Body
1 Corinthians 12:3-22
Skip Heitzig
  Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Transcript Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
6/22/2003
completed
resume  
The Last Days
2 Peter 1-3
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
On October 30, 1938, the day before Halloween, the novel War of the Worlds was made into a radio broadcast featuring Orson Welles. As millions of Americans were listening, the play was performed so it would sound like a news broadcast about an invasion from Mars. Many thought they were hearing an actual news account of an invasion from Mars and concluded this was the end. Some even committed suicide as their final fatal act! In Rediscovering Our Foundations, what can we know about the last days of this world and what can we do to prepare?
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
6/29/2003
completed
resume  
I'll Be Back
John 13:31-14:6
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
A little boy was trying desperately to tell his friends about what Jesus' return would be like. He described Jesus' coming in glory as being "greater than Superman, Batman, and the Power Rangers put together!" Of course even that would be an understatement. Jesus came here 2000 years ago and then left; but He promised to return. What will it be like? What difference should it make to us right here, right now?
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
7/6/2003
completed
resume  
The Burning Question
Revelation 20:11-15
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Hell is an eternal and biblical reality that has been relegated to the junk pile of modern myths. Woody Allen once said that hell is the abode of all people who annoy him. The word hell is used on a daily basis in people's dicey language patterns—usually as a fill-in expletive. Of all the Christian doctrines unfolded in Scripture, hell is the toughest one to handle. Most love the notion of a blissful heaven awaiting them; few cling to the idea of a literal hell to punish the lost.
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
7/13/2003
completed
resume  
Heaven: Our Final Frontier
Revelation 21:1-27
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Captain Kirk and his starship Enterprise weekly traversed the galaxies on the famed Star Trek episodes. That was fiction! But one day you will inhabit the recreated millennial earth in a glorified body and then explore the vast kingdoms of heaven in the eternal state. That is reality! It will be so different than what you're used to that it's linguistically impossible to convey its vastness. But there's enough here to whet the appetite for heaven!
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Audio (MP3)
Buy CD
There are 29 additional messages in this series.
© Copyright 2024 Connection Communications | 1-800-922-1888