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[Music] good morning to everyone just a few announcements before we begin our worship this morning first off for the first time in history Jim Butler is at another Reformed Baptist Church in British Columbia preaching so that's exciting we can pray for for Jim in his ministry there at the Surrey Reformed Baptist Church also for the first time in history Michael Kirkpatrick is preaching at our church but as a pastor of another Church so that's a history is being made today at free grace Baptist Church in Chilliwack so Mike and Jim have swapped pulpits here today so we'll pray for Jim at Surry and for my cat at our church you're bringing the Word of God secondly there will be no fellowship luncheon this month but we will have a fellowship luncheon next month next weekend this up I get yeah next weekend Saturday will have the work day so if you'd like to come and fellowship with your people while you're swinging hammers and a applying glue and sweeping and vacuuming and all those sorts of things we're having our church work day next Saturday Saturday the what is that the 19th whatever next Saturday is that's when the church workday is and so if you'd like to come it's 9:00 a.m. until whenever the work is done you don't have to stay and you don't have to stay till till 1:00 p.m. or anything like that but if you'd like to come by at any time between 9:00 and 1:00 ish come and help to do things to help keep up this building and the property and that sort of thing that would be a benefit God has blessed us with this building this plot of land and it's and it's our stewardship to take care of that good gift from on high so if you're able to come and you're willing to come that's this upcoming Saturday between 9:00 and 1:00 there will be an email coming out with some particulars and reminders that sort of thing well let's turn in our Bibles and as we move now to the worship of our great God if you'll turn with me to Psalm 113 Psalm 113 that will be our call to this Lord's Day morning Psalm 113 beginning in verse 1 this is the word of God praise the Lord praise o servants of the Lord praise the name of the Lord blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore from the rising of the Sun to its going down the Lord's name is to be praised the Lord is high above all nations his glory above the heavens who is like the Lord our God who dwells on high who humbles himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth he raises the poor out of the dust and lifts the needy out of the ash heap that he may seat him with Prince's with the princes of his people he grants the barren woman a home like a joyful mother of children praise the Lord Amen well let's stand and sing together as a church the first hymn we're going to sing this morning is in the larger Trinity hymnal that's him fifty five zero let's stand and sing together [Music] please be seated let's go to our Great God in prayer let us pray Heavenly Father we come to you now on this year Lord's Day Sabbath rejoicing and Father Son and Holy Spirit we thank you that we can gather together in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord as the gathered assembly of Jesus Christ we can come into this place to sing your praises that we can come into this place to rejoice in so great a God that we can be here rehearsing the glorious exploits the glorious conquering z' of Jesus Christ our Savior we thank you that by grace and for your Glory's sake you have called us from out of the world to gather together in your name and we pray that you would be hallowed by your saints in this place we pray once again God that you would be the recipient of all honor and praise and once again we pray that this would be the case not only here in this church but throughout the world as your saints gather we do pray that your name would be honored and praised we thank you once again that we have been brought forth from the darkness of sin the deadness of sin to life and light in Jesus Christ our precious Savior we know that we are not saved by deeds of righteousness which we have done but you have saved us by virtue of the perfect work of Jesus Christ our Savior we rejoice in his perfect life of obedience to your law rendered in the place of everyone who believes in his name we thank you for that death upon Calvary's cross a substitutionary sacrificial death in the place of everyone who believes in the name of Jesus Christ we glory in the resurrection we rejoice in that so blessed event we're in great power and in great victory Christ arose and we thank you that he has ascended to your right hand where he does ever live to intercede for his people where he conquers the hearts of his enemies and where he rules and reigns where he conquers the the hearts of those who believe in his name where he rules and reigns over his enemies we rejoice in the risen an exalted Christ and we would pray God that you would banish those fears of your people those hesitations and those anxieties this world as we are roundabouts beset by the wicked and by the unbelieving we pray God that you would cheer our hearts that you would strengthen our hearts and that you would cause us to know that there is a God who rules and reigns that there is a Christ who has been exalted that the nations are the nations of that God and of his Christ and that we would Lord God have confidence to live in this lower world to rejoice in Jesus Christ and to be able to have those blessed occasions where we can make known to unbelievers the glories of that Christ we do pray that you'd cause us to worship you were right we pray Lord God that you would send your spirit that this gathered assembly I might rejoice in you and might sing your praises and we pray this as well for Surrey Reformed Baptist churches they gather together for worship we pray that you would encourage their hearts that by spirit and word they would be nourished and strengthened and we pray that you'd be with Pastor Butler as he preaches your word there we pray that you would give him strength in the pulpit to preach well the things of your word to those people and we do pray God that you would just cheer their hearts on this Lord's Day Sabbath to worship Father Son and Holy Spirit and rejoice in Christ we do pray for that here as well Lord we pray that you'd be with Mike as he preaches we thank you for the Ministry of the word and for this brother and we would just ask that you give him courage and strengthen this pulpit to open up his Bible and to preach from your word the glorious riches of Jesus that the glorious riches of your truth and might we leave this place being strengthened and nourished by your spirit in the Word of God we do pray that you'd be with our brothers and sisters unable to join us whether they are traveling or whether they're afflicted with illness we do pray God that you would strengthen your people that long list of those afflicted with disease and illness god we pray that you be with each and every one strengthening them in body cheering their hearts in the midst of affliction and we do just pray that they would resign themselves to the will of the Lord our God and that they would find comfort from you we do pray God that you tend to those who are spiritually distressed that you'd strengthen them and heal them that you would return unto them the joy of our salvation that they might rejoice afresh and their God and in His Christ we do pray for those with child Lord we thank you for those blessings that you give we pray for the pregnant ladies in our midst that you'd strengthen them and tend to the babies in their wombs that they might in due time be brought forth with much rejoicing we would ask God once again as we prayed this morning that you would be with those who are persecuted for the name of Christ throughout the world we ask that you'd be with our dear brothers and sisters in Christ that are that are bruised that are beaten and sometimes even unto death we would ask God that you'd strengthen our fellow Christians throughout the world that they might in the face of opposition have much boldness and that they would lay hold of the confession of their faith without wavering and knowing that you Lord God are faithful we do pray God then that you would continue with us in worship we long to be those worshipers who worship you in spirit and in truth we pray that you would remove from us anything that might interfere in that true and proper worship we pray that we would not be reflecting on this past week or looking and thinking about the week upcoming but that we would now be wholly abandoned to the worship of Father Son and Holy Spirit and might our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ be exalted upon this gathered assembly we pray in his precious name Amen let's stand and sing again this time in your read Trinity Salters we're going to turn to Psalm 145 that's 145 let's stand and sing as a church [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] I didn't tell you it verse to end with so nevertheless a glorious hymn to sing Amen you can turn in your Bibles with me to Luke 11 Luke chapter 11 we continue our New Testament scripture reading there through the Gospel of Luke we finished off at verse 23 last time and we'll pick up then at verse 24 and read to verse 36 so this is Luke 11 beginning in verse 24 once again the Word of God when an unclean spirit goes out of a man he goes through Dry places seeking rest and finding none he says I will return to my house from which I came and when he comes he finds it swept and put in order then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself and they enter and dwell there and the first the last state of that man is worse than the first and it happened as he spoke these things that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to him blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts which nursed you but he said more than that blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it and while the crowds were thickly gathered together he began to say this is an evil generation it seeks a sign and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the Prophet for as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites so also the Son of Man will be to this generation the Queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the south excuse me the Queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them where she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and indeed a greater than Solomon is here the men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it for they repented at the preaching of Jonah and indeed a greater than Jonah is here no one when he has little lamb puts it in a secret place or under a basket but a lampstand that those who come in may see the light the lamp of the body is the eye therefore when your eye is good your whole body also is full of light but when your eye is bad your body also is full of darkness therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness if then your whole body is full of light having no part dark the whole body will be full of light as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light amen well very briefly among other things we see here the the the primacy of Jesus Christ it was a folly unmatchable that this generation rejected the Lord Jesus Christ when he came to them their their own religion their Judaism appointed forward to this Christ and they were when that Christ came to recognize by the grace of God of course that this sent one is the promised sent one the Christ the Messiah the mediator between God and men and we see here this language in verse 29 this is an evil generation it seeks a sign and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah of the prophet the language of the the Apostle would be the Jews seek after a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom but we see and have our Christ crucified that one who is righteousness wisdom and sanctification from God and we see here that reality that the Jews sought after a sign but they would reject Christ as as that one of repugnance and that one who is a rock of offense and Jesus Christ here says that the judgment will be greater for them the Ninevites in the Ninevites or those let's just say that rejected Jonah though the Ninevites did believe in Jonah but anyone who rejected an Old Testament prophet the ministrations of those Old Covenant prophets it was a grave thing to reject them because they were proclaiming the truth of God and they were promising this coming Jesus who would come into the world sinners to save but what a greater thing it would be to reject that one to whom they and that one of whom they prophesied this Jesus this glorious one who has now come to give himself for guilty sinners to rise again and to bring many sons to glory and we see that language here most certainly as Judah came became as excuse me for as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites so also the Son of Man will be to this generation and we have this language of condemnation of judgment for those who would reject so glorious of Jesus if you're here this morning and you own this Christ as Savior praise God and God's appointed and accepted time in his glorious and amazing grace he brought you forth to lay hold with eyes of faith that Jesus this precious one if you here this morning and you reject this Christ it will be a grave thing on that final day and you're cast into the lake of fire reserved for the devil and his angels for rejecting so glorious a Christ believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will have this glorious one as your Lord as your Savior and as your king and it will be by virtue of his doing and dying and rising again that you will sing the praises of God forevermore let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you for your truth for your revelation to us we thank you for these words of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ and truly we rejoice in his name and we rejoice in his work in his person in his glory and we do pray that you would impress upon us the the glorious weight of the riches and excellencies of Jesus Christ our Savior as we continue in worship that you would encourage and edify and instruct saints that you would save sinners and that the exercise of worship today would be unto the praise of Father Son and Holy Spirit and we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord amen well let's stand again and sing our final hem will be hymn 133 in your eternity hymnals again the larger hymnal that's 133 let's stand and sing together [Music] [Music] [Music] well good morning everyone it's good to see you greetings from Syrian Reformed Baptist Church it's a pleasure to be here at free grace worshipping with you this morning and we'll just get right to it turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 8 that's Psalm 8 the reformed Baptists and our evening service we went through Psalms of the Messiah Psalms that explicitly pointed forward and prophesied the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the third Psalm that we looked at was Psalm number eight so turn with me to Psalm eight Psalm number eight begin reading out verse 1 to the chief musician on the instrument of Gath a psalm of David O Lord our Lord how excellent is your name and all the earth who have set your glory above the heavens out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength because of your enemies that you might silence the enemy and the Avenger when I consider your heavens the works of your fingers the moon and the stars which you have ordained what is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you visit him for you have made him a little lower than the angels and you have crowned him with glory and honour you have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands you have put all things under his feet all sheep and oxen even the beasts of the field the birds of the air and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the Seas Oh Lord our Lord how excellent is your name in all the earth amen well let us pray O God our God O Lord our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth O God you are the God who demonstrates in your creation your eternal power and divine nature O God that no man is without excuse before you but O God we know that as you reveal yourself in creation this does not save we need special revelation o God we need your word we need the preaching of the gospel we need the Lord Jesus Christ and we're thankful O God that this Psalm this point forward to the coming of the great and wonderful Lord Jesus Christ as we sing the praises even to the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you O God that he is the creator and he is the Redeemer o God he is the one who came born of a woman to save those Oh God he was the one who has made a little lower than the Angels O God that he might bring many sons to glory Oh God we are thankful for your plan of redemption we are thankful even for your creation as it shows forth who you are Oh God and O God even as we consider you as we consider the great God of heaven and earth the one who is holy other than us who is man that you are mindful of him O God even in creation but how much more sinful man in salvation O God how we need your help how we need your illumination how we need your Holy Spirit to understand the things that are found in your word here for us O God as we study divine matters as we study divine things we pray that you would give us divine aid O God for those that know you today may we have a better sense and better awe of who you are o God and give praise and honor to you that prays that is do unto you stir us unto praise to our great God and for those that do not know you will God we pray that you'd show them that they are without excuse show them their wickedness show them their sin that they might see even in creation the great power of our God but that they might even better come to saving knowledge in the Lord Jesus Christ through the preaching of your word so we pray that your preaching would go forth we pray that your word goal would go forth we pray that your Holy Spirit would be with us we pray these things in the name of Christ amen well in order to understand the whole Psalter we have to understand Psalms 1 and Psalm 2 if you understand both those Psalms and you will understand the rest of the book the rest of the book and what it's saying Psalm number 1 gives us the purpose of the Psalter that is the way of happiness focusing on the person or personal focus but it's tied to the message of the Psalter found in Psalm 2 the message of the kingdom of God that focuses on the reign of the Messiah you see any way of happiness is tied to only one is tied to this Davidic King to tie to the one who would come and in Psalm number 2 we saw this royal Psalm that focused on the dick monarchy and then we come to Psalm 8 which is a little different it's a hymn of praise specifically focusing on creation how we come and understand who our God is as we see our God evidence itself reveal himself in creation that we might have a better sense in awe of who our God actually is you see Psalm 8 is situated in such a way that it's surrounded by Psalms that are very bleak you see as we put the Psalter together or as the writers put the Psalter together it's not just a bunch of random hymns that they put in this place all mates here because it's Psalm 8 it's put in different places for different reasons and there are five books of the Psalter and book one good Robert Godfrey calls the Kings confidence in God's care and there's a lot of laments in these Psalms Oh God where are you Oh God where are you in my troubles give you to my words Oh guard Oh God Lord do not rebuke me in your anger nor chasing me in your heart O Lord my god I knew I put my trust save me from all those who persecute me and deliver me then Psalm 8 gives us a psalm of Hope a glimpse of hope as we ponder who our God is and it really focuses on this idea of creation the glory of the Lord in creation perhaps we can ask the question as we go through this Psalm this morning when you look at creation when you look at the heavens what response that evoke from you when you look at the birds of the air we look at the fish of the sea when you look at the intricacies of the way the world is ordered how do you respond and we will look at this idea of creation under two headings this morning will try to answer even those questions as we go through this morning under three headings first of all God's majestic name and verses 1 and 2 secondly God's mindfulness of man in verses 3 to 5 and then lastly God's role for man in verses 6 through 9 so God's majestic name God's mindfulness of man and God's role for man let's first look then at God's majestic name in verses 1 and 2 and you know us the psalm and begins and ends with the same call to praise O Lord our Lord how excellent is your name in all the earth it sets the stage for us of who the psalm is primarily about and that's important as we come to verses three through five and six through eight we must remember who this Psalm is primarily consisted of heaven and earth Oh Lord our Lord how majestic or how excellent is your name in all the earth he is the object of our praise he is the one we give glory and honor to he is the one we sing praises unto even today when we sing these words O four thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemers praise and one way we can perhaps better praise our God is to understand who our God is Oh Lord our Lord how majestic is your name and even hear the language Oh Lord our Lord there's two words for God here Yahweh the first one the Covenant name of our Lord and add on I our Lord some have talked that it's focusing YES on this covenant name of the Lord and in with Oh Lord the the capitals all them are capitalized and then the second one our Lord without an eye as God as the governor but perhaps it could be better taken as an honorific title namely the Lord of lords Oh Lord of lords how majestic is your name throughout all the world because you see there's no one like our God he is high and lofty above all he is totally other than what you and I are sometimes we think God is just on the same spectrum as you and I don't we he's just a little bit stronger a little bit more powerful than we are he knows a little bit more than we do but God is totally different holy other of a complete and different order than you and I yet even here we see something of intimacy connected to our God o Lord our Lord this God who is high and lofty David can call him and call upon him in an intimate way very similar to the New Covenant people of God when we pray our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name and so it's similar here David can call upon this one Oh Lord our Lord and notice how he praises God how excellent is your name in all the earth or how majestic is your name in all the earth when we're talking about God's name Calvin says it refers to the knowledge of the character perfections of God insofar as he makes himself known to us it's referring to who God is how majestic is your name and even the creation proclaimed something and gives us something about who our God is as we read in Romans 1 the eternal power and divine nature is clearly seen in the creation but what's even more special for the people of Israel they know the God of heaven and earth in a special way the name of God is proclaimed to them Exodus 34 the Galore passes by and proclaims the name of the lord the lord the lord a god slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love who will not visit it will not visit iniquity even to the third and fourth generation so the people of Israel knew God in a special intimate way even in Exodus 34 so it's referring and even in this lay name of the the language of name here it's encompassing for us who our God is his attributes his works who he is and what he's done who he is in himself and how he acts towards the creation has studying the attributes of God than anyone harm has studying who our God has been bad for us you see as Calvin starts his Institute what does he say the more we study God the more we litt know or we see how little we actually are isn't it and we know how small we actually are and the reality is brothers and sisters we do not know our God as we should do we we do not study the attributes as we ought even we think about the former generations where I'm sad to say we live in the age not of the dodo but of the dum-dum sorry if that offends you but we don't know our God as we should Steven char knocks existence in attributes of God that massive book about who our God is our sermons written for the people in the pew or even think about Calvin it was written as an introduction for the host of the Christian faith or others will alma so brackla has four volumes written again for the laypeople brothers and sisters perhaps we have struggles in our life because we have a small God perhaps we have difficulties that we go through in sins we cannot shake because we do not understand who our God is Oh Lord our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth that we might know and have a better sense and awe of who our God is notice it spread throughout all the earth proclaimed throughout all of it even the language of majestic here I like that I like the idea of majestic excellent works - highlights high and a high and lofty one it's figurative of our king figurative of kings and how high they actually are and in many ways we see God majestic throughout the scriptures one writer William van Cameron highlights four of them we see God's minute majesty and his victories Exodus 15 6 we see God's majesty and his judgment in his power and his might in verse Samuel 4 we see God's majesty in his law in Isaiah 42 and we see God's Majesty in his rule over creation in Psalm 8 verse 1 how majestic is your name throughout all the earth and then notice who have set your glory above the heavens where this highlights for us it's the place where God displays his glory and mites you see even when we see the glories of heaven when we look up and see the wonders of heaven there but sparks about who our God actually is isn't it there are glimpses and for tastes of who our God is because if God were to reveal himself in his fullness we could not stand before him as our confession says we cannot know God in his essence only in the ways in which he has revealed himself to us and he has revealed himself to us in the creation even more importantly he's revealed himself to us in his word who have sets your glory above the heavens your divine splendor and even this for us should recall perhaps their minds Genesis 1:1 I know you guys have been going through the book of Genesis in your Wednesday night studies in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth Oh Lord our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth who have set your glory above the heavens now it's important for us to see the majesty of God verse 1 because verse 2 is into contrast with weakness and we perhaps even further we see God's strength in weakness in verse 2 notice are the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength because of your enemies that you may silence the enemy and the Avenger and the point is he's going to ordain strength through his name verse 2 is intimately connected with verse 1 he's going to sing praises through these weak ones even the imagery here mouths of babes and nursing infants they cannot care for themselves that God is going to demonstrate his might and his power through these ones against adversity when he brings out these ideas that of enemies silencing the enemies and the Avenger and again what we talked about already Psalm number eight is really a very very positive Psalm but we still see us glimpse a fallen man in verse two again surrounded again by the Psalms that are surrounding Psalm 8 by Psalms that very much highlight fallen humanity out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength and you see the point is those who are weak and even as he goes on to say because of your enemies that you may silence them what does this silence mean it means that those who are weak will silence those who are strong as Peter Craigie says the Lord establishes his strength through symbols of weakness it's like a childlike recognition not one of power and how does God then demonstrate his power over these strong ones he does it to the name of the Lord and perhaps even further praising the name of the Lord you realized the praises of God drown out the adversary when we sing only utter praises to our God it's to shut the mouths of those around us there was an example several months ago that we read in the voice of the martyrs update one man named Ian Squires was a prisoner in Nigeria in order to perhaps strengthen the Brethren in Nigeria he sang Amazing Grace until he was shocked to drown out those enemies that sought to bring down the Lord perhaps you've been going back further in history when we think of the Reformation we perhaps think of Lutheran Germany or we think of the Baptist in England I think we forget about the Reformation in France don't we and perhaps we should remember that John Calvin Jean Calvin is from France one of the beauties of what are called the Hyuga knows Huguenots it looks like but there are the French reformers is they sung the Reformation into France you know why because they were able to get the songs in their vernacular in their common tongue when then the window when the when the Roman Catholic Church would preach and latently wouldn't understand but then they got the words through song they sang and drowned out the adversaries they're singing brothers sisters perhaps you when you struggle with sin start singing the glories of God perhaps do you struggle with the various Providence's of life whatever my lot thou has taught me to say it is well it is well with my soul even singing even perhaps even we sing before our God even in church sometimes we just sing the words but they're helpful in good theology to ponder remember who our God actually is as Robert Godfrey says the chorus of praise raised by creation silences all the voices of wickedness you are holy enthroned on the praises of Israel here we see the power and importance of praise here we see why God has given us a book of praises now there's also a New Testament of one shutting the mouth of the adversaries and this is found in Matthew chapter 21 this is where we see the first instance where this Psalm is quoted Matthew 21 Jesus has just come into Jerusalem it's this triumphal entry period Jesus or he's coming in on the donkey and the people cry out in verse 9 Hosanna to the son of David blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord hosanna in the highest then Jesus cleanses the temple and then in verse 14 it reads then the blind and the lame came to him in the temple and He healed them but when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did and the children crying out in the temper and saying Hosanna to the son of David they were indignant and said to him do you hear what these are saying jesus said to them yes have you never read out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise he's quoting Psalm number eight here in verse 21 but perhaps she has the entire Psalm in mind because it says out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants which is good but then it but that changes to you have perfected praise because it's tied in with the entire song you see when they quote the Old Testament usually they have the entire thing back in them in the back of their minds and what does Jesus doing using this song he's shutting the mouths of the chief priests they get jealous they don't like that these ones are crying out to the son of David children crying out to the son of David do you hear what these ones are saying and Jesus silences them with the truth with Psalm eight because clearly as Jesus is implying as Jesus is showing throughout this text as psalm 118 is quoted in verse nine of job Matthew 21 we see that Jesus is the Messiah that Psalm 8 points forward to even further and even more there's an implication going on here as we see as it's connected with Psalm 8 Oh Lord our Lord these ones these children are praising Christ who is our Lord our Lord he is the key way the Covenant Lord John 8:58 before Abraham was I am Yahweh or even not only is he Yahweh he's also the creator John 1:1 in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God by him through and through him all things are created so Jesus is showing that he is the true Messiah that Psalm 8 points forward to an even more so he is Yahweh he is the creator he is God and truly GAR God is a strong one in our weaknesses one who helps us in our praises when they are weak one who strengthens us in our battles for he is good out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength because of your enemies that you may silence the enemy and the Avenger well that's the first point let's go on to the second point God's mindfulness of man in verses three through five notice the language when that is it happens often perhaps the psalmist goes out he looks at the stars of the heavens he looks at the flowers of the ground he looks at the birds of the air and he begins to ponder the things of God when I consider your heavens when I look up and see what you have done oh great God and then notice further descriptive of this the works of your fingers now notice the imagery there the works of your fingers it's an anthropomorphism it's describing something of God speaking in the manner of man we know God doesn't actually have fingers but describing something wonderful and glorious about our king namely his vastness His infinite miss his infinity who is not like anything other than even the imagery that we see here with is don't we the heavens the works of your fingers he's got the heavens in his fingers he holds the heavens in his hands it's got the entire universe and the tips of his fingers when I consider the works of have when I consider your heavens the works of your fingers and he goes on to describe the moon and the stars which you have ordained remember in Genesis 1:14 the moon and the stars were meant to govern the heavens you see everything has a place everything has an order the create there is a created order that we see throughout the world even the Proverbs draw these things out don't they if you're lazy what is the proverb say look at the ant who works hard but even further this song the David is considering further the heavens and even when we think about fingers not only does it describe vast nests but describes meaning it describes detail describes intricacy again with the idea perhaps it's there's really not a lot of illustrations and it's probably going to be a bad illustration but I kind of think of the idea of lego when you're holding it in your hand it's very small but God when you're holding your hand it's very tiny but it's very intricate in the way you build certain things that no way and describes what's going on but the language really here is describing God's detail and God's vastness a great and mighty God a great and mighty King and then notice really the order and what he's doing here so he considers these things he considers the moon he considers the Stars and then notice what he says in verse four what is man that you are mindful of him the son of man that you visit him if God created the heavens the earth with his fingers if he holds the entire heavens with his fingers yet he considers one who is a speck on his fingers and even in this instance he's really talking about creation isn't he even in the created order that you consider man he would consider him he would even make him as we'll talk about further a vice-regent o one who acts on his behalf at creation what is man that you are mindful of him o our God when we think about creation it really should evoke this from us shouldn't it sometimes we just drive taking those things we see for granted especially in this part of the world we live in a really nice part of the world that should evoke tons of praise we should just be like wow I see the flowers praise God wow the grass wonderful all the various things that we see it should cause us to praise our God and to consider the condescension and love of our God what is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that even you visit him in the language visit here carries with it to the idea to pay attention with care God cares for his people thought tears for creation god works and gives good gifts now sadly brothers and sisters what are humans like without a proper consideration of God what are humans like with a proper understanding of the deity they take things like creation and they glorify them they take things even like man and we glorify ourselves you see we make ourselves little gods as one writer says every false view of who we are as human beings and our role in this world is due in part to a faulty understanding of God why do we have to have again have a proper understanding of who our God is to study who our God is we may have a proper understanding of ourselves and what we are not we are not God brothers and sisters we are idolatrous we are wicked we are terrible without our God working in us we will just make ourselves little idols all the time as Calvin says our hearts are like idle factories aren't they and we thank God for the coming Lord Jesus Christ who saves us from our wickedness saves us from ride Allah tree that we've come to him but even our sanctification we still have those battles and struggles with idolatry and we will until Christ comes or till one of us died or will we die it's gonna be that way but again hopefully to help mitigate those things is a proper study of who our God actually is now if you're an unbeliever your plight in this world your disease in this world is really this idea of idolatry it's not the idea of you have to stop drinking stop smoking stop whatever doing it's reality that you think yourself as God look to the Lord in faith look to the Lord in Hope look to the Christ who is truly God and you shall be saved in your disease shall be cleansed and you shall find forgiveness of sins this is your plight in the world this is your problem you love yourselves and you do not love God who is man that you are mindful of him and then Thomas goes on to say and begins to explain it in verse five for you have made him a little lower than the angels and you have crowned him with glory and honor the language here is you have lower than the Angels that is those different beings supernatural beings we see them in Psalm 82 1 and first samuel 28 13 but you've made even man lower than these angels when it's gonna be for a little while because verse 5 even though you've made him lower than the angels you have crowned him with glory and honor and is derived glory given by God his drive glory granted by God and will draw out this further when we look at verses 6 through 9 but there is another New Testament application really a verses 3 through 6 so we're kind of getting I've had ourselves a little bit but you can look turn with me to Hebrews chapter 2 this is the second place Psalm number 8 is quoted hebrews chapter 2 we really it's begin reading at verse 5 but you remember in Hebrews chapter 1 we see how God are the son the Lord Jesus is superior to the Angels when he begins to talk about Christ in verse or continues to talk about Christ in verse five in connection to the Angels verse five free has not put the world to come of which we speak in subjection to the Angels but one testified a certain place saying what is man that you are mindful of him or the Son of man that you take care of him you have made him a little lower than the angels and you have crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of your hands you've put all things in subjection under his feet and then the writer expose it's for us what this means for in that he put all in subjection under him he left nothing that is not put under him but now we do not see all things put under him but we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the Angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor that he by the grace of God might taste death for everyone and even even those he righted Hebrews connects it with creation verse 10 for it was fitting for him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons to glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering for both he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one for which reason he's not ashamed to call them brethren so you see what he's doing here he's connecting Christ's incarnation and he's using saw me to demonstrate the Incarnation you see we have to understand the Old Testament in order to understand the new as one writer said as ever the coming of Christ revealed a whole landscape on the horizon to which the Old Testament was pointing and we see this here Christ became man he became a little lower than the Angels that he might bring many sons to glory that we might be raised up and even in Philippians two nine eleven he's given this name above all names he's given glory above all glory really Christ subjects new creation to himself he's the one who's purchased new creation for people he's purchased the world to come by his coming living dying and rising again so Hebrews 2 6 through 8 quotes for us Psalm 8 verses 3 through 6 in connection with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in our application that we can see here is really God's great condescension certainly in creation don't we see that we see God's mercy and kindness every gift you've been given in this life a temporal blessing food shelter clothing on your backs is all a gift from God isn't it we forget that don't we we whine we grumble we complain even in those temporal things but how much more so brothers and sisters do we see God's condescension in Salvation Christ came into the world we just saw Christ came and suffered that he might bring many sons to glory you see you and I don't deserve any of that you know I don't deserve salvation we don't deserve to be part of the world to come but because of Christ's work we can be part of that as Calvin says how is it that God comes forth from so noble and glorious a part of his works and Stoops down to us poor worms of the earth if it is not to magnify and to give a more illustration illustrious manifestation of His goodness really you see the focus of the psalm really is not on our failure but it's on the goodness and mercy and wonderful a wonderful nosov our God so God's condescension in creation and salvation so that's God's mindfulness of man let's then look thirdly and finally God's role for man in verses 6 through 9 notice we see him give this one give mankind an authority verse 6 you have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands and you've put all things under his feet it's the language of rule kind of like that again of a king and perhaps again we should draw our attention back to Genesis chapter 1 and even perhaps Genesis chapter 2 what does God say in Genesis chapter 126 he says be fruitful and multiply have dominion over the world rule over the world you seen a lot of ways Adam as we think back to the first Adam he really is a king isn't he meant to have dominion meant to rule over the fish of the sea meant to be a vice-regent of creation it's one who acts on behalf of another and even again though man is small God has made him the pinnacle of creation though man is is is a speck on God's hand so to speak the focus really of this Psalm which is interesting even though the bookends are about God the center of the psalm is about man as that pinnacle of creation as one writer says though the universe is vast and imparts to mankind a sense of smallness and insignificance nevertheless God has given mankind a position of extraordinary strength within the universe hasn't he but you see this shouldn't then puff us up us to think that we are above all above God or even to worship ourselves it's meant to highlight even in God's good it's meant to highlight God's goodness for us even though man is the pinnacle of creation it's a gift granted by God to us so we should not even then puff ourselves up sadly that happens all the time and I noticed we see the extent of the Dominion given from God the works of your hands that is God's beautifully designed world is granted to mankind and it's mad out of all the creatures who is only created in God's image isn't it we are the ones created in God's image and when we think about God's image certainly we believe in the confession says and the Catechism says that we believe we are created in God's image in God's holiness God's righteousness I can't remember the third one God's for holiness righteousness if the last ones escaping me it's there somewhere I it's it's gone but another thing we need to think through with respect to that is the idea of the creation mandate kingly activity Dominion be fruitful multiply fill the earth and subdue it rule over this area God has given dignity to mankind man is created in God's image God has given his special imprint upon them this doesn't mean we need to be hippy tree huggers brothers and sisters but it means we need to love God's world care for God's world and even further praise God for God's will and praise God for in creation making man over all things you have put all things under this man's feet even the extent further all sheep and oxen even the beasts of the field the birds of the air and the fish of the sea that passed through the paths of the Seas so we see God has granted man this great gift and we see of Newton other New Testament application of this in 1st Corinthians 15 27 first Corinthians 15:20 7 we see Psalm 8 as we've seen throughout fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ and this will also be another fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ when think about this idea of Dominion as Peter Craigie says dominion of mankind is given a Christological significance with respect to the Dominion of Christ in his resurrection and exaltation you see Adam was meant to rule over the earth wasn't he he was meant to be fruitful and multiply he was meant to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil lest he dies that Adam failed to do that then comes another Adam the Lord Christ the one who comes who in Dominion who comes in conquer sin he we can even think of scry Steiff as one of conquest going on conquest destroying sin destroying the peph forces of darkness destroying those things in which he lived a perfect life and died as that perfect sacrifice on the cross so even as Adam was meant to have dominion we see it fulfilled in the last Adam the one who has dominion over all really Psalm 8 is a to Adams text in the Old Testament isn't it even as we think about Psalm 8 what I love about the Old Testament especially is not only does it point forward to Christ but it points backward to various texts as well so it is a to Adams text for us in the notice 1st Corinthians 15 it's one of our two Adam's texts in the New Testament for as in Adam all die even so Christ to all shall be made alive but each one in it in his own order Christ the firstfruits afterward those who are Christ's at his coming then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to God the when he puts an end to all rule and all authority and power for he must reign till he's put all enemies under his feet the last enemy that will be destroyed is death and then notice he quotes Psalm 8 please put all things under his feet but when he says all things are put under him it is evident that he who puts all things under him is accepted now when all things are made subject to him then the son himself will also be subject to him who put all things under him that God may be all in all Christ as a representative of his people purchases new creation for his people the new creation that shall have no end and even we get glimpse and foretaste of this new creation now Christ has final dominion both now and forever and ever all men isn't it wonderful Christ is the one who is purchased for us this this new heavens new earth were we'll be with him as Adam failed to fulfill the the old creation Christ comes and fulfills and purchases new creation for his people and then we see in Psalm 8 as we come to a close there is this final call once again to praise O Lord our Lord how majestic is your name throughout all the earth brothers and sisters when we think about creation what should it do for us what should evoke it should evoke praise its you know evoke all and wonder of who our God is but even not only creation how much more salvation as well Oh brothers and sisters we are worms I'm really sorry if that really offends you but it's just true we're sinful or terrible or wretched we don't deserve salvation is because of God's wonderful loving condescension in the coming of Christ the King Christ being made a little lower than the Angels that you might come and die on behalf of his people and purchase new creation for his people as van Cameron says once again the biblical account of creation is phenomenal and it was intended to help Israel to praise Yahweh as the sole creator of every in heaven on earth and in the sea so let us praise our God and give him the glory that is due unto Him study your God know him as he's revealed himself to us in his word that we might better know how to praise Him and if you're an unbeliever here today look around you look at the world that our God has created this gives you no excuse before the God of heaven and earth the eternal power and divine nature gives you no excuse before our God because you see the intricacies of the world around you the ways in which we can walk around this world breathing without choking is because of the wonderful oxygen and of the processes that God has created God has demonstrated and shown his eternal power and those things that you are without excuse but yet you are sinful and you have sinned against God you take those good things and you make them images you make yourself images you make yourself idols your problem is your idolatry look to this Christ look to this Lord look to this one who's made lower than the Angels you must believe on him the one whom Psalm 8 speaks about you shall receive a crown of glory you shall receive and be part of the new creation as you are connected to the one who really is new creation the Lord Jesus Christ look with him in faith for this old creation is going to pass away it will be destroyed and all those who are part of it will be destroyed with it look to Christ in faith look to our Lord look to him and you shall have everlasting life o Lord our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth well let us pray our great God truly you are a wonderful and mighty and powerful God forgive us O God for our slowness to think of you forgive us for our forgetfulness of who you are o God we are thankful that in your history in your Providence O God you preserved wonderful definitions of you are who you are o God you are a spirit you are infinite eternal unchangeable in your being your power your justice your goodness your wisdom and your truth and so many more things o God Oh God we're thankful that you are mindful of us even in creation but even more so in salvation Oh God even before the foundation of the world you promised to save sinners in Christ Jesus so god we pray that you would help us give us illumination by your spirit to better know you you might stir our hearts unto you O God that you might help us to live in a way that is pleasing unto our great and wonderful and glorious God for truly O God you are mindful of us and you care for us and why would you Oh God only evidences and demonstrates that you are a loving God a gracious God a merciful God for we would not be as patient as we are with ourselves as you are with us so God forgive us wash us in the blood of the Lord Jesus even protect us as we go into the world for those that do not know you O God we prayed that you would work in them you'd be pleased to save them that you'd be pleased to work salvation in them that they would be part of the new creation or a thankful O God for who you are or thankful for what you've done truly O God your name is proclaimed throughout all the earth truly O Lord our Lord how majestic is your name we pray that you'd be glorified now in the name of Christ amen we'll close the brief time of meditation then you're dismissed you