Jesus Exalted Above the Angels

English Standard Version Chapter 1

After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son,

today I have begotten you”?

Or again,

“I will be to him a father,

and he shall be to me a son”?

6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,

“Let all God’s angels worship him.”

7 Of the angels he says,

“He makes his angels winds,

and his ministers a flame of fire.”

8 But of the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,

the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.

9  You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;

therefore God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”

10 And,

“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,

and the heavens are the work of your hands;

11  they will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like a garment,

12  like a robe you will roll them up,

like a garment they will be changed.

But you are the same,

and your years will have no end.”

13 And to which of the angels has he ever said,

“Sit at my right hand

until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?

14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Angels

What are angels?

Who are the angels?

In our culture today it seems sometimes that we have sort of this strange fascination with angels

They appear on Christmas cards

They appear in paintings

They appear as figurines on our shelves and as ornaments on our Christmas trees

We seem to have confusing and often strange ideas about angels

Sometimes they are masculine in appearance

But many times they are feminine in appearance, with soft smooth features and long flowing hair

Sometimes they are fat, chubby little babies with tiny little wings and halos

We talk and speculate about whether each of us has a “guardian angel”, a special angel assigned to each one of us whose job is to keep us from harm

And what all of this seems to suggest is that for the most part people believe in angels.

In fact, we are fascinated with them.

but we are really confused about what they are and what their job is

All throughout history and the pages of Scripture, there is strong evidence for the existence of angels

Beings which are supernatural, mysterious, powerful

Sometimes comforting, sometimes terrifying

Who appear when people are least expecting them

We see this evidence all through Scripture

Genesis 18, Abraham was approached by 3 men

But the Bible says in verse 1 that it was the LORD who appeared to him

And sometimes in that story, the LORD is talking. the other times it might be the 3 men talking

Apparently two of the men were angels because immediately after that encounter with Abraham, in chapter 19, it says that the two angels went on to Sodom and ended up rescuing Lot before God destroyed the city because of the wickedness of the people living there

Sarah’s maid, Hagar, after Abraham had gotten her pregnant, and she was sent away. She was approached by an angel in the wilderness with a message from the LORD

Jacob was met by angels as he was about to encounter his brother Esau and he was worried about how it was all going to go

When the children of Israel were fleeing from Egypt and being pursued by Pharaoh’s men, it says that the Angel of the LORD went before them in the pillar of cloud

And of course, the most famous ones that we think about

The angel Gabriel appearing to Mary

To Zechariah and Elizabeth

And to the Shepherds out on the hillside, (a host of angels)

There are other examples that we could talk about

of people who had encounters with mysterious spirit beings

And there are a couple of things that strike me about the encounters that people had with angels

And in all of these encounters, the angels were “doing” something

They were actively on a mission

People didn’t have visions of angels or catch glimpses of angels that were just sort of “there”. Just floating around, doing nothing, or lurking in a corner somewhere

Many of these encounters that people had were terrifying encounters. Not all of them, but many of them

And there are probably some good reasons for that

First, anytime something or someone just appears when there wasn’t something or someone there before, that’s startling!

But secondly, I suspect that the reason that angels brought terror to people was because they didn’t appear as little chubby babies with tiny wings

If Isaiah’s vision of the throne room of God is any indication, I would imagine that angels were something absolutely terrifying

Isaiah saw the Seraphim—creatures with, not two wings, but six

2 to cover their face

2 to cover their feet

And two to fly with

And voices that shook the very foundations of the room

But rather as something terrifying, probably something huge and powerful

Thirdly, another thing to note about these encounters with angels is that it is often hard to tell when the person receiving the visitation is interacting with an angel, and when he or she is being visited by God Himself

For example, Abraham’s 3 visitors. The Bible tells us that 2 of them were angels

But who was the third man?

It says that Abraham was speaking with the LORD

Was one of those men God Himself? Was it Jesus before He came to earth?

Another example, if you were to ask most of us who led the Israelites through the wilderness, we would say God led them!

But in Exodus, as I just pointed out, you read that “The Angel of the LORD” led them in the pillar of cloud

Gideon is another example

he is hiding from the Midianites, threshing wheat in a wine press and is visited by someone that is called “The Angel of the LORD” in Judges 6:11.

But then in verse 14 it says that the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian”

I say all of this to make the point that it seems like it was hard for the people to tell the difference:

Was this an angel speaking to them? Or was this God Himself?

The word of an angel was as authoritative as the word of God Himself, at least in their minds

In fact, people in those days did believe that the Word of God came to them through angels

And I think that it just might be possible that because of this, angels began to take on a greater significance or priority in people’s minds than maybe they should have

And there is evidence that in the first century, there were various groups or “cults” who practiced the worship of angels

For reasons that we are going to see

I don’t know how widespread this was

But for whatever reason, the writer of Hebrews makes it one of his first priorities to set the record straight.

Remember, his aim in this letter is to encourage and exhort believers to endure through times of trouble

And he is going to achieve his goal by lifting up Jesus and pointing out that He is above all

Remember this quote that I shared with you a few weeks ago:

No believer can cope with adversity unless Christ fills his horizons, sharpens his priorities and dominates his experience. Raymond Brown “The Message of Hebrews”

In the midst of hardship, that is when we are in the greatest danger of doubting who Jesus is

And for these Christians, they were no different.

This writer knows that some of these believers are questioning and confused, and in danger of losing their faith

Jesus was a great man, yes.

But maybe He wasn’t really God. He wasn’t really divine

Maybe, just maybe, He was an angel. One of the great angels, but an angel nonetheless

And he makes it his first priority to make the case that Jesus is indeed NOT an angel

He is, in fact, much better than the angels.

He is superior in every way

And in order to do that, he goes back to the OT

Mainly to the Psalms

And here we are led to a key point that we must keep in mind if we are to understand the book of Hebrews

The author of Hebrews believes that the entire OT is about JESUS

Not just parts of it.

Not just the prophecies like Isaiah 7:14 “14 Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Not just verses like that, but the entire OT is about Jesus

And I know that this is a point that we have made before, but this is really important to keep in mind when it comes to getting a handle on Hebrews

Because sometimes you’ll be reading along and you are sort of tracking with him, you think,

And then he’ll say, “As it says...” and then he’ll include this OT reference, and you think

“But I thought that passage was about....something else”

And then you sort of lose track of the point that he is trying to make

But just keep in mind, that his point of view is that the entire OT is centered on revealing Jesus to us

And so, he says, Jesus is far more superior to the angels. And he gives us a number of ways in which this is true

His superior name 1:4b-5

...as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 5. For to which of the angles did God ever say, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’

Jesus can’t be reduced to the rank of angel because the name that He has is far more superior than theirs

Angel—means messenger

angels were used wonderfully in the Bible, as we have already seen. They did incredible things

Jesus Himself was strengthened by angels when at the end of His temptation in the wilderness

They helped the early Believers in their times of trouble

Peter was released from prison

The apostles were released from prison

Angels did wonderful things, but as powerful and amazing as angels are, still, their purpose is to function as messengers

They do the bidding of God

Christ, however, has a name that is far more superior to theirs

Jesus, Yeshua, —means “The LORD’s salvation”

Messiah—The Lord’s anointed One

Christ (Greek)—The Lord’s anointed One

The Son of Man

The Son of God

These are names that no other one, not even the angels can claim

Jesus has a name that is greater and far more superior than the angels

And one day, the Bible says, At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is LORD to the glory of God the Father

His superior dignity (vs 6)—

The angels were messengers, but Jesus is the Son.

He is called the firstborn

The angels are worshipers. But Jesus is the One whom they worship

The author includes this quote, “Let all God’s angels worship him”

This is a rendering of Deut. 32:43 from the Septuagint which says, “Let the sons of God worship him...and let all the angels of God ascribe strength to Him”

the Septuagint says, “Let all God’s angels worship Him”

So, the writer is basically saying,

The Son of God is the One who deserves to be exalted,

and It is the angel’s task to exalt the Son of God

He has superior dignity

His superior nature

Angels worship Jesus because they recognize him as having a totally different and far superior nature to Him

7 Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.” 8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.

First of all, just look at verse 8. GOD says about Jesus, “Your throne, O GOD, is forever and ever!

Isn’t this incredible?

Can there be any doubt about the nature of Jesus, that He is, in fact, God?

God, HImself, says, “Your throne, O GOD,” speaking to Jesus

Jesus is not just a faith teacher or healer

They are the servants. They are like winds and flames which are physical things, created things

they work for God’s purposes

But Christ is given the title of “Son” which describes

His special relationship to the Father

He is the Chosen One of the Father

He is, in fact, the King. And will be for all of eternity

He is not a servant, but He is One with The Father

And this descriptions serves as a basis for the warnings that are included in Hebrews

Christ is the eternal King. He is God! So it is a serious issue to turn your back on Christ and ignore what He says.

It is just like turning your back on God Himself!

His superior role

Verse 8a. “Of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever”.

So far we have seen that Christ has spoken (vs. 1), and that He is seated (vs. 3), and His purifying work is complete

Now, we see that He is sovereign

He is not only the prophet who speaks and the priests who saves, but He is the King who rules

A while ago, I preached from Psalm 2.

and made the point that, while this Psalm does point toward the earthly king sitting on the throne of David, the ultimate fulfillment is in Christ

The writer of Hebrews actually uses Psalm 45:6“6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;

And he makes the case that when the Psalmist says, “Your throne, O God”, he is actually talking about Jesus!

His superior example

Quoting from Psalm 45, Heb. 1:9 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.””

Remember that according to Scripture, not all angels are good.

1/3 of them rebelled and were cast out of heaven

And if these Christians chose to say that Christ was just another angel, how could they be sure that He was good?

Many Jews doubted Jesus, believing Him to be an imposter and blasphemer

But whatever moral qualities the angels had, Jesus lived far above them

Jesus lived among the people that He had created, enduring all that we endure

He was tempted just like we are,

He knew hurt, He knew rejection, He knew the joys of close human relationships

and in all that He endured, He lived a life that exemplified righteousness

in fact, as Psalm 45 says, He loved righteousness. He hated lawlessness and hypocrisy

He was anointed with the oil of gladness as He submitted humbly to the Father’s will, to the point of going to the cross

And so, says the author, the fact that he lived among us, not as an angel, but as a man should encourage us to look to Him and His life that was our example

His Superior Work (vs. 10-12)

quoted from Psalm 102:25-27

Read verses 10-12

The angels are created beings, made for God’s purpose

But Jesus is The Creator

Vs. 2 “Through Him, God created the world”

The angels are part of a created world that is changing rapidly

And we believe in a day when the entire creation of God will be made new.

cleansed, rid of sin and rebellion

God’s Kingdom will be established in a new heaven and new earth

We will have new bodies. Ones that don’t fade or die

I don’t know exactly how this looks for the angels, but I presume that since they are created beings, they might even have a new form. I don’t know

But for Jesus, nothing will change about Him! He is the same, and His years have no end!

Hebrews 13:8 “8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

His superior achievement

he says in verse 13, “Unto which of the angels has He said, ‘sit at my right hand’?

The answer, of course, is, God has never said that to any of the angels

The angels hurry to and fro over the earth and through heaven doing the bidding of God

but their work is not a final work like the work of Jesus is

No angel could atone for mankind the way Christ did or intercede for us as Christ does now

Angels can serve us, but they cannot save us

No angel has earned the right to sit at the right hand of God, the position of power and privilege.

No angel can say, “My work is done. I have accomplished the will of my Father.”

His superior destiny

vs. 13b Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet

His destiny is to be ruler and conqueror over all

Has God ever said this to any angels?

Absolutely not! No angel has ever deserved such exaltation!

In fact, the angels are part of the multitude in Revelation that stand before the throne and praise Him saying, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain”

They, along with all people on earth will be subject to Him

Jesus is Superior to the angels

Now, it seems like by now, we are saying “OK, I get the point. I knew this already. Jesus is superior to the angels”.

Why make such a fuss about it?

The point is this.

To lift up Jesus

It is our tendency to elevate the created above the creator

We elevate things above the One who created these things

Yeah, we might not be tempted to worship angels

But there are all kind of other things that

2. To remind us of the spiritual warfare that we are in, and to remind us Who is the ultimate victor

If Jesus is greater than the angels in Heaven, of course, He is also much greater than

The fallen angels

We have an enemy who is determined to get us to pledge our allegiance to him

And he makes all kinds of promises to us to get us to do this

He makes it look alluring and pleasurable

But the promises that he makes are not his to make. He is unable (and probably unwilling) to deliver on those promises

He promises

happiness

pleasure

fulfillment

power!

But none of these are his to give

Remember when Jesus was fasting in the wilderness

And the tempter came to him

And the last temptation recorded was when the devil took him to a high mountain

And showed him ALL the kingdoms of the world and their glory

And he said, “All these I will give you , if you will fall down and worship me”

What a ludicrous and empty promise!

And it shows how little the devil knew about who Jesus was

Even if Jesus had bowed down and worshipped him, the devil could not possibly have given Jesus all the kingdoms of the world

He did not have that power. The kingdoms of the world were not his to give away

And still, the things that he promises today are not his to give

He is a created being

Created to do the will of God.

And even in his rebellion, that has not changed!

he can not do anything that God does not allow him to do

And the things that he promises today, like

happiness

fulfillment

power

Those are all gifts that God gives and the only thing that the devil can come up with are counterfeit

False copies of the real thing

And as soon as we try to cash in on those false copies, we find out really quickly that we have been duped

Why?

Because you have a created being trying to persuade you that he can do what only the Creator can do

And so the war is on for your allegiance and mine

But I want to remind you today that Jesus is exalted far above

The spirit world

The angels

And Satan and all of his demons,

Jesus has conquered them and Jesus is the one who deserves all of our worship and love and allegiance