[0:00] Welcome to our service this morning, particularly if you're visiting with us. I believe there are some visitors from kind of a visitor. Myself, I was brought up in these parts but not been here for a while, so it's lovely to be back with you.
[0:12] So please, if you're able, there is tea afterwards through in the hall, so if you're able to stay for a cup of tea, it would be nice to meet those who are visiting and also to meet old friends as well.
[0:23] You'll have got a bulletin on the way in with the information for the next few weeks. I just commend that to you. There's no Sunday school today due to the school holidays and the preachers for the next few weeks are on there as well.
[0:36] So I just commend it to you, have a read of that for yourselves. We're going to worship God, we're going to sing to His praise from Psalm 122. Psalm 122. If you're using the blue psalm books, you'll find that on page 416.
[0:55] Scottish Psalter version of Psalm 122. We're going to sing the whole of this psalm. It's a psalm that speaks of our joy in gathering together for worship. I joyed when to the house of God.
[1:07] Go up, they said to me, Jerusalem, within thy gates, our feet shall standing be. Psalm 122. On page 416. We're going to sing the whole of this psalm to God's praise.
[1:18] Psalm 122. The joyed when to the house of God. Go up, they said to me, Jerusalem, within thy gates.
[1:30] chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing of life we built together.
[2:07] How to not bless the tribes go up and tribes of God go there.
[2:24] To Israel's testimony there, to God's gift plans to pay.
[2:41] Our thrones of God's death in the thrones of David's thirsting.
[2:57] Pray the journey to Southern New York, peace and felicity.
[3:13] When the blood of me and I be out to prosperity.
[3:27] Therefore I wish that peace may still within thy walls remain.
[3:45] And yet, by the policies of prosperity retain, God, for my friends of heaven's day, peace be in thee, I'll stay.
[4:18] And for God's love, O Lord our Lord, as he died in the way.
[4:38] Let us call in God's name in the prayer. Let's stand in the prayer. Lord our Heavenly Father, we love these words that we've been singing that express that desire for the good of your people, for their peace and prosperity.
[4:56] The psalmist was rejoicing that he was able to be with your people in the place where God was to be worshipped. And that is where we find ourselves this morning. And we pray, Lord, that you would meet with us here.
[5:08] We ask that we too would rejoice that we were in the place where God the Lord is praised and worshipped. For you, Lord, are worthy of all our praise.
[5:20] You're the God who made us. You're the God who upholds us. That you're the God who continues to give us life. And you're the God who sent your Son to save us in order that we might have life more abundant, life to the full.
[5:34] So fill us with joy today. The blessings that are ourish. And give us thankful hearts for the good things that we enjoy. We know that we will have many trials and troubles and difficulties.
[5:48] Many cares and concerns that weigh us down. Enable us to bring all of these to you. To ask that you would give us grace to help us in our time of need.
[6:00] That we pray, Lord, that these difficulties would never take our minds away from all the good things that you have given us, that you do for us, and that you have promised to yet do for us also.
[6:14] For eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and the heart of man has not imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. So bless us today, Lord. We thank you for every individual that is here, those who belong to the congregation, those who may be on holiday and are visiting.
[6:29] Lord, in your eternal plan you meant us to be here today to meet with you. So we ask, Lord, that we would recognise your presence among us, that you would still our hearts, that we would be enabled to be still and know that you are God, that we would hear God speak to us today, and that we would recognise, Lord, that this is the Lord who speaks through his word.
[6:52] So bless us, be with us, cleanse us from all our sins. We ask all of this in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen. Okay, it's lovely to see children with us this morning.
[7:05] It's good to see you. I thought there might not be many things, it was holidays. So I brought in today, I brought in a mirror, okay, just to check if my tie was straight and my shirt is ironed and I've still got a little bit of hair, a little bit more than others in my family, who you might know better than me.
[7:23] But the mirror shows us what we're like, children, doesn't it? That's why you look in a mirror, just to see what you're like. And if I looked in the mirror and I saw that there's a big chocolate splodge on my shirt before I left this morning, it would have been a bit silly, wouldn't I, to just come to church anyway without dealing with that splodge of chocolate?
[7:43] That would just be daft, wouldn't it? But you know, the Bible is like a mirror as well. Not when you look at the outside, but when you read the inside of the Bible, it shows us what we're like.
[7:54] It tells us what we're like. It points out the flaws, the things that are wrong in our lives, the sin, things we need to fix. And just as it would be daft if I saw some chocolate on my shirt and didn't do anything about it, it's a bit silly if you read the Bible and it shows you that there's things wrong in your life and you don't do anything about it.
[8:15] There are lots of people who are like that. They come to church, the Bible speaks to them, they find out that they're sinners and that needs to be fixed. But then they can go away and forget that.
[8:27] I'll be daft. Just as daft as me standing here with a splodge of chocolate on my shirt. That would distract you for the whole sermon. It's even dafter when you read the Bible.
[8:39] It shows you what you're like and don't do anything about it. So always obey the Bible. Do what it tells you. If it shows up something in your life that's wrong then you need to fix that.
[8:52] Don't be like the person who looks in a mirror or forgets what they look like. That's just plain silly. Thank you for listening. So we're going to sing again.
[9:03] Now this time we're singing from Psalm 2. Psalm 2. A Scottish song to our version. It's on page 200 if you've got the blue books. Psalm 2.
[9:13] Thank you. Psalm 2. And we're going to sing from verse 7 to the end of the psalm. This is what you would call a messianic psalm because although it's written a long time before Jesus came into the world it's speaking about him as the son, the son of God.
[9:36] And it'll be quoted in the passage that we're going to be studying today. So that's why we're singing it. Psalm 2 at verse 7. The sure decree I will declare. The Lord has said to me, Thou art mine only son.
[9:48] This day I have begotten thee. We're singing from verse 7 to the end of the psalm to God's praise. The sure decree I will declare.
[10:02] Where the Lord has said to me, Thou art mine only sonless day, I have begotten thee.
[10:24] Ask off me up hoornherent they shall be thought my mind, I have thought hoornherent chewing thy baby, Where rivers of old time But shout out when thou may be wrong Of high, low, great and low High, low, great and low And God can be blessed all
[11:27] Now therefore, King, he wise be taught Ye judges of the air Circle in me and see the King Dying and bring with her own Cause you thou shalt as in his eyes Becadish from the way When one who's not taken to burn Restore that on him stay
[12:30] We're going to read God's word now We're going to read from the New Testament And from the epistle to the Hebrews And chapter 1 Hebrews chapter 1 We're going to read the whole of this chapter this morning And the focus, our focus is on What most of this chapter covers Certainly from verse 4 onwards It is telling us that Jesus is greater than the angels So that will be our topic for this morning Jesus is greater than the angels So let's hear God's word Hebrews chapter 1, reading from the beginning God, who at sundry times and in divers manners Spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son Whom he hath appointed heir of all things
[13:31] By whom also he made the worlds Who being the brightness of his glory And the express image of his person And upholding all things by the word of his power When he had by himself purged our sins Sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high Being made so much better than the angels As he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they 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 And again when he bringeth in the firstborn into the world He saith And let all the angels of God worship him And of the angels he saith Who maketh his angels spirits And his ministers a flame of fire But unto the Son he saith
[14:32] Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever A scepter of righteousness Is the scepter of thy kingdom Thou hast loved righteousness And hated iniquity Therefore God, even thy God Hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness Above thy fellows And thou, Lord, in the beginning Hast laid the foundation of the earth And the heavens are the works of thine hands They shall perish But thou remainest They all shall wax old as doth a garment And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up And they shall be changed But thou art the same And thy years shall not fail But to which of the angels Said he at any time Sit on my right hand Till I make thine enemies Thy footstools Are they not all ministering spirits Sent forth to minister for them Who shall be heirs of salvation?
[15:32] Amen This is the word of the Lord And we trust and we pray that He will follow it with his own blessing Let's bow our heads once more In a word of prayer Let's pray Lord, we want to thank you For your word That guides us That directs us That teaches us That rebukes us It is suitable for every need that we have, Lord And you know our needs today And we pray that you would speak to us Through the Bible We thank you for the angels That we've just been reading of Who are sent to serve your people And little do we realise Maybe How involved they might be In our lives Guarding And keeping us But as the passage Emphasises so clearly Jesus is superior to them So help us, Lord To focus on him today Help us to glorify him And we can do that By giving him The central place in our lives The place that he ought to have We do that when we put our hope And our trust in him For time and for eternity
[16:34] And Lord, we pray that as we As we study this passage today That you, Lord Through your spirit Would bring the book alive Or bring us alive to it Because your word Is a living word anyway But Lord, sometimes we read it And it doesn't sink in We don't understand it So we pray that today You would give us a clear sense That this passage speaks to us That this is a message That God wants us to hear We ask, Lord, that it would not fall On deaf ears But that the seed sown Would take root in our hearts That you would feed our souls Through it, we pray That you would build up Those who are Christians And that you would draw To yourself, Lord Any who cannot as yet say That they are thrust in the Lord We want to pray This morning, Lord For those who are struggling With life's trials And hardships And the disappointments That can bring Things often don't work out The way we had hoped for Or the way that we had anticipated That they would
[17:34] And Lord, that can leave us Dejected Downcast Depressed Even So help us, Lord To believe that you have A better plan for our lives Than anything We can come up with ourselves We ask, Lord That you be close today To those who are grieving Some who may be wondering If they will ever get over The pain of their loss Lord, bring them The kind of comfort That you alone can bring Because you are the God Of all comfort You are able to To comfort As no mere human being can So be close To those Who are cast down Who have broken hearted Help the sick as well Lord Those who are battling illness Or any kind of health issue Those Maybe awaiting surgery Or recovering from surgery Or waiting for test results These can be anxious times, Lord We pray for those Not just suffering physically But those Whose mental health Is not great We pray for them, Lord We commend them to you We think too Of those who struggle With things like addiction, Lord And those who have
[18:35] People in their families That they are concerned of Who are addicted to To something, Lord We ask that they would That they would look to you For help, Lord For you are the great physician You are the one who can And who is able to heal We pray your blessing, Lord On this congregation During a time of vacancy We ask, Lord That you would be preparing A pastor who would be over them We thank you, Lord For all the people That they have been hearing And all the folk Who have been willing to come To supply this pulpit, Lord We pray for those In the congregation Who are involved In the life and work of it On a weekly basis Bless the office bearers, we pray The elders and the deacons As they carry out their duties We pray for the intermoder Lord Thomas, Lord In his own congregation And as he cares for this congregation And in many other responsibilities He has in our denomination We pray that you'd help him We pray that you would Bless him over his time of holiday, Lord
[19:36] That he would be refreshed He and his family So help, Lord All who serve you in any way Help them As they honour you in that way That they would seek to be a blessing In this community In which you have placed them We think too of our nation, Lord We think of those who serve our nation And the armed forces And the emergency service The police The ambulance The coast guards The fire service, Lord We ask that you would help them In their work We pray for those That are in government, Lord Our MPs And our MSPs And our councillors, Lord Help them all In their role In their public duties To serve to the best of their ability And to seek your help And to realise, Lord That they need They need a power And an ability That is greater Than they can Drum up within themselves, Lord That they would look to you For their help So, Lord Bless us as a nation We have strayed
[20:37] Far, far from you Forgive us, Lord We pray Collectively Forgive us as a nation We deserve your judgement, Lord But we pray That you would deal with us In mercy And we think of our world This morning, Lord In all its troubled spots Places where there's war Where there's conflict Where there's inhumanity Between people Where there's civil war Places where there's hunger And thirst Lord, we pray We pray for our world leaders Lord, that you would give them wisdom We think of those we call The world's superpowers, Lord And yet their power is Limited You are the one who asks You are the great superpower, Lord So we ask that even our world leaders Would bow the knee to you Would look to you Would rely on you Would pray to you And would ask for your help Lord Steer them, we pray
[21:38] And steer us Steer us now, Lord As we turn back to your word As we continue to sing your praise And as we turn to this passage To study it for a while May you be our teacher And our guide For we need you, Lord Apart from you We can do nothing Of any lasting worth Or significance But with your help, Lord We can do all things So bless us here this morning As you see our need We ask all of this In Jesus' name Amen Let's sing once more Psalm 91 This time Psalm 91 And at verse 9 Psalm 91 At verse 9 Because the Lord
[22:44] Who constantly My refuge is alone Even the Most High Is made by thee Thy habitation No plague shall near Thy dwelling come No ill shall thee befall For thee to keep In all thy ways His angels charge He shall Psalm 91 We're singing verses 9 To 14 To God's praise Because the Lord Who constantly My refuge is alone In the Lord For thou know God bless you.
[23:56] In all thy ways, his angels charge thee down.
[24:09] The earth that come shall bear thee up, till with thee thee upon.
[24:25] Let thou not end any time to start thy fruit against the storm.
[24:41] Upon the earth where thou shalt spread, and on the light of strong.
[24:57] Thy feet on ground, and on the light of young.
[25:14] Because on me he set his love.
[25:24] I still have set him free. Because my grave in thee has grown.
[25:41] I will win set on high. Amen. As we seek God to help, can we turn back in our Bibles to the passage that we write together in the book of Hebrews.
[25:58] And today we're in chapter 1. We're in chapter 1 and it would be helpful if you had your Bible open. As we'll be referring to a few different verses. In Hebrews chapter 1.
[26:10] We can read again verse 4. Verse 4. Speaking of Jesus, it says, Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
[26:28] Being so much better than the angels. Jesus is better than the angels. A few weeks ago I sold my car and I'm still on the hunt for another one.
[26:44] I didn't think it would be so difficult. And a lad in our congregation, one of our deacons, offered to sell me one of his. He has several. So I politely said I would think about it. But it was older than the one I had.
[26:55] And the speck was lower than the one I had. And it wasn't as powerful as the one I had. So I had to politely say, No. Why settle for less than I had?
[27:07] And that is the point of the passage that we're looking at today. That is the argument of the writers to the Hebrews in this section. Why settle for angels when you can't have Jesus?
[27:22] Now the Jews that he's writing to, they were Jews who had become Christians. They loved angels. They thought angels were amazing. And they had a really high view of them.
[27:35] But here in this passage we read again and again, Jesus is greater than the angels. Jesus is better than the angels. Jesus is superior to the angels.
[27:45] And I think that is a message that maybe our generation needs to hear again. And hear clearly as well. Because there are lots of people who are fascinated by angels.
[27:56] And yet have no time for Jesus. And I think that sometimes people feel that angels give them some kind of connection to heaven. Without having to deal with heaven's God.
[28:09] And that's appealing. It's appealing to some people. Angels have become big business. There are thousands of books about angels. Go into any bookshop.
[28:19] You can go into a Christian bookshop. There will be lots of books about angels. There are movies about angels. People have angels as ornaments in their home. And they're generally fascinated by the thought that they might have a guardian angel.
[28:36] So are they wrong to be intrigued by the angelic realm? Is that something good or is that something bad? Well, I'm not going to say anything negative about angels today.
[28:47] Because the passage doesn't say anything negative about angels. But it does tell us and it tells us clearly and unequivocally that Jesus is better than the angels.
[29:00] And it gives us several reasons why that is the case. Several reasons to prove that point. So today I want to give you two very, very simple headings.
[29:11] Angels are great. And you should be able to guess the next one. Jesus is great. Okay? That's how it's a little bit. Angels are great. Jesus is great.
[29:22] Before we launch into that, just a word of background. There's letters to the Hebrews. It was written, as I said, to Jews who had become Christians. And they started well.
[29:33] But then they had to trouble us. You will too when you become a Christian. Because when you're unsaved, the devil is quite happy to leave you as you are. But once you're saved, he's on your kiss.
[29:44] He's not happy. So you can expect trouble when you become a Christian. And that's what these Hebrew, these Jews who had become Christians. They met with opposition. They met with persecution.
[29:55] And so they were tempted to give up on their newfound faith. They weren't growing as they should. They weren't maturing as they ought.
[30:07] They were tempted to go back to the stuff they relied on before. The law. Keeping the commandments. Sacrifices. That kind of stuff. And so this letter is written to encourage them to keep going.
[30:19] Encourage them to persevere. And also to warn them about the dangers of giving up. So there's both these emphasis throughout the book. Encouragement and warning.
[30:31] And we need both. We all need both. But the main thrust of this letter is to elevate Jesus Christ. to prove to these people that their newfound faith in Christ is better.
[30:46] That Jesus is better than everything and everyone they relied on before. So in the first few verses, verse 1 for instance, and 2 and 3, the argument there is Jesus is greater than the prophets.
[31:00] It was the prophets who gave them the word of God. God who had sundry times in a diverse manner, spake in times passed unto the fathers by the prophets. The prophets were great, but Jesus is greater. And then when you go into following chapters, chapter 3, the argument is that Jesus is greater than Moses.
[31:19] Now Moses was their hero. He was second only to Abraham. But the writers say, no, no, Jesus is greater than Moses. And later on, Jesus is greater than the law. And in the section we're looking at today, chapter 1, verse 4 to the end, it's very clear that Jesus is greater than the angels.
[31:38] So that's the background. That's what the book's about. So let's launch into it. Angels are great, and then Jesus is greater. So angels are great, first of all. There's no doubt about that fact, that angels are great.
[31:51] They're amazing creatures. They appear at crucial times in the Bible that are involved in critical events in the Scripture. For instance, there was an angel that announced to Mary that she would conceive and bear the Son of God.
[32:06] It was an angel that went to Joseph to tell him, you need to marry this woman, take her as your wife, because the child that's conceived is of the Holy Spirit. Angels were present.
[32:16] So that's at his conception. Angels were present at his birth. And when the shepherds were out on the hill, and the angelic choir appeared telling them that this day in the city of David, a saviour has been born.
[32:28] Critical times, crucial times. There was an angel there right at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. So right at the beginning, he's baptised. He then goes into the desert where he's tempted of the devil for 40 days.
[32:42] And we're told that at the end of the 40 days, an angel was sent to strengthen him, to help him, to meet his needs. So there's an angel at the beginning of his ministry, at his conception, at his birth, at the beginning of his ministry, at the end of his ministry, when he's in Gethsemane, when he's struggling with the reality of the cross that lay before him, we read that an angel was sent to strengthen him.
[33:08] And then there's an angel at his resurrection as well, telling those who came to the tomb, he's not here, he is risen. So they're there at critical moments in Scripture, in history.
[33:21] They also very often, they are the bearers of good news, angels. They come, most of the time, they come with good news. Not always. But for instance, Samson's mother, it was an angel that appeared to Samson's mother, right before Samson was born, to tell her, she was barred, to tell her that she would have a child, whom God would use.
[33:41] It was an angel that appeared to Zechariah, to tell him that his elderly wife, Elizabeth, would bear a special child, John the Baptist. So they often come with good news.
[33:53] And maybe that's part of the reason why people are attracted to angels, why people like them, and why people maybe look to angels for help when they are in a fix.
[34:04] So, should you expect angelic help when you have some crisis in your life? And also, I guess, closely connected to that is the question of, do you have a guardian angel?
[34:18] Let's think about that for a moment. The crucial thing to note from this passage is that angels are there for the benefit of God's people.
[34:30] You see that in the very last verse, verse 14 of the chapter. Speaking about angels, it says, So that means those who are Christians and those who will yet be Christians.
[34:53] That's who angels serve. They're there for the benefit of God's people. We sang from Psalm 91. Psalm 91 says this, If you make the most high your dwelling, even the Lord who is my refuge, he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
[35:14] Note the word, if. If you make the most high your dwelling. If you are trusting in God, his angels are there to serve you, to guard you in all your ways.
[35:26] So if you're a believer, yes, you can expect angelic help, though you might not recognize that it's an angel. But if you're not a believer, if you're not a believer today, then angels should scare you rather than stimulate you.
[35:43] They should scare you rather than stimulate you. Because it may well be that the only encounter you will ever have with an angel is when they come to bring judgment.
[35:54] Because that's one of their tasks as well. They come to bring judgment. So for instance, it was angels that were sent to Sodom to announce that God would destroy that city.
[36:08] It was an angel that went through Egypt on the night of the Passover to destroy the firstborn in every home that was not sheltering under the blood of the Passover lamb.
[36:19] It was an angel that struck Herod Agrippa dead. It was an angel that destroyed 185,000 Assyrian enemies of God in one night.
[36:34] Angels execute judgment. And they're coming to do it again, according to the scripture. Matthew 13 says, This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
[36:56] So angels are to be feared. Yes, they're awesome. Yes, they're powerful. Yes, they're amazing. Yes, they bring good news. Yes, they are involved in critical moments and important events in the history of the world.
[37:08] But if you're not saved today, the angels are not to be admired. They're to be feared. So do you have a guardian angel? Well, if you're saved, you've got a whole army of them.
[37:22] A whole army of them. Because they are all serving, ministering spirits sent to serve God's people. But if you're a Christian, even better than a guardian angel, you have a guardian God.
[37:38] Because God looks after you. Psalm 121 says this, The Lord will keep from all harm. He will watch over your life. The Lord will watch over your coming and your going, both now and forevermore.
[37:53] So God is our guardian. But he uses angels. He uses angels to serve our needs. So, as a Christian, you may well encounter angels more often than you realise.
[38:10] Because God uses them to protect you. But if you're not a Christian, the likelihood of encountering them is pretty much nil. Nevertheless, the Jews of this period, to whom this is written to, they were in awe of angels.
[38:29] These Jewish converts to Christianity, they actually had an unhealthy obsession with angels. And that's why the writer writes the way he does. Some of them, they viewed angels as mediators between God and them.
[38:44] That was a wrong view. There were others who believed that Jesus was just an angel of very high rank. Equivalent to an angel like Michael, the archangel.
[38:57] So you realise that heresies are not new. That's one of the things that the Jewish witnesses believe today. That Jesus is just a great angel.
[39:10] So it's not new. It's not new. It was there back then. There is no doubt, though, that angels are wonderful creatures.
[39:21] They are incredibly powerful. They are at God's beck and call in order to serve his people. They do amazing feats. They bring great comfort. They bring joy.
[39:33] But the problem was that people were giving them a place that ought to be reserved for Jesus only. For Jesus only. And that's what this passage is addressing.
[39:45] So let's move on to our second point. So that was the first thing. Angels are great. More importantly, Jesus is greater. Jesus is greater. That's the writer's point in verse 4 that we read at the start.
[39:57] Being made so much better than the angels. So his argument is clear. We know what he's trying to say. Jesus is greater than the angels. But the way he presents that argument is complicated.
[40:10] You might have found the chapter complicated as we read through it. And it's complicated because he makes, he piles argument on top of argument on top of argument to prove his point.
[40:20] And he's repeatedly quoting from the Old Testament. I think he quotes seven times, seven different verses from the Old Testament in making his argument. And if you were to actually compare them with your Old Testament, they don't quite, they're not quite the same.
[40:37] And that's because he quotes from not the original Hebrew version of the Old Testament, but a later translation into Greek.
[40:49] And so any translation will have slight differences. And so when, when he uses quotes from the Old Testament, they won't be exactly the same as usual because he takes them from the Greek translation.
[40:59] The Greek translation was known as the Septuagint, Sept from seven. It was written by 70 scholars. And so if you ever read commentaries and you see LXX as quoted in LXX, that's the Septuagint, the 70, the 70 scholarship.
[41:18] So it's a Greek translation. So that's how he quotes. So his quotes are, his quotes are a wee bit different from how they are in the Old Testament. But that makes it a wee bit harder to follow what he's saying. Now I want to try and keep this simple today.
[41:29] I want to look at some of his arguments, four in particular. As to why Jesus is greater than the angels. I think he makes six, but we'll pick four just for the sake of simplicity.
[41:40] Four arguments why Jesus is greater than the angels. So the first is this, and it's the simplest. He is a son and they are not servants. So we've been looking at the fact that they're servants.
[41:53] But Jesus is a son and the son is always greater than any servant. In our Manson team, we have a, there's a big stair, and there's an area halfway up the stair, off the half landing, which has one small room and a bathroom and a cupboard.
[42:10] It's always been known as the servant quarters. Now, until now, we don't have a servant, but I live in Hope and just hint at the deacon's court from time to time.
[42:21] But even if they were to give us a servant, the servant would surely be less important than the son in the house. Sons are always greater than servants.
[42:34] And that's his point, that's his argument here. Sons are greater than servants. Angels are servants of God. Jesus is the son of God.
[42:47] That's simple. But his argument is then a wee bit more complicated because in verse 5, well, let's read verse 5. You can look at it if you've got your Bible open.
[42:58] And to which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. So he's saying, to which of the angels did he say this?
[43:11] You are my son. Today I've begotten you or today I've become your father. To quote from another translation. That's complicated. How is he saying about the son, today I've become your father?
[43:27] Surely the son was always the son. Surely the son was always with God in heaven, even before he'd gone in human frame. Yes, that's true. But the problem was that when Jesus came into the world, people didn't believe that he was the son of God.
[43:42] When Jesus began his ministry, people didn't believe that he was the son of God. They mocked him. They thought that was heresy. They thought it was blasphemy. Whenever he claimed he was the son of God.
[43:53] But something happened. Something happened that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was who he said he was. That he was the son of God.
[44:05] And that was the resurrection. When he rose from the dead, it was undeniable then that he was divine. That he was who he said he was. That he was the son of God.
[44:17] But for long enough, people had denied that. It was harder to do now once he rose. And so this verse, verse 5, which is quoting Psalm 2, which we sang, You are my son.
[44:32] This day I have become your father. On this day I have begotten you. The New Testament tells us that was talking about the resurrection. Let me read you from Acts 13.
[44:45] Acts 13, written by Paul. He says, What God promised our forefathers has been fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus as it is written in the second Psalm, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten you.
[45:04] So Paul in Acts 13 is saying the resurrection is the fulfillment of that verse in Psalm 2, which we also have quoted here in verse 5.
[45:15] And if you're still following me, I'm not wishing to confuse you further. Let me just give you a wee sidebar. That Acts 13 that I've just quoted, where Paul is saying, as it is written, in the second Psalm, that is the only time in the New Testament, the only time where there is a specific, precise citation of the Old Testament.
[45:41] So the New Testament quotes the Old Testament hundreds of times. But usually the reference is vague. So it'll say something like, as Moses said.
[45:54] Or as is written in Isaiah. Or as is written in the Psalms. But it never gives you the chapter. That is the only time that you've given the chapter in the New Testament.
[46:07] Acts 13, Paul says, as it is written, in the second Psalm. He's saying the resurrection was the proof that Jesus was the Son of God. Well, let me give you a simpler verse, which maybe I should have done first.
[46:20] Romans 1, verse 4. Jesus was declared with power to be the Son of God through his resurrection from the dead. He was declared with power to be the Son of God.
[46:32] So that's what verse 5 here is talking about. You heard my son this day have I begotten thee. when he rose he was proving that he was the Son of God.
[46:44] And sons are always greater than servants. So, we're looking at the fact that Jesus is greater than the angels. That's the first argument. He is a son.
[46:54] They are servants. The second argument is this. He is sovereign. They are his subjects. By subjects we mean that they're under his authority.
[47:05] So, scroll down to verse 13. Look at verse 13. I know we're jumping about a bit, but if you've got your Bible open you'll see it in verse 13. But to which of the angels said he, said God, at any time, sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
[47:23] So the right hand of God is on the throne. Now this is actually, verse 13, is a quote from Psalm 110. So it's again an Old Testament quote. And it's making the point that Jesus is exalted to God's right hand in heaven.
[47:38] Jesus is on the throne of heaven. Jesus is the king of glory. And as a king everyone and everything is subject to him including the angels.
[47:51] So the angels obey the son just as they obey the father. They do his bidding. There's another reference to Jesus being a king back in verse 8.
[48:03] And again, if you can turn there and just look at it verse 8. But unto the son he saith, that's God saith, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.
[48:15] That's the father talking to the son. And he talks about your throne. He's king. Jesus now has an eternal reign. He reigns forever and ever.
[48:25] And so the angels now obey the son just as they obey the father. Because father, son and Holy Spirit, they are one. They are one. They're equal in power and glory. In fact, that verse we just read, verse 8, look at it again.
[48:39] That is one of the clearest statements in the New Testament saying Jesus is God. But unto the son God saith, thy throne, O God.
[48:51] He's addressing the son and he calls him God. God. So Jesus is the sovereign ruler of the universe just as God is. And that's the second argument as to why Jesus is greater than the angels.
[49:06] He is sovereign. Angels are his subjects. So let's move on to the third one. We've covered the fact that angels are great. There's no doubt about that. They're great. But Jesus is greater.
[49:18] And we've seen two arguments so far. Jesus is greater because he's a son and they are servants. He is sovereign. They are his subjects. Thirdly, he is to be worshipped and they are worshippers.
[49:32] Rewind to verse 6. And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, God saith, about Jesus, let all the angels of God worship.
[49:49] So here's God instructing the angels to worship his son. And that clearly shows us that Jesus is greater than the angels because you only worship what is greater than you.
[50:04] There are people who pray to angels when they're in a crisis. There are people who worship angels as well. That ought never to be so because God alone is to be worshipped.
[50:15] Yes, angels are great. Angels are great, but they're not divine. We only worship the divine. There's an incident in Revelation chapter 22 or maybe it's 20, I didn't know the reference, where John, who wrote the book of Revelation, John, he's in awe of the angel who's been giving him a guided tour of heaven and he falls on his knees before him going to worship him.
[50:41] And the angel says, no, don't do that. Don't do that. I am but a fellow servant with you. So yes, the angels are great, but they're not to be worshipped. Jesus is and Jesus only.
[50:55] You know, the angels are doing exactly that in heaven just now. They're worshipping the Son. They're praising him. Revelation 5 says, then I looked and heard the voice of many angels numbering thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand.
[51:11] In a loud voice they were saying, worthy is the Lamb who was slain. That's Jesus. to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise.
[51:21] The angels are worshipping the Son right now in heaven. Why follow angels when you can follow the one that they worship?
[51:33] So that's the third argument why Jesus is greater than the angels. He is to be worshipped. They are worshippers. And then the fourth and the final one that I'm going to cover. There are some others but we're not covering them. The fourth argument why Jesus is greater than the angels.
[51:46] He is creator and they are created. So look at verse 10 this time. Verse 10 And thou, Lord, in the beginning So this again is the Father addressing the Son.
[52:00] Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the works of thine hands. So this is God saying to the Son you're the creator.
[52:14] Now it doesn't state in this passage that angels are created beings. It does tell us that Jesus is the creator. It doesn't tell us that angels are created. But we know that from elsewhere in the Bible.
[52:27] Psalm 148 says about the angels where God commanded and they were created. So angels are created beings. They're spirit beings. They don't have bodies. But they were made.
[52:37] And they were made before everything else was made. Before everything tangible. Before the world was made. Again we know that because in Job chapter 38 the angels are described as being witnesses to the creation.
[52:53] So they were there when the world was made. But they are made. They are created. So Jesus is the creator. Angels are created. And if Jesus is the creator God.
[53:06] And they are created then he made them. He made the angels. And so clearly he is greater than they are. Now maybe you're saying to yourself but I thought God made the world.
[53:18] He did. They did it together. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We're all involved in the creation of the world. Think for instance if you go back to Genesis 1 there's a verse where we read this.
[53:28] and God said let us make man in our image. Who's the us and the our? Who's he addressing?
[53:38] Who's he talking to? He's talking to the Son to the Spirit. So Father, Son and Holy Spirit we're all involved in creation. But Jesus here in this chapter Jesus is credited with creating the world.
[53:55] So God the Son was involved in creation. He is creator. They are created. We're also told if I can just throw this in we're also told that he will here that he will be involved in the recreation of this world.
[54:10] When this world ends and is burnt up with fire there will be a new heavens and a new earth. They're referred to in verse 11 and 12. Look at it. So verse 10 has told us about the heavens and the earth. Verse 11 They shall perish but thou remainest.
[54:24] They all shall wax old as doth a garment and as a vesture verse 12 shall they fold them up and they shall be changed. As far as this current world the heavens and the earth and it describes the remaking of them at the end of time like a wardrobe change.
[54:46] Like you're throwing away you're folding some clothes and you're putting some new clothes on it. Look at it again. They'll wax old verse 11 as doth a garment and as a vesture just another word for a garment shalt thou fold them up and they shall be changed.
[55:05] It describes the remaking the making of the new heavens and the new earth like you would fold an old dressing gown and throw it in the skip and wear something different.
[55:19] Simple. that's how simple it will be for Jesus to remake this world into something glorious because he is the creator. He is the creator.
[55:30] Let's wrap this up though. We began looking at the fact that angels are great. No doubt, no question about that. We should all agree that angels are great. But the argument is that Jesus is great.
[55:43] And we've looked at four reasons why Jesus is great. He is a son. Angels are servants. He is sovereign. Angels are his subjects.
[55:55] He is to be worshipped. Angels are worshippers. He is creator. Angels are created. Let me wrap this up by going back to where we began.
[56:11] Began with a story about a car. Why settle for less? I want to end with a story about some local honey. I recently tried some local honey.
[56:23] The advertising just grabbed me. It was, it made it firm. I saw the truck and it said, Harry's Highland Honey. And then the phone number, give us a buzz.
[56:36] That's just class. I mean, you've got to respond to that. Give us a buzz. And the wrench of the truck was HH05BEE. Highland Honey B.
[56:49] I've got to try this stuff. But the point is this. Once you've tried local honey, you're probably not going back to shop bought stuff.
[57:03] because why several or less? And that is the point of this chapter today. Why just admire angels when you can adore the Son of God, Jesus Christ, our Savior?
[57:24] Amen. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your heart. We thank you that with the help of your Spirit, we can understand what you have to say to us today.
[57:39] You're pointing us to Jesus. You're elevating Jesus. You want us to follow Jesus. We pray that today we are followers of his. That we would praise you and you for him.
[57:52] And we pray that today, Lord, if we've never put our trust in him, that we will be drawn to this wonderful Son of yours. He is so much greater than the angels.
[58:03] Bless us, we pray. Continue among us throughout this day. We ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen. I'm going to finish singing in Psalm 103.
[58:17] Psalm 103. And at verse 17, singing to the end of the psalm. Psalm 103. Psalm 103.
[58:31] At verse 17. But unto them that do him fear, God's mercy never ends. And to their children's children still his righteousness extends.
[58:43] Psalm 103. From verse 17. To the end of the psalm. To God's praise. God's mercy But unto them what do him fear, God's mercy never ends.
[59:03] And to their children's children's till his righteousness As it extends to such a keeper's covenant And my soul are always For His soldiers all my friends That He has obeyed The Lord bring Him out His throne And He wants them to start
[60:09] Of everything that we have Is King God of command O dear angels that excel In strength bless ye the Lord In who loveth what He loves And I come to His word O Christ of Magnes Father Lord In your world
[61:12] Of His holy name He menest That to fulfill What e'er His pleasure is O bless the Lord All He has worked Wherewith the world is o'er In His dominions everywhere Where my soul has loved the Lord Let's conclude with the benediction Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
[62:13] The love of God And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit Be with you all Now and forevermore Now may the grace of the Lord Yes, may the grace of the Lord Yes, may the grace of the Lord Yes, may the grace of the Lord Yes, may the grace of the Lord Yes, may the grace of the Lord Yes, may the grace of the Lord