INTRODUCTION:

1. Last Wednesday evening we started a new series in the book of Hebrews.
2. I mentioned last week, that it is helpful to compare Hebrews 1 with Colossians 1 and John 1.
3. Colossians 1:18 says, “that in all things he might have the preeminence.”
4. Everything is heading toward the second coming of Christ.
5. As we have been studying the Olivet Discourse these last two Sunday evenings, we have been reminded that the end of all history consummates in the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
6. The book of Hebrews also deals with the second coming of Christ (Hebrews 9:27, 28).
7. And the book of Hebrews also deals with many other important details regarding the person and work of Christ.
8. God has spoken unto us by His Son (1:2).
9. “Whom he hath appointed heir of all things” (1:2).
10. And Christ is the Creator of all things –  “by whom also he made the worlds.”
11. Colossians 1:16 says, “all things were created by him, and for him.”
12. John 1:3 says, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
13. Christ is “the brightness” of God’s glory and “the express image” of God’s person (1:3). Our Lord said in John 14:9, “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father.”
14. First Timothy 3:16 says Christ is God manifest in the flesh.
15. And Christ upholds all things “by the word of his power” (1:3). Were it not for the Lord Jesus Christ, this world would fall into chaos and darkness.
16. WA Criswell said, “All symmetry, all beauty, all logic, all truth, the spirit of all things of God are in His hands.  ‘And he upholdeth all things by the word of his power.’  Just by the fiat of His words.  Just like you saw Him in the earth.  He spake and the winds and the waves obeyed Him.  He spake and the dead rose to life.  He spake and the deaf could hear and the blind could see and the crippled could walk and the leper was cleansed.  ‘By the word of his power, he sustains and upholds all things.’”
17. Furthermore, Christ died on the cross to save us from hell – “when he had by himself purged our sins, and sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (1:3).
18. I mentioned last week that the key word is “better,” found 13 times in the epistle to the Hebrews (cf. 1:4).
19. “Being made so much better than the angels…”  Christ is so much better than the angels because…

 

1. CHRIST HAS A MORE EXCELLENT NAME
2. CHRIST IS WORSHIPPED (ANGELS ARE NOT)
3. CHRIST IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD

 

I. THE EXCELLENT MINISTRY OF ANGELS

1. William Newell, in his commentary on the epistle to the Hebrews, wrote: “Jewish minds thought much of angelic glory.  They had received the law as ordained by ministry of angels (Acts 7:53).  They were wont, therefore, to regard with awe and wonder these obedient messengers of God’s power.  There can be no stronger proof of this than John’s temptation to worship one (Rev. 19:10; 22:8, 9). Hence the weight of the further testimony here to Christ’s glory.”
2. In Hebrews 1:14, angels are referred to as “ministering spirits.”
3. Angels have an excellent ministry. The angels are a distinct order of creation and they have been given a heavenly position, or sphere, above the sphere of man (cf. Heb. 2:7; Ps. 8:4, 5).
4. Angels were at the birth of Jesus (Matt. 1:20; 2:13,19; Luke 1:11, 26; 2:9, 13-15).  We read in Luke 2:13 and 14, that when our Lord was born, the angels praised God and said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
5. Some say that angels cannot sing, but Job 38:7 says angels sing.
6. The Bible has much to say about angels. There are about 108 references to angels in the Old Testament, and about 165 references in the New Testament.
7. Angels were at the birth of Jesus, and they were also present at His crucifixion (Matt. 26:53; Luke 22:43).
8. Angels ministered to our Lord during His earthly ministry (Mark 1:13).
9. They were with our Lord at His ascension into heaven (Acts 1:10, 11).
10. And angels will accompany our Lord when He returns (Matt. 24:27-31; 25:31; II Thess. 1:7).
11. We see angels all throughout the book of Acts (5:19; 8:26; 10:1-7; 12:5-11; 27:23-25) and all throughout the book of Revelation.
12. There are about 65 clear references to angels in the book of Revelation (4:6; 5:8; 7:1, 2; etc.).
13. The Bible says there are an “innumerable” number of angels (Heb. 12:22; Rev. 5:11).
14. Of course, God can number them, but men cannot.
15. Although there is “an innumerable” number of angels, we only know the names of three: Lucifer (also known as Satan, the devil, and so on), Michael (referred to as “Michael the archangel” in Jude verse 9), and Gabriel.
16. But the Lord Jesus Christ has “a more excellent name” than the angels (1:4).

 

II. THE EXCELLENT NAME OF CHRIST (HEB. 1:4)

1. When the Bible speaks of Christ having “a more excellent name” than the angels, it is referring to our Lord’s person, His character, His authority, and  His majesty, etc.
2. Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
3. Acts 2:38 says, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
4. Acts 3:6 says, “Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”
5. Acts 4:10 says, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.”
6. Acts 8:12 says, “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.”
7. Acts 9:27 says, “But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.”
8. Acts 16:18 says, “And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.”
9. Paul said in Acts 26:9, “I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.”
10. First Corinthians 1:2 says, “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.”
11. Our Lord’s name means “Saviour” (Matt. 1:21).
12. Jesus said in John 16:23, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, He will give it you.”
13. Paul said, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus…” (Col. 3:17).
14. Peter said, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

 

“Jesus! The name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
‘Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
“Tis life, and health, and peace.” –  Charles Wesley

 

“Jesus!  Oh how sweet the name!

Jesus! Every day the same!

Jesus! Let all saints proclaim

Thy worthy praise for ever.” –  W.C. Martin

 

III. THE EXCELLENT SONSHIP OF CHRIST

1. Since the book of Hebrews was written to Jewish believers, there are many Old Testament references in the epistle.
2. Many of these OT Messianic passages are not easily recognized as such. For example, II Samuel 7:14 (quoted in Hebrews 1:5) refers to Solomon.
3. But the Spirit of God takes this prophecy regarding Solomon and applies it to the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. II Sam. 7:12-16; Psalm 89:33-37).
4. In the first part of Hebrews 1:5, the author quotes from Psalm 2, a Messianic psalm.  Psalm 2:7 says, “The LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee” (cf. Heb. 1:5).
5. In the second part of Hebrews 1:5, II Samuel 7:14 is quoted – “I will be his father, and he shall be my son.”
6. These Scriptures refer to Christ’s eternal Sonship.  God the Father has always been God the Father, and God the Son has always been God the Son.
7. Psalm 2:7 and Hebrews 1:5 refer to our Lord’s public recognition as the eternal Son of God.
8. The words “this day” (Heb. 1:5; Psalm 2:7) refer to our Lord’s incarnation and His resurrection.
9. “Made” (Hebrews 1:4) refers to our Lord’s incarnation – the eternal Son of God became a man.
10. John 1:14 says, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…” (Cf. Hebrews 10:5).
11. Psalm 2:7 and Hebrews 1:5 also refer to our Lord’s resurrection.
12. In Acts 13:33, the apostle Paul said, “God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.”
13. In Hebrews 5:5, Psalm 2:7 is quoted in reference to Christ’s work as our great high priest.
14. Psalm 2:7 and Hebrews 1:5 refer to our Lord’s public recognition as the eternal Son of God.
15. This was demonstrated many times.

• At His birth – He was called “Emmanuel,” God with us (Isa. 7:14; Matthew 1:23).
• At His baptism – God the Father spoke from heaven and said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17).
• At the Mount of Transfiguration – God the Father spoke again from heaven and said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him” (Matt. 17:5).
• At the cross – the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and the Roman centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus die on the cross, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, and they feared greatly and said, “Truly this was the Son of God” (Matt. 27:51-54).
• At His resurrection – Romans 1:4 says Christ was “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”

 

CONCLUSION:

1. Allow me to summarize: Christ is so much better than the angels because whereas angels are referred to in the Bible as “sons of God” (as are men), Christ is the Son of God.
2. This means He Himself is equal with God the Father (cf. John 5:18; 10:30-33).
3. Furthermore, Christ is so much better than the angels because has obtained a more excellent name (1:4).
4. There is power in the name of Jesus.
5. In Philippi, the apostle Paul said to the unclean spirit, “I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And the spirit came out the same hour (Acts 16:18).
6. All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall;
   Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.
   Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.
7. A preacher in In­dia by the name of EP Scott had a great burden to evangelize a tribe of uncivilized barbarians, but his friends urged him not to go.
8. But he went forth with high cour­age, ne­ver wa­ver­ing in his du­ty, and trust­ing in God to pro­tect him.
9. When at last he reached their coun­try among the hills, he came up­on a com­pa­ny of these primitive sav­ag­es. Im­me­di­ate­ly they sur­round­ed him, point­ing their spears at him with threat­en­ing scowls.
10. EP Scott had no­thing in his hand but his vi­o­lin; and so he closed his eyes and be­gan to play his violin and sing, “All Hail the Pow­er of Je­sus’ Name.”
11. When at last he opened his eyes he ex­pect­ed to be killed in­stant­ly. But his life had been spared through the sing­ing of the hymn. The savages dropped their spears, and re­ceived him first with cur­i­o­si­ty and in­ter­est, and then lat­er with ea­gern­ess, as he told them the gos­pel sto­ry and won their hearts to the Lord Je­sus Christ.