Grace Baptist Church, Nokomis, IL.

Text:

Most depictions of angels on television are these soft-spoken, kind, usually comical creatures. I can only recall seeing two movies that really portrayed the power and frightfulness of angels. One was Constantine, and the other one Legion. Both are horribly wrong in so many ways. But they did somewhat accurately point out how angels are fearful creatures.

It’s important that we have a biblical understanding of angels. While the Bible never tells us how many angels there are, we do know that there are a lot of them (Luke 2:12, Matthew 26:53, Daniel 7:10, Hebrews 12:22) I don’t think God would create so many angels if they were insignificant. It’s important for us to know who there are. It’s important for us to know what they do. But it’s even more important that we follow their example in worshiping Jesus Christ.

Read Hebrews 1:3-14

First, in verse 4, we read that Christ is superior to angels. So right off the bat, we learn something about Christ and something about angels. Christ is greater. I cannot emphasis this enough! Jesus is much greater in His being and in His work than angels. Jesus is much more powerful, much more significant, and has much more authority. He should attract much more of our attention, and should be the center of much more of our thoughts, emotions, and works. Because Jesus is much more superior than angels!

Television doesn’t mind portraying angels. They’re not controversial. Even among unbelievers, the topic of angels doesn’t cause a major stir. But Christ is who we ought to be focusing on. The rest of the chapter goes on to explain why Christ is greater and how much He’s greater than angels.

The text first notes that Christ is superior because His name is superior (v. 4). He goes on to explain why (v. 5). Jesus is the Son of God. That’s His title, or name. God created the angels, but Jesus is not merely another one of God’s creations. He is the eternally begotten Son of God. There was never a time when He was not the Son of God, or a time when He did not exist, and they have always had a Father/Son relationship within the Godhead.

But to say that Jesus is the Son of God isn’t the whole story. In fact, it might itself lead to a bit of confusion. Why does it say, “Today I have begotten you?” This verse is quoted elsewhere in the New Testament (Acts 13:3). When Christ rose from the dead, He became the firstborn of the dead. So, in this instance, being begotten of the Father refers not to Christ’s coming into existence, but to Christ’s resurrection, how God the Father raised Jesus by His power. Hebrews 1 allows for this understanding as well (v. 3). After Christ made purification for sins, then He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. What happened between those two events? Christ was raised! In raising Christ, God the Father was saying, “This is my Son, today I have begotten you.” “Today I am proving to everyone that I am Your Father and that You are My Son.” But as I said before, saying this doesn’t go far enough.

Jesus is also God Himself (v. 7-9). Angels are pretty awe-inspiring. Angels are made by God. Angels are God’s ministers, or servants. Angels are powerful, such as mighty winds and flames of fire, but they are still merely God’s created servants. But Christ’s story is so much more awesome than angels. Christ wasn’t just made by God, He is God! Christ’s throne is forever and ever. Christ will rule with righteousness over His kingdom.

Then the writer of Hebrews makes his strongest claims yet (v. 10-12). Having established that Jesus is God, the writer then leaves the prophecies regarding the Son of God, and takes verses that clearly speak of God Himself and applies them to Jesus. Every quotation from the Old Testament up to this point was clearly one which made reference to the Messiah. But here, the writer of Hebrews quotes the Old Testament about God, and uses it to talk about Jesus. Jesus is Creator. Jesus is everlasting. Jesus is unchanging. And all of these things make perfect sense, because Jesus is God.

And being God, Jesus is far superior to angels. It’s not even close. Angels in the Bible are depicted as powerful, and fearful, but Jesus has all power and all authority (v. 13). And even the power that angels have isn’t for their own benefit, but ours (v. 14). Angels serve us. They minister to us. They have delivered messages from God to us. They often protect us from danger and sometimes deliver us from danger. They strengthen and encourage us. And they do all these things for us, around us, and we’re usually completely oblivious to it. And it ought to be that way. Angels are not to be our focus. Christ is our focus. Christ is our King. Christ is our Savior.

So, very appropriately, angels worship Christ (v. 6). So, like the angels, we ought to worship Christ. But we worship Christ for a much different reason. Angels worship Christ because Christ is superior. And we worship Him for that reason as well. But there’s another reason we worship Jesus, and it’s found in the last few words of chapter 1. We inherit salvation. But it’s much different from the way Christ inherited the name above all names. Christ is worthy of His name. But we are very unworthy of our salvation. Christ is the One who died for us, made purification for sins, and rose by His power, and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. And we’re to be in awe of our great and mighty King.