We're looking at one of the psalms
this morning, the eighth psalm, Psalm 8. This is a psalm of the
name, the glory, the sovereign dominion of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know him? Do you know
the Lord Jesus Christ? He said in John 17 3, this is
life eternal. that they might know thee the
only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. In this
eighth psalm it begins this way, O Lord, our Lord, how excellent
is thy name in all the earth! who has set thy glory above the
heavens. Oh Lord, it begins with a capital
L, capital O, capital R, capital D. That's the name Jehovah. Jehovah. That name means self-existent
one, eternal. Now, many call themselves Jehovah's
Witnesses today, but they are not, because they do not believe
that Jesus Christ is God. They do not believe Jesus Christ
is Jehovah. Well, He is. He himself said,
He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. This whole psalm
is about Jehovah, the Lord. Well, it is quoted in Hebrews
2 in reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. This very Psalm is quoted
by the writer of Hebrew, and it goes on down to verse 9, and
it says in Hebrews 2, we see Jesus. Yes, there was a man named
Jesus, born in a manger, grew up as a child, and became a man
who was made a little lower than the angels. That's what this
Psalm 8 is speaking of. It says, Thou made him little
lower than the angels, but crowned him with glory and honor. Why
was he made little lower than the angels? Why did he become
a man? Well, Hebrews 2 verse 9 says, For the suffering of
death. Man cannot satisfy God's law. Man cannot save himself. God
must save him. God cannot die. Man must die
for his sin. God cannot die. Well, God became
a man. Oh, mystery of mystery. Great
is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. God became a man. His name was
Jesus Christ. And he became a man for the suffering
of death, to be made a curse for his people, to pay the penalty
of death for the sins of his people, to die on Calvary's tree
for his people, and put away their sins forever. For the suffering
of death, and the writer of Hebrews says, he is now crowned with
glory and honor. He is seated at the right hand
of the majesty on high, seated on the throne over all. He is Lord. He is Lord over all. O Lord, Our Lord. He is sovereign, ruler, and controller
of all, whether men know it or not. He's your Lord. You may
not know it. It is another Jesus whom men
preach, who wants to do things and can, who tries to do and
men won't let him, who hopes and wishes, who's done all he
can, who's waiting and wishing for man to let him save him.
That is not Jesus Christ. That is not the Lord Jesus Christ
of the Scripture. He himself said, all power is
given unto me in heaven and earth. In John 17, he said again in
that same chapter, Thou hast given him power over all flesh,
all power. So he says here in Psalm 8 verse
1, Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name, Jehovah, Lord, Sovereign,
Jesus, excellent name, Savior, Why did God give him that name?
Because that's what he was sent to do. Called his name Jesus,
for he shall save. Not try to save, shall save. Not make an attempt to save,
shall save. Not an attempt, but an atonement.
Who shall he save? Those that led him? No, sir.
Those given to him by the Father. All that the Father giveth me,
Christ said, shall come unto me. He shall save his people. For the transgressions of my
people, Isaiah 53 said, was he stricken. My people, my sheep,
hear my voice. He came to save his people, he
shall save his people from their sin. How excellent is his name,
Christ. That means the anointed one,
the Messiah, the second Adam, the covenant head who came to
do what God sent him to do and he did it. He said that in the
same chapter, John 17, I have finished the work that thou gavest
me to do. And when he was hanging on Calvary's
tree, he cried at the top of his voice, and all heaven and
earth shook with the sound of it. It is finished. The work
God gave him to do is finished. The salvation of his people accomplished
to the praise of the glory of his name. His name means Savior. That's what he did. That's what
he came to do. He set his glory above the heavens,
that's what it said. His name is his glory. His name
is his glory. Most take his name in vain. They
prove they don't know Him. They don't fear Him. They haven't
seen His glory. Religion is worse. Religion is
worse, which says things like this. God loves you. Jesus loves
you. That is blasphemy. That's taking
His name in vain. God never said that. The Bible
doesn't say that. That's lying on God. That's taking
His name in vain. His name is His glory. God Almighty,
Sovereign. The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom. If anyone takes that name in
any way but in reverence, in respect, in worship, in fear,
and for His glory, they've taken His name in vain. You need to
tell those you hear say, Oh my God. You need to tell your children
if they say it, you're taking His name in vain. And the Scripture
says, God will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. Verse
3 says, When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the
moon and the stars which thou hast ordained, what is man that
thou art mindful of him, or visiteth him? The heavens are the work
of His finger. He is God. He is Creator. The
moon and the stars. Psalm 19, verse 1 says, The heavens
declare the glory of God. The firmament showeth His handiwork.
Imagine the utter foolishness and ignorance and rebellion of
mankind to reject His Creator. To say that God did not create
everything. When these things are clearly
seen, the eternal power and Godhead is clearly known. In Romans 1
it says that. That which may be known of God
is manifest, it's revealed in them or to them. God hath showed
it unto them. The invisible things of God from
the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made. His eternal power and Godhead,
so they were without excuse. But, it goes on to say, Romans
121. When they knew God, or that is,
saw His power and His Godhead in creation, they glorified Him
not as God. Neither were thankful, but became
vain in their imagination, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. It goes on
to say they changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped
and served the creature. more than the Creator. Mother
Earth. Save our mother. No, the father
of his people must save up. Oh, how foolish, how ignorant,
how rebellious is man. But in the Psalm it says, When
I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon, and
the stars which thou hast ordained, what is man? What is man that
thou art mindful of him? Man is willingly ignorant of
God's creation. 2 Peter 3 says that. His glory. rebelliously rejects his sovereign. That's bad enough, but religion
is worse. Religion is worse which denies
his glory in salvation, which steals God's glory, Christ's
glory, giving that glory to man, saying it's man's will that saves
it. It's man's choice that saves
it. Man must choose God rather than what the truth says that
God must choose him. They glorify themselves, their
own works, when salvation is the work of God. Salvation is
God's greatest glory, even over and above His creation. It is
Christ's greatest glory, the salvation of worthless sinners,
of rebellious creatures. In Exodus 33, Moses said, Show
me thy glory. It's quoted in Romans 9. And
he goes on to say, I will have mercy. Oh, it's the glory of
God that he would have mercy on such a rebellious creature.
But he goes on to say, I will have mercy on whom I will have
mercy. Mercy is sovereign by definition. Mercy is not getting what we
deserve, so it must be sovereign. It's up to the one who has been
offended to show that mercy, not receiving the condemnation
and the judgment and the wrath that we deserve. It's God's Well,
it's God's choice. It's God's prerogative, if you
will. It is God's to show. I will have mercy on whom I will
have mercy. And Romans 9 goes on to say,
So then, it is not of him that willeth, or of him that runneth,
but of God that showeth mercy. Oh, the writer says, what is
man that thou art mindful of him? Mankind is sinful, is rebellious,
is evil. He's dead in trespasses and sin. Salvations of the Lord, Jonah
2.9. Salvation belongeth unto the
Lord, Psalm 3.8. It's his will. It's his choice. It's his work, not a cooperative
effort between man and God. Man is born dead in trespasses
and sin. God must save him. God must give
him life. That's what Christ said. I am
come that they might have life. Not to offer life. You don't
offer life to a dead man. Just like when the Lord came
to Lazarus' tomb, He had to call him forth from the dead, and
that's salvation. God chooses whom He will raise,
and He comes through the preaching of the gospel and raises them
from the dead. He doesn't ask them to do something
for Him, but is determined, is willed to do something for them. Listen to Revelation chapter
5. This is what the people that have been redeemed, been raised,
been quickened are all saying. It says, Thou art worthy to take
the book, to open the seals, for Thou wast slain, and hast
redeemed us to God by Thy blood, and made us kings and priests. Revelation 7 verse 10 says, I
beheld a number which no man could number, They stood before
the throne and they cried with a loud voice, ìSalvation to our
God!î And they went on to say, ìBlessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be under our
God.î Do you know this Lord? This is the Lord Jesus Christ
of Scripture. He goes on to say, he made him
to have dominion over the works of his hand, put all things under
his feet. No, he's not standing outside
your heart's door. He's seated on the circle of
the earth. He's seated on the throne, and
everything is under his feet, in his hands. It goes on to say,
all sheep and oxen, beasts of the field, the fowl of the air,
the fish of the sea. Colossians 1 says, angels, principalities,
devils, Everything is in His hands under His divine control
and sovereign dominion. That is the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know Him? Do you know
Him? He goes on to say, and He ends
this psalm the way He began, Our Lord, how excellent is Thy
name in all the earth! King of kings, Lord of lords,
prophet, priest, king, Messiah, ruler, mediator, intercessor,
redeemer, sovereign, over all the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know Him? It is life eternal
to know Him, but He must reveal Himself, and I pray that He will
reveal Himself to you. Amen.