Hebrews 1:4-14 "The Son Is Superior To The Angels"

In Luke 2 we find some of the events that surrounded the birth of the baby Jesus. In the midst of the darkness we are told that the angel of the Lord appeared to some shepherds and the glory of the Lord shown around them. In that moment, the shepherds were filled with great fear.

Then the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And it will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” (10-12) Then suddenly there was a multitude of angels praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.” (14)

After the angels had gone back up into heaven the shepherds said, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

There are three things about this text that I would like to bring out. First, we see that the angel was a messenger of the Lord and he did not come in his own authority and with his own message. He was sent by God and appeared with the glory of the Lord. The angel did not come alone and in secret either. When the message was delivered a great multitude of angels also appeared and praised God.

Secondly, notice that not only was the messenger clear about whose message he was giving, but he was also clear about the message that He was sent with. This message that was to be a source of joy for all people. It was a message about the birth of a child in the city of David who was a Savior. He was clear that this baby was the Christ and He was the Lord.

Thirdly, notice the contrast. Luke describes the picture of a dark night being invaded by the glory of God and a multitude of angels as this announcement was given. In contrast, when the Shepherds go see the baby they did not find the glory of God shining with angels surrounding Him. The Son of God, the second person in the Trinity, had so condescended to save mankind that He had become a child who was wrapped in swaddling clothes and was found lying in a manger.

We are told that everyone who heard these things reacted in several ways. Some marveled (18). The shepherds returned to their flocks praising God (19). But we are told that Mary did something unique, ‘she treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (19).

We have seen many people marvel when they first hear the Good News. We see many people praise God when they hear the gospel. But it is those who treasure up these things and ponder them in their heart who are able to continue to praise God over time. There will come a time when these facts about Jesus can become confusing, distorted, and even neglected and that appears to be what has happened to these believers. They no longer treasured these things in their heart as they once did, and in its place they began to emphasize other things like: the Law, Temple worship, the Levitical Priesthood, and even angels.

To correct this problem the author of Hebrews puts forward a clear teaching concerning the Son of God Hebrews 1:1-3which we looked at last week.

• God has now spoken through His Son

• Jesus is the revelation of God

• Jesus is the fulfillment of the revelation of the Old Testament

• Jesus is the heir of all things

• Through Jesus God created the world

• Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God

• Jesus is the exact imprint of His nature

• Jesus upholds the universe by the Word of His power

• Jesus provides purification for our sins

• Jesus is sitting down at the right hand of the Majesty on high

After this, in Hebrews 1:4, the author draws a conclusion about Jesus saying that He has“become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” This may not seem like such a radical conclusion to our ears, but it appears to have been very a much needed message for these Christians. The topic of angels will continue throughout this context until the end of chapter two; so apparently this was a real issue for this church (1:4,5,6,7, 13; 2:2,5,7,9,16).

There is a Statement of Faith that I have been memorizing lately that speaks about the importance of so many of the truths that our passage today. It says,

We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace; through the Mediatorial offices of the Son of God; who by the appointment of the Father freely took upon Himself our nature, yet without sin; honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death He made a full atonement for our sins; that having risen from the dead, he is now enthroned in heaven; and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfections, He is every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Savior.

Having said that Jesus is superior to the angels the author of Hebrews then usesthe rest of this chapter to give an expositional teaching from seven Old Testament passages to make his case. It says,

For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? (Psalm 2:7)

Or again, (to which of the angels did God ever say)

“I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?(2 Samuel 7:14)

And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,

“Let all God's angels worship him.” (Deuteronomy 32:43)

Of the angels he says,

“He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.”(Psalm 104:4)

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.”(Psalm 45:6-7)

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.”(Psalm 102:25-27)

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”? (Psalm 110:1)

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Notice two things about the overall context. First, that the author of Hebrews uses these Old Testament passages to show what God has said concerning these things. We are told five times in this passage that God has spoken by using the law, the prophets and the psalms (Hebrews 1:1)

For the most part in this letter we will see that the author refers to God speaking in the present tense. Dr. Hywel Jones explains the meaning of this by saying, “The one who spoke it, so that it could be recorded, is the one who speaks in it and by it...The Old Testament is vibrant speech and not just verbal record. ‘The Word of God is living (4:12)”.1

Secondly, notice that in our text the author begins by asking a two questions and he ends our passage by asking two more questions. He begins by asking, “For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’?” He also asks, “To which of the angels did God ever say, ‘I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son’?” The author knows that the recipients know the Scriptures and that they realize that God has never said these things to angels.

He ends with two more questions. He asks in verses 13-14, “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?” Again, the obvious answer is these questions is that God never said this to angels, but only to His Son.

This author asks these questions to confront the readers with the truth about the Scriptural teaching concerning the Son. He asks these questions to bring the readers to a moment of decision. We read, “We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it...how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”(2:1-3a)

We live in a time when many people do not have a high view of the Scriptures. Because of this people tend to ask a lot of questions but rarely do their questions lead them to a biblical answer. Those who have a low view of the Scriptures often go from one question to another without believing the answers that it gives.

The author begins to make his case by saying in Hebrews 1:5, “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’?” In these scriptures we see that Jesus is superior to the angels because the Father has testified that He is His Son and the Father is enthroning His Son as King. God has never said these things of an angel.

In Hebrews 1:6 we read, “And again, when He brings the firstborn into the world, He says, ‘Let all God's angels worship Him.’” Jesus is superior to the angels and He is worthy of their worship. We see this throughout scripture but let’s consider Revelation 5:11-12, “Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

In Hebrews 1:7-9 we read, “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.”

Raymond Brown says, “The title ‘Son’ is not a mere name in honor of His work on earth; it defines a relationship which is of eternal quality. It is forever and ever.”2This means that Jesus is greater than the angels by nature. The angels obey Him as His created servants. But the Son is not created but eternal with the Father from the beginning. If fact, we see that here the Father refers to the Son as God when He says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever…”. The Scriptures are clear, Jesus is the eternal Son of God.

We also see in this passage two different words used in verses 8 and 9 for ‘righteousness’.

• In verse 8 speaks of the fact that the Son stayed upon the upright path. He walked the narrow path.

• In verse 9 we see that the Son loved God’s law and He conformed to the righteous standard in the Law. Jesus was tempted in all ways we are yet without sin because of the uprightness of His nature and His love of righteousness (4:15).

Man fell from his holy and happy state by sin. Some angels sinned and fell from their positions of authority. But the Son never sinned. He hated wickedness and loved righteousness. Therefore the Father has anointed Him and exalted Him above all other things (2:8-9).

In Hebrews 1:10-12 we read, “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.”

Jesus is superior to the angels as the eternal creator of all things. Christ is immutable but His creation will change. The creation will pass away but His kingdom will never end.

In Hebrews 1:13 we read, “And to which of the angels has he ever said, ‘Sit at my right handuntil I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’? Remember what the statement of faith said that I quoted earlier, “...having risen from the dead, Jesus is now enthroned in heaven; and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfections, He is every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Savior.”

It is not an angel who sits on the throne, but it is Jesus Christ the LORD. It is the Son of God who is enthroned in heaven. When he came in His incarnation He united in His person the tenderest sympathies with His divine perfections and is a compassionate and all-sufficient Savior.

Finally, in Hebrews 1:14 we read, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”

From His throne Jesus sends out angels to minister to those who are to inherit salvation. Angels are His servants and they do His will. He is a sympathetic High Priest and a compassionate Savior. While He is waiting to return for His church He is caring for her with the help of His angels who serve Him.

Hebrews 1:14 has often captured my attention. Specifically the words, ‘...those who are to inherit salvation’. A Christian does not earn their salvation by any type of works; rather, they inherit it because they have been adopted by the grace of God.

Thomas Manton once wrote of some of the practical implications of this. He says, “A servant must have something in hand, he must have his pay from quarter to quarter, or from week to week. He is not expecting to receive his master’s possessions, and, therefore, seeks a present wage; but an heir waits till the estate falls into him, and looks not for present gains.”

Charles Spurgeon speaks of this and says, “Blessed shall we be if we are enabled to imitate the example of the LORD Jesus, who served the Father in the spirit of Sonship. Love made Him rise above all idea of present recompense: He waited for the Father’s time, and He still waits for His complete reward till the hour of His Second Advent shall arrive.”3

Jesus, the heir of all things, patiently endured suffering while He lived among us. He resisted temptation because He knew He was the Son of God. The devil came and tried to tempt Him by saying, “If you are the Son of God…” (Mt. 4:6); but he resisted, endured and patiently obeyed His Father. He chose to walk the righteous path and the path of suffering as a Son and did not try to bypass hardship but continued to entrust Himself to the Father (Heb. 2:10-11). During such times angels would be sent to minister to Him.

Now Jesus is patiently waiting for the Father to make His enemies His footstool. During this time, a believer may have to endure trials, hardships, and sufferings, but our text reminds us that as children of God we have a great inheritance. Jesus is merciful and gracious to us even while we endure difficult times here and unbeknownst to us He often sends out His angels to minister to us and to fight spiritual battles around us.

Dr. David Thompson speaks of some of the scriptures that speak of what angels can do for us. He says, “You can be comforted by knowing that your Savior is a Sovereign God and He assigns angels to do various things in regard to you. They can protect you (Psalm 91:11), guide you (Genesis 19:17), encourage you (Jude 6:12), deliver you (Acts 12:7), supply your needs (Psalm 105:40), enlighten you (Matthew 2:19-20), and empower you (Luke 22:43).”4

Let me leave you with three ways respond to this passage. First, like Mary we need to treasure what God has said about His Son in our hearts. Jesus is the source of great joy and peace to all who have come to know Him. He is worthy of our worship in every season of life.

Secondly, we have been reminded that it is through Jesus we have an inheritance that we will one day fully receive and while we eagerly await that Day, Jesus provides angels to minister to us (Hebrews 13:2). We can look to Him and have great joy in the present and as we look forward to the future.

Thirdly, we are reminded that no one should ignore Jesus and the great salvation that He offers. If we find ourselves neglecting Christ we will fill that void with many other things. None of those things can give us salvation, peace and joy. Some in here may need to look to Christ and the salvation that He offers and surrender to Him. Some of us in here may need to recognize that we are drifting from Him. God’s grace is the answer in each case.

1Let’s Study Hebrews, Hywel Jones, p. 10.

2The Message of Hebrews, IVP, Raymond Brown, p.40

3Charles Spurgeon, Flowers From A Puritan’s Garden, 228

4Dr. David Thompson, Exposition of Hebrews.