Sermon Series: “Triumph Over Death with Long Life”
Presenter: Dr. JoAnne P. King
Message: “Angelic Enforcers of Covenant Protections for Long Life”
November 21, 2021
This is the fifth sermon in a series entitled: “Triumph Over Death with Long Life.” A brief review of the last time I was before you with a sermon entitled: “A Case Study: Living in the Promise of Long life.” Using Rom. 12:1-2; submitting my body as a living sacrifice and not being conformed to this world but being transformed by the renewing of my mind by the Word of God, I was able to show what the perfect will of God for my life is. It is God’s will that you prosper and be in health to the full of your days! (III John 2)
In Rom. 6:3-5, we learned that if we were planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. Saints, we have resurrection power dwelling in us. Our resurrected body is compared to a seed that must die before it can become a grain, a tree or whatever. How the dead are raised to life and with what body they come, are questioned by many? It goes through a process to become the body of that seed. Each seed has been given a body as it pleased God. All flesh is not the same flesh: there is one kind of flesh for men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. (I Cor. 15:35-38)
It is my desire as I am preaching these sermons, that something said or done will bring to your remembrance different events in your life, that God has used to bring you closer to Him and turn your life around. These events and experiences were all seeds planted in your resurrected spirit to strengthen your inner-man and infuse your physical body and organs with the Anointing of Jesus Christ to give you long-life! God is not a respecter of people, what He has done for me, He will also do the same for anyone who will put their complete trust in Him and obey His Word.
As a natural tree takes many years before it reaches its’ full potential, so does maturing and molding born-again Christians into the image of Jesus Christ. Using Rom. 1:2; Rom. 6:5; 3 John 2; and 1 Cor. 15:35-38, I demonstrated how my relationship with Jesus Christ started out small, and gradually increased to the point where now Jesus Christ is “All,” and magnified in my physical body.
Saints, as I have said so often in my messages that God is the most purposeful person in the world. Everything He does has a purpose behind it. Our God is a covenant making and keeping God. He keeps His covenant promises even when we don’t.
In both the Old and New Testaments, He has made covenant promises to us of protection which includes long life and to back it up; He has assigned “Angelic Enforcers of Covenant Protections for Long Life!” As God’s children, this type of protection is our heritage. Using this angelic protection as the Word provides ensures, we will live long and prosper.
Grab your Bibles and turn to Psalm 91:11-12 Amp.; Moses writes that God will command His angels in regard to you. To protect, defend and guard you in all your ways [of obedience and service]. They will lift you up in their hands, so that you do not [even] strike your foot against a stone. This lets you know that you will be protected in whatever assignment you are doing for the Lord. The following examples are ways the angels protect us.
- Angels listen for faith filled words from us in order to go to work.
- The three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego let the king know that “the God that they serve is able to deliver them from the fiery furnace and out of his hand. And, if not, they would not serve his gods nor worship the golden image he had set up.” (Dan. 3:16-18) The angels responded to the words of the Hebrew boys when they said that God would deliver them. Even the heathen king had to confess that: 1) God has sent his angel. 2) God delivers those who trust in Him. 3) In Persia, once a king issues a decree, it is impossible to change that decree. But the King admitted that God made him change his word. 4) The Jews offered to give up their lives in order to be true to their God. 5) There is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
- Because Virgin Mary trusted and believed what the angel said: “she said, be it unto me;” therefore, there was a performance of everything that the angel had said. (Luke 1:45)
- “Do not allow your mouth to cause you to sin, and do not say before the angels that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry because of your words and destroy the work of your hands?” (Ecclesiastes 5:6 Amp.) Always remember that life and death are in the power of your tongue!
- Destinies are protected by angels. Their job is to see to it that we arrive at our destination unharmed and safely.
- In Exodus 23:20, the Lord is telling the Israelites: “that His Angel shall go before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.” In verses 25-26, “they are told to serve the Lord thy God and He shall bless their bread and water and take sickness away from the midst of them. Nothing will cast their young or be barren in their land and the number of their days He will fulfill.” This Angel is none other than the second person of the Divine Trinity in His pre-incarnate state as God, and an equal partner in the Trinity. Bread and water represent all kinds of provisions from God. When God blesses it, even the most limited food items are nutritive and sufficient.
- The Apostle Paul about to be shipwrecked said in Acts 27:22-25 Amp.: “But even now I urge you to keep up your courage and be in good spirits, because there will be no loss of life among you, but only loss of the ship. For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, and said, ‘Stop being afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has given you [the lives of] all those who are sailing with you.’ “So, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God and have complete confidence in Him that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.” Notice, Paul had an assignment, he had to appear before Caesar therefore, no harm could come to him.
- All Believers have angels assigned to them to protect them and extend their lives.
- a. In the Old Testament, the patriarchs blessed their children according to their age starting with the eldest who usually received the greatest portion of the inheritance. In this case, Israel is blessing Joseph and calling on: “the Angel that redeemed him from evil to bless the lads; let his name and the name of his forefathers be on them. He asked that they grow into a multitude in the earth.” (Gen. 48:15-16) The Angel called upon was God the Redeemer, the one that had blessed him at Bethel. The one that had been with him and provided for him all of his life and the one that wrestle with him.
- In my last sermon, I mentioned that I was a devoted member of the Lord’s Prayer Group that met on Saturday evenings. We only had one automobile and my husband wanted to use the car and I wanted to go to the Prayer Group. So, we managed to borrow a cousin’s car who lived in southeast, D.C. We lived in northwest, D.C. at the time. So, my husband and I drove to S.E. to pick up the car. On the way back, it started to snow heavily and by the time we got back to northwest, the snow had accumulated on the roadways. I was not used to driving in snowy and icy conditions.
In order to get to our house, you have to drive up a hill. So, my husband drove up the hill first and when he was just about at the top, I started to drive up the hill, as well. When I was about half way, this truck started down the hill, instead of letting me get to the top. There wasn’t room for both of us so, I put my foot on the brake and put the car in reverse. I was driving a deuce and a quarter Buick which is a heavy weight car. My car took off down that hill and I was steering and doing my best not to hit this man who was changing a tire on his automobile in the street. I saw my husband get out of the car and fall running down the hill trying to help me. The gentleman changing his tire was yelling at me, lady stop, lady stop, stop the car! My car barely touched his, breaking a small covering on a light and stopped at a curb. I asked the gentleman how much I owed him for breaking that little piece of glass. He said lady, you don’t owe me nothing. My car was undamaged and I was unhurt, truly the angels of God protected me.
- Angels attend to prayers of Saints.
- Psalm 34:7 = “The angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them.” Verse 6= “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles.” A mother can be in a mall full of people, but if her child calls out to her, she will hear him/her and go to him/her. So, it is with our Lord and Savior, He hears us when we call and will deliver us.
- This brings to mind Peter who was in prison and the king was determined to kill him the next day. “The Saints prayed for Peter without ceasing. Even though he was chained between two soldiers, and there were keepers outside the prison door; the chains fell off and the angel led Peter outside the prison.” (Acts 12:5-11) The Saints’ praying is what drew the angel. This is Peter’s second time being liberated from prison by an angel. Four miracles happened: 1) Helplessness of the guards. 2) Chains falling off. 3) Going through 3 gates without notice. And, 4) Automatic opening of the gates. The angel departed once he was no longer needed. Angels never stay beyond the completion of a task.
- While writing about the Apostle Peter and angels opening gates, it reminded me of my last trip to Israel. The group that I travelled with were all on the bus in front of the hotel where we were staying when I decided to go to the bathroom which was in the basement. I did mention to another passenger, I was going to the bathroom but I didn’t say where. I went into the stall and locked the door. A little voice said, you shouldn’t have done that. I shrugged it off. The bathroom was actually located in a bomb shelter in the basement. The walls of the stalls were very tall and extended down to about a foot or foot and a half from the floor. Making it impossible to climb over or under the stall. When I tried to open the door, I could not open it. The latch refused to budge. I was there at least 15 minutes maybe more. I don’t remember what I said but I prayed to the Lord to get me out of there. After the prayer, I tried the latch and it miraculously lifted. While I was washing my hands, praising God and shaking all over; someone from the bus came down-stairs looking for me. She had been looking all over for me including going up to the 10th floor where I had been staying. I had the tour group on the bus rejoicing with me. What a mighty God we serve. He is still unlocking locked doors!!
- We can command our angels and tell them what to do.
- Jesus gave us an example of this when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane and being placed under arrest, when Peter cuts off the ear of one of the high priest’s servants. Fighting and violence was not what Jesus wanted and He asked His disciples, “don’t you think that I could pray to the Father right now and He would give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt. 26:51-53) Let me put twelve legions of angels in perspective for you. Each legion is 6,000; so, 12 legions would be 72,000 for Himself and the eleven apostles having 6,000 for each of them. Each angel could slay 185,000 in a night, as one did in Isaiah 37:36. On this basis, 11 billion more men than are now on earth could easily have been killed which would have defeated God’s plan. The ultimate purpose of God is to redeem the world from all rebellion and sin, and to restore it to its’ original sinlessness and perfection. This will be fulfilled during the Millennial reign of Christ. (1 Cor. 15:24-28)
- We have been given the power to use the name of Jesus. In the Great Commission, Jesus commands us to go into all the world… (Matt. 28:18-20). When we use the name of Jesus, it releases our power of attorney. A power of attorney endows the user with the same authority as the original owner. Whatever the original owner can do, so can the person with the power of attorney. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned scripture, Jesus lets us know that He is with us even to the end of the world. Whenever you are ministering for Jesus, know that He is seated on the right hand of God the Father making intercession for you.
- As a child, my brother, sister and I spent our summers on a farm in Virginia. One day, my sister, several other children on the farm and myself went walking in the woods. We came to a creek, saw a boat and decided to get in the boat and go to the other side. We didn’t realize that there was a hole in the boat until we had gotten a little distance down the creek. The boat began to sink. I was 6 yrs. old at the time and didn’t know how to swim. My sister who was 4 years older started swimming and I cried out “Jesus save me!” Daisy who was about 12 years old was able to carry her brother, sister and me to shore. Praise God, certainly, He strengthened her in order to save us.
- We can ask for judgment for our enemies. “It is wished that the enemy that seeks after my soul be disgraced, ashamed, turned back and brought to confusion that devised my hurt. Let them stumble and fall into the net they have prepared for me. There is also a picture of chaff being violently carried by the wind along a dark and smooth path, being chased by the angel of the Lord whose speed is unimaginable to persecute them.” (Psalm 35:4-6) You never ask for them to be killed. As for us, the angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear Him and delivers them.
- We have been given the assurance that we can ask anything in His name and He will do it. (John 14:12-14) Jesus assures us that anyone who believes in Him as Savior will do the things that He did and greater things because He is going to the Father. He will do it because He wants the Father to be glorified and celebrated in the Son. This lets us know that we can be confident when we are carrying out our assignments that we can ask anything and it will be done. I don’t care how difficult the assignment is: when you are trusting and relying on Him; He will never let you fail!
- Angels are attentive to God waiting for their next assignment. When we have drawn closer and committed to God, who has always been committed to us; our angels will do their jobs of making sure that we have a long life. “The angels are referred to as apostles to minister to the heirs of salvation.” (Heb. 1:14) This refers to our being sent out on special mission(s) where different “gifts of the Spirit” will flow through you. Gifts that you have never used before and may never use again but are needed for this assignment. Just remain pliable and available for God’s service.
In conclusion, “Faith” is an attribute of God and restored faculty of man whereby both can bring into existence things that are unseen. I mentioned to you earlier in one of my sermons, that everything that you will ever need, God has already provided for you in the spiritual world. Your job is to bring the things you need into the natural using your faith.
You have learned from this teaching that angels are assigned to believers to protect them, extend their lives, protect their destinies and bring us to the place God has prepared for us.
After today’s sermon, you no longer have to be wary of venturing into the unknown or what appears to be an impossible situation because you are fully armed. You can call on the name of Jesus because you have His power of attorney to do anything He could do. Jesus told you that you can ask anything in His name and He would do it.
When you are on an assignment from God, any of the gifts of the Spirit can and will flow through you. Those gifts are: the word of wisdom; the word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, divers-kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues. God has sent you on that assignment to win and bring glory to Him. Always remember, that you have the Greater One living inside of you and personal angels there to protect you. In other words, there are more with you, than against you!
Angels are attentive to our prayers, therefore, speak the Word of God and put them to work. You are able to call on your angels to go or do anything that you command. When we use our faith and call forth for things that be not as though they are; they go to work and manifest that thing into the natural realm. Angelic activity is automatically summoned when we are trusting, believing, serving and are committed to God.
Since the angels’ job is to ensure that you will live a long and healthy life, you should ask your angels to let you know what you should eat and drink; what exercises you should do; vitamins to take, etc. to live a long and healthy life. Then, whatever your angel(s) says, do it!
With these great and precious angelic promises, and all of the examples given; all of you should be encouraged to do great exploits for the Lord. The next time you are given an assignment or you receive an unction to do something; you should be raring to go, knowing that “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.” Give the Lord a praise offering for His teaching.