Angels, Drifters, And Jesus Series

Angels, Drifters, and Jesus

(Hebrews 1:4-2:4)

1. There is nothing more boring for a married man than going shopping with his wife in a women’s clothing store. Not only is there no hardware department to occupy the men, but men are often frustrated that their wives return empty-handed, meaning another trip later. If the objective is to buy a blouse or skirt, why come back empty handed. Goal unaccomplished, a man thinks.

2. Fortunately for me, Marylu is content shopping at such stores alone; but it still happens occasionally.

3. This article suggests this is typical: “At last the truth is out - men are genetically programmed to be better shoppers than women! Scientists at Brunel University, UK, have proven what men have been saying to their partners for some time now - that they spend less time browsing, have a far clearer idea of what they want and can navigate shopping trips more quickly and effectively.

The reason for this lies in men’s "hunter-gatherer" genes which allows them to be more effective at going in for the "kill" on the high street … Even their heart rates increase at the moment of purchase…

For women, however, shopping tends to be a leisure activity in which the social aspect is important. Compared to men, women tend to shop more often than they need to, visit more shops than necessary and spend longer hours shopping than they need to. Men, on the other hand, try to complete their shopping in the shortest possible time and by being purposeful about this are more efficient in a strictly objective sense, saving time that might be considered squandered.

Women can’t even blame National characteristics because the researchers looked at shopping patterns in 14 countries, including Britain, China, France and India and found that the differences between the genders were similar all over the world….From article by Jonathan Prynn (Consumer Affairs Editor) published in Evening Standard on 6 October 2005] source: awordinyoureye.com

4.The tendency to drift away from objectives is not always bad, depending upon the objective. We have all delayed doing something only to later discover that we were better off not doing it.

5. But there are other drifts that have negative consequences. Couples drifting apart, siblings drifting apart, friends drifting apart. But the worst is Me and God drifting apart, You and God drifting apart. That drifting dethrones Jesus Christ in our lives and makes Him less than our Lord.

Main Idea: Today we are dealing with the most important thing about our lives. What we think of and how we respond to Jesus is the most crucial thing about us.

I. Jesus is the HIGHEST: Angels Do Not Compete (1:4-14).

• So who are the angels and what do they do? Generally invisible spirit persons. How many are there? Do they have ranks? Fallen and holy. Guardian angels, cherubim, seraphim, messenger.

Note: The term “Son” refers to Jesus in one of three ways: (1) The eternal Son of God [deity], (2) The incarnate Son of God [humbled humanity and deity], and (3) The exalted incarnate Son of God [exalted humanity and deity]. Understanding this helps navigate through this section.

A. Jesus is superior to angels in His exalted HUMANITY (4).

B. The Son of God has always been superior to the angels because He is GOD (5-14).

The writer quotes from 7 OT texts to make the case. Whereas Paul would say, “it is written,” Apollos (?) (Or the writer) says, “it says,” another formula for quoting Scripture.

1. The SON vs. sons (5)

Note: “Son(s) of God can mean several things, depending upon context: (1) angels (Job 2:1), (2) God the Son (Hebrews 1:1-3), (3) Humans (Luke 3:38), (4) Regenerate/saved humans (Romans 8:14), Kings or rulers (Psalm 2, original context).

Firstborn = “in the place of honor.” Usually the son born first received the place of honor, a double portion of the inheritance and family leadership. But that was often given to another son born later (Isaac instead of Ishmael, Jacob instead of Esau, Joseph instead of Reuben, etc.). It is a figure of speech for the most honored. In this instance, it refers to Jesus' humanity. Of all created entities, His humanity is above all other creation. His deity as the Son of God, of course, means that His divine nature is uncreated and eternal. The term “begotten” is connected to his human nature, and time of this “begetting” is His ascension and resurrection.

2. Worthy of WORSHIP (6)

Revelation 22:8-9, I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”