What is Man? The Majestic Image of the Majestic God
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What is your goal for living the Christian life? What is your DEEP motivation? What is your why? One pastor friend of mine says it this way, “What is your eternal why?”
Having the correct Biblical goal is essential to actually growing in Christlikeness. If your motivation is fuzzy, your Christian life will be fuzzy.
There was a famous study conducted at the Harvard Business School in 1979. A group of researchers wanted to figure out the relative importance of written goals and tracking on success. The researchers gathered up all the Harvard Business School students of the 1979 class and asked them one very specific question:
“Have you set clear, written goals for your future & made plans to accomplish them?"
Out of the hundreds of students surveyed, here’s what the researchers found:
• 3% of the graduates had written goals and plans
• 13% had a goal (but their plans were not in writing)
• 84% had no specific goals at all
10 years later, the researchers followed up with the very same members of the 1979 Harvard Class to evaluate their level of success and happiness. Most of these graduates were now well established into their careers and family. Here is what the research found:
• The 13% who had said that they had specific goals before graduating were earning, on average, 2x MORE than the 84% who had no goals at all.
• The researchers also found that the 3% who had specific written goals were earning, on average, 10X’s as much as the other 97% put together!
Now I am not preaching on making 10x’s more money than the next guy. I say all that to illustrate the point that our goal in life, our motivation in life, is very very important.
What if you rephrased the question? What if we asked every person in our church this question,
“Have you set clear, written goals for your Christian future and made plans to accomplish them?”
Do we even have goals? And if we have goals, do we know the eternal why behind our goals? Friends, what is motivating your Christian life?
Did you know that God has a written goal for your future and has made plans to accomplish them?
This morning I want to examine God’s goal for each and everyone of us. I want us to think deeply and clearly about God’s purpose in creating us, and out of that purpose I want each of us to clarify and strengthen our eternal why.
To accomplish this we are going to ask a series of questions this morning and make some, hopefully, helpful theological conclusions.
Question #1: What is God’s goal for humanity? For what purpose did God make us?
To answer this question we turn to Psalm 8.
The key question that the Psalmist asks in this text is found in v.4 and it is the question we must answer as well.
I. What is man? (Psalm 8)
I. What is man? (Psalm 8)
Psalm 8 is only 9 verses so let’s take a moment and read the entire Psalm.
To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David.
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
A. The Magnificence of God (vv. 1-3, 9)
A. The Magnificence of God (vv. 1-3, 9)
If we are to understand the main thrust and point of this text, we must first understand and ponder the majestic glory of God. This is the how the poem begins and ends.
Psalm 8:1 (ESV)
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
Yahweh, our Lord (Adoni), how majestic or magnificent (inspiring awe or reverence in the beholder) is your name in all the earth!
The word majestic is used elsewhere to describe the grandeur of mountains or trees.
Psalm 76:4 (ESV)
Glorious are you, more majestic than the mountains full of prey.
Ezekiel 17:23 (ESV)
On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar.
This thought is central to this poem of David. God is magnificent! He is more majestic that the grandest mountain. He is more noble that the largest cedar. God’s name is full of majesty. He inspires us with awe and reverence more than anything else in all creation.
If you don’t have this view of God then nothing else in life makes sense. To the degree that the majesty of God is diminished in your mind, to the that same degree will you fail and falter in having the proper motivation for living your Christian life. God must be absolutely magnificent in our eyes!
Aside: How do you gain or recapture the magnificence of God? Read the OT prophets (Isaiah, Amos, Habakkuk)
God is majestic, he is magnificent. How majestic is God?
Psalm 8:1 (ESV)
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
You have set/fixed your glory/honor above the heavens.
In what ways do we see this? How has God fixed his glory higher than the heavens?
Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
From the mouths of babies (general word for small children) and infants (nursing babies) you have ordained (Piel, causative- causes the DO to do something, to assign a duty, responsibility, or obligation to someone) strength/praise (LXX)
on account of your enemies
to cause to cease the enemy and the one who take revenge.
The general sense of this verse is that God is so magnificent, His glory is so great, that He can use the smallest child or even the nursing infant to utterly defeat the strongest of His enemies.
We have a wonderful NT example of God doing exactly this. It is the account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. After he rode into town on a donkey, he went to the temple.
And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.
But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant,
How did Jesus still his enemy and those who wanted to take revenge? Through the little children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” God is so magnificent that He can use the smallest child to utterly defeat His enemies.
In the minds of the religious leaders in Jerusalem this was blaspheme. Any sane adult wouldn’t dare to speak these words, let alone shout them, let alone in the temple! But, these are children. Children shout what is on their minds and in their hearts. They have no filter. They are genuine and sincere. As Jesus was performing miracles in the temple, healing the blind and the lame, and performing wonders--the most nature response for these children was to shout praise and adoration at the top of their lungs for Jesus!
Illustration: The other day my wife Sharon made a special meal for supper, venison stroganoff. My seven year old son, Jonathan, had never had this particular meal before. The first bit went in his mouth and without hesitation these words burst forth from his lips, “Mommy, you just changed my life!” We all burst out laughing! This is childlike praise! Genuine, sincere, instant, no-filter, unadulterated praise!
and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “ ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”
And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
Leaving them! This is Jesus’ victory! What did the scribes and chief priests want to do to Jesus? Kill Him! But they could not! Why?Because of the children. Jesus stilled the enemy and the avenger, and what did he used to defeat his foes? The praise of children. This is exactly how magnificent God is!
How else do we see the magnificence of God?
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
“which you set in place” (Piel- causative) God caused the heavens, the moon, and the stars to be set exactly in their proper place!
The heavens, the sky, the universe is the work of the fingers of our magnificent God. The moon and the stars, that God caused, by His own mighty power, to set in place! Behold your God in all His majesty!
You must see God in his majesty for the rest of the psalm to make sense.
Hinging on the magnificence of God, the Psalmist makes his second important theological truth of this poem:
B. The Magnificence of Humanity (vv. 4-8)
B. The Magnificence of Humanity (vv. 4-8)
In Psalm 8:4 we come to the center of David’s poem. In this center verse we find some amazing theological truths about God’s purpose for humanity.
what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
"What is man?” or “Why is humanity so important to God?” This is the central question of this poem.
What is man. Man is in the plural here. And this word means humanity, human beings, plural. What is the human race that God is mindful of them?
And the son of man? Son of man is singular. The idea here is not humanity in general, but the individual person specifically. What is the individual person to God that He cares for him?
Psalm 8:4 (ESV)
what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
The key word in this verse is the “what.”
David uses the Hebrew word “מָה” which our English translations read as “What.”
“What is it about humankind that causes God to remember them? And the individual person that He cares for him?”
What is it about man that makes him so special and worthy of God’s remembrance and care?
The answer to this question is hinted at in the beginning and ending lines of the poem.
David uses the same Hebrew word, “מָה” to begin and end this incredible Psalm.
Psalm 8:1 (ESV)
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
Psalm 8:9 (ESV)
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
David strategically uses this word, מָה, only in these three places- beginning, middle, and end. By doing this we are clued in to answer to David’s question in v. 4.
Inclusio diagram
V. 1 and v. 9 form what we call an inclusio. Inclusios tell us the major subject of theme of the passage. In this case the magnificence of God is central to our passage. The repeated use of the Hebrew word “מָה” in only these three specific locations, beginning, middle, end, helps us answer the Psalmist’s question.
What is man? The answer to this question is found in David’s beginning and ending exclamation, “how majestic!” In other words, humanity is worthy of God’s remembrance and care because humanity bears the majestic image of God Himself. What is man? Why is humanity so important? The Psalmists answer is, “because of God’s majesty!”
The question, “What is man?” has everything to do with the majesty and magnificence of God. Humanity is the pinnacle of God’s creation. Humanity, unlike any other part of God’s creation, bears the image of God. Therefore, the man bears the majestic image of the majestic God.
What is man? What is humanity? Humanity is the part of God’s creation chosen to bear the majesty of God. Humanity bears the magnificent majestic image of a magnificent majestic God.
This is the express written goal of God concerning your future. You were made by a majestic God to bear His very own majestic image. And this truth has profound theological implications for our lives.
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
And you have caused him to be a little lower in status than the heavenly beings and you crown him with glory and honor.
There is a significant interpretive issue here in v. 5. The ESV states that God made humanity a little lower than the “heavenly beings.”
The Hebrew word translated as heavenly beings is the word אֱלֹהִים
This is normally translated as one of the names of God. So you could translate this like the CSB or the NASB does,
You made him little less than God and crowned him with glory and honor.
The LXX, Syriac, and Aramaic translations of the Hebrew text replace “אֱלֹהִים” with “angels.” This is the reading followed by Heb. 2 as well. So whether it is a little lower than God, or a little lower than the heavenly beings or angels is not clear, nor does it alter the point of the text very much.
What is the point of v. 5?
Psalm 8:5 (ESV)
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
The main point is that humanity is the pinnacle of God’s creation. Humanity is the majestic image of the majestic God. In this way God has crowned humanity with glory and honor.
What kind of glory and honor has God crowned humanity with?
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
v. 6 connects this entire Psalm back to the Genesis account, and back to an extremely important theme of Scripture which is the image of God. Humanity is the only part of God’s creation made in his image. And v. 6 makes that connection.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
The full meaning and implication of what it means to be made in the image of God is comprehensive and extremely important. I want to highlight one way that man bears the image of God in our text this morning.
One of the ways that humanity images God, one of the ways that we mirror God, is through dominion.
When we say that humanity bears the image of God we mean that humanity represents and is like God is some ways. One of the ways we represent and are like God is in our dominion over creation.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
All flocks and cattle, and also the beasts of the field, (All domesticated and wild animals)
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
Humanity has been grated by God dominion over every other part of God’s creation. Now, what does it mean that we have dominion?
Psalm 8:6 (ESV)
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
Under his feet is an image in Biblical times with two meanings.
1). It has the idea of authority
In this illustration, the king has his foot on his enemy. The enemy of the king is “under his feet.” This is the idea of authority over an adversary.
2). It has the idea of protector
In this image the man has a deer under his feet. Notice, however that this is a stance of protection. He is protecting the deer from the lion.
When God gives humanity dominion over all the works of his hands and puts everything under our feet it carries both of these ideas. Yes we have been given dominion or authority over creation, but we are to do so by protecting and caring for that same creation.
Finally David’s ends this Psalm with the statement He made in the beginning.
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Theological Conclusions
Theological Conclusions
God is magnificent and worthy of great glory!
God is magnificent and worthy of great glory!
This is the reason God made us. We were created by God, we continue to exist only through God, and the reason we exist is FOR God. We were made to bring God great glory. And God is worthy of great glory for He is an majestic and magnificent God!
God’s purpose for humanity is to bear His very own magnificent image.
God’s purpose for humanity is to bear His very own magnificent image.
Friends, here is our eternal why. Why did God make you? What is your motivation for the Christian life? To bring God great glory by accurately representing the magnificent image of God. When others see the majesty of God through us, when we reflect like little mirrors the magnificence of God, He receives great glory. This is why you exist!
One of the ways we mirror the majesty of God is by exercising dominion over creation.
One of the ways we mirror the majesty of God is by exercising dominion over creation.
We represent God, we are like God when we exert dominion over God’s creation.
Dominion means that God has given us both authority and responsibility over His creation.
Dominion means that God has given us both authority and responsibility over His creation.
God has put everything under the feet of mankind. If we are to represent God we must exercise that authority in a wise manner to provide for and protect the creation of God.
Now if you are following along with my conclusions this morning you might be thinking of a glaring problem! We don’t exercise dominion over creation the way that God intended us to. In fact we are very bad at it! Instead of protecting and preserving we selfishly abuse and misuse the creation.
Why is that? Because we are all sinners! The image of God in every one off us has been devastated by the fall.
This is a tragedy. Not only is God’s creation abused and misused, something even greater is at stake!
Man was made as the majestic image of the majestic God. That image was corrupted by the fall. Sin has devastated that image. We no longer accurately represent the majestic image of God. That means that God does not receive the great glory that He deserves. And that is the greatest travesty in life.
Our majestic God does not receive the glory and honor He rightly deserves because His majestic image in us has been devastated by sin.
So what’s the solution?
We find the solution to this problem in Hebrews 2.
Question #1: What is God’s goal for humanity? For what purpose did God make us?
Answer: To bear His majestic image.
Problem: We don’t do that!
Question #2: What is God’s solution for humanity? How will God restore us to fulfill His original purpose?
II. Who is Jesus? (Hebrews 2)
II. Who is Jesus? (Hebrews 2)
In Hebrews 2 the author quotes Psalm 8 and applies it to Jesus Christ. And we need to see the important theological points that the author of Hebrews makes.
Now we need to remember a little context about the Book of Hebrews before we read our text. The author of Hebrews wants to make the point over and over again that Jesus is better. Not only is Jesus better than anything else, Jesus is far better, so you should follow Him. That is the driving point you will find throughout the book.
In Hebrew 1:1-3 Jesus is far better than the prophets because He is the Son of God.
1:4-14 Jesus is far better than the angels because He is the Son of God.
In 2:1-4 you have the first warning section, the “so what” of the book.
Then in 2:5-18 Jesus is far better than angels because He is the Son of man. Think about that for a moment. The author of Hebrews argues that Jesus is superior to angels because Jesus is a human being.
I thought human beings were inferior to angels? In some ways they are, but in other very important ways human beings are superior to angels. And one those ways is that humans bear the very image of God. No where in Scripture are we told that angles bear the image of God, but humans do.
And because we are image bears of God we also have been given dominion over creation. We saw that from Psalm 8. However, the dominion that God intended for us (Gen. 1-2) has been corrupted and devastated by the fall (Gen 3). What is God’s remedy for restoring that lost dominion? The answer to that is found in Hebrews 2-
For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking.
It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him?
You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor,
putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.
So Jesus is far better than the angels because He is the son of man. Let’s look at some key truths from this passage on how God intends to restore our lost dominion over creation.
A. The Failure of Humanity (vv. 5-8)
A. The Failure of Humanity (vv. 5-8)
Firstly, we are going to see that the dominion God intended for humanity back in Genesis 1:26-27 was temporarily thwarted by the fall. God intended for humanity to exercise perfect dominion over His creation and by doing so become perfect mirrors of his majesty. But, then Genesis 3 happened and God’s image in us was marred. And our dominion over creation was marred and the kingdom that God wanted us to rule over with Him was lost.
Hebrews 2:5 (ESV)
For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking.
Remember the author of Hebrews is arguing that Jesus is better than the angels because He is the son of man. It is the humanity of Jesus that makes him superior to angels. This is the point of the contrast in v. 5. It was not to angels that God subjected the world to come. God did not give angels dominion of His creation. To whom did God give that dominion? God subjected the creation to human beings. And because Jesus, in his incarnation, became a human being, He is superior to the angels! God has bestowed upon humanity great honor and glory!
Notice the phrase “world to come.” At first, God gave humanity dominion over the original creation in Genesis 1. But humanity made the choice to rebel against God at the Fall. Because of our sin humanity forfeited the right to dominion of the original creation. So now we look forward to once again having the dominion that God intended, but it will not be over this world, but the world to come.
What is that world to come? It is the coming kingdom! We will not be able to exercise the righteous dominion that God intended for us until the coming kingdom.
It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him?
You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor,
Hebrews 2:8 (ESV)
putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.
Who is the “him” of v. 8? Humanity. The Human race. At present, we do not see everything in subjection to humanity. Why?
Because of sin. Humanity has been corrupted by sin. The creation itself has been corrupted by sin. The righteous dominion that God intended for humanity is impossible while sin persists. So what is God’s solution?
B. The Glory of Jesus (vv. 9-10)
B. The Glory of Jesus (vv. 9-10)
Jesus Christ is the perfect representation and likeness of God. So much so that you can say to be Christlike is the same thing as saying to be in the very image of God. If you want to know what it means to perfectly bear the image of God look to Jesus. He did what we could not. We failed. Because of our sin God’s image was marred. But Jesus perfectly bore God’s image. And not only did he succeed where we failed, Jesus alone, makes it possible for us to have God’s image renewed and restored.
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
Now we need to pay careful attention to the pronouns of v. 8 and v. 9.
Hebrews 2:8- At present, we do not see everything in subjection to him (humanity)
Hebrews 2:9- But we see him (Jesus)
Who is the “him” in v. 8? Humanity in general. At the present time, creation is not in subjection to humanity because we lost of ability to righteous dominion because of the fall.
Who is the “him” in v. 9? There is a dramatic shift here! And if you miss it, you miss the point. The “him” in v. 9 is not humanity, it is JESUS! We just shifted from humanity’s failure to the glory that Jesus brings!
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
What is God’s express written purpose for us? To function as the majestic image of the majestic God and bring Him great glory. That purpose was devastated in Genesis 3! It was devastated but not destroyed! There is still hope for us to have the image of God restored and renewed within us! How is this possible? Only through Jesus Christ!
The restoration and renewal of the image of God begins with regeneration or new birth.
Hebrews 2:9 (ESV)
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
This idea that Jesus tasted death for everyone is speaking of His death on the cross. Jesus became fully human- he was made lower than the angels. His name given here, Jesus, was the name given at his birth. This is the first time Jesus’ human birth name is used in this epistle.
Jesus became fully human, why? So that He could redeem humanity. In order to redeem us He had to die for us to pay for our sins. Jesus, who is the perfect image of God, took upon himself our sins and paid sin’s penalty for us, by shedding His blood on the cross. Until you accept God’s gift of salvation through faith you have no hope of renewing the image of God within you. The first step in renewal and restoration of the image of God is regeneration or new birth. You must be born again. And that is possible only by means of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is our only hope! By means of His grace, the Father sent his only Son into the world, and the eternal Son of God became fully human. And Jesus the man, because of the grace of God, tasted death for everyone.
Do you want to fulfill God’s purpose for your life? Do you want to bear the majestic image of the majestic God? Then you need Jesus! That image has been totally devastated because of sin. But Jesus, the God-man, has died, he has tasted death for our sins- so that our sins could be forgiven, and the majestic image of God within us could be renewed! Only Jesus can do that! Have you received this wonderful precious gift? Have you been saved by Jesus? I hope you will trust him!
But, the glory and wonder of what Jesus does for us doesn’t stop in v. 9!
Hebrews 2:10 (ESV)
For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.
The renewal process doesn’t stop at regeneration or new birth. Salvation is just the beginning. God’s plan is to work in the lives of every Christian to bring us to glory.
In his work, Theology of the New Testament, Frank Thielman said this,
“Jesus is superior to angels because, unlike the angels, he assumed the human condition, experiencing, like his human family, suffering and death. He can therefore accomplish something that no angel can do: he can … bring ‘many sons’ to the ‘glory’ God intended for humanity to have over the world to come.” —Frank Thielman
In other words, Jesus is not only able to save your from sin, but He ultimately leads you to glory with Him. And what is that glory? It is the perfecting of the image of God in all of us. And not only us but in all creation!
Just think about what must be accomplished if God’s original purpose for humanity is to be restored!
1). The image of God must be restored within humanity
2). The creation itself must be renewed from the corruption of sin
Romans 8:19 (ESV)
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
Romans 8:23 (ESV)
And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Hebrews 2:10 (ESV)
For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.
Why does God speak about his children, male and female, as sons? This is not a gender discrimination like so many in our culture try to make it out to be. God very intentionally calls both men and women believers sons of God. Why? Sons speaks to the notion of inheritance. The first born son in the Hebrew culture received the bulk of the inheritance from the father. Because of Jesus, and our union with Christ, we are all, both male and female, treated as sons of God. We will inherit from the Father what Christ will inherit from the Father.
Only Jesus can … bring ‘many sons’ to the ‘glory’ God intended for humanity to have over the world to come.”
What is the glory that God intended for humanity to have over the world to come? Dominion!
what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Hebrews 2:8 (ESV)
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.
At present we do not yet see this dominion, but one day we will! And what is the only reason that is possible? Jesus Christ!
Jesus is the only one who can restore the image of God within us. He alone is the one who can enable us to bear the majestic image of the majestic God. And that is glory we have to look forward to one day!
Revelation 22:5 (ESV)
And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Friends, Revelation 22:5 is the final fulfillment of Psalm 8. The intent of God, that we bear his majestic image through dominion, will not be fully realized until this point in redemption history.
“In the life to come we shall see the image of God not only in its perfection but also in its completion. All of God’s people, from every age and every place, resurrected and glorified, will then be present on the new earth, with all the God-reflecting gifts that have been given them. And all of these gifts, now completely purged of sin and imperfection, will be used by man for the first time in a perfect way. Then, throughout eternity, God will be glorified by the worship, service, and praise of his image-bearers in a scintillating and totally flawless reflection of his own marvelous virtues. And the purpose for which he created humankind will have been accomplished.” —Anthony A. Hoekema
Theological Conclusions
Theological Conclusions
God has given the highest honor and glory to humanity by giving them dominion over His creation
God has given the highest honor and glory to humanity by giving them dominion over His creation
Humanities ability to exercise dominion (the image of God) was marred by the fall
Humanities ability to exercise dominion (the image of God) was marred by the fall
God’s remedy for recapturing our lost dominion is Jesus Christ
God’s remedy for recapturing our lost dominion is Jesus Christ
The image of God can only be restored within humanity through Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins
The image of God can only be restored within humanity through Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins
Only Jesus can bring many sons to the fully glory that God intended humanity to have over the world to come
Only Jesus can bring many sons to the fully glory that God intended humanity to have over the world to come
The full renewal, restoration, and perfection of the image of God is the only way for God’s purpose for humankind to be accomplished
The full renewal, restoration, and perfection of the image of God is the only way for God’s purpose for humankind to be accomplished
So What?
So What?
Having the correct Biblical goal is essential to actually growing in Christlikeness. If your motivation is fuzzy, your Christian life will be fuzzy.
What is your eternal why? What is your goal in life? What is your deep seated motivation?
What is God’s written goal for your future? What is God’s purpose statement for your life?
This morning from Psalm 8 and Hebrews 2 we have see that God’s purpose for you existence is this:
You were created to represent the majestic image of the majestic God
You were created to represent the majestic image of the majestic God
And the question is this, do you care? Do you really care about God’s purpose for your life? Or you could ask it this way, is this really what motivates every area of your life?
Dads- what is your motivation for your home? Do you go to work, so you can pay the bills, and have a few hours of down time to yourself at the end of the day? How much time do you invest in your kids?
Did you know two separate studies -- one by the University of Michigan, the other by Penn State University -- stated that the average American dad spends seven to eleven minutes of meaningful conversation with each of his children each week?
How can we avoid that model? The answer is having a proper motivation! Dad’s are you motivated by representing the majestic image of the majestic God to your kids so that our great God receives the glory he rightly deserves? If your motivation is fuzzy, your Christian life will be fuzzy.
Moms- what is your motivation for your home? Being a mom is most of the time a thankless and a praise-less job. In other words if you are a hard worker in the home, you take care of the kids, you take care of the home, you take care of the meals, and the laundry, and the hundreds of other things around the house- mostly that goes unnoticed and upraised. You will never have the accolades that the international interned preacher has. But what is your motivation? Are you motivated by representing the majestic image of the majestic God so that you can put on display the grace of your salvation to your family? Do you earnestly desire for God to receive the glory as you image Him? If your motivation is fuzzy, your Christian life will be fuzzy.
Kids- why do you obey your parents? What is your motivation?
Church members- why do you come to church? Why do you come to prayer meeting or Sunday school? Why do you engage is disciple-making?
What is your eternal why? You motivation makes all the difference!
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
"Deepen in me a sense of my holy relationship to thee."