Jesus Is... Higher Than The Angels

David Poland

Advent 2023: Jesus Is • Sermon • Submitted 5 months ago • Presented 6 months ago

Hebrews 1

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Sermon One In the advent 2023 Series

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Psalm of the Day: Psalm 36

Psalm 36 ESV

To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the Lord. Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil. Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O Lord. How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise.

Scripture Reading: Advent 1 (Congregational Reading)

Sermon:

Good morning church. I was glad when they said to me, let us go and worship in the house of the lord.

Well, this morning is the first Sunday in the advent season, so that means it's the first Sunday in our advent series. This year, I've titled the advent series “Jesus is...”. And we will be looking at four different passages in the book of Hebrews That tell us who or what Jesus is.

But this week, as i sat down and prepared to prepare this sermon. I realized I might have made a pretty big mistake. We were in Matthew for over two years. and i got used to Sort of understanding the size of Matthew's, text and then understanding, where Matthew was going. Ultimately, piecing together his argumentation because i was used to Matthew. So then when i sat down and planned out this advent series… well I was not used to it. You could say that, I maybe didn't have my Hebrews mind going As i prepared lessons in the book of Hebrews. Heres the long and short of that… I decided that, you know what would be a fantastic first sermon... Well, let's just do all of Hebrews 1.

It turns out in some sense, that's probably impossible. If you're looking down at your bulletin, you might be thinking This might be the most blanks David's ever put in the outline. You're probably right. This might be the most blanks I've ever put in my outline. Hebrews 1, which is what we will be looking at. Might be the most theologically dense portion of scripture.. In all of scripture. What the writer of Hebrews manages to Condense and cram into one chapter — That's only 14 verses long — It's rather incredible.

And so this morning, I'm going to attempt to go through all of this. With this sort of thought hanging over our heads. Each and every point that you have in your outline. As i was preparing this sermon i was thinking to myself, well, that could be a whole sermon and that could probably be a whole sermon and that one that could also Be a whole sermon. So this morning we are going to try and get the 20,000 foot view of each of these points. As a side note this is why Hebrews is one of the books of the bible that I've sort of put on my list of it's going to take a lot to ever get me to preach through it because There's a lot going on here. We're still going to try. Our goal today to get through, Hebrews chapter 1, where we read and learn that jesus is Greater Then the angels.

But Before we even dive into our passage because we're doing approaching Hebrews differently than we would a normal book, we don't get a full sermon of introductory matters and and what's going on. So i want to sort of lay the contextual foundation for this whole book very quickly for us for the next four weeks. The writer of Hebrews will be referred to as the writer of Hebrews because we don't fully know exactly Who wrote this book? Theories abound, some people think, well, Paul wrote it, he just didn't put his name on this one. Other people think it's a sermon that someone else wrote down for us. If you want MY opinion of who wrote this, come talk to me later… All that to say There's a whole host of Thoughts of who exactly did it. We don't know. So it's just “the writer of Hebrews”.

And the writer of Hebrews seeks to paint, In the book of Hebrews, How much better jesus is. And that's weird, how much jesus is better than what? The answer is everything. He will go through tons of different thoughts and ideas. Showing jesus is better than this and jesus is better than that. And jesus better than this person in these greater than that person. And so we start in Hebrews 1. That jesus is greater than the angels. And for us, this is a little weird. Maybe we don't spend a lot of time thinking and contemplating Angels. But what we need to understand is what the writer is doing in all of the book of Hebrews. He Is developing what we would call a christology. Which is christ- -“ology”, we got that part— “ology” study of. A study of what? well Christ. Jesus. it's a study of christ. But when we talk about a christology, it's more, a definition, and a, a showing of the very nature. Of jesus. And we start here. He's not just some created being, he's not just some spiritual being. Jesus is greater than all of them. He's greater even than The angels, that's the thought that we're going to start with as we then build off of this. In Hebrews chapter 1, i'm going to read the whole chapter. Boy, is there a lot. That's okay. We're going to walk through it very slowly.

Hebrews 1 ESV

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.” But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

These are the words of lord for us this morning. Let's open. With a word of prayer.

Dear Lord, we do Thank you for today. We thank you for Your word given to us, that we might know you. Thank you for your son, our savior, our lord, and king jesus christ. We thank you for the work that he accomplished. Thank you for the work that he has continuing to do as he is forever Our intercessor Our god and our king. May we see him more clearly as we worship you and hear your words. It's in jesus name we pray. Amen. And amen.

So, as i said, there's a lot here. And in all honesty, i'm going to try to cheat in a few ways. One, as i mentioned, we're going to take a more high level view of this whole chapter. I just want to give us thoughts and ideas that we can begin to wrap our mind around. But in all honesty, we're also focusing on versus one through four. So, when i say this is dense, this is what i mean, all of the blanks you have. We're going to get from the first four verses here.

Each telling us who JESUS IS

Jesus IS...

But i want to start with a sort of big level picture to see what the writer of Hebrews is doing. Starting in verse 5. He begins to give a lot of quotes from scripture. One of the intentions one of the goals, one of the things that the writer of Hebrews wants us to see is everything that came before, jesus is greater than. he's better than everything that came before. In fact, Everything that came before serves to point us to the one who was better, it ALL points us to jesus.

So, all of these old testament quotations, these psalms, and these other places that the writer of Hebrews goes... The thought and intention was see, this was about jesus, and this, it was about jesus, this one, it was about jesus. This is why jesus Is better and he starts with this idea. And in all of these quotes, he's comparing the angels To jesus.

There's something actually really important going on here. We have to start in verse one. “Long ago at many times. And in many ways god spoke To our fathers.”

The thought that kicks off Hebrews, is this idea of how god is speaking and importantly, how god is bringing his Message. And so, this is the first point, i want to make that jesus is The very messenger of god.

The MESSENGER of God

The word “angel” that we have translated in this passage actually means both messenger and angel. It means in some sense, the one who heralds brings the words and and is the one who brings the message of the king but it also means the angelic spiritual being for, that's ultimately what angels both are and do largely.

If we look back and remember back to the beginning of Matthew to the Christmas story, even in the beginning of Matthew, Right? The angels Come they bring good news of great, joy. They'd come and they speak to Mary and they tell her what god has said. They speak to Joseph, And they tell him what god is said. They come and speak to the shepherds sing to the shepherds and tell them what god is said. angels are often in the messengers of god. But jesus is the better one. In all senses, he's better.

And we start by saying this long ago, God spoke through the prophets. Long ago, God spoke through many different ways but now Since the advent -- since the arrival-- since the coming of our king -- Since some 2000 years ago, when jesus was born in a manger. Since that moment, God now speaks to us Through jesus.

He now, speaks to us through this person, his work, his teaching, his life, The reason the writer of Hebrews goes on this whole sort of tangent of the angels is because sure the angels can bring messages, the angels, do the bidding of god. They are in fact, ministering spirits. We read that in verse 14. Yeah they do these things. But the one we have now, The one who came the one who we celebrate his advent, his coming, his arrival. He's truly the full messenger of god.

John gets into this John 1. “In the beginning was the word and the word was with god. And the word was god.” The thought here is jesus is the very word, the spoken message of god in the person. Of jesus christ. So he is the messenger, the one who brings god's message his truth and his life. But he's also… verse 2. Says this. Picking up in verse one actually: Long ago, many times in many ways, god spoke to her fathers by the prophets, but he's latter days, he has spoken.” That's the fact that he's the messenger of god. “He has spoken to us by his son.” Jesus is the messenger of god but he's also the son of god.

The SON of God

Truly, he is god. The only begotten son is part of the triune God. Jesus is part of the godhead. And here, his role of the son Is important. So We begin to wrap our mind around this idea: that the one who came, The one who was born to marry, heralded by the angels, visited by the shepherds and wise men, That one. The child, we celebrate this advent series was the very son. Of God.

Not a generic. We're all god's children's sort of way, but in the only rottenness of john chapter 3, sort of way. In the truly, this was the son of god. The confession of the roman centurion in Matthew, sort of way. In the sort of way that peter confesses. Truly, you are the christ, the sun of the living god kind of way.

He is the messenger of god who's also the son of god. and as the son of god, we would think he's also then god's heir, and that's partially true. But the writer of Hebrews pushes to make sure we understand this. He's the messenger of god. The son of god, but he's also In these last days, he's spoken to us by his son, whom he appointed the heir of ALL Things.

the HEIR of all things

We dealt with this point shortly last week, when we looked at the great commission and jesus came and said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, that's what the writer of Hebrews is saying here as well. All things belong to jesus. All things are his Rightfully his. Because he is the son of god. Because he is the savior of us all. because he is our lord and savior because he is all of these things. He is truly the heir of all things. The one who rules and reigns. The one who will one day come in power and victory.

As we celebrate, his first advent as we think of the time, when he came as an infant. Tender and mild. We think of the time when he came in, what theologians would call the time of his humiliation. The god of all the earth, the one who is the heir of all things. Came as a baby. A helpless child. He had to have his diaper changed… if They had diapers back then… I don’t know how all that worked... But here the one Who, who had to Grow and learn. Who had to grow in knowledge and maturity who had to go through these things and then who lived his life. And it was a humble life when we speak of his humiliation. This is what we mean: not riches, not as a king, not to rule, But as a servant, As a carpenter. And as he came-- the one who is now, the heir of all things — he first came in his humiliation. And he suffered, and was truly humiliated in every meaning of that word as he was brutally murdered on the cross.

But As we celebrate the first coming, the first advent, we can't forget that He is coming back again. There will be a second advent. Where we will see the one who is the heir of all things coming to take possession of all that is his. Every knee will bow. And every tongue will confess, he will come and he will rule all of the nations. With a rod of iron he is coming

He's the heir of all things. Not only is the heir of all things. He's also The creator of all things. and the CREATOR OF THE WOLD

the CREATOR of the world

Here's our first thought of who jesus is all tied together.

Starting in verse 1, long ago. And at many times and many ways, god spoke to our fathers, by the prophets — god has been speaking. God has been showing us this. What did he show us?

But in these last days, The time we live now, he has spoken to us-- So he's the messenger of god — by his son. He's the son of god, whom he appointed the air of all things. All things are his because through whom verse 2, he also created The world.

All things were made by him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.

for from him and through him, and to him are all things.

This is the testimony of scripture and this is the beauty and the mystery and the wonder of the advent season. When we come and celebrate advent, we are celebrating one of the greatest mysteries The universe has ever known. It's proof that god is not just one who created the world and set it in motion and he's going about doing his business. Rather he is, intimately in sovereign control of every affair that happens on this earth. So much So that god himself in the person of jesus christ entered into creation to be with us. So we are asking: Who jesus is? When we celebrate the advent series, we are celebrating that God's very word, the messenger of god, who is also the son of god, the one who rules, and reigns in heaven and is the air of all things and the one by whom the world was created entered into his creation. It's a big deal. That we celebrate.

And so the writer of Hebrews as he's thinking through this precious truth. He begins to become enraptured, by who jesus is. And so, he shifts his focus a little. We can move for just a second from who jesus is to what jesus has.

Jesus HAS…

But even what he has is part of… this is difficult here... who he is. So we start, by saying, well, he is the messenger and this is what i say. Like the is in the first part these are sort of his “roles. And his jobs”, but when we get to these jesus “has” points, we need to think that these are The very fabric. Of his being.

Verse 3. He is the radiance. Of the glory. Of god.

The GLORY of God

When we come and celebrate advent. We cannot misunderstand and we cannot overlook this precious truth. That the child Born to marry wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger. That, that infant child. Had the very glory. Of god. Verse 3, he is the radiance of the glory of god.

In some sense. What the writer of Hebrews is telling us here, is that god's glory shines even brighter through jesus. We can't overstate our case here. In case we thought like okay well the first part doesn't really show us exactly that Jesus is god. (spoiler alert, it does, but just in case you missed it in all that he's a creator of all things, the heir of all things that's pretty godly stuff, but in case you're missing that don't miss that here.)

He is the radiance of the glory of god. God is very clear: My glory I will not share with another. There is no one or no thing, No being that has god's glory That is not god. because god is a jealous god. He will not share his glory. So to say that jesus is the radiance of the glory of god means that jesus is truly and fully with no doubt or no Minimizing any of these words he is fully god.

We know this because he shines with god's glory and we know this because he has the very nature of god.

The NATURE of God

He is the radiance of the glory of god and the exact imprint of his nature. God is love. Jesus is love. We can say in a very real intangible way when jesus came and was born in the manger. Love was born in the manger. Justice was born in the manger. Goodness mercy, grace. Anything we say about god. Jesus is the exact imprint of his nature that same nature was in that child. That child grew and blossomed became a man who walked and ministered taught and healed who was in crucified dead and buried, but then rose in victory, on the third day. That very same one, we wait for. This same one who shines with the glory of god, who has the imprint of the nature of god, we await him to come in power. We wait him to come back to us. So he has the glory of god. He has the nature of god and He has the very power. Of god.

The POWER of God

We saw this in in hints and in thoughts, as we went through the book of Matthew, When jesus was betrayed by Judas and they all come to arrest him. And peter wants to go fight everyone, he cuts off Some dude's ear with a sword. Just don't, Jesus says. I could handle this. You don't think i could call down legions of angels to come protect me. The power. Was there. And yet he was willing to endure the cross.

When he’s being mocked.. as he's being mocked on the cross. Come down from the cross, then we'll believe in you. The same power. That created all things. The same power that holds all things together. He... jesus... he... upholds. The universe. By the word. Of his power.

The sun rose this morning. Why did it do that? Because jesus said it would. We can get into all the the science of gravity and the earth spinning and rotation.... The sun rose this morning because jesus said it would he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

You have breath in your lungs because jesus says you will. he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

Every molecule, every part of every atom of everything in the universe is held together by jesus power.

And he was born in a manger. That's what we celebrate here.

If you were to memorize, One verse. I would highly recommend Hebrews chapter 1, verse 3. Everything we need to know about who jesus is. Is here. “He's the radiance of the glory of god, and the exact imprint of his nature and he upholds, the universe by the word of his power.” There's one more thing we should know here. One more thought about who jesus is.

Jesus IS…

He's going to do something. He's going to sit down somewhere. He's done something first. As we think through the advent series and we think through who jesus is, and what this means, and what this means for us, we cannot miss this. The second half of verse 3 “after making purification For sins.” Jesus is Our Savior.

OUR SAVIOR

What we celebrate when we celebrate advent, when we come and say, Here's, We celebrate Infant jesus. However we want to say that. We celebrate jesus coming as an innocent helpless child. We celebrate the messenger, son of god. The one who is the heir of all things. The one who created, all things coming down to earth as a child. When we celebrate the glory of god, the nature of god, the power of god, being thinly, veiled in human form. In the person of jesus.

We remember that he came To be our savior. He made purification for sin, He offered himself so that he could be the perfect sacrifice, that would wash us clean.

Why did god have to enter into creation? Why did god want to come into creation? Why did jesus do all of this? it was to be our savior. Because we needed a -- We'll get to this in subsequent weeks -- We needed a great high priest. We needed one who could teach us show us and then live the law for us so that we can be made right with god. We needed one who could live the holy perfect life We can never live who then grants us his righteousness.

No sin is to large. No sin is to great, no person So sinful, that jesus cannot purify your sins. How do we know that? Because he has the glory the nature, and the power of god. Because these the air of all things, the one by whom all things are created. He's the one who upholds All of these together, begin to being a picture. Jesus is the one who made all things. He holds all things he cares for all things, he is the savior of all who come to him. So he is our savior. But note this after making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand Of the majesty on high.

He is our savior. Who is on? The throne.

ON THE THRONE

Jesus rules and reigns. He holds all things he cares for all things. He governs, all things. He sovereignly has his hand on all things. He is the radiance of the glory of god, the exact imprint of his nature and he upholds, the universe by the word of his power. And he seated on the throne. He will care for us. He is ruling and reigning. Not one thing occurs in this universe That jesus, The king on the throne, Is not sovereign over. And so we worship him.

He's far greater. Then the angels. He's far greater. Than anyone. And everything else. Come to him. And find the perfect savior.