TEXT: Hebrews 1:4-2:18

SUBJECT: Exposition of Hebrews #2: Christ Over the Angels

Today brings us to the second sermon in our study of Hebrews. Its theme is Christ Over All. The first three verses place Him over the prophets. As well He should be. They spoke for God; He speaks as God. No revelation can follow His. Christ is God's Final Word!

Next, He is compared to the angels. Angels occupied a prominent place in the Old Testament. They were present at Sinai and led the conquest of Canaan. They smote an Assyrian army and sat with a man in a den of lions. Angels did the work of God. They worked so closely with Him that--at times--it is hard to tell if "the Angel of the Lord" is an angel or the LORD Himself. Angels are majestic beings, filling men with awe and terror. Gideon and Manoah thought they would die upon seeing one. Not even Daniel could fully bear the sight. Who could? One is described in these words: "...a mighty angel clothed with a cloud, a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire..." It is no wonder angels were so venerated. Yet how do they compare to Christ? Not very well.

The writer begins the comparison in v.4: "...having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." The key word is "name". It means "place of honor". We use it that way at times. "He made a name for himself" means "He achieved something...He stood out from the rest". What "name" did Jesus obtain for Himself? Lord. The cross-reference is Philippians 2:9-11: "Therefore, God has also highly exalted Him and given Him a name above every name, 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, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father".

Because He has this "more excellent name", He must be over the angels. And so He is. Vv.5-14 prove it with a string of quotations from the Old Testament.

Christ is over the angels because of His unique relationship to God, vv.5-6: "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'?" The Lord is God's Son; angels are not. What are they? V.6 tells us: "But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, `Let all the angels of God worship Him'. Angels are servants of God. Christ is the Son of God. His relationship to God, therefore, makes Him far greater than the angels. Is a servant greater than a son? Never! Was Eliezer more favored than Isaac? Of course not. Therefore, neither can the angels compare to the Son.

Christ is over the angels because of His unique calling, vv.7-9. What are angels called to do? They are called to serve in God's kingdom, v.7: "And to the angels He says, `Who makes His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire'". This is a high calling; make no mistake about that. But the Lord's calling is higher still. It is not to serve in the kingdom, but to rule it, vv.8-9. "But to the Son, He says: `Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, your God has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than your companions". Which is the higher calling: subject of king? King, of course. Therefore, King Jesus must be over the angels.

Christ is over the angels because of His unique identity, vv.10-12. "And You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands; They will perish, but You remain; and they will grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail". This third stanza differs from the two that precede it and the one that follows. There is no direct contrast between Christ and the angels. But why should there be? No Hebrew ever attributed creation to the angels. To a man, they knew that God alone is Creator. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth". But by linking this creative act to Christ, Hebrews made His supremacy over the angels plain to every reader. The argument is this: "How can you possibly compare an angel to the Maker of Heaven and Earth?"

Christ is over the angels because of His unique work, vv.13-14. "But to which of the angels has He ever said, `Sit at My right hand till I make Your enemies Your footstool?' Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?" What is the Lord's work? "He shall save His people from their sins". This He began at the cross (by dying for us) and now continues at God's right hand (by ruling and defending us). What do angels do for our salvation? They help us in various ways. But they are not co-Saviors. "Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved". Salvation is in Christ alone! Therefore, as Savior, He is over the angels.

Thus, however you compare Christ and the angels, you find "He must increase and they must decrease". The writer does not despise angels; he isn't aiming to make us think ill of them, either. They served God's people of old; they ministered to Christ; they help us; one day, they will return with Christ and bring us to Him. We should be mindful of angels. We should be thankful for them. But we mustn't worship them. John tried to, but without success: "See that you do not do so--he was scolded--"worship God". In fine,

"He who glories,

Let him glory in the Lord".

This is doctrine: Christ over the angels. In 2:1-4, we read the application: "Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest we drift away (from them)". What are "the things which we have heard"? The Gospel. It was "first spoken by the Lord and was confirmed by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will".

Why should we "give the more earnest heed"? This brings us back to the comparison between Christ and the angels. "For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward...how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" What is this "word spoken through angels? It was the Mosaic Law. How do we know this? Because Galatians 3:19 says so. "It...was appointed by angels". Deuteronomy 33:2 agrees: "The LORD came from Sinai...and He came with ten thousand saints (or holy ones, i.e., angels)." In short, the Law of Moses was given by God to Moses through angels. Their "word proved steadfast". The breaking of this Law brought death: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all the things that are written, to do them". And this Word was but given by angels...

Thus, "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord?" If the Law of God given through angels must be obeyed, how much more His Gospel given by Christ? If Christ is over the angels, then the sin of slighting His Gospel is graver than breaking the Law of Moses. If these men "died the death", what will become of us? Hebrews 10:28-31 makes it plain.

Therefore, we mustn't "drift away" from the Gospel--or as the KJV has it, "lest we should let them slip..." The Gospel must be held tenaciously! It mustn't be denied, compromised, or neglected. It must be loved and cherished, and placed in the center of our theology and of our lives!

Last week I spoke of the folly of putting anything in the place of Christ--be it the law or church or secondary doctrines. But to the folly, I must add the danger. The moment we become preoccupied with secondary issues, we begin "drifting away" from Christ. When we do that, "there remains no more sacrifice for sin..." "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" We shall not! Why not? Because Christ is superior to the angels.

In vv.5ff., the writer picks up where he left off in chapter 1. He answers the question: "How can Christ be superior to the angels if He--and not they--died?" In v.9a, he grants the premise: "But we see Jesus, made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death..." But he draws a very different conclusion.

He reminds us that God gave dominion to man and not to angels. He quotes from Psalm 8:4-6 and from Psalm 22:22: "What is man that You are mindful of Him, or the son of man that You take care of Him? You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands". "You have put all things in subjection under his feet".

These promises were made to man. If you read Psalm 8, you would assume they were given to "mankind". But Hebrews corrects us. They were not given to "man", but to "a man"--the Lord Jesus Christ! He is given a universal dominion. This seems untrue, v.8b: "...but now we do not see all things put under Him". But "appearances are deceiving". All things are put under His authority. How do we know that? Because "...we see Him crowned with glory and honor".

How do we know Christ is superior to the angels? Because God has given Him--and not the angels--"dominion from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth". "All authority is given to Me in heaven and on earth".

How do we know that He has dominion? Because we are saved! The argument is this: His dominion is the reward of His saving work for us. We are saved. Therefore, He must have dominion. The argument unfolds in vv.9b-18.

It begins by reminding us of how He saved us. Not by His teaching or by His example, but by His death. "He tasted death for everyone". This ties some Calvinists in knots. It seems to teach that the Lord died for all men, including those who go to hell. But that's nonsense. The following verses explain who the "everyone" is: those who are "brought to glory" who are "sanctified", His "brethren". He must have dominion because He died for us.

V.10 explains why His death was necessary for our salvation and His dominion: because God has willed it. He wanted to "bring many sons to glory" by "making the author of their salvation perfect through suffering". By suffering, He became a perfect Savior. In this way, God's love and justice are harmonized. Only in this way.

The results of His saving work are listed, vv.11ff.

The first: Christ and His people are united. He is "not ashamed to call them brethren". They worship together, v.12; they trust the same God, v.13a, they have the same Father, v.13b.

The second result: Christ destroys the power of death and Satan, thereby freeing His people from a life of terror, vv.14-15.

The third result: Christ becomes a sympathetic Savior, vv.16-18. He sympathizes with us--not with angels. His sympathizes with us in every pain of life. Not just some. This sympathy enables Him to aid us in our every temptation.

Because He sympathizes with us, we must be saved. Because we are saved, He must have dominion. Because He has dominion, we must be "over the angels". Because He is "over the angels", we must obey Him implicitly, love Him supremely, and glory in Him exclusively.

God give us the grace, for Christ's sake. Amen.