Psalm 8

Title: How Majestic Is Your Name

Text: Psalm 8

PP: Know who you are and why you are here in light of knowing who God is and what he says about us.

RTL: If you ignore what God says about man you will not be who God created you to be.

Points:

1. Recognize You Were Created For God’s Glory (vv.1-2,9)

2. Embrace Your God-Given Dignity (vv.3-5)

3. Take Responsibility Over Creation (vv.6-8)

Intro:

Well I want you to picture yourself evangelizing to someone and this person is deep philosophical thinker … their asking really good questions … and they ask a really fundamental question … “what is man?”

well being someone who is familiar with sound doctrine and what the Bible teaches about man

you might respond by saying “man is sinfully wicked and totally depraved”

of course that would be right and true

they might even respond “wow that’s how you view yourself … that’s depressing … seems like X’s would have no self-worth”

I want us to think about … is the way you responded … is that all that the Bible says about man

Consider another situation where this person is chatting with his friends and they are talking about their mental health and self image and how they can improve it

… by self-care …adding meaning to your life by telling yourself that you are “worth it”

In these two situations that I described for you … we see an imbalanced understanding of who man is

in the first we see ourselves as so wretched and depraved of which we are! …

… but is that all that man is?

well man has significance and dignity according to God’s word

in the second example … we see man trying to define and determine how we should view ourselves

in this situation they at least say their is significance to man —- but it’s way too elevated

We need to have a balanced understanding of man

bc if you don’t … you will not be who God created you to be

see as X’s we engage with our culture in a war of ideas .. where they define who man is

… but us a X’s … we have to know who we are … as human beings in relation to God …

… we don’t define what that is … God does

You have to know who you are and why you are here … in light of knowing who God is and what he says about us.

TURN WITH ME TO Psalm 8

READ

The whole psalm sits between 2 verses of praise (v.1 & 9)

the first thing we see in this psalm is that all things exist for God’s glory … every verse in this psalm —— is directed towards getting us to see that …

This psalm gets us to see biblical anthropology by way of a theology

see the first thing we need to recognize about us … is that we exist to the praise of his glory (to quote Eph 1:12, 14)

We need to see that we were created for God’s glory

1. Recognize You Were Created For God’s Glory (vv.1-2,9) - 6 Mins

Beginning here … with our reason for existence … namely God himself …

… will act like “nails firmly fixed” as it says in Eccl. 12:11 - you will be secure and stable

——- Superscription

——- v.1

2 different words for Lord

LORD - is the Heb. Yahweh = God’s revealed name/proper name/ his personal name (Ex 3 and Ex 34)

Lord (title) - Adonai = ruler or boss

So he starts off by declaring that God is the eternal God who has always existed and is our ruler

and his majestic name is seen in all the earth

His glory is seen above the heavens

You can almost picture David the shepherd boy … looking up and seeing the Milky way and being amazed by the majesty of God

Psalm 19:1 paints the same picture … “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

this should cause us to be at awe of our Creator

See the entire created realm is God’s stage … and he is shouting and performing for us … proclaiming to us that he is glorious and majestic

It made me think of that sphere in Las Vegas … God’s world is like that … where he is performing

God reveals his glory to all mankind through creation

Humans are meant to worship God

The sad reality is that although God universally reveals himself … he is not universally acknowledged

Romans 1:18–23

that God’s invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived … that God is making plain for everyone that he exists

but bc of their unrighteousness people suppress the truth about God’s existence and revelation

and they exchange the worship of the Creator for the created

So God shows his glory through creation

God also shows his glory through someone unexpected

the most vulnerable people on earth … helpless … needy … crying babies

idk if you have ever thought about that … there is the glory of God seen in a baby

now v.2 says “Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.”

What does that mean?

Well in this verse there babies and enemies

there is something about the testimony of babies that should perplex God’s enemies

We see this in Matthew 21:14–16

14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 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, 16 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’?””

they were angry bc they didn’t think Jesus wasn’t worthy of worship bc they didn’t think he was God

they were also angry bc these were little kids worshipping

But who got it right here? ——>> the children

even children can acknowledge that there is a God and he is meant to be worshiped

this is how even babies can confound God’s enemies .. this gives God glory

Imagine it’s as if you’re are evangelizing … you’re faced with a militant atheist … and what you do is you bring a young child to evidence the glory of God

this principle that God uses the weak to shame the strong is a principle that is seen throughout the Scriptures

God wants us to see that he not only gets glory from the heavens…. but also from babies and nursing infants

What do you do after you recognize the reason for your existence? ——-> you bring glory to God

what that means is … “ascribing him credit” … “giving him credit”

We all need to feel challenged to bring the utmost glory to God … there is so much to give credit to God for

This world is his stage … give God credit for the beauty in creation … whatever else is in all the earth

… you were created for this!

Isaiah 43:7 “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.””

v.3 - “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

David marvels at looking at the night sky …

The fact that every planet and star have been ordained to be where they are by God

He uses “anthropomorphic language” when he says “the work of your fingers” …

getting us to see that the heavens are like playdough that God just made and placed where it is by his “fingers”

He is awestruck … that while we have an amazing universe that is nothing compared to the majesty of God

idk who saw but this past week there was first ever private space walk conducted

there’s a video of the guy who opens the hatch and looks down at Earth for like 10 mins

Just think the majesty of the universe this guy saw … this in no way compares to the majesty of God

all of this is supposed to point to the splendor and majesty of God

which leads David to ask … v.4 “what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”

I am sure if you have ever looked up at the night sky or have just thought about the true nature of God …

you have asked … why does God even pay attention to me … why does he care about me?

I am so small and insignificant

How is it … that such a majestic God cares for you to the point that knows how many hairs are on your head?

See we do not have a deist God … one who not personally involved with his people

no he is intimately acquainted with his creatures

David understands his insignificance … as should we …

and also understands his significance in v.5

v.5 “Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.”

You are crowned with glory and honor …

IOW you have been given dignity by God

we have to embrace that bc that is how God created us

2. Embrace Your God-Given Dignity (vv.3-5) - 18 mins

If you noticed the glory of God is talked about in v.1 and now it is said that mankind has been crowned with glory

this glory we posses is a derived glory

what we’re talking about here is that we are made in the image of God

Going back to Genesis 1:27 “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

now what does it mean to be made in the image of God?

it means that we are made like God in some ways

most common way to think about this is that we have intellect, emotion, and will

Just as God is thinking God … a feeling God … and a volitional God

so are we thinking …feeling ... and volitional beings

we share in some of God’s attributes

which is why commentators point out that the word for “heavenly beings” in v.5 is the word “Eloihm which most often is translated “God”

so we are lower than God … bc we are made in his image

4 Things We Need to Know About this Truth :

1) Everyone human being is made in the image of God

irregardless of who they are … they are crowned with glory and honor

What happens when this truth is ignored?

Well you get … 930,160 reported abortions in the US alone in the year 2020

the unborn have dignity because they are made in the image of God

Psalm 139:16 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

2) This makes us unique compared to animals or plants

they are not made in his image

animals do not drive cars … study for tests … build houses …

the choices they make are by instincts

plants … do not ask “what is plant that are you mindful of him … why do you care for the venus fly trap”

We were specifically created to know God … and relate to him

we are not just another animal … like your science professors will tell you

We are much more important … I am sorry for you animal-lovers … but that’s the truth …

3) The image of God in others should change the way we view and treat people

In James 3 in the section about the tongue there is comment about how we should watch what we say …

…. bc with our tongues according to v.9 … we will either bless or curse people “who are made in the likeness of God”

of course this has to do with our thoughts and actions towards others too

God says make sure you treat others with dignity and respect because that is how I made them

no matter who it is or what they have done

4) Gives You Value and Worth

The image of God in you gives you significance and importance

Where do you find your value?

… is it in something about you

… what you have done

… what you look like

… something you are working towards

… in a relationship

where is your worth?

are you constantly ebbing and flowing in your self-esteem?

… well are you placing your worth in something that is transient and temporary —->> something that can change

no Bridge student you are valuable bc ——>> you are God’s creature and he has uniquely made you in his image …

Well being Created in the image of God has to do with having God-given dignity (vv.3-5) … but also God-given responsibility (vv.6-8)

Psalm 8:6–8 “6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.”

God is completely sovereign and in charge

But he has made a world in which … we function as his representatives through our rule and reign

We have the responsibility to exercise “dominion”

3. Take Responsibility Over Creation (vv.6-8) -

This was first given to Adam and Eve after God created them he commands them to have dominion over all the earth

Genesis 1:26 “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.””

Genesis 1:28 “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.””

We have been entrusted with this responsibility … it is not something that went away after the fall

To have dominion is to have rulership and control over something

Adam and Eve were to exercise dominion over the garden … (taking care of it) … (managing it) … and subduing the animals (showing mastery)

so dominion is rulership and authority

God has put humanity in charge of God’s creation

we are supposed to be lords of the earth as we exercise dominion

it is an odd concept bc we do not often think about it …

…. but it really is seen in a lot of areas of our lives

And again we exist to bring God glory … he makes us in his image to reflect who he is …

this starts with who God is … God is our ruler and our lord

he invites us to join him in the same efforts over creation

this is how we bring him glory

Many of you will exercise dominion as you are in charge of a company or a team at work in the future

But how can you be faithful to exercise dominion now? - Bc God does call of us to this

If you are in a management position at work - this is one way you can clearly do that

when you are put in charge … do it well

well what if you do not have that … well we all have this thing called “time” … we are called to make the best use of it

One way to exercise dominion is by having a schedule … being in charge of your calendar

if you do not have a weekly schedule where you know what you will be doing —— make it

create a calendar if you don’t have one (there’s apps) —- if you do make sure you are in control of your calendar

this helps us so that we don’t say “I don’t know where the time went this week”

we all have phones … I wonder who rules who … “are you in control of your phone? … of your screen time?”

this could be your the place you live … your room … your closet … your desk

Ask yourself what are things in my life that need “to be ruled and controlled”?

What happens if we lack in this area … we need lessons from ants

Proverbs 6:6–11 “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. 7 Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, 8 she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. 9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”

maybe you’ve been unhappy where your life is … what you’re doing with your life …

that can change if you will just take dominion over your life to glorify God

See we were created to be God’s rulers on earth …

how are you going to do that … how can you do that better?

While this Psalm gives us a view of man by way of a view of God

… The whole point of this psalm is not so we would praise man … but praise God

See we were created intentionally with purpose … we are to image God back to him … give him credit …

as we resemble and reflect his character

My prayer is that you would take the biblical understanding of who you are that …

you are to bring glory to God

that you are made with dignity

and that you are given a responsibility

and that you would live up to who you were created to be

LETS PRAY