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 a little lower
than the angels. Thou crownedest Him with glory,
and honored and set Him over the works of thy hands. Thou
hast put all things in subjection under His feet." Now that was
that quotation from Psalm 8. 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,
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. Lord, how we need your help. Would you be pleased, we ask
and plead in Christ's name, that you would be pleased to meet
with us and to speak in power to each heart here by your grace. Those that believe, we ask that
you increase our faith. Those that do not believe, we
ask that you would give them faith. Lord, we're completely
and utterly dependent upon thee for all things. Lord, be with
our friends that aren't here. And Lord, we would especially
remember Doris that you'd be with her in the surgery tomorrow.
Bless us for the Lord's sake. In his name we pray, amen. Jesus my great high priest offered His blood and died. My guilty conscience seeks no
sacrifice beside His powerful blood. Did once atone, and now
it bleeds before the throne. To this dear surety's hand will
I commit my cause. He answers and fulfills His Father's
broken laws. Behold, my soul, At freedom's
set, my surety paid the dreadful debt My advocate appears for
my defense on high The Father bows his ears and lays his thunder
by. Not all that help. For sin can say, shall turn his
heart, his love away. Should all the hosts of death
and powers of hell unknown, Put their most dreadful forms of
rage and mischief on I shall be safe For Christ displays His
conquering power and guardian grace. Let's read verse 6 again of Hebrews
chapter 2. 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. What is man? What is a human being? Now that's
a question that has been asked and debated over ever since man
had any existence. What is man? And our answer to
that question will tell what we believe about everything else. What we believe concerning what
man is will tell us what we believe concerning God. It will tell
us what we believe concerning the meaning and the purpose of
life. It will tell us what we believe
concerning salvation. So we see this is a very important
subject. What is man? Now, I want to challenge you. To listen as carefully as you
can. And ask the Lord to help you
in hearing. Now, first. Let's talk about
the origin of man. Now, there are a lot of men and
women. Who believe that man is something that just happened. Random chance. We do not know
when, we do not know how, and we do not know why, but somehow
everything came together just right. Maybe particles of matter,
maybe there was an explosion of some kind, the Big Bang Theory. There's all kinds of different
views, and I don't want to misrepresent the different views, but somehow,
through random chance, the chemicals came together just right, the
matter came together just right, there was an explosion, and out
came life. Life came from that. And man has evolved to what he
is today over millions, perhaps billions of years. There was
no divine purpose in his origin. It was merely a quirk of fate. Thus, man is the offspring of
chance, and must endue his own existence with me. The beginning
of life in this view works a whole lot like the scriptural illustration.
Would you turn with me to Exodus chapter 32? This is where this
is how this view would go on with the origin of life. And this is Aaron speaking to
Moses after he's made the golden calf. Exodus chapter 32, verse
24. And Aaron's giving an explanation
for what happened. Remember, Aaron was in charge
of this. And he's giving an explanation for what happened. You know,
Moses said, how did you let this happen? Now look what Moses said.
And I said unto them, whosoever hath any gold, let them break
it off. So they gave it me. Then I cast
it into the fire, and there came out this calf. That is pretty much that view. Now to really believe this, I
want to I want to speak the way I ought to speak, to really believe
this. And I know the supposed wise
of this world do believe this. This is probably what the more
intellectual aspect of humanity believes. To believe this, I
must be either very stupid or I very much want to suppress
the knowledge of God. And I know people don't believe
it because they're stupid. Most of the people that hold
this position are a whole lot more intelligent than I am. This
is not an intellectual thing. The reason people believe this
is because they do not want there to be a God. They don't want
the implications of what will happen if there is a God. But deep down, everybody knows
that God is. and that he will reward the righteous
and punish the wicked. Everybody, I don't care how much
of an atheist they claim to be, deep down, when they're all alone,
everybody struggles with this. God is, and he will reward the
righteous and he will punish the wicked. Now there's another
view. That is pretty much the same thing, except God is the
one who got it started. It's the intelligent design view. God created life and let it evolve. And you can believe that God
created life and believe in evolution also. Now that there's just too
much evidence regarding evolution to deny it. Well, I will agree
that things have mutated. Things have changed. There's
no doubt about that. There is change. I mean, Look how your
body changes all the time. Sicknesses change. Is that what
cancer is? Something different happens. Your cells change and
they start, all kinds of bad things start happening. There's
no doubt change and there's mutations but that does not mean that the
view of evolution is true. I don't believe it because it's
against the scripture. It's against the scripture and evolution says
even somebody says, well, I believe in God. I just believe in evolution
also. But here's what evolution says. Evolution says, look how
far we've come. We started way down here and
now we're way up here. Look how far we've come. And then there's what the Bible
teaches, that man is a creature. Created in the image of God. Turn with me to Genesis chapter
1. Genesis chapter 1, verse 26. And God said, let us make man
in our image, after our likeness. and let them have dominion over
the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over
the cattle and over all the earth and 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. Man is a creature created by
God in the image of God, and that means man is a moral being. That means he knows good and
he knows evil. He's a moral being created in
the image of God. Now, animals are not moral. They're
not immoral. They're amoral. They don't have
morality. There's not a right and wrong
with them. But man is created in the image of God, knowing
good and evil, and all men can be divided into one of these
two groups, righteous or wicked. Good or bad, all men are in one
of these two groups. When we speak of man created
in the image of God, that's why man, even in his fallen state,
has some commendable characteristics. Everybody does. Everybody does. Every man. You know, I've never
met a man of any kind that didn't have something that would be
worthy of imitation. I remember one time I was talking
to a fellow I was working with. It was at Penn Dixie. We worked
in the fish market together. And this guy was just as low
down as anybody I've ever met. He was a drug dealer, a drug
pusher. He was just so immoral. I mean,
this guy was the type of guy you just don't want to be around.
I mean, every word that came out of his mouth was a curse
word. He was just foul. I just couldn't stand being around
him. But the Lord opened up the door for me to talk to him some. And I started talking to him
about sin. What the Bible teaches about
man and his nature and his sinful nature and so on. And this fellow,
you'd think if anybody would know he was a sinner, this fellow
would in the way he acted. But that's not the way it works,
I realize that. But he said, I'm no sinner, I'm a good person.
And I thought, how in the world can you say that? And he said,
when I was coming into work today, I saw somebody left their lights
on. And I just opened up their car door and turned them off.
I didn't have to do that. I'm a good person. Oh, that's
very commendable. And, you know, that is commendable.
If you see somebody's lights on in a parking lot, you ought
to turn them off. That's a commendable thing. I'm glad that guy did
that. I'm sure that's what he's going to plead before God in
judgment. One time I turned off a guy's
lights in a parking lot. Well, that's really going to
work. But the point I'm making is every man created in the image
of God has some commendable things about him. Was it Will Rogers
who said, I've never met a man I didn't like? I can't go that
far. But most people, I do. I do. I mean, I hope they like
me too. Man is created in the image of
God. Now, according to the Bible,
God created man for his own glory. That was his purpose for creating
man. Turn with me to Proverbs chapter
16. Verse 4, the Lord hath made all things,
why? For Himself. For Himself. Yea, even the wicked, for the
day of evil. Revelation 4.11 says, Thou hast
created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created
the purpose of every individual man, woman, boy and girl born
into this world is to glorify God. That's man's purpose. And let me tell you this, you
and I will glorify God one way or the other. I may glorify his
grace. You know, if I'm saved and if
I'm brought before God in judgment and I end up being saved, I'm
going to be a trophy of the grace of God. This is what grace does. I'm going to either glorify His
grace, when I'm made like the Lord Jesus Christ and stand accepted
before God, all the praise is going to be to the grace of God.
Or I'm going to glorify His justice. If God sends me to hell, it will
glorify His justice. He's a just God. He's a holy
God. And I'm getting exactly what
I deserve. What is man? He's a creature. He's a fallen creature. I love
what the wise man said in Ecclesiastes. This I know, that God created
man upright. God made man upright. But man
has sought out many inventions. Thus, man is a rebel. One who has sinned against God. One who deserves to be damned
by God throughout all eternity. That's what man is by his sinful
rebellion against God. He's one who deserves to be cut
off. Turn to Psalm chapter 14. This is the uniform teaching
of scripture. Psalm 14. The fool has said in his heart,
there is no God. Now you'll notice, there is,
is in italics. It was supplied there by the
translator. It should say, the fool has said
in his heart, no God. No God for me. I don't want there
to be a God. Now look how David describes
the fool. They are corrupt. They have done
abominable works. There is none that doeth good.
The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see
if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone
aside. They are all together become
filthy. There is none that doeth good.
No, not one. Now that describes me. That describes
you. That describes every man. Man
is a fallen creature, one who's rebelled. against his Creator. He owes God obedience. God's
his Creator. But he has rebelled. And that's
what made David say this. Turn to Psalm 39. Verse 5. Behold, David says,
thou hast made my days as a handbreadth. That's the length of the palm
of your hand. That's not very wide, is it?
Thou hast made my days as a handbreadth, and mine age is as nothing before
thee. Verily, every man at his best
state is altogether vanity." Next time you start thinking
high about yourself, remember this. This describes me. This describes you. Look at Psalm
62, verse 9. Surely, men of low degree, the
nobodies, their vanity, and men of high degree, the ones who
think they're somebody, they are a lie. To be laid in the
balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity. That is the scriptural description
of man. So David asks this question in
Psalm 8. It's repeated in Hebrews chapter
2. What is man that thou art mindful
of him? Why would you be mindful of man? Now, there are only two possible
responses to that question. Most men, when they hear this
question, what is man? It doesn't even make any sense
to them because they think man is entitled to God's blessings. Men think they are entitled to
God's love and blessing. He made us. He ought to be concerned
for our happiness and welfare. And this is the attitude that
comes out in anger against the sovereignty of God. God owes
all men salvation. And it would not be fair for
him to pass some by. He owes man salvation. What is
man? Why he's God's creature. God
ought to save him. God ought to live for his happiness. God ought to make him happy.
Turn with me for a moment to Romans chapter 9. Verse 11. The children talking about Jacob
and Esau, the two twins, being not yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to
election, might stand. Not of works, but of him that
calleth. It was said unto her, the elder
shall serve the younger. As it's written, this is God
speaking, Jacob have a loved But he saw, have I hated. Somebody says that means he loved
him less. Can God love less? What kind of God do you have?
It means exactly what he says. Now let's go on reading. What
should we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Is
God unfair? Is he wrong in loving one and
hating the other and making a difference when it doesn't have anything
to do with their works? Discriminating like this, is God unfair? Paul
says, God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy. And I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then, it's not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth. It's not because of a man's will
or because of a man's works, but of God that showeth mercy. For the Scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, even for this same purpose, Have I raised thee up that I
might show, that I might demonstrate my power, my authority, my control
in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the
earth? Therefore, hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and
whom he will, he hardens. Thou wilt say then unto me, why
does he yet find fault? For who hath resisted His will?
How can He hold me responsible for doing that which I don't
have any control in? If He controls everything, if
He hardens one and passes another by and saves another, and I don't
have any control in this thing, how can He hold me responsible?
It's not fair. Nay, but, O man, who are you that replies against God. Since when are you God's moral
superior so you can judge what he does as being right or wrong? Who are you to reply against
God? Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it, why hast thou not made, why hast thou
made me thus? Hath not the potter power over
the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and
another unto dishonor? Now, there's one group of people
that says, What is man that thou art mindful of him? Well, you
owe him salvation. He's your creature. And there's another group that
has the attitude of David that they're amazed by this. What
is man? What am I that you're mindful
of me or the son of man that thou visitest him? Now, let me ask you a question. That scripture, Romans 9, verse
13, Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. Which part of that are you amazed
by? Which part of that do you stick
at? Let me tell you something, I'm
telling you the truth. And it's only by the grace of
God I'm saying this. But what I'm amazed by is Jacob
have I loved. I understand Esau have I hated. You know Esau didn't value God
at all. He didn't think God was worth
a bowl of soup. He sold his birthright for a
bowl of soup. That's how much he valued God.
He was a profane man. He was a wicked man. He's an
evil man. He deserved the hatred of God,
didn't he? Just like I deserve the hatred
of God. I really do. I deserve to be banished by God. What I'm amazed by is Jacob have
I loved. He loved him so much that he
gave his son to die for him. Which one are you amazed by?
Jacob have I loved, or Esau have I hated? What is man? Man is God's creature, therefore
obligated to obey God. You see, inability because of
the fall does not negate responsibility. Every man is responsible to obey
God. Man is a fallen creature and
by nature God's enemy. Turn to Romans chapter 8. What is man? A fallen creature
who actually hates God. Now that language is not too
strong as this passage of Scripture will show. This is what you and
I have been guilty of. Romans chapter 8 verse 6 says, For to
be carnally minded, fleshly minded, the way we are by nature, is
death. But to be spiritually minded is life and peace because
the carnal mind is enmity. That word is hatred. Hatred of
the living God, hatred of him as he is. The carnal mind is
enmity against God, for it's not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be, so then they that are in the flesh cannot
please God. What is man? An enemy of God? What is man that thou art mindful
of him? Why would God look in mercy and
grace towards such rebel creatures? What is man? That thou art mindful
of him. Let me ask you a question. If God sent you to hell, would
he be just? If he cut you off and didn't
give you any mercy, would he be right? What is man? What is man that
thou art mindful of him? David was amazed. God is mindful of men. God visits men. And because God is mindful of
men, There's going to be some people. Matter of fact, there's
going to be a whole lot of people who were saved. As a matter of
fact, the scripture says 10,000 times 10,000. You know how much
that is? It's a hundred million. I know
it's just a figure of speech, but that's a hundred million
people out there and thousands of thousands. I read an article
recently. I really liked this article.
I think Joe Terrell wrote it. I come across this question so
often. How big's your church? How many
you got? And you've heard that before. How many's in your church
now? Next time somebody asks me that, I'm going to say 100
million or so. Because that's how many we have. At least 100
million. Maybe a lot more than that. I
don't know. But we'll impress them with that, won't we? That
is the truth. There's going to be a whole lot
of people saved by the grace of God because God is mindful
of men. Now, are you amazed by this?
that He is mindful of such sinful, rebel creatures. You see, He
is merciful. He is gracious. And He, in His
mercy, has elected a vast number of Adam's fallen rebel race to
be saved. Now, remember this about election.
Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2, 13, that we're bound to thank
God. Election is a doctrine of divine
praise. We're bound to thank God always
for you, brethren. Beloved of the Lord, because
God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Now remember this about
election. Election doesn't cause men to be damned who would have
been saved. No, not at all. Election saves
men who most assuredly would have been damned. What is man
that thou art mindful of him. Now, I realize that there are
many men, most men, will despise this and have no love for the God
of which I'm speaking of. They feel that God is obligated,
that men are entitled to these blessings as his creatures. And
these people really do not believe they're sinners. That's the bottom
line. I'll tell you who will rejoice in this. Real sinners. who need real grace. They find
hope in the grace of God. Now, all of those who believe
they're sinners, they enter into the spirit of David and say,
what is man? That thou art mindful of him.
Now, these men that hate the Lord, they're going to glorify
his justice. Everybody who doesn't love the
Lord, everybody who doesn't love him just as he's revealed in
the Scripture, They're going to glorify His justice. Oh, how
just He will be in punishing them. But those who see their
need of Him by His grace, they will glorify His grace. And He
is mindful of us because He's mindful of His covenant. Now,
are you amazed that the Lord is mindful of you? I know if
you're a believer, you are. You're dumbfounded by this. That
the God of glory thinks of me. That He's mindful of me. Now let me tell you why he's
mindful of you and I. It's because he's mindful of
his covenant. Turn to Psalm 111. Psalm 111. Verse 4. Well, let's begin in
verse 1. Somebody read this the other
day. Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my
whole heart in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. And you know, I'm doing that
right now. I'm praising the Lord in the congregation. I'm praising
the Lord in the midst of His people. And there are people
who are in their hearts who are saying, praise the Lord. Praise
the Lord for His grace. Praise the Lord for His goodness.
What is man devoured mindfully? The works of the Lord are great.
Sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is
honorable. and glorious, and His righteousness
endureth forever. He hath made His wonderful works
to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and full
of compassion. He hath given meat unto them
that fear Him. He will ever be mindful of His covenant. Now that covenant that he's speaking
of is the same covenant David spoke of when he was dying. Although
my house be not so with God, Yet hath he made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things and sure. And this, this covenant
that's everlasting, that's ordered in all things and sure, this
is all my salvation and all my desire, though he make it not
to grow. You know, when the thief was
hanging there right beside our Lord, in the same pain our Lord
was in. No, he wasn't in the same pain,
physically maybe, but he wasn't experiencing anything that the
Lord was experiencing. But by the grace of God, he knew
that that one hanging on that tree was nobody less than God
Almighty. He said to his fellow thieves,
don't you fear God? Seeing you're in the same condemnation,
we indeed justly will get what we have come, but this man, who
is God, hath done nothing amiss. He believed in the absolute sinlessness
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he looked at that one hanging
there who everybody was making fun of and who everybody was
mocking and deriding. And he said, Lord, you reckon
people, this is the Lord hanging on a cross? Does this man really
believe this? Yes, he did. Lord, remember me
when you come into your kingdom. I know you'll come back as a
glorious, victorious Savior. Remember me. Remember your covenant. Remember me when you come into
your kingdom. Psalm 115.2 says, The Lord hath
been mindful of us. Now, I want you to think about
this with me. The Lord being mindful. Think of yourself as an individual.
The Lord had been mindful of us. The Lord had been mindful
of me. He was mindful of me when He
agreed to be my surety before time began. He was mindful of
me. He took upon Himself all the
responsibility of my salvation. And when he became my surety,
my salvation was accomplished. It was sure. That's the covenant
David's speaking of when he talked about it being ordered in all
things. And sure, he was mindful of me when he became my surety. And he was mindful of me when he became flesh. The God of glory, the creator
of the universe became confined to a man and took upon himself
all the limitations of the flesh. All the miracles that he performed,
he didn't do them for himself, he did them for everybody else,
but he didn't perform any miracles to get himself out of trouble
or to feed himself or to relieve his pain. He took upon himself
all the limitations of a human being. And he did this as a representative
man. He did this because he's mindful
of me. You know the whole thought that
people have of universal love and universal God desiring to
save everybody and so on? I don't get anything. Well, for
one thing, it's just not so. And for another thing, where's
their comfort in that? To think that he just had a generic desire. I desire everybody and so on.
I don't get any comfort out of that. But to think that he had
my name. on his heart when he walked upon
this earth. My name. He knew me. Jeremiah said, he
said to Jeremiah, before you were formed in the belly, I knew
thee. And when he walked upon this
earth as my surety, as my representative, he knew me. And when he was nailed
to Calvary Street, he was mindful of me. The Scripture
says, looking unto Jesus, who for the joy that was set before
Him, the rejoicing He'd get out of saving me, all of His people,
looking unto Jesus, who for the joy that was set before Him,
endured the cross, despising, counting it as nothing, the shame.
And he experienced all the shame of sin on the cross. My sin so
truly became his that he experienced the shame of it and the degradation
of it. And he did this for the joy that
sat before him. He endured the cross and the
shame, despising the shame, that joy of saving me. You know, right now, he's mindful
of me. As my great high priest and intercessor,
he is mindful of me. He's bearing my name before the
Father. And you know, when he comes back,
he's coming back for me. He's coming after me. He said,
I go and prepare a place for you. If it were not so, I would
have told you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I'll come again and receive you to myself, that where
I am, there you may be also. He's coming for me. Turn with me to Isaiah 49. You know, he's going to be mindful
of me on Judgment Day. When my name is called, he's
going to answer for me. Isaiah 49. What is man that thou art mindful
that you even remember him? Now look here in Isaiah 49 verse
15. Can a woman forget her sucking
child? That she should not have compassion. On the son. Of her womb. Yea, they may forget, yet will
I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon
the palms of my hands. Thy walls are continually before
me. Turn to Isaiah 54. Sing, O barren, thou that didst
not bear. Break forth into singing, cry
aloud, thou that didst not prevail with child. For more are the
children of the desolate than the children of the married wife,
saith the Lord. Enlarge the place of thy tins, and let them stretch
forth the curtains of thy habitations. Spare not, lengthen thy cords,
and strengthen thy stakes. For thou shalt break forth on
the right hand, and on the left, and thy seed shall inherit the
Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Fear
not, for thou shalt not be ashamed, neither be thou confounded. For thou shalt not be put to
shame, for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt
not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy
maker is thine husband, the Lord of hosts is his name, and thy
Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth, shall
he be called. For the Lord hath called thee
as a woman forsaken, and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth,
when thou wast refused, saith thy God, for a small moment have
I forsaken thee. And I don't have any doubt that
that's a reference to the cross. For a small moment have I forsaken
thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little
wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting
kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.
For this is as the waters of Noah unto me, for as I have sworn
that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so
have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke
thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed,
but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the
covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy
on thee. O thou afflicted, tossed with
tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair
collars, and lay thy foundations with sapphires, and I'll make
thy windows of agates, and the gates of carbuncles, and all
thy borders of pleasant stones, and all thy children shall be
taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be
established. Thou shalt be far from oppression,
for thou shalt not fear, and from terror, for it shall not
come near thee. Behold, they shall surely come together, but
not by me. Whosoever shall gather together
against thee shall fall for thy sake. Behold, I have created
the smith that bloweth the coals and the fire, and that bringeth
forth an instrument for his work, and I have created the waster
to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.
And every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment, thou
shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants
of the Lord. And their righteousness is of
me, saith the Lord. Go back to Hebrews 2 for just
a moment. What is man? that thou art mindful
of him." Well, this is a reference to the Lord
Jesus Christ. He is the man. I love what Pilate said, Behold
the man. And he is the man. Look how this
scripture refers to him. Verse 5, For unto the angels
hath he not put in subjection the world to come, wherever we
speak? But one in a certain place testified,
saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him, and the Son
of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower
than the angels. Thou crownest him with glory
and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands.
Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For when did
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, 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. He is the man. What is man? Well, we can talk
about fallen man. And we can talk about the man,
the Lord Jesus Christ. And we're going to consider it
from that angle, Lord willing, next week. Let's pray together.