The 4 Relationships: The World
Audio Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: The 4 Relationships
Psalm 8 (ESV)
1 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Sermon Outline
God’s work in us creates new possibilities for how we relate to all things in the world.
1. Like God in the world
v5 “you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.”
v6 “You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet”
2. God in the world
v2 “Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes”
Hebrews 2:8-9 “At present, we do not see everything in subjection to him. But we see him… namely Jesus…”
3. More of God in the world
vv3-4 “When I look at your heavens… what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”
v1,9 “your name in all the earth”
Prayer of Confession
O Lord, our lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Lord, we confess we fall short of your glory. We have foolishly exchanged your glory for images resembling the things you have made. We have worshipped and served created things. We have attempted to have others worship and serve us. We have sinned against you, and against others. Forgive us. Lord, who are we that you are mindful of us? Who are we that you would care for us? We don’t deserve your grace, but we thank you for Jesus who has redeemed us. As we trust him for forgiveness, we remember that our greatest joy is to walk with you and to glorify you in the world. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
What makes human beings unique?
What are implications for how to live in the world given the wisdom and power we have?
Why do human beings misuse their wisdom and power?
What are ways we look for glory in the things that have been made? How do we seek glory from the world?
Why did people have trouble seeing the glory in Jesus? If you were there during Jesus’ earthly ministry, what would have struck you as admirable in Jesus?
Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). How does Jesus show us what God is like? How does Jesus show us what people should be like?
What should we notice as we take look out into the world? What can we learn from all the things that are disordered (not yet in subjection to Christ)? What can we learn from the things that are aligned and good?
Do you believe God is mindful of you and cares for you? How does the death of Jesus convey to you a deeper sense of God’s concern for us?
How can you do all things for God’s glory? Think about your life and what occupies your time. What does it mean to glorify God in everything? How do you know if you are doing it wrong?