Why should we listen to Jesus?

• God exclusively speaks through His Son
• Heir and Maker of all things created.
• Radiance of God’s glory.
• Exact representation of God’s being.
• Sustains and preserves all of creation by His powerful word.
• Provides purification of sins.
• Sits in authority at the right hand of God.
• His name is superior to the angels.

These verses are the thesis statement to the whole letter. The writer dives deeper into the latter statement first—the angels.

Making for the Son’s superiority over the angels. (Hebrews 1:4-14)

Why the effort of proving Jesus’ superiority over angels?

• There was inappropriate worship of the angels by some - Natural response in an encounter yet discouraged and even corrected by the angels themselves.
• They were seen as the elite messengers of God. If they show up its serious.

OT Angelic Roles

• Messengers: Abraham, Jacob, Samson’s parents, Daniel, Elijah, and prophets
• Protectors/caregivers: Eden, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel.
• Enforcers of justice and wrath: Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt, Stirring up Nations, David.

If angels speak you listen, but if the Son speaks…

Jesus is superior in position and in name to the angels. (4)

Making the case of superiority from the OT.

No angel has been referred to as Son or an angel to refer to God as Father. (5)

Psalm 2:7; 2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chronicles 17:13.
Emphasis is not on when it was said of the Son, but that it was exclusively said of the Son. Barnes

Jesus has the rights of a firstborn and is to be worshiped by the angels. (6)

Psalm 97:7; Deuteronomy 32:43.
Evidenced at the arrival of Jesus, the first advent.
Current reality described in
Revelation 4:8 “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, who is, and is to come.”

Angels are “made” to be spirits who have “mutability”. (7)

Psalm 104:4
Wind, fire, cloud, etc… as descriptors of angelic presence.

The Son has an eternal throne that will never end—“immutability” BKC. (8)

Psalm 45:6-7
The contrast to verse 7 in that the Son will not change.

The Son loved righteousness and despised evil and given the reward of JOY. (9)

Psalm 45:6-7
Spoken of later in Hebrews 12:2 “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The Son created both the heavens and the earth. (10)

Isaiah 34:4; 51:6
As maker you have invested interest, knowledge, and right to lead.

The current heaven and earth will wear out, but the Son remains. (11)

2 Peter 3:10-13 speaks to that horrific time of destruction of the current heavens and earth.

The current heaven and earth will be replaced/changed, but the Son remains the same and has no end. (12)

Psalm 102:25-27
The Son has not deteriorated, nor is he in need of change.

The Son sits at the right hand of God as victor; the angels can only come before the throne to be sent. (13)

Psalm 110:1
The victory is the Son’s not the angels, to His glory not theirs.

The angels are sent ones to serve those who believe. (14)

Angels minister to the believer.
- To Paul during a storm at sea. Acts 27:23-24
- To John from Jesus through the angel to give the Revelation 1:1.

Angels serve the believer in protection and care.
- To Peter in his escape from prison. Acts 12:7

Angels can still be messengers to believers.
- Entertaining angels in your home. Hebrews 13:2

Angels will still be involved in carrying out the wrath of God.

Approaching Jesus

• Pray to Jesus. Today, God speaks through Jesus and He utilizes the angels. Revelation 1:1 “The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.”

• Seek to understand Jesus and his work on our behalf. Our story of redemption through Jesus is something even the angels seek to understand. 1 Peter 1:12

“Holy, Holy, Holy is what the angels sing,
And I expect to help them make the courts of heaven ring;
But when I sing redemption’s story, they will fold their wings,
For angels never felt the joys that our salvation brings…”

• Worship Jesus not the angels. Like the angels, we are privileged to worship our savior and king—Jesus! (6)

Revelation 19:9-10 “Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” 10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”

Revelation 22:8-9 “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. 9 But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”