RESURRECTION

How important is the resurrection? It is crucial. Here is what Paul says:

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,
2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you-unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

How important is the resurrection? It is crucial. Here is what Paul says:

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,

2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you-unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.


9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (1 Corinthians 15)

Notice that Paul said he taught the resurrection as first importance. It is not a secondary doctrine. It shows that Christ is God the Son, that the Father accepted his sacrifice on our behalf, and that we will follow him in being raised after our deaths.



And, if you are already a believer, today is the perfect day to rejoice in Christ's resurrection. You rejoice that he proved his deity by conquering death, that he is alive to help you day by day, and that he proved he has the power to keep his promise to raise you as we'll.

Rejoice! He is risen!

Paul also said the resurrection is part of the Gospel. It is part of what we must believe to be saved. You cannot say you believe the Gospel if you deny the resurrection of Christ. Romans 10:9 says if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. If you have not believed in Jesus and confessed him as Lord, today is the perfect day to do so and be saved.

And, if you are already a believer, today is the perfect day to rejoice in Christ's resurrection. You rejoice that he proved his deity by conquering death, that he is alive to help you day by day, and that he proved he has the power to keep his promise to raise you as we'll.

Rejoice! He is risen! 

Crucifixion

The witness of Matthew:


Matthew 27:33

And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),
34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.
35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.
36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."
38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.

This is the witness of a disciple of Christ.

HE DIED FOR US

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned-every one-to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53 records the Holy Spirit speaking through Isaiah telling of Christ's death centuries before it happened. We have all rebelled against God, seeking our will rather than his. This is sin. The penalty for sin is death, separation from God for eternity. (Romans 6:23)

Jesus bore that sin. It was laid upon him as he died on the cross. He was sinless. He died for our sins, as Isaiah shows.

That is what we observe on Good Friday.

MAUNDY THURSDAY

In the Catholic tradition, every day of the week before Easter is observed as a special day. The week is called Holy Week. Maundy is a word that comes from the Latin word mandatum, meaning commandment. It is  the first word of Jesus' saying: "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" or if you prefer English, "A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you". (John 13:34)

Jesus spoke these words in connection with his washing of the disciples feet before they celebrated the Lord's Supper. 

Foot washing was slave work in the time of Jesus. That is why you see Peter object to Jesus washing his feet. Jesus was the master of the group, but he took on the roll of the slave by washing feet. He lived out what Paul would later say in Philippians 2. He took on the role of a servant.

Of course Jesus went on to serve us as a slave, dying on the cross to pay the penalty of our sins. Crucifixion was a penalty suffered most by slaves and also by traitors. It was a way to keep the thousands of Roman slaves in line. After the rebellion of Spartacus, for example, hundreds of slaves were crucified along the roads and left to hang there as a message to the other slaves.

Yet Jesus was obedient to the cross. And all believers, who were once slaves to sin, were redeemed by the God who died like a slave for us.

Following Christ's example, we who follow this Lord who died like a slave, can die to our own pride and ambition, and serve each other in love, even to the washing of dirty feet.

HEBREWS 2:1-4 - THE FIRST WARNING

Chapter 1 began the first theological statement of the sermon of Hebrews. It established that Christ is superior to angels. Inserted into the theological statement is the first warning, contained in verses 1-4 of Chapter 2.

The warning is in verse 1. It starts with “therefore” in most versions and “for this reason” in the NASB. What is the reason? It is the truth established in the first chapter that Christ is superior to all and, particularly, Christ is superior to angels.

So verse 1 is saying, since Christ is superior to angels, we must pay closer attention to what we have heard lest we drift away from it. Remember that the sermon seems to be addressed to Hebrews that have heard the gospel and at least believed its truth even if they had not committed to follow Jesus. And now they are thinking about returning to the Jewish faith.

This is not too far from the situation in many evangelical churches where people intellectually believe the facts of the gospel, as they have heard it, but have not committed their lives to follow Christ. They drift off into fads and errors. Certainly we see some who appear to be converted but continually drift further away until they are completely gone. Others redefine the gospel or Christ himself to meet their desires.

Verses 2-4 show the seriousness of the matter. It says if the law in which you believe was true and violation of it brought punishment, how much greater punishment will you receive for rejecting God’s salvation in Christ.

When it says “the message declared by angels”, it means the law. We are still in the mode of showing that Christ and his word are superior to angels and their word, which was the law. So, first it says, if this message declared by angels was reliable or unchangeable. The implication is that it is reliable or unchangeable. The Jews based their lives on it for centuries. These Jewish church goers are thinking about returning to it, so they clearly believe the law is the word of God and is reliable, unchanging and steadfast..

Then it says, not only was the law reliable, but every act of disobedience had its own just retribution or punishment. The book of Leviticus sets out the sacrifices required for various sins and the punishment of others. In Leviticus 24:1, for example, it says “whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death”. The law punished every sin. And that punishment was just. It was just because God is just.

Verse 3 then says if you were punished for disobeying the law, and the word of Christ for salvation is greater than the word of the law, how much greater is the punishment for disobedience? It says “how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” The implication is that we will not escape if we ignore it.

We know what the result is of rejecting Christ and his gospel. It is eternal punishment. Romans 9:22 speaks of these as vessels of wrath prepared for destruction. Jesus told many parables that included hell. The parable of Lazarus the poor man and the rich man shows the rich man dying and suffering torment in hell. (Luke 16:19)

Then, in the remainder of verse 4 and in verse 5, the writer tells us we should not reject the word of Christ for salvation because of the way it came to us. Here is the list of ways:

1. it was declared first by the Lord;

2. it was attested to us by the apostles, those who heard;

3. God bore witness

a. through signs,

b. wonders and miracles;

c. and through gifts of the Holy Spirit.

So, let’s look at these.

First Declared by the Lord

Jesus’ first message was to repent for the kingdom of heaven was at hand. (Matthew 4:17). He told them to repent and believe the gospel. Mark 1:15.

Attested to Us By Those Who Heard

The Gospels are written accounts of the life and words of Christ. Matthew and John were written by the apostles by those names who lived with Jesus during his ministry, saw him resurrected and watched him ascend. The gospel of John closes with these words: “This is the disciple who bears witness of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his witness is true”. (John 21:24 NASB) So, when someone says to you, we do not have any evidence that Jesus said or did what the church claims, you can say that is not true. We have eye witness testimony. You may reject it or refuse to follow Christ, but you cannot truthfully say there is no evidence.

Mark is believed to be the account of Peter. Luke’s account is a thoroughly researched history. Acts is a further history by Luke recording the words and actions of the apostles under the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, recounts all those who saw Jesus after his resurrection.

God (the Father) attested to the truth of Christ

God attested to the word of Christ through signs, wonders and miracles. “Attest” means to “bear witness”. We read of Jesus healing the sick, raising the dead and casting out demons. We read of him walking on water, changing water to wine, and calming a storm. Why did he do those things? He did them, at the direction of the Father, to show his deity (that he was the Son of God) Jesus said “If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” (John 10:37-38)

Peter reiterated this truth in his Pentecost Sermon. He said “Men of Israel hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with might works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know…” (Acts 2:22)

The miracles were signs. They were signs that Jesus was the Son of God. God gave the signs to attest to the words of Jesus and show they were true so the Jews would believe him.

Lastly, God attested to the truth of the word of Christby the giving of gifts through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles. Ordinary men were transformed by the Holy Spirit into ministers empowered to accomplish great things for Jesus. Apostles who did not understand things Jesus repeatedly told them suddenly could preach great sermons. Peter and John healed. Paul healed. He cast out demons.

Acts 14:3 says this about Paul and Barnabas at Iconium: “So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.”

The point is the same for us today. God had these events and words preserved in the Bible for us to see what Jesus and the Apostles demonstrated about Jesus. All of this power was displayed so that we would believe Jesus is the Son of God and follow him. John in fact wrote “Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book, but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31)

Many people have rejected Jesus. They refused to believe him. They refused to follow him.

Many people have believed Jesus, received his salvation and followed him in obedience. These will have eternal life in Christ’s kingdom.

Many others believe the facts. But they do not follow Jesus. These Hebrew believers appear to be in this category. They want to go back to what they knew. They want to go back to what is physically safe.

Examine yourself today. You can believe the facts and not be saved. James 2:19 says even the demons believe. Satan believes Jesus is the Son of God. But he refused to acknowledge him as Lord.

I think there are many people in evangelical churches who are like these Hebrews in a sense. They believe the facts. They believe the facts. They have signed a card saying they believe those facts. They do not want to go to hell. They have prayed a prayer someone told them to pray. But, Jesus is not Lord to them. They live just like everyone else.

Believing Christ is not just believing facts about Christ. If Jesus is who he says he is, then we submit all of our lives to him and acknowledge his rule over us. That shows we believe in him.

The Apostle John said “He [Jesus] came to his own and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:11-13)

If you have not done so already, I pray you will receive Jesus as savior and lord today and become one of his children.  

LEARNING IS DISCIPLESHIP

I saw a list of words on the church bulletin the other day. I was happy to see the first word on the list was “learn”. That is what disciples do.

 

In Jesus’ day, disciples were people who followed a teacher around and learned from him. A revered rabbi would have young men that followed him around. He would talk as they walked. He would sit and teach when it was really important. His disciples would learn his teaching and put it into practice.

 

Churches sometimes come up with funny lists of the things when they say they want to make disciples. But the primary thing must be teaching. A person cannot follow Christ if he does not know him, and he cannot know him unless someone teaches him from the word of Christ.

 

Jesus did this. He told men to follow him. Then he taught them. Sometimes he preached to large crowds, as with the Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 5-7) Sometimes he let them watch while he ministered to people. At times, he taught only the twelve apostles (Matthew 10), especially when it was crucial. He told people to take his yoke upon them and to learn from him. (Matthew 11:29)

 

Right before Jesus ascended to heaven, he told his disciples to carry on the mission of discipleship. He told them to go into all nations, baptize them, and teach them to observe all that he commanded them. (Matthew 28:19-20) In other words, preach the gospel to the lost, baptize those who believe, then teach them all that Jesus said so that they could follow him also.

 

The apostles were faithful to the mission. Acts 2:42 tells us what the first believers practiced when they gathered. First on the list is “they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching”.

 

Paul’s letters in the New Testament are his teaching to those believers to keep them obedient to Christ with correct doctrine.

 

The Church must teach Christ’s followers. Those who teach must be true to God’s word. And believers must develop a spirit of eagerness to listen and learn.

 

Disciples are learners.

TRAVELING

I have been traveling in my job the last week, so I did not teach Bible Study Sunday. Therefore, I did not have a lesson to post.  I meant to post another study but did not get the time. I apologize. More studies will follow. Stay tuned.

LEARN

Christian books on sale!

If you like Christian books on sale at big discounts, go here

Free Christian Books

You can register to win free Christian books today @ Challies

CHRIST IS SUPERIOR TO ANGELS - PART 2

In verses 8-9, Hebrews shows that Jesus is not only the Son, but also Lord or king. He has an eternal throne and scepter. These are both symbols of royalty.

This verse refers to Psalm  45:6-7, the fifth Old Testament reference. This is a wedding song or poem. It is written from the view point of the bride of the king. It may have been read or sung at royal weddings in Israel.

But the writer of Hebrews applies it to Christ. And we indeed have seen Christ referred to as the bridegroom and the church as the bride in several places in the New Testament. Ephesians 5:25-27 is one example. The Bible’s last vision, John’s vision in Revelation 21-22, shows that the New Jerusalem is the church descending onto the new earth in purity and beauty described as a bride.

Psalm 45:6-7 focuses on the eternal reign of the Messiah. It states that Jesus, the Lord, will reign forever. That is what it means when it says your throne is forever. The Psalm says it is God’s throne, which to the Jew would mean the throne of the Father. So, the writer of Hebrews applies this to Christ and again asserts that Jesus is God. The writer of Hebrews specifically states that the Father spoke those words to the Son (“but of the Son he says” in verse 8). Revelation 22:3 says that, in the New Jerusalem, the Father and the Son will sit on thrones there and we will worship Jesus. The focus of redeemed humanity in eternity is worship of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The characteristic of Christ’s reign is righteousness. Verse 8 says the scepter of his kingdom is the scepter of righteousness or uprightness. Below is the scepter of Tsar Boris.

A scepter is an ornamental rod or staff. It is a symbol of royalty. It may contain jewels or a representation of the family arms. 

Here is a picture of Queen Elizabeth at her coronation. Notice that she holds her scepter in one hand and an orb in the other. They are both symbols of royalty.

 

But for Jesus, the scepter is righteousness. His kingdom is about righteousness, for he was righteous in eternity as God, he lived a righteous, sinless life on earth and lives righteously forever in heaven since his ascension. Not only that, but his righteousness is imputed (credited) to us when we place our faith in him.

Jesus loves righteousness. He willing did everything his father commanded during his life on earth. He lived to bring glory to the Father. The Father loves righteousness and the Son loves righteousness.

If we love Jesus, we must also love righteousness. We should strive to be like him and live a righteous life. We should honor not ridicule those who are righteous.

The opposite is also true. He hated wickedness. He hates wickedness. The Father hates sin. He cannot tolerate it. No sin is allowed in heaven. Those who practice sin and have not been redeemed cannot be in heaven. Revelation 22:15 says “outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood”. Revelation 21:8 says “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death”.    Romans 1:18 says “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men…” John 3:36 says “…whoever does not obey the son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
            As Christ followers, we must hate wickedness also. If you rejoice when evil triumphs or wickedness abounds, you are not like Christ.

Then the writer goes on to say, because Jesus loved righteousness and hated wickedness, and so perfectly reflected the character of the Father, the Father anointed him with the oil of gladness beyond all his companions. (9) I believe “companions” here refers to the angels. The Father anointed Jesus as the Lord and King. Anointing is the sign that God has chosen someone to rule. For example, Samuel, God’s prophet, anointed David as king. You can read about that in the book of 1st Samuel. 

The Father anointed Jesus as Lord over all things. The one whom the Old Testament said would come and reign was called the "Anointed" or the "Anointed One". The Hebrew word is מָשִׁיחַ or “mashiyach” (using English letters). We transliterate that into English as Messiah. If we simply translated it, we would say “Anointed One”. The Greek word for Anointed One is Χριστός. Using English letters, it is “Christos”. We transliterate it to “Christ”. We might lose a little meaning by doing this (transliterating rather than translating), forgetting that he is the Anointed One, anointed by the Father to be Lord and King over all things, including even the angels.

Verses 10-12 tell us again that Jesus is eternal. This is a reference to Psalm 102:25-26, the sixth Old Testament reference. Jesus created the earth and heavens (heavens meaning sky and space), meaning he was there before the world. He existed in eternity before our time began. That is also what John meant in John 1:1, when he wrote “in the beginning was the Word”.

In contrast, angels are not eternal. They evidently do not die. But they were created. So they have not existed forever. Jesus, on the other hand, is eternal and therefore has the superior existence.  

This creation will end, as verse 26 says. Peter wrote that the heavens will pass away with a roar and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved. (2 Peter 3:10) But Jesus the Son will endure beyond the end of the world and its remaking.

He will change the world, but he will not change. (12) This trait of God is known as “immutability”. Jesus is immutable. That means he does not change, as  God the Father does not change. In Malachi 3:6, God says “For I the LORD do not change…” At the end of this book, the writer says “Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever”. (Hebrews 13:8) It is another way of saying this same truth.

Verse 13 restates the fact that Jesus will reign at the Father's right hand until all enemies are conquered. He sits in the exalted position at the Father’s right hand. He is king. He is lord. This is the seventh and final Old Testament text, Psalm 110:1. This Psalm is the Old Testament passage most quoted in the New Testament.

 Peter used this same text in his first sermon in Acts 2:34. He concluded from this that God made Jesus both Lord and Christ. He is Christ, the Anointed One or Messiah. He is also Lord, or ruler over all. So Jesus has an exalted position as son, but also as Lord. I think "Lord" is the name above all names.

The Greek word translated “lord” is “kurios”. "Kurios" has three different meanings or uses. First, it can just mean "sir", a term of respect. Second, it can mean a slave owner. Paul often called himself a slave, in Greek a "doulas". A doulas served a kurios.

But the third usage is the imperial usage. It refers to a sovereign. In the Greek version of the Old Testament, the translators used kurios to translate Adonai. The name Adonai was reserved for God. When the Psalmist wrote "oh LORD our Lord, how majestic is your name", he wrote literally "Yahweh" our "Adonai". He is king or Lord over all. That is why the early Christians would die rather than say "Caesar kurios" or Caesar is Lord". Polycarp was killed for this. Instead they would say Jesus is Lord.

In contrast to the Lord are the angels in verse 14. They are ministering spirits to help us, we who will inherit salvation, meaning we who believe. For example, an angel was sent to get Peter out of prison in Acts 12:7. God sends them to help us. They are helpers. Jesus is Lord, Son and king.

Jesus is superior to angels. We are not to worship angels. We are to worship the Lord.  

Here is a practical example for you from the book of Revelation. In Revelation 19:10, John fell down at the feet of an angel to worship him. But the angel would not let him. The angel said he was a fellow servant. But, Revelation 1:17, John came into the presence of the risen Lord Jesus and fell at his feet. Jesus did not rebuke him, he just told him not to be afraid.

So, we worship Jesus the son of God and our Lord. And, we heed the warning that begins in chapter 2, not to neglect our salvation.  

JESUS IS SUPERIOR TO ANGELS - PART 1

JESUS IS SUPERIOR TO ANGELS

HEBREWS 1:4-14

The first three verses of Hebrews state that Jesus is greater than all. Verses 4 through 14 prove that he is greater than angels. The purpose is not to degrade angels, for they are special and important. The purpose is to exalt Christ even over these amazing creatures.

So, first, let us consider what we know about angels. First, they were created before man and are a higher order of being than man. Hebrews 2:9 tells us that when Jesus became a man he was made lower than the angels.

Second, angels are spirit beings living in heaven (Mark 13:32 – “the angels in heaven”). They may appear in human form on earth. For example, angels on the way to destroy Sodom appeared to Abraham as men. (Genesis 18) But in Matthew 18:3-4, the angel may have appeared more in his spiritual form, appearing powerful and glorious.

Third, there are many of them. In Daniel’s vision of the “Ancient of Days”, he saw thousands and ten thousands times then thousands (myriads) serving God. (Daniel 7:9-10) John used this same language in Revelation 5:11. They do not marry. (Matthew 22:30) So, their number probably does not ever increase.

Fourth, there are different kinds of angels. We know of Seraphim and cherubim. We read of thrones, dominions, principalities, powers and authorities. For example, Ephesians 6:10 says our battle is not against flesh and blood, meaning men and women. Rather, we fight against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers and spiritual forces of evil. So, evidently, the fallen angles, which we call demons, are also organized into structures of authority. This passage also indicates that angels are more powerful than we, so we cannot fight them without the full armor of God.

Fifth, angels worship God. We see this in the visions of Ezekiel, Daniel and John. They also act as messengers and they accomplish tasks God sends them to, such as destroying Sodom or ministering to Jesus after his temptation.

Therefore, we conclude that angels are magnificent creations of God and, since the Son is exalted over them, he is highly exalted.  

Another relevant fact for us is that the Hebrews believed that God brought the law, or Old Covenant, to Moses and Israel through angels. See Acts 7:51-53 and Galatians 3:19. So, the superiority of Christ over angels also signified the superiority of the New Covenant over the Old Covenant. Therefore, they should not return to the Old Covenant. Some even worshipped angels. (Colossians 2:18)

The remainder of Hebrews 1 develops the theme of the superiority of the Son over the angels. It does so by comparing Jesus' exalted status or position as Son compared to the status of angels as servants.

The writer uses Old Testament passages to accomplish this. Just as he gave seven reasons for the superiority of Christ in the prologue (introduction), he uses seven Old Testament passages to establish the superiority of Christ over angels.

The first one appears in verse 5. This is a quote of Psalm 2:7, which was about God's Anointed. It was recognized by the Jews as a “Messianic Psalm”, meaning it spoke of the future Messiah.  There God the Father refers to the Messiah as his son.

Psalm 2:7 reflects the promise God made to David in 2 Samuel 7. In that passage, God promised to build a house for David that would not end. The kings of Israel would come from him, including the great king who will reign forever. Of their relationship, God said “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.” This is first a reference to Solomon, but Scripture shows its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. The picture in Psalm 2:7 is David as a witness to the decree of the Father to the Son saying “you are my son”. The New Testament writers show that this son is indeed Jesus.

Paul preached a sermon to the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia. This is recorded in Acts 13. He was preaching to Jews. He told them the promises of God to the Jews of the Old Testament were fulfilled by Jesus. Here he refers to Jesus’ resurrection as the fulfillment. Later Paul would write that the Father declared Jesus the Son of God by the power of the resurrection. (Romans 1:3-4)

 Begotten here does not mean the Father married and had a son with a woman. This is what the Mormons teach. But the members of the Trinity have existed for all eternity together. We call Jesus the second person of the Trinity. There is one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

So, the sense here is that the Father appointed him as his son to accomplish his will in redemption. The NIV tries to capture this by saying “today I have become your father”. This decree seems to come at a set point in time, for it says “today I have begotten you”. So, there seems to be a sense that when Jesus came into the world (his incarnation), or in anticipation of it, the Father appoints Jesus as his Son.

The Father to Son relationship is an analogy to help us understand it. It has in mind the relationship where the son of a king is sent somewhere to accomplish the king’s will. Jesus himself said the Father sent the Son. He gave him in John 3:16. He sent him. (John 15:22) And Jesus told the Father he accomplished all the work the Father gave him to do. (John 17:4) And then he was ready to return home to his Father. (“I am coming to you” in John 17:13). The parable of the tenants also illustrates this idea. (Matthew 21:33-41)   

The second Old Testament reference, which is in the last part of verse 5, is a direct quote of 2 Samuel 7:14. So the writer got to that verse both indirectly and directly.

So, the point the writer makes is that Jesus is greater because he is the son and angels were not.  

Then, just to make sure you got the point in the comparison, he said when the Son came into the world (incarnation), the Father told the angels to worship him. This is the third Old Testament reference. He refers to Psalm 97:7. There the Psalmist tells angels to bow down to him. Your version will say “gods” instead of “angels”. (The Hebrew word is “Elohim”.)  The Greek version said “angels” not “gods”. The Psalmist actually refers all the way back to The Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32:43. And angels did worship him when he came into the world. Luke 2 shows us angels worshipping at the birth of Christ. Revelation 5 shows angels worshipping the ascended Son in heaven. Verses 11-14 describe it.

Then, in contrast, in Hebrews 1:7, he says angels are servants. This is the fourth Old Testament reference. He called them "winds" and "ministers of flame". They carry messages and execute God's judgments. This is a reference to Psalm 104:4. That Psalm speaks of the majesty of God. He is so majestic, he makes angels serve him. Angels seem majestic to humans, so God must be very majestic.

What the writer of Hebrews is doing is saying “look at the scripture”, meaning the Old Testament. The very thing you are thinking of returning to testifies to the superiority of Jesus.” And in doing so, he applied scripture referring to God as referring to Christ, thus making the statement that Christ is divine. He is God.