Mark 2:1-12

Well, good morning.

Just want to add to Pastor Greg's announcement as the children's ministry.

If you are a member and you'd like to come to the meeting on Thursday, we will provide

childcare.

So please, if that is a barrier to you thinking about coming, please do plan on coming and

join us for the meal beforehand, and then there will be someone to watch your kids during

the meeting.

And also, there are agendas on the back table.

If you are a member and would like to know more particularly what we're talking about,

that is available for you, I believe.

Is that right, Esther?

So if you want those, they're on the back table.

One of the fun things about being a father is watching your son grow up.

My son Eli is five, almost five.

He'll be five in two weeks.

And he's at a really, really fun stage of life.

When I ask him to help with something, he just lights up.

He stands up straighter.

His chest kind of puffs out a little bit.

And he will literally run around the house getting the things that he thinks we need.

Some of it's useful.

Some of it's not.

But getting the things that he thinks that we need to do the task at hand.

And it is really fun to see him as he finds a place in my world, in our world, where he

can help, where he can contribute.

He loves it.

And it just fills him with pride and fills him with a joy.

And it energizes his life.

And I was reflecting on it this week because I was thinking, I don't know how many of us,

myself included, feel this way every day.

We don't describe our day-to-day life as this great opportunity to jump into good works,

to help the world, and to do something profitable.

Instead, what do we do?

Well, often we call it the daily grind.

Whatever are the tasks at hand, what do we need to get through today?

Whether it's laundry and wiping noses.

Whether it's assignments and preparing for exams or writing papers.

Whether it's projects at work, getting the to-do list done for your boss.

Whether it's all the activities that fill your day.

Often these things are not seen as these great opportunities.

But instead, they're a daily grind.

We think, how do we get through this one?

And then how do we get through the next one?

And how do we get through the next one?

And deep in our hearts, we ask ourselves a question.

Is this what we were created for?

Is there anything greater?

Is there anything more than this?

One of my favorite poets slash songwriters in the last 15 years,

and this is going to date me for some of you,

but if you're familiar with the band Switchfoot,

wrote a great song.

It's probably their breakout song.

This is partly what they wrote in this song.

Fumbling his confidence and wondering why the world has passed him by.

Hoping that he's bent for more than arguments and failed attempts to fly.

Dreaming about providence and whether mice and men have second tries.

Maybe we've been living with our eyes half open.

Maybe we're bent and broken.

We were meant to live for so much more.

Have we lost ourselves?

And I wonder if you feel that way today.

I wonder if you feel, as you wake up each morning,

is this all that I've been made for?

And you know, sometimes we don't feel that way.

Sometimes we wake up in the morning and we just think,

what a great day.

I can't wait for all the things.

But as I was reflecting on it,

it seems that this question arises more commonly in particular circumstances.

Sometimes it's when we've reached the top.

When we've accomplished all the things we wanted to accomplish.

When we've won the Super Bowl.

When we've done all the things.

When we've finally gotten married.

Whatever the thing is that we've set our hearts on it

and gone through all the work to do.

And then we think, is this all?

Is this all there is?

On the other hand, on the other end of the spectrum,

there are times when we ask the question

when we feel like we are getting crushed under the heel of life.

Where every day is simply an attempt to survive.

To try to get through to the next day.

And not be totally overcome.

And overwhelmed.

By the tasks of life.

Often we think, is this all?

And thirdly,

I think there are times when we ask this question

when what we're working for will be very costly.

When continuing to pursue the thing that we're grinding out for

suddenly will cost us a lot.

And we ask, is this worth it?

Is this what I was made for?

Is it worth continuing on this track?

This career track?

Is it worth pressing through in this relationship?

Is it, well you can't really get out of parenting.

You're kind of stuck there.

But when it's really costly.

These are the times when these questions rise up in our mind.

And I think when we ask this question,

when we feel this existential angst,

I think there are two things that we can do.

There are two ways that we respond.

One is that we run,

we try to anesthetize our hearts

from the fearful reality of asking that question.

We run to little things to give us a little pleasure,

a little distraction,

a little entertainment,

a little something

to avoid the pain of facing a life

where we're asking,

is this really worth it?

Or, the second thing is,

we take up the charge of the existentialists of the 20th century

who said,

there is no meaning out there.

Don't even try to find it.

The only meaning is what you make of it.

And so we set ourselves to the task

of making our lives meaningful.

And we become driven,

purposeful people.

But we're desperately trying to infuse our life

with a meaning,

with a purpose,

with a grandeur,

all on our own.

And yet I would posit to you

that neither of these strategies ultimately work.

And they leave us with the same question.

Were we made for something more?

We made for something more than this.

And this is the question

to which our passage speaks this morning.

We are continuing our series in the book of Hebrews.

If you want to turn in your pew Bible,

page 1001.

We're going to look at Hebrews chapter 2 this morning.

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

We're going to look at this passage

and we're going to remember what it is

that God has said to us about this question.

And just to remind you of a little bit of the context

as you're looking there,

chapter 1 of Hebrews was all about

Jesus the Exalted One.

Jesus who is the final and the best Word of God.

Jesus who has come

and who has given a greater and a fuller revelation

than that of the angels.

In fact, the angels are simply ministering spirits.

But Jesus is the final Word.

Jesus is the One who has come.

And God has spoken to us

so that we know who God is through Jesus.

And then, the beginning of chapter 2,

verses 1 through 4,

Nick last week talked about how

woven into this argument about the Exalted Jesus

is then this grave warning.

So if Jesus is that great,

oh friends, let us be careful

that we do not drift away

from such a great work of salvation

that this Jesus has worked for us.

And then, starting in verse 5 of chapter 2,

which is what we're going to read in just a minute,

he dives back into the argument.

But he's not starting a brand new argument,

nor is he continuing the same argument.

But he has a second movement in this argument

about Jesus and how he relates

to God and to angels and to creation.

And in this section, particularly,

how he relates to humanity.

So let's look together.

Hebrews chapter 2, verses 5 through 9.

Hebrews 2:5–9

Let's read it together.

Now, in putting everything in subjection to him,

he left nothing outside his control.

At present, we do not yet see everything

in subjection to him,

but we see him who, for a little while,

was made lower than the angels,

namely Jesus,

crowned with glory and honor

because of the suffering of death,

so that by the grace of God,

he might taste death for everyone.

Let's pray together.

God, we thank you for your word.

We thank you that in it,

you have shown us who Jesus is,

your best and final word.

And God, I pray this morning

that you would lead us and help us

as we look at it this morning.

God, I pray for your spirit to help me

that the words I speak might be useful.

Lord, that you would apply your word to our hearts.

Lord, that we might see what a glorious Savior Jesus is.

And we pray in his precious name.

Amen.

Amen.

So as we look at this argument,

I don't know what your first reaction to it was.

When I first looked at this passage

as I started preparing a little while ago was,

okay, this is not obvious what this is all about.

So let me try and walk you through the argument.

And as we walk you through the argument,

we're going to see what a precious thing

this word gives us.

And we're going to see three things in this argument.

The first thing is we're going to see

God's plan for humanity

in verses five through eight.

And then at the very end of verse eight,

we're going to see the second thing,

which is the problem for humanity.

And then in verse nine,

we will see God's provision for humanity.

So we're going to see God's plan,

the problem, and God's provision for humanity.

So first, let's look at verses five through eight

and the plan for humanity.

And you know what?

This is the answer to the question

that I raised at the beginning.

What were we made for?

In verses five through eight,

the author is saying Jesus

is connected with humanity

and God has a unique plan for humanity.

This is what he means in verse five,

where he starts off the argument,

for it was not to angels

that God subjected the world to come.

He's picking up the arguments from before, okay?

He's been talking about the angels

and particularly if you look back,

verse 14 of chapter one,

who are the angels?

The angels are not the last word,

but the angels are ministering spirits

for the sake of who?

For the sake of those who will inherit salvation.

That is human beings,

you and me and all of humanity.

And so he's picking up that argument again

and he's saying,

do you remember?

It's not to angels that he subjected the world,

but to humanity.

And that's the argument at the beginning of verse five.

And he's saying that the world

that's being subjected to humanity

is not this world now,

but it's the world to come.

That is, it's the world

when Jesus' reign is fully established,

humanity will be the ones

who will rule over it.

Now, why do I say this?

Well, the author gives us a reason.

He goes back and he quotes Psalm 8,

which was read to us earlier this morning.

And he looks at Psalm 8 and he says,

what is man that you are mindful of him

or the son of man that you care for him?

You made him for a little while,

lower than the angels.

You've crowned him with glory and honor,

putting everything in subjection under his feet.

And if you remember the Psalm and the glory of it,

the psalmist was writing as he stood there

and he looked at the heavens

and he looked at the glory of God's creation

and he felt so small.

And maybe you felt that too.

When you go to the Grand Canyon

or an incredibly beautiful place,

when you go to the ocean

and watch the immensity of the waves,

when you go to the mountains

and you see how great and immovable they are,

you feel small.

And yet the psalmist is saying,

God, you've made such a great creation.

Who am I?

What is my place in it?

And yet you have actually given me

the greatest place

because though you made me a little lower

than the angels,

yet you've crowned me with glory

and you have made it so that

everything will be under my feet.

And the psalmist there is pulling on

a number of different traditions.

One of the traditions is that

or understandings in the Old Testament times.

One is that it was the angels

who have dominion over this present world.

This was a common view,

both at the time of the psalmist

and in the first century,

where the angels were sort of the ruling spirits

over this world,

over this present age.

It's saying,

so humanity was made lower than them for a season.

And yet,

and yet that's not the ultimate goal.

In fact,

going back to Genesis 1,

going back to the very beginning

of the story,

the psalmist is recalling that

God has given humanity

dominion over all the earth,

male and female.

He gave them stewardship

over all of creation,

all the living things,

all of the physical world.

And though,

and we'll explore this more in a few minutes,

though this has been abused greatly,

yet there is an original dignity

and rightness

in what it is that God is doing.

And so he says,

what is man

that you've made,

that you're mindful of him,

or the son of man

that you would care for him?

And the son of man there,

I don't think actually refers to Jesus.

It's kind of easy to jump there.

But I think based on Hebrew parallelism

and just the way

that Old Testament writers wrote,

it's simply saying,

it's another way of saying,

what is man?

What is mankind,

humanity,

that is being referred to

in that verse?

And so the psalmist

is saying,

God, you have done an amazing thing.

I am little in your creation,

but you have given me

this incredible purpose

of having dominion,

that everything will be put

under my control

as I live,

and this is the original intent,

as I live under you,

God,

this is the place that I have

in your creation

and your world.

And this is what he says

as he goes on

in verse 8,

the first part,

right?

He says,

now I'm putting everything

into subjection to him.

He left nothing

outside of his control.

Not even the angels.

The angels will ultimately

be under human rulership

as the humans rule

under God

over creation.

And this is the argument.

And I think it's unbelievable

for us.

One,

we're very democratic.

We don't like kings.

We don't like people

who rule over us.

And we're uncomfortable

with the thought

that we might actually

have to play that role ourselves.

And so we have

a cultural barrier

against wanting to be,

having a place

of ruling or reigning

over others.

We just feel

uncomfortable with it.

And so we have

but the psalmist says,

no,

this is actually

your human destiny.

This is your created purpose

that God has given to you.

Have you ever thought

about the Chronicles of Narnia

in light of this?

The Chronicles of Narnia,

for those of you who don't know,

is a great series

of children's books

by C.S. Lewis.

And the first one

tells the story

of these four children,

the Pivensies,

who are off on holiday

at their,

at a large house

and they get transported

into a new world.

And you know,

in their normal world,

they're just everyday people.

But you know

what happens to them?

When they're transported

into the world,

they find out

that they are in fact

kings and queens.

And as they learn

about this world

and as they understand

this world more,

they know,

they come to realize

that they have

this incredible world

that they've been given

to rule over

and to care for

under the great rule

of the emperor

over the sea

and his son,

Aslan the lion,

who sacrificially saves

the land

by his own death.

It's a great allegory.

If you haven't read it,

definitely do it.

But the picture there

of these ordinary kids

who are transported

into a world

where they in fact

are kings and queens.

This is, in fact,

true of us.

This is what God intends

for you and me.

Under God,

for all eternity,

this is what

we were created for.

Think about what

that must have meant

to the recipients

of this letter.

We've talked about

the fact that

the people

who received this letter

seemed to be facing

some kind of persecution,

some kind of difficulty.

In fact,

the pressure was so great

that there were people

who were turning away

from Jesus

and saying,

No, Jesus,

that's not,

I'm not going to

continue to believe

in Jesus

because it cost me

too much.

They're facing

that third crisis

that I talked about earlier,

about what am I here for?

And they're turning away

from Jesus

in the midst of it.

And if we read it right,

and if that pressure

is coming significantly

from Roman persecution,

what good news

would it be

that you,

though you may be killed

by the Roman emperor,

you are going to reign

forever with Jesus?

What good news

would that be?

It would be pretty great,

wouldn't it?

It would be pretty exciting.

We'll come back

to that thought

in a little while.

Let me give one application

for this

that is actually an aside.

But as I was reflecting

on this truth this week,

it occurred to me

that we actually struggle

with this idea

of humans reigning

over the world

for another reason too.

In a post-Darwinian world,

we have an assumption,

we have a thought

that human beings

are simply the top

of the animal chain

and we are simply

one more step

in an evolutionary process.

And friends,

this passage tells us

that though it is true

that we are a part

of the created order,

just like the animals,

we are in fact,

according to the Bible,

distinct from

the animal world.

we have a dignity

and a purpose

that is not the same

as that for dolphins

and dogs

and butterflies.

They have their own place

in reflecting God's glory

and we have a stewardship

and a responsibility

to this creation

under God

to care for it

in a way that we have

and always.

But friends,

we are distinct

and that has all sorts

of implications.

That has implications

for unborn children.

It has implications

for the elderly.

It has implications

for stewardship

of the environment.

We need to think

about this

and to recognize

that Psalm 8

and the argument

of the Hebrews

up to this point

is saying human beings

have this unique destiny

and purpose

to rule under God

over the world.

What is humanity

made a little lower

than the angels

but crowned with glory

and given dominion

over all creation?

What a glorious thing

it is.

And yet,

and one of the reasons

why you're sitting there

looking at me

and not standing up

and clapping

and shouting

at how wonderful it is

is because of the end

of verse 8.

Because there's a problem

isn't there?

The problem is

that this glorious purpose

that's laid out

is so far

from our imaginations

to know what that

actually looks like

because we don't see it now

do we?

Look with me

the end of verse 8

at present

we do not yet

see everything

in subjection

to Him.

And this is right

isn't it?

You look around

in our world

and what do we see?

We see a mix.

We see humanity

sometimes doing great things.

There are moments

of heroism.

There's progress

in medicine.

There's growth

in civilization.

There's progress

in creativity

and in the arts.

There's all sorts

of things

that

where we are seeing

some good signs

and yet

and yet

how much

are we in fact

not

over

the creation.

How much

do we see

is outside

of control

and in fact

what we see

is not order

but chaos.

Our natural world

is beyond

our ken.

Our natural world

is beyond

our control

and we continue

to be reminded

of it

as we're

in our modern world

continue to think

that we actually

can control it

and then we get

another forest fire

another tsunami

another hurricane

another blizzard

another thing

that just reminds me

that no

this is not yet true.

And it's not just

in the natural world

is it

it's in our own

personal life too.

We don't do

what we want to do

all the time

do we?

We don't even have

control over

being able to accomplish

the things that we set

to accomplish.

We find our emotional

life beyond

our control

at times.

We find our

moral compass

unable

to give us

the strength

to actually be

the righteous people

that we're meant

to be.

And we see it

in relationships

and we see it

in civilizations

and societies.

This world

is not under

the control

of humanity

or when it is

humanity is

abusing that power

and destroying

rather than building.

And the greatest

way that we see

this

is actually

in

the one thing

that no one

ever

has been able

to conquer

and that is

death.

Do you notice

he picked that up

at the end?

We'll get to

why he did.

But one of the

things that we do

see is that

death

has control

over us.

Because no matter

what progress

we've made

in medicine

no matter

what good

things we've

been able

to do

and nutrition

and living

well

and all of

that

we still

die.

Everyone

will die.

Everyone

will face

that

ultimate

eternity.

and it

reminds us

it reminds

us

that

in

Genesis 1

that's not

the way

it was

supposed to

be

and yet

now

it is

inevitably

that way

and it

will not

be otherwise

and we've

been trying

for thousands

of years

as humans

to figure

out how

to overcome

it.

We haven't

yet

and you

know what

we never

will.

We never

will.

death

came into

the world

because of

human sin

and rebellion.

Remember how

I said

that the

framework

was

humanity

over creation

under God?

Most of you

probably know

the storyline

but in

Genesis 3

humanity

said we

don't want

to live

under God.

We want

to be

our own

gods.

We want

to take

a dominion

that is

not ours

and to

try to

replace

God

with

ourselves

and in

that

rebellion

everything

was broken.

Relationships

were broken,

relationship

with God,

relationship

with one

another,

relationship

with creation.

All of

those things

were broken

because of

human sin

that is

rebellion

against God,

refusing to

honor God

and acknowledge

him for

what he's

supposed to

be.

and so

death

came into

the world

as a

right

judgment

against

a

rebellion

against

the giver

of life.

When we

rebelled

against the

one who

gave us

life,

he said

the punishment

will be

death.

And so

the whole

world

is under

this dynamic

and so

this

God-given

purpose

for humanity

that everything

would be

under him

is in fact

not true

at all

because we

all die.

None of

us will be

able to

reign

forever.

None of

us will

be able

to do

that.

And so

we live

in this

tension,

don't we?

We live

in the

tension

that we

were meant

for this

destiny,

this

dignity

of being

under God

over the

world and

yet now

we cannot

do it.

We are

incapable

of doing

it.

Friends,

just as an

aside,

this is one

of the

most encouraging

things to

me about

the Bible

is that it

actually deals

with reality

because we

live every

day with

this longing

for something

that cannot

be.

And these

verses right

here describe

why we feel

that way.

Because we

were created

for something

but sin

has entered

the world

and it has

entered our

hearts and

so we

cannot do

it,

we cannot

achieve the

things that

we long

we cannot

get to

the ideals

that we

can imagine

because God

has placed

that imagination

into our

hearts but

our sin

has crippled

us.

And so

we do not

see the

world as it

ought to be.

We do not

see the

world in

subjection.

But friends,

this is the

good news that

the writer to

the Hebrews

wants to give

to us is

that that's

not the

last word,

is it?

because in

the end

of verse

8 he

says,

we see

the world

not in

subjection.

But what

do we

see?

We don't

see the

world as

it should

be,

but what

do we

see?

Look with

me at

verse 9.

Let's read

it again

together.

But we

see him

who for

a little

while was

made lower

than the

angels,

namely Jesus,

crowned with

glory and

honor because

of the

suffering of

death,

so that by

the grace

of God he

might taste

death for

everyone.

Oh,

friends,

what good

news this

is.

We see

him,

namely

Jesus,

and what

is it

particularly

that he

says about

Jesus?

Jesus is

two things

at the

same time.

Jesus is

made lower

than the

angels and

yet crowned

with glory.

What does

that mean?

Chapter 1

is talked

about the

exalted

Jesus who

is over all

and who reigns

over all,

who is called

the Son,

who has

this exalted

place in

God's kingdom.

But now we

see Jesus

not simply

in his

exalted

place,

but also

in his

place of

humbling

himself and

coming and

identifying with

humanity.

Jesus came

to restore

what was

broken,

to restore

the fallen

humanity.

And in

order to

do that,

he must

become human.

He had

to join

with us

in being

made lower

than the

angel.

And so

the word,

the second

person of

the trinity,

of the

Godhead,

who existed

from eternity,

took on

human flesh.

He became

a human

being.

And so

this God

man,

Jesus,

identified

with us.

And as

he identified

with us,

he then

captured a

glory that

was beyond

all imagination.

salvation.

Think about

it,

friends.

If you

were the

creator of

the world

and you

were going

to come

and rescue

your world,

how would

you come?

On a

white horse,

crowned with

glory,

with armies

of angels

at your

back,

sweeping over

the world,

executing justice

and righteousness,

lifting up the

downtrodden,

casting down the

proud and the

arrogant,

making all

things right

and new,

wouldn't that

have looked

great.

But instead,

we see

Jesus,

who has a

greater plan

by identifying

with us

and then

being crowned

with glory

because of,

did you see

that phrase

in there?

Because of

the suffering

of death.

So not only

did Jesus

identify with

us by

becoming a

human,

but then

having lived

a perfect

life where

there was

no sin,

we'll see

that later

in Hebrews

if you're

wondering,

there was

no sin

in his

life,

he then

was able

to step

in and

be a

substitute

for all

of humanity.

So just

as the

first Adam

failed and

rejected God,

he comes

as the

second Adam

to live

the perfectly

obedient life

and to

restore that

which was

broken in

the first

place.

and so

he enters

in not

just to

humanity,

but he

enters into

the penalty

upon humanity,

the judgment

upon humanity

by death.

death.

And so

he suffered

death on

the cross

for us.

So that,

you see the

last phrase

in there?

So that

by the

grace of

God,

that is,

the free

undeserved

gift of

God to

the human

race,

he might

taste death

for everyone.

That is,

everyone without

distinction,

everyone who

comes to

him,

he dies.

Friends,

this is

great news.

He came

to be a

human being

like us

so that we

could become

a human being

like him.

That is,

he came

and he

walked the

earth and

he died

on the

cross and

he rose

again so

that we

too,

by faith

in him,

might also

die to

sin and

be raised

to new

life with

him.

Jesus is

the one

who's promised

in chapter

1 verse

13 that

all things

will be

put under

his feet.

Do you

see it?

Look with

me.

Sit at

my right

hand until

I make

your enemies

a footstool

for your

feet.

Jesus is

going to

come and

everything

will sit

under him.

But that's

not enough

for God's

great glory

and plan

because he

wants you

and me

to be with

God in

that.

And so

Jesus comes

and he

becomes a

human being

and dies

on the

cross and

rises from

the dead

so that

we,

friends,

may be

caught up

with him.

So that

we might

be restored

to that

place of

reigning

with him.

And this

is scattered

throughout the

New Testament.

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 6:1

6 verses

1 and 2

rebukes the

Corinthian church

saying,

don't you

know that

you will

judge the

angels?

that you

will judge

the world?

This is

God's plan

for us.

Jesus is

the, as we

will see

later, the

author and

the pioneer

of our

salvation.

That is, he's

the one who

wrote it from

the very

beginning, but

he's also the

first one to

do it.

He's the

first one to

go through

death and

rise from

the dead so

that we might

be caught up

in his

train as

he, the

king, rises

from the

grave to

take his

place, a

crown with

glory and

honor.

We are

caught up

with him.

We are in

the procession,

the royal

procession, and

when he sits

down for all

who are in

him, we sit

down with

him and

reign with

him.

Friends, what

does this mean

for us?

Well, first

of all, it

means that

only in

Jesus will

we find

the thing

that our

hearts are

longing for.

When we

think, when

we get that

gnawing feeling

of, isn't

there something

more to

life?

This passage

says, yes,

there is.

You were

made to

reign with

Christ over

the world in

all eternity,

and this is

your hope, but

also this is

your focus,

because we

will only do

it in Jesus.

And so to

know Jesus, to

believe in

him, to

trust in

him, to

love him, to

have fellowship

with him, is

your greatest

purpose in

this world.

Remember, to

the Hebrews, that

meant that as

they looked to

Jesus, it

didn't matter if

Caesar won.

And to you, it

doesn't matter how

grinding the

grind is.

it also doesn't

matter how

successful or

how unsuccessful

your strategies

are of trying

to infuse

your life with

meaning on your

own.

Because all of

those things are

nothing compared to

what it will mean

for you to be

caught up in

Jesus and in

his reign.

they don't

have the last

word.

He frees you

from the despair

of wondering if

there's anything in

this life worth

worthwhile.

He frees you from

the performance of

trying to do it

yourself.

If you'll forgive

me a Disney

reference, the

Lion King, spoiler

alert, I'm going to

tell you the end.

It's been out for

a while.

I'm not feeling

bad about it.

So you know the

story.

Simba, the young

princeling, is born

to Mufasa, the

king of all the

animals.

Mufasa dies and

in the story,

Simba is exiled

by his uncle in

shame thinking that

he had caused

the fault.

And so he lives

in this exile for

years.

And then one

night, he has a

vision.

He has a vision

of his father.

And his father

looks at him.

He says, you are

my son.

You are the king.

And the

remembering of this

identity and the

remembering of this

reality gives to

Simba the courage

to stop living in

exile and to

pursue his

rightful place as

the king over all.

God.

Just like my son, Eli, I

have the privilege of

seeing it just a

little bit.

When I give him a

purpose and a role and

a dignity, you see him

just fill up because

that's what he so longs

to do.

And it's because he was

made to be a child of

God as well and to

ultimately hear from his

heavenly father.

I have bestowed upon

you a great dignity.

I have made you a

little lower than the

angels.

But I have crowned you

with glory and I will

put everything under

your feet.

And that will be

yours in Jesus.

And so to us and to

the Hebrews, let us

hold fast to this

Jesus.

Let us not turn away

for no one else can

give us this royal

identity.

No one else can give

us this great purpose.

Only him.

Let's pray.

God, we speak of

things that are greater

than our imagination.

Lord, will you by your

spirit open our hearts

that we might take

hold of the great

promise, Lord, the

great destiny that you

have for us as your

people.

And Lord, may we see

that it is only in

Jesus, only under him

and in him that we

find this great gift,

this grace that you

have given to us.

God, we pray today that

you would capture our

lives with this purpose.

We pray these things in

Jesus' name.

Amen.