(right click to download)

Jesus Is Superior to Angels – Part Two

Hebrews 1:4–14 (NKJV) ^{3… … … …} when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. ⁵ For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”? ⁶ But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” ⁷ And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.” ⁸ But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. ⁹ You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” ¹⁰ And: “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. ¹¹ They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; ¹² Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.” ¹³ But to which of the angels has He ever said: “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”? ¹⁴ Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

Recap of Angels:

What the Jews believed in addition to the Bible:

• they had always esteemed angels as the highest beings next to God.
• They believed that angels were the mediators between men and God.
• They believe God lived surrounded by angels.
• They believed that angels were really the beings who are instruments in bringing God’s word and the working of God’s will in the universe and to men.
• They were said to be creatures made of fiery substance like blazing light
• They believe that angels did not eat and drink
• They believed that angels were God’s senate and that God never did anything without asking the angels. They were His counsel, and they believed that when Genesis let us make man, that the one God was speaking of His angelic senate in the word “us”.
• Some Jews believed also that angels objected to the creation of men and were annihilated at that time for their objection.
• Others believe that they objected to the giving of the law and they attacked Moses on the way up Mount Sinai.
• They believed there were seven presence angels who stayed in the presence of God at all times and they named them Raphael, Uriel, Thaniel, Gabriel, Michael, and…. the El is a name of God and that was always tagged on the end of every name.
• They believed that there were 200 angels who controlled the movements of the stars and kept things on course.
• Jews believed that there was one super special angel who controlled the never-ending succession of days, months, and years. He was the calendar angel.
• They believed that there was a mighty angel who took care of the seas.
• They believed there were angels of frost, dew, rain, snow, hail, thunder, and lightning.
• There were also angels who were the wardens of Hell and the torturers of the damned.
• They believed there were “recording angels” who wrote down every single word which every man spoke.
• They believe that every nation had a guardian angel as well as every child and person.

So they believed all that along with the truth from Scripture. Let’s very quickly, with commentary review some of the truths about angels from Scripture:

• angels were created as an order of creatures higher than humans. Therefore, they innately possess greater knowledge.
• angels know the Bible and the world more thoroughly than humans do and gain knowledge from it (James 2:19;Revelation 12:12).
• angels gain knowledge through long observation of human activities and history
• are sent by God to help believers (Hebrews 1:14).
• They praise God (Psalm 148:1-2;Isaiah 6:3).
• They worship God (Hebrews 1:6;Revelation 5:8-13).
• They rejoice in what God does (Job 38:6-7).
• They serve God (Psalm 103:20;Revelation 22:9).
• They appear before God (Job 1:6;2:1).
• They are instruments of God’s judgments (Revelation 7:1;8:2).
• They bring answers to prayer (Acts 12:5-10).
• They aid in winning people to Christ (Acts 8:26;10:3).
• They observe Christian order, work, and suffering (1 Corinthians 4:9;11:10;Ephesians 3:10;1 Peter 1:12).
• They encourage in times of danger (Acts 27:23-24).
• They care for the righteous at the time of death (Luke 16:22).
• They were all created by God.
•  They report directly to God.
•  They were present at the Creation of the world.
• They do not marry.
• They were created to live forever.
• Their purpose is to glorify God.
•  They are innumerable.
•  They possess intelligence.
•  They possess will.
•  They display joy.
•  They display desire.
•  Some are cherubim.
•  Some are seraphim.
• Angels can be governmental rulers.
• Angels having ranks.
• Some angels like Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer are prominent
• Some angels are God’s attendants like the cherubim and seraphim

I. JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD

Hebrews 1:4–7 (NKJV) ⁴ having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. ⁵ For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son,Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father,And He shall be to Me a Son”?⁶ But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”⁷ And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spiritsAnd His ministers a flame of fire.”

Jesus has a better title, the writer quotes from Psalm 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:14 in verse 5, both of those quotes are there.

• Furthermore, angels are worshipers, while the Son is the object of their worship.

• The object of our worship is One who is greater than ourselves.
• The angels worship Christ who is greater than the angels.

This worship of Christ by the angels shows He is superior to them.

• Verse 6, ⁶ But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”

II. JESUS IS OUR GOD AND KING

Hebrews 1:8–9 (NKJV) ⁸ But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. ⁹ You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

• As God Jesus is the eternal king. (Hebrews 1:8a) “Your throne, O God is forever and ever.”   His kingdom will know no end. He is eternal.
• Jesus is a righteous king. (Hebrews 1:8b) His kingdom will be characterized by righteousness and truth.

o   Jesus is an anointed king. (Hebrews 1:9) ) “Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy more than your companions.” His Kingdom is full of the joy of the Lord.

⁸ But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever …”

This is one of the greatest statements in all of the word of God. That’s the difference between angels and the Son because the Son is the eternal God.

o   John 5:18 (NKJV)  18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

• Jesus all along claimed equality with God. John 10:30. “I and my Father are one.”

• Jesus has an eternal throne, “a sceptre,” and a sceptre is the symbol of rule, “of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.”
• The eternal throne forever and ever. The eternal God. Did you know that
• Jesus Christ rules eternity… He is God… superior to the angels and ALL creation

Then comes a direct a statement of His superiority to angels in verse 9.

Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

o   It was at that time that the Father exalted Him and gave Him the name above every name and so forth and so on. He assumed His kingship at His ascension.

III. JESUS IS LORD  

Hebrews 1:10–12 (NKJV) ¹⁰ And: “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. ¹¹ They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; ¹² Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.”

The word “LORD” in the Greek of the NT is the word “kurios” signifying “having power” or “authority.”

• As Lord Jesus is the eternal Creator (v. 10-12): “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.”

• God addresses Jesus as Lord because He is the Creator of all things. Moreover, Jesus is eternal (10-12).
• When the earth is no more Jesus will still be the same. “They will be changed, but you are the same, and your years will not fail.”

As Lord, Jesus reigns at the Father’s right hand (vv. 13): “To which of the angels did God ever say, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?”

• Notice verse 3: “After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Then verse 13: “Sit at my right hand….”

As Lord, All Jesus’ enemies are destined to become a footstool for his feet.

• Jesus is destined to reign victorious over all his enemies.
• God never said to any angel, “Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool.” That was only said to the Son.
• The fact that Jesus is now seated at the Father’s right hand signifies that the work of the cross was accepted by the Father. The work is done. The Angels are still working

The foot on the neck is a picture of a king who has won a battle over his enemy.

• The day will come when Christ will have all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed will be death.

Hebrews 1:14 (NKJV) 14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

• As Lord, Jesus sends the angels to minister to those who will inherit salvation.
• Angels are ministers (vv. 7 & 14).
• In verse 14 the Greek word for minister is DIAKONIAN. This is also our word for deacon.
• The angels are Heaven’s deacons or servants.

Jesus is not a deacon. He is not a messenger or ministering servant any  longer. He is superior to the angels.

Is Jesus Superior to the Angels? Let’s count 10 ways we now know:

1. Jesus is the Son of God, angels are servants
2. Jesus is worshiped by the angels
3. Jesus is addressed and recognized as God by God the Father
4. Jesus is called King, whose scepter is that of uprightness.
5. Because of Jesus’ love of righteousness and hatred of iniquity, God has anointed Him with the oil of gladness above all other creation.
6. Jesus is addressed as Lord, who in the beginning did lay the foundations of the earth, and of whose hands the very heavens are.
7. Jesus will reign eternally though the heavens shall pass away. They will perish, Jesus remains.
8. God said to Jesus, not the angels, ’Sit at My right hand until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet’
9. The angels, not Jesus, are all ministering spirits sent forth to do service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation
10. In eternity future, all will be subject to Jesus, not the angels

CONCLUSION

Since God has given his son a more excellent name than the angels, how should we respond to him? Philippians 2:9-11 contains perhaps the best response to that question:

Philippians 2:9–11 (NKJV) ⁹ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

• Jesus accomplished the work of salvation.
• Jesus, by himself purged or provided purification for all our sins. He is the only one who can save us from our predicament.
• He is our kinsman redeemer, willing and able to buy us back from slavery and death.
• By His own blood which he shed on the cross, He purged us of our sins and made possible our salvation, our forgiveness, and our eternal life.