The Son Greater than Angels

Shared on May 12, 2024

This week’s lesson asks: If you don’t believe in, honor, and worship Christ, why not? Join Pastor McCrary for this week’s Sunday School lesson where the writer of Hebrews compares Christ to the angels. If God’s angels worship Christ, shouldn’t we?

Introduction

All season long, we have been doing nothing but taking a look at the power and authority of Christ.  Each lesson we have had this quarter forces one to answer whether or not they believe in Christ.  In the last month of lessons for this quarter, the notion is going to be put forward that you should worship and praise Him.  The question is brought up in our lesson this week:  why would you worship and praise anyone or anything else?

Epistle to the Hebrews

Our lesson this week takes a look at scripture from the epistle to the Hebrews.  Now, if you followed along with my bible studies this past season, this scripture will be very familiar to you.  I did a series of studies titled – The Six Great Warnings – where we take at this great epistle. 

So, before we jump into the scripture, I want to point out some things we should know about this epistle.  Firstly, the writer of this epistle is not known though many, including myself, believe Paul wrote this letter.  On several occasions, the writer gives hints that lead us to believe it’s Paul.  Though, if Paul is the writer of this epistle, it’s interesting that he didn’t take credit as he did in other letters.

The purpose behind this epistle was to encourage the Jews to turn to the gospel and heed it (Heb. 2:1).  Now, the early church was made up of quite a few Jews before the Gentiles began to receive the gospel.  Yet, the writer of the epistle was not happy with the fact that many more Jews were choosing to neglect the gospel.  Many of the Jews were still abiding by the law while other Jews had strayed from the Lord.

Christ is Holy and Divine

With those things in mind, the writer opened in Hebrews 1:1 speaking of how God had spoken to the people in time past.  In Old Testament days, the Lord spoke to the prophets who then took God’s message to the people.  For example, God gave to Moses His law and then Moses shared God’s law with the people (Ex. 19:1-7).

Then, in Hebrews 1:2, the writers speaks of how the Lord had now spoken to the people.  God gave the world His only begotten Son who came and dwelt among His creation.  While dwelling among His creation, we have learned how Christ taught, preached, healed, and glorified God through many miracles.  Sadly, as John wrote in his gospel, only a few recognized His glory (John 1:10-14).

In Hebrews 1:3, the writer goes on to speak about the deity of Christ.  “[Jesus is] the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of His person.”  While Jesus was born in the world by way of a virgin’s birth, we know from where He came.  John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).”

In Hebrews 1:3, the writer continued, “He had by Himself purged our sins.”  Jesus did this by suffering and then dying on the cross as our propitiation.  As our atonement offering, Jesus broke down the wall of separation between sin and the Lord.  All people can now freely go before the Lord without any sacrifice or offering because of Christ’s reconciliation.  

So now, as the writer says, Jesus sits at the right hand of the Majesty (Heb. 1:3).  As I said a few weeks ago, Jesus is our advocate, our intercessor, to the Father (1 John 2:1).  Because nobody else is able to do any of what Christ did for us, the writer said, “He has by inheritance a more excellent name (Heb. 4:1).”

When you look at the laundry list of things that the writer has laid out, you have to wonder why are people slow to praise Christ?  I understand that some people choose not to believe in Christ but there are many who do believe in Him but are slow to praise Him.  

Christ is Above All Things

So, to those Jews who had not received Christ but were continuing in the law or to worship other things, the writer shared a pointed message.  Some of the Jews had a very high regard for the angels.  I suppose this is understandable because angels are heavenly beings.  Yet, the question has to be asked:  are angels God?  No.

Though this verse is outside of our lesson, the writer of this epistle asked a well thought out question about angels.  In Hebrews 1:14, the writer asked, “Are [angels] not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”  This question speaks to the role that angels are seen throughout scripture serving.  The fact of the matter is that angels, like everything else, were created by God (Col. 1:16).

Christ is exalted above angels and idols

To that same point, there are many people today that choose to worship several other things rather than God.  Idolatry is very prevalent in the world.  We often think of idolatry being the worship of statues or images, but there are more forms of idol worship.

If you take a look around, you will see that many participate in political idolatry.  Others participate in celebrity idolatry.  Even more, there are those that participate in the idolatry of the body and sex.  I would be remiss if I did not mention the idolatry of money and wealth.  Should any of these things be exalted more than Christ?  Have any of those things saved our soul?

So, the writer began to make the point clear that Christ is so much better than the angels or anything else.  First, the writer pointed out how the Lord spoke of Christ (Heb. 1:5).  The writer asked, “For to which of the angels did God say:  ‘Your are My Son, Today I have begotten You’?”  Did God say of the angels, “I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son?”

These questions reference when the Lord made a covenant with David (2 Sam. 7:12-16).  God spoke to David about His Son who would come and not only sit on his throne but have an everlasting reign.  Then, when Jesus was baptized, the Lord said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matt. 3:17).”  While the angels are heavenly beings, God didn’t say any of these praises about them.

To further point out the difference between Christ and the angels, the writer points to the command and the angel’s worshiping Christ.  Hebrews 1:6 says, “But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.”  The angels worship Christ and not the other way around.

Hebrews 1:7 continues this thought by saying, “of the angels He says: ‘Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.”  Again, the angels were created by God for the purpose of ministering to God’s faithful servants in the world.  God did not create the angels to be worshiped!  The only one that should be worshiped is God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  God is the one that should be praised for all that He does!

So think about this:  if the angels of God worship His only begotten Son, shouldn’t we, mankind, be doing the same?  Most certainly we should!  Even more, we will again see that it’s not just the angels that exalt Christ but the Father also exalts the Son.

The Father says to the Son, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom (Heb. 1:8).”  The writer points out that the Son has been anointed by the Father with the “oil of gladness” more than His companions (Heb. 1:9).

So, let’s consider this thought once again:  If God the Father exalts the Son, shouldn’t we, mankind, be doing the same?  Honestly, I am flabbergasted at how we will praise who and what is unworthy while making light of that is worthy of praise.  It truly is time for us to put our principles in the right place.  Our principles need to be set for salvation rather than neglecting salvation.