As we continue through the rest of Hebrews chapter 1, the author is setting about to prove his assertions of Chris’s supremacy by comparing Him to the angels. Verses 5-13 are quotations from the Old Testament that contrast the Son with angels.
For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son; today I have become your Father”?
Or again,
“I will be his Father, and he will be my Son
Hebrews 1:5
Notice that in these words, God has a special relationship with Jesus, the relationship of Father and Son; this is quite a different relationship than that which He has with the angels. In the next verse, our author shows that at the Incarnation, the angels must worship the Son:
And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.” (1:6)
As the chapter continues, we can see that the Son will reign, but the angels are His servants (1:8-9 c.f. 1:7). In vv. 10-12 he quotes Psalm 102 indicating that the Son will reign over the universe, will destroy it and yet remain the same always. In verse 13 he quotes Psalm 110 showing that God will destroy all of the Son’s enemies and make them “a footstool for your feet” surely God has never made such a promise to an angel!
Finally, comes verse 14 and a curve…
Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
As the book continues, we will see the author demonstrate that Jesus is not only superior to the angels, but that He is also superior to Moses, that His sacrifice is superior to the sacrifices of the Old Covenant, that His New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant, and that the promises of the New Covenant are superior to those of the Old Covenant, for they are brought by a superior High Priest (Jesus) who brings a superior sacrifice to establish a superior Covenant. With this in mind, consider 1:14 above…
By asking the question, the author is asserting its truth: Yes, the angels are “ministering spirits” sent to “serve those who will inherit salvation.” Slow down, take a closer look; Jesus is the “firstborn” of the Father, His salvation isn’t even an issue, who are these people the author is referring to? Let’s figure it out: Who inherits salvation? Who are called “co-heirs with Christ?”
Let’s see… salvation comes from accepting Christ as savior, by His work on the cross. Those who are “in Christ” are His co-heirs. Therefore, the angels are ministering spirits sent to serve you and me. Again, slow down and let that sink in…
This “in Christ” thing is really too cool!
So, why is it that we waste so much time arguing and complaining? It seems to me that our author is going to make the point that we really need to grab on to what we have in Christ, and not worry about all of the noise and distractions of this life.
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
Luke 15:31-32
Once upon a time, back in the late spring of 1965, when I was in the 2nd grade, we were all sitting at the dinner table, when there was a knock at the front door. My father went to answer the door, but something very unusual happened: He stepped outside and closed the door behind hm. When it was apparent that he wouldn’t be coming right back, and that none of us, including my mother, had the slightest idea what was going on, she told my sister and I to hurry up and finish eating. We both knew that tone, and neither of us asked any more questions.
Some time later, my father returned with our half-brother in tow. My Dad quickly told us that Mike was here for a little visit, and they had made a quick trip to the barber shop, and now Mike is going to hop in the shower and then we’ll have some ice cream…
It was some time before I found our the whole story, but I did find out that Mike had been in the 82nd Airbourne Division of the U.S. Army. The previous year, part of the 82nd was merged with parts of the 101st into a special ops unit that was sent to Vietnam for some special operation there. After that most of them returned home and my brother’s hitch in the Army ran out just before his buddies shipped out to intervene in the civil war in the Dominican Republic in April of ’65.
Mike was, let’s just say, a bit shaken up by his experiences in special ops, and then the guilt of being out of the Army right when they we deploying again, and he went and joined up with the Hells Angels, who were on quite a rampage in those days. The only thing he ever told me about that experience was that it was worse than Vietnam.
Consider our father: He, of the World War 2 generation, was so proud that his oldest boy was in the storied 82nd Airbourne, but when he left the Army and joined the Hells Angels, Mike became a son who was now lost and gone… and then he comes to his senses and repents! In our house, it was the prodigal son all over again (as soon as he got a haircut and shaved off the beard… and bathed).
Our verses above tell of the joy of a father whose son has rebelled and then come to repentance, as he explains the situation to the son who didn’t rebel. (Luke 15:11-32) The purpose of the parable is to teach how our Heavenly Father views all of us, for we have entered into rebellion against Him, and yet through Christ, have repented and come back home again. When this happens, all is forgiven, and the Father and the hosts of Heaven shout for joy!
That’s how it was in our house too, and in the eyes of the 7-year-old little brother, who was way too young for all of the gory details, Mike was just about the coolest guy who ever lived. When I recall those days, and think of how God and the angels of Heaven rejoice when we come to faith, for me anyway, it makes the toughest times shrink to insignificance by comparison.
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
Hebrews 1:1-4
Here we are at the beginning of a tour of a new book from the New Testament, my very favorite book of all, a book that will show you how the Old and New Covenants come together, a book that will both challenge and encourage each one of us. I sure hope that you will have the time and inclination to be fed and encouraged on our tour: Here we go!
The book begins with a bang in these four verses! Take a minute to drink them in; they are simply amazing. Look first of all at the contrast between God’s former ways, and His ways now. In the past, He spoke through the prophets. Now, He speaks directly by His Son. Can you see the difference? In the Old Testament, there is always an intermediary, but in the New Testament, God speaks directly to us by His Son; a paradigm shift of massive proportions. This Son by whom God speaks is not just some kid, He is not only heir of all things, He is also the one by and through whom God created the entire universe. When God spoke the words “let there be light” it was the Son’s lips that were moving… Just let that sink in… This is a huge statement. There’s more coming, catch this one:
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. The “radiance” of God’s glory! Jesus Christ is the radiance of God’s glory, and God sent Him to be with us, to teach us, to have relationships with us… and to die for us. It’s one thing to be amazed at God’s unending love for us in sending His Son to die for us, but when you combine that kind of love with just exactly who this Jesus is… WOW!
Jesus is also the “exact representation of His being”: Jesus is in fact God. This is what Jesus meant when He said “the Father and I are one.” WOW! If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. If you want to know what God thinks, look at Jesus. If you want to know if God loves you, look at Jesus on the cross.
“…sustaining all things by his powerful word.” Ever wonder why the planets don’t just fly off into space? Ever wonder why the seasons keep coming at the right time after all of these years? Ever wonder who made up the laws of physics, of nature, of right and wrong? Ever wonder why your head doesn’t explode? The entire universe is sustained by His Word! Ever wonder why so many people seek to denigrate the Bible? Now you know why; it is His Word. It is so powerful that it could call the universe into existence. It is nothing to be trifled with, as so many philosophers have found out. It is a force that we cannot even begin to fathom, and God sent Him to give us direct access to Him. If this does not inspire you, then maybe you need to see if you can still fog a mirror!
After He finished His work on the earth, He was returned to the glory from whence He had come, superior to the angels, yes. Superior to all living beings everywhere? Yes. This is our Savior, with whom we have a relationship. I wonder, do we value that relationship as we ought?
Hebrews is simply an awesome book. I think you’ll see as we continue going through it, that it is like no other.
I’ll bet you know somebody who will never put up with a slight or an insult. I’ll bet this person will react strongly and immediately in this kind of a situation and give the other person a piece of their mind: You can’t talk to me that way!
The Lord Jesus Christ was on the receiving end of quite a few insults, and probably a number of slights as well. I can’t recall that He was the sort to get into arguments and confrontations about such things. The only confrontations that I can think of that He was involved with are confrontations with people who directly opposed God’s purposes, and these were normally along the lines of teaching and instructing, never trading insults.
It seems that in some quarters these days, rough talk is in vogue, but it isn’t God’s way of dealing with a situation. I think God would have us look at it more like this:
A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
Here we are, the very first episode of “Sunday Reflection” which is intended to be a very short thought for reflection and (hopefully) inspiration. If I did everything correctly… and that is very much in doubt as of this writing… there should be a video below.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
To be a follower of Jesus, a person needs to set aside the old ways of living and thinking, and take up His ways. Of course, this requires a sort of surrender to God that recognizes His supremacy, and not our own. This is not difficult to say, nor is it all that difficult to understand, but it can be quite challenging sometimes to put into practice. Yet, God tells us that when we set aside the old to live according to His Spirit, we will bear fruit. The first of these is love.
True Godly love is the cornerstone of the Christian life, filling us with a caring concern for those around us, and enriching every sort of human relationship and interaction. Following closely on the heels of Godly love is the joy that we will experience when we live in the Spirit, for this is a life without guilt or regret or upheaval resulting in a deep inner peace that we have when we know that we are working and living within God’s plan for our lives.
Forbearance, or patience, becomes a testimony to our trust in God’s plans and timing. Kindness and goodness characterize our relations with others, expressing God’s love to them in a living and practical way. Faithfulness is another testimony to our new life in Christ, as we are seen as keepers of our word in all things.
Gentleness and self-control, so rare in our modern culture, are testimony of the all-sufficiency of our relationship with God, for He provides all that we need, removing so much of the stressfulness of modern life.
It’s occurred to me just now that the fruits of the Spirit are incredibly valuable… maybe even in monetary terms. Suppose I were to offer you a million dollars to forgo the fruits of the Spirit, would you take the money? Think carefully; you might miss out on the fruits of the Spirit, but you could really throw a party for a million bucks! How about 10 or 15 million? Think of the fun you could have… until the money ran out.
The fruit of the Spirit are blessings from God that are eternal― they never run out. We would have to be a special kind of stupid to even consider selling our blessings, don’t you think so?
I will soon be returning to Illinois after a few years in the Washington, DC area, and since I am about to leave here, I’ll let you in on the “secret” to seeing the sights of Washington. Oh yes, millions come here from all around the globe to see the sights, the great public buildings, the landmarks, the memorials, and museums. They descend upon the city in huge numbers, only to fight tremendous crowds and steamy hot summertime temperatures. If you want pictures to take home with you of the great sights, it can be almost impossible to get an unobstructed view in the summertime, especially on the weekend.
If you can, visit Washington in the off-season, when the kids are in school, then do your sight-seeing in the middle of the week, after rush hour, and you’ll be fine. But if you are taking the family on a summer Saturday, just show up early, at say, 6 or 6:30 in the morning. This has two great advantages: First, you will have the place virtually to yourself; the tourists are still asleep! Second, you can cover the great sights while it is cool; great time for your “walking around” part of the day. Then, as the temperature begins to climb, the museums open up and you can spend the hot portion of the day seeing the museums of the Smithsonian. Yes, they will get crowded, better a Tuesday morning in October, but if you can only come in the summer, this is the best way to see things… like the “natives” do.
This past Saturday, Mrs. M. and I took our last trip into town… that is, unless we do it again next week. At this hour (we arrived in town at about 6:15 am) there are actually parking places… everyplace… something that is normally only a dream. We parked near West Potomac Park, very near the Lincoln Memorial. Right next to our parking spot, I was greeted by this scene…
…and a bit of nostalgia as recollections of a Saturday morning over 30 years ago came to mind. I remembered being on a walk one fine October morning, and as I walked by this place, I came upon a group of young Congressional staffers, roughly my age, who were trying to make up a touch football game; they were a man short. I volunteered to play, and the game was on. Nine Congressional staffers, one White House staffer; opponents during the week, playing football together on Saturday; Washington was different in those days.
One of the really neat things about taking pictures early in the day, particularly when there are clouds in the sky, is that as the sun rises and the clouds move, you can stand in one place for 10 or 15 minutes and take several completely different pictures of the same thing as the light and colors shift before your eyes.
The Arlington Memorial bridge only looked like this for about 45 seconds. After that, it looked just like every other picture you’ve seen of it.
Here, the Lincoln Memorial has a pinkish hue as the sun struggles to poke out above the low clouds.
Standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial and looking down the reflecting pool towards the Capitol, the Washington Monument is in silhouette against the rising sun, lost behind the clouds giving a different effect than you usually see from here.
Millions come to Washington to visit the Vietnam Memorial. At this time of day, the only other people here are the crew cleaning the wall. In this light, the black wall becomes a mirror, as you can see.
In addition to the cleaning crews and the garbage collection crews, the squirrels are busy looking for tasty tidbits before all is collected…
Of all of the war memorials for which Washington is famous, my favorite is the Korean War Memorial. Since the Korean War is often called the “forgotten war” I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that it is not nearly as well attended as the others. Yet at least for me, it is by far the most poignant and moving. I don’t think there is any particular glorifying of war here, nor is there the great sadness of the Vietnam wall. This one is all about the men who fought. The central part of the Memorial is a life-sized group of figures in winter gear; a patrol. Here, nothing is way up on a pedestal, there is only you and the guys. They didn’t ask to be there, they aren’t the policy-makers calling the shots, they are the men who paid the price for the decisions and orders of others. This one is up close and personal; you can look these guys right in the eye.
We headed back to the car, there was still time for mobility. As we left the Korean Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial was in “regular” sunlight, and was beginning to look its normal self…
We moved to the Tidal Basin for a view of the Jefferson Memorial and a beautiful stroll along the water…
…and the reflections on the calm water, stirred only by the ducks that live there in the middle of the busy city. As in each of the other places we visited Saturday, memories flash through my head of earlier visits, earlier times, earlier experiences in a city that has vanished as time moves on and the world around us changes. Those were times that were not so bitter, not so divisive, in which people on different sides of politics could still work together to solve a problem… but that is all gone now… Maybe these are the tired reflections of an old man recalling the days of his youth in his sunset years. But then again, maybe not…
We know of course that our Lord rules this universe; if only He would open the eyes of Mankind to see the folly of our ways under the sun! But then, we also know that He sent us to bring His light to our dark world; so that He could shine through us. Maybe, instead of wistfully wishing He would do something, our time would be better spent doing the work He has called us to…
I have no idea whether or not I will ever see these sights again, but I took quite a few photos, many more of which will no doubt find their way into one of my blogs in the coming months. Yep, they are digital so they will last forever, which as we all know, really means until the hard drive crashes!
If you are a parent, I would imagine that your worst nightmare might involve a catastrophic injury to one of your young children; oh yes, I’ve heard many parents say this, and as a parent of 3 myself, it was my biggest nightmare scenario, no doubt about that.
Consider the story of Bob and Jennie…
Their 10-year-old son, Jack, had been climbing the big tree in the back yard one day, just as he had on so many other days. This particular day was not like those other days, however, for on this day, Jack lost his grip and fell from the tree. When Jennie found him, Jack was bloodied and unconscious. The paramedics took Jack to the hospital, and Jennie met her husband Bob in the ER where the news wasn’t good: He had a few broken bones, but nothing too terrible, bones heal. He needed some stitches, but again, nothing too bad in that area. The it hit them, he does, however, appear to have serious head injuries and the doctors aren’t sure just how serious they will turn out to be. No, Bob and Jennie cannot speak with him, he is in a coma, and there is no way to know how long that will last…
Neither of them spoke; they were in a kind of shock, yet their minds raced, full of terrible questions: Will he die? Will he ever wake up? Will he walk again? What if…?
Although they did not speak, they looked at each other and each knew exactly what the other was thinking. They had never felt so alone, so vulnerable, so helpless, so desperate. Jennie whispered something to Bob, who could barely make out what she was saying:
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
This took Bob by surprise, for Jennie wasn’t one to walk around quoting the Bible! Then, he was even more surprised when he heard these words:
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18
Bob was especially surprised when he realized that these words were coming out of his own mouth― where did that come from?
An unaccustomed calm came over the couple as they realized that they were not alone and that God was right there with them. They still didn’t know how this was going to turn out, but they did understand that with God’s help, they would get through this difficult time. They went to the hospital chapel and found a Bible. Bob opened it and Jennie read the words that seemed to her to have jumped off the page:
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
In due course, Jack recovered from his mishap, and would spend many happy afternoons climbing that old tree, only now he was quite a bit more careful. The entire family told their story to many people in the years that followed, of how God had met their needs, saving them from their darkest hour, and in the process, they brought hope and comfort to many who needed it, and thus they all lived happily ever after.
Our study of 2 Corinthians is over, and here we are in the midday time slot on Life Project Blog; what shall I post? One of the reasons that I started blogging through books of the Bible in an expository Bible study format was so that I would almost never need to answer that question…
Now what do I write about???
For me, that has always been the hardest part of writing, teaching, speaking at meetings, or preaching, and here I am again. This time, however, is slightly different because I have the chance to write about what to write about― the perfect way to buy a little more time to decide.
By the way, I am planning on making a few little changes here. I re-started the weekly feature “Photo of the Week” that I ran on Wednesdays for several years before running out of photos (and time to get new ones). This Sunday, I plan to begin a new feature post that will be called “Sunday Reflections” consisting of a 1-3 minute inspirational (hopefully) video to start off the new week, running at 6 am Eastern (US) time.
I’ve also started a new project that should roll out in early December, called “Gospels” which is the name of an undergrad class I used to teach, I think it was BIB 351 and 352, but don’t quote me on that, it was a very long time ago. That is a study of the life of Christ, using all four Gospels, side-by-side that develops a harmonized narrative of Jesus’ life and Ministry, while taking note of the fascinating differences in the way the four authors approached the subject. In doing so, we see patterns that develop which give us additional insight into the Apostles, their points of viewing life, and their purposes for writing, and how God was able to use them to accomplish His purpose.
That project, if nothing else, will be a fun challenge for me, because it might surprise you how great the logistical and technical problems are, in bringing a class like that to a blog site. It is really better suited to a You Tube presentation, but Good Lord willing, and helping, I’ll sort it out.
So then, tomorrow I’ll probably run a redux post and Monday we’ll begin a new adventure and a new Bible study.
If you have ideas, suggestions or comments, please don’t hesitate!
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
Romans 1:16
The Apostle Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel message for He completely understood what it is. He knew that it wasn’t just Good News, although that’s what “Gospel” means. It is more than just information, for it is power― God’s power.
Consider for a moment Paul’s journey: He was a great up and coming Pharisee. He was full of zeal, so much so that he was a leading persecutor of the early church in and around Judea. He even left that area to travel abroad to Damascus to attack the believers there, but on the way, something happened to Paul, then known as Saul: He met the risen Christ face-to-face. We recall the story from Acts 9; Jesus demanded to know why Paul was persecuting Him!
Wait, hold on, wasn’t Saul persecuting the early church? Of course, that’s true, but if you attack the church, you attack the Head of the Church, the risen Christ Himself. That confrontation, and the events that followed began a process in which Saul, now Paul, was completely transformed into God’s Apostle to the Gentiles.
That transformation is the power of the Gospel.
For Paul who lived the transformation, it’s power and majesty were all too apparent:
What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
Philippians 3:8
This transformative process was so great in Paul’s life that he came to consider all of the things of this world to be garbage, when compared to all that he gained in Christ. We also have begun the process of transformation. Some of us have been undergoing transformation for many years, while others are just beginning. We have Paul’s example before us; how are we coming along? Are we ashamed of the Gospel?
I sure hope not, for it can complete re-make a person into the image of Christ, that is how powerful it is. May each of us reflect and consider how fortunate we are to have been so greatly blessed by our God.
Join us on a journey through life following Jesus Christ. Our journey of life is an adventure of discovery that is both exciting and challenging. It is a discovery of clear and simple faith that comes from the a clear and simple understanding of the Word of God.
No, we aren't perfect, we are works in progress. There's no judging, no guilt and no condemnation here, just perspectives on life and truth as we work on our Project to become a little more like Him every day.
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