THE SUPERIOR PERSON OF CHRIST
Hebrews 1:1-2:4

The writer of Hebrews called his work a "word of exhortation" ( 13:22 ). It reads like a sermon. A truth is stated, explained, and then applied. We are exhorted (encouraged) to do something because of the truth that has been presented. Every point the author makes centers upon the person, position, or performance of Christ. Our salvation rests upon who Christ is, where He is, and what He has done. The problem is not that we are ignorant of these truths, but that we ignore them. We simply do not live as if they are true. As the author writes in 2:1, we let them slip. Consequently, many believers never experience the full reality of God’s "so great salvation." In sinful neglect, they settle for something less. In this section, Paul demonstrates the superiority of Christ over the angels. Angels are identified with the work of God. They are superior beings with great power. Throughout history, people have looked to angels for guidance, power, and healing. At times, angels were elevated in worship to the same level as God. The Jews were no different. Because angels had a prominent role in the Old Testament works of God, they were highly revered. Even the Apostle John once fell down in worship before one of God’s messengers (Revelation 19:10 ). As the author points out, men listened when an angel spoke and, like Lot ’s wife, suffered when they did not obey. How much more important must it be to hear and heed the Living Word of God? In this opening argument, the writer demonstrates the superiority of Christ over the angels in three ways.

I.          CHRIST HAS A MORE EXCELLENT NAME – "Son" (VV. 1-5)

A.        He Is The Eternal Son Of God By Inheritance (vv. 2-4)

·        He is appointed heir of all things.

As the Son of God, He is the rightful heir to all that the Father possesses. This shows that Jesus enjoys a unique and superior relationship with the Father.

·        He was the agent of creation.

John 1:3 – "All things were made by Him, and without Him was not any thing made…”

Colossians 1:16 –"For by Him were all things created … visible and invisible…."

·        He is the brightness of God’s glory.

Because He is God, Jesus possesses and exhibits all the glorious attributes of deity. As sunshine is the visible display of the energy of the sun, so Jesus forever radiates the glory of the Father.

·        He is the express image of God’s person.

The words "express image" mean an exact reproduction. Concerning his deity, Jesus was in every respect exactly like His Father. He was not a cheap imitation of God, but a perfect expression of the person of God because He was God.

·        He upholds all things by the word of His power.

Uphold as used here means "to bring forward." It means that a person has the power to keep something moving in the direction it should go. With executive authority, Christ gives the commands that keep all of creation moving towards its divinely appointed destiny.

·        Alone, He died to cleanse us from sins.

He did that which neither fallen man or mighty angel could accomplish.

Included in this list of divine glories is the fact that Jesus died for our sins – God himself became our Redeemer.

·        He is seated at the right hand of God.

This shows that the divine person of Christ was not tarnished by the act of taking our sins upon Himself. And having purged us of our sins, He resumed His rightful place – enthroned in Heaven at the Father’s right hand.

B.         He Is The Human Son Of God By Incarnation. (v. 5)

·        Angels are called "sons" of God by creation.

·        Jesus is the Son of God by incarnation.

Only He was "begotten" of the Father. Supernaturally conceived in a virgin womb, Jesus was both God and man, the incarnate "Son" of God.

II.         CHRIST OCCUPIES A MORE EXALTED POSITION (VV. 6-14)

A.        He Was Worshipped By The Angels

·        Angels are privileged beings, but they are never to be worshipped.

They carried God’s messages. They fought God’s battles. They performed God’s works.

But they are only created spirits serving as God’s ministers.

·        Because He is the divine Son of God, the Angels are commanded to worship Christ.

Although Christ was God "in the flesh," his deity was in no way compromised. To signify this, the angels were commanded to worship Christ when he was brought into the world. When He was born the son of Mary, with all the limitations of a human body, Jesus was Emmanuel – God with us.

B.         He Is Enthroned In Heaven

Jesus Christ is seated at God’s right hand because:

·        He is Sovereign God – occupying the throne of heaven. (v. 8) (Comp. to Mt. 28:18)

·        He is Omnipotent God – the Creator of all that is. (v. 10)

·        He is Eternal God – ageless and unchanging. (vv. 11-12)

No angel, not even Gabriel and Michael, has ever been, or ever will be, invited to sit on God’s throne to rule over God’s creation. The writer would have us understand that the One who came bearing God’s final word to man was Himself the very God of heaven. He wasn’t just another messenger, but God speaking to man as a man. For this reason, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

III.       CHRIST DELIVERED A MORE EXACTING WORD – 2:1-4

A.        Our Duty – we OUGHT to give the more earnest heed…

This is written in the imperative tense. The verb is EMPHATIC.

Since Jesus Christ is God, it would be foolish to ignore or disregard His message. The word spoken by prophets and angels was trustworthy; how much more that delivered by God Himself in the person of Christ?

·        For God’s Word to be effective, it must be believed and obeyed. "earnest heed"

·        The word earnest tells us that we must not adopt a casual, haphazard, "take-it-or-leave-it" attitude towards the person, work, or word of Christ.

·        The word heed tells us that it is not enough to HEAR the truth about Christ, but we must APPROPRIATE it into our lives.

B.         Our Danger – lest at any time we should let them slip…

·        Slip was a word used of a ship that would slip its anchor and begin to drift.

The writer is talking to believers about the consequences of not keeping their lives firmly anchored in Christ. We are continually exposed to currents of tradition, winds of culture, and tuggings of false philosophies. If we are not careful, they will cause us to look to something other than Christ to satisfy our lives or make our spiritual experience complete. Every provision of Christ that a believer ignores exposes him to the destructive forces of our world like a ship adrift upon the ocean without rudder or sail.

·        It is perilous to adopt a careless attitude towards any part of God’s message. (vv. 2-4)

When God sent His word by angels, those who didn’t obey it suffered the consequences. (For example – Lot ’s wife) How shall we escape the consequences if we ignore the truth as it is revealed in the Son of God?

Conclusion:       There is more to salvation than simply missing hell. God’s "so great salvation" includes peace, joy, rest, and victory. All of these are available to the Christian and should be the normal Christian experience. But, like those to whom this letter was written, many Christians allow tradition, ignorance, disobedience, or unbelief to keep them from enjoying all that God provided for them in Christ.