Intro: Gift giving is a big part of the Christmas celebration. Retailers are literally banking on it!
The 5 week period between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas is the season where approximately 25% of their annual sales takes place!
The Christian tradition of gift giving at Christmas has its roots in the Nativity story, where the Magi gave gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Christ Child.
Yet in my mind, the truth and tradition of giving gifts go far deeper delving into the depths 0f what the gospel is all about! It can be traced back to a statement Isaiah made 700 years before the Child was Born:
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. -
KJV
The most quoted bible verse affirms it:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.-KJV
What’s the point? Simply this: That what this season reminds us of is this: THAT THE GREATEST GIFT EVER GIVEN WAS THE GIFT OF GOD GIVING US HIS SON!
And I believe that as you unwrap this Psalm, you can see the greatness of the gift God has given us in the person of Jesus!
Proposition: A study of Psalm 8 will help to see what an “indescribable, unspeakable gift” God’s Son, Jesus really is!
And I get those two words from the following passage..
2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! -NIV
2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift-KJV
Unspeakable - ??e?d????t?? - anekdiegetos
1. Trying to describe or commemorate something which words fail!
It is beyond words, but I will try with the help of the Holy Spirit to share with my words that will help us see that indescribability of God’s Glorious Gift Given to us Through His Son!
Let’s begin with the backdrop of where this Psalm begins, with:
I. THE MAJESTY OF GOD!
The Psalm begins with:
A) God’s Praise!
Psalm 8:1a O Lord,
1. Lord – ????? Yah·weh
a) The proper name of the God of Israel
b) The covenant Lord of Israel
c) Yeh·ho·vä - ??????? -Jehovah = "The Self Existing – Eternal One"
Psalm 8:1b our Lord,
2. Lord – ??????- ä·don' – Adonai, Master, Ruler, King, Head, Superintendent of our affairs.
Psalm 8:1c how excellent
3. Excellent – ??????? - ad·der – Great, Majestic, Excellent, Noble, Marvelous, Awesome
Psalm 8:1c how majestic is your name….(NIV)
4. Name – ???? – shem - Reputation, fame, glory.
Psalm 8:1d in all the earth!– KJV
5. Earth -???????? (ha·’a·re?)
a) Every land, country, territory, district, region, city, state, mountain and plain, in every plot and piece of ground!
And then it points out….
B) God’s Place:
Psalm 8:1e who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
1. Above the heavens – ???????? – shamayim - visible heavens, sky,
2. The Bible speaks of three heavens:
a) The first being the immediate atmosphere above the earth.
b) The second, outer space, the galaxies, and universe.
c) The third is the place where God himself dwells – God’s abode.
i. Where His Glorious Throne is established
ii. Where the Celestial Beings, The Holy Angels Sing His Praise
iii. Where Christ is seated at the Right Hand of The Father
iv. The place from which:
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. -KJV
C) Point?
1, Bible says much about the God’s Majesty!
1 Chronicles 16:27 Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and gladness are in His place. -NKJV
1 Chronicles 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory,
The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all.-NKJV
Job 37:22 He comes from the north as golden splendor; With God is awesome majesty. NKJV
Psalm 96:6 (NKJV)
Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
D) The Perspective?
Psalm 93:1 (NKJV)
The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The LORD is clothed,
He has girded Himself with strength.
Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.
Psalm 104 (NKJV)
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD my God, You are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
2 Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment,
Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.
1. He is robed -???????? (la·?êš)
a) to dress, wear, put on clothing, be clothed, to be fully clothed with:
2. Majesty- ???? -howd - Hebrew
a) Splendor, vigor,
b) Grandeur, beauty, comeliness, excellency, glory, goodliness, honor, majesty.
3. Majesty - µe?a?e??t??- megaleiotes – Greek
a) Greatness, magnificence,
b) Superbness, majesty, mighty power?
4. Just as you are dressed in a shirt and pants, or dress He is dressed in that!
E) The Proof – What does he point to?
1. Creation!
Psalm 8:3a When I consider….
Psalm 8:3a I behold -BSB
a) Behold -???????? (’er·’eh)
i. See, look at, inspect, perceive, consider, learn about, observe, watch, look upon, give attention to,
Psalm 8:3b thy heavens,
b) Heavens -????????? (me·?a)
i. The visible heavens, the sky, the atmospheric layer above the earth, the abode of the stars, the visible universe.
2. Consider?
Psalm 8:3c the work of thy fingers,
a) What a statement about creation and the majesty of God!
i. Finger work is like painting a picture with finger paints!
ii. Typing on a keyboard, sewing with a needle, no “Herculean” effort involved!
Psalm 8:3d the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
Psalm 8:3d which you have set in place, - ESV
b) You set in place—?????????????? (ko·w·na·n?·tah)
i. To be firm, stable, established, fixed, firmly established, secure, and enduring!
ii. They are just hanging out there and they never move do they?
3. Cause?
a) Praise!
Psalm 8:1 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
b) Point of view that prompts praise:
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.- ESV
3. Creationism!
a) Creation DECLARES AND DEMONSTRATES God’s Glory!
4. Conflict?
a) The new science curriculum standards in America require the teaching of the "scientific theory of evolution.
b) A 2019 survey conducted by researchers at Penn State University and the National Center for Science Education found that about two thirds of the public high school biology teachers are presenting evolution forthrightly, emphasizing the broad scientific consensus on evolution while not giving any credence to creationism.
c) Is there really a conflict between Science and Scripture?
d) No!
5. Clarification:
i. (Science/Astronomy) The Earth like the stars, is suspended on nothing.
ia. (Scripture) "He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing," (Job 26:7)
ii. (Science/Astronomy) The Earth is Round Shaped
iia. (Scripture) "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in," (Isaiah 40:22).
iii. (Science/Astronomy) The Stars are Innumerable
iiia. (Scripture) -"He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be," (Genesis 15:5).
6. Commentary:
The Believers Bible Commentary – “No branch of science proclaims God's greatness and man's insignificance more eloquently than astronomy.
7. The Case:
a) Astronomical Concepts Declare the Glory of a Creator!
i. Solar System
a. A solar system consists of a star, such as the sun, and the objects affected by its gravity. These objects include planets, moons, asteroids, comets and meteoroids. Although solar systems are smaller than either the universe or a galaxy, the actual size of even the very smallest of solar system is difficult for the human mind to truly comprehend. In terms of scale, if the sun had the dimensions of a tennis ball, the Earth would be the size of a grain of sand located about 26 feet away.
ii. Galaxy
a. A galaxy is a system of solar system(s) and other stars.
b. The galaxy that contains the Earth and its solar system is called the Milky Way.
c. This galaxy is thought to contain more than 200 billion different stars.
d. Solar systems orbit around their galaxies just as planets orbit around their suns.
e. Because of the vastness of our galaxy astronomers estimate that it takes the Earth's solar system roughly 200 to 250 million years to complete its orbit.
iii. Universe
a. The universe is the largest of these three astronomical concepts.
b. All things, including galaxies and solar systems, are included within the realm of the universe.
Carl Sagan (Astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, poet and science communicator) -“There were more stars in the universe than grains of sand from every beach across the globe.
Astronomical Journal - 2016 published report
A study based on data from the Hubble Space Telescope which took place over a period 20 years, approximated that there are 2 trillion galaxies in the universe — [that’s galaxies, not stars]. When you consider that the Milky Way, our galaxy which is considered a rather average galaxy, it contains 100 to 400 billion stars, you start to get an idea of just how ginormous the universe really is!
Astronomical Journal - 2016 published report
Look at the largest known star, to get an idea of it’s vastness. The sun measures 870,000 miles (1.4 million km) across. You could fit a million Earths in there, with room to spare. And the sun is not even that large. In fact, our sun is pretty small as far as stars go.
Astronomical Journal - 2016 published report
The largest star in the known universe is probably UY Scuti — a massive red supergiant located in our own Milky Way galaxy in the constellation Scutum and measures about 750 million miles.
Astronomical Journal - 2016 published report
UY Scuti is around 30 times more massive than the sun, it has a radius somewhere in the region of 1,700 times larger than the radius of the sun,” [You could fit 1 million Earths inside our Sun] You could fit 489 trillion Earths into the volume of this star.
Astronomical Journal - 2016 published report
There are four types of galaxies: elliptical, spiral, barred spiral, and irregular. Most galaxies are between 3 to 300 light-years in diameter.
”Light travels 186,000 miles per second, and there are 31.5 million seconds in a year, so light travels roughly six trillion miles in a single year! Yet some stars are billions of light-years from the earth. No wonder we call such computation astronomical.”
Astronomical Journal - 2016 published report
Astronomers say there are over 170 billion galaxies each with hundreds of billions of stars of varying sizes and brightness. Once estimated at 200 billion, the number of known galaxies is now believed to be 2 trillion.
F) Perspective?
1. All this is called the work of God’s Fingers!
2. Feeling small yet?
3. And the Bible says God counts each and every star and has given them all a name.
Psalm 147:4 He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. 5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.
4. Feeling simpleminded yet??
a) The bible says that’s a good thing!
1 Corinthians 3:18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.
Yet this Psalm also reminds us of...
II. THE MANNER OF GOD.
A) Manner - a way of doing things, of getting things done!
Psalm 147:6 The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground.
1. What is God’s Manner, His way of doing things?
Psalm 8:2a Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength….
Psalm 8:2b because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
Psalm 8:2 You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you.-NLT
B) Point?
1. God employs the children, and infants, the weak, and the lowly, the humble and the despised to tell of His Wonders and Strength! PTL!!
C) Proof that this Psalm is Messianic?
Matthew 21: 12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Matthew 21: 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. 15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased,
Matthew 21: 16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? -KJV
D) Point?
1. The thought is that a child’s simple and innocent exclamation of His Wonder and Praise is the truest form of worship found on earth! PTL!
E) Principle?
1. God accomplishes the greatest things and reveals His glory by means of the weakest instruments!
1 Corinthians 1: 26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. -NIV
Matthew Henry- God did not choose philosophers, nor orators, nor statesmen, nor men of wealth, and power, and interest in the world, to publish the gospel of grace and peace.
2. Who were the first heralds of the gospel?
a) Not Scribes, or Pharisees, or Sadducees but Shepherds!
i. The unlearned!
Luke 2: 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. -NIV
3. Is it any wonder that Jesus said:
Matthew 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.-KJV
Matthew Henry - Children, when very young, do not desire authority, do not regard outward distinctions, are free from malice, are teachable, and willingly dependent on their parents… these are marks of childhood, and are rendered the proper emblems of the lowly minds of true Christians. Surely we need to be daily renewed in the spirit of our minds, that we may become simple and humble, as little children. Let us daily study this subject, and examine our own spirits.
4. Jesus praised the Father for this!
Luke 10: 21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
a) God does not reveal Himself to the proud and use the self-sufficient, but only the humble.
E) Principle?
Psalm 8:2b because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
2 Corinthians 12:7b in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
i. God’s strength is made perfect in weakness.
ii. The very thing that is making Paul weak, is the very thing that God is using to show His power through Paul’s life.
Blessing Out of Buffeting by Alan Redpath
Do you really think that the modern preparations for the education of young people for Christian work recognizes this principle? God works through the man who has been wiped clean and turned inside out, his life emptied before the Lord until he is hopelessly weak, so that no flesh might glory in His presence
Blessing Out of Buffeting by Alan Redpath
The Lord Jesus watches because He allows the pressure to continue in order that, in the severest moment of testing, it may drive you to His wounded side, to teach you that for overwhelming pressure there is adequate grace. Oh, would it not be wonderful if that experience could be yours today!
Blessing Out of Buffeting by Alan Redpath
Stop praying for the removal of the thorn and understand the transforming power of the Cross!.... The Cross seems so cruel and so dreadful you say. Your trial is all that, I am sure, almost too much to bear. But notice Paul says, "...there was given to me..." --all the time I have been trying to thrust it away while the Lord Jesus has been handing it back to me, putting it in His hand and saying "Take it, My child, this is from Me."
Blessing Out of Buffeting by Alan Redpath
In Ps 106:15 we read a tremendous statement: "...he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul." If you keep saying, "Lord, take the thorn away!" and you refuse to submit to the discipline of it, then maybe He will do that very thing and send leanness to your soul. God forbid!
Steven Curtis Chapman- (Song lyric) His Strength is Perfect
His strength is perfect when our strength is gone
He'll carry us when we can't carry on
Raised in His power, the weak become strong
His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect
We can only know
The power that He holds
When we truly see how deep our weakness goes
His strength in us begins
Where ours comes to an end
He hears our humble cry and proves again
His strength is perfect when our strength is gone
He'll carry us when we can't carry on
Raised in His power, the weak become strong
His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect
2 Corinthians 12: Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
F) Present?
1. The hardship may be a present that God is giving you to really experience Him!
2. Our weakness is the key to God’s strength in our lives.
3. We experience God’s grace and strength the most in our weakness.
III. The MAGNIFICENCE of GOD
A) Magnificence - µe?a?e??t?? -me-gä-la-o'-tas
1. The magnificence, majesty; the visible splendor of the divine majesty
B) Mediums (There are two through which He does make is splendor visible).
1. Creation (As I have shown)
Psalm 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
Romans 1: 20 For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks). So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or justification],-AMPC
a) Does everyone see it that way? No!
2. Pantheism?
a) Pantheism is the view that everything is part of an all-encompassing, immanent God.
b) A “God” without Personality
b) “God” is simply a Power or Force
c) Pantheism is the view that the Universe and God are identical (implying a denial of the personality and transcendence of God).
Carl Sagan -“ I do not know of any compelling evidence for anthropomorphic patriarchs controlling human destiny from some hidden celestial vantage point, but it would be madness to deny the existence of physical laws...”
Carl Sagan – "The idea that there is a God who sits in the sky and tallies the fall of every sparrow is ludicrous. But if by God one means the set of physical laws that govern the universe, then clearly there is such a God.
3. His perception?
Carl Sagan - This God is emotionally unsatisfying... it does not make much sense to pray to the law of gravity."
a) In his last interview with Ted Kopple before his death - this was his last public statement:
Carl Sagan - We live on a hunk of rock and metal, that circles a humdrum star, that is one of 400 billion other stars that make up the Milky Way Galaxy, which is one of billions of other galaxies, which make up a universe which may be one of a very large number, perhaps an infinite number, of other universes. That is a perspective on human life and our culture that is well worth pondering.'
b) Mankind?
Carl Sagan- Man in his arrogance thinks himself a great work worthy of the interposition of a deity. Darwin wrote in his notebook, more humble, and I think truer to consider himself created from animals. We're johnny-come-latelys; we live in the cosmic boondocks; we emerged from microbes in muck; Apes are our cousins… We long to be here for a purpose. Even though, despite much self-deception, none is evident...
c) But God’s magnificence is also displayed in MANKIND!
IV. THE MINDFULNESS OF GOD!
Psalm 8:4a What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
A) Mindful – ?????- zä·ka
1. to remember, recall, call to mind?
2. to cause to be remembered, keep in remembrance?
B) Man?
1, Made in the Image of God!
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.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them-ESV
2. image – ????? – tselem
a) ????? tselem, tseh'-lem; (figuratively) Resemblance; a representative figure.
b) Having the “image” or “likeness” of God means, in the simplest terms, that we were made to resemble God.
c) Mankind was created to be a graphic image of the Creator — a formal, visible, and understandable representation of who God is and what He’s really like
3. Dominion – ?????- radah
a) To rule, have dominion, dominate, tread down, subjugate.
C) Mess that man- made?
1. He sinned!
2. Sin did not completely destroy it but it did greatly disfigured his image!
(Systematic Theology, p. 444,).Since man has sinned, he is certainly not as fully like God as he was before. His moral purity has been lost and his sinful character certainly does not reflect God’s holiness. His intellect is corrupted by falsehood and misunderstanding; his speech no longer continually glorifies God; his relationships are often governed by selfishness rather than love. Though man is still in the image of God, in every aspect of life some parts of that image have been distorted or lost
3. Could God have destroyed us immediately because of sin?
a) Yes!
Genesis 2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” -NIV
Ezekiel 18:20a The soul who sins shall die.
Romans 6:23a For the wages of sin is death
b) Death- ???at??-thanatos
i. Not only the death of the body
ii. But the separation of the soul and the body when life ends on earth.
iii. With the idea of a future misery in hell!
V. THE MERCY OF GOD!
A) Mercy – ?????-khä·nan' -Hebrew
1. To be gracious, show favor, have pity
B) Mercy – ????? -kheh'·sed -Hebrew
1. Lovingkindness, goodness, kindness, favor.
2. His mercy is shown in his:
C) Mindfulness!
Psalm 8:4a What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
1. Man – ???????-en·oshe'
a) Mortal man, individually and collectively
Psalm 8:4b and the son of man,
2. Man – ?????-Adam
a) The son of man, the son’s of Adam, that great apostate who rebelled against God.
b) And the sinful sons of a sinful father, who bear the likeness, disposition, manners, and fallenness of their sinful father!
Romans 5:19a For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners,
3. Sinners – ??????- chatta'
a) Inherently sinful
b) Offenders, lawbreakers
d) Criminals, who are accounted guilty and culpable!
4. Sinners - ?µa?t????- hamartolos
a) Devoted to sin
b) Pre-eminently sinful, and wicked
Romans 3:9b For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.
Romans 3:13 “Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
D) Mercy?
1. How has God manifested mercy to them?
Romans 5:19a For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners,
Romans 5:19b so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Hebrews 10:4b [Because] it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me; -ESV
Matthew 2:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
1. Zechariah’s Song?
Luke 1:67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
Luke 1:68a “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people
Q: Why?
Luke 1:68b and redeemed them.
Luke 1:77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78a because of the tender mercy of our God,
Q: How?
Luke 1:78b by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
Malachi 4: 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.
Q: Who could the “sun” be?
VI. THE MESSIAH OF GOD!
A) MESSIANIC MENTION?
Psalm 8:4b and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Q: How did God visit us?
A: By becoming – The Son of Man?
1. Jesus' favorite designation, in referring to Himself, was the "Son of Man."
2. The Gospels record some seventy-eight times that Jesus used this title for Himself.
3. 88 times it used in the NT.
4. In Matthew 32 times, in Mark 15 times, in Luke 26 times, and in John 12 times.
a) Examples:
Matthew 17:22 When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.
Matthew 20:18“We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death
Luke 9:22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Matthew 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
i. Why?
Matthew 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
ii. What does the term “Son of Man” mean?
a. Messianic Title!
b. Both Old and New Testament!
Daniel 7: 13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.-NIV
Matthew 24: 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Matthew 24: 30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Matthew 24: 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.-NIV
b. Son of Man, Lord interchangeable terms
c. The phrase “Son of Man” tells us also that Jesus was truly human.
d. "Lord" implies his divinity!
f. Why did Jesus Become the Son of Man – A Man?
VII. THE MEANS OF GOD!
A) Means- an action or system by which a result is brought about!
1. Messiah – ????????- mashiyach- Anointed, Anointed One, Messianic prince!
B) Minister – Act as an agent to administer or provide something for us!
1. Redemption!
a) Redeem - ??a??????- Pay a price to recover something for us!
2. What the true meaning and purpose of what Christmas is all about!
a) THE REDEMPTION AND RESTORATION OF WHAT MAN LOST AT THE FALL - DOMIONION!
b) Dominion – ????? – radah – rulership!
i. The very purpose for man’s creation!
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.”
C) Mentioned elsewhere?
Hebrews 2: 5 For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. 6 But one testified in a certain place, saying:
"What is man that You are mindful of him,
Or the son of man that You take care of him?
7 You have made him a little lower than the angels;
You have crowned him with glory and honor,
And set him over the works of Your hands.
8a You have put all things in subjection under his feet.”
Psalm 8:5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: 7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas
i. We don’t see that dominion today do we?
ii. Ever been bitten by a dog, mosquito, stung by a bee or wasp, ran from a snake, chased by a bear?
iii. Not meant to be that way!
iv. In the Millennial Age:
Isaiah 11:6 The wolf will live with the lamb, he leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
Isaiah 11:8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. 9a They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,
g) How far does that dominion range over the created beings?
1 Corinthians 6:3a Do you not know that we will judge angels?
h) Judge - ????? – krino
i. Not only does it mean to determine, resolve, decree!
ii. It also means to rule, govern, to preside over!
i) How is that going to happen?
i. Through the Son of Man!!
Hebrews 2:8b and put everything under their feet.” In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.
j) Notice the pronouns are now plural!
k) We don’t see that dominion know, but we do see something!
Hebrews 2:9a But we do see Jesus,
k) Not with our physical eyes but with the eyes of faith!
Hebrews 2:9b who was made lower than the angels for a little while,
l) For 33 years – is He still lower than angels?
Hebrews 2:9c Jesus [is] now crowned with glory and honor
m) Reason?
Hebrews 2:9d because he suffered death,
Philippians 2: 6 Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, 7 But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being.
Philippians 2: 8 And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross! 9 Therefore [because He stooped so low] God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, 10 That in (at) the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 And every tongue [frankly and openly] confess and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -AMPC
n) Why did he do that?
Hebrews 2:9e so that by the grace of God he might taste death….
Taste (geuomai) means not with just to sample but to partake fully. To experience something to the full.
0) Fo whom did he do that?
Hebrews 2:9f for everyone.
p) Reason that he did that?
Hebrews 2:10a In bringing many sons and daughters to glory,
i. To Provide the Recovery for Man's Lost Destiny!!
ii. DOMINION!
iii. When God made man, he made a race of kings.
iv. God created man to be king of the earth.
v, Man lost his kingliness
vi. Jesus came to recover it - for us!
2Timothy 2:12 if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;
Revelation 3:21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne
Revelation 20:1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.
Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. -NIV
c) And beyond!
Revelation 21: 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
Revelation 21: 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
d) Who could those kings be?
i. The believers in Christ. We are kings and priests in God when we are in Christ!
Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.”
Matthew 19: 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
Q: What can we say in response to all this?
Charles Spurgeon –“Here like a good composer, the poet returns to the key note, falling back as it were, into his first state or wondering adoration. What he started with as a proposition in the first verse, he closes as a well proven conclusion. “
Psalm 8:9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
