Sermons from the Epistle to the Hebrews

Greater than the Angels

Hebrews 1:4-14

October 29, 2000

Americans are preoccupied with angels. Gift shops, bookstores, and even television programs promote the excellence of angels. Angels are grand beings, created by God to worship and glorify him, communicate his messages to man, minister to his people, and to serve as God's agents in the final earthly judgments [Kent Hughes, Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul, I, 35]. These invisible agents, occasionally made visible in divine providence, serve to assist those who are redeemed. But we must see angels in their proper place.

I read the story of the godly Samuel Rutherford of Scotland who as a little boy fell into a well. His playmates ran for help, thinking that he had perished. But when the adults arrived to rescue him they found the young boy out of the well, drenched, and declaring that "a bonny white man" had rescued him. It was agreed upon by those around that an angel had brought deliverance to him. Similar stories are recounted of angelic helpers and deliverers for missionaries in danger and believers facing suffering. John Patton, the Scottish missionary to the Hebrides Islands in the South Pacific, experienced an unusual deliverance by angels. He and his wife were surrounded by a group of headhunters but as the Pattons prayed, the headhunters fled. Later the chieftain of the group described to Patton that they had seen a group of men in shining white clothes with drawn swords surrounding their hut; so they left without doing any harm. While we might find ourselves thrilled by such angelic feats, they all pall into insignificance in comparison to our Lord Jesus Christ and what he has accomplished for the redeemed.

The first century world of the Hebrews shared a similar preoccupation with angels. Because angels lived in the presence of the Lord, many in the first century believed that they served as mediators between man and God. Appeals were made to angels to direct their prayers to God and to secure divine favor. The temptation facing the Hebrews was that of moving from a dependence upon Jesus Christ alone as their mediator in favor of appealing to angels. So the author sets forth a striking contrast between angels and Jesus Christ, to demonstrate that he is greater than the angels, and therefore worthy of obedient trust.

There may be some among us who have unknowingly slipped into such a pattern of looking to angels or other beings to mediate between you and God. Your confidence might be in angels so that you even offer prayers to angels or ask them to carry your prayers to the Father. I spoke with a college student this week who had been taught that the normal means of praying involved her prayers passing through angels as though they carried them to God to be heard. I assured her that she had no greater access to the Father than that which is found in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord and faith in him.

We must see the greatness of Jesus Christ so that our faith rests securely in him alone, and not upon other supposed mediators. Are you resting in the great sufficiency for salvation that is in Jesus Christ alone? Consider that Jesus Christ is greater than the angels.

I. Greater Name

After explaining the finality with which God has spoken to us in his Son, Jesus Christ, the writer of Hebrews sets forth the character of the Son. He radiates God's glory, manifests the divine nature, and sustains every particle in the universe by the exercise of his powerful word. He accomplished the work of redemption and took his seat in the place of authority over all creation. Now, can anyone dare claim to be superior to him? Evidently some among the Hebrews had fallen prey to a teaching prominent during the Intertestamental period that God was surrounded by spirit beings that could ask favor on behalf of others. We do see glimpses from the Old Testament and Revelation of angels worshipping God in his presence. So it became the belief that if you were going to find divine favor it must be appealed to through mediators. The angels, in this teaching, served as mediators. Others may have supposed that Christ was only an angel.

So the writer clears the air of such deceptive teaching by declaring that Christ "sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they." In Jewish thought, "name" reveals the true nature of a person. His existence is tied directly to his name. So, for example, when we pray in Jesus' name we are approaching the throne of God with a conscious relationship to the One in whose name we pray. We are conveying that it is by his merits, his nature, and his will that we ask freely of God. The name of Jesus Christ excels the name of angels, i.e., the true nature of Christ in his person and work has far greater value for our salvation than the entire angelic host combined.

1. By accomplishments

How is the name of Jesus greater than that of the angels? Two superlatives offer comparisons of Jesus and angels: "having become as much better than the angels, as he has inherited a more excellent name than they." So that we do not think that Jesus Christ is just a little bit better than the angels, the writer explains that he is "much better" having inherited "a more excellent name" than the angels. "Much better" is used 13 times in this epistle, carrying the great theme of the supremacy of Jesus Christ over all. It speaks of his dignity and worth, as well as the power inherent in his nature to far excel the angels. He is "much better" than the Aaronic priesthood, "much better" than Moses, "much better" than the sacrifices of the tabernacle, and "much better" than Joshua. And he is "much better" than the angels. But how is Christ much better?

Two phrases help us to see where the writer is guiding us. First, notice that Christ has "become as much better." He places the emphasis upon the redemptive actions of Jesus Christ demonstrating his worth and excellence. It is not that he had no excellence before the Incarnation. But instead "having become" points to his obedience as the Son, implying that the reality of what Christ was from eternity is now evident in the triumph of his death, resurrection, and exaltation. He therefore, in the second place, "has inherited a more excellent name than they." The worthiness of Jesus Christ as the heir of God is found in his bloody death at the cross and in the resurrection. As the angels sang before him, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation" (Rev. 5:9). It is the reality of what Christ has done redemptively that demonstrates his worthiness and the excellence of his name. The inheritance reminds us of his rule over the nations: "and the government shall be upon his shoulder" (Isa. 9:6). It calls attention to his worthiness: "God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow...and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9-11). Paul adds that Jesus "was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1:4). What Jesus Christ has done declares that his name is greater than the angels.

2. By declaration

But there is a divine declaration added to this: "For to which of the angels did he every say, 'YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU'? And again, 'I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME'?" This is the beginning of a series of seven Old Testament quotations that the writer uses to help us understand the greatness of Jesus Christ in comparison to the angels. The first comes from the familiar Messianic second Psalm, a psalm that declares God's missionary heart and the Messiah's rule over the nations. "YOU ARE MY SON," is not something that angels were accustomed to hearing. They were referred to as "sons of God" in Job, but never in the singular as "Son." The declaration attests to Jesus Christ as the divine Son during his earthly pilgrimage. There was never a moment when he was not the Son (note the repetition from v. 2). Some ancient and modern heresies of a Gnostic-bent state that Jesus was born as a normal human being and a "God-consciousness" came upon him at his baptism. "Begotten" does not mean that Jesus did not previously exist. Rather it "is the begetting of the incarnate Son-not the eternal begetting of the divine Son "before all worlds"-and it marks the completion and the acceptance of his redeeming mission to our world" [Philip E. Hughes, The Epistle to the Hebrews, 55].

The Gospels affirm this. Gabriel told the Virgin Mary that the one who would be conceived in her womb would be called "the Son of the Most High" (Luke 1:32). At the baptism of our Lord the voice came out of heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased" (Luke 3:22). Then at the transfiguration, the divine voice spoke from the cloud, "This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!" (Luke 9:35). At the death of our Lord it is no wonder that the Roman centurion cried out, "Truly this was the Son of God!" (Matt. 27:54). So Paul could write that Jesus was "declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1:4).

This Sonship was prophesied of by Nathan to King David as he told the king of the Father's promise: "I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME." As is often seen in prophecies, there is an immediate fulfillment then a greater, ultimate fulfillment. Solomon was the immediate subject of this prophecy (II Sam. 7:13-17); but his kingdom was not eternal and his reign did not last forever, having been marred by Solomon's own sinfulness. So the writer of Hebrews declares its fulfillment in the perfect and blameless Son of God, Jesus Christ. Only Christ was sufficient in character and nature to exist in an eternal Sonship with the Father. Only Christ, not an angel, received this promise from the Father.

Now the question must come home to each one of us: are you trusting in anything or anyone less than Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as your Redeemer and Mediator? He has a name that is greater than the angels.

II. Greater Nature

How would you describe the nature of angels? They are not human but are spirit beings, created by God to suit his specific purposes. The writer of Hebrews says of them, "WHO MAKES HIS ANGELS WINDS, AND HIS MINISTERS A FLAME OF FIRE." And later, "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?" There is an apparent contrast between angels and the Son. Vincent has captured it well: "The emphasis, therefore, is not on the fact that the angels are merely servants, but that their being is such that they are only what God makes them according to the needs of their service, and are, therefore, changeable, in contrast with the Son, who is ruler and unchangeable" [M. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, IV, 390]. Because of this, we are not to offer our praise to angels but to the unchanging Son of God. His nature is greater than the angels and therefore our confidence must rest in him.

1. In honor

Greatness and superiority is recognized by worship. There are those scenes in the New Testament when men have attempted to worship men or angels. At Lystra the crowds sought to worship Barnabas and Paul, calling them Zeus and Hermes because of their healing of a lame man. The missionaries tore their clothes and resisted any attempt of the pagan crowd to honor them (Acts 14:8-18). Later they stoned Paul! As John saw the angel who was telling him of the marriage of the Lamb, he fell at his feet to worship him. But the angel said, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God" (Rev. 19:10). Worship belongs only to God. The first two commandments remind us that the Lord God alone is to be worshipped and that worship is never to be confused by images or substitutes for God's own revelation to us. Yet our text clearly tells us that God himself commands the angels to worship the Son: "AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM."

In a psalm declaring the power and authority of the Lord God, the angels are commanded to worship him (Ps. 97). The writer of Hebrews affirms that this declaration was made concerning the Son or "the firstborn," a designation placing Jesus Christ in the position of highest honor [P. Hughes 60]. The fact that God commands his Son to be worshipped affirms that he is co-equal with the Father and worthy of all honor, glory, and blessing. In Revelation 4-5, we have two scenes of worship. The first is worship centered upon the Father as the one "who lives forever and ever" (5:10). The second scene sets forth Jesus Christ as worthy of worship, with "the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." The scene continues: "And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever. And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped" (5:11-14).

There are no angels that would dare receive worship! That worship is due to One worthy of honor and glory. So why should we cast our trust upon angels when they will not accept worship nor are they worthy of worship? Consider that all of the heavenly host will join creation in worshipping Jesus Christ as the exalted Lord of all! Do you worship him now as your own Lord? Do you take seriously the worship of Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ is greater than the angels for he alone is worthy of honor and worship.

2. In power

The greatness of the Son is also seen in his power. "But of the Son He says, 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever." This quotation comes from a kingly marriage psalm that depicts in the first place the likely marriage of Solomon and one of his wives. But there is an ultimate fulfillment in this marriage song, for it declares something that cannot be true of Solomon or any other king in Israel. The Psalmist tells us that the One being married has a throne or kingly reign that is everlasting (Ps. 45:6). In this case the king in the Davidic line was prefiguring the divine and eternal King [P. Hughes 64]. Our writer has no qualms asserting that this throne belongs to none other than Jesus Christ the Lord!

The contrast is clear: the angels are servants, but the Son is sovereign [K. Hughes 38]. It is the servants who bow to the sovereign rule of the king. They do his bidding. They are subject to his command. Their very existence is at his pleasure.

"Your throne" speaks of the ongoing rule of Jesus Christ over all creation. Yes, he rules over his people; there is no doubt about this. But as "God" he rules sovereignly over the nations. We were reminded of that this week in our missions conference that the fact that our Lord sovereignly rules over the nations gives us the right and the responsibility to carry his gospel into every nation; even those that would attempt to keep us out.

We are approaching an important time of electing a new president in our nation. But whatever the outcome of the election, we must be certain that Jesus Christ exercises his sovereign authority among us. He is not dependent upon cooperation with Congress or the Executive branch. He rules over all! He rules even in spite of man's rebellion. Do we not see that if the Lord was not exercising his sovereign rule over us that we would have destroyed ourselves from the face of the earth years before? It is true that angels are powerful creatures. Indeed, a solitary angel of death brought the nation of Egypt to humility and on another occasion destroyed 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians (II Kings 19:35). But angels have no power but what is given to them by the Lord. All power belongs to him (Matt. 28:18). He gives power to his angels to accomplish his good pleasure. And he gives power to his people to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Power belongs to the Lord (Ps. 62:11); and we can rest in his power to bring us out of spiritual darkness into the light of salvation (Eph. 5:8); we can rest in the power of God to keep us for eternity (I Pet. 1:6). It is not angels who save us or keep us; power belongs to the Lord.

3. In ethics

The writer explains the nature of Christ's greatness in his reign by pointing to his ethics. "And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness." We have witnessed the rule of countless dictators, presidents, and kings who have governed without righteousness. Mao in China, Hoxha in Albania, Moi in Kenya, Amin in Uganda, Kim in North Korea to name but a few. Each of these has exercised various degrees of power over the lives of their people, but none with righteousness. Even the best of rulers have erred in their power, e.g., Cromwell protected the Puritans while he wreaked havoc on the equally godly Scottish Covenanters. As one friend expressed it: "the best of men are men at best." Leaders can make promises and even attempt to do what is right, but the sinfulness of all men eventually breaks through the fa�ade of good intentions. Only the rule of Jesus Christ is righteous.

After identifying the "throne" belonging to Christ, he now refers to the "scepter," which was a symbol in antiquity of the power vested in a king to rule over his people. The scepter of Christ is identified, as "the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom." The word "righteous" is not the common term that we see so often in Paul's writings that refers to legal righteousness (dikaios), but instead, a word meaning "uprightness," "strictness," "unerring equity." We might simply say that his rule is right. He does not compromise. He does not bow to political interest groups. He is not influenced by bribes or the thought of illegal profits. He does not engage in schemes nor use the language of "double-talk" to manipulate his kingdom. His purposes are perfect and benefit all in his kingdom. His promises are sure and can be counted on through the most difficult circumstances. His rule is consistent, unaffected by the pressures of time or resources.

In light of this, we are told to gladly submit to his rule over our lives: "but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts" (I Pet. 3:15); "for to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living" (Rom. 14:9); "but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God" (Rom. 6:13b); "therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him" (II Cor. 5:9).

Are you living joyfully and thankfully under the "righteous scepter" of Jesus Christ?

4. In work

The greatness of Christ's nature is evident in his work as well. Again our text is based on the marriage psalm (45), with this emphasis being on the work of Christ: "You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your companions." As Christ "loved righteousness and hated lawlessness" the writer points to his time as the incarnate Son of God on earth. It was essential for the work of redemption that Jesus Christ perfectly fulfill all righteous, so that he might atone for our sins at the cross, "the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit" (I Pet. 3:18). As the righteous Son of God, he bore the judgment of God against us; he accomplished the work of redemption the Father sent him to do, so that he could pray, "I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do" (John 17:4).

The next clause begins with "therefore," showing that what follows is an acknowledgement that Jesus Christ finished the work the Father sent him to accomplish. So God the Father "has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your companions." Raymond Brown has expressed this truth clearly: "The coronation anointing oil is a token of God's surpassing delight at the beauty of his Son's person, or his exultant joy at the completion and efficacy of his Son's work" [The Bible Speaks Today: Hebrews, 41]. All of heaven echoed joyfully the triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ, who lived in righteousness and died on behalf of sinners to reconcile them to God, and then triumphed over death.

It was not angels that were anointed with the oil of gladness, but the Son alone. He accomplished all that the Father sent him to do, so that the promise made in the Garden of Eden at the fall of man, might be fulfilled for sinners "from every tongue and tribe and people and nation."

Conclusion

Is your trust in Jesus Christ alone, who has a name and nature greater than the angels? Would you dare to think that you could put your eternal trust in something less than the eternal Son of God?

11/5/00-

III. Greater Status

1. As Creator

2. As Eternal

3. As Sovereign

4. As Immutable

5.As Conqueror

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