Chapter 2 “Greater Than Angels”
Hebrews 1:4-2:18
I.
Angels were important to the Jewish
religion.
A. Deu
33:2 He said: The LORD came from Sinai
and appeared to them from Seir; He shone on them from Mount Paran and came with
ten thousand holy ones, with lightning from His right hand for them.
B. Psa 68:17
God's chariots are tens of thousands, thousands and thousands; the Lord
is among them in the sanctuary as He was at Sinai.
C. Act
7:53 You received the law under the
direction of angels and yet have not kept it."
D. Gal
3:19 Why the law then? It was added
because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would
come. The law was ordered through angels by means of a mediator.
Divided into three sections: an Affirmation, an
Exhortation, and an Explanation
II.
Affirmation: Christ is Superior to the
angels
7
quotations from the Septuagint (literally means the Seventy) (Tradition has it
that the Septuagint was named so because it was translated from the Hebrew into
Greek by seventy men. It is known as the LXX
A. He
is the Son vv. 4-5
Jesus is called the Son while the angels
were called the sons of God (Job 1:6)
1.
First quote is from Psalm 2:7- I will
declare the LORD's decree: He said to Me, "You are My Son; today I have
become Your Father.
2.
Second quote- 2 Samuel 7:14- I will be a
father to him, and he will be a son to Me. When he does wrong, I will
discipline him with a human rod and with blows from others.
i.
This is applied to Christ, the
antitypical Solomon, who was, in an higher sense, the Son of God
ii. The
Greater Solomon- Matthew 12:42
B. He
is the Firstborn who receives worship. V. 6
1.
The term “first born” is meant in the
sense of rank and honor
a. Solomon
was listed tenth in birth order but given the “rank” of firstborn. Ps. 89:27, 1
Chron 3:1-5
b. Christ
was “Firstborn over all creation”- Col 1:15
2.
The angels MUST worship Him
a. Ps.
97:7 the angels were called Elohim (HB literally means “power”)
i.
“all the gods must worship him.”
ii. The
angels would never worship a mere creature.
i.
They were the highest of creation in
rank
b. The
quote Weirsby uses is from the LXX and is not explicitly in the modern
versions. The point was that the writer of Hebrews was familiar with the LXX
and quoted from it.
C. He
is served by Angels v. 7
1. Quotes
Ps. 104:4
a. Pneuma-
translated “wind” could also be “spirit”
2. After
He fasted in the desert Mat. 4:11
a. After
He asked that the “cup be removed from him” Luke 22:43
D. He
is God enthroned and anointed vv. 8-9
1.
Quotes Psalm 45:6
a. Angels do not sit on the throne but rather
minister before the throne
2.
Jesus refers to Himself by quoting Psalm
110 (Mark 12:35-37)
a. Interesting
because whenever you see LORD capitalized in OT it refers to Christ, this is
known as a Christophany
E. He
is the eternal creator vv. 10-12
1.
Quotes Ps. 102:25-27
a. Ascribes
that Christ is there at the beginning
2.
Jesus created everything and angels were
part of that creation. John 1:3
F. Christ
is the Sovereign; angels are the servants vv. 13-14
1.
Quotes Ps. 110:1
a. Christ
is right now at the right hand of God. It is a place of honor.
2.
Angels are ministering spirits. They
also minister to us who are heirs of salvation.
III.
Admonition: Heed the Word and Don’t
Drift 2:1-4
A. This
is the first of the 5 mentioned in chapter one.
1.
Purpose is to encourage readers to pay
attention to God’s Word and obey it.
2.
It was written to believers. The writer
included himself.
3.
The writer said “neglecting” NOT
“rejecting”
a. He
was encouraging Chistians to pay attention to the great salvation they received
from the Lord.
4.
In OT times people who did not heed the
Word were punished.
a. This
word was given by angels
b. How
much better is the word from Christ
c. “transgression
refers to sins of commission
d. Disobedience
refers to sins of omission
5.
Neglect of Word of God, and prayer is
the cause of Spiritual Drifting
IV.
Explanation: Why Jesus Christ is not
inferior Because of His Humanity 2:5-18
Angels have no “body”-
Christ has a glorified body and it is the same body that was here on earth.
A. His
humanity enabled Him to regain man’s lost dominion v. 5-9
1.
Quotes Ps. 8:4-6
a. The
first man and woman were initially in charge of creation but failed.
b. Jesus
restores this “glory and honor” and shares it with us.
i.
Referred to as the Last Adam
c. Angels
cannot die nor can they save lost sinners and restore man’s lost dominion.
B. His
Humanity enabled Him to bring many sons to glory vv. 10-13
1.
Quotes Ps. 22:22
a. Christ
calls His church as His brethren
2.
Also quotes Isaiah 8:17-18
a. Words
of Christ calls us children of God
3.
If Christ had not taken on human form He
could not have called us brothers and therefore we could not have shared in His
glory.
a. The
incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection must go together
C. His
Humanity enabled Him to disarm Satan and deliver us from death vv. 14-16
1.
If angels cannot die and Jesus did not
come to save angels but humans, it was imperative for Christ to take on human
flesh.
2.
Satan is the author of sin. Sin brings
death. So in this sense Satan exercises power in the realm of death.
a. Satan
uses the fear of death to gain control of the lives of people
3.
Jesus delivers us from this fear of
death by His death, burial and resurrection. (So Great a Salvation)
a. This
gives significance to when it is said that He stooped lower than the angels and
became a man!
b. He
stooped even lower by becoming a Jew, a despised and hated race.
D. His
humanity enables Him to be a sympathetic High Priest to His people vv. 17-18
1.
Angels cannot sympathize with human’s
weaknesses and needs. But Jesus can
2.
Jesus “trained” to be a High Priest by
experiencing the infirmities that humans
go through by;
a. Being
a helpless baby
b. A
growing child
c. A
maturing adolescent
d. Experiencing
weariness, hunger, thirst
e. Being
despised and rejected
f.
Being lied about and falsely accused
3.
Because He has defeated every enemy, He
is able to give us the grace we need to overcome temptation.
4.
The word succor (2:18) literally means
to “run to the cry of a child”
5.
Angels are able to help us but not able
to succor us in our times of temptation. Only Jesus can do that because He
became a man and suffered and died.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group
Discussion
1. What kinds
of jobs or roles do you think angels have in our world today?
2. If a child asked you, “How can Jesus be God and
still be God’s Son?” how would you explain it?
3. In what ways do you, or people you have observed,
neglect their salvation?
Good
book , So great a Salvation by Charles Ryrie
4. Why is it sometimes difficult to appreciate and
pay attention to the Word of God as we should?
5. In what ways is being a human better than being
an angel? In what ways do you think being an angel would be better than being a
human?
6. In God’s infinite wisdom, He surely could have
chosen a different way to redeem us. Why do you think he chose becoming a man
and dying as a sacrifice?
7. Read Hebrews 4:15. What does it mean to you that
Jesus actually experienced life the way you do?
8. Read Philippians 2:5-11. If your attitude is like
Christ’s, what will our lives be like?
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