Leon Fontaine - No Deadly Thing, Part 2
Now I want to dive into the topic of angels. You know, angels are kind of cute, lots of people I know collect angel figurines. They usually look like chubby little babies with little bulgy bellies, curly hair. They're supposed to be all about helping you fall in love with someone else. All of this stuff has nothing to do with the biblical look of angels. Now there will be many of you here who have seen angels because the Bible says there's two ways to see an angel. The first is if it reveals itself to you. You go beyond your face because of the presence and the glory of God that surrounds them. But then the Bible also says in Hebrews 13:2, that we need to be careful in dealing with people. We need to be hospitable and kind, because it says many will entertain angels unaware.
There are stories in the Old Testament of entertaining angels and they didn't know they were angels. The angels had done it in a way that was more secret service. And so you and I never know. I've heard many stories from many really credible men and women. Things that took place in their life where somebody walked into their life, walked out of their life. They never saw them again and they don't know now that they look back whether that was a person that God sent their way or whether they entertained angels unawares. So let's dive in to Psalm chapter 91, because if no deadly thing is going to hurt us or take us out or our children, our families, our business, our health, our protection from danger and bullets and missiles and viruses. It doesn't matter what it is, no deadly thing will harm us.
Now angels are a part of that. It's all through the Old Testament, all through the New. Their protection. Their guidance. They're bringing messages from God. You never know how are they going to, how this is going to happen. So in Psalm 91: 11-12, it says this, "For God will give His angels charge over you, to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways. They shall bear you up on their hands lest you dash your foot against a stone". I want you to notice in this verse that it says, "He's going to give them charge over you". I remember when Sal and I, our children were small and we would hire someone to come in and babysit them while we would go out.
Now the children were small and when we gave that person charge over our children, it was in all their ways. You decide what they eat, where they go, what they say, what they do, how they treat each other, when they go to bed, etcetera. You give them charge. And I want you to notice. That God has given His angels charge over you and I. Now as you study angels, the Bible says that they obey the voice of His Word in Psalm 103. So you and I and what we believe and what, how we are living in faith in God has a big part to play in this, because angels have been given charge over you and I, but yet things are happening everywhere that are bad. And then there are times of amazing miraculous rescues. And so as you and I learned to speak the Word of God, Psalm 103:19-20, teaches us that the angels are incredibly powerful and they obey the voice of the Word, of God's Word. Well, it doesn't say they obey God's voice but we know they do. It says something uniquely different. They obey the voice of God's Word.
Now, if I was to ask one of the staff that are around here right now we, in order to pull off these drive-in services. We've got staff and people everywhere, some of them were running back and forth. If I was to say, "Hey, I want you to tell the leader over at that building this". They could take my words and repeat them to them with authority and get done what I've requested to get done. So the Bible says that angels obey the voice of God's Word, God's promises, God's will. What God has promised and said, they obey the voice of that, which is amazing when you realize that you and I are to speak to mountains. We are to declare and prophesy to the dry bones of our lives. We are to speak forth the promises of God. Why is that? Well, one of the reasons and there's a lot of reasons. But one of those reasons is that angels obey the voice of God's Word.
I remember one time walking down into this really bad area of town. We were handing out flyers. I was just a young man and wasn't even married yet. And we're handing out an invitation to this big concert in the park we were doing to reach out to our town. And as I came down to this bad area, I went to hand. I saw these guys standing around the bar outside and I went to hand them each one of these flyers, these tracks. And one by one they just crumpled them up and they just threw them on the ground. Then they got around me in a circle. And the ring leader looks at me and he says, "What's this about"? I say, "Well, it's, we're having a, this kind of concert in the park or whatever we were doing". And I said, "And it's, we want a, it's about Jesus". Jesus! He starts to cuss and swear Jesus. He said, "Whose Jesus"? Oh, He's my friend. He's my Lord. Your friend! He's your friend. Ha! He says, "Friend. These are my friends".
There's about four or five of them. He said, "You know what my friends and I are going to kick the beep, beep, beep, out of you". And he says, "What's your Jesus' going to do now"? And I said, "Well, very simple". And without thinking, you know, sometimes the presence of God just prompt you to say something. I said, "Well, the Bible says that the angels of God are going to protect me from you guys or He'll give me the power to take all of you right now". Then I kind of went, "Oh, boy. What did I just say"? Then the ring leader looks at me and goes, kind of a shock look in his face and he goes, "What kind of Christian are you"? And then they all sat down on a little fence that was right there. And I don't know an hour or so, I just share the Jesus that I knew, His strength, His power. The Bible's very clear. He gives His angels charge over you, to preserve you in all your ways.
Now when you study the Old Testament, angels got involved in protecting them from death, got involved in feeding them, got involved in blessing them, got involved in guiding them. And so we need to be very aware of these angels. Again, they're not cute little chubby kids with wings. These are literally so powerful. And one angel is so powerful, that at the end of the age the Bible says one of them will bind up Lucifer and throw him into the lake of fire. It's not going to be this complex battle. When you study the Bible, one angel in protecting God's people would take out literally tens of thousands of people over an entire country. Tens of thousands would die if one angel came in to protect. They are incredibly powerful. They are the hosts of heaven.
Now, there's a few references. I think will be a real blessing to us we look at angels in Daniel 6:19-23. Where Daniel is serving the king. He's a captive. God uses him in incredible ways to rise up into power. But evil people trick the king, trick him into having to keep his word and to throw Daniel in the lion's den. These evil men tricked him. He had to keep his word. He had made a law that Daniel had broken about praying. He throws Daniel into the lion's den that evening. The next morning Daniel 6:19, the king arose early. And when he rushed off to the den of lions. When he came to the den, he cried out with a loud voice, a lamenting voice. He's so sorry that he did this to Daniel. And the king spoke saying to Daniel, "Servant of the living God has your God whom you serve continually been able to deliver you from the lions"? Then Daniel said to the king, "O king live forever. My God sent an angel and shut the mouths of these lions, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him. And alas, O king, I have done no wrong to you".
Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken out of the den, and no injury was found on him, because he believed in his God. Now when you look at the night, people say, "Well, they probably were well-fed lions. Ah, there's times that lions aren't hungry". Well, the next verse and read the entire story. The next verse goes on to say the king was so mad that he'd been tricked by these evil men, that he threw them into the lion's den. And it says they didn't even hit the ground before these lions rip them to shreds and ate them. We need to know that angels are a part of our protection. That no evil can befall us. That we didn't know deadly thing can hurt us.
Now in Psalm, we finish up Psalm 91, in verse 13, it's talking about angels. Now it says in verse 13, "You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra. The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot". This verse is a very important verse into your life, because it is saying that you should be the on the offensive not on the defensive. Too many Christians, they are like Gideon. They're huddled back, hidden away from everybody, trying to disappear so no one bothers them, so no one comes against them. But this verse it says, "You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra". This term is a warfare term. It means get up and tread. This treading is the treading of feet that are marching as they take new ground, new territory. You are to be on the offensive. Get going with your life. Stop being afraid of what people are going to say. Stop being afraid of what competition's going to do. Stop being afraid of what's going to happen.
Get up and go live your life in a way that is taking new territory financially, new territory governmentally, new territory that we are advancing the kingdom of God. Taking the gospel to the world through everywhere we know, our families, our businesses, our careers, etcetera. Take new territory beyond the offensive and stop huddling around acting like, "Oh, please don't hurt me". And that's one of the most important things that I see in that verse there. When you read it, is this issue of you and I are to tread. They'll be dangerous things.
I remember watching a movie one time. And, you know, how much we all enjoy movies. And it was showing a general doing a speech to his troops. And I'm sure they had researched it. But here's what he said. He look at all these young men armed and ready to go. He says, "I'm going to put you in harm's way". That's not much of a speech if he's trying to make them feel good. He told them, "You've been trained. You've been quipped. We're here for our country. There's something we've got to do. So we go into the battle when everyone else is leaving. I'm putting you in harm's way". And I've got news for you. If we're going to do great things for God, you're going to have to get off your couch. If you want to walk on the water, get out of the boat. If you want to see miracles, get out there and do something with your life where there's needs. We've got to be on the offensive bringing the gospel. We're not going to change the world sitting in our churches, in our retreats, in our advances, on our blessed assurance thinking that God's going to do the work. No! You and I have been given this adventure of getting up and using our gifts and our abilities and go do something and God's going to get all over you.
You know, there's so many people who they're called... You know, I know I was. I called myself an adrenaline junkie. Man, when I got involved in ambulance and emergency rescue and paramedics. I love that the sound of a siren. The sound of going and trying to figure out and maximize survivors and come right into the middle of the emergency. It just, and all of us have a desire to get up and do something exciting. Nobody if I ask you, what do you want to do with your life goes, "I want a marriage and, I want to marry an everyday average spouse. I want an everyday average job. I want an everyday average day. And that's all I really want". No! You won't last. You were designed, this balance between safety and risk is something that you need.
So why is it that we go to movies about people who will risk. We go to movies about people who come against all odds. We come, we go to movies about people who risk their jobs, their lives. And it's just, woo! We love that movie. No one was going to go to a movie about an average everyday guy, with an average everyday family, an average everyday town, an average every day circumstance. Nobody. So then why are you trying to live that way? Stop being worried about risk. We tread upon lions. We stomp down cobras and serpents. And we get up and we go live our lives. And yes, we take risks and we do it for the kingdom of God.
Psalm chapter 91 as we go to the last couple of verses. Verse 14, it says, "Because he has set his love upon Me, I will deliver him, says God. I will set him on high because he has known my name". Now, this is a very important thing to understand. When you look at the names of God in the Old Testament. They are a look at God's character. How God works. How He thinks. How He functions. What He stands for. And none of the names of God, by the way, are He quits. He might not show up, independable. Maybe. No! The names of God when you look through the Old Testament are incredible. Like Jehovah Tsidkenu. It means He is our righteousness. Jehovah Makadesh. It literally means that He sanctifies us. Shalom, He is our peace and our strength. He, that Shammah, Jehovah Shammah. He is present and ever present help. Jehovah Rophe, the God who heals. Jehovah Jireh, He is there always providing for you and I. Jehovah Rohi, He's never going to leave you. He's like our shepherd. Jehovah Nissi, the banner. This is a warfaring term. He's going to help you to win and to put that banner, that stake in the ground.
The names of God are incredible and amazing. When you know the names of God in the Old Testament, that's when you know the nature of God. And now, as a new covenant person, we use the name of Jesus. Because Jesus, what He did on the cross, the throne. He is all authority, all power has been given to Jesus. And now He's the head. We're the body. Oh, man. I could just preach for hours on just that alone. We've got to know His name. Be aware of the names of God in the Old Testament. Be aware the name of Jesus. That that name has been given to Him, and that name everything bows to the name of Jesus. Nothing is more powerful than the name of Jesus.
In Psalm 91:15, it says, "He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and I will honour him". So many religious people today, preachers and you name it. The way they teach would be, "Well, you know, God will give you the grace to just handle it and barely get by. Just hack with it". That's not what the Bible says. When we talk about God's grace, which is His ability and it's a free gift to you. It's incredible. And here it's telling you, that God's never going to leave you. He's going to be with you in trouble. It says, "I will deliver him. I will honour him". He says He's got... Don't allow religion to make you feel like, "We're Christians and we're just going to hang in there". No! If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then it is something so unique.
You know, in the Psalm 46:1-3, listen to this. "God is our refuge and our strength". What? God protects you and He gives you strength. He's a very present help in trouble. It's not like we've got to pray. God, where are You, You, You, You? Hey, I need some help, help, help, help. Where are You, You, You, You? No! Says right here. Psalm 46:1, "He is a very present help in trouble". He's not gone. He's not gone on vacation. I have seen titles of Christian books were an author wrote, "What to do when God is silent"? As though God's not speaking up, God's not showing up. Now what do we do? That is anti-Bible. It says He is a very present help even when you're in trouble. It says, "Do not be afraid even though the earth be removed. Even though the mountains be carried into the middle of the sea. Though its waters roar and be troubled. Though the mountains themselves shake and with great swelling". It says, "God is your refuge. God is your strength".
We don't allow fear into our lives. We need to know who we are and we need to know who's we are. The very last verse of Psalm 91 is very important. Listen close. It says, "With long life. With long life. With long life. With long life, I'll satisfy him and I'll show him my salvation". Someone said to me, "When is it your time to go"? I haven't decided yet. What do you mean? You get to decide? Yep. Well, the Bible says there's a time to die and a time to be born, a time to reap, a time to sow, a time to tear down, a time to build up. Yeah, there's a time for all that. But it's not a fixed time. Did you know that your time to die, the Bible says that if you obey your parents you'll live longer. It says if you eat the wrong foods, you'll live shorter. So if the Bible is saying that when you die can go longer or shorter. Then there's some control we have.
Listen to the way this verse puts it. With long life I will satisfy him. With long life God is saying I will satisfy you. I want to talk to grandpas and grandmas and great grandpas and great grandmas, and I want to remind you. That nowhere in the Word of God does growing old and leaving for heaven mean that you go painfully, crying, screaming, unable to walk, or talk, or do anything. That's not in the Bible. In the Old Testament, the patriarchs of old would talk with their children, prophesy over them. And then just gather themselves up and their breath would leave their body and they would go to be with the Lord. Caleb is a great example of an 85 year old man in Joshua 14:10-12, who when the children of Israel disobeyed God, he wandered around the wilderness with them for 40 years.
All his friends, all those around him are dead and gone. Then they come back to the promised land and Caleb says, "Give me my mountain. I'm going to go take those giants out. And me and my family and all my grandkids, we are going to go live in the place God has promised us". Whatever age you are, you begin to confess now. I will live until I'm satisfied. I will have a long life. I will be full of purpose, full of dreams, full of visions. The Bible says very clearly. The young men will see visions. The old men will dream dreams. He's not talking about some dumb dream. He's talking about he's still got to dream to serve God and to do great things. And that will bring years to your life. If you don't know Jesus as your personal Saviour. And you say, "Pastor, I need him. He's the hope". Then just say this out loud. Just pray:
Jesus, come into my heart. I give You my life. I want to be born again right now. I want to follow You for the rest of my days. In Jesus' name, amen.
Welcome to the family of God. That's an amazing way to live.