Greater Than…                                          Hebrews 1:1-4

Last week I said that the letter to Hebrews is written to the Jewish people. It progresses through an explanation of who Jesus is, what he accomplished for mankind, and how we are to respond to the sacrifice Jesus offered.

 The past few weeks we looked at Hebrews chapters 9 & 10 and saw how Jesus’ sacrifice corrected the flaws man infused the first covenant with. We also saw how Jesus’ sacrifice affected each individual either by salvation through faith or judgement by dismissal. I can see these first century people in and around Jerusalem asking how can Jesus’ death and our faith affect our eternity? The answer they received was the first few chapters of this letter. It is here that its author explains who Jesus is through scriptures the people know thereby giving the people a scripturally sound explanation of Jesus. And it is through this scriptural understanding of Jesus that we see how our faith in him or lack of faith in him can have eternal consequences for each person both 2000 years ago, today, and into the future.

Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” God created all things.

Those first century people knew angels more intimately than we do today. Angels reside in heaven and they perform tasks for God. This scripture shows us that God created the angels: and since scripture lists heaven before the earth in creation, and since man was created on the last day, we can deduce God created angels before men.

Psalm 8:5 says, “You have made (man) a little lower than the angels.” God created a hierarchy in creation. Genesis 1:26, “Then God said ‘…they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky…over all the creatures that move along the ground.’” We are above the plants and animals; angels are above us.

If we look we can see there is a hierarchy with the angels as well. There are the Cherubim who guard the gate to Eden, Seraphim who praise God without ceasing, Azrael, Uriel, Gabriel who visited Daniel and Mary, and Michael, who the Bible names as the chief angel, the archangel. Yet out of all of these, and the countless other angels, God never calls even one of them equal to himself.

Our readings verse 2, “…in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…through whom he made the universe.” Jesus was with God at the creation, and all creation was through him. Jesus wasn’t created by God, Jesus is God.

Hebrews 1:5, “For which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my Son…’” Hebrews 1”8, “But about the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever…’”

How can Jesus affect our eternity? Because he is above the angels and he sits on the throne of God.

Hebrews 3:3, “Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses…”  Exodus 34:29, “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.” Mose stood in the presence of God, but Moses didn’t stay with God, he returned to the place of man. Deuteronomy 34:5, “And Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in Moab…” Moses who stood before the face of God, died a human death and was buried in Moab.

John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus didn’t go from one place to stand next to God, Jesus was with God in the beginning before creation, and more than this; Jesus is God. Jesus did not go from the world of men to enter God’s tabernacle, Jesus left God’s tabernacle to enter the world of men.

John 20 verse 1, “Early on the first day of the week…Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw the stone had been removed…” Like Moses, Jesus died a human death, but unlike Moses, Jesus rose from the dead and again walked among men.

Acts 1”9, “After he said this he was taken up before their very eyes.” Moses left the land of men, stood before God, and returned to men. Jesus left the side of God, he entered the land of men and then returned to God. How can Jesus affect our eternity? Because he is greater than Moses.

Exodus 34:10-11, “Then the Lord said, ‘I am making a covenant with you. Obey what I command you today...’” Through Moses, God gave the Ten Commandments, he gave us the Law. And since God knew men couldn’t keep the spirit of the Law, he also gave through Moses the animal sacrificial system to cleanse them of their transgressions against the law.

 As we saw in Hebrews 10, the sacrifices were meant as a reminder to men of their sin and they were designed to lead men to repentance for the sacrifices could remove the stain of sin, but they never could truly remove sin from men’s hearts, that’s why they needed to be repeated over and over. However, the Law came from God and therefore it of itself is perfect, it was corrupted by the imperfect flesh of men. Jesus came to earth to take our place before the Law and to fulfill it perfectly. Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Jesus fulfilled the Law as demonstration to man that it is perfect and holy, yet as imperfect beings the law still brings us condemnation.

John 14:6, “Jesus answered them, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” God introduced a new covenant based not on men’s actions but on Jesus actions. The way to salvation is not reliant on keeping the Law but by faith in Jesus. Romans 8”3, “For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinless flesh to be a sin offering.” 2 Corinthians 3 verses 7-8, “Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory…will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?” How can Jesus affect our eternity? Because Jesus is greater than the Law.

When God created the universe we’re told in Genesis 2:2, “…on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” God continued this pattern when he gave the sabbath to men. For six days a week men worked, not only did they work for their livelihood, they worked at keeping the Commandments so they could be closer to God. On the seventh day men were to rest from this labor and contemplate their lives and their relationship with God.

Matthew 11:28, “Come to me all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus doesn’t mean rest from farming or carpentry. Jesus is talking to those who feel the burden of always striving to meet God’s standards. By faith in Jesus this burden is removed. As believers in Christ, you no longer have to work at being perfect for God, Jesus is perfect for you. How can Jesus affect our eternity? Because Jesus is greater than the Sabbath. Matthew 12:6, “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

One thing to be clear on; just because Jesus is perfect for us does not mean we get a free ride; we are still expected to try to live as God tells us. And we are expected to get better at it as we mature in faith. It’s just that as believers the burden is lifted, when we fall short our salvation is not affected. When we fall short God still is in relationship with us and we do not need to do anything for forgiveness, we have been forgiven before we even acted.

Jesus walked the earth over 2000 years ago. How can his death so long ago reconcile us with God? How can our faith in him now have an effect on our eternity?

It is because a man, Moses, left the land of men to stand before God and then returned to men, while Jesus left God’s side to enter the land of men and then returned to the divine, thus Jesus is greater than Moses.

It is because of what we’re told in Romans 7:10, “I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.” Jesus lived the law perfectly for us and his death on the cross opened for us the path to redemption; thus, Jesus is above the law.

It is because Jesus is open to us every moment of our lives and it is faith in him that frees us from continually sweating over our burden of working to be right in God’s eyes, thus Jesus is greater than the sabbath.

It is because Jesus is above the animals, above men, and above the angels. It is because Jesus is equal to God, because Jesus is God.

May our Lord Jesus’ peace, love and rest be with each of you,

Amen.