Lower than the angels

1. Ancient Greeks believed the earth is the center of the universe.

2. It was thought that all the distant starts looked inward to the earth as it is the center of the creation.

3. For a long time the Western world also had this view.

4. Religious people often believed all things pointed to the earth because man is God’s supreme creation.

5. Time, study, and many advancements have shown we are not at the center of the created order.

6. We are, however, in a very special position.

7. Scientists know the earth is perfectly positioned to learn about creation.

8. Out of all the places we could be, we just happen to be in the right spot if were to choose to do some exploring.

THE AUTHOR OF THE HEBREW LETTER (WHOEVER THAT WAS), TOUCHES ON THIS POINT IN A GENERAL WAY IN HEBREWS 2.

a) In Heb. 2:6 the writer asked a question (he cited a verse from the Old Testament).

b) He said, “what is man that God has been mindful of him”?

c) This question is being asked from two distinct vantage points.

2) On the one hand, what is man when he is compared to God? He is insignificant.

3) A lot of people think the Bermuda Triangle is a place where supernatural forces operate.

4) I grew up with stories about this being a mysterious place that no one could explain.

a) In the last 25 years there has been a mounting body for evidence for “rogue waves.”

b) Waves that are 70’, 90’, or more than 100’ feet high just appear in the ocean.

c) One minute these giant are not there and the next minute they are.

d) Various forces and conditions can create these waves; scientists can duplicate some of them in labs.

e) The conditions for rogue waves occur in various parts of the world.

f) The area we know as the Bermuda Triangle is a place that has just the right conditions for these waves.

g) When one of these waves hits, it can sink a huge cruise ship in less than 30 seconds.

h) These waves can literally cause the largest of ships to just disappear almost without warning.

5) Imagine a state of the art cruise ship with 5,000 people on board.

6) A single rouge wave hits and in 20 seconds the people and the ship they are on are gone.

7) What is man? He is a creature that can be wiped out in a matter of seconds with just ocean wave.

8) That makes us sound about as significant as an ant on the street that we squash with a car tire.

9) This is one of the thoughts in Heb. 2:6. There is also a second picture.

a) 6 day were used to create man and what we know to exist.

b) One day all the things God created will be burned up (2 Pet. 3:10).

c) In spite of God one day obliterating our world and the creation, man will continue.

d) The good and the bad will live on in an eternal state.

e) If man will exist for eternity, this makes him pretty important.

10) This is a basic introduction to Heb. 2:6-8.

a) In verse 9 of Heb. 2 we are introduced to a contrast – the writer says “but.”

b) When we study the subject of angels we cannot overlook this verse.

c) It needs to be studied in part because it is a passage that is criticized by skeptics.

d) People who do not believe the Bible would say this passage conflicts with Heb. 1.

11) In the opening chapter of this book we are told that Jesus is God (deity).

12) In Heb. 1:8 we find these words describing Jesus: “Thy throne, o God, is forever and ever.”

13) Jesus is called “God.” In Heb. 2, we find something else about Jesus; He is lower than angels..

14) If Jesus is God, how could the Lord have been “lower than an angel”?

a) Let’s look at Heb. 2:9 – READ.

b) There is no conflict between what is said about Jesus in Heb. 1 and Heb. 2.

15) We do recognize the Lord as deity; Jesus was willing to leave heaven to come to the earth as a sacrifice.

16) He was willing to live as a man and die as a man.

17) Jesus became lower than the angels; this has not always been His position.

a) I have heard a lot of things said before we partake of the Lord’s Supper.

b) I have never heard someone say, “Jesus became lower than an angel to save us.”

c) Yet, this would be a perfectly good point to make.

d) Imagine God saying, “I will become an angel” to redeem man.

18) Would that not be impressive?

a) God is a term that means “omni” (all) in every sense.

b) God is all knowing, all powerful, all wise, all present, the originator and ruler of the universe.

c) If God became an angel, that would mean He would no longer have all power.

d) It would mean that all knowledge would no longer be available.

e) It would mean all wisdom would be set aside.

f) It would mean that giving up the ability to be in all places at once.

g) It would mean setting aside the claim as the originator of all things.

h) It would mean no longer being the ruler of the universe.

19) We see ex-presidents lament how they miss their jobs.

20) It may be a college president who is retiring or a U.S. president.

21) We hear similar things from the CEO of a company; they retire and someone else takes their place.

22) We have earthly examples of people “stepping down” from a position or role.

23) Imagine being God and taking the form of an angel.

24) Even if God became an arch angel we cannot fully grasp all that such a choice would entail.

a) What do we find in Heb. 2:9?

b) Jesus did not become an angel; He went even lower to become a man.

c) If men were writing this story, it would likely go something like this:

25) God decided to live among men and be a man.

26) God cannot be an ordinary man; God came to the earth and He became a king.

27) He was a king over an earthly kingdom and blessed those in his kingdom in many ways.

28) If this were the story, people would likely sit back and think, “What a sacrifice.”

a) The ruler and the creator of the universe came to personally rule on earth.

b) We could make a movie out of this story line.

29) Such a movie would not be an accurate portrayal of the facts.

30) God came to earth in the form of a man but He never received a physical kingdom.

31) Jesus said His kingdom “is not of this world” (Jn. 18:36).

a) Jesus came as a man, and we know what He did as a man.

b) Lk. 2:51 says He “subjected himself to earthly parents.”

c) Can we imagine the God of heaving taking human form and doing this?

d) God assumed human flesh and was obedient to a man and woman.

32) Jesus was deity in the flesh but He was still obedient to the Scriptures (Mt. 4:3-4).

33) He was obedient to the Holy Spirit (Mk. 1:12).

34) He subjected Himself to John the Baptist (Mt. 3:13-15).

35) He submitted Himself to Satan (Mt. 4:1), taxes (Mt. 17:27), and civil government.

36) He even subjected Himself to all the typical things faced by us (fatigue, the need for food, hate).

a) Jesus came to serve mankind in the form of man.

b) Mt. 1:21 says the name Jesus meant this man would save people from their sins.

c) Jesus said He came to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 10:6).

d) He came to “seek and save the lost” (Lk. 19:10).

37) Jesus had what has been called a “dual nature.”

38) He was deity and He was humanity; God and man were fused together in human flesh.

39) Thus, there were times when Jesus was worshipped and He accepted it.

40) Jesus knew who He was. He also realized He was fully man.

41) Jesus accepted about the most elementary role in our world He could assume.

42) He became a man who served many people for an extended period of time.

43) At the end of Heb. 2:9 we are told “by the grace of God” Jesus has “tasted death for every man.”

44) If people really understood who Jesus is they would fall on their faces with gratitude.

45) People would see the Christ of the Bible and say, “I want to know and I want to serve Jesus Christ.”

a) The other night while coming home I was flipping through the radio stations.

b) I paused for a moment because a man was illustrating a sermon with an old illustration.

c) A former president had gone to a religious service and an aide had accompanied him.

d) After they service had concluded the aid asked what the president thought of the sermon.

46) The President said, “it was well thought out—very logical. It was eloquently presented.”

47) “In my judgment it was a failure.” The failure comment puzzled the aide so he asked why.

48) The President said, “The preacher did not ask the people to do something great.”

49) Not every sermon is designed to ask people to do something great.

50) Tonight this material is. See who the Jesus of the Bible is.

51) Some become a Christian but I am persuaded never really grasp who the Lord is.

52) We need to stretch our minds to understand the Christ of the Bible.

53) Knowing that Jesus became a man instead of an angel may help us see what the Lord has done.

54) If our eyes can be opened to the Lord’s grace, we can only respond in one way.

a) We will conclude that Jesus deserves our life-long loyalty.

b) Whatever He asks through His word we will be ready to give.

c) However much He asks, we will be ready, willing, and eager to give it.

55) Jesus does ask a lot. He wants our all. He said service to Him comes first, Mt. 6:33.

56) He said He takes precedence over family members.

57) Service to Him takes precedence over our jobs.

58) We do not neglect family and employment; He is our first priority in life.

59) When we look at what He has done for us, we must agree that He has the right to ask for these things.

60) Back in Heb. 2 we find another significant point in verse 10.

a) Some translations say Jesus is our “captain” (other versions use the word “author”).

b) Captain is a compound word; one part of the word means “rule” and the other part means “lead.”

c) This single word has the senses of leader, originator, founder.

d) We might compare it to our English word “trailblazer.”

e) Jesus could not have blazed much of a trail for us had He become an angel.

f) He could not have blazed a good trail if had He become a rich earthly king.

g) Jesus met us on our own turf; thought He was God He got down into the trenches with man.

h) He personally experienced the good and bad things of life; He has the perfect resume to help us.

61) In Heb. 2 we are told He wants to be the captain of our life. We need that type of help.

62) As noted earlier, we are weak and frail creatures. We can be destroyed by something as simple as a wave.

63) We need His help in life and we need His help in eternity. Have we accepted it?