Angels and the church

1. One word often used very loosely in our world is the word “church.”

2. Many times people wrongly apply this word to a building.

3. Even among those who know better a person may say, “Let’s go to the church.”

4. When saying this people mean the building where the church (the people) meet.

5. Church is, in Biblical terminology, just another description for those who are saved.

6. There may be cases where church is used as a metonymy (we say one thing but mean another).

7. The church is not the building.

8. Neither is the church a term that includes all religious faiths.

9. God defines what the church is in the second chapter of Acts.

10. There were people who were not Christians and these people heard a gospel sermon.

11. About 3,000 chose to obey what they had heard and they were added to the church (Acts 2:47, KJV).

12. The church consists of males and females, who have reached a reasonable degree of maturity, and who have obeyed the gospel.

GIVEN THIS DEFNIITION WE CONCLUDE THAT INFANTS ARE NOT IN THE CHURCH. ANIMALS ARE NOT IN THE CHURCH. AND, AS WE LOOK AT THE BIBLE, WE FIND THAT ANGELS ARE ALSO NOT PART OF THE CHURCH. ANGELS ARE EXCLUDED FROM THE CHURCH AND WE CAN EXPLAIN WHY THIS IS.

a) The church is a place for sinners.

b) On the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, those who heard the preaching were charged with murder.

c) Peter said they had killed the Son of God. These people were guilty of terrible wrongdoing.

d) Hence Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).

e) These things were done, and the ensuing obedience caused Jesus to add people to the church.

f) Angels in heaven are holy beings. Thus,

g) Angels in the presence of God have no need to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.

h) The church is a place for the redeemed, but angels have no need for redemption.

i) The very nature of angels excludes them from the church.

j) Angels are not members of the church, but this does not mean they are uninvolved with it.

k) In several parts of the Bible we see angels associated with the church of the New Testament.

2) We were asked to hold in readiness the 4^th chapter of Daniel; it is now time to study that chapter.

3) We want to look at just three verses: Dan. 4:13, 17, 23.

4) In each of these verses we have the same Hebrew word, and this term is applied to angels.

a) Dan. 4:13 is our first text – READ.

b) Is this not a fascinating text? Daniel had a vision and he saw a “watcher.”

c) Last Friday there was an interesting report on the news.

d) Airports that are considered high priority targets are introducing a new screening technique – SPOT.

e) SPOT stands for screening passengers by observation technique.

f) Stated more simply, there will be observers at some key airports.

g) As soon as a person arrives at one of these airports surveillance will begin.

h) Some of the spying will come from uniformed guards and other watchers will be in plain clothes.

i) If a person seems suspicious, the first level of detection will begin with an easy question.

j) A spotter will come up and ask a question like, “How are you?”

k) If the question is answered like the watcher suspects, the observation is supposed to stop.

l) If the response seems suspect, then advanced levels of observation will occur.

5) Our society literally has “watchers.” Daniel saw a watcher, and this watcher was an angel.

6) In verse 17 this word occurs again and this time it is plural – READ Dan. 4:17.

7) A third time we find this word is in verse 23 – READ.

8) Angels watch. Three times this point is made in Dan. 4.

9) Perhaps since Adam and Eve were created, angels have been watching men.

10) For angels, things before the Law of Moses had to be very interesting.

11) When Moses came along the excitement and interest must have grown a little more.

12) Then when Jesus came into the world angelic interest must have really peaked.

13) Now they watch and wait for the end of time.

14) When we look at the New Testament we find 6 passages that say angels watch the church.

15) By church we do not mean they are watching a building; they are watching people (Christians).

16) We will look at just three of these passages tonight. The first verse is Mt. 18:10.

a) This chapter begins with a question: who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

b) To answer this question Jesus brought forth a “little child” (verse 2).

c) He said unless people become like a small child they will not be saved (verse 3).

d) Then in verse 6 Jesus spoke about causing a “little one who believes” to stumble.

e) Little in this verse is usually regarded as a Christian who is new or weak.

f) Jesus then picks up with this thought again in verse 10 – READ.

17) I intend to study this text a little more closely later when we discuss guardian angels.

18) For now notice this point: Jesus said “their angels.”

19) Does not this description sound as if angels have some degree of interest in man?

20) If angels are not looking upon and watching Christians, this statement has not meaning.

21) Jesus Himself affirmed that angels are very aware of what takes places in the lives of people.

22) Special attention is given to angels and their interest in members of the church.

23) A second passage that reveals how angels watch men was authored by Paul, 1 Cor. 4.

a) I’m not sure too many of us would have wanted a lot to do with the church at Corinth.

b) Christians at Corinth often judged people, and the judgments were severe.

c) Paul said these Christians had judged him (verse 3), but he did not let that bother him.

d) He said the Corinthian acted like spiritual giants (verse 8) while looking upon him as a spiritual pauper.

e) In 1 Cor. 4:9 Paul said angels were looking upon him as his work – READ.

f) Notice the word “spectacle” (this is the basis for our English word “theatre”).

g) If we go to a theatre we expect to see a show; some type of performance is offered.

h) Paul said his life was a spectacle; creatures looked at it.

i) Angels were watching what happened to Paul and others.

j) In this case they witnessed some very interesting things – verses 11-13 – READ.

k) Angels witnessed the affliction of this great apostle.

l) One might wonder if they were interested in men like the apostles but no one else.

m) Do angels have an interest in Christians who did not serve as apostles?

24) 1 Cor. 4 is not the only time we read of angels and Christians; this subject occurs again 1 Cor. 11.

a) This is, of course, the chapter that speaks about women and veils.

b) Tonight is not the time to talk about what the head coverings mean; we want to look at the angels.

c) Paul said head coverings were necessary because of the angels.

d) Our verse is 1 Cor. 11:10.

e) As we turn to this verse there is something we want to bear in mind.

25) In most cultures there are ways to distinguish men from women.

a) It is not normal in our culture for men to wear dresses.

b) We do not expect men to carry a purse or have curlers in the hair.

c) With women, we do not expect to see pants with suspenders.

d) We do not expect to see ladies drag a wallet out of their back pocket.

e) In previous times and cultures similar things were true.

26) Certain items were associated with manhood and other items were associated with womanhood.

27) Two of these items are listed in the First Corinthian letter.

28) Long hair was associated with women. Today that is still somewhat true in our culture.

29) A head covering was also associated with females.

a) At Corinth there were some ladies who decided that they could go against the grain in society.

b) They would no longer follow the customs of their culture that reflected their gender.

c) Some of the women were opting for short hair.

d) In our day and time, we may see two women side by side.

e) One has very long hair and another has very short hair.

f) Most would think both women were women. They just had different hairstyles.

g) 2,000 years ago hair length was more than a matter of style.

30) Short hair was associated with prostitution.

31) Short hair was a way of saying a woman was a lady of the evening. It was an advertisement of sorts.

32) It was, to put it another way, a woman’s “calling card.”

33) Paul said, “You do not want to have a style of hair that associates you with this type of life.”

34) Paul was telling the Corinthians women, “You are doing the wrong thing.

35) This was wrong because it conveyed the wrong idea to members of that society.

36) It was wrong because it conveyed the wrong information to fellow Christians.

37) It was wrong because it was also being observed by angels – verse 10 – READ.

38) This is a very brief reference to angels and Paul does not spend a lot of time on his point.

39) It appears the Corinthians knew what this man and were familiar with the point.

40) Perhaps Paul had taught them that angels do observe what happens in the lives of Christians.

41) He was then able to use this information to help correct this problem.

42) I have never heard a preacher in our day and time argue a point in they way I am about to describe.

43) From what I can tell, what is about to be said is a sound, Biblical argument.

a) Most of us have heard preachers denounce something because it would be a bad example to others.

b) A similar point can be made by appealing to children.

c) There are things we avoid because it would be the wrong example to other adults or young people.

d) I have not ever heard anyone say, “Avoid that because it would be a bad example to angels.”

e) If I correctly understand the 6 passages being studied, this is a correct and Biblical argument.

f) There are some things we may avoid because they would be a bad example to the angelic host.

g) The watchers would not like what they would see, so we leave certain things alone.

44) At Corinth angels were witness to some problems involving gender and Paul issued a warning about this.

45) From this single text we may deduce the information given plus this additional thought.

46) Angels do not like to see trouble, problems, and doctrinal corruption among God’s people.

47) I believe this limb is strong enough to make one more point.

48) In 1 Cor. 11 we have activities associated with the assemblies of the church.

49) If angels were watching, it seems to follow that they were watching Christians in the assemblies.

50) They may observe at other times too, but angels appear to be privy to what happens in worship.

a) I do not know and would not venture to probe into how this all works.

b) Which angels get to watch assemblies is far beyond me and all other men.

51) Angels are watchers; we learned that from Dan. 4 and here we see them watching the Corinthians.

52) If angels watch us at this place in our assemblies, what do they see?

53) What do they see as a group and individually?

54) If you read this morning’s bulletin you read about a song leader clipping toenails during part of a service.

55) I doubt that man had a good understanding of 1 Cor. 11:10.

56) Our assemblies are watched by heaven. Our lives are also being watched.

57) What is being recorded about us—good or evil?