HEBREWS – PART ONE – LESSON 5

“What Does It Mean to You That Jesus is Better Than the Angels?”

Kay Arthur, Teacher

Last week we looked at eight truths about the Son, and we only covered the first 3 verses of Hebrews 1. This week we are going to look at seven Scriptures that the author of Hebrews uses to show us that Jesus is better than the angels. You say, “O.K. Jesus is better than the angels, but what does that mean to me?” That is what we are going to see, because it is all going to have practical implication and import. I want to review the eight truths that we saw about the Son, and I want to list them one by one.

The first truth that we saw about the Son was that God had spoken through the Son. The emphasis there was on the fact that no longer was God speaking through prophets, but He was speaking through His very own Son. The second thing we saw was that He had been made heir of all things. As we saw this, we saw practical application. If you didn’t listen to that tape, you need to get it, because God really ministered. The third thing we saw was that through Him (the Son) God created the world. We saw the fourth thing, that Jesus is the radiance of His glory. The fifth thing is that that He is the exact representation of God’s nature. So Jesus could honestly say, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” The sixth thing is that He upholds all things through the word of His power. In other words, what He begins and what He designs in creation by speaking and bringing creation into existence, He is going to bring to total fulfillment. Nothing is going to hinder Him. The seventh thing we saw was that He made purification for our sins. He did this by Himself, and the beauty of this is the fact that you and I never have to worry about cleansing ourselves from our sins, because it is already done. Everything that is necessary for you to have redemption from your sins, to have you set free from sins, has already been done by Jesus Christ when He made purification for sins. The last thing that we saw (but didn’t look at in depth) was this: He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. That is a very significant phrase, and you see it used a lot throughout the book of Hebrews. We are going to pick it up as we go along.

The reason that Jesus Christ sat down was because He had finished the work that God had given Him to do. That work was your (and my) eternal redemption. He was able then to sit down. It was finished! When He hung on a cross, He cried out, “Tetelestai!” It is finished; paid in full. The debt has been paid in full. So He sat down, having obtained the purification of our sins, His earthly work was over. In Hebrews we see a whole other aspect of Jesus Christ’s ministry, and that is His present and current ministry on behalf of us, that of high priest where He ever lives to make intercession for us. Hebrews is so beautifully practical.

In Hebrews we see the threefold messianic office of Jesus Christ. We see how Christ fulfilled his threefold messianic office. In v. 1, we see how He fulfills the role of prophet, because God has spoken through Him. God has spoken in His Son. We see, not only how He fulfills His role as prophet, but also the office of priest. We see that in Hebrews 1:3, where He has made purification for our sins. Then we see him fulfilling the third messianic office, and that is of king. He is prophet; He is priest; and He is king. We see Him as king, because He has sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high. So in these first three verses, he shows us the totality of Christ’s ministry.

Now we want to look at the seven Scriptures that the author of Hebrews uses to show us that Jesus is better than the angels. We are going to see that the culmination of all this is that God has spoken in His Son. He is better than the angels; therefore (in 2:1), “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. (2) For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, (3) how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” [He is saying, “If God spoke through angels, if He mediated through angels in the Old Testament, in the days of the prophets, and those transgressions against what the angels brought forth brought a just judgment, how much more important it is that we listen, and adhere to, and hang on to what the Son has said, because if God judged the transgression of the word of angels, then what is He going to do if we neglect the salvation that was spoken of by His Son. All of that is going to have import; it is not going to be finished in today’s lesson, but next week’s lesson is going to be so enlightening, and you don’t want to miss it.

Let’s look at the seven Old Testament references that prove that Jesus Christ is better than the angels. I want to read Hebrews 1:3-4 to you. “And He is the radiance of His glory (speaking of Jesus), and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; (4) having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.” [Now let’s look at this “better than.” I want to take a few minutes and run every use of “better than” in the book of Hebrews so that you can see it.]

The next use of “better than” is in Hebrews 6:9. As he moves through the book of Hebrews he is going to show these Jewish believers that the things that they worshipped under the old covenant, under the Old Testament, have been exceeded by something or someone that is “better than” the old covenant and all that went with it. In Hebrews 6:9, it says, “”But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.” [He is speaking about better things that have come our way that belong to salvation—a salvation that is “better than”.]

Then in Hebrews 7:7, it says, “But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater (or by the better).” [He is going to show you that here is one that is better.] (19) “(for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.” [And that better hope is all that comes in the new covenant, in the salvation that is brought by Jesus Christ. So you and I have a better hope.] (22) “so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.” [That better covenant is the new covenant, and the New Testament is a covenant of grace. The old covenant is a covenant of Law. So it is a better covenant.]

Now look at 8:6. It is talking about Jesus. (6) “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.” [So here are better promises, a better hope, a better covenant.] Hebrews 9:23, “Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices that these.” [He is talking about the Old Testament tabernacle, the Old Testament temple that was cleansed with the blood of bulls and goats. Now there is a better cleansing in the heavens, where the real throne of God, the real temple of God is, and it is cleansed by something better, and that is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 10:34. “You showed sympathy to the prisoners, and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one.” [In other words, everything that you and I possess down here on earth is nothing compared to the eternal possessions we have in heaven as the heirs of God and joint heirs of Jesus Christ.] Then in Hebrews 11:39, there is another use of the word “better”. It is talking about Old Testament saints. (39) “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, (40) because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” [In other words, if you stopped with the Old Testament with all that the Old Testament revealed about salvation, it was incomplete. It was not made perfect. It had not been brought to fruition, because it could only be brought into fruition through the Son. So you and I have something better. We are living on the new covenant side of salvation.]

Hebrews 12:24, and this is the final reference to something “better”. (24) “And to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.” [Here is a blood, Jesus’ blood, that speaks better than the blood of Abel. You say, “What does that mean?” Well, you are going to find out as you do Hebrews, Part Two, so I don’t want to spoil you on that.]

Let’s go back to Hebrews 1, and look at the Old Testament references that show us that Jesus is better than the angels, and see what if means to us. The first thing that I want you to see is that he quotes, in v. 5, Psalm 2:7. (5) “For to which of the angels did He ever say, ‘Thou Art My Son, today I have begotten Thee’?” [He has just said that Jesus is better than angels, because #1. He has a more excellent name. That more excellent name is not a proper name, as you and I would think of a proper name, Mr. This, or Mr. That. It is the name, “Son”. This is unique name that belongs only to the Son of God. You say, “But I am called a son of God.” Yes, and we are going to see why in just a minute. Psalm 2 is a messianic psalm that is used as a coronation psalm when people would take the throne. They would go from Psalm 2:7-9. (7) “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord; He said to Me, ‘Thou art My son, today I have begotten Thee. (8) Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Thy possession. (9) Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, Thou shalt shatter them like earthenware.’” [They would take this, particularly vv. 8-9, and use it as a coronation psalm, to say to the king as he was enthroned upon his throne that all of his enemies would be under his control, that the nations would be given to Him as a possession.]

As the Jews used this psalm, even the Old Testament Jews, they believed that this was a psalm that pointed to messiah, and this psalm was going to be fulfilled through the line of David, because it was David that had been promised one that would sit on the throne forever. So, as you see this turn now, in Psalm 2:7, “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘Thou art My son,”, you will pick up the word “Son” all the way through the Scriptures in reference to Jesus. Let’s follow it.

Go to Luke 1:32. “Thou art My Son.” There is only one that God has ever spoken to and said those words. “Thou art My Son, today have I begotten Thee.” We see this as the angel appears to Mary and to Joseph, and makes this pronouncement of a son. (32) “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;” [So here is a Son; He is going to have a throne, and that throne is going to bring all of His enemies under subjection to Him.]

Go to Mark 1:11, where we see Jesus being baptized. We saw him being called the Son at the prophecy of His birth, and now in Mark 1:11 we see Him being called the Son at His baptism. (9) “And it came about in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. (10) And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; (11) and a voice came out of the heavens. ‘Thou art My beloved Son, in Thee I am well-pleased.’”

Go Luke 9:35. This is on the Mount of Transfiguration, when Jesus goes up on the Mount and He is transfigured before their eyes, and they see Him in His glory. As they see Him in His glory, (35) “And a voice came out of the cloud saying, ‘This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!’” [This is My Son; listen to Him. I am speaking to you through Him (the same that Hebrews says.]

Now turn to Romans 1:4. This is where it gets good, and it is going to get so significant to you. You hang on while we run these references, because it is going to get so significant to you and so powerful, and I just want to tell you so badly right now, but I can’t tell you because I would spoil the joy of discovery that you are going to have in Hebrews, Chapter 2. But I can tell you honestly, that as I sat and wrote this course, I was going through Hebrews, Chapter 2, I thought, “God, how rich, how rich this is, and if we could ever get a hold on this truth and what it means, that Jesus is Your Son, not only the Son of God, but the Son of Man, and understand what it means to me that He is the Son of Man, what it would do for me as I walk through life. I tell you that just the implications of all this have tremendous, unbelievable, eternal ramifications for you and me, and this is why we have got to see that He is better than the angels. He has a far more excellent name, and that name is “Son.” You are going to see a little bit of it in just a minute, but let me show you Romans 1:4. When I taught Romans this summer, I nearly got raptured. And in Romans 1:3, “Concerning His Son, who was born of a seed of David according to the flesh,” [Since He was born of the seed of David, He has a right to sit on the throne. He has a right to fulfill this messianic psalm.] (4) “who was declared with power … to be the Son of God.” [Now, how was He declared with power to be the Son of God?] “by the resurrection from the dead, according to the spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,” [You see, the thing that ultimately declared Him to be what He is—and that is the Son of God, is the resurrection from the dead. So when he talks about Jesus as the Son, “Thou art My Son, today have I begotten Thee;” from the time of the announcement of His birth, “He shall be called the Son of the Most High.” “He shall sit at the throne of David.” At the baptism, God couldn’t keep His mouth shut. “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” At the transfiguration, God couldn’t keep His mouth shut. “This is My beloved Son; listen to Him.” And at the resurrection from the dead, it was cap-stoned, “This is My Son, declared with power to be so, because He has been resurrected from the dead by the Spirit of holiness.”