The Glory of Jesus Christ

 Hebrews 1-2

Hebrews 1 . . . Jesus is Better than the Angels by Nature and Inheritance.

  1. Rather than a message by prophets, we have the gospel from the Son of God (1-2).
  2. What a descriptive statement of the Lord Jesus Christ (3)! Give glory to our Lord!
  3. The words “by himself” are deleted from all modern Bible versions (3).
  4. This “made so much better” was at His ascension (4; Acts 2:36; Is 53:12; Phil 2:9).
  5. He is God’s glorious begotten Son by His resurrection (5; Acts 13:33; Ro 1:4; Rev 1:5).
  6. What is an angel for human comprehension – a spirit with the appearance of fire (7)!
  7. He is God, by prophecy and quotation of Psalm 45:6-7, which is not God’s throne (8).
  8. He is the eternal Creator God to govern and outlast His creation (10; Psalm 102:25-27).
  9. He is the Lord of David, as Jesus taught the Pharisees (13; Ps 110:1; Matt 22:41-46).
  10. Angels are only servants of the elect: they are very inferior to the Son of God (14).

Hebrews 2 . . . Jesus is Better than the Angels by Redemption and His Priesthood.

  1. Since Jesus is greater than angels, we should give more attention to the gospel (1).
  2. If breaking Moses’ law brought judgment, how much more the gospel (2-4)!
  3. The angels are not in charge of the world to come, but the Lord Jesus surely is (5)!
  4. Does Psalm 8 apply to mankind in general or to One Man Only (6-8)?
  5. “But we see Jesus” . . . is the fulfillment of Psalm 8, for He is crowned now (9).
  6. The “every man” is every man of His sons (10), the saints (11), His brethren (11-14).
  7. In the infinite wisdom of God the suffering of Christ further became Him (10).
  8. Jesus Christ took on our very nature in order to redeem us from sin (11).
  9. Jesus participated in a congregation of saints here on earth (12; Matt 26:30)).
  10. Jesus trusted in the Lord, just as did His brethren (13; Psalm 22:9).
  11. Jesus will own and present all these children and brethren to God (13; Is 8:18).
  12. Since we were under the curse of death, He took on Himself our nature (14).
  13. This nature required the invisible, eternal, Spirit God to take flesh and blood (14).
  14. The devil only had the power of death by seducing our parents into sin (14).
  15. The fear of death – funerals and cemeteries – has been destroyed by Jesus (15).
  16. Angels are only our servants, and He took our nature rather than theirs (16).
  17. Not only was He made like us for the same nature and unity of kind (17).
  18. But He was made like us to be a merciful and faithful high priest (17).
  19. He made reconciliation to God for the sins of the people (17).
  20. And He is able to help us in all our temptations, for He was also tempted (18).