The Superior Son Hebrews 1:5-14

Jesus is superior to the angels because He is the Son of God

Sons are special people:

For weeks a six-year-old lad kept telling his first-grade teacher about the baby brother or sister that was expected at his house.

One day the mother allowed the boy to feel the movements of the unborn child. The six-year old was obviously impressed, but made no comment. Furthermore, he stopped telling his teacher about the impending event.

The teacher finally sat the boy on her lap and said, "Tommy, whatever has become of that baby brother or sister you were expecting at home?"

Tommy burst into tears and confessed, "I think Mommy ate it!"

I. He is the Son v. 5

a.    He was begotten by the Father                                i.     In this passage, the author continues an exploration of the superiority of Jesus Christ, even over the angels

ii.     In this passage, we explore Jesus’ identity as the Son of the Father and we recognize again that He is uniquely begotten by the Father

iii.     He is not the son of Joseph who has a special role in God’s providence

iv.     He is the product of the Spirit’s overshadowing of Mary and is uniquely born of a virgin                                              v.     While angels are occasionally referred to in the Old Testament as “sons of God” they are not in the same sense the Son of God

vi.     He is co-equal with the Father because He is of the same substance as the Father, consubstantial with Him

b.    He has a heavenly Father, not an earthly one!

                                      i.     The angels are solely the product of God’s creative action through Christ

                                     ii.     Jesus is preexistent and His birth does not represent the beginning of His existence, but rather the beginning of His Incarnation in flesh

                                    iii.     As we saw last week, He has always been with His Father, unlike the angels.

II. He is Worthy of Worship v. 6

a.    Jesus is greater than the angels in glory

b.    While the angels transcend our being to such a point that we are tempted to fall down and worship them on being in their presence, Christ is greater

c.    They are commanded to worship Him, because He is superior in all things over them

d.    At this point it is important to note a few things:                                               i.     He is the firstborn in the sense that He is superior to the rest of His brethren who share in His resurrection                                             ii.     This is not a reference to His physical birth, but to His position in God’s family and His promised inheritance                                            iii.     Also, we should discuss when this “bringing into the world” takes place                                            iv.     I believe that this is a reference to His exaltation at the Resurrection 

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:8-11 ESV)

III. His Angels are Servants v. 7

a.    Not only are the angels called to worship Christ, but they are also His servants

b.    Under the authority of the Lord, even these supernatural, spiritual beings can be reduced into natural elements like wind and fire

c.    The ultimate authority belongs to the Father and He has signaled to us that His Son has superiority in every way over the angels

d.    They are not little gods nor are they a subgroup of the Godhead

e.    Instead, they are ministering spirits under the Lord’s authority

Neil Marten, a member of the British Parliament, was once giving a group of his constituents a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament. During the course of the visit, the group happened to meet Lord Hailsham, then lord chancellor, wearing all the regalia of his office. Hailsham recognized Marten among the group and cried, "Neil!" Not daring to question or disobey the "command," the entire band of visitors promptly fell to their knees! 

IV. He is a Righteous King vv. 8-9

a.    Listen to how differently the Scriptures speak of Christ, according to the author of Hebrews 

                                              i.     The angels are subordinate spiritual beings that can be turned into fire or destroyed

ii.     Christ, on the other hand, is a king who has ultimate authority, represented by the scepter

b.    The scepter represents a symbol of His kingly power, yet the author points out that Christ’s reign extends beyond power to goodness

                                               i.     Jesus is not only the king over all things, but He is also a good king and is morally upright

                                             ii.     He does rule the world with “truth and grace”

                                            iii.     He shows no partiality and is never unfair to anyone

                                            iv.     He is gracious and slow to anger

                                              v.     He loves righteousness and hates wickedness

                                            vi.     This character of the Son is celebrated by the Father through anointing with oil: It is a sign of His celebration of the Son with whom He is pleased

V. He is Eternal vv. 10-12

a.    As we saw last time, we recognize that Christ is beyond time, though He once lived in time

b.    The lamb of God who was slain before the foundation of the earth was active in Creation before He was ever incarnated

c.    There was never a when when He was not, and it is important that we remember that

d.    Everything else may fade and pass away, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever

e.    He not only exists now but He will continue to exist forever and we must submit ourselves to His eternal kingdom

VI. He is the Conqueror of All vv. 13-14

a.    Christ has an inheritance that He will soon receive: Everything!

b.    While the enemies of Christ may seem to hold sway over world events for a short time, the Father will lay all of them as a footstool before Him

c.    No enemy will triumph over this King

d.    While the nations rage against the Lord and His anointed one, this will only last for a little while

e.    There are angels and people and all sorts of servants that the Lord has, but there is only One Christ who we need to submit our lives to today

Athanasius was born in the year 298AD in Egypt. In his early twenties he was a deacon in the church in Alexandria (North Africa). During that time, the doctrine of the deity of Christ came under attack by a highly influential pastor named Arius. Arius taught that Jesus was a created being, that he had a beginning, and there was a time when Jesus was not. Therefore, according to Arius, Jesus is the son of God, but not God the son. His heresy was later known as the Arian heresy (named after Arius). It sparked a flame throughout the empire, that would dominate the church for 60 years. It was a 20 year old young man by the name of Athanasius, 40 years younger than Arius, that God would use to contend for the doctrine of the deity of Christ (good word to 20 year olds here today, you don’t need to wait to have a huge impact in the kingdom. God can use you now).  Athanasius would endure decades of persecution, banished from the church, sent into exile five times, framed for murder, threatened with death, slandered by emperors and bishops, all for standing firm to the doctrine of the deity of Christ. In the end he prevailed, truth was preserved, and the church has stood on his shoulders ever since.

He was truly Athanasius Contra Mundum!