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HOLY HELP FOR THE HOPELESSCOMES FROM THE GREATEST PROMISE KEEPERHebrews 1:4-14 INTRODUCTION How many of you are sick of all the political ads filling your mailbox, radio and TV? If you were going to summarize the basic message of all of the ads, what would you say it is? Every ad says either "you can trust me to give you what you really want" or "you cannot trust my opponent to give you what you really want." The evidence for the trustworthiness of a candidate or the untrustworthiness of his or her opponent is either the character of the person in question or the particular promises being made. "Trust me because you know I’m a family man and a hard worker and I’m not on the payroll of any special interest groups. Don’t trust my opponent because he’s a liar, she’s been given thousands of dollars by special interest groups, he once said a really bad thing, etc. OR—trust me because I won’t raise your taxes and don’t trust the other guy because you and I both know he can’t wait to make you pay more taxes." The basic point of every political ad is: "I'm better than my opponent so you can trust me." Why do politicians try to make their case with us in this fashion? They know something about human beings. All of us live by faith in the promises of others. The only reason we are not all living in the utter darkness of depression, fighting off thoughts of suicide is because all of us believe the promises of someone or something. This is true for everyone, whether you are an atheist, a Christian, a Moslem or a Wiccan. Everyone is a believer. You are hopeful enough to get out of bed every morning because you believe that doing so will bring good into your life and not doing so will bring bad into your life. Most of the promises we believe are not articles of faith because we have examined them and consciously adopted them. For the most part, we have simply come to believe and rely upon these promises from living in our particular culture, family, neighborhood, country, etc. We have a "default faith" that is part of our makeup and has come to us through the interaction of our own desires, our own heart, and the experiences of our lives. Let me give you an example out of my own life so you can see how this works. I grew up in a home where work was highly valued. If you were a good worker you received lots of praise and if you did not work hard you were a bad person. Like all of us I love praise and hate criticism. Therefore my heart came to believe that hard work and accomplishment were necessary to living a good and happy life. What that means in my life is that I have a hard time relaxing. When I’m not working I feel restless, ill at ease and often guilty. If there is work to be done, and there always is, I have a hard time paying attention to those around me. When others don’t work like I think they ought to work I become critical and demanding towards them. When I’m working I’m not a pleasant person to be around because all that matters to me is getting the job done right. I don’t need Christ or anyone else to motivate me to work hard. It is part the default belief system in me that I have willingly embraced. I have lots of other promises I believe also. This isn’t the only one. That’s also true for you. You by nature trust in many promises and you order your life in order to obtain what is promised. You live by faith in promises all the time. This is not only true for us but also for the people to whom this letter to the Hebrews was written. These people, due to the ongoing reality of sin and suffering are under pressure to stop trusting in Christ. There faith in Christ does not appear to be benefiting them but costing them. If they stop trusting Jesus and his promises that doesn’t mean they quit living by faith, it only means that the object of their faith will change. For these people who were raised as Jews, that would mean that they would return to the promises of the OT without reference to Jesus. If these people were to stop trusting in Jesus, then they would resume trusting in the Jewish system of religion. Therefore, the author’s goal throughout this letter is to prove to them that Jesus is better than the system of religion taught in the OT. There is a word in v. 4 that is used 13 times in this letter and only 6 other times in the rest of the NT. It is the word, “better/superior/greater.” It would not be an oversimplification to say that the message of this letter is this: “You should trust in Jesus and not stop trusting in Jesus because he is better and what he promises is better than the entire OT system of religion.” In 1:1-3 the author began by showing that the word God spoke by his Son is superior to the word he spoke by the OT prophets. In vv. 4-14 he is out to show that Jesus is better than, superior to the angels. If you look at 2:2 you can see why he picks on angels. It says, “For if the message spoke by angels was binding…” Angels appear throughout the OT as God’s agents of revelation. They regularly show up to inform God’s people of God’s will. Therefore, if you return to trusting the OT account of things apart from Christ you are in essence returning to the authority of angels. You are believing that angels and what they promise is better than Jesus and what he promises. Therefore, the author sets out in this passage to show from the OT itself that Jesus, the Son of God is better than angels. I doubt that there are many in this room that are in danger of believing that angels and what they promise is superior to Jesus and what he promises. I’m not completely discounting that possibility. There has been an enormous resurgence in our culture of interest in angels and of associated superstitions. There may very well be some among us those who trust the words of angels or messages from the dead or the word of psychics or horoscopes. In that case what the author says here is directly applicable to you. However, for most of us, what the author says about angels in comparison to Jesus can be applied to whoever or whatever you are in danger of believing instead of Christ. If you are not yet a Christian it is because you believe that someone or something else is more trustworthy than Jesus. Every Christian in here struggles on a daily basis to believe that Jesus is more trustworthy and that his promises are better than a whole host of other persons and promises. Some of us are in danger of leaving Christ behind or may have in fact done so already because we have stopped trusting Jesus and are depending upon other saviors and salvations. Whatever your situation may be, what the author of this letter says in these verses can help you. Jesus is better than the angels and he is better than everyone and everything else and this passage tells us why. MAIN POINT Jesus is more trustworthy than everyone and everything because…I. He has inherited the greatest of all names (vv. 4-6) You will notice in vv. 5-13 that the author quotes seven passages from the OT to prove that Jesus, the Son of God, is superior to the angels and therefore to what the angels promise. Verse 4 is his thesis and vv. 5-14 are the evidence that his thesis is correct. This list of OT texts presents us with one of the best examples in the NT of how we are to read the OT as Christians. What the author does here is nothing short of amazing. This list demonstrates conclusively that you cannot understand a single word of the OT without relating it to Jesus. Jesus is the end of the OT in the sense that he is its true and ultimate meaning. Though we don't have the time to deal with all the details of these texts I hope to help you see how the author, in light of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus sees Jesus in these OT passages. Verse four asserts that the superiority of Jesus is due in the first place to the fact that he has inherited a name that is greater than the name of the angels. This doesn’t mean that the name Jesus is a superior name to the name Michael or Gabriel, which are the names of two angels. Name here refers to the reputation, character and the glory of the person. What is the name he has inherited? This is the first point made from the two OT quotes. The first quote is Psalm 2:7 and the second one is 2 Samuel 7:14. What these two quotes tell us is that the name the Son inherited is “my Son” or, as the second quote says, “the Son whose Father is God.” Don’t miss this. In v. 2 we were told, “in these last days God spoke to us by his Son.” Then in vv. 2b-3 he made a list of things that made the Son great. Now he tells us that this Son inherited the name “my Son.” So the Son inherited the name, "my Son." Doesn’t that seem more than a little redundant and nonsensical? What is going on? Notice in vv. 4-6 that there are four time markers or indications that the Son received the name “my Son” at a point in time. In v. 4 “has inherited” is a perfect past indicating that he received the name at a point in the past and he continues to be known by that name. In the quote from Psalm 2:7 we are told, “… today I have become your father.” The quote from 2 Samuel 7:14 is in the future tense. In other words, when Nathan spoke these words to David on God’s behalf, God was speaking about a future, historical event at which time he would name one of David’s descendants his Son. Finally, in v. 6 we are told that all God’s angels worship the Son when God brings his firstborn into the world. When was the Son given the name, “my Son”? When did God become the "Father" of one of David's descendants? When did the Son enter the “world” and it became the occasion for the angels worshipping him? This day when God became his Father is the day when Jesus was exalted to the right hand of the throne of God. What we are seeing here is that vv. 2-3 are talking about the eternal Son of God and vv. 4-6 are talking about the exaltation of that eternal Son who became a man and suffered and died and rose again and is now seated at God’s right hand. The point is that Jesus earned the right to be called “my Son” by his willing death, which led to his exaltation as “my Son.” Paul says the exact same thing in Philippians 2 when he says that due to Jesus’ death God has now exalted him to the highest place and given him the name that is above every name, "so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." I can't move on from here without helping you see what the author of this letter saw when he read his OT in light of the life of Jesus. I want you to see the unity of the Bible in its universal message about Christ. Back in 2 Samuel 7, King David, after conquering all his enemies tells the prophet Nathan that he wants to build a "house", a temple for Yahweh. He basically says, "I live in a palace but God is worshipped in an old tent. That isn't right. I'm going to build a beautiful temple worthy of the Lord." Nathan tells him to go ahead and do it. However, that night God speaks to Nathan in a vision and the next day Nathan tells David that he is not the one who is going to build him a house. Rather he says that God will build him a "house." One of his sons, who will reign on his throne will build it. But then he goes on to describe this son of David with the words that are quoted here. "I will be his Father and he will be my Son." Then he adds that his kingdom and his throne will last forever. While David's son, Solomon was a great king and he did build the temple in Jerusalem, yet he died and before he died he did not act like God's son. He married foreign women in violation of God's law and worshipped their gods. He was no "son of God." So it goes with each of the 20 kings who were descendants of David until the time of the exile. Some were good and some were bad but they all died. Psalm 2 is what is known as a "coronation psalm." It was read each time a new Davidic king took the throne. Again, while each of the king's fulfilled in a small way the promises contained in the psalm, yet none of them really ever met the exalted language used there. There is this growing expectation throughout the dynasty of Davidic kings that one of them has to conquer all God's enemies and reign forever on David's throne. This is picked up repeatedly in the prophets as in Ezekiel 34 where God says about the nation Israel after he brings them back from their captivity, "I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David and he will tend them; he will lead them and be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God and my servant David will be prince among them." This is about a thousand years after David lived so how can God make David who is dead prince over Israel? This is referring to great David's greater Son. The author to the Hebrews is simply saying that Jesus is this Son and he received the title by his obedient life and willing death. He now reigns on David's throne over the people of Israel, that is us, the church, forever. The quote in v. 6 is from Deut. 32:43. This is part of the final “song of Moses” and is a description of God’s bringing Israel, his people, into the land of Canaan and there destroying all of Israel’s enemies and establishing Israel as the head of the nations. It is at this point in the passage in Deuteronomy that the angels are commanded to worship Yahweh for what he has done in saving Israel. In other words, the author says the Son is Yahweh, the God of the Exodus and deserves the same praise as Yahweh. Then he says that just as Yahweh brought Israel into the land of Canaan, so the Son brings his people into the land of Promise. It is upon his entry into this land of Promise, which, according to 2:7 is the “world to come”, that the angels worship the Son. Christ has now entered heaven for us and the angels are now worshipping him in anticipation of that great and final day when the Son will return and bring us into the fullness of his salvation, into the new heavens and the new earth. The OT, when talking about the descendants of David is always talking in anticipation of the final and greatest son of David, Jesus Christ. No one else has ever done what he did: becoming man, obeying God’s will perfectly, dying for our sins, rising from the dead and being glorified at the right hand of God. He only has the right to be called “the Son whose Father is God.” No angel ever did what Jesus did and the way we know that is because God never said to an angel or to any other being, “You are my Son, today I have become your Father.” The angels are not only inferior to the Son but they are commanded to worship the Son upon the occasion of his entering the world to come. Jesus is absolutely unique in the universe. He is the only person to be named, "Son of God." To trust anyone else is absolute foolishness. Dear friends, no spouse, no child, no grandchild, no friend, no employer, no house, no car, no possession, no angel, no church, no hobby, no retirement fund, no doctor, no one and nothing in all of creation has inherited a name as great as the name of the eternal Son of God who by virtue of his obedient death has been given the name, “my Son”. Stop depending upon inferior persons and inferior promises. Trust the Son only. Jesus is more trustworthy than everyone and everything because…
II. He and his rule will never end (vv. 7-12) In this next section the author contrasts one brief statement made about angels in Psalm 104 with two extended statements made about the Son in Psalms 45 and 102. The context of Psalm 104 is key to understanding the point. In Psalm 104 we are told that God manipulates all of creation to serve his ends. Listen to some of the ways that God’s power over creation is described: “He wraps himself in light as with a garment.” “He stretches out the heavens like a tent.” “He makes the clouds his chariot…” God relates to light the way you relate to the clothes you are wearing. He relates to the blue sky and the star studded night sky the way we relate to a tent when we go camping. He treats clouds the way we treat cars. He rides around in them. This is poetry that captures God’s absolute rule over creation and how compliant creation is to his will. He can make created objects do whatever he wants them to do and use them in any way he pleases. It is in the midst of this description that we are told that “he makes the angels winds and his servants a flame of fire.” The point is that just as God uses all of creation in any way he pleases to fulfill his purposes, in the same way he uses angels to fulfill his purposes. Angels are simply part of creation, like wind, fire, light, clouds, sky, etc. Now in contrast to angels what do we find out about the Son? First, in Psalm 45 (page 402) we discover that the Son is God whose throne lasts forever. The Son is God who manipulates all of creation. There is no end to the sovereign rule of the Son. His rule is righteous or just. In the best of countries and under the best rulers in this world there is no perfect justice. However, in the kingdom of Christ there is perfect justice. Everyone receives exactly what he or she is due. The poor and weak and helpless are protected and vindicated. The wicked are punished because he is a king who loves righteousness and who hates wickedness. But notice how the author in quoting an OT text picked one that not only identifies the Son as fully God but also distinguishes him from God. Do you see that? The Psalm is addressed to a Davidic king who is getting married. This king is called God and then we are told that this God is set above his companions by God. He is with God and he is God in the words of John. Again, as in vv. 4-6, his exaltation above all others is due to the fact that he loves righteousness and hates wickedness. It is because Jesus loves righteousness and hates wickedness that he obeyed his Father and went to the cross and thus received the rewards of his obedience, being set above his companions and anointed with the oil of gladness, which, if we had the time, I would show you is a reference to the Holy Spirit. Psalm 45 is a psalm celebrating the marriage of one of the Davidic kings. It is a marvelous thing to be the bride of this great king. It is no wonder that the author of this letter picked this psalm so that we can see how privileged we are to be the bride of this great king. We share in all the benefits that belong to this exalted king. That is the point of vv. 10-15 in the psalm. We can forsake all other security and all other allegiances because we are the bride of the great king. We can and must depend upon him alone and be faithful to him alone. To believe the promises of anyone else is to commit adultery against our great husband. The climax of this section is a long quote from Psalm 102, which is a prayer for help from a person in deep anguish. This is a psalm offered by a person who has lost all hope. “…my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers. My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food.” Beginning in v. 12 he stops talking about his trouble and begins talking about Yahweh. It is in the midst of describing God’s power and love and mercy that he says the two verses that the author to the Hebrews quotes and applies to the Son. These verses state that the Son is the one who created the heavens and the earth and he is the one who will discard this heavens and this earth like we discard old and worn out clothing. The Son stands outside of creation as the creator and as the judge of all. He controls how long this universe will continue to exist as it does and one day he will act to change it. This is simply astonishing that the author to the Hebrews does not hesitate to quote a passage that is directly referencing God himself and apply it to Jesus. Anyone who says that the Bible does not teach that Jesus is God is absolutely deceived and deluded. There is no other explanation to this quotation than this. However, please don’t miss the context within which these verses occur. The fact of God the Son’s permanence is the antidote to the despair of the psalmist. How foolish we are to turn to lesser persons and lesser promises when we feel hopeless. When you are filled with despair over some loss or when you are overcome with fear at some potential loss do not think it is nothing to be told to trust Jesus. The entire created order is like a worn out shirt in comparison to him. Your troubles are temporary and any promise you trust in other than the promises that he has made are only temporary as well. Your job will fail you. Your health will fail you. Your savings will fail you. Your children will fail you. Your spouse will fail you. Your insurance company will fail you. Ultimately, you will fail and die. But the Son will never fail you because he alone is permanent and he alone permanently rules over all things. Jesus is more trustworthy than everyone and everything because…
III. He alone judges everyone and everything (vv. 13-14) The author ends this section by quoting the most often quoted OT passage in the NT. Psalm 110 is quoted or referred to in the book of Hebrews over a dozen times. It is quoted or referred to another 15-20 times in the rest of the NT. Jesus is the first one to use this psalm in his controversy with the Jewish leaders over the identity of the Messiah. The first verse of the Psalm says, “Yahweh said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’” David is the one who wrote this psalm. Therefore, David, the king of Israel has a Lord whom Yahweh the God of the universe invites to sit at the place of power and authority at his right hand while he subdues all his enemies under his feet. This psalm is not talking to a human king that will sit at God’s right hand. This psalm is describing a person who is the Lord of the king and whom God invites to share in his glory and power for the purpose of subduing all of this Lord’s enemies. Who else could this be but Jesus Christ, the Son of God become the Son of Man? The author to the Hebrews begins this quote by making the obvious point that God never said anything like this to any angel. He never invited an angel to sit at his right hand. He only invited the Son to sit at his right hand. He is working at this very moment to subdue all the enemies of the Son. This sounds a note of warning, which is going to be intensified in two verses and then amplified throughout the book. It is no accident that this list of verses begins and ends with psalms that emphasize the hostility of the Son and of the Son’s Father to his enemies. Psalm 2 says things like this: “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his anointed One. ‘Let us break their chains,’ they say, ‘and throw off their fetters.’ The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, ‘I have installed my king on my holy hill…. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way…” Psalm 110 says, “The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies… The Lord is at your right hand… He will judge the nations heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the earth…” The point of the quote in this context is simply this: don’t trust angels and what angels promise because angels can’t help you against the Son. In fact, the Son is opposed to all who refuse to trust him and rely upon other saviors and look for other salvations. Look at v. 14; the angels have no power except that which is delegated to them by the Son. The point is that they take orders, they don't give orders. They are sent out as his emissaries for the purpose of aiding those who inherit salvation. There are only these two categories of people: those who are enemies of the Son and those who inherit salvation through the Son. Our inheritance is due to the fact that the Son is the heir of all things and has inherited a name superior to all others. Why would you trust any other? Why would you look to angels when you can look to the Son? Why would you trust in the promises of the stock market when you can trust in the Son? Why would you trust in the promises of a middle class life in America when you can trust in the Son? Why would you trust in yourself, your goodness, your abilities, your intelligence, when you can trust in the Son? Tuesday when you go to vote you will reveal by your ballot which candidates you believe are better, more trustworthy. Whom you trust will be made visible by your actions. It is the same in our relationship with God. Whom you are trusting, which promises you believe are superior is revealed by how you live your life. How you do your work, how your treat your spouse, how you relate to the opposite sex, how you treat your parents, how you treat your teachers, how you spend your money, how you spend your time, your entire life reveals whom or what you are trusting in. Jesus and his promises are better than everyone and everything else so trust him and then live as if you do. Jesus is more trustworthy than everyone and everything because…
© Copyright 2006 John Swanson.
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