In our previous study, we considered As Paul wrote to the Hebrews,
he's writing to Jewish converts. And if you understand that while
he's writing to these Jews, understand that there's a lot
of things that we carry with us. Old stuff. grave clothes. And he is writing
obviously under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. And he
is teaching these Jewish converts the excellency of the Lord Jesus
Christ. As he wrote, and we studied last
time The apostle had related to these
Jews how much greater is our Lord and Savior than the prophets. I mean, the prophets, the fathers. Paul had said God in times past
spake unto the fathers by the prophets. But he hath in these
last days spoken unto us by his Son. This is the one, Paul said
in verse 2, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also
he made the worlds. The Lord Jesus Christ, Paul said
in verse 3, the brightness of His glory, the express image of His person. He who opposed all things by
the word of His power, when the Apostle says He had by Himself
purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty
on high." Now tonight we want to continue
and look, Lord willing, at verses 4 to 6. As we consider, as the Apostle
continues to relate, he who has obtained a more excellent name,
more excellent than the prophets. We want to consider, as the Apostle
sets forth, starting in verse 4, being made so much better
than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent
name than they. Now, you might ask, why would
the Spirit of God, and I pray this is a a good question. I mean, it's one that just might
enter our minds. What would be the purpose in
setting forth that the Lord Jesus Christ was more excellent than the angels, had obtained
a more excellent name than they? Well, you have to understand
now, remember, These Jews came up under the law. And concerning angels, they,
and rightly so, had respect. The Scripture says in Acts 7.53. Let me just read this to you.
And I'm going to read this now, In the next study or two, I want
to go into more of this. I just want to read this Acts
7.53 concerning the giving of the order, the law. It says,
Acts 7.53, who have received the law by the disposition of
angels and have not kept it. That word
disposition there, it means by the arrangement of, through the
medium of angels. I'm going to look later at, I
think, Galatians 3.19. I'm going to look in Deuteronomy.
In fact, I'll read this in Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 33.2. And he said,
that is Moses said, The Lord came from Sinai and rose up from
Seir unto them and shined forth from Mount Parum and he came
with the thousands of saints, the holy ones, the angels. From
his right hand went a fiery law for them." I'm going to look and show you
from the Scriptures how when the law was given that God was
pleased to use angels in the giving of that law. It was a
very, very amazing study. I have to be honest with you. One of those things I'd never
heard a whole lot about. You know, I looked at that and
got to reading about that. And I don't want to go into it,
but just turn over to Hebrews 2. And listen to this, Hebrews 2.
For if the word spoken by angels, was steadfast and every transgression
and disobedience received a just recompense of reward. How shall
we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first
began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by
them that heard him? And I'll tell you what's in that
study. I really need to get off this,
Carl. But this is what the apostle was saying. If that which was
delivered by angels was steadfast and received recompensive reward
for disobedience? How much more that which was
spoken by the Lord Himself who first began to preach the gospel? Here Paul now back in, and I
pray I haven't digressed or changed to confusion, but he's setting
forth In that fourth verse concerning the excellency of the Lord Jesus
Christ, He was made so much better than the angels to show the dignity and honor
of Him over these created beings. They put great stock. God used
them. But Paul says, oh, this man,
this man, the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ is set forth to
show this, that the angels are subservient to him. This is the
mediator. This is the Christ. This is the
God-man, God manifest in the flesh. As he hath by inheritance, Paul
says, obtained a more excellent name than they, as being God Almighty, the Son,
one with the Father. His inheritance is His by right,
by deity. and can never be said to be given
to Him. Not as God, but being according
to verse 2, the appointed heir of all things. You have to understand
being appointed as the God-Man, the Mediator, the Man, the Son
of Man, the Man, Christ Jesus. In that sense, He has obtained
this dignity before the secret of His incarnation was ever actually
set forth, before He actually was made flesh. He was ever before the Father.
As I said, last Sunday or last Wednesday or sometime. And you stop and realize the
depth of John 3.16. For God so loved the world, the
arrangement. For God so loved the order of
man. Why? That was the order in which
His Son would reveal the Father. No man has seen God at any time.
The only begotten Son has revealed Him, unveiled Him. God loved that order. Can you
imagine? Here, the Lord Jesus Christ,
the One in whom the Father has appointed heir of all things. This is our This is our Husband, the Husband
of the sheep. This is the Savior. This is the Mediator. This is
the Advocate. By Him all things were made. The Father gave Him all things. And here He is, the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and He's created beings, these angels
by which God Almighty set forth the law. He said He is better
than they are. He made them. That name, the
Lord Jesus Christ, it carries with it the dignity that He possesses. The name of angels is created
being. His name is the only begotten, that means birthed, Son of God. That carries dignity that you
and I cannot enter into This is My beloved Son, the only begotten,
the eternal only begotten. Look at verse 5, For unto which
of the angels said He at any time, Thou art My Son? This day
have I begotten Thee. And again, I will be to Him a
Father, and He shall be to Me a Son. Which of the angels did
God ever say that about? None. None. At the baptism of the Lord Jesus
Christ, a voice from heaven that said, This is my beloved Son
whom I am well pleased. This is God. This is my beloved
Son. God. in human flesh. None of the angels heard that. His humanity. This is my beloved
Son, the only begotten of the Father. Brother Scott brought
out something last week that I got thinking about. The only
begotten of the Father Mary is not the mother of God.
You're right. We know that. That's blasphemy. Not error. That's blasphemy.
The only begotten of the Father. The only birthed of the Father. Oh, the Son of Man, He was not
begotten by man. Not birthed by man. that holy thing which shall be
born of thee shall be called the Son of God. To which of the
angels said he, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And again, I will be to him a
father, he shall be to me a son." Now, you know that that's talking
concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. You know that. Now, I want you
to turn to 2 Samuel. 2 Samuel. Now that's a quote from the Old
Testament. And you know that from Hebrews
1, 5, you know it's talking about the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now I want you to listen to these
words. 2 Samuel 7, verse 12, "...and when thy days..." Now
here is God speaking to David through the prophet Nathan. And he's concerning, in the context
right here, he's talking about David, well, not building a temple,
that Solomon would build a temple. But as we've read this scripture,
greater than Solomon's here, this scripture, you know, based
from Hebrews 1, is speaking concerning the Lord Jesus. So listen to
the quote. 2 Samuel 7, 12, And when thy
days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will
set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels,
and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my
name. I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will
be his father. He shall be my son. If he commit
iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with
the stripes of the children of men. But my mercy shall not depart
away from him as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from thee.
And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever
before thee. Thy throne shall be established forever according
to all these words and according to this vision. So did Nathan
speak unto David." Now, you read those words and you say, well,
that's talking about David and Solomon. Not according to Hebrews
1, it wasn't. King David's kingdom is not established
forever. Only the Lord Jesus Christ. So
to which of the angels did God say, You are my Son? You are my capital
S Son. This day have I begotten thee.
In verse 6, and again, When He bringeth in the first begotten
into the world, He saith, and let all the angels of God worship
Him. When He bringeth in the first
in honor and dignity. When He bringeth again, that's
what He says, and again. You may have in your margin there
that word again. It says, "...when he bringeth
again." What is that talking about? Well, knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ is given a name that's better
than the angels, knowing that Paul is establishing to these
Jews great stock has been put in angels. By the angels, the
law of God was given through the medium of. But He who is
the Lord of the angels is who we are talking about here. Whenever Paul says, when He bringeth
in the first begotten into the world, And again, when he bringeth
in the first begotten, when he brings him back into the world,
is what Paul is saying. When the Lord Jesus Christ was
made flesh, it was set forth in the Scriptures
that a virgin was going to conceive. And she would bring forth her
first child. A virgin was going to conceive.
He would be born in Bethlehem. It was all set forth in the Old
Testament. And when that took place, he
came for the first time. And the Scripture says when the
Lord Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, angels acknowledged,
proclaimed the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ in the
flesh. Angels did. Luke 2, 13 and 14 says, And suddenly
there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising
God and saying glory to God in the highest and on earth peace
and goodwill toward men. Angels acknowledged God, God
Almighty. But in Revelation chapter 5,
turn over to Revelation 5. Revelation 5 verse 11 to 14. Revelation 5, 11-14. The Scripture
sets forth that all heaven, and Paul is concluding with this
portion tonight, the excellency of the Lord Jesus Christ over
angels, over the prophets. Revelation 5, 11-14 says that
all of heaven is worshiping the Lamb in His
imminent return. Listen to these words, And I
beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the
throne, and the beasts, and the elders. And the number of them
was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying
with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory
and blessing in every creature which is in heaven and on the
earth and under the earth, and such are in the sea. And all
that are in them heard I saying, Blessing and honor and glory
and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the
Lamb forever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen.
And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshiped him that
liveth forever and ever." The Son of Man. The Lord Jesus
Christ shall come, Matthew 16, 27, in the glory of His Father
and with angels, and then He shall reward every man according
to his works. Paul is setting forth, establishing,
laying the foundation of who we're talking about here tonight.
Thankful that God spoke through the prophets? Yes, we are. Thankful
that God Almighty was pleased through the disposition of angels
to send His law. Yes, we are. That's the way God
did it. But you consider Him who has
obtained a more excellent name than they. The Lord of glory. The Lord Jesus Christ. When He,
that last verse again, says this, let me just give you the literal
of it. He came the first time and angels
did come and they told the shepherds around as they tended their flocks,
by night they said unto you, who is born this day, this night
in the city of David, the Savior, Christ Jesus the Lord. But I'm
telling you, the Scripture sets forth, it says in the literal,
and when He shall bring in again into the habitable earth the
firstborn, let all the angels of God worship Him. Thankful that Almighty God would
send His law by angels? Yes. But consider Him who is
the Lord of all. and in awe. Man treated Him with
disrespect, but when He returns in glory
and majesty and power, at that time, all the earth,
Revelation 5 says, is going to worship Him. Every knee is going
to bow. Every tongue is going to confess
that Jesus Christ His Lord to the glory of God. May Almighty
God add His blessing upon the proclamation of His blessed Word
as it is set forth in His Scriptures for the sake of His Son. Amen. Gary.