Hello, you're listening to Let the Bible Speak. Let the Bible Speak is the radio ministry of the Free Presbyterian Church. Stephen Pollock is the pastor of Free Presbyterian Church of Malvern, Pennsylvania. The church is located at the junction of 401 and Mallon Road. Thank you for joining us today as Dr. Pollock opens the Word of God and lets the Bible speak. Let's take our Bibles and turn to the Psalm 8. The title again is here given to us, it is to the chief musician, and upon Gideth, it is another of David's Psalms, the Psalm of David. O Lord, O Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth. You have set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens and the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands, that hast put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and water passeth through the paths of the seas. O Lord, O Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth. Amen. May God bless our hearts as we come around his word again this evening. If we can take the question of verse number four, what is man, and answer that question accurately, we gain an understanding of ourselves and of our neighbours. It is a question that we all must answer and ask. Even the ungodly who may not choose to probe the question with depth, they still have to confront the question, who am I? And when they come to ask that question, they've got to recognise the fact that they are human, that they are distinct from the beasts of the field, and there is something unusual and unique about them. And so no matter who you are, you will at some point in your life, I'm sure, have posed this question, who am I? And therefore answering this question, what is man? That understanding, if we gain a biblical understanding of the answer, will cause us to consider our relationship to God. We can't answer the question properly without recognizing that man is in some way in relation to a creator and God of heaven. It also caused us to consider our relationship to creation itself. What is man in comparison to this created world? It will cause us to properly speak to our fellow man. Again, think of this, if we answer the question, what is man? Then we have that knowledge and we come to confront and speak to those in the public square. It will also guide us as we come to pray for them, to consider their needs and their relationship to God and to creation. So tonight, let's take the time in this season of prayer together to answer and ask this question, what is man? What is man? And the first thing we should note is that man is indeed a creature of the Most High God. The psalm opens with a declaration of God's majesty and it closes with the very same language, O Lord, O Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth. Verse nine, O Lord, O Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth. And so we're being caused immediately in reading the psalm to consider the identity of man. But in light of God's majesty, God's majesty over the heavens, his name is excellent in the earth and his glory is over the heavens. Now given the language here and the reference to man, it is likely the case that this reference to in the earth and above the heavens is likely a reference to this created order. You think of God in the beginning, he makes, he creates the heavens and the earth. And so it seems to be the case that Psalmist is drawing upon that language and he's describing the glory of God who is transcendent over creation. His glory is over the heavens. He's outside, if you like, the wonders of this created order. But he's not removed from it, for his name is in all the earth. And it's a very interesting way to describe the nature of our God. He is transcendent, yet imminent. far above creation and yet involved in creation. His name above the heavens and yet His glory, or sorry, His glory above the heavens and yet His name in all the earth. His majesty, His majesty displayed in terms of creation, verse number three, when I consider thy heavens and the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained. We see God's glory. Again, you think of the language of Romans chapter one, how the created world displays God's eternal power and Godhead, his majesty is displayed in his creation. But that majesty is also displayed in his authority, verse number two. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies that thou mightest still the enemy and the danger. We're seeing the glory of God as being over his enemies. It describes how God is able to use weakness to oppose his enemies, that babes in God's hand are stronger than the mightiest of men. And the power of God in weak instruments is being shown here as a display of the majesty of God. Now that, verse two, is really interestingly quoted, of course, in the Gospel of Nardos by our Lord in Matthew chapter 21. following his coming into Jerusalem and the enemies again in the temple, they oppose his coming, they oppose the words of the children and the Lord used this very text, demonstrating again that the weakness of the children on the street announcing his glory is a means that God uses to stay and to hold back the power of his enemies. Again, it's a show of God's strength. Again, that's what God always does. God delights to use weak instruments, thereby showing his authoritative majesty. You know, if God was to use the things that seem strong in the eyes of man, then men would look at the strength of man and say, well, of course he did this or he did that, but rather God uses the weak instruments of this world to do his glory. And so he's showing his majesty in that regard. That's what these verses are all about. It's God displaying his majesty. And it's in that setting that the question is then asked, what is man? It's in the setting of God's majesty in creation, his majesty and his authority, that the question is then asked, what is man? And the words that are used here, they are deliberately intended to denote the frailty and the fragility of man. You see, verse number three, when I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, what is man? That's when I consider the glory of the heavens that I'm then caused to ask this question, what is man? I remember the first time I think I was confronted with this psalm, I was listening to a sermon on a cassette tape of Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones that he preached at the time of Armstrong's walking upon the moon. in that time when it seems that man had conquered again the stars and the moon. And Lloyd-Jones preached a wonderful sermon on the frailty of man in comparison to the wonders of God's creation. And that's the point here. Man's insignificant. Oh yeah, many men seem to have some force and power, but one individual man on his own in comparison to God's created glory. What is man? Inconsequential, unimportant. Confirmed by the very word that's used here. The word for man here is the word Enosh that denotes mortality and fragility. He's lower than the angels. Again that's a point that's made. Verse number five. For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels. The word angels there is again the word Elohim. It's the word for God, of course, also used for judges and angels. When the Greek translators of the Hebrew Bible, when they translate this word, they use the word angelos for angels, clearly understanding this word to denote, again, that realm of God's creation that is above the human beings, the power and the glory of the angels above humans, and we're beneath that. We're made a little lower than the angels. They serve around God's throne. we were made to be placed upon this earth. Now undoubtedly, the language here denotes the dignity of man, but we'll see that very soon. And yet we should not miss the question, what is man? The answer is this, man is a creature of the most high God, a creature, not a creator in the ultimate sense, but a creature under the glory of the creator. I've said several times, and I believe this, that the modern creation science movement is not the gospel. You can convince someone to believe in creation and yet not bring to Christ Jesus. But however, having said that, the role that those creation scientists do is very, very important. They have a very important role to play in this world. Because men denying creation don't know themselves. and because they don't know themselves, then they don't know how to relate to God. It's vitally important that if we know how to relate to God, that we know who we are, that we're made by God. We must pray for those atheists around us, the agnostics, practical ones, and those who profess it. We must pray that they would come to know who they are. That's a great prayer. Lord, you met someone in your mind who denies to know the very existence of God. Say, Lord, show them who they are. They're a creature made by the Most High God. But secondly, in this portion, man is seen to be a ruler in God's created order. So not just a creature of the Most High God, but a ruler in God's created order. You see, here we've got to assert the point that these verses are not given to emphasize the frailty of man. They don't teach that. But they're given to emphasise the dignity of man. What is man that God would think of him and visit him? What is man that God would regard him? It says here, I've made him a little lower than the angels and has crowned him with glory and honour. This psalm we'll see very soon is quoted in Hebrews chapter 2. When the New Testament and the Greek translate this word crowned, it uses the word that speaks of the victor's crown in the games. Glory, dignity involved here. Man in an exalted state. Again, the second part of verse number five, crowned him with glory and honor as made in God's image of all creation. Only man is said to be made in the image of God. Exalted in that sense. given the capacity of knowledge and righteousness and true holiness. Those things were true of man in his first estate, exalted above creation. Given the capacity to have a relationship with God, to know God, to commune with God, to hear God's voice and to speak to God, to walk with God in the cool of the day, that's part of what man was made to be. The dignity of his exaltation, and yet also not only exaltation, but also dominion. Thou hast made him, verse number six, to have dominion over the works of thy hands. Thou hast put all things under his feet. And then you have that list, we sign it, sheep, oxen, beasts of the field, et cetera, all under man's dominion. Of course, it takes us back to the garden. Genesis chapter one, God blessed them. God said to them, be fruitful and multiply, replenish the earth and subdue it, have dominion. Very similar things, fish, foils, all mentioned in terms of man having dominion over the created order. He said, oh God holds the highest honor. How excellent is God's name. God holds the highest glory over all creation. He gave to Adam and then Adam to mankind, the exalted position of dominion over creation. Think creation, think Adam, think kingship, think dominion. See, men need to see their dignity. Again, we're going to confront men and we're going to see very soon, we're going to confront them with their sin. But they must know who they are and they must recognize their dignity as image bearers of God's. Give them unique opportunities and unique responsibility to serve and worship God's. We see this so clearly in our modern age. that men think of themselves as beasts and therefore live like beasts. They do not understand the dignity that they've been made with by God and therefore they behave like the animals in the field. how they conduct themselves, even how dispensable they see life to be, of so little value, of worth, and so you have even the prevalence of suicide as people look at their lives, they say, well, it's worth nothing, I've got no dignity, I'm worth nothing, who am I really? So life is cheap. People must understand something of the dignity of being made in God's image, a ruler in God's created order. But we must recognise that men made by the Most High God, rulers in God's created order, must also recognise that their lives, their existence is ruined by sin. The third thing you see, what is man? Man is ruined by sin. You see, our right understanding of Psalm 8 is helped when you see how Psalm 8 is quoted by the apostle in Hebrews chapter 2. So please turn across now to Hebrews chapter 2. Again, it's one of those times when you see how an inspired apostle uses a psalm like this, you get a real insight into, well, what does the psalm mean? What was the real meaning of the psalm in its original setting? Well, here in Hebrews chapter 2, verse number 5, The Lord is dealing with the glory and the exaltation of Jesus Christ above the angels, verse number five. For unto the angels hath he not put his rejection in the world to come whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testifies, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels. Thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands. Thou didst put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him, but we see Jesus. He was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour, that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man. We're seeing here that the Psalm 8 teaches about Christ Jesus, but it shows us that Jesus Christ in verse number nine is made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death. It shows us, as we'll see, that man is ruined by sin and Christ comes to restore man to his glory. That is the purpose of Christ in our redemption. But it implies very clearly that the dignity of man is defaced by sin and requires restoration in Christ Jesus. You see, you cannot answer the question, what is man, without considering the impact of sin. If you ignore sin, you're gonna get the wrong answer. And the secular psychologists and the sociologists, they don't properly consider sin, and therefore they answer the question, what is man, and they get the wrong answer. They always get the wrong answer somewhere along the way. Oh yeah, by common grace, they may get bits of truth here and there, but ultimately, if you do not deal with sin, you're going to get the wrong answer to the question, what is man? Man, guilty before a holy God. A recognition that God is a law written in the heart of man, and man understands they don't keep that law, and therefore there's a recognition in their minds that all is not well. And so men, they seek to do all they can to dilute the thought of not being right with God. They seek to remote themselves, or to dull their senses with all manner of substances, but they will not recognise the fact that they are guilty before God. They're in bondage. They see their life unraveling before their eyes and they think to themselves, I must improve myself, but they find time and time again, failure meets their path because they're in bondage to the power of sin. They have no hope outside of Christ. What is man? Broken, guilty, in bondage to sin within their very hearts, depraved before God and incapable of changing that. And I said at the start, you answer this question, what is man? It will inform how you speak to your neighbour and it will clearly inform how you pray for your neighbour. Man broken, ruined by sin. But fourthly and finally, man, what is man? Man can be restored in Christ Jesus. Again, we're going to stay in Hebrews chapter two. And here you see how the apostle uses Psalm 8 in his argumentation. Of course, the book of Hebrews is all about the supremacy of Christ overall. The immediate context here, it is Christ's supremacy over the angels, verses 5 through to 14. Christ is supreme. There's a string of pearls of quotations, Christ better than the angels, and even Psalm 2 included in those quotations. Verse number five says, but for unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come? Again, this sense of dominion, you see that? The angels are not over the world to come or off we speak. And when you get to verse number nine, Jesus, He's the one who's over the world to come. He's the one who has this dominion. And so the sense of this quotation is that the apostle clearly believes that the psalm is ultimately filled in Jesus. Verse number nine, but we see Jesus. His incarnation's in view here. He who is over the angels is made a little lower than the angels as to his humanity. He takes upon himself a real and true humanity. You know these things. Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels. His incarnation involved here. Think of our Lord's humiliation to be identified with us. To identify with us, oh, you don't like sinful flesh, he's without sin. But yet he was identified with our humanity. Think about how he comes to represent us. He's made lower than the angels that he might die for us as our representative. You see his incarnation here. You see his passion here, his suffering. He's born to die. He comes into this world to die for sinners. He's made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death. You see his death mentioned there in the verse number nine again, that by the grace of God, he should taste death for every man. We saw in the Lord's that reference, the grace of God speaks of the plan of God. God's plan of grace to redeem mankind brought about the death of Christ on the cross. Again, this tasting death, there's some who say, well, that means he didn't actually die, he just tasted death. No, it's an idiom. And it's used by the Lord in Matthew chapter 16, that there are some who shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. It's an idiomatic phrase. It means he dies. His incarnation led to his passion, which of course led to his exaltation. He was made a little Lord in the angels. But now, crying with glory and honour, he's the ultimate fulfilment of Psalm 8, he's the man and the son of man that God visited. He's crying with glory, he's exalted, and therefore he is dominion. Verse number seven, thou madest him a little lower than the angels, thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and had set him over the works of thy hands, put all things in subjection under his feet. But now, verse eight, we see not yet all things put under him. Oh yes, he now ascends and rules and reigns over creation. And we understand that that's a true statement. And yet all things are not visibly yet seem to be under his authority. There are still enemies who oppose his ways. The kingdom has not yet come in its fullness. And so we're living in this phase of the now and yet the not yet. Now Christ rules, and yet we see things. Verse number eight again. But now we see not yet all things put under him. To our senses, there still seem to be pockets of this world outside Christ's dominion, but they're not really. He still rose over them, but the skirmishes continue until Christ returns and all his enemies, even death, are put under his feet. But yet Christ's present dominion secures that future reality. All of this we see Christ's incarnation leading to his exaltation. He obeys to death the cross, wherefore God hath highly exalted him. But that exaltation includes this principle of dominion. He rules and he reigns. He is presently ruling, he is presently king. And the lesson is this. Christ fulfills the Psalm 8. Christ is the second Adam, the second man who secures God's blessing upon his image bearers. The blessings offered to Adam are secured by Christ. Adam lost them in his sin, Christ regains them in his obedience. Ruined man can only be restored to a rightful state by being in union with this Christ. There's two men, there's Adam and there's Christ. In Adam all is lost, but in Christ all is regained. And men, they're made by God. Rulers in God's creation, yet ruined by sin, can only be restored by being in a right relationship with the ultimate man, the ultimate son of man, Christ himself, who in his obedience secures this dominion. You've got to understand these things. If you don't understand these things, you do not know yourself and you do not know your fellow man. And therefore you don't know what to say to them and you don't know how to pray for them. Creatures with dignity yet ruined and yet offered restoration in the gospel of Christ Jesus. So tonight I trust we can know ourselves. that we don't despair, we see our sin, but yet we don't forget that we have great dignity in the presence of God. He's made us as his image bearers, but sin has ruined us, and yet in Christ, in Christ our prospect, is that all things under us, in that new heavens and new earth, we're in to have righteousness. We must present Christ in this way. We must show sinners that Christ is indeed the ultimate Son of Man. and their only hope is found in Him, in Him alone. So pray for grace to be shown. We have so many people in our minds, don't we? And they don't believe any of this. They don't understand these very basic concepts regarding the doctrine of man. So pray for God to open their eyes, that they would come to know themselves. Lord, show them who they are. Show them their sin, show them their created by God, and yet show them their only hope is in Christ Jesus. There's a lot to pray for in the light of the Psalm 8. May God help us to learn it, to study it, to understand it, that our hearts are drawn out to worship our Savior, and appoint sinners to Him for the glory of His name and for their eternal good. Amen. May God be pleased again to use His word in our hearts tonight. Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode of Let the Bible Speak from Malvern Free Presbyterian Church. If you'd like more information about the gospel or the church, please call 610-993-3170 or email malvernfpc at yahoo.com. We extend an invitation to all to join us as we worship the Lord each week. You will be made very welcome. The church is situated at 80 Mallon Road, Malvern, Pennsylvania at the junction of 401 and Mallon Road. We meet for worship on the Lord's Day at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. A Bible study and prayer meeting is also held on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. We preach Christ Crucified.