Title: Full text of Wednesday Service Sermon on September 2, 2009
Contents
angel and devil
《Recitation Verse》
Hebrews 1:14
Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14)
Jude 1:6
And the angels who did not keep their place and departed from their dwelling place were imprisoned in darkness with eternal bonds until the judgment of the great day.
"Learning Objectives"
☞ Understand the reality of the spiritual world and the existence of three spiritual beings through the Bible.
☞ Learn about the existence of angels and their roles, and understand their relationship with people (especially saints).
☞ Learn about Satan's existence and his activities, and understand how it affects people.
☞ Realize and apply the biblical principles to win in spiritual warfare.
1. Let's learn about the spiritual world.
The Bible is the eye through which we see the spiritual world. The Bible clearly shows the spiritual reality and the spiritual world that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
(1) What is the spiritual world (spirit world)?
It is a world in which spiritual beings are real. It is a world created by God.
cannot be seen with the naked eye forever It is a spiritual battlefield. It affects the natural world and the human world.
(2) The relationship between the spiritual world, the natural world, and the human world
The broiler (natural world) is under the influence of the spirit world. In other words, man is under the influence of God or a fallen spirit being.
(3) Spiritual Beings
God: I AM, Creator (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 3:13)
Angels: Spiritual creatures (Psalm 148:2-5; Neh 9:6)
Man: a creature with a soul and a body (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:7)
Satan, demons: fallen spirit creatures (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-17)
Humans are like spiritual relays that reflect the invisible spiritual reality to the natural world.
When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, it shows the reality of God, and when your heart is full of sin, it shows the characteristics of the fallen devil.
2. Let's learn about angels.
The term Angel has the meaning of “messenger”.
A. Do angels really exist?
The Bible shows the existence and activity of angels from Genesis to Revelation. Because angels are spiritual beings (Hebrews 1:14), they are invisible to human eyes. However, in God's providence, he can be seen as a human being (Genesis 18:1,2; 9:1,5; Mark 16:5).
1. The Old Testament Evidence
(1) Visited Abraham to announce the destruction of the city of Sodom (Genesis 18:1-2)
(2) Meeting with Lot in Sodom (Genesis 19)
(3) He opened the eyes of Elisha's servant and he saw it. (2 Kings 6:14-17)
2. The New Testament Evidence
Almost all Jews in the New Testament era (except the Sadducees and others) believed in the existence of angels along with the existence of Satan, the devil, and demons. Also, Jesus often made statements about angels.
(1) Gospels (Matthew 1:20-23, 2:13, Luke 1:26-38, 2:8-15)
(2) Acts (Acts 1:10-11, Acts 5:19, Acts 8:26, Acts 10:1-7, Acts 12:5-11, Acts 27:23-26)
(3) Epistles (2 Peter 2:4, 1 Timothy 5:21;...)
(4) Revelation (Praise and worshipers: Revelation 5:11-12; God's work of judgment: Revelation 8-9, 15-16)
3. Evidence of Jesus (In Jesus' temptation: Matthew 4:11, in the teaching: Matthew 22:29-30)
4. Today's Personal Experiences
B. The origin and nature of angels.
Angels were created by God through Christ. (Psalm 148:2-5; Neh 9:6; Col 1:16)
They were created before the material world was created, and they were created to worship God. They are inherently holy and endowed with powers and privileges, but they are not omnipotent or omnipresent like God. And they are always in the status of servants of God. On the other hand, those who are saved are children and brides.
C. What kinds of angels are there?
1. Michael - It means “who is like God” and is called the only archangel (Daniel 10:13; 12:1; Jude 1:9),
2. Gabriel - It means “God is strong” and is responsible for delivering the message as a messenger of God. (Daniel 8:16; Dan 9:20-27; Luke 1:19,26-38)
3. Cherubim - Guarding the way of the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24) and protecting the throne of God (Psalm 80:1; 99:1) Covering the mercy seat (Ex 25:18)
4. Seraphim - Servant of God's Worship (Isaiah 6:1-8)
D. Attributes of Angels
1. It is a spiritual being (Hebrews 1:14). It is an invisible being without a body (Luke 24:39) as pure spirit (spirit).
2. Personal existence - has a designation
(1) Beings with knowledge - Matthew 24:36, 2 Samuel 14:17,20
(2) Beings with feelings - Luke 15:10
(3) Beings with a will - 1 Peter 1:12
3. Neither marry nor die, so there is no change in numbers. (Luke 20:35-36; Matthew 22:30)
4. It transcends time and space (Acts 5:19, 12:7), but it is not omnipresent.
5. Strong and numerous (Rev 5:11, Heb 12:22, 2 Kings 6:17; 2 Kings 19:35; Dan 7:10; Heb 12:22; Matthew 26:53)
6. He has knowledge (2 Samuel 14:20; Mark 13:32) and power (Psalm 103:20; 2 Peter 2:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:7) that are superior to humans.
7. There are ranks and orders (Eph 1:21, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 1 Peter 3:22)
E. WORK OF ANGELS
1. Worship God. (Isa 6:1; Matt 18:10)
2. Fulfilling the Word of God. (Psalm 103:20)
3. Communicate and carry out God's will for God's people. (Genesis 19:11; Acts 5:19; Acts 27:23)
4. Help and serve the saved saints. (Hebrews 1:14)
5. It reveals or interprets the will of God. (Job 33:23; Dan 7:16; Zechariah 1:9)
6. It is sometimes mobilized for God's battle activities (Genesis 32:1-2; Joshua 5:13-15).
7. Act on behalf of the referee. (Acts 12:23; 2 Samuel 4:16)
8. Attended the life of Jesus Christ. (Luke 1:26, 38; Matthew 4:11; Luke 22:43; Matthew 28:2-7; Acts 1:11)
9. Announcing the Second Coming (Sal. 4:16), gathering the elect (Mt 24:31), and separating the sheep from the goats (Mt 13:39).
F. Correct understanding and attitude toward angels
Nowhere in the Bible does God say to expect, expect, and hope for an angel's visit.
Rather, he told them not to worship (Colossians 2:18). But it can be comforting and helpful to our faith to be convinced that the angels sent by God are protecting us during the most difficult times of our lives in this world.
1. Angels serve and help the saved saints. (Hebrews 1:14)
2. Angels cannot teach humans.
3. Angels cannot intercede for us, only Jesus is the mediator.
4. Angels work according to the Word of God, not according to our commands.
5. Appearing in the form of the flesh, it can act as God's representative.
When it appears to humans, it appears in human form (1 John 4:1; 2 Corinthians 11:14).
As a young man in shining white robes (Acts 1:10)
6. May work through dreams, visions or voices.
7. We can't see or hear it, but it can change our environment.
8. Angels do not only work in the past, they can be experienced today.
9. Respect and appreciate angels as they are personal beings. But do not worship. (Col 2:18, Rev 22:8-9)
3. Let's learn about Satan and the devil.
A. The existence and nature of Satan
1. Satan is real.
The Bible clearly testifies about the reality of Satan.
The origin of sin is from the fallen angel, Satan, and the devil is the father of lies, the enemy of God and man.
Therefore, to know the reality of Satan properly and to see through its schemes is what Christians face.
It becomes an essential condition for victory in spiritual warfare.
(Genesis 3, Job 1-2, 1 Chronicles 21, Psalm 106:36-37; Psalm 109:6; Isaiah 14:12-19; Zechariah 3)
2. Satan is a person. (Isaiah 14:13; Job 1)
3. Satan is a fallen spirit creature.
4. Satan is the head of the fallen angels. (2 Peter 2:4; Matt 12:24-30)
5. It dominates the human mind. (John 13:2)
6. Limited under God's control, but with great power. (Job 1; 1 Samuel 16:13; Jude 1:9)
7. There is spiritual knowledge. (Mark 1:24; Matt 8:29)
B. The Origin of Satan and the Cause of the Fall
Old Testament allusions are mainly based on Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:12-17.
1. Some of God's holy and good angels rebelled against God and fell and became Satan and demons. (Ezekiel 28:12-19)
2. Kyemyungseong, son of morning (Isaiah 14:12-17)
3. Causes of the Fall ① Abuse of free will in a self-centered attitude (Isaiah 14:13) ② Pride (Isa 14:14; Ezekiel 28:17)
C. Names and divisions of divisions
☞It is easy for us to confuse the names of Satan, the devil, and demons, but from a functional point of view, if Satan is recorded in the Bible, it is usually used in the level of enemies with God. It is often used when accusing and quarreling between humans, and the term "ghost" can be found mainly used when bringing a disease to humans or when expressed in the form of a mental disorder.
☞The term devil (Diablos) was used when translating the Old Testament Satan into Greek (LXX). In the singular, it refers to the head of many fallen angels. On the other hand, demons are usually used in both plural and plural, and as angels of the devil (Matthew 25:41), the number of demons is large (Mark 5:8).
1. A name that indicates a location
(1) An anointed covering cherub (Ezekiel 28:14)
(2) The king of this world (John 12:31, 16:11)
(3) The ruler of the power of the air (Eph 2:2)
(4) The god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4)
(5) The king of demons (Matthew 12:24, Luke 11:15)
2. Personality Names
(1) lucifer (Isaiah 14:12)
(2) Satan (Zechariah 3:1, Rev 12:9): Adversary
(3) The devil (Luke 4:2,13, Revelation 12:9): accuser, slanderer
(4) The old serpent (Revelation 12:9)
(5) The great dragon (Revelation 12:3,7,9)
(6) The wicked one (John 17:15, 1 John 5:18)
(7) Destroyer
(8) The father of lies (John 8:44)
3. A name for the activity
(1) Temperament (Matthew 4:3)
(2) The accuser (Revelation 12:10)
(3) One who deceives (Revelation 12:9, 20:3)
(4) The Spirit at work in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2)
D. Satan's Powers and Activities
1. Against God (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-17).
2. To deceive the nations (Rev 20:3,7-10; Dan 10:12,20; Ephesians 6:12; 1 Thessalonians 2:18; Rev 17:12).
3. About Humans
(1) Separation (Job 1; Rev 12:10)
(2) Makes sick (Job 1:5-10)
(3) Temptation (Genesis 3)
(4) To sin (1 John 3:8; 3:12)
(5) Demon possession
4. To the Unsaved
(1) Blocking them from accepting the truth (Luke 8:12, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4)
(2) to be led by lies (1 Tim. 4:1-3; Ephesians 2:1-3)
5. About Christians
(1) Fighting (Ephesians 6:10-13)
(2) accusing and slandering (Revelation 12:10)
(3) Planting doubts (Genesis 3:1-5)
(4) induce them to sin
① Lies (Acts 5:3)
② Sexual offenses (1 Corinthians 7:5)
③ Captivity to the world (1 John 2:15-17, 5:19)
④ Relying on human wisdom and strength (1 Chronicles 21:1-8; Matt 16:21-23)
⑤ Be proud in spiritual matters (1 Timothy 3:6)
⑥ Discouragement (1 Peter 5:6-10)
(5) Stimulates persecution (Rev 2:10)
(6) Forbidding service (1 Thessalonians 2:18)
(7) Destroying the Church
① Through false teachers (2 Corinthians 11:13-15, 2 Peter 2:1-19)
② Through false disciples
(8) It promotes division (2 Corinthians 2:10-11)
E. Satan's End
1. The Creator and Sovereign Lord Jesus will judge all creatures, including evil angels (John 5:22)
2. As the last days draw near, Satan will rebel against God and deceive mankind. (1 Tim 4:1-3, 2 Pet 3:3-4)
3. Currently operating in a limited space, bound for 1000 years at the end of time, and then released briefly;
After the final judgment, they will be thrown into the eternal lake of fire. (Revelation 19, 20, 1 Corinthians 6:3, Matthew 25:41)
4. The Secret to Victory in Spiritual Warfare
(1) Submit to God and resist the devil. (James 4:6, 7)
(2) Put on the full armor of God. (Eph 6:10-18)
(3) Receive the filling of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:16; Matt 12:28)
(4) Cast out demons in the name of Jesus. (Mark 16:17; Luke 10:17; Acts 16:16,17)
(5) Pray. (Mark 9:29)
(6) Arm yourself with the Word. (2 Timothy 3:16,17; Hebrews 4:12)
(7) Recognize the devil's schemes, and do not let the devil take advantage of it. (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 4:27)
《Practical tasks》
Action 1. Declare the following.
“I command you in the name of Jesus, Satan, the devil, and the devil! Get away from me and my home!!”
Action 2. Read Ephesians 6:10-20, meditate and pray.
Action 3. Find out what is being attacked by Satan in your life and community,
Let us pray in opposition in the name of Jesus Christ.
Action 4. Let us pray earnestly that we will repent of our sins and be victorious in spiritual warfare under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.