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335. More Than A Prophet, More Than an Angel

Hebrews 1:1 - 2:5
Key Verse:  "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of Your kingdom.  You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has set You above your companions by anointing You with the oil of joy."
Hebrews 1:8-9

Who is this Jesus we've been coming to know?  We have been walking with him for almost eleven months now.  We've seen why He had to come and walk with us, why He had to suffer for us and how He made a plan to redeem us so that we could walk with Him.  We've seen how satan continually tried to destroy, but God's master plan was never truly thwarted.  We've seen how God left signs along the way to encourage His people not to give up hope.  Prophets and angels continually pointed the way, through the darkness for those who would remain faithful.

We still hear this question asked today.  "Who was Jesus really?"  There are those who believe that He was simply another prophet like Elijah.  Others think that He had angelic qualities.  Both prophets and angels are God's messengers, but Jesus was more.  It isn't a prophet or angel that is seated at the right hand of God.  It is Jesus, God incarnate, the One and only Son who has earned that place.

Prophets and angels are created beings.  Jesus is their creator and Lord, just as He is ours.  His kingdom was from everlasting to everlasting.  Prophets and angels are the servants of His kingdom as are we.  That is what is so amazing about the fact that He took on our form, becoming one of us, as a created being.  In no other religion does God become man.  Only the One True God, "knowing who He is," could be so loving as He demonstrated Himself to be.

We need to be clear on this point both for our understanding and as we share this good news with others.  That is why the writer of Hebrews goes on to say:  "We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.  For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?"  (Heb. 2:1-2A)  

We need to continue to swim upstream with the message that Jesus is God, that He is the way, the truth and the light.  (John 14:6) He is not a way, or a prophet, He is the God, the only means to salvation!  The disciples were eye witnesses.  They walked with Him, they knew He died, they knew He rose again and they watched Him rise to heaven to sit at the right hand of His Father.  We too are His witnesses and we need to be as careful as His disciples were in testifying to the truth about what was seen and heard and experienced.  Others can believe their own way, but that way will lead to hell and we need to be sure of what we know so that we can help them see that.

The world wants to reduce Jesus to a good man, a prophet.  We need to proclaim what we know, that He is God and the only means to eternal life.  Do you know this, or do you still have doubts?  If you still doubt, why?  Talk to God about your doubts.  Remember Thomas?  (John 20:24-31)  It's okay to seek His reassurance.  Then, tell what you know!

Hymn:  "How Firm a Foundation"

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