TITLE: Christ: The Model of Man's Dignity

TITLE: Christ: The Model of Man's Dignity

TEXT: Hebrews 2:5-10

THEME: The believer should find his dignity by submitting to Christ

Many try to find it in their:

Work- but when work does not go well or they cannot work they feel useless

.

Many try to find it in their:

Work- but when work does not go well or they cannot work they feel useless.

Popularity- They try to be macho or well liked or loved only to find people are fickle

.

Many try to find it in their:

Work- but when work does not go well or they cannot work they feel useless.

Popularity- They try to be macho or well liked or loved only to find people are fickle.

Quality of what they do- perfectionist only to find it is an elusive pursuit

.

Many try to find it in their:

Work- but when work does not go well or they cannot work they feel useless.

Popularity- They try to be macho or well liked or loved only to find people are fickle.

Quality of what they do- perfectionist only to find it is an elusive pursuit.

Influence and power- only to find it a constant battle for which they find no security.

Inadequate sources of dignity.

A girl who does not have a boyfriend, or loses one, feels her life has lost all meaning and value.

Inadequate sources of dignity.

A girl who does not have a boyfriend, or loses one, feels her life has lost all meaning and value.

A

parent whose child has gotten in trouble feels they have failed and wants to get out of it.

Inadequate sources of dignity.

A girl who does not have a boyfriend, or loses one, feels her life has lost all meaning and value.

A

parent whose child has gotten in trouble feels they have failed and wants to get out of it.

A High

Schooler

looks to athletics or attractiveness and measure their worth by how much they have and they always feel they come up short. They idolize those who have it.

Objection from the Hebrew Christians

"Why did the Son of God become man

?” “How

are the sorrows, sufferings and death of Christ consistent with the sublime glories of the Son of Man as prophesied in the Old Testament?"

The answer

He who was above all angels became lower than the angels (in death) to lift men out of their base condition to set them in His own glorious level in His Father's kingdom.

What is the source of our true worth?

I. Man's Worth as God Made Him (5-8)

Hebrews 2:5-6

5 

It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 

6 

But there is a place where someone has testified:

The Statement:

The

angels were never to reign in this world or the world to come. They neither instigated the church nor do they rule it, nor shall they in the future.

Hebrews 2:7

“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,

    a son of man that you care for him?

The Question:

What

is Man?

The

author is quoting from Psalm 8. The Psalm opens, "0 Lord, Our Lord, how majestic is your name over all the earth."

The Question:

What

is Man?

The

author is quoting from Psalm 8. The Psalm opens, "0 Lord, Our Lord, how majestic is your name over all the earth."

Who is man in light of God's majesty?

Insufficient responses:

a. The idolater

.

Insufficient responses:

a. The idolater.

b. The materialist.

Insufficient responses:

a. The idolater.

b. The materialist.

Man’s

true dignity and nature has been distorted

The Answer: Hebrews 2:7-8

7 

You made them a little

lower than the angels;

    you crowned them with glory and honor

8 

    and put everything under their feet.”

[

In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them.

I. Man's Worth as God Made Him (5-8)

A

. Made a little lower than “

elohim

I. Man's Worth as God Made Him (5-8)

A

. Made a little lower than “

elohim

B. Crowned him with glory and honor

Note the dehumanizing effect of his death.

Isaiah 53:9

He

was assigned a grave with the wicked,

and

with the rich in his death,

though he had done no violence,

nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Note the dehumanizing effect of his death.

Isaiah 52:14

Just

as there were many who were appalled at him—

his

appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being

and his form marred beyond human likeness—

Note the dehumanizing effect of his death.

Psalm 22:6

But

I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by everyone, despised by the people.

Note the dehumanizing effect of his death.

Phil.

2

:7-8

Rather

, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

I. Man's Worth as God Made Him (5-8)

A

. Made a little lower than “

elohim

B. Crowned him with glory and honor

C. We are kings: everything is under our feet.

Gen 2:15

Man was created to work and to reign given with only one restriction- to not eat of the forbidden fruit. He was commanded to be stewards of God’s creation.

Gen 1:26-28.

He was made with glory and honour.

What is the source of our true worth?

II. Man's Worth as Sin Made Him (8)

Hebrews 2:8-9

Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them. 

9 

But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death

II. Man's Worth as Sin Made Him (8)

1. We do not

see

our true worth

.

Gen 9:1-2

“Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.”

II. Man's Worth as Sin Made Him (8)

A. We

do not

see

our true worth.

B. We

are subject to death

This is how it goes for a slave, who constantly lives in fear not knowing enough, not doing enough, not ever measuring up. Without Christ and His grace, this is how we feel.

What is the source of our true worth?

III. Man's Worth as Christ Can Make Him (9-10)

Hebrews 2:9-10

9 

But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone

.

Hebrews 2:9-10

10

In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.

III. Man's Worth as Christ Can Make Him (9-10)

A. He

suffered death on our

behalf.

III. Man's Worth as Christ Can Make Him (9-10)

A. He

suffered death on our

behalf.

B. His

suffering makes him the

pioneer

of our

salvation.

III. Man's Worth as Christ Can Make Him (9-10)

A. He

suffered death on our

behalf.

B. His

suffering makes him the

pioneer

of our

salvation.

C. We

share in His glory and honour.

Ephesians 2: 4

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

APPLICATION

In Christ you are important. You are a Son of God.

You

are restored again to glory and honour through Jesus Christ.

God

created us with

worth.

APPLICATION

In Christ you are important. You are a Son of God.

You

are restored again to glory and honour through Jesus Christ.

God

created us with

worth.

1. Let

us recognize that Sin has frustrated and distorted our worth and dignity.

APPLICATION

In Christ you are important. You are a Son of God.

You

are restored again to glory and honour through Jesus Christ.

God

created us with

worth.

1. Let

us recognize that Sin has frustrated and distorted our worth and dignity.

2. Let

us recognize that God will restore that dignity and worth through faith in Jesus Christ.

Lesson

W

e

shouldn't throw away trash carelessly.

We

shouldn't throw away people either

.

God values people.