A Glory Greater Than The Angels

Introduction

Earlier this week, Emma and I watched It’s A Wonderful Life

The movie opens with a group of angels talking

The climax of the movie involves a guardian angel being sent to rescue George Bailey from a terrible mistake

There are a lot of things about angels that they simply got wrong, but it’s a perfect example of our fascination with angels

Humans have given great attention to the heavenly host all throughout history, and even in our secular culture, angels are a regular motif in literature, film-making, and conversation

Unfortunately, most of what people think they know about angels actually doesn’t come from the Bible

Angels are not dead Christians

Angels don’t grant wishes and cannot be prayed to

Angels are not babies with harps and halos

Despite what George Bailey was told, angels don’t have to earn their wings

Despite the misunderstandings, the Bible has a lot to say about angels

Time doesn’t permit me to cover everything the Bible says about angels, but our text has a lot to say about these heavenly beings

In our passage, the author of Hebrews compares the glory of angels to the glory of Christ in an attempt to rescue his audience from an idolatrous exaltation of angels

This morning, we’re going to learn some things about angels, some things about Christ, and you’re also going to find that you are an important part of this passage

I’m going to give you three truths about angels that I trust will leave you feeling humble, grateful, and important in the eyes of God

Angels are glorious creatures

In the Jewish tradition of Jesus’ day, angels were exalted to a place only second to God

In some circles, the angel Gabriel was even considered to be on the same level as the promised Messiah

This exaltation of angels was never instructed in the Bible, but it is easy to understand how this happened when you realize that angels are glorious creatures

They are spirits, having powers that extend beyond our human ability (v. 7)

They can move with haste as the wind

They are a flame of fire

They can take on any form to accomplish God’s purposes

The appearance of angels often invokes fear and awe in men (Luke 1:11-12)

Matthew 28:2–3 “And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:”

Daniel 10:5–6 “Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.”

Angels are frequently seen in connection with the presence and glory of God (Isaiah 6)

Therefore, God designed them to be glorious

Their Nearness to God causes them to reflect the very glory of God

No one can deny that angels are beings with strength, knowledge, and abilities that surpass anything we know in the natural world

For this reason, the Jews exalted them

Therefore, the writer had to address this misappropriation of glory

Angels are inferior to Christ

Despite their glorious nature, the author of Hebrews tells us that Christ is superior in every way.

He is the begotten Son of God (v. 5)

Quotes Psalm 2:7 “I will declare the decree: The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee.”

God brought Him into the world and made Him His first-begotten Son

Quotes 2 Samuel 7:14 “I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:”

He loves Him and relates to Him as a Father would a Son

God has instructed the angels to worship Christ (v. 6)

Quotes Deuteronomy 32:43

His position is greater than the angels (vs. 7-9)

Quotes Psalm 104:4 “Who maketh his angels spirits; His ministers a flaming fire:”

Quotes Psalm 45:6 “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: The sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.”

His work and being is infinitely greater (vs. 10-12)

Quotes Psalm 102:25–27 “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: And the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, And thy years shall have no end.”

While angels do not have an end to their existence, Christ has no beginning

He existed before everything, He created everything, and one day He will destroy everything in judgement, but He is everlasting

His position is exalted (v. 13)

Quotes Psalm 110:1 “The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”

Christ has been placed at the right hand of the Father, which has never been said of an angel

Angels are commissioned to serve us

Christ is the only one worthy of the angels’ worship, but the angels are charged to care for us; how could this be?

The only true exalted one, Jesus Christ, came to rescue us from our sin and gave us an inheritance that belongs to Him alone

We are inferior to the angels and knowledge and power

We are limited by our physical existence in ways they are not

We have fallen short in our obedience, while many of the angels in heaven have never done so

They deserve God’s affection far more than we do, but God has chosen to love us instead (Hebrews 2:5-18)

God has chosen to send these glorious, angelic beings to minister to us

They have been His messenger to mankind in times past

Even now, they are doing unnoticed service to the body of Christ

Conclusion

This reality is deeply humbling. So, what are we to do with these truths we’ve been provided?

Glorify Christ, not only because He is worthy, but because He has humbled Himself to save you from your sins

Rest in the love of God, who cares for you without you doing a single thing to earn it. If He favors you more than angels, then you know His love is a gift of grace and not of merit

Rejoice in the fact that God has sent beings as glorious as angels to serve you in unnoticed ways, once again testifying to His unparalleled love for you