God's Glory And Man's Dominion Series

BIG IDEA:

GOD DESIGNED SEEMINGLY INSIGNIFICANT MAN

TO REIGN OVER THE EARTH IN MAJESTY

I. (:1-2) GOD REIGNS IN MAJESTY

A. His Intrinsic Majesty

“O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Thy name in all the earth, Who hast displayed Thy splendor above the heavens!”

B. His Rightful Dominion over all Enemies

1. He Channels His Power Through Instruments of Weakness

“From the mouth of infants and nursing babes

Thou hast established strength”

2. He Subdues all Enemies

“Because of Thine adversaries,

To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.”

II. (:3-4) MAN SEEMS INSIGNIFICANT – BUT NOT TO GOD!

(Seems insignificant in light of the majesty of heaven – until you understand the Plan of God)

A. God’s Creation is Impressive

“When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers,

The moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained”

Picture the shepherd David out under the stars at night contemplating the Lord’s creation; In modern day times we are even more staggered as we have some insight into the vastness of the cosmos

B. God’s Care for Man is Surprising

“What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him?

And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him?”

We do not have a God who doesn’t care

III. (:5-8) MAN REIGNS OVER THE EARTH IN MAJESTY

applied to the Messiah (cf. Heb. 2:6-8)

Man was made in the image of God -- we are closer to God than to the material world

A. His Derived Majesty

“Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God,.And dost crown him with glory and majesty!”

Wever:

“Man was created in the image of God.

What is the image of God in man? We are spiritual beings as God is Spirit; man is a moral being; God is a personality and so are we

3 aspects of personality:

1) intellect -- a mind to reason

2) emotions -- sensibility -- response

3) volition -- will to make our own decisions

a mind to know Him

a heart to love Him

a will to obey Him

Even fallen man is in the image of God, even though it is a shattered image

(e.g. the purpose of a mirror is to reflect the glory of God; Christ can put back together the broken pieces of the shattered mirror)

The gulf between God and man is not as great as that between man and the material world.

The glory of man = his God-likeness, his nature.

The honor of man = position of man over the works of God’s hands.

God making earth a fit habitation for man was the purpose of the six days of creation.”

B. His Assigned Dominion over all Creation

“Thou doest make him to rule over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet”

You can only exercise this dominion once you accept the rule of God over you

(:9) DOXOLOGY

“O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Thy name in all the earth.”

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DEVOTIONAL QUESTIONS:

1) Why do we allow ourselves to struggle with issues of Significance when the God who has created us has proclaimed our Significance.? What is our concept of the Dignity of man?

2) How can we ever doubt God’s personal care for us? He gives attention to all of the.details of our life.

3) Have we lost a sense of the majesty of God in today’s church? What contributes to the erosion of our understanding of this important attribute of God?

4) How do we understand God’s “dominion command” from Genesis in light of God’s express design for man? How did the Fall impact God’s purpose for man?

Download the entire Psalms commentary in pdf format

(including notes on each psalm from other commentators)

from:

http://www.bibleoutlines.com