Go back with me, if you would,
to Hebrews 2. I'm about to speak things too
wonderful for me. I approach this with fear. I need your prayer. We need the
Spirit of the Lord. And I pray He will have His hand
on this. This portion of scripture is
one that I have always loved. The one verse in particular we're
going to focus on is a thought worth pondering. This is humbling. I just can't set this up enough. This is so humbling. Seeing what our God has done
for us is humbling. May all of the glory
in this message go to Him. We're about to see what He has
done for us. We're about to see what eternity
is going to be like. in what he accomplished for us
through that death. We just sang about it. We just
read it. That means something for us. And this word tells us what it
is. And I approach it fearfully and I say all glory be unto him. Okay. The middle of verse six
says, what is man? that thou art mindful of him,
or the son of man that thou visitest him." What is man? As I have gone through this and
gone through this and gone through this, what I keep saying is,
oh my goodness, what in the world is man? What is man? I have three points in this message. The first one is, what is man? What is man? The second one is
that thou art mindful of him, thou. The third one is, or the
son of man, that thou visitest him, that you would come and
visit him and do this. Now our first point won't take
long at all. Alright, not at all. We're going
to flip through some scriptures like we do. We're going to start
in the beginning. I want to show you some verses
quickly and then we'll be done with the first point. What is
man? Genesis 3 is where we're going to start. Genesis 3. Verse 19 says, In the sweat of
thy face thou shalt eat bread, till thou return unto the ground. For out of it was thou taken,
for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. What is man? Dust. Dust. You pay good money for a plot
of ground. You might pay good money for a load of dirt. But
what is dust? I mean dust. Psalm 39. Go with me over to Psalm 39. Psalm 39 verse 11 says, when
thou with rebukes does correct man for iniquity thou makest
his beauty to consume away like a moth surely every man is vanity
emptiness I mean emptiness. Man at his best state is altogether
vanity. There's no room to glory here. None. Go to Psalm 51. Psalm 51 verse 5 says, Behold,
I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive
me. What is man? Sin. Dust, vanity, sin. Look at Psalm 116. Psalm 116 verse 11 says, I said
in my haste all men are liars. All men. The apostle Paul said
in Romans 3, let God be true and every man a liar. Isaiah said, wounds, bruises,
and putrefying sores. That's what man is. All right,
now let's go to the back of the Bible. Go to James 4. Just after Hebrews. James 4. James 4 verse 14 says, Whereas
you know not what shall be on the morrow, for what is your
life, it is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time,
and then vanishes away." That's all that man is, a vapor. Okay, last one in the run. Turn
one more page. First Peter 1, verse 24 says,
all flesh is grass. and all the glory of man as the
flower of grass. The grass withereth and the flower
thereof falleth away. David said, Job said, Isaiah
said, the grass is going to get cut down. Cut down. What is man? Nothing. I mean nothing. Nothing worth
anything. What is dust worth? What is grass
worth? What is sin worth? Nothing. Man is nothing. All right, let's move on to the
second point. Go with me back to Hebrews 2. Verse 6 says, what is man that
thou art mindful of him? Now don't turn, but he's quoting
Psalm 8, which says, when I consider the heavens. Consider the heavens. I I'm fascinated
by space. I like looking at, uh, telescope
shots of constellations. I'm it's fascinating. You know,
they say that it's a hundred thousand light years across our
Milky way. There's no way they could know
that. But if they're off by 99.9%, if it's a thousand years, or
a hundred years, think about it taking a hundred years for
a beam of light to go across that Milky Way, it's big. When I consider the heavens,
this is what Psalm 8 says, the work of thy fingers, this is
all the work of thy fingers. The moon and the stars which
thou hast ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him?
When I consider how great you are, and when I consider how
great the things that you have done are, I cannot fathom the
fact that you would be mindful of me. I can't fathom that. Now, we just saw what man is.
What is God? What is God? Just let me quote
some scriptures to you. Numbers 23, 19 says, God is not
a man that he should lie. He is nothing like man, the exact
opposite of man. Moses said, God is a consuming
fire. And he said, he's a jealous God. He's a jealous God. Job said,
God is mighty. He said, God is great. He said,
with God is terrible majesty. David said, God is angry with
the wicked every day. And then he said in Psalm 99,
God is holy. He's holy. Then why is he mindful
of man? Why is he mindful of sinful man? The reason is because David said
in Psalm 116, our God is merciful. He's merciful. This is, it's called the gospel. This is good
news, this is the most amazing news. Our God is merciful. David said, truly God is good
to Israel. So good. And we're about to see
how good. Can't fathom it. Look with me
at 1 Corinthians 1. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Verse 9 says, God is faithful. By whom you were called unto
the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. This is the pivot point. This is the the foundation of
everything that we are going to become, everything we are
going to receive, it all hinges on this. God is faithful. He's merciful and he's faithful. By whom you were called unto
the fellowship, the oneness of His Son, Jesus Christ our
Lord. We were called into fellowship
with Him. He's been called into fellowship with us, oneness with
Him. That fellowship is the third
point of the message. What is man that thou art mindful
of Him? Or the Son of man, sons of Adam,
that thou visitest Him. Now go with me back to Hebrews
chapter 2. What is man? What is man? How on this earth and how on
the earth to come? Could God be so good to man? May God be glorified here. May
God be glorified here. Verse five. Here we go. Verse
five says for unto the angels. Hath he not put in subjection
the world to come whereof we speak? A while back, maybe six
months ago, we went through Hebrews 1 and we looked at God's angels. It talked about his guardian
angels and we looked at his angels, how mighty they are. We looked
at how obedient they are. We saw that they are faithful
servants. to our God. They behold His face,
they look at Him, waiting on His next command. We just saw what man is, the
exact opposite of the angels. We're the exact opposite of these
angels. But God has not given, through
that fellowship with Christ, by Christ, because of Christ,
unto Christ, all glory be to Christ. God has not done for
the angels what he has done for us. God has given the new world into
subjection, into the subjection of his people with Christ in
this fellowship with him, not the angels. When God made man
Man started out having everything in subjection to Him. Everything on this earth submitted
to man and that was according to God's will. It was according
to God's doing. It was according to God's decree. The ground was in subjection
to man. The ground did not harden up
and resist man. It submitted to man. Every animal
was in subjection to man. Every single animal. Now I want
to show you something that will shed a little bit of light on
what eternity will be like. This is what eternity will be
like. And I don't want to burn you out on turning, but I believe
you'll be glad you did. Go with me to Genesis 1. Genesis 1 verse 26 says, and in Lotus verse
31, God saw everything He had made and behold it was very good.
I mean it was perfect, it couldn't be improved on. Now in verse
26 it says, God said, let us make man in our image after our
likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea. If
Adam said, Come, the fish had to come. Just like when our Lord walked
this earth. He told Peter, I want you to
go pay taxes for you and me. I said, I want you to go down
to the ocean, cast a hook into the water. The first fish you
pull up, reach inside his mouth. There's going to be a coin in
there. You take that coin and go pay the taxes for you and
me. That fish was under the dominion of Jesus Christ. It had to do
whatever He told it to do. And He told it, you go eat that
coin and then you come right back and eat that hook and then
you can be on your way. Okay? So if Adam said come, the
fish had to come. Verse 26 says, Let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the
air. If Adam said come, the birds had to come. And then it says, over the cattle,
over all the earth, over every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth. So God created man in his own
image. In the image of God created he
him, male and female created he them and God blessed them
and God said unto them, be fruitful and multiply and replenish the
earth and subdue it, bring it into subjection. and have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and
over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." When
Adam saw a lion, if Adam said, come, that lion had to come. Lie down. That lion had to lie. He had dominion over it. All right, look at chapter 2,
verse 19. Now, I've never seen this before. Out of the ground
the Lord God formed every beast of the field, just like he made
Adam. Out of the dust of the ground he formed every beast
of the field and every fowl of the air. You ready for this? And brought them unto Adam to
see what he would call them. Is that not amazing? God formed
every beast of the field just like he did Adam. Every fowl of the air just like
he did Adam and then he brought all of them to Adam to see what
he would call them. Oh dear God, what is man? All
glory be to him. I'm a base, I'm dust, I'm nothing,
I'm vanity. God brought them all to Adam
to see what He would call them. You know, don't you cry with
the Apostle Paul, if any man glory, let him glory in the Lord.
God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of Jesus Christ
my Lord. What is man that thou art mindful
of him? What would you like to call them?
What is man that thou art mindful of him? Verse 19 says, Out of
the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, every
fowl of the air, brought them unto Adam to see what he would
call them. And whatsoever Adam called every
living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names
to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air and to every beast
of the field. That's what man had and lost. Because God made man in God's
image, because God did this, everything in the earth was in
subjection to man. But as soon as Adam sinned, as
soon as he sinned, the very next time he saw a lion, fear came
over him. That lion was no longer in subjection
to him. The ground hardened up to him,
no longer in subjection. He had to make a fishing rod.
The fish were no longer in subjection. Now he has to trick them. He
had to build a birdcage. They're no longer in subjection.
Flowers stuck him with thorns every time he grabbed one. They're
no longer in subjection. He could kill, man at that point
could kill the smallest thing, but the smallest thing could
also kill man. A germ in something, the smallest
little thing that carries poison in it. Go with me back to Hebrews
2. Hebrews 2 verse 5 says, For unto
the angels Hath he not put in subjection the world to come
whereof we speak? He has not done for the angels
what he's done for us. Humbling. Verse six, but one
in a certain place testified saying, what is man that thou
art mindful of him? Or the son of man that thou visitest
him? Thou madest him. You made man. a little lower than the angels.
Thou crownest him with glory." All the angels saw man and said,
he's in the image of God. You crowned him with glory and
honor and you set him over the works of thy hands. He put Adam
in the garden and he said, you till the ground, you keep and
dress everything I've made. Thou hast 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. We cannot right now see what
God is going to redeem us back to, what God is going to reinstate
us to be in Christ, with Christ, because of Christ, by the will
of Christ, by the decree of Christ. We can't see it yet. And the
reason is because sin has ruined it all. Ruined it all. Nothing here on this earth is
in subjection to us. Nothing. And we don't deserve
for it to be. And we cannot see what we shall
be in the world to come. But I'll tell you what we can
see. Verse 9 says, We see our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who was made a little
lower than the angels. You know why he was made a little
lower than the angels? That's where we were. He came down to
where we were. For the suffering of death, crowned
with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God should taste
death for every man. That's our glory right there.
Not that God ever put anything under the subjection of man or
ever will again. Those apostles came back rejoicing.
They were so happy they said, even the devils are subject to
us through thy name. You remember that? He said, don't
glory in that. You glory that your names are
written in heaven. You glory that God didn't leave
you lost and undone. Glory in the fact that His Son
made Himself to be a little lower than the angels to reinstate
you and redeem you. We see our Lord 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 should taste
death for every man. We don't see our redemption. John said, we don't know what
we shall be, but we know we're going to be like him. We don't
see our redemption, but we do see our redeemer. We see who
and we see what redeemed us. We see that we lost our state. We lost our dominion. So God,
our Maker, came down to our lost, fallen state for the suffering
of death, to right the wrong, to bring us back and put us back
where we were in the image of Him. And in that death, He was
crowned with glory and honor. Glory from God, His Father, glory
from every soul that God put in Him. because He has indeed
reinstated His people. He has indeed put them back where
they were. Verse 9, again, 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, should taste death for every man. Every man? Yes, every single man that God
his father placed in him. None of them are lost. Not one. Not one. The end of chapter one,
the end of verse 14 says that it's them who shall be heirs
of salvation. That's who he did this for. Every
one of them. Chapter 2, verse 10 says it's
many. It's not all, but it's many.
It says, it became him for whom are all things, by whom are all
things, in bringing many sons unto glory, all glory be to him,
to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifies,
that's Christ, And they who are sanctified, that's us, his people,
are all one and that's the whole culmination. What God reinstated
his people to be is one with Christ. That is indescribable. All one. Verse 11 goes on to
say, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.
This is why he's not ashamed to call them brethren. It's because
they're perfect. They're just like Christ. Verse
12 saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren in the
midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again,
he said, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold, I
and the children which God hath given me." That's every man. Every man he redeemed. All of
the children God gave him. Verse 14 says, For as much then
as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, because his
children lost their dominion, and became sinful flesh and blood,
verse 14 goes on to say, he also himself likewise took part of
the same, that through death he might destroy him that had
the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them who through
fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. They lost dominion and became
subject. Completely subject to the enemy. Completely subject to sin. Subject
to bondage. They lost it all. Had it all. Lost it all. Became subject. So He made Himself to be subject. God made Himself to be subject. to redeem his people's dominion. Verse 16, for verily he took
not on him the nature of angels. He didn't do it for the angels. You know the angels fell. The
angels of heaven fell. Lucifer, all of his evil spirits
were angels. And they fell, just like man
fell, but God didn't do it for the angels. He didn't please
him. He was not willing to redeem the angels. What is man? What is man? Why man? Why would you be mindful of man? Verse 16, barely he took not
on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of
Abraham. Wherefore, in all things it behooved
him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a
merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to
make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he
himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that
are tempted." You know what that means? Again, don't turn over
there, but 2 Timothy 2 verse 12 and Revelation 20 verse 6,
they both say that God's people are going to reign with him. Saying that, every time I say
that, just thinking that, is that not such a fearful thought?
Does that not bring fear and reverence down on us? Reign with
Him? What is man? He reigns, not us. I don't reign. He reigns. All glory goes to Him, not us. We're not trying to share His
glory, are we? We're not trying to share His
reign and share His authority, but here is the amazing news
of God's Word. He has chosen to share it with
us. Isn't that amazing? His glory,
His reign, His authority. He has made us to be a joint
heir with Him. The glory that the Father has
given to Him, this is what He said in John 17, the glory that
the Father has given to Him, Christ has given that to His
bride. He's given that glory to His
bride. He has seated us with Him. Where does He sit? on the throne. What is man? What is man? I could see him doing that for
the angels. But what is man? To every man and woman that he
redeemed, he came down here and redeemed. He has said that everything
that is in subjection to him He is putting everything in subjection
to his people. How do you even fathom that?
How do you say that? He said, I've made you to be
one with me. You're going to reign with me.
You're going to sit with me. How do you fathom that? That's
amazing. Well, I'm going to close with
this. I'm going to close with this. This is why we're going
to be crying for all eternity. All glory and praise be unto
the Lamb that was slain and redeemed us back to God. This right here
is the state of the world to come. Hebrews 2 verse 5 says,
unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come
wherever we speak. Here we are speaking about it.
the world to come whereof we speak. This will be the state
of the world to come. I'll close with Isaiah 11. Go
with me over to Isaiah 11. The heading of my page here says,
The Peaceable Kingdom of Christ. The peaceable kingdom of Christ.
Verse 6 says, The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the
leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young
lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead
them. They're all going to be in subjection
to him. God's little child reinstated. Verse 7 says, And the cow and
the bear shall feed, their young ones shall lie down together,
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and the sucking
child shall play on the hole of the asp. And the weaned child
shall put his hand on the cockatrice den, the adder's den, probably
the most poisonous snake this world knows. The weaned child
is going to reach his hand down and play with an adder's den. And verse 9 says, they shall
not hurt. nor destroy in all my holy mountain."
There's going to be perfect peace and dominion. And the reason
is because it goes on to say, for the earth shall be full of
the knowledge of the Lord. Everybody's going to know who
God is. We're not going to think it's
us. They're not going to think it's them, which is the way it
is on the earth now. Everybody thinks they're God.
But then God is going to bring all dominion back and the earth
shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover
the sea. It's going to be perfect peace
and rest. Our Lord is going to put everything
back the way he made it. It was perfect. It couldn't have
been improved on. It's going right back to the
way he made it. That makes me say two things.
Number one, what is man? Number two, come quickly, Lord. Isn't that wonderful? Come quickly,
reinstate us to your love for Christ's sake. All right, let's
stand together.