Lesson 2
The superiority of Christ
over angels
Hebrews 1.4-9,13,14
Hebrews 2.1-3
BASIC BIBLICAL TEXT
TEXTO BÍBLICO BÁSICO
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.
Philippians 2.9
GOLDEN TEXT
TEXTO ÁUREO
Claim that Jesus is superior to the angels in every way
Define the privileges of Jesus as Lord and creator
Reconize Jesus as king, Messiah and participant in creation.
OBJECTIVES
OBJETIVOS DA LIÇÃO
Since the theme of Hebrews is the superiority of Christ and the salvation He offers over the law given to Moses, the writer speaks at length about angelic beings, stating, however, that Jesus is superior to them all (Heb 1.1- 2.18).
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUÇÃO
It was urgent and necessary for Jewish believers to understand that Jesus is above the angels in every way, for His message and mission have infinitely higher purposes.
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUÇÃO
THE ANGELS IN THE BIBLE
1 - THE ANGELS IN THE BIBLE
Angels are mentioned over 100 times in the Old Testament and over 160 times in the New Testament. We know that they are messengers of God (Mt 1.20; Lk 1.11,13-17,19). Often, their messages bring guidance from the Most High to people (At 10.3-5; Hb 1.14)
1 - THE ANGELS IN THE BIBLE
The nature of angels
Why so much attention to angels?
1.1 – The nature of angels
Even acting in favor of those who will inherit eternal life, angels are limited creatures compared to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah, the creator who is seated at the right hand of the Father (Heb 1.2-4). Furthermore, regarding to their nature, it can be said that they:
1.1 – The nature of angels
• They are immortal, holy (Mt 25.31) and have great power from God (Ps 103.20; 2 Kgs 19.35);
• They have superior intelligence and wisdom (2 Samuel 14:17b)
1.1 – The nature of angels
• They are created spirits; they have no body, but can assume human form when they are ministering on earth;
• They served Jesus on some occasions when He was here on earth (Mt 4.11; Lk 22.43); now they serve the Lord and us.
1.2 Why so much attention to angels?
It would be surprising for the typical Jewish reader to hear that a man had a higher status than the angels because they helped deliver the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai (Deut. 33:2).
1.2 Why so much attention to angels?
Stephen and Paul, centuries later, continued to claim that the Torah was promulgated through angels (Acts 7.53; Gal 3.19), an indication that the covenant people were proud of the fact that thousands of heavenly beings had been designated by the Eternal to the establishment of His Law.
THE SUPERIORITY OF JESUS OVER THE ANGELS
2 - THE SUPERIORITY OF JESUS OVER THE ANGELS
The most excellent designation of Jesus is Son, which expresses not the literal begotten condition, but the divine sense of the term: Christ has the same nature as the Father (Heb. 1:3b).
2 - THE SUPERIORITY OF JESUS OVER THE ANGELS
The firstborn begotten of the Father
The Son by Resurrection
Orton Wiley records: "As an object
before the mirror reveals itself without destroying the original, so, in an infinitely sublime manner, the Son is eternally begotten of the eternal Father, and though distinct - which does not mean separate - the Son never diminished the perfections of the Father. Therefore, the Father can say: 'You are my Son, today I have begotten you (Heb 1.5b)'".
2.1 - The firstborn begotten of the Father
Firstborn (Hebrews 1:6) is the term used, symbolically, by the sacred writer, to indicate not the order of birth, but the main position of the one who has primacy. It is a hierarchical and honorary title attributed to Christ,
2.1 - The firstborn begotten of the Father
since the firstborn receives a special inheritance and blessing (Gen 27.36; Heb 12.16)
Just as Paul said that Christ has a place of honor over all creation (Col 1.17,18), the writer of Hebrews replicates this meaning in his book, placing Christ above the angels (Heb 1.6).
2.2 – The Son by Resurrection
The psalmist lets us know that Jesus is the Son of God from eternity: You are my son; I have begotten you today (Psalm 2:7; Messinic). This reality is evident in His resurrection (Rom. 1:4).
2.2 – The Son by Resurrection
Christ humbled himself and became man (Phil 2:5,6). In the exercise of His earthly ministry, He declared to be the Son of God, reaffirming His divinity (Jo 5.17,18). Before being crucified, Jesus glorified the humanity that the Father had given him and received back the eternal glory that he had hidden (John 17:1,5)
“Athanasius, the fourth century Christian theologian, referring to the eternity of Jesus, said: "The Father would not be Father, if the Son did not exist."
JESUS MAN, FOR A LITTLE WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS
3- JESUS MAN, FOR A LITTLE
WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS
Just as the Scriptures reveal the absolute deity of Jesus, they teach that He is fully human (1 Tim. 2:5). By saying: you made him, for a little while, lower than the angels (Hb 2.7 ARA), the writer uses these words referring not to Jesus but to His humanity.
3- JESUS MAN, FOR A LITTLE
WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS
The Son is to be worshiped by the angels
Jesus is at the right hand of God
Jesus is the creator, Messiah and king
All creation, including the angelic armies that are subject to the command of the Son, the supreme general (1 Pet 3:22), must worship him (Heb 1:6).
3.1 - The Son is to be worshiped by the angels
Christ, the firstborn, was adored by angels when brought into the world (Luke 2:13, 14). The Father ordered the heavenly beings to do so, ratifying the divinity of the begotten Son, for no angel would prostrate himself before a mere creature (Deut 2.43 LXX; Ps 97.7).
3.2 - Jesus is at the right hand of God
The Son is with the Father in heaven, the spiritual realm described from the human perspective as a place that is high above the earth (Ps. 103:11). This is the position of honor given to Christ, and to no one else: And to which of the angels has he ever said, Sit at my right hand (...)? (Heb 1.3)
3.3 - Jesus is the creator, Messiah and king
In the second chapter of the letter to the Hebrews, the writer starts from the exalted position that the Son occupied before the Father in the most remote times of eternity (Heb 2.7-9); passes through incarnation, as the promised Messiah to save the lost (Heb. 2:17);
3.3 - Jesus is the creator, Messiah and king
and extends to his state of exaltation with the Father at the present time.
The Son is called God, as indeed He is (Heb 1:8), besides being also a king, whose scepter (symbol of royal authority) is of righteousness.
When Christ became man, He did not become inferior to the angels, for in His earthly body He accomplished something that angels could never do: He brought us out of darkness into His kingdom of light.
Glory, then, to Him forever!
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSÃO
GOD BLESS YOU!
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