"The Supremacy of Christ"
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Intro: One of the things we need to understand about the past generation of Jewish people during the time of Christ and even after his life was that Angels were a big deal. Angels assisted in giving the law to Moses and there where angels who would speak to Godly saints. So, I want us to keep all of this in mind as we study Christ. Since the major theme throughout the book of Hebrews is the Supremacy of Christ this is exactly what I want us to look at today, and really why the author would have to deal with the subject of angels and Christ. Anytime people begin to study Christology or the Study of Christ there are some major questions that we must ask. Here are a few.
-Who Is Jesus?
-What exactly has He done? (This is huge) You need to know this!
-And then finally what is the significance for us? You may say what is the big deal? And then how do I respond to what I know about Christ??? So, these are some big questions.
One of the great things that we see here from the beginning of our text today, is that the author here just like Paul in his letter to the church at Colossi before introducing his audience to the person of Christ helps them and us see the work of Christ. Notice this from Colossians 1:15-20.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
So, these two categories the person and work of Christ need to be looked at as we dive into God’s Word and this book of Hebrews. Who is Christ, is what I want us to look at first. Now what this means is that we really cannot understand all that there is to know about the Lord without first seeing him in the context of the whole story of Israel, and the old covenant.
Just a quick note here that I want to mention. This section is put together of seven quotations from the Old Testament, all of which prove and point us to the supremacy of Christ. Of course as I stated last week the author of Hebrews is quoting from the Greek version of the Hebrew Old Testament known as the Septuagint. This word means 70. Tradition claims that 70 men translated the Hebrew into Greek. And the abbreviation for the Septuagint are the Roman numerals LXX. This is the number 70. I hope you are ready to dive in. Let’s Go! The first reason Christ is supreme is because of this.
1. He is the Son of God.
1. He is the Son of God.
having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
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”?
Today we don’t think nothing big when we hear a Father or Mother call their child Son. This is a normal thing. However, Christ also had another name beside Jesus. He was also the Son. The Son of God. This name belonged uniquely and most importantly to Christ. The first quotation is from Psalm 2:7.
I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
From eternity Christ was God the Son, and yet what we see here in verse 5 is that Jesus humbled himself when he came to this earth and became a man. So, there was a point in time where he was born. He was always God, but he fulfilled his role as Son at His incarnation and was affirmed as such by His Resurrection.
The second quotation is from 2 Samuel 7:14.
I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
The very first way we see this is in response to King David in reference to his son Solomon who God loved and used to build his temple. But the ultimate application is to Jesus Christ, who is the greater Solomon.
The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
The second reason we see that Jesus is supreme is because of this,
2. He is the firstborn who is worshiped.
2. He is the firstborn who is worshiped.
And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”
The word firstborn here does not always mean born first. God made Solomon the firstborn even though Solomon is listed tenth in the office of genealogy. The title here is of rank and honor, for the firstborn receives the inheritance and special blessing.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Christ is the firstborn of all creation because He created all things, and He is the highest of all who came back from the dead. (Col. 1:18)
So, this helps us to see that Christ is in a place of authority over or above all angels. This term “firstborn” refers to prominence of position or title not to the order of time. The angels who are bowing down in worship is in reference to Yahweh, who the writer of Hebrews now identifies as Jesus. My point is that angels worship Christ; it is not Christ who worships the angels. The angels declare the birth of Christ; it is not Christ who declares the ministry of the angels.
There are so many people today who worship themselves. Wether it be politicians, famous people, sports figures and we too can become so enamored by others that we worship them. Only Christ is worthy of our worship! Let us be careful of who or what we worship.
The third reason Christ is supreme is because,
3. He is served by Angels.
3. He is served by Angels.
Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.”
Here we see another quotation about the angels from Psalm 104:4. This Psalm is a creation Psalm. The Hebrew and Greek words for “spirit” are also translated wind. Angels are created spirits and yet they have no bodies, though they can assume human form while ministering on earth. There were times when Angels served the Lord when he was on earth.
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.
Angels right now continue to serve the Lord as well as His saints. I think it is important for us to understand this about the role of angels.
Here is another reason that Christ is supreme.
4. He is enthroned and anointed.
4. He is enthroned and anointed.
But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
The words here in verses 8-9 are quoted from Psalm 45:6-7. Angels may surround the throne of God, but the Son sits on the throne. Angels may be sent as God’s messengers, but Christ is the Anointed One. One of the main teachings from Psalm 110 is that Jesus as God’s Anointed One, is now enthroned in glory. Jesus himself referred to this Psalm in Mark 12:35-37.
After Christ rose from the grave and ascended to heaven to enter once again into his heavenly kingdom this must have been a joyful scene. Psalm 45 is a wedding psalm, and we know that our Lord Jesus today is the Heavenly Bridegroom who does experience the joy that is set before him. Angels right now are praising Him, but they cannot share that position or joy. Christ’s throne is forever which means He is the eternal God.
5. He is the eternal creator.
5. He is the eternal creator.
And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;
they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment,
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.”
This long quotation comes from Psalm 102:25-27. It was through the Son that God created the Word. We see this in the gospel of John as well.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
The Point I want us to see here is that the Angels did not create the earth, because they too are a part of creation. Jesus Christ is the creator of all things, and one day He will do away with the Old Creation, and bring in a New Heaven and a New Earth. One thing that we know to be true about this place that we currently live in is that everything around us changes. But God’s Word helps us see that Christ will never change.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Creation is like an old dirty shirt, which will one day be taken off and tossed away in favor of a brand new one. We as believers look forward to that day. Finally, God is supreme in this wonderful way.
6. He is Sovereign.
6. He is Sovereign.
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”?
Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
How many of us ever stop to question God’s goodness? Everyday there are wonderful things, good things that God allows. But, the second a tragedy unfolds we wonder where is God and how could he allow such evil to happen? We have seen this unfold over and over again especially this past week. The one thing I know for certain is that our world is lost and there are many people dying each and every day who desperately need to know about the good news of Jesus. None of the stuff that happened over this past week is our President’s fault or governor or even local authorities. It is because we live in a sinful and fallen world. As believers we should all be grieved over what happened. However we should also understand our command to share our faith with a lost and dying world and point them to the only hope we will ever have on this earth. Jesus! Even though everyday people make terrible sinful choices that cause awful consequences to them and others around them, God is still ruling and reigning and has a plan in all of this. Do you trust him today?
The author of Hebrews ends his argument here the same way he started it. Notice that verse 5 begins the same way as verse 13 here, “And to which of the angels has he ever said?” The final Old Testament quotation comes from Psalm 110:1. This Psalm communicates to us that Christ has complete dominion over the world. He is the agent of creation and redemption.
Verse 14 here helps us to see the wonderful role of angels in the lives of God’s people. They are ministering spirits who are sent out for our good. I want to briefly address the ministry of angels because I think that American Christianity is often confused by an unbiblical, pop cultural view of angels. Angels are not what we see in all of the most recent movies. They are not cupid-like angels sitting on a cloud playing a harp. When an angel shows up in Scripture people would fall down in terror. Just think about the response of the shepherds to the angelic visitation in Luke 2:9.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.
Both the Old and New Testament make clear to us that angels are creations of God. While some have some distinct privileges and even awesome powers, they are not divine like Christ. Angels are messengers of God and carry out his purposes. The book of Revelation tells us that Christ will lead an angelic army in the last days to execute his just judgment on the world. With all of this in mind here is the take away for us today.
Conclusion: Yes, angels are very important and our some of God’s best ministers. They are sent from God and His throne room to work for the good of the church. We may not know all of the exact things angels do, but we can be confident that these agents are sent out for God’s purpose. Angels are spirits and minister to the body of Christ and are thus sent out by Him. But they pale in comparison to the wonderful glory of the Son of God, who is Jesus Christ. Jesus is superior to every man or woman who has walked on this planet and he is superior to every angel and to the entire angelic host.
(Pray and Lead into Communion)