Ministries (3)

Great to be here tonight. Good to see you. Let's dig into our Bible study this evening. We're talking of course about angels have been for some weeks now. And we are looking currently at the various ministries of angels. What they do in relationship to God, in relationship to Christ. And last week we just started, just briefly started on the relationship of angels and their ministry to believers. What they do for us. And it really is a rich topic for study to understand what angels do on our behalf. Hebrews chapter 1 verse 14 says that they are ministering spirits. God sends them to be ministering spirits. And so they minister to those Hebrews 1, 14 says who are the heirs of salvation to believers. So we're talking about the different kinds of ministries that they accomplish for believers. Wide range of them. The first one we looked at last week was revealing angels minister to believers in the sense of revealing truth. And we looked at both gospels description of the Christmas story. Luke chapter 1 the angel Gabriel revealed to Mary the birth of the Messiah. And in Matthew chapter 1 the angel explained to Joseph what the birth was all about and that he should take Mary as his wife. And then we saw a number of other evidences of angels revealing truth. And remember we talked about the fact that God's revelation is now complete in his word. So God is not revealing any new truth. It's not that God doesn't speak or lead or work in our lives. He does. He's very active in our lives. But God is not revealing any new truth. The scriptures are the final revelation of God described in the book of Jude as the faith once for all delivered to the saints. And so there is no revelation being given now. And we talked about the fact that we need to be very careful. The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 that Satan can appear as an angel of light. You see the verse on the screen talking about false apostles. Paul said for such people are false apostles, the sequel workers masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. And so there have been people who have who have claimed to get revelation from God or revelation specifically from angels and founded false religions or cults. And that obviously is Satan masquerading as an angel of light. So we have to be careful about claims of people being given new revelation from God or receiving new revelation from God. God the Holy Spirit as we saw last week is helping us through illumination to understand the revelation God's given us in his word. We have to be careful about claims of new revelation. Now that's where we left off last week. We're going to start tonight with a second ministry that angels sometimes are commissioned by God to do. And that is a ministry of guiding. Sometimes in Bible times we see angels guiding people. Remember it is God who guides us but sometimes God uses angels as agents of his work. And so sometimes in the Bible angels were used. Let's begin with Acts 826. The well-known story of Philip and the Ethiopian Unique, Philip is a deacon who's been authorized by the church to serve the church in Jerusalem. But he's involved in an evangelistic campaign in Syria or some area. And an angel says to him, look at verse 26. Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, go south to the road, the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. You read on through the story so this angel is directing him guiding him where to go. You read on through the story and down in verse 29, once he gets there and comes up to the chariot, the Holy Spirit told Philip, go to that chariot, stay near it. And from that point on it is the spirit who is directing him and guiding him and then removing him from the scene after he's done witnessing to the Ethiopian government official. But it's interesting that an angel is the one who started it all out. So again it is God who guides us but sometimes he sends as his agents of guidance and doing other ministries angels. And so certainly in the case of Philip, that was true. A couple of other examples of angels guiding people in the New Testament. Joseph would be one again in Matthew chapter one. Joseph not only revealed truth to Joseph about the birth of the Messiah that it was a virgin birth, but he also guided Joseph as to what to do. He said don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife. So he guided him in decisions that he was to make. Another example would be Cornelius in Acts chapter 10. Remember Cornelius saw a vision from an angel and an angel told him to send for Peter in Japa. And so sometimes angels are used by God to guide believers or in the case of Cornelius, a seeker, one who is seeking God and doesn't know how to find him yet. And so God sends him to the right person. Okay, questions, comments about angels guiding people. Okay. All right, a third ministry that angels sometimes perform for believers is a ministry of providing. Sometimes in the Bible, let's begin with Genesis 21. Angels are used by God to actually provide what we need. So again, God uses them as His agents of provision for us. Genesis 21 tells the story of Heygar and her son Ishmael being sent away from Abraham's household. Remember earlier in the story, Sarah herself had done it in spite. But now it is God who reveals that it's time for them to leave so that the promises of God can focus on Isaac rather than on Ishmael. And so Heygar and Ishmael are sent away. And in verse 17, they've run out of water. Their desperate, her son Ishmael is crying. He's about to die. Verse 17, God heard the boy crying. And the angel of God called to Heygar from heaven and said to her, what does the matter Heygar? Do not be afraid. God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up, taking by the hand for I will make him into a great nation. Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. So an angel provided for her in the sense that he gave her provision as to where to get water. Guidance as to where to get water. A couple of other evidences of that just to give you some examples of this, how common this is in scripture. The Bible says that the manna that was provided for Israel in the wilderness was angel food. Did you know that? You can read that in in in Psalm 78 verses 23 to 25. It calls it angel food. They ate the food of angels it says. That doesn't say it was angel food cake, but it was angel food. It was the food of angels. So what that means evidently is that God used angels to help provide that. Came from God, but angels were instrumental and providing it. Another time when God provides through angels is with Elijah. Do you remember the story of Elijah when he was running for his life from Jezebel and he is desperate out in the wilderness. He's about ready to give up once God to take his life and remember we'll put it on the screen for you. First print there are first stockings chapter 19 verses 5 through 7. Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said get up and eat and he looked around and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals in a jar of water. He ate, drank, then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time touched him and said I get up and eat for the journey is too much for you. And so an angel provided him with a meal. The same thing happened with Jesus at least possibly it's not stated clearly with Jesus at the end of the temptation. We've looked at this one before but look at it again on the screen. Matthew chapter 4 verse 11 then the devil left him and the angels came and attended him. This is at the end of the 40 days of temptation and Jesus has fasted 40 days and 40 nights and so he's very hungry. In fact remember one of the temptations was turn these stones to bread and your hunger will be taken care of. Well after the 40 days of temptation and the devil leaves him angels come and attended him. It doesn't say it directly but you kind of have to wonder maybe one of the ways they attended him was to make provision for him to bring him something to eat now that the temptation was over and provide him the strength he would need to go on. So we see sometimes angels providing. So maybe one of the ways that God provides for us at times is through angels. We may not know that. We may not see them and they may come in human form. We may be entertaining angels unaware like Hebrews 13 says. But God may provide for us sometimes through through angels. Questions comments there? Yes certainly that the temptation of Christ does show his humanity because he was weak he needed strengthening after that time and you see that often in his ministry. Gruth hired. Gruth hungry. He was thirsty at the water at the well in John 4 so you see that quite often actually. Okay. Any other question comment? A fourth ministry that angels sometimes do for us and this is one that we we think of quite easily and that is protecting. Protecting one of my favorite stories in this regard is Second Kings chapter 6. Let's turn to that one. We put some of these on the screen some of them want you to turn to so you don't forget where the books of the Bible are. Okay. First Kings chapter 6 the story of Elisha. Great story. Elisha has been foiling all the battle plans of the King of Aram or Syria who's been trying to get these raids going against Israel but every plan that he and his advisors come up with Elisha is told by God what it is he alerts the Israelite King and they're always ready and so so the King of Aram says we're going to go get this guy we're going to remove they're going to get this guy out of the way and so they send an army down just to take out Elisha and Second Kings of chapter 6 and verse 13. Go find out where he is the King ordered so I can send men in capture him the report came back he is in Doath and so he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there they went by night surrounded the city when the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city oh no my lord what shall we do the servant ask don't be afraid the prophet answered those who are with us are more than those who are with them and I'm sure the servant is thinking you got to be kidding this little half bit town doathen we don't have people can defend this place against the Syrian army and here's the answer verse 17 and Elisha prayed open his eyes lord so that he may see then the lord opened the servant's eyes and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha this is the host of the lord this is the armies of the lord chariots and horses of fire unseen protecting the prophet of God obviously those are God's angels the army of the lord great story a couple of interesting evidences of God's protection through angels in the book of Daniel Daniel chapter three we'll put this one on the screen remember the three Hebrew children Chadrake Meshach and Abednego when they're in the fire furnace there's a fourth figure that appears Nebuchadnezzar said praise be to the god of Chadrake Meshach and Abednego who has sent his angel and rescued his servants after take with a little grain of salt anything a pagan king says he made out of understood the theology about this but he knew there was some other being in there who was celestial divine or something and this probably was actually the angel the lord a pre incarnate appearance of Christ but at any rate Nebuchadnezzar identified it as an angel in Daniel six when Daniel's in the lion's den remember that story Daniel answered when the king comes out in the next morning hadn't slept all night and says are you all right in there Daniel Daniel answered may the king live forever my god has sent his angel and he shut the mouths of the lions they have not hurt me because I was found innocent in his sight nor have I ever done any wrong before you your majesty so angels sometimes protect very direct and amazing ways that are found in those stories but I'm convinced that oftentimes angels do the same for us and we never see them we're like Elisha's servant we don't see the angels that are there to protect us and guard us from danger but I'm convinced they do maybe one of the things we will learn in heaven is all of those incidents where angels were involved being sent by God to protect us that will be a fascinating glimpse of our story won't it fascinating to see that okay questions that is so true you do hear stories of that and I was I was trying to recall one like that as we were talking about this I can't remember the missionary but I've read stories like that as well where missionaries will will be under great threat under danger and and then later have tribal people report to them that we did not attack because we saw all these soldiers around your your place is that right when Jim Elliott and other missionaries were killed the angels were singing yeah okay good good there are stories like that that you read yes safety for those who long for it it sounds like one of the Psalms I was thinking Psalm 91 but I'm not sure it's quite in that that wording but Psalm 91 is a Psalm of great protection and angels protecting and burying us up burying us up when we're in danger and so forth yeah I think that is very true good prayer to pray for missionaries okay along with protecting angels sometimes deliver we find them doing this in scripture delivering people literally from danger the two passages I've given you there let's look at those they're both together here in the book of Acts Acts chapter 5 verses 17 to 20 then the high priest and all of his associates who were members of the party of the Sadducees were filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail but during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out go stand in the temple courts he said and tell the people all about this new life so the apostles are actually delivered from jail by angels or an angel and then in chapter 12 pretty much the same thing happens this time with Peter Peter is arrested and in verse 5 so Peter was kept in prison but the church was earnestly praying to God for him the night before Herod was to bring him to trial Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains and centuries stood guard at the entrance suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shown in the cell he struck Peter on the side and woke him up quick get up he said and the chains fell off Peter's wrists then the angel said to him put on your clothes and sandals and Peter did so wrap your cloak around you and follow me the angel folding Peter followed him out of the prison but he had no idea that the angel was that what the angel was doing was really happening he thought he was seeing a vision they passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city it opened for them by itself and they went through it when they had walked the length of one street suddenly the angel left him then that fascinating story you know one of the things it's fascinating to me about this story is that Peter was sound asleep you see Herod had just arrested James the primary leader of the Jerusalem church and put him to death and when he saw you know that went well that was a good PR move with the Jewish people let's do this again and so he arrests Peter and Peter's going to be next and Peter knows what's coming he knows what happened to James and it's going to be the next day that he has brought before Herod and tried well he knows what the result that's going to be but he's sound asleep he's so sound asleep the angel has to kick him in the side to wake him up could you imagine and maybe not kick him but he poach him struck him you know woke him up and then Peter doesn't realize this is all real isn't that a fascinating he thinks he thinks he's seeing a vision and doesn't realize till he gets out of the prison looks around he's out on the city street and the angel disappears that an angel has delivered him from prison it's quite a story it's not the end of the story either we'll come back to it in just a little bit for another part of it but lots of times angels protect people remember we already looked in Revelation chapter 7 that the angels protect the 144,000 actually until they are sealed protect them so a lot of times angels are protecting people and delivering people okay six angels are also enabled by God to strengthen and encourage believers back in Acts chapter 5 since we're there let's turn back to that the story we just read about the apostles being freed from prison but it wasn't like they were just freed from prison and you know just let go verse 20 the angel encourages them go stand in the temple course tell the people all about this new life so after freeing them from prison they are encouraged to keep preaching you know I'm sure it could have been intimidating having been thrown in prison after preaching to think okay what are we going to do next if the angel lets us out do we do we leave Jerusalem do we go back to Galilee what do we do and the angel encourages them no go back to preaching just go right back to the temple and start preaching again so angels sometimes encourage the same thing was true of of Christ we saw at the end of the temptation but another time when angels strengthened him do you remember another time when angels specifically strengthened Christ garden of Gethsemane yeah in Luke 22 I think we have this verse for you an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him and being in anguish he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground so this is in the midst of that intense evening of prayer that our Lord had in the Garden of Gethsemane the night of the arrest and it is in the middle of this that an angel strengthened him and it almost is as though he strengthened him to be able to continue praying because the Lord goes back and and continues earnestly after the angel strengthens him there's another fascinating story about Paul in Acts chapter 27 well let's we're close there let's look at it Acts 27 since we're in the book of Acts remember the shipwreck Paul shipwreck on the way to Rome where Paul was protected delivered and strengthened and encouraged all of them happen here in Acts 27 beginning in verse 21 after they had gone a long time without food Paul stood up before them and said men you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss but now I urge you to keep up your courage because not one of you will be lost only the ship will be destroyed how can Paul give that kind of encouragement how does he know that verse 23 last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said do not be afraid Paul you must stand trial before Caesar and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you so keep up your courage men for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me nevertheless we must run aground on some islands so strengthening and encouraging Paul and actually through him everybody else on the ship at least had the potential to be encouraged by what Paul was communicating to them so sometimes angels strengthen and encourage us questions comments about that yeah that was that was a direct miracle of the Lord where he's gathering firewood with others and a poisonous snake clasped itself on his arm and he shakes it off in the fire just not harmed at all certainly even though I don't think the text tells us certainly angels were involved in protecting him there as well have you ever wondered sometimes when when you're going through a difficult stretch in your life it's a very discouraging time for whatever reason maybe physical financial relational whatever and you just seem to get a second win to keep going through a day or a week or a season of your life have you ever thought about the fact that that may be God's angels actually ministering to you now obviously again God himself is the one who strengthens his spirit is always there to to help us but what we're seeing is that God sometimes also uses angels as his agents of strengthening and encouraging so I'm not suggesting that you begin praying to angels or thanking angels that's not appropriate the Bible says we're not to do that but certainly we're out of thank God for those ministering spirits that he sends our way from time to time like that strengthening and encouraging along those lines number seven in your notes angels can sometimes be agents in answering prayer now the two passages that we've got there we've looked at several times so we're not going to go back to them but in both of those cases in Daniel Daniel Daniel is praying and earnestly interceding on behalf of the Jewish nation and in chapter nine the angel comes and gives him that great prophecy of the seventy weeks to help him understand what's going to happen to his people in future and then chapter 10 he's praying again and that's the time the angel is sent after doing battle with the prince of the kingdom of Persia for three weeks and Daniel gets the answer in the form of an amazing prophecy in chapter 11 about the way God will protect and and provide for Israel in the future so answering prayer another example of that is a passage we just saw and I said we'd come back to a little bit later Acts 12 remember when Peter was released from prison and the Bible says the church had been praying for him well that prayer was answered but remember what happened where did Peter go and what happened remember the rest of the story come on all you Paul Harvey's in here tell me the rest of the story yeah they they didn't believe her and they said it was just his spirit oh really I mean you believe his spirit has showed up they must have thought he was already dead that's kind of an interesting take on things what they were thinking but just an example of of praying for something and not really believing God will answer it and certainly it's pretty amazing answer I'm sure we're guilty of that a lot aren't we praying and not really believing God's going to work and when he does work we attribute it to something else but God was certainly answering that prayer on the part of the church for for Peter here's something interesting that angels may do I'm not saying this happens all the time uh in any of these cases but God may use them to do this and that is number eight attending the righteous at death in Luke 16 we have a great instance of that Luke 16 22 the time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side the rich man also died and was buried this is a story of Lazarus and the rich man but the angels carried him to Abraham's side Abraham's side an idiom an expression for paradise or the presence of God um angel carried him that's an interesting thought there are other evidences of this in the Bible in Daniel chapter 12 the the angel Michael who is the prince of the nation of Israel is mentioned as um being involved at the end of the tribulation at the second coming of Christ when Old Testament saints are resurrected and so quite possibly he is involved in in that kind of incident that that kind of dealing with death now here's a very interesting one Jude 9 but even the archangel Michael when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses did not himself there to condemn him for slander but said the Lord rebuked you now that expression of the archangel Michael disputing with the devil about the body of Moses you ought to read the commentaries on that I mean they're all over the place what's going on there and it's really difficult to know what was going on but for some reason remember how Moses died remember the story of Moses death God causing to go off on mountainevo and oversee the land of promise in Deuteronomy 34 and and then he died and he was not buried God the Bible says God buried him and and nobody nobody attended him nobody went up there with him so uh kind of a mystery you know where did he go what happened to him he went up on the mountain and he died and God buried him well evidently there's some kind of dispute about the body of Moses the angel Michael and Satan himself why would Satan want Moses body any any guesses any thoughts there is one suggestion although I wouldn't die for it I wouldn't even start a new denomination on it I wouldn't I wouldn't be dogmatic about this at all but there is one suggestion that it has to do with the two witnesses in the book of Revelation that Moses and Elijah will be those two witnesses and Satan was wanting to snatch the body of Moses so that he could not appear in the book of Revelation is one of the two witnesses now that's like that's some people's guests we don't really know who the two witnesses are it some people speculate it could be Moses and Elijah it could be if so that might have something to do with the devil wanting to snatch the body of Moses and keep it somewhere else but that's really an intriguing statement we don't really know what that was about but angels are seeing around death scenes right in the scriptures at least on those occasions and particularly the one in Luke actually attending the death of a believer again I can't say this dogmatically but I am convinced I've seen that happen I know that I have seen people express things both you know physically with their words with their eyes with their faces at death that they're experiencing something and I don't know I don't know what it is for believers it may be they're seeing the Lord it may be they're seeing heaven it may be they are seeing the angels who have come to attend them I don't know but I know that I have I've told you some of the stories that of folks that I've seen when I've been by their bedside I'll never forget Jay Harvey one of our dear members Jay Harvey of his there in his home when he died and he was lifting up his hands like that as he died on every get Richard Martin looking over to the side and reaching out like he was reaching for somebody and then he died and I've seen a number of things like that my own mother when she had been at the end of her battle with Alzheimer's and had been in that coma-like state for four days as we were gathered around her her bed all of a sudden she she had her eyes closed for a long time and all of a sudden she opened her eyes just as wide as could be and a smile broke out on her face and then she sighed she breathed out her last breath and died and I will never forget I will never forget that scene it was just it was shocking but it was so glorious and I would love to know what she saw you know I don't know you don't put you can't build doctrine on experience you can't you can't put a lot of confidence in experience but I do believe I've seen enough of it to know that something often happens to believers at death that is beyond what's happening here and it could well be a part of this angels attending them ushering them into glory and maybe sometimes they're seeing those who are waiting for them to take them on to glory I don't know you know you often hear about dying grace you know God giving grace for that time and I think that's a part of that so many people express anxiety about what it's like to die and then when that time comes for a believer you often you often do see that dying grace the grace of God communicated to them in those last moments now obviously not everybody is aware of what's going on around them but sometimes you do see that yeah I'd forgotten that Tommy but I remember that now yeah um he was reminding me of when his mother was near death and I was by her bedside and and she I said I must have been praying or something I said amen she took off her oxygen mask to say amen so yeah there's some really glorious experiences with believers who pass into the presence of the Lord I don't want to minimize the pain of death and the experience of watching loved ones die that's painful I don't mean to minimize that but there are there are glimpses sometimes that you see that God gives you of the other side and what it's like for them to go to the other side to heaven and those those little glimpses are just they put your appetite to see what's there you remember pilgrims progress John Bunyan has such a wonderful way of expressing things and he talks about the saints as they get near the river of Jordan they can see across the river and they can hear the songs of the saints and they can see some of them over on the other side and I think that's that was his way of describing what it's like for a believer to be near near that point of entering heaven well let's let's at least get one more in and finish up this section in relation to believers here's one of the most fascinating things angels do did you know that they observe God's working with us I've mentioned this before I wish I brought it again to not I've missed this several times now we're going to have to play Stephen Curtis Chapman's song the angel song because he talks about this very thing about what we experience that angels can't experience now angels experience a lot of things that we don't and in the song he talks about what does God sound like when he's angry what what was in his voice and heart when his son died and things that that angels have experienced that we don't know but then he talks about in that song things that we experience that angels don't experience and basically it all revolves around redemption and God's work of salvation which angels can't experience and so where he got that from is these four verses that talk about angels observing with keen interest what happens not only in our redemption but what happens in the church and just real quickly these four passages I think we have them all on the screen first Peter one tip 12 it was revealed to them Old Testament prophets that they were not serving themselves but you when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven so he's talking about the gospel in the verses before 10 and 11 he's talking about the the sufferings of Christ and the glories of Christ it's all about Christ and the gospel and he ends it by saying even angels long to look into these things they observe with keen interest the whole plan of salvation they are very they're fascinated by watching God redeem lost sinners and and the whole essence of the gospel and Christ's death for us is of keen interest to the angels and then first Corinthians 11 10 it is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head because of the angels now I know we don't have time for the rabbit trail I know everybody is full of questions about first Corinthians 11 and head coverings and veils and all that and I don't want to get into all that tonight but I do believe the real thrust of the passage is proper submission and leadership in worship that is the real thrust of that passage I think the head coverings had more to do with with a local situation in Corinth that that was kind of a wow do I want to get into this a women's lib movement that was blurring the gender distinctions and one of the signs of that was women and the way they were taking off head coverings or using them that's a that's a really involved story and I didn't want to get into that but but basically the angels are interested in in order and dignity and proper submission in worship and so one of the reasons Paul uses for maintaining the proper order in church services is because of the angels they're watching what's going on it's interesting wish we knew more first Timothy 521 Paul says to Timothy I charge you in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to keep these instructions without partiality and to do nothing out of favoritism so angels are also observing and looking for impartial administration and dealings in the church so all these instructions Paul's giving Timothy says I charge you before God and Christ Jesus and he does this several times in first and second Timothy recognizing or reminding Timothy that he stands before God and before Christ to answer to them but here he adds the angels and so it's almost like not only are God and Christ watching you the angels are watching you too so that's another reason heaven all of heaven is interested in what you're doing in the church and one final passage like this is Ephesians 310 Ephesians 310 his intent was that now through the church the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms and we've talked about the fact rulers and authorities principalities power so forth in the heavenly realms as a reference to angels and so angels marvel at the particular place and function of the church in the program of God see first 10 verses of Ephesians 3 is all about how God has designed the church to be his program for this age a new work a new body composed of both Jew and Gentile and Paul talks about that and he's talking about the the wisdom of God shown through the church is of great interest to the angels so the angels observe God's work with us they marvel at our salvation they're looking at what's happening in our church services they're watching observing what goes on in the church and how we're doing that and and they're also marveling at how God's using the church to accomplish his purpose that's kind of interesting okay those are some of the things maybe not all of them but some of the things the New Testament talks about angels doing for believers and Old Testament as well the Bible talks about angels doing for believers any quick comment or question before we close tonight okay just so you know next next Wednesday is 23rd there will not be any a one and so forth but we are going to go ahead and have an adult Bible study if it were Christmas Eve we we might cancel but we're going to go ahead and have an adult Bible study what I'm thinking about I'm not sure about this yet but we may since it is so close to Christmas what we may do is look at the six announcements of angels regarding the birth of Christ there were six times that angels made announcements about the birth of Christ and we may just take a look at those and have a little fun with the Christmas story next week okay let's pray father we thank you for the opportunity to study your word thank you that you've given us the privilege and the responsibility as Proverbs 2 tells us to dig as though we were mining precious metals from the earth to dig into your word and see what it has for us and we thank you for this opportunity to study your word thank you father for the ministry of angels to us in so many ways you've sent them as your ministering spirits for those who will inherit salvation we are grateful for all the provisions you make for us your word your spirit to dwell with us at all times but also your angels that you send the minister to us in so many ways thank you father for the things that we we never even see and no doubt take so much for granted we are grateful to you for your provision in Jesus name amen