Hebrews 1:4-14 Being made so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.… I. AN EXALTED VIEW OF JESUS CHRIST. The text certainly implies — 1. The Divinity of His nature. To be "the same," is to be unchangeable; but immutability is an attribute of Deity. 2. The immutability of His perfections. Such are the amazing greatness and vast variety of the works of creation, that their Author must be God. 3. The perpetuity of His offices. When we speak of the offices of Christ, we have respect always to His character as Mediator, and His great undertaking as the Saviour of sinners. (1) He assumed the office of a Prophet. In this character He went about teaching "the words of eternal life." And He teaches now by His written Word, by the ministry of His gospel, and by His Spirit given to men. (2) 'He bore the office of a Priest. In this view He offered Himself a Sacrifice of atonement to God the Father, for the sins of all that believe. And He wears His priesthood still. Jesus, the Son of God, who is passed into the heavens, is our "great High Priest": as such, He is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities"; He knows the trial of severe temptation; He bears us on His heart; He pleads for us above: "He ever liveth to make intercession."(3) He sustained the office of a King. In His regal capacity, all power in heaven and in earth is is given to Him. He is constituted Supreme Ruler. He presides the Head of the Church, and I-lead over all things to the Chinch. He now reigns, and He must reign, till the tranquillity of all His friends be effectually secured, and till all His enemies be subdued under His feet. II. The subject furnishes various REFLECTIONS, by way of IMPROVEMENT. IS the nature of Christ Divine? Are His perfections immutable, and His offices perpetual? Is He uniformly "the same," and shall His years "not fail"? Then — 1. All is well respecting the government of the world. Its government is assuredly wise, perfectly and invariably right; for it is committed to Him who ever lives, and who lives for ever "the same"! 2. We may rest assured of the safety of the Church. Whatever becomes of the kingdoms of the earth, the Church is safe. For the Church the world stands; and all events are doubtless under the direction and control of Him who is " King of nations," and "King of saints." 3. We are greatly encouraged as sinners to apply to Christ for salvation. Behold the glorious ability and fitness of the Son of God. What could you wish to find in a Saviour which you find not in Him? 4. Believers are hereby relieved under the pressure of their trials. You are in a wilderness, among briars and thorns; on an ocean, tossed with waves and tempests. You are subject to painful anxieties from various quarters. All around is lull of change; and there is nothing beneath the sun on which you can depend with confidence for an hour. Be it so there is One who is invariably "the same"; a Rock that never moves: a Refuge that never fails; and this Rock, this Refuge, is Christ. (T. Kidd) Parallel Verses KJV: Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. |
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