Tuesday, January 31, 2012

"Greater Than Angels: Jesus the King" Sermon: Hebrews 1:6-9


“Greater Than Angels:  Jesus the King”

                [Hebrews 1:6-9]    

January 29, 2012 Second Reformed Church

            We continue looking at the author of Hebrews’ argument that Jesus is greater than the angels.  We will remember that there were those in the first century church who had begun to wonder if angels might be greater than Jesus.  Because Jesus, the God-Man, is fully human, some saw Him then – as some see Him today – as being less than the angels.  There were even some, as Paul records, that were worshipping the angles:  “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,” (Colossians 2:18, ESV).

            Let us begin by looking at verse six again:  “And again, when he [God] brings the firstborn [Jesus the Son] into the world,”

            Let us remember that we saw that the term “firstborn” does not always mean “the first to be born” – it certainly doesn’t mean that here.  God was never born.  And neither Jesus in His Humanity or in His Divinity was the first born of God on earth.  No, the term “firstborn” also means – and it means in this text – “preeminent.”  God is saying that He brought the Preeminent One into the world – the Incarnation was of the Preeminent One.  The Greatest, the Most Superior, the Highest in Rank – that is what God is – God came to earth in the Person of Jesus.

“he [God] says, “’Let all God's angels worship him.’”

The angels were commanded by God to worship His Son, Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God.  Now, God would only command beings to worship Someone Who is greater than they are, right?  God would never command us to worship each other, because we are equal in our humanity – no one of us is essentially greater than another.

David wrote, “what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?  Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.  You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, (Psalm 8:4-6, ESV).

We, humans, were created “a little lower” than the heavenly beings – including the angels.  So, we understand that the angels are “a little greater” than we are.  So, we might be tempted – as we see in the Scripture – to worship angels – but God has forbidden that.  We are commanded not to worship any created thing (cf.  Exodus 20:4-6).

Based on this, we might be tempted to say the angels are greater than Jesus, because Jesus is completely human, and humans are a “little lower” than the angels.  However, the Son of God – the Second Person of the Trinity – is said to have preeminence – to be greater – than everything that God created – including humans and angels – and Jesus is God – the Second Person of the Trinity.

Now, we saw last week that Jesus – in His Humanity – was – for a time – in His sinless, but finite and unglorified body – less than the angels – we see in verse four that He became superior to the angels.  However, we must understand that He became superior to the angels insofar as His Humanity is concerned.  In His Divinity – in the fact that He the Son is God – before, during, and after the Incarnation – Jesus, the Son of God, the God-Man, was and is superior to the angels.

So, we can understand that though Jesus, the God-Man, was – for a time, unglorified in His Body – He was still God, Himself.  So, even though Jesus is now still completely human – and glorified – He is, as He always was, completely God, so He is greater than the angels and worthy of worship.

God would sin if He commanded the angels to worship another creature.  But since God commanded the angels to worship God – even in human flesh – we can understand that Jesus, the Son, is greater than the angels as evidenced by their worship of Him.

            The author of Hebrews continues by pointing out a Scripture about the angels, themselves:  “Of the angels he says, ‘He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.’”

            The angels were made by God, and here we see that the angels are servants of God.  God makes the angles to be what they are.  And what are they?  They are like wind and fire.  They are quick, agile, powerful beings that do the work God has given them.  They are ministers – they carry out God’s Will – they affect the works of Providence.  But they are merely servants.

            The rest of our text is a quotation from one of the Psalms of the sons of Korah in which they praise God for His Sovereign Kingship.  We read:  “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.  The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.  Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;” (Psalm 45:6-7, ESV).

            “But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,’”

            Let us notice first, here, that God calls the Son, God.  “But of the Son [God] says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.’”  The author of Hebrews continues to emphasize that Jesus is not merely a real human being, but He is the Son of God – God, Himself, in the Second Person – Incarnate as the Person of Jesus of Nazareth.  The Incarnate God is still God.  The Son of God is God, and the Son of God taking on flesh – a real human Person – did not make Him any less God.

            Notice, then, that God, the Son, is enthroned, and His Reign is eternal.  God the Son is the Eternal Sovereign King over all.  And if the Son is God the King, then the Incarnate Son, Jesus, is God the King, because God does not become less than God by taking on flesh.

            We recognize this in texts that we read often during the Christmas season, such as:Of the increase of his government and of peace        there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.  The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this” (Isaiah 9:7, ESV).

            So, it is not strange to us to think of Jesus as being God, the Eternal King.

            Now, a king is greater than his servants.  So if Jesus is God, the King, then Jesus is greater than the angels, because the angels are servants of God.  Jesus, the King, is greater than angels. 

            What kind of King is Jesus?  If He is not a holy and perfect king, wouldn’t the holy angels be greater than Jesus, then?  It would, but it is not so.

            The author of Hebrews, quoting the Psalmist, continues, “the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.”

            The scepter is the symbol of the administration of rule.  And we see here that His Rule is Righteous – Holy and Perfect in every way.  That makes Him the final authority on all matters, and so, God’s Word is the final authority in all matters.

            Since our God and Savior reigns in this way, we are compelled to live in a way that follows after His Righteousness.  Paul writes, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,” (Titus 2:11-12, ESV).

            We who believe in Jesus Alone for salvation have been saved by His Grace Alone – as a free gift to us, and in so doing, we recognize we are under the Sovereign Righteous Rule of Jesus, and we receive training from Him.  Jesus teaches us through His Word and through God’s discipline of us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions – all of the sins we so joyfully have participated in in the past – we now cast them away for the joy that we have received through salvation and now in living under His Reign.  And now we strive to live self-controlled, upright, godly lives – we strive to live according to all the commands of God in holiness – understanding that we will not be perfected in this life, yet not using that as an excuse but fighting with everything we have to live holy lives like Jesus – by the Work of God the Holy Spirit in us – because any good we do is done by God working through us.

            We see this perfectly portrayed in Jesus:  “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;” The reason that Jesus reigns in righteousness is because He is God and God loves righteousness and hates wickedness.

            God is delighted and rejoices when we do good and live righteously by Him Who lives and works in and through us.  God loves to see Himself portrayed in us and our actions.  But God hates – yes, hates – wickedness.  God is furious, livid, enraged when one of His creatures – including us – does something contrary to His Will.

            Do we understand that when we sin, we are committing cosmic treason?  Do we understand that when we sin, we are trying to overthrow the government of Jesus?  Do we understand that when we sin we are telling our Holy God Jesus, Lover of Righteousness, Giver of Joy and Salvation, “I know better how to live my life than You!”

            “How dare we!”

            That’s why God came down to earth in the Person of Jesus.  We had become a plague of evil in God’s presence, but God, in His Mercy, chose to make some right with Him by Himself.  And here we have the Gospel:  God came to earth – incarnated – in the Person of Jesus, lived, died for the sins of all those who would believe, physically rose from the dead, and ascended back to His throne, where He reigns in Glory.

            Jesus is King, and we are saved.  Jesus is greater than angels.

            Our text ends:  “therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions” (Hebrews 1:6-9, ESV).

            Therefore:  Since Jesus the Son is God.  Since Jesus is eternally seated on His Throne – Eternal King of Kings, ruling over all of Creation.  Since Jesus administers His Rule in righteousness.  Since the administration of His Rule proceed from a love of righteousness – holiness – and a hatred of all wickedness.

            Therefore – the consequences of Jesus’ Holy, Righteous Rule over all of Creation is that God anoints Jesus.

            What does that mean?

            It means that God rejoices to have His Son rule.  God is glorified through the Righteous Rule of Jesus over the Creation, and God takes pleasure in being glorified, in working as Trinity to accomplish all things according to His Plan.

            It means that the Father enables the Son to do His Work.  And we wonder how that can be, if the Father and the Son are the same One God.  And the only answer we can give is to say that there is a priority of action in the Godhead.  Which doesn’t really answer the question does it?  But that is what we see in the Scripture, and that is as far as we can go with that point.

            It means that Jesus is symbolically marked as triumphant and exultant.  The Son accomplished His Purpose in the Incarnation and now reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

            So, we can see that Jesus is greater than angels.

            What does this mean for us – to know that Jesus is King of the created order?

            It means we have a duty and a joy to rejoice in the Kingship of Jesus.  Is it not wonderful news to know that the One True God Who came to earth to save everyone who will believe – you and me – is the Same One God Who rules over everything and every moment of history – everything is in His Hands and occurs according to His Will?  Ought we not obey and rejoice in such a great God as this God, Jesus, the Son?

            And it also means that we may have comfort and security in Jesus’ Kingship.  If the Same God Who died and rose for us is the King of everything, and all things work together according to His Will, don’t we have every reason in the world to trust Him and to take comfort in Him and to know that if He did this for us – Paul writes, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32, ESV).

            John wrote, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3, ESV).

            As Jesus said, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30, ESV).

            Beloved, take comfort and rejoice – obey all the commandments of our Savior and King – the Sovereign of all.  For He has done all the work.  He has returned to the Thorne of the Son.  And though He came to us in human form – that He could be our Substitute – He is not a creature – He is the Only God, the King, and greater than angels.

            Let us pray:
            Almighty God and King, we bow before You as Your humble subjects.  We come before Your Throne as children before their Father.  We give thanks for the Son Incarnating for our salvation.  Help us to understand that He is not just a human being – He is the Almighty God, the King – and to Him Alone belongs all glory and praise.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.e H

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