Angels are watchers
(part 2)
1) If you have found Ps. 138 let’s read the first two verses – READ.
2) It is believed David authored this psalm.
3) David was a Hebrew who believed in one true God (Jehovah).
4) Although David believed in just one God, his opening remarks in this passage are strange.
5) He said he would give thanks with his whole heart “before the gods.”
a) If there is only “one God,” what did David mean by “before the gods”?
b) Because of his religious faith he certainly did not have in mind pagan deities.
c) Translators used a small “g” for gods.
d) If there is only one true God and pagan deities are not in view, we are left with only one conclusion.
e) David had in mind heavenly creatures; angels.
f) David believed his worship would, shall we say, witnessed, by heavenly creatures.
g) This great man in Israel was aware that his worship was noted by God as well as others.
6) There is no reason I can find to conclude that worship is no longer witnessed by angels.
7) Angels were allowed to see what happened in worship prior to the New Testament era.
8) Now they can see what takes place on this side of the cross.
9) A second verse we were asked to keep handy is found in the book of 1 Tim. 5.
a) Paul was writing to a young evangelist and he had a lot to tell him.
b) In verse 21 Paul said to Timothy, “I charge you in the sight of God.”
c) He added that he also charged Timothy before “the Lord Jesus Christ” (KJV).
d) That is, God the Father and Jesus were both witnesses to what was Paul was saying.
e) As important as these witnesses were, they were not the only ones – verse 21 – READ.
10) Angels were aware of what Paul was telling Timothy.
11) Angels have some understanding of what the Bible obligates people to do.
12) They are in at least some respects allowed to see how well we do what we are told.
13) In our last study we affirmed that angels are witnesses to worship.
14) This fact has huge implications for everyone who is a Christian.
a) What do angels see when we come together as a body of people?
b) Do they see worshippers or whisperers?
c) Do they see singers or sleepers? Do they see participants or pew-setters?
d) Last week it was pointed out that angels are called “watchers.”
e) Tonight we see they not only watch worship, they are interested in a preacher’s work.
15) We find that they knew what Timothy was to do in his ministry.
16) God reveals to us in both sections of the Bible that angels have been allowed to watch people.
17) What if we reflect back on our life for the pas 5-7 days?
18) If angels were allowed to watch us during the past week, what have they seen?
a) Perhaps they saw times when were tempted. How did we react to those times?
b) They may have witnessed a time when we could have invited someone to worship.
c) If that happened, what did they witnesses as far as our choice?
19) Our society is going through a period when many are skittish about privacy.
20) Americans like to keep some things secret.
21) When we begin to study about angels, we get a brand new perspective on privacy.
22) Many Americans want privacy when it come to their lives and affairs. God has a message for us.
23) Our lives are not all that private. We have seen from 1 Cor. 11 that angels are able to witness worship.
24) Angels get to peer into places and things that even the government does not get to see.
25) Staying with 1 Tim. 5:21 for a bit, the expression “in the sight of” (ASV) is interesting.
a) It means “in one’s sight or hearing.”
b) Sometimes we are out of a person’s sight.
c) We may want to see something, but it is too far away.
d) We may want to hear some information, but we are also too far away.
e) When Paul charged Timothy to do some things, heaven was not too far away.
26) Heaven (God and His angels) knew exactly what Timothy was told to do.
27) It is also in 1 Tim. 5:21 that we read about the “elect” angels.
28) In the Bible we read about good angels (who are in heaven) and evil angels who have lost their heavenly home.
a) Here we find the good angels interested in preachers and the work of the church—they are the “elect.”
b) Angels are still interested in the church and those who are members of it.
c) Imagine becoming a Christian but having little interest in the church throughout life.
d) In contrast to us, angels who are not members of the church are very interested in it.
e) Then on the day of judgment God is able to say, “There were people interested in the church.
f) “As a member, you did not have an interest. Angels who are not members did have an interest.”
29) If angels as non-members of the church are more interested than us are as members, something is wrong.
30) Angels understand just how precious and essential the church is and they are fascinated by them.
31) Most of us have heard the expression, “curiosity killed the cat.”
a) This is a proverb meaning that too much curiosity is sometimes a bad thing.
b) The earliest reference to this expression, at least in print, is said to come from 1598.
c) It is associated with a British playwright.
32) This author recognized that people are often curious creatures.
33) This quality is not limited to man; Peter tells us in 1 Pet. 1:10-12 that angels are also curious.
a) Peter spoke about the era of time we now live in (the New Testament dispensation).
b) He summed up this period with the word “salvation.”
c) He said there were “prophets” who were very interested in what Christians now enjoy.
d) God’s prophets “sought and searched diligently” for information about the New Testament era.
e) These men wanted to know “about the grace to come” (1 Pet. 1:10).
f) They had some knowledge about Jesus’ sufferings and the “glories to come” (verse 11).
g) In verse 12 we read about angels – READ.
34) Here is one of the places where we find that angels are not omniscient (they do not know all).
35) Angels had and continue to have an interest in man and salvation through grace.
36) There are some keys words in verse 12.
a) For instance, take note of the word “desire.”
b) Desire can come in all shapes and sizes.
c) A person might say, “I have a desire to visit France.”
d) In this case the person does not have a burning desire to do that; it is a type of wishful thought.
e) On the other hand, here is a person who has not eaten in 15 hours.
f) He says, “I have a desire to eat.” That desire is one that needs to be met, and met quickly.
g) It is this latter type of desire described by Peter.
h) He described angels as creatures with a passionate interest in the salvation given to men.
i) He added that they want to “look into” the Christian faith (12b).
j) The word from which look into comes is also used in Lk. 24:12.
k) Peter “stooped down to look into the Lord’s empty tomb.
l) This word means to stoop down to see something.
m) A person must bend over, perhaps to the point of crouching.
37) We may not always be willing to bend over or get down on the ground to see something.
38) The older people get, the less they may be interested in doing that type of thing.
39) This word Peter used implies that whatever is being described is important.
40) Angels have a very strong interest in the affairs of men as well as what men do.
41) Paul alluded to this same subject Eph. 3:10.
a) In the first part of the text Paul refers to heavenly creatures.
b) He describes them as “principalities and powers in the heavenly places.”
c) These powers (creatures) are shown the “manifold wisdom of God.”
d) In other words, God’s wisdom is being demonstrated.
e) Then we find how that demonstration is taking place: “through the church.”
f) Angels watch the church (the people who constitute the saved).
42) God’s wisdom is shown to angels by what happens to His people.
43) If we think about what we are seeing we can draw a parallel to television.
a) We can find all types of shows on tv.
b) There are news shows, movies, cartoons, and there are shows which are part of a series.
c) Maybe my best illustration for tonight’s point about angels is a television series.
d) In a series there is a cast of characters that form some type of drama.
e) We can watch that drama. We see the successes, failures, and all the ups and downs.
f) When a favorite character does well, we can feel the thrill of that.
g) Some feel sadness when a beloved character falters.
44) Imagine if you will the following cast of characters in an on-going drama.
45) There is God, the devil, human beings, life on earth, and free-will.
a) When all of these forces are brought together, all kinds of things can happen.
b) There are twists and turns time after time.
c) Much of what happens is not new, just like television.
d) People are exposed to the same temptations year after year.
e) The circumstances surrounding temptation as well as success often vary.
46) Angels are able to watch men as they go through life.
47) We lack some specific information on exactly how much angels get to see.
48) Even just getting some of the highlights would give them unending excitement.
a) Think of what angels would have thought and learned by looking at the life of Job.
b) Job 1:1 says this man was perfect, upright, he turned away from evil, and he feared God.
c) If angels watched Job, they could see him face and reject evil time and time again.
d) Perhaps they wondered as they watched if Job would ever stumble.
e) It is possible fro us to watch a person perform a feast over and over.
f) We may count how many times a person does something before there is a failure.
49) Job had some children; that may have also been of interest to angels.
50) Since this man had led a righteous life, how would he proceed with children?
51) If angels watched Job, they saw some great changes in this man’s life.
52) Trouble came his way. They learned some things.
53) Through time the church has had access to better and better technology.
54) How interesting it would be to be an angel and watch the church use or not use technology.
55) If angels were to issue a report on our life for the last week, what would it say?