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Did we start with first four?
Hebrews, chapter one, verse 4.
Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he, at any time Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.
And again I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.
And again, when you bring us in the first begun begotten into the world, he saith. And let all the angels of God worship him.
And of the angels he saith, who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the sun he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy Kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
And thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest. They shall wax oldest death of garment, and as a vesture shall thou fold them up. They shall be changed, but thou art the same, and thy ears shall not fail. But to which of the angels, said he, at any time Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them? Who shall be heirs of salvation?
00:05:14
Exercise in suggesting these chapters was really similar to what we have in the peace offering in the book of Leviticus. I think most of us know that the peace offering is better translated the communion offering, because what it is is communion with God's thoughts as well as with others. And so in the book of Hebrews, in these first two chapters, this is what refreshes God's heart. By his grace, he's brought us in to communion with his own thoughts.
So if we go through these chapters, it's good to remember that we're not just analyzing these chapters, but it's a communion with God's thoughts. And so it's appropriate that we have a spirit of worship and adoration. And so we noticed the first, umm, superiority, the Lord Jesus the superior because he's divine, superior to the prophets, and the 1St 3 verses because he is divine, he is God the Son.
And then the second superiority would be good if we tried to finish this chapter this afternoon if at all possible. And that is that he's superior to the angels because the angels are creatures, though the most exalted of God's creatures. But.
Jesus is God the Son. Bruce, you said there's seven passages. Could you help us out on that?
Well, there are 7 quotations from the Old Testament here that are brought into to emphasize the fact that the Lord Jesus is superior in every way to angels. And uh, you get a quotation from, uh, well, some.
UH-2, which is in verse five. We get another quotation in Psalm, the end of verse 5, which is uh from Second Samuel.
Then, uh, we're six. There's another quotation, uh, with regard to the angels worshipping him. That would be the third one. Then, uh, uh, verse 7 is a quotation from, I believe in Psalm 104. Yes. And then, uh, verse 8 is a quotation from Psalm 45.
Then uh verse 1011 and 12 is a quotation from Psalm 102.
And then lastly, verse 13, we have a quotation from Psalm 110, which by the way, Psalm 110 is the most quoted, uh.
Passage in the New Testament from the Old Testament.
But you could also say that these quotations demonstrate his character of superiority and his deity, and someone has suggested that in the fifth verse. That verse tells us that he is the Son because he's superior to the angels. In the 6th and 7th verses he receives worship.
Only the Lord receives worship.
Rightly. And then in the 8th and 9th verses he's righteous, and those verses demonstrate that. And then verse 10 he's Jehovah.
And then in verse.
11 and verse 10 again he's the Creator, and verse 11 he's the eternal one. And then his immutability is demonstrated in the 12Th verse.
So those are different characters of what is demonstrated in those verses.
What we see is things that are predicated of Him that are only mentioned in connection with God, and that immediately sets Him apart from angels. And you can see that He is superior to them in name as verse four, in relationship as the Father and Son verse five, and in worship that's verse 6.
And in creatorship, that's verse seven and verse and then in in Rule, he will rule as God is a receptor and so on. He has a Kingdom which is only predicated of him, not angels. He is superior also in the immunity which is versus 9 through 11. Last but not least in position taking a place at God's right hand, which angels are not sent to hell. So there's seven things that he's bringing out here that set the Lord Jesus apart from angels.
00:10:13
Far apart.
And the test to us in a practical way is?
Do they set him apart in our hearts?
We can compare them to angels because God does. And, uh, Jewish believers.
Angels were the greatest to them expression of way in which God communicated with them and.
They highly reverence them for that reason, but I think rather than the practical sense in our hearts this afternoon is what effect do these things have as to His person upon our hearts?
To God they mean everything, and He wants them to mean everything to us. So may the Lord help us as we go over them, to respond to them with an adoration of heart for the greatness of Himself.
I recognize the timing of this is not the force of these passages here, but in the fifth verse we really have the incarnation and then we have the Lord's pathway here, don't we?
Thou art my son, This day have I begotten thee.
That's incarnation.
Not Speaking of the eternal sonship here, but here is a man born into this world owned his Son of God, begotten in time. Man owned the Son of God. True, he was the Son eternally, but here it's a man begotten in time. And again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. His passage taken for second Samuel in reference to Solomon. And again, it's not so much the relationship of the Father and the Son here. I'm thinking perhaps turn to 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 for just a.
An example of how the expression is used. It isn't that these things are not so. He is the everlasting son of the Father.
But in the 2nd Corinthians 6 where the Lord calls his people to come out from the unclean, he says in verse 18, uh, in verse 17 I will receive you and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. We know we are not brought into relationship with God as our Father because we separate from iniquity.
Now we're all the sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus. But what this refers to here is the Lord taking the Father's part and even his Old Testament title there, the old the Lord Almighty, He shall be my sons and daughters. That is the practical care.
Of God for his children here and that's why sons and daughters are brought in. It's not a matter of the blessedness of relationships of sons of God we have through the indwelling spirit. So in this way it is true that the sun is the son of the father ever so but as it's used in the Old Testament with respect to and David and Solomon again I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son is the enjoyment of that blessed relationship. Here is the character of the relationship again, as we mentioned earlier this morning, it is not the.
Relationship of father that is so emphasized here, but we do have the expression but when we see how it is used in the Old Testament. What a beautiful thing that is. We think of Isaiah 50 there and how he could say my near has to open or morning by morning they'll open us. My ear to hear is the learned that dependent man here in this world ever in conscious enjoyment of communion with his father. That daily dependence upon him put an exquisite pathway of devotedness and communion we see.
In this blessed one who is alone and apart in his relationship to God in that way, but there is encouragement for us as well, that we might the taste of that same enjoyment of that relationship.
He perfectly answers this in the in his person.
00:15:01
To the nature of God, for he is God, but in even as a man on earth, every single expression of his life was.
A expression of life that was perfectly in keeping with the nature of God.
And so as a man, he the Father delights in him, God delights in him, and.
He was a delight of God and His person as a man because every single thing in him was a proper expression of what?
Banned should be, and God could take delight in it with us. As it says in Romans, we come short of the glory of God. We don't measure up naturally to that which the heart of God can find an expression of itself in, but in this person we do. And so the love of righteousness that we have expressed in Himself here, that was love, righteousness, and hateth iniquity.
That's what holiness is, the love of good and the hatred of evil. And here was this person who in his being was the perfect expression of holiness, which answered to the nature of God as God is. And so it's for us also to trace his life. And if we do, we find in it that which.
God finds in it to the enjoyment and food of our souls and, uh, to the delight of the new man.
So brother needs what presents them to us, that we might find our enjoyment in him as God finds his enjoyment in him and it's.
In the light for God is light and it's seen and it's every aspect. Whatever circumstance or situation in which He passed through, it was exactly what the heart of God would have in that circumstance.
In contrast to the him, the Angel.
Was a servant.
The servant did his master's will, but didn't necessarily know the master's heart in doing it. He was simply a creature of obedience. Our knowledge of God exceeds that of an Angel. We, by having life in Christ, have a capacity to know God as an Angel will never know him. We know God more fully than they do.
Their character is as ministering spirits, and they're a higher order of creation as to their natural powers. They're not limited as we are by our bodies and so on, and they're able to do things that we could not do but in truth.
They are not a creature that is in new life and having eternal life can have the fellowship with God in heart that we do. So here in their contrast, they did what God told them to do. They ministered and they ministered obediently and perfectly. But as the Lord says to his disciples, I call you my friends.
Why did he call them friends? Because unlike a servant, the friend entered into the heart of the one he was a friend to. And angels have not been called into that relationship. And so they are servants, and they do. But they're not called friends in the way that we are, and consequently they don't enter in to enjoy.
What God enjoys in the same capacity that we do and uh, so let's.
Let's enjoy the place that God has brought us into to His praise and to our eternal joy.
And with the Lord Jesus, there was not only a full, I say this carefully, but as a man, there was not only the full understanding of the Father's will, but there was the enjoyment in doing it as well. A person may understand why they are asked to do certain things or why there's a certain purpose that a father may have, but they may not enjoy it or fully appreciate it, even though they know the reason why and how it's going to come out.
00:20:18
But it says that the Lord Jesus, I delight to do thy will. Oh my God, it wasn't just that he carried out the Father's will to the letter. Not only not only did he complete the work, but he did it with a joy and a do and a delight. And that ought to be with us too. In a practical way. We he's given us the capacity to enter into his counsels and purposes. We have the full revelation of God in the sun.
But if the if things are proper in in pro in order in our lives and our souls are in the right condition and enjoyment of the sun and the Father, then there's not only going to be the carrying out of his will, but there will be a joy and delight in it. And when the motivation is right. If a man love me, he will keep my commandments. The Lord Jesus when he was here, he had there was great opposition. He suffered much in his pathway.
But he delighted to do the will of the Father, even to go to the cross and accomplish the work of atonement. And it ought to be our delight to do the Father's will too.
Just wanna make a brief comment about verse four, unless there's any confusion in our translation, it says being made so much better than the angels. Oh, there's a false teaching abroad, isn't there? That I want to be very careful here because it is a false teaching. That is, that Jesus was the first of God's creation, the highest of all God's creatures. Some false cults will teach us that today, and, and perhaps this first seems to justify that.
But if we read the better translation, we get a little clearer thought. It says taking a place by so much better than the angels. We want to be clear, don't we, that the Lord Jesus was not a creature?
He was God overall. He is God overall blessed forever. Now it's true, blessedly true that he took a place in creation, but that's not the same as being a creature. All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. He was not the first of God's creature. He is God himself and so a few verses later in verse seven we have.
A thought that goes along with that. And of the angels, he saith, who maketh his angels spirits and his ministers aflame of fire. They are creatures.
But Jesus is God over all, blessed forever. We want to be perfectly clear on that, don't we? So he wasn't made anything, but he took a place. God is sovereign and he can take a place in creation if he so chooses. And so again, the better translation in verse four is taking a place by so much better than the angels.
Can we say he took a place like the creature?
Like a stranger. Is that a right thought? I I used it in my prayers. I don't wanna say something is wrong. He wasn't a creature, but he took a place of a like a preacher. So we often say as you prayed. I know burn he took manhood into his person, but it's not exactly correct. And we want a particularly guard against the thought that he was the first of God's creatures. Not so. He is God over all, blessed forever. He takes a place in creation, doesn't it?
But he never forfeits his place as God over all blessed forever.
Manhood has not become a part of this person. It does become part of this person, but it doesn't forfeit his divinity.
Along that, just to look ahead to chapter 2, verse 14.
It says for as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part in saying that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death. That is, the devil gives us a little bit of an understanding of what is meant when it says he took humanity into union with his deity. As Eric just said, he never became less than he was.
He was God over all, blessed forever, and His person as Son. But in order to bring about the purposes of God, it was necessary for him to become a man. And so here it says He partakes the flesh and blood, But in the original language concerning that, to partake in the same in this verse doesn't tell us the full measure in which it's done.
00:25:15
It simply says to participate in it has the sense of entering into something, but not the measure to which one enters into it. And so he enters in to become fully man, but in doing so he doesn't enter into it. As we did with sinful natures. He partakes the flesh and blood, but he is that holy thing very unlike us is the way in which he came into this world to participate.
In manhood with us, and so here and elsewhere, it's carefully guards his person in the manner in which he is man, even though it shows us that he is fully, perfectly man, but without giving any up anything and having taken that place as man.
Scripture tells us of himself, none but the Father knowing.
In other words, what He is now as man and God is be beyond human understanding. We ought never to try to understand it beyond the way in which it's presented to us, or try to reconcile the two. We ought to take the revelation of what He is as God and the revelation of what He is as man. Enjoy both, but not try to.
Comprehend them down at a human level. It's wrong, and we will get into the most serious dishonor to his person if we try to do so.
We're gonna talk about uh, for a few minutes if we could.
Or at least the statues. So what should be the proper attitude as to what we find so prevalent among Christians today, but not Christian profession Christians as to all these very popular angels they have in their in their homes, especially at this time of the year?
What's very interesting about that, in the book of Acts you have angels mentioned seven times and you see their service for the Lord, for the Saints, for comfort, for deliverance, and so you have it recorded in X7 times.
And I, I think that's good, Ernie, because he's not setting aside the ministry of angels here in this chapter. In fact, at the end of the chapter, he points out that they are ministering spirits. And just as they were used in different ways in the Old Testament, so they're used today. And we're thankful for the ministry of angels. But as he present, what he's presenting here in Hebrews, one is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And someone mentioned alluded to it, but I think it's important to see that it's only deity that is worshipped in Scripture. And we were Speaking of the Lord Jesus, the eternity of his person. And this is another proof of it, isn't it? Even the angels worship him. It tells us in our chapter when John, I believe at least twice in Revelation, sought to worship the Angel, a created being, the Angel. See that thou said, see that thou do it not.
Worship thou Him. Under the old British order of things, there were and still are those who are referred to respectfully as Your Worship. But that's not really scriptural, is it? No, it's only deity. We never have a precedent to worship other than to worship anyone other than God the Lord Jesus Christ Deity. But in connection with Brother Virgil's question, angels still have a wonderful place.
And we're thankful, as I say, for their ministry. But just to illustrate the point, let's go back for a moment to the 34th Psalm, because I believe we have a very important order there. I believe it's very important to understand again, that we are to never pray to angels or look to angels for deliverance. Never do we have a precedent to do that. And even in the Old Testament, we find this order set out.
00:30:20
We have it beautifully illustrated in this 34th song with David. If you just notice. Well, he says in verse 30 magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together in that wonderful that we can do that. That's what we're doing and taking up Hebrews chapter one and two to have before us the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. But then notice verse four. He says I thought the Lord and he heard me.
And delivered me from all my fears. Notice who he looks to. Notice who he beseeches for deliverance and help in the difficulties and circumstances of life. It is not an Angel. It is the Lord that he looks to. But then drop down to the 7th verse. Well, verse six, this poor man cried unto the Lord again. It's the Lord he cries to. And and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his trouble. Now notice verse 7.
The Angel of the Lord in campus round about them that fear him and delivereth them. And so David recognized that well. He looked to the Lord for his help and his deliverance and requests and whatever else he needed in the path of faith. He was thankful that when he did call on the Lord, the Lord used angels. They were ministering spirits as we have in our chapter. But let's go to the end of the Psalm and just notice what else we have.
Verse 22 The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servant, and none of them shall trust that trust in Him shall be desolate. You never find in this Psalm that when David experiences deliverance that he thanks the angels or are praised again to the angels. It's the Lord he gives the credit to. He does not give the credit to the angels, recognizing yes, that the Lord used the angels.
But again, it was the Lord that delivered him from all his trouble. And so again, thank the Lord, thank God for the ministry of angels. And there was a battle in Israel and there was a man who was concerned that the enemy was greater than they. And the prophet prayed and the Lord removed the veil and he saw the hosts of the Lord round about and he realized that there were more with that with them than were with the enemy. But it wasn't they that were given the credit for the deliverance in is in Israel that day.
It was the Lord that was given the credit for the deliverance, even though He used His vast host of angels at His disposal. Like to look at it a different way? Turn with me to Ephesians chapter one.
Ephesians chapter one and verse 5 having predestinated us unto the adoption of children.
By Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. Now turn over to Galatians.
Chapter.
4.
And.
Uh, verse 4 Galatians 4 four. But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that are under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because we are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying ABBA father.
Just another way, Virgil of looking at it is would you trade places with an Angel?
Suppose you had the right to trade places and take your place and give it to an Angel, and the Angel could take your place. Who has the better place? Who is closer to God? In every important way, you are the Angel.
Why would I worship someone whose true position in the purposes of God is less than my own? I wouldn't care to worship a creature. I'm a son.
00:35:04
I'm a child of God. I am indwelt by the Spirit of God. Can an Angel say any of those things?
Sonship is not only family relationship, but the thought of a son is one who has a certain equality of understanding and communion and fellowship with father. When your child is small, it bears the relationship to you of your nature.
It's your child, but does the little one, the child understand you? No, but the very desire of your heart is that that child grow up and enjoy the relationship. I'm Speaking of a son, but a daughter has the same spirit to it to, to be a son and as a son, the father and the son in that way, that's maturity and that is common knowledge and understanding of the same things in the same way.
God and and Son, the Godhead and the sun have that relationship to one another. You and I have been brought into it in a different way, but nonetheless we have been brought into it. So we say, well, you want to be an Angel. Why would you wanna be an Angel? Why would you wanna worship an Angel? Why would you wanna give up so much, if I could put it that way, and give up the place that God has chosen for you?
And take the servant's place alone, and that's what the angels then the servants place. So it's looked at in that way, much less comparing to the perfect Son of God. They don't even compare favorably in that regard to ourselves. Very good.
Not to unnecessarily belabor the subject, but perhaps we could read a scripture in Colossians chapter 2 because it brings before us a larger issue that is prevalent in the world today, whether, uh, in professing Christendom or without. And Colossians two, we have various issues that are a temptation for the Saints of God. Have rationalism, you have ritualism, and then you have the more subtle and dangerous issue of superstition or mysticism. The Colossians chapter 2 and verse 18. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility.
And worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.
We recognize the danger of atheism and the blatant denial of the existence of God. This is brought home to me many years ago, my grandfather, one of my grandfathers was raised in a godless home. He came to know the Lord as his savior and his brothers and his brother in laws were not the Lord, were not the Lords. Years later, one of his brothers was saved and he related an incident to me. He was an opposer of my, my grandfather, but he told of an instance where one of my grandfather's brothers, what you would call a Mystic, involved in the Eastern mysticism and the and, and things of the sort. He was not a Christian. There was no love for Christ with him, but he was very quote UN quote spiritual and involved in those type of things.
He had a brother-in-law that was an outright atheist and his brother-in-law was an atheist, scoffed and mocked his brother-in-law who was my grandpa's brother who was a Mystic. And the, uh, the other brother that told me this spoke of how angry he became at his brother-in-law who was an atheist because he was mocking this beautiful poetry, this very beautiful spiritual poetry. But it was all mysticism in Colossians. 2 points down. It is not after Christ.
Whether it's rationalism, philosophy, ritualism, tradition, superstition, Mysti, mysticism, they're all dangers. And we see this and perhaps sometimes we're drawn into it because it has a spiritual feeling to it. But just because something is spiritual does not mean it's of God. And I believe it's a timely warning for us. Colossians was a Gentile assembly. The Jews saw the value of angels and how they were used in a remarkable way in their history. And so we see how Christ is brought into the Son of God, is brought into so greatly eclipse them and to deliver them from that.
But all the Gentiles there was that danger of being LED astray and drawn into something that may have a spiritual flavor to it, but it was not after Christ.
The apostle Paul tells us in first Corinthians 10, he is Speaking of demons, which I believe are fallen angels. Uh, it tells us the power behind idols are these fallen angels and.
00:40:02
So it's only the fallen angels that accept worship and crave worship, whereas worship alone is due to God. But in first Corinthians 10, just for some of the young people that perhaps may not be familiar with this, but it tells us that the power behind idolatry, we might even add the power behind, uh, the power of the occult are really these demons are fallen angels. And so 1St Corinthians 10 and verse, uh, uh, nineteen. What say I then?
That the idol is anything or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything but. I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to It should read demons. Of course, there's only one devil, but there are numerous demons or fallen angels and not to God. And I would not that she should have fellowship with demons. So the power of the occult is the power of fallen angels, of demons. The power behind idolatry is fallen angels, and we're not to tamper with that.
God alone is worthy of worship. All other worship is that of fallen angels, and it's an idolatrous thing.
He's comparing the Lord Jesus here to the best of God's creatures, and that is the angels. And he's superior in every way in character and name and so on to the angels. You know, angels are never said to be loved or that they have a capacity to love.
Think of that. Nor do they do they rain, nor do they have a scepter, as it says here that the Son of God has, or that they sing, or that they know redemption from experience.
They are creatures that are and used of God, sent of God to carry out work for God, but they cannot be in any way looked at, on par, or in any way compared to the Creator Himself. And that's the point of this passage. He is so far superior to the greatest of the creatures that He has made.
Yeah, we see that in angels just rejoicing over one Sinner at every point.
It's in the presence of the angels of God that there's rejoicing. It doesn't say the angels themselves, but it is in their presence because the Father and the Son rejoice whenever a soul repents and is is brought, brought back. So I think again, we have to be careful of Scriptures, tremendously accurate angels. Another thing about angels, you never read of angels being crowned. They never sing and they're never numbered. The redeemed are, the redeemed are crowned, they receive crowns.
They sing and they're numbered. I know the numbers figurative in in Revelation, but four and 20. And so again, it shows that the relationship that we have been brought into that far exceeds that of that of of angels. Their servants, they're intelligent being, they're very powerful being, but they are created. They are created beings. And we're going to enjoy for all eternity a relationship with the Father and the with the Son that they have never and never will enjoy. I was thinking of it when Dawn was.
Uh, speaking.
When the prodigal son returned, it's true that the father called the servants to do various things in connection with bringing the robe and the and so on with all the father's provision. But there were the servants used, but we never read of the servants going into the feast. The servants never sat down in communion with the father like like the son did. There was a relationship there that was far beyond that of of any servant.
And so in the coming day, angels are going to be used in a future dispensation. They're going to be used to do his bidding and carrying out various of the judgments, executing the judgments in various ways. When he describes the millennial city in the end of Revelation at the 12 gates, there are 12 angels. They'll have a have no doubt a part in the in the Kingdom. They're they're going to have a service there too, but not in the again, in the same way or with the same intelligence.
That we are going to have and remember this in whatever aspect of Scripture we take up, it is always to glorify Christ. And there is a great deal written and spoken of on the subject of angels that makes so much of angels it eclipses Christ. And that's a good test for any subject. And when you put pick up a book to read, whether it's on angels or any other biblical subject.
00:45:20
There, and you can usually tell by either the flyleaf or the 1St chapter, is this book going to glorify Christ? Is it going to exalt Christ? Is it going to make Christ more real and precious to us? Or is it going to exalt angels or some other created being, whether it's man on earth or whatever it is? And if it is, then we can safely put it down and turn to something else. But every subject in the Word of God is to exalt Christ. And in a coming day, angels are going to have their place. But what is it for?
It's for the full exaltation of God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ in the end, and that ought to be what is before our souls as well. Could you say a word on, uh, Revelation 511 and 12? They worship, don't they?
They do. Let me just read it. 11 and 12 of chapter 5, Yes. And I beheld and heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beast and the elders, and the number of them was 10,000 * 10,000 and thousands of thousands. And this is the key here saying with a loud voice. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing and so on. It's interesting. And again, the Spirit of God is very careful here.
In Revelation 4:00 and 5:00.
When you have just the redeemed giving praise and worship, they sing. But when the rest of creation joins in, when the angels join in, they're saying angels praise, angels give glory. But it always saying at the birth of the Lord Jesus the angels appeared to the shepherds, not singing, but saying glory to God in the highest peace upon earth and goodwill.
Toward men so a it's only the redeemed in Scripture that truly sings from the 15th of Exodus right through to to revelation. But angels do worship they do give glory they do give praise, but again, how careful scripture is they they do not they never will come under the blessing of the knowledge of redemption. When the When the angels left their first estate, hell was prepared for the devil and his angels There was no.
Second chance, There was no chance, there was no redemption provided for fallen angels and the elect angels must look on and wonder at God's provision for fallen man and the relationship that they have been brought into and what they will enjoy for eternity in fellowship with His beloved Son.
Humanity does not assume fallen humanity. Adam was human, The Lord was human. So I really believe that you can say he took humanity into his person. He did not put it on like a coat. It was a part of him. It's a part of him. Today, as we speak, he sits at the right hand of the Father as a man.
It's good, isn't it, Vern, when we take up the person of Christ to stick to the language of Scripture?
When we try to reason, or can I even say dissect the person of Christ, then we're going to get into difficulty. So later on in this epistle, a body has thou prepared me. We take that as it as it is written by inspiration. It tells us in Philippians. He emptied himself and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man. Can we understand that? No one thing we want to be clear is always.
When Adam was created, he was created in innocence, then he, he acted in disobedience and sin came in and now we have fallen humanity. But the Lord Jesus, it was holy humanity. He's holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners. It was not innocent like Adam had when he before he sinned. And so this sets the Lord Jesus apart, the Son of God, he's deity, God manifest in the flesh. But I, I do say again, and I think it was helpful for me when I was younger to realize that.
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We take the statements made of the person of Christ at face value from the Word of God. We accept them by faith, not because our puny minds can understand it. And if we could understand everything about the person of Christ, he wouldn't be God.
I think it's also good when we speak about the glories of Christ that we distinguish between his inherent glories, that what she was from all eternity and his acquired glories. Mr. Bellitt speaks so beautifully on that and some of his writings, the Son of God and the moral glory of our Lord Jesus Christ and some of his other writings. And so we see some of that in our chapter. He was gone from all eternity.
In Isaiah 9, we're told that he's the father of eternity. I can't really grasp that very well, but I accept it. But here's some things that he acquires in time. And it's. Mr. Bellitt makes the point that often times the acquired glories are much dearer to your heart of a of a royal, a person, for instance, then are the inherent glories we can imagine.
Some of the Princess in England, they're born Princess.
And they're expected to act in a certain way with a certain dignity and so on. But it doesn't mean a whole lot to them, I guess, until they can acquire certain glories, perhaps in battle or perhaps in doing certain work. That's much means much more to them than that which they had by birth. And I don't mean to demean that or to compare the Lord to that. We have to be careful there because He was not born as such. But He did take a place in time in creation.
Not as a creature as such, but he took part and took part in Greece. That's what we have in verse five. As has been pointed out, Thou art my son this day have I begotten thee. Some people again say, oh, that means that he only became the sun in time. Not true. We know from other verses that that's not true at all. He was the eternal Son of the Father from all eternity. But the point is that this man who appeared to be a man.
Was also the one who God recognized his Son.
So a man who walked in this world God recognized as the divine Son. So that's in a sense an inherent glory. I, I should say an acquired glory. He took it in time he became a a man this day have I begotten thee and others here too. And again when he bringeth in the first born into the world that all the angels worship him and verse 8 but under the sun he saith, I thrown, O God, as forever and ever.
A scepter of righteousness is a scepter of thy Kingdom.
We know that goes on even through the Millennium. He's acquired. He's an inherent set, but He also acquires that, and He created all things as we have in verse 10. They perish, but He is the same. He's divine and so on. So as we meditate on these things, I think it's helpful to look at some of those things that He had from all eternity, and also some of those glories that He acquired in time.
Which are so near and dear to his heart.
Turn over to Philippians chapter 2 and connection with.
What has just been said?
Shows us that it is.
So true, if you will, in Ephesians chapter 2. I'm sorry, did I say Ephesians? I meant Philippians chapter 2. And uh, I have to read it in the new translation verse five. And for let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who subsisting in the form of God did not esteem it an object of replying to be on an equality with God.
This is the expression I wanna notice particularly. But emptied himself, taking a bondman's place, taking his place in the likeness of men. So.
He could not become less than he was in his in what he is used the word intrinsic nature. So in becoming a man he could not become less than he was as God.
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When it says he emptied himself, he could put aside things that were considered official with respect to his person.
He's King of kings and Lord of Lords, but he could put aside the outward of carrying of that with himself, and so in becoming a man, he had to be and was perfect and righteousness, perfect in holiness, perfect in heart and mind with God, perfect as to having exactly the same will that God has as to everything.
Those things were not to be. It could not be put aside or given up. They're intrinsic in his being. But there were other things that as people looked at him, they could say, is not this the carpenter's son? Outwardly, in his appearance and in his daily actions, in many respects as a man, he looked and acted in what we would call an ordinary way. Umm, they didn't see him as truly the King of kings and Lord of Lords, the one.
In whom the scepter of God's righteousness was going to be put in His hand, and so on. In that sense He emptied himself. But it doesn't set aside in any way who He is. He is always and will always be the same. Same being one of His titles, one of His names. And in fact, with respect to that, if you go back to the 102nd Psalm.
That's quoted here.
And you see the same contrast.
Beautifully brought out, really some 102.
Umm.
It says it's prophetic of the Lord and and the Lord looking at his life at this point as a man and he's about to lose it.
And so it says in verse 23 M prophetically, he weakened my strength in the way he shortened my days. I said, Oh my God, take me not away in the midst of my days.
That's as far as he gets. And then there's in the new translation, some dots indicating a break. What is he saying? He here he is as a man. He's in the strength of his life. He's and yet he's saying, take me not away in the midst of my days. Don't shorten my life.
Don't cut me off. And what is God's, if you will, his answer to him. If you in the new translation you you can see it more clearly. It says there's really dots there where we have a colon in the King James. And then the answer is.
My years are throughout all generations of old Hasta laid the foundation of the earth. The heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish.
But thou shalt endure, they shall all of them wax old as the garment, as a vester. Shalt thou change them, they shall be changed. But thou art in your capital last year, thou art the same. Thy years have no end. And so God answers him in, in this character of Hebrews one, here are the eternal unchanging. 1 And that's the answer to him as as feeling, as a man being cut off in the midst of his days. God answers him, and he said no.
You're the same.
You're you're the unchangeable one and giving up his life as a man on earth didn't change who he was, didn't change his being, didn't change his place. He was the same the ever existing one. He was the one that it could be said the earth. It's gonna wax old you. You're not just the midst of your days, but if you stop and look at the earth itself.
The earth we're living on, it's got it, it stays, are numbered. It isn't going to endure, it isn't going to last indefinitely. It's getting old. It's serving its purpose with God. But nothing, absolutely nothing that we can see of the the creation in this room is going to last, but he will doubt the same. Our years have no end. And that interaction between divine persons speaking there in Psalm 102 took place.
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In Gethsemane before the cross, it brings a different dimension to it, doesn't it? You think of what he was going on there and the Father was encouraging him. He was in full fellowship with the Father at that moment. And, uh.
What an impact that is to think.
And he went forward from that moment to the cross for us.
I'd like to refer to Mr. Bellitt again.
Because it's a thrill to read his writings on these, on these very subjects for speaking about, but he speaks of three glories that the Lord Jesus had as God and his man. Just to repeat those again, the one was his official glory. He's the inheritor of all things. He's going to reign over heaven and earth. He's the one who is the Messiah. But when he came into this world, he hid that glory.
Except for perhaps the amount of transfiguration.
That was perhaps the only time that his official glory shined forth in this world, as as has been pointed out in Mr. Belich's writings. And then there was his personal glory, the fact that he was divine, as we're speaking about.
He never forfeited one iota of the truth that he is God the Son from all eternity. And there were those who discovered that just as those of us that are believers in this world, we've never seen his official glory, but we have discovered in a measure that he is Jesus, God the Son. And Sir, there were there were those in this it is pathway here below that discovered who he was. And so that was veiled for many.
But many discovered who He was, Jesus, the Son of God. But then there was this moral glory which could not be hid. His official glory was largely veiled. His personal glory was discovered only by those who had that divinely given faith. But His moral glory could not be hid. That is, as being divine, this is being wholly divine, holy, human. He could not be less than perfect in everything He did.
That's the moral glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So when you read about these things, I think it's helpful to understand those 3 glories. It's official glory, His personal glory, which each of us have discovered in a measure belonged to Him, and His moral glory which could never be compromised. He could not be less than perfect in everything He did.
What about redemption? Glory.
Well, help us on that, Bruce. That's what he acquired in redemption, right? And you see that in first Peter in different places where let me turn to it. I don't don't wanna take us off our subject, but just.
Add this to the mix.
Chapter One.
And, uh, those verses that we so often read, verse 8.
18 and 19, before you know as much as you're not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold and your vain conversation, but received from the tradition of your Father's, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot, Who verily forced ordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times. For you, who by Him do believe in God, who raised Him up from the dead and gave Him glory.
This is the glory that He acquired in resurrection as having completed the work of redemption is found also in John 17 and elsewhere. So it's beautiful to see that as well. I suppose the moral glories will be seen in verse 9. Is that right, Eric? Where it says in our chapter, where it says, Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity before, therefore God, even thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. What's he talking about here?
Well, he's speaking about the 1St 30 years of the life of the Lord Jesus in God's eye rested upon His Son and followed Him every step of the pathway.
Imperfection. And there at the baptism of John, he was anointed with the oil of gladness, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and he was sealed with the Spirit at that time.
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And God did that as a uh.
As a, uh, a sign of his approval. I think it's spoken of in First Timothy as being justified in the spirit.
That never has ever said or recorded with regard to angels.
Add one more.
John 17 I I don't think we can exhaust really or categorize completely, although we can learn by various characterizations of them. But in John 17 and verse 24 we have a glory that's not yet known concerning himself, he says in.
Verse 24 Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am.
That's where we have to be to see this one, that they may behold My glory, which Thou gave us, Me before the foundation of the world. That is, we will see glorious connected with this person that even now have not been made known to us or revealed to us in the things that we have seen so far, rather than we. We look forward, He says to the Father. I want Him to be with me where they are, where I am.
They may behold my glory, and that's what we're going to have to be in order to.
Be able to see and understand and enter into some of the further glories of his person. And I think that's partly why it says in Ephesians the unsearchable riches of the Christ that is there is that connected with the richness of his person and his glories that is even for us an eternity going to be beyond reaching the end of it. It's it's unsearchable. It's past finding out.
#61 has been given out.