What do you think about when you hear the word “destiny?” For Bob Cartwright, the word was a morbid word.
On October 11th, 2006, Bob Cartwright was invited to join a pilot friend and New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle to see a playoff game between the Yankees and Detroit Tigers. Cartwright couldn't make the flight which crashed into an apartment building in New York City killing his two friends.
He communicated to the local newspaper: "I was supposed to be on that plane," Cartwright told friends at the time, I had a date with destiny and missed it.”
One month later Bob Cartwright died when his private plane crashed into the shoreline of Big Bear Lake, near his home in California.
On a brighter note, do you remember George McFly? In the movie “Back to the Future” he struggled with his “Date with destiny.” He consistently tried to get a date with Lorraine Baines. Remember this scene in the movie:
Video- “You are my density.” .19 sec.
Transition:
As God speaks to us today in the Book of Hebrews, he focuses in on us, God’s designed destiny for us, and how pleasurable to it to the heart of God when we embrace His ultimate and eternal plan for us.
To reveal His destiny for us He reviews passages from the Old Testament. He compares His plan for the angels to His plan for us. He likewise points us to the reason why God became a man.
This passage is rich and full of deep meaning. It drills deep into the heart of God and exposes how much He loves us and His desire for us that goes beyond this life. It’s an exciting and meaningful passage that I think is like a love letter to you and me, causing us to be stunned by all God has in store for those who respond to His love.
Transitional Sentence: The best way to understand God’s destiny for you is to ask several questions about life. Let’s ask them!
I. Question #1- What Has God Always Wanted For Us?
vs. 5- “For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. But one has testified somewhere saying, What is man that you remember him? Or the Son of Man that you are concerned about him?
Explanation:
The verse begins with a conversation with a human being with God. Specifically, this conversation was recorded in Psalm 8 so this is specifically a record of a prayer conversation from David to Deity. It was a question David asked God in prayer.
Have you ever wondered why God has done things?
I was reading this week the top questions students want to ask God. Here’s the list:
a) God, why do you allow suffering in the world?
b) God what do you want from me?
c) God, will you really forgive all my sins?
Yet, David had a candid conversation with God and simply asked: “What is man that you remember him, or the son of man that you are concerned about him?”
It’s a pretty legitimate question. Basically he is saying: “God, why do you care about people?” Why did you give humans a second thought? Why did you care enough about man to become a man yourself in Jesus Christ?
This question blessed God so much that not only did he have the question recorded in the Old Testament (Psalm 8) He also had it recorded in the New Testament here in Hebrews 2: 6.
It’s a great question that God answered for David and answers for you and me as well by simply communicating His desired destiny for us.
To answer it, He points us back to the angels. In verse 7 he says: “You have made Him for a little while lower than the angels...”
What does that mean? It means we are:
a) Lower in rank- The word “subject” (hupotasso) in the original language is a military term
that was used by commanders to arrange soldiers in order. The Bible therefore tells us that
temporarily, angels have been placed in a position of high ranking in God’s Kingdom as far
as ability and responsibility. (vs. 5)
b) Limited in capability- Angels can do things we can’t do. Right now today, the angels have
one up on us. They are heavenly beings; we are earthly beings. Obviously this is a limiting
and major difference. Angels are seen with Jacob as ascending and descending from heaven.
You can’t do that.
Likewise, you can’t see what’s going on in the spiritual realm around. Knowing our limitations, Satan, a fallen angel takes advantage of our limits. He attempts to make us focus on earthly thing, and sometimes doubt or ignore the spiritual things around us. Often, taking them less seriously than we should.
Yet, God’s destiny for us is above angels.
God’s goal for you goes beyond where you are right now. In verse 7 we see what David learned from God. David learned that God’s destiny is to raise our rank, elevate us to a high place, and to make you and me one of the greatest focuses of heaven. He wants to give you a crown!
The verse reads: “You have crowned him with glory and honor! “The word there is “stephanos” which means: “a crown of honor.”
Look at your neighbor and say: “God wants to give you a crown!” Imagine that! Someday the angels will step down and lift you up. They will be judged by us according to I Corinthians.
Do you know why? Jesus loves you and wants to make you the crowned jewel of heaven. He puts us on a pedestal. He longs to declare us as the bride.
You might not feel very special down here but in heaven and God’s coming Kingdom; you’re special! God has destined you to reign with Him.
Illustration: The value of a bottle of water
Do you ever buy bottled water? I’ve always struggled to buy water because of Lamentations 5:4. It reads: “We must pay for the water we drink.... we have to pay for water to drink.... we have to pay to drink our own water...” Lamentations 5:4
Yet, often I find myself purchasing water, how about you?
Isn’t it interesting how much you pay for water in different places?
1. Currently, a bottle of water in a Costco vending machine costs about $0.25.
2. The same bottle in an average supermarket costs between $0.50 and $1.00.
3. In a restaurant or hotel, it can cost up to $3.00, $4.00, or more.
4. At an airport, amusement park, or theater, you may be charged $5.00-$6.00.
The bottles and the contents are all roughly the same.
Application:
Have you ever felt your own value fluctuate depending on where are in life?
Always remember that your true value is ascribed to you, not by your attempts to “be someone” your value is based on who your Creator “created you to be.”
No matter where you are or who you're with, you are worth the life and death of the very Son of God who desires and destined all that would come to Him to be part of something bigger. You were created in the image of God, and in Christ, you are a child of the Living God and a joint-heir with Jesus. The eternal Kingdom of God is yours along with all of its benefits.
Romans 8:17 says: “And if children, then heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ!”
Transitional Sentence: The best way to understand God’s destiny for you is to ask several questions about life. Let’s ask them!
II. Question #2- What Has Sin Done To Us?
vs.8- “ “You have put all things in subjection under his feet. For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all the things subjected to him.”
Explanation:
As the writer of Hebrews continues to discuss our destiny; he reminds us of our present situation.
In verse 8 he tells us: “... but now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.”
In other words, what our present situation is will not be our future situation.
When man chose to sin one man said: “Man lost his kingdom and his crown. He lost his dominion and ultimately because the wages of sin is death; man lost his life.”
The Bible tells us in Genesis 1:26 that God had given man dominion over the earth as we read: “Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
I John 5: 19 tells us who took our dominion as we read: “The whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”
Satan rules the cursed earth, and rules over sinful man. When man lost his crown he lost his mastery over all things.
In Satan’s dominion, the world has been thrown into chaos. Here’s some examples:
a) Once the ground was tamed and produced good things naturally and abundantly; now we
have toil and labor with thorns, weeds, and weather extremes to produce crops.
b) Animals are tamed out of fear instead of affection.
c) Extremes of heat, cold, poisonous plants and reptiles, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes,
diseases, and war are all a part of us loosing dominion.
The Bible says that even the earth knows its condition as we read: “For the anxious longing of creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it.” Romans 8:19-20
In other words, God subjected the earth to the curse because men came under the curse.
The Bible tells us that the earth groans under the curse as we read: “For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers...” Romans 8:21
The earth whines in pain.
I like how John MacArthur put it: “Someday in the world to come, when the kingdom comes, hospitals will be closed, doctors will be out of business, and the ravenous nature of wild animals (and human beings) will be changed. The crops and the trees will no longer be infested. The game of politics will be over and wars will cease... a day is coming when, in the wonderful plan of God, the dominion that man lost will be given to him again.”
There a day coming when we will be like the angels; we will never die and we will live in God’s kingdom. In the kingdom, we will likewise reign over the angels.
Illustration: Commercial for Lunesta
Do any of you every struggle with sleepless nights? I’ve had way to many of them so you might understand why the commercial for Lunesta caught my attention.
In the commercial the announcer says: “When you sleep, do you lie awake? (Then in a hopeful voice he says) Sleep is here on the wings of Lunesta.”
When I heard the phrase: “Wings of Lunesta” I could not help but think of angels and something heavenly. That is until that had those final words that they say at 110 miles per hour with gusts up to 160 mph.
I wanted to know what they were saying at the end so I googled it. This is what they say:
“Walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. Other abnormal behaviors include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, and confusion. In depressed patients, worsening of depression including risk of suicide may occur. These risks may increase if you drink alcohol. Severe allergic reactions such as swelling of the tongue and throat occur rarely and may be fatal."
Did you catch that? Depression, suicide, driving while asleep and swelling of the tongue, which could be fatal!!! Stay asleep indeed ... forever!
A calm voice then returns to the initial question, "Need a good night sleep? Lunesta!"
Application:
When I read that I thought: “You’ve got to be kidding. If I took a Lunesta and then heard that I would be a nervous wreck and would never sleep. I would lay there wondering if my tongue was swelling and would swear it was! Right?
That’s precisely what Satan has done in this world. He has marketed his dope and failed to communicate the side effects hasn’t he?
Yet, one of these days us and this world are going to be set free! God has promised in John 12:31: “...Satan, the ruler of this world will be cast out!”
Listen: Satan might remind you of your past; but when he does why not remind him of his future! One of these days he’s going to be judged. One of these days the enemy will be put under Jesus feet. One of these days we will be set free. One of these days the groaning earth will cheer at Jesus’ Coming.
Listen: His kingdom will come and His will is going to be done on earth as it is in heaven! That’s the destiny God has in store for those in His Kingdom so the writer of Hebrews celebrates it and says: “...we do not yet see all things subjected to Him.” Vs. 8
Yet, soon and very soon we are going to see the King. Oh what a day that will be!
Transitional Sentence: The best way to understand God’s destiny for you is to ask several questions about life. Let’s ask them!
III. Question #3- That Has Jesus Done for Us?
vs. 9- “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. “
Explanation:
You might say, what guarantee do I have that this is truly my destiny? The writer of Hebrews basically says: “I’m glad you asked.” ?
In verse 9 we have one of the greatest treatises about Jesus and what He has done for us. In short; He identified with you so that you can identify with Him.
This is almost mind blowing but this is what Jesus did for us:
a) He came down to our level- “a little lower than the angels” vs. 9
b) He went up onto a cross- “suffered death” vs. 9
c) He rose up from the grace and ascended up into heaven vs. 9
d) He lifted us up through His grace. Vs. 10
e) He elevated us up and made us sons. vs. 10
f) One day He is taking us up and set us up with Him on His throne of glory. Vs. 10
Christmas happened so crucifixion could happen, but Easter happened so eternally we will be lifted up to reign with Him one day!
Illustration: Graveside/ hopeful and hopeless grieving
This week, I stood at a graveside and read about an event that will happen in the future. It’s an interesting verse but also a prophetic verse about what will happen in graveyards someday.
Paul proclaims to the Church of Thessalonica, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
He precedes this statement to tell us how to grieve. He tell us that he tells us this so that we will not grieve as those who have no hope.
Listen: God knows in this world we are going to grieve because we live in a fallen world and that means people are going to die.
Because people are going to die, people are going to grieve.
Yet, our relationship with Jesus is going to determine “how” we grieve. We are going to grieve one of two ways:
a) We are going to have “hopeful” grieving.
b) We are going to have “hopeless” grieving.
Do you want to grieve with hope? It’s possible when we understand our destiny. Our destiny is not death; our destiny is divinely reigning with Jesus.
One of the reasons why “the dead in Christ” will rise is to give a visual to the world at the rapture of the reality of what Christ has done for us. He has not left us in the grave; He has raised us up to reign with Him. It will be the day our destiny will be complete! We will physically “rise up” with Him and I am planning on taunting that grave saying: “ Oh grave where is your victory
Conclusion: The most boring day in history
Did you know that years ago a study was done to determine what day was the most boring day in history?
From the study it has been determined that April 11, 1954 was the most boring day in history. Do you know why? There was no news on that day. Nothing noteworthy happened on that day.
The second most boring day was April 18, 1930---People tuned in to the news and in England the announcer said: “There is no news” followed by 15 minutes of piano music.
Yet, I want you to know; there is coming a day. It’s in the heart of the Father. On that day he will tell Jesus, go get your bride and the graves will open, the trumpet will sound, and the dead in Christ will rise and we will meet the Lord in the air!
As the old hymn says: “Oh what a day that will be when my Jesus I will see, when I look upon his face the one who saved me by his grace and he takes me by the hand and leads me to the Promised land, what a day, glorious day that will be!”
That’s God’s desire and destiny for you. Will you accept God’s invitation for you? He’s got His destination and destiny for you.
