Sermons

Thursday, 9 August 2018

You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” Hebrews 1:9

The words of this verse are found in Psalm 45:7 –

“You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

Two things bear on the first words of the verse, as cited in Hebrews. First, the previous verse said, “A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.” Thus, it is inferred from those words that Christ Jesus has “loved righteousness and hated lawlessness.” Secondly, the descriptions prophesied of Christ Jesus throughout the Old Testament bear witness to this same fact as well (e.g. see Isaiah 32:1 and Jeremiah 23:5). Therefore, the author knowing these things, and having known the fully righteous work of Christ under the law, next says, “Therefore.”

It is because of His faithfulness to righteousness and His hatred of lawlessness, that the author says, “God, Your God, has anointed You.” The anointing spoken of here is the anointing of a king, as the term Messiah, or “Anointed One,” relays. The word “Christ” in the Greek carries the same meaning. Because of Christ’s upholding of perfect righteousness, never failing under the Law of Moses, Christ was resurrected to eternal life. He has prevailed over death. In that, God anointed Him to His eternal kingship. In this is seen the Son’s divine glory in His exaltation. In confirmation of the excellence of the anointing, it then says, “With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

Thus far, Christ Jesus has been seen compared and contrasted to the angels. This is what is being referred to here. The angels are heavenly beings who attended to Christ during His earthly ministry, for example. But this verse must also surely refer to men as well. Any and all who are companions of the Lord, and who have served God faithfully, stand in comparison to Christ. And yet, Christ has been elevated above them all – angel and man. He stands above them in a Father/Son relationship with God. All of creation, including all creatures in creation, are subjected to the rule and authority of Christ Jesus.

Life application: Offshoot cults and aberrant sects of Christianity will always attempt to diminish the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Jehovah’s Witnesses claim Jesus is a created being. Mormons state that Jesus was a man who became a god. Hebrews Roots adherents claim that we are obligated to follow the Law of Moses, implying that Christ’s work in fulfillment of it was insufficient to save us, and implying that we need to save ourselves apart from Him. On and on it goes. Jesus Christ is God, and to Jesus Christ belongs all of our praise, honor, and glory – to the glory of God the Father.

Lord God, help us to never diminish the glory of what You have done through Jesus Christ by lessening His glory. Your word says that all should honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. If we fail to honor Christ Jesus, we fail to honor You. May this never be! Give us wisdom to always be glorifying of You through our glorying in, and glorifying of, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Wednesday, 8 August 2018

But to the Son He says:
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. Hebrews 1:8

The contrast between the angels of 1:7 and the Son in 1:8 is now made. This is evidenced in the words “But to the Son He says.” God was speaking of (or to – the preposition in both verses can mean either) the angels in verse 7, describing their purposes as directed by Him. However now, in a citation from Psalm 45:6, 7 and concerning His Son, He says, “Your throne, O God.”

The author connects the contents of the psalm to that of the coming Messiah. If this were not the standard interpretation of this, he could not have reasonably cited it to a Hebrew audience without his words being completely rejected. But in using them, it is understood that Jewish audiences anticipated that they were to be fulfilled in Messiah. The throne of God, under the rule of Messiah, is what is spoken of here. As the Son is the Messiah, He has inherited the right to the throne of God itself. Thus God is proclaiming that Messiah is God, and the throne of Messiah “is forever and ever.”

The Greek of these words is “unto the ages of ages.” The Greek aión signifies “an age,” or a “cycle of time.” The superlative form used here signifies “for all ages of time,” and thus unto eternity. The rule of Messiah, who is God, shall be eternal. Unlike the angels who are simply messengers which are directed to effect God’s purposes at any given time and for set reasons, the rule of Messiah is from the heavenly throne, and it is for all time and for all governance. That is seen in the next words where the author speaks of, “A scepter of righteousness.”

The scepter is the ruling instrument of a throne. It is what signifies the authority, and when pointed at a messenger, he is directed to conduct the affairs given to him. The Son bears the scepter, and He wields it in righteousness. However, the words in Greek read “THE scepter,” not “A scepter.” As Charles Ellicott says, “Righteousness itself (so to speak, the very ideal of righteous government) bears sway in Thy kingdom.” It is “The scepter of righteousness” which the author then describes as, “The scepter of Your kingdom.”

The kingdom of Messiah is the kingdom of God; He is the Lord (Yehovah). Of Him, and of His authority, Isaiah says –

The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
³ His delight is in the fear of the Lord,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
⁴ But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
⁵ Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.

Messiah’s righteousness being “the belt of His loins” means that He is girded with it. He is wrapped and enveloped in righteousness. It is in this state that He exercises His rule. The angels, though great and powerful, have nothing on Messiah. The contrast is made, it is clear, and it is undeniable. Though this is so, the author of Hebrews will continue with words of His splendor in the verses ahead.

Life application: People in today’s world use Jesus as an example of whatever pitiful cause they are pursuing. If it is to argue against the death penalty, they have a verse – pulled out of context – to justify their unrighteous stand. If it is to promote socialism, the same is the case. These people will find out (because they failed to accept the Bible as written during their lives) how mistaken they were about the righteousness of Christ Jesus. He will not allow any such unrighteous behavior, nor does He condone it now. Pay heed to the word, and be advised that it describes the unchanging Christ.

Heavenly Father, we need to know when people misuse Scripture for their own perverse purposes. It has become as common as seeing birds fly in the sky, and it shows a total disregard for Your glory and Your righteousness. Give us wisdom in how to refute such abuses, and to set the record straight about the intent of Your word. This we pray that You will always be properly exalted as shown in the Bible. Amen.

Tuesday, 7 August 2018

And of the angels He says:
“Who makes His angels spirits
And His ministers a flame of fire.” Hebrews 1:7

Our author here once again paints a contrast between angels and the Son. In this, he begins with, “And of the angels He says.” The words are to be contrasted with what will be said in the next verse, “But to the Son He says.” This second set of contrasts is given to show that not just an isolated thought about the superiority of the Son was pulled out of Scripture, but that it is a consistent theme which can be found and relied upon. Further, the contrast is that of the many (angels) to that of One (the Son). And again, the term “angels” signifies messengers who go at another’s bidding. The term “Son” signifies one who is of the inheritance and who thus has authority to send. Understanding this, he now turns to Psalm 104:4 –

Who makes His angels spirits,
His ministers a flame of fire.

The NKJV, cited here, appears to not capture the intent of what is being relayed. The word for “angels,” in both Hebrew and Greek, signifies a messenger. And so the author is showing that angels are messengers. And again, the word for “spirits,” in both Hebrew and Greek, has the dual meaning of “winds.” Young’s Literal Translation more closely follows the intent of the psalm –

“Making His messengers — the winds, His ministers — the flaming fire.”

This verse in Hebrews is not speaking of the creation of angels as spirit-beings, but the employment of angels as directed beings, likened to the forces of wind and fire. This is what is on his mind here. And those messengers come in the form of wind and fire. This follows through with the thought of what occurs several times in Scripture, such as with Elijah in 1 Kings 19 –

“Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; ¹² and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19:11, 12

The Lord created the winds as a resistless force. It cannot be grasped with the hand, and yet it can cause a variety of effects, from cooling the skin to tearing apart the mountains. Likewise, fire is a part of creation which God directs as a consuming weapon of destruction.

Further, the winds are an invisible force, whereas fire is a visible one. And so there is a contrast to show that God is in control of both that which can be seen, and that which cannot be seen. And as another reason for considering this, lightning is known from the Old Testament to be considered the “fire of God,” such as in Job 1:16. Therefore, like the storm which issues forth both wind and fire from God, the angels are likened to the wind and fire of the storm, being directed by God. Whichever way one looks at them, they are created, they are directed by another, and they accomplish the purposes of God for Him. In contrast to this will be the next verse.

Life application: At times, it is hard to determine if a word which has two meanings – such as the Hebrew ruakh which means both “spirit” and “wind” – is speaking of one or the other. And so, these differences normally come down to looking at the rest of Scripture to find out what is on the author’s mind. If a suitable analogy can be made, then the translation which carries that analogy should be used. If not, then it is up to translator’s preference as to which meaning he assigns. In the end, the only way to evaluate these things is to know the rest of Scripture. Be sure to read your Bible daily. The more you do, the more you will be able to call to mind the many thoughts which surround individual concepts. Read your Bible.

Gracious and merciful God, Your word says that You send forth Your angels for various purposes. At times, they are sent out for destruction, and at times they are sent out as ministering spirits for Your people. We would pray that You would watch over us in mercy, send Your angels to care for us and to form a wall of protection around us from the entities of evil which are also there, working to bring us harm. Thank You, O God, for hearing our prayer and responding according to Your wisdom and care of us. Amen.

Monday, 6 August 2018

But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says:
“Let all the angels of God worship Him.” Hebrews 1:6

The words of this verse are incorrectly translated by some versions by saying something like, “And again, when he brings in the first-begotten into the world…” In the Greek, the word “brings” is tied to “again.” It is not a supplementary statement to the previous verse. Rather it is a new thought referring to a new point in time. In the previous verse, it spoke of Christ’s first advent (Today I have begotten You). That was when He “by Himself purged our sins” (verse 3). Now it is speaking of a second event.

“But when He again brings the firstborn into the world,” speaks of that event. The Firstborn is Christ. He is termed this several times in the New Testament, such as Romans 8:29, Colossians 1:15, 18, and Revelation 1:5. The words, “He again brings” Him “into the world,” is a grammatical tool where the “event is conceived as occurring at an indefinite time in the future, but is viewed as complete” (Vincent’s Word Studies). There is a time which is set, and which God spoke of as accomplished, though it is yet future. It is where the cited Scripture would apply directly to Christ’s second coming. It is stated by the author as, “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”

Here he does not cite the Hebrew version of the Scriptures, but the Greek translation of it. It is cited in Deuteronomy 32:43 and again substantially in Psalm 97:7. The Greek translation of the Old Testament is what the author consistently uses for his Old Testament citations.

It is true that the angels of God had recognized Christ’s works after they were completed. 1 Timothy 3:16 says that He was “seen by angels.” However, the culmination of Christ’s great redemptive work lies yet ahead at His second coming. It is a time when the fulfillment of this Scripture will be then realized.

It should be noted that in citing Psalm 97:7, it is another of the countless references to the deity of Christ. There, it is applied to the Lord (Yehovah) of the Old Testament. In Hebrews, it is applied directly to Jesus. It is an implicit reference, then, to Christ being the Lord (Yehovah) of the Old. Such is the reason for the inclusion of this. It demonstrates, unequivocally, that Jesus is “greater than” the angels.

Life application: As the angels were created by God, and as the angels will worship Jesus, it is rather obvious that Jesus is God. The particular wording of this verse, and many others, further solidifies this point. If you have called out to Jesus, but not as Lord (meaning God), you have called out to a false Jesus. Jesus is God. This is the message which is seen time and again as we wind our way through Scripture.

Lord God Almighty! Great and glorious are You. You have set the earth in its place as the center of Your attention. And You have placed the earth here as a dwelling for man. Everything is set with this in mind. And then, after the focus of Your attention – we humans – rebelled, You were still willing to send Christ Jesus to redeem us. What is the value of man? If You sent Jesus to bring us back to You, we must have great value. Help us to recognize this, and live lives worthy of that state. To Your glory we pray. Amen.