160410 Jesus, Made Lower Than the Angels

Hebrews 2:5-9 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. ⁶ It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? ⁷ You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, ⁸ putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. ⁹ But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

It is an awesome thought to consider the fact that Jesus was made lower than the angels. Especially awesome considering the fact that the Scriptures teach that one day Christian believers will judge the angels. If we’re going to be over the angels it is especially amazing that Christ Jesus was made lower than the angels. Having lowered himself God raised him up, gave him all authority in heaven and on earth, and God has put all things under his feet and made him the head over all things for the church (Ephesians 1:22)

We need to remember that…

It was not angels who were put in charge. Let’s look back to Hebrews 1:13-14. And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? ¹⁴ Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Angels are certainly a part of creation. In all likelihood the angels were created before the universe. However, the Bible gives us very little information about the time of the creation of angels. We do know that there are many millions of angels and the angels have a responsibility for taking care of people. However…

It was the Son who was put in charge. Clearly we see in Hebrews 1:8 evidence of the authority given to Jesus.  But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.

Jesus himself said that all authority in heaven and on earth was given to him by the Father (Matthew 28:18). Jesus’ death and resurrection brought about the power necessary to make him Lord of the dead and the living (Romans 14:9). Consequently, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11). That authority given to him covers the Church, the world as it is now, hell, and the heavens! Clearly, it is taught throughout Scripture that…

There is a world to come. There are many passages of Scripture we can look at but let’s see what Peter had to say. 2 Peter 3:11-13 Since all these things (the world and all it contains) are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ¹² waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! ¹³ But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

We need to remember, the truth taught in the old song by Jim Reeves: This World is not My Home. This world and all that’s in it will one day be dissolved. The coming world will be entirely different from the world we know now. If you want to read about it take the time this afternoon to look up Revelation chapter 21. Even then you will only know what human words can describe and not what it’s really all about. In order to achieve authority over this coming world…

Jesus emptied himself for us. Turn with me to Philippians 2:5-11. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

It is so hard to imagine! God the Son coming to earth by way of a human birth and then laying aside his divinity. After becoming a human who had to learn and grow. He was perfectly willing to humble himself not just to be man but also to be a servant of others and then be arrested, beaten and crucified. There is hardly any other way of execution that is so humiliating. To be stripped naked, beaten to within an inch of his life, and then being nailed to a cross, put up for the public to see while he died. Since he was willing to do this the Father not only raised him up from the dead but also raises his name above every name. Ultimately, every knee shall bow — everywhere: on earth, in heaven and in hell — and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

As a result of this bestowal of authority…

Jesus reigns at this time. This is not something that Jesus has to wait for. Several places in the Bible we see Jesus already ruling. Let’s see what Paul told the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 15:24-28. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. ²⁸ When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

Jesus began his ministry by announcing that the kingdom was near at hand (Mark 1:15). The time had come for him to begin the process that continues today. In the words of Isaac Watts, written nearly 300 years ago, “Jesus shall reign where’er the sun does it successive journeys run; his kingdom spread from shore to shore, till moons show wax and wane more.”

The Lord Jesus rules now by virtue of having delivered his blood to the altar in heaven and seated himself at the right hand of power. According to what we have just read he is going to continue to rule until he has put all his enemies under his feet. His authority will be fully recognized by people when Jesus returns to earth in power and great glory. On that day he will be proclaimed King of kings and Lord of lords to the glory of God the Father.

He achieved this authority because…

Jesus was obedient to the point of death. His obedience is shown before his crucifixion in his own words found in John 10:17-18. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

It’s interesting to hear the debate over whether the Holy Spirit or God the Father raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus stated specifically that he had the authority to lay down his own life and he had the authority to take it up again. Jesus died in his humanity but he lives forever in his divinity. And as the divine Son of God, Jesus rules over us and…

We are to be like him because we are his subjects. When he laid down his life he also laid down a pattern for us. Look at his own words in Matthew 20:25-28 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ²⁶ It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, ²⁸ even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

As Jesus stated, in The Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20, he has been given all authority. Since he has been given the authority he gives it to us as well. We have the authority to make disciples as we go about our day-to-day activities. Jesus himself came among us to serve and to give his life as a ransom. While we cannot save anyone through our death we can imitate the Lord Jesus Christ by serving others. He lived his life as one having authority and he extends that authority to us as we bear witness of him.

When Saul of Tarsus was struck down on the Damascus Road a message was prepared to be given to him. A disciple named Aeneas was told to go to Saul, pray for him that he might be healed, and then tell him that Christ will show him how much he must suffer. Saul of Tarsus would become Paul the apostle and he learned that being called to follow Christ is not a picnic. Again we turn to the words of Isaac Watts. “Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease, while others fought to win the prize and sailed through bloody seas?”

According to his own account, Paul was beaten five times by the Jews; three times he was beaten with rods; once he was stoned; he was shipwrecked three times and there were many other things that he suffered (2 Corinthians 11:24-29). If our Lord Jesus suffered and his apostles also…

We are to suffer like him for our spiritual growth. Turn to Romans 5:3-5. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Paul, writing to the Romans, and James the Lord’s brother, writing to the scattered church, had a very similar message. We should rejoice when we suffer! Actually I prefer to rejoice in good things that come into my life but the Lord teaches us that we are to suffer as he suffered.

And suffering, for the right reasons, is designed by God to produce endurance; endurance produces character; character produces hope and hope will keep us from being ashamed. James’ words are similar, “the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.… Let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4) So we are to rejoice, or “count it all joy” when we suffer for the kingdom sake.

We can take heart in the promise of Jesus that even though, “In the world you will have tribulation.… I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

I will close with a quote from John Piper. “I want you to leave this morning with this truth ringing in your heart: Jesus Christ is infinitely superior to angels. They were created not to compete with Christ, but to worship Christ and honor him. And the chief way that they do that on the earth is by serving us so that we hold fast to Christ and trust him and love him and treasure him and finally reach him in the fullness of our salvation. So angels were created for Christ's everlasting glory and for our everlasting joy—which, as you well know, are not contradictory aims. Because Christ is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”

All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.