Jesus Christ is Superior to Angels (Heb. 1:13-14)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12-14-02

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Christ is superior to angels

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Hebrews 1:13,14

 

            Message of the verse:  “13 But to which of the angels has He ever said: ‘Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool"’? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?   (NKJV)  “And God never said to an angel, as He did to His Son, ‘Sit in honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under Your feet.’” “ But angels are only servants.  They are spirits sent from God to care for those who will receive salvation.” (NLT)

            The writer quotes from Psalm 110:1 to again show that the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, is better than the angels.  I think that as I look at this first chapter of Hebrews and see that most of the quotes about the Lordship of are from the Psalms that were written by David.  David was certainly a type of the Lord Jesus and many of His writings were about the Messiah. 

            In these last two verses that are written here the writer goes back to the point that he has been making in all of this chapter and that is that the Messiah is, was, and always be God, and that He is superior to angels and always has been since He is the creator of all things, including angels.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  In the 14^th verse the writer speaks of angels who minister to those who will receive salvation and this is probably one of the verses where the idea of a guarding angel comes from.  To think that God has not only provided salvation for me but that He continues to care for me by sending His angels to minister to me when needed.  I would imagine that when I get to heaven and see all of the times that angels have ministered to me while upon this earth that I will fall on my face and worship the Lord for His goodness to me.

 

The Word of God was refreshing to me today.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I want to trust the Lord to see me through going to see Sharlotte singing at her church this evening.  Kim and Tim are to go with us and this will have a tendency to bring on IBS for me. 

 

Memory verses for the week:  Ephesians 2:10; Mark 12:30; & Romans 12:5

 

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

 

…so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

 

           

 

Christ is the Same Forever (Heb. 1:11-12)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12-13-02

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Christ is the same forever

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Hebrews 1:11-12

 

            Message of the verse:  ‘”11 They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment;

12 Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail.’”  (NKJV)  ‘”Even they will perish, but You will remain forever.  They will wear out like old clothing.  You will roll them up like an old coat.  They will fade away like old clothing.  But You will never grow old.’”  (NLV)

            Malachi 3:6 says, “I am the LORD, and I do not change.  That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already completely destroyed.”  It is the character of the Lord God which does not change and that is His love, mercy, grace, and justice.  The Lord had made a covenant with the nation of Israel that their nation would last forever and even though He at times became angry with them and at times disciplined them He did not change His mind about the covenant He made with them.  The earth will be destroyed completely at some time in the future, but the Lord Jesus Christ will never change, He will always be superior to all created things, even angels.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am so thankful that the Lord never changes for there are many things on this old earth that do change.  By realizing this fact I know that the Lord will always love me and that He will always do what is best for me even though at time I will not completely understand what He is doing.

 

The Word of God brought understanding to my heart this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith For Today:  Because the Lord never changes I can be sure that I will be able to trust Him to work out for me the problems I face each day due to IBS.  I believe that He will work this out for my good and His glory and I am thankful for that truth that can never change.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Ephesians 2:10; Mark 12:30; Romans 12:5

 

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

 

…so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

 

Jesus Christ is the Eternal God (Heb. 1:10)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12-12-02

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  He is the eternal God

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Hebrews 1:10

 

            Message of the verse:  “10 And: ‘You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.’”  (NKJV)  “And, ‘Lord, in the beginning You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.’”

            Beginning with this verse the writer quotes from Psalm 102:25-27, the quote goes from verses 10-12 in Hebrews chapter one.  Still keeping with the subject that Christ is greater than the angels the writer shows that it was the Lord Jesus Christ who made the heavens and the earth.  God created not only the heavens and the earth but also the very angels that some actually think were greater than the Lord Jesus Christ.  A verse in the book of Romans speaks of men worshipping the creature rather than the Creator.  This show how far down man has moved by doing something like that.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This verse shows me that I am to worship the Lord Jesus Christ who is the great Creator of all things that have been created.  I am not to have anything interfere with my worship of the Lord.  I know that there are times when worldly things and or selfish things come between the Lord, and me and this is wrong.

 

The Word of God brought conviction to me today.

 

My Steps of Faith For Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to get me through each day with IBS.  Trust the Lord to continue to live for Him and do His will.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Eph. 2:10; Mark 12:30; & Romans 12:5

 

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God in advance prepared for us to do.

 

Love the Lord Your God with all your soul and with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength.

 

…so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the other.

He is God Enthroned and Anointed PT-2 (Heb. 1:9)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12-11-02

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus: He is God enthroned and anointed PT-2

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference: Hebrews 1:9

 

            Message of the verse: “ 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.’”  (NKJV)  “You love what is right and hate what is wrong.  Therefore God, Your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on You more than on anyone else.”

            This quotation is from Isaiah 61:1-3 and continues with what the writer has been writing about, the Superiority of Christ over the angels.  The verse speaks about how the Messiah loves righteousness and how he hates lawlessness.  Because of this God has anointed Him with the “oil of gladness more than His companions.”  The word companion is only used a few times in the New Testament and may be referring to either men like the prophets, priest, or kings or it could refer to angels. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The more that I read about the superiority of Christ to angels and latter on to Moses and the OT priesthood, the more I want to praise Him for being my wonderful Savior.  There is no one else who could have done this for me, Jesus is the only one and I am thankful more and more each day.

 

The Word of God has brought a sense of awe to me today.

 

My Steps of Faith For Today:  To continue to trust the Lord to bring glory to Himself through my weakness of IBS.  To trust the Lord and serve Him today in all that I do.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Eph. 2:10; Mark 12:30’ Romans 12:5

 

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

Love the Lord your God with all  your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

 

…so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Jesus Christ is God, Enthroned and Anointed (Heb. 1:8)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12-10-02

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus: He is God enthroned and anointed

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Hebrews 1:8

 

            Message of the verse:  “8 But to the Son He says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom.’”  (NKJV)  “But to His Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.  Your royal power is expressed in righteousness.’”  (NLT)

            This verse which is quoted from Psalm 45: 6-7 surely speaks of the fact that Jesus Christ is God, for in it the Father who is speaking and calling Him God.  Dr. MaCarthur says in his note on this verse the following:  “It is clear that the writer of Hebrews had the 3 messianic offices in mind:  Prophet (v.1), Priest (v.3), and King (vv.3, 8).  Introduction into those 3 offices required anointing (v.9).  The title Messiah (Christ) means ‘anointed one’ (cf. Is. 61:1-3; Luke 4:16-21).”

            The writer is still showing that Jesus Christ is better, more superior than the angels.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The writer goes out of his way to show the deity of Jesus Christ, and one of the important things that this shows is that a mere man could not have done what He did.  When I first got saved I did not know that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh because of the immaturity of my new faith.  This is one of the pillars of the Gospel and without it there would be no Gospel.  I thank the Lord God in heaven for His perfect Son who paid it all for my salvation and could not have done it if He were not the only Son of God.

 

The Word of God was uplifting and reminded me of the great truth of the deity of Jesus Christ.

 

My Steps of Faith For Today:  I trust the Lord to be with me as I go to work at the Church today with the WEBBS team.  I pray that He will give me victory over IBS and the fear that goes along with it.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Eph. 2:10; Mark 12:30; Romans 12:5 (NIV)

 

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

 

…so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

He is served by the Angels (Heb. 1:7)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12-09-02

 

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus: He is served by the angels

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Hebrews 1:7

 

            Message of the verse:  “7 And of the angels He says: ‘Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.’”  (NKJV)  “God calls His angels, ‘messengers swift as the wind, and servants made of flaming fire.’”

            Even thought I do not see what the commentators that I use see in this verse I must agree with them because they both have said close to the same thing.  First this is the only quotation from the OT that has nothing to do with the Davidic Covenant.  Second the verse is saying that angels were created as spirits that have no bodies, but can take on a human body if need be, were created to serve the Lord and to minister to Him.  They did this for Jesus when He was on the earth as recorded in the gospels.  Angels also serve believers while they are on the earth.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As a believer I to am made to serve just as Jesus gave the examples while on this earth.  The key verse for the book of Mark speaks of Jesus coming to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.  He is my example and I am to follow this example.

 

The Word of God brought conviction to me today.

 

My Steps of Faith For Today:  To continue to trust the Lord with the outcome of the funds that we have with Haven Equity.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Ephesians 2:10; Mark 12:30; Romans 12:5

 

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

 

… so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

 

 

My First Born (Heb. 1:6)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12-07-02

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  My First-born

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Hebrews 1:6

 

            Message of the verse:  “6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’"  (NKJV)  “And when He presented His honored, (Greek firstborn), Son to the world, God said, ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’”

            This little verse has much written about in the study tools that I use fro my devotions.  I am sure that there is much more written about it in other books, but I usually use three, and sometimes four different study tools while doing these devotions. 

            The word “firstborn, or in the KJV firstbegotten, is a word that the Jewish people were very familiar with from the writings of the OT.  In Psalm 89:27 it says, “Also I will make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth.”  Dr. MaCarthur says that five of the OT passages that are quoted are verses that are related to the Davidic Covent, which emphasizes the concepts of sonship, kingship, and kingdom.  Psalm eighty-nine is a psalm of the Davidic Covenant.

            I believe the main point of this verse is that of the Messiah being worshiped by the angels, thus showing that the Messiah is higher than the angels, and better than them. 

            Going back to the term “firstborn” as used in this verse it does not mean birth order all of the time when it is in the Scriptures.  Here it refers to prominence of position or title and not in order of time.  This verse shows without any doubt the Deity of Jesus Christ, that He is indeed the second person of the Godhead and God in flesh.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I think a bit of what it means to know that Jesus Christ is the God-man I am so amazed at how this truth has had such a profound affect on my life since He first saved me.  There has never been a day go by that I have not thought of the Lord and He changed my life so much that it brings tears to my eyes to think of what my life would have been without the Lord Jesus Christ in my life.  I think of how the Lord has changed my marriage, my wife, my children and hopefully someday our grandchildren.  He has mad all the difference in my life and for this I praise Him and thank Him.  Amen.

 

The Word of God has been pure delight to me today.

 

My Steps of Faith For Today:  I have some things that I want to get done today, and by faith I want to do them, as all things, to the honor of the Lord.  I want to shop for some gifts for my wife, and also start to put together our Christmas letter, and get our little Christmas down.  I pray that the Lord will be in all of these things to guide me and direct me.

 

Memory verses for the week:  Ephesians 2:10 & Mark 12:30

 

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all of your soul and all of your mind and all of your strength.