What does the Image of God mean?

I spoke this past Sunday morning from the book of Genesis chapter 1: 26 - 27.  I was talking about being made in the image of God.  You are free to download the sermon from iTunes entitled Can You Handle the Truth? 

Here is the link:  {https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/expecting-encounter-podcast/id710630765}

I did not finish that sermon wanted to share some of my thoughts concerning what it means to be in the image of God.

There are three words I want us to think about today:

1.         Relational  - The truth is you can have a relationship with God!  Humans are the only creatures on the earth that can have a relationship with the creator! 

How wonderful is that?  He made you to enjoy  - you were made for a relationship with the almighty!  There was a part of us that was made for God and we are seeking to know God.    I believe that you and I were made for a relationship with God and until you have a relationship with the one who created you,  life does not make sense.   You get to have a relationship with a creator himself!  What a privilege.   No animal has that opportunity, no animal has that privilege but you do!

2.         Rational -   I believe that to be created in the image of God means that we have the ability to reason.   God in Scripture gave man the ability to reason.  You can think through circumstances  and  make decisions based upon your thinking.  

Animals do not have that that ability.   Animals have instincts, and they have learned and conditioned behavior but they do not have rational thinking.  If animals had  reason the watering hole in Africa would look different.  They would understand that these lions were hunting them and they would not go down to drink until those lions were dealt with. 

3.         Responsible – Maybe you have never thought about it, but out of all of God’s creation to be made in the image of God means we bear responsibility.  We bear responsibility to God and to others.   In verse 26 it says we are to have Dominion over the things of the earth. 

In verse 28 and following God talks about the  Dominion he gave humans again.  I want you do listen to me very carefully:   I am not saying go home and hug a tree.   I am not a tree hugger, but I do believe that God has created us to have dominion over this Earth and one day we will give an account for what we have done to this earth. 

We were given the responsibility to take care of this world around us!   We are responsible not only for this world but we are also responsible for our decisions.   How we treat one another, what we do with Jesus Christ, God’s gift to us.    So to be made in the image of God is to understand our responsibilities. 

That is a brief overview of what I was going to share this past Sunday morning I hope it helps as you think through what it means to be created in the image of God.

011214AM Sermon Notes

Can You Handle the Truth?

Genesis 1

Question for Consideration:  Why study man?

The study of man and the study of God intersect

IF our supreme AFFECTION Is God than would it not  make sense logically that this is best expressed  by loving his creation?  

I. All people are created in the image of GOD!

II. Being created in the image of God involves being like God in a special way!

III. Being in the image of God is not only our design but it is our destiny as well

A New Way to look at the NEW YEAR!

The Psalmist said in Psalm 90:  So, teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:5–6, 12)

We just celebrated New Years Eve and Day...  DID you party?  DID you Celebrate?

For me, the end of a year is like the end of my life. And 11:59 pm on December 31 is like the moment of my death. A trial run so to speak.   For I can never regain 2013 again!  It is over and gone forever, those moments were either spent wisely or foolishly.   But now I cannot go back.  

The 365 days of the year are like a miniature lifetime. And these final hours are like the last days in the hospital after the doctor has told me that the end is very near. And in these last hours, the lifetime of this year passes before my eyes, and I face the inevitable question: Did I live it well? Will Jesus Christ, the righteous judge, say “Well done, good and faithful servant”?

Although the dawning of a new year like a funeral for me, I feel fortunate, The reason I feel fortunate is that it is a great advantage to have a trial run at my own dying. 

It is a great benefit to rehearse once a year in preparation for the last scene of my life. It is a great benefit because on the morning of January 1  we were wakened with Life, and we stood and now stand at the brink of a whole new lifetime, able to start fresh all over again.  It brings me hope and joy, and expectation.  

The great thing about rehearsals is that they show you where your weaknesses are, where your preparation was faulty; and they leave you time to change before the real play.

I suppose for some of you the thought of dying is so morbid, so gloomy, so fraught with grief and pain that you do your best to keep it out of your minds, especially during holidays. I think that is unwise and that you do yourself a great disservice. For I have found that there are few things more revolutionizing for my life than a periodic pondering of my own death.

How do you get a heart of wisdom so as to know how best to live?  The answer is to ponder life.  Solomon said in the book of Ecclesiastes,  That it is better to attend a funeral than a party.  Our world would rather party.  From the Far East, to the Mid East, to Europe and Africa,  and all across the Americas people partied as the new year came in to view.   People got drunk and high and found boy friends and girlfriends to help them forget life.    Me?  I spent the evening remembering life: my life in light of God's word and ways, and I asked Him to grant me wisdom this new year!  Wisdom to love him with all my heart, and love others as if he were here among men today.  

God's Providence

Napoleon was a little short guy but he had an ego so big he would not fit into the Dallas Cowboy stadium.  He strutted across Europe with his army and he conquered and conquered.  It was his desire to conquer the whole known world.    Without question he was set to do so.

One day he told a lady he was getting to march on Russia and march right into Moscow and he was going to conquer the Russian Empire.  He was so cocky and confident his pride was blocking him from hearing any wisdom.  She told this over confident leader, “You had better be reverent, and don’t you understand that man poses, but God disposes?”  

In his great lack of humility he said to her, "I propose and I dispose."     And so he marched on Russia.  When he had won all of these battles and then marched on Moscow he was feeling pretty good about himself, his army and his conquest. 

Upon his return home he was confronted with a stark reminder.  He had failed to think about the Russian winter.  He and his troops fought that bitter winter all the way back to France and it totally decimated the army, and it destroyed his forces, and it completely destroyed his reputation and prestige when he returned home he was dethroned    and exiled where he would die on a little island.   I wonder if he ever thought about that conversation he had with that lady who said,  “Man proposes, but God always disposes”?

I am sure people were scratching their heads, wondering how on earth could God allow this to happen?   While we are not machines or robots, we must remember God is in control and he is in charge of this universe.  He gives us the freedom to make choices.  BUT, Those choices that we make have eternal consequences.

It is Christmas time once again, As I read the Biblical account of the Birth of the Saviour, I have been looking and thinking about Matthews words in Chapter 1 and 2.   One thing is very clear to me God is in Control.   Yes today you may be worried over your job, Health care, or your car.  Your kids, or college, or your spouse may give you concern, but one thing we cannot deny:  God is still on his throne!  God is not ever caught off guard, and he knows what we need and when we need it.   God is a God of providence.

12-15-13 Sermon Notes

The Miracle of Sharing 

Matthew 2:1

 Three responses to the Birth of Christ:

I.    Hostility

a.    King Herod

b.   General population

II.    Apathy

a.     The religious Scribes and Pharisees

Statement of Truth:

When you lack a personal relationship with God, you can have the correct information, and lack appropriation.

III.   Receptivity

a.     Receptive to God's witness

b.    Receptive by worshiping The Lord

Serving to God’s Glory

At Christmas we give gifts to those we love, know and cherish.   It is a fun tradition here in the United States and in many places of the world.     Often times these gifts are given to show others love, and as a reminder of our devotion and dedication.   I was thinking this week about the gifts God has given to us.     

At our salvation there are gifts given to us by God.   I was preaching about this Wednesday night and you can listen to the podcast to find out what I said.  I did not finish that sermon and so I wanted to  give you come concluding thoughts on my blog. 

Not only does every Christian receive a gift from God that he or she is responsible for but  EVERY CHRISTIAN RECEIVES STRENGTH TO USE THEIR SPIRITUAL GIFT.

We read about this is 1 Peter 4:11

Peter uses the word “Ministers” or  “serve”  the root of the word is the word for deacon.  It can refer to all kinds of service (menial tasks), same word Jesus used of His service; service in general.  This teaches me that all service is important.

“If anyone ministers (serves), let him do it as with the ability which God supplies.”

I want to take notice of the SOURCE OF STRENGTH v11

Both Peter and Paul understood this principle.   Paul said in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Peter used the word “ability”, the NIV says “strength”; if God is to be glorified by ministry in His name, it must be ministry performed in His strength, not ours.

Remember what the prophet Zechariah said in chapter 4  verse 6?  “'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts.”

This teaches me two things:

1. Dependence

God lavishly supplies the strength and without Him I can do nothing.  I am always to depend on him and not me.  My strength is useless and void of any real power. 

Jesus was clear and without question taught that without him we can do nothing.  See what he said in John 15:5.

Depending on His strength, and empowerment is my only hope.

2. Confidence

I am talking about spiritual confidence.  A faithful supplier  {GOD} will replenish a confidence exhausted in faithful stewardship.

Warning: Ministry performed by merely human energy and for one’s own status in the eyes of others can soon become a wearying activity and increase one’s pride rather than one’s faith.

Keep in mind Peter teaches that the goal of our service, the heart of our giftedness is to glorify God.

There is the SUPPLY OF STRENGTH that is important.  This is also found in  v11

“Which God supplies” – the source of the supply of strength.  Points to someone who defrays the expense of something; verb means to supply lavishly.

When we think of God who provides I think of the name: Jehovah Jireh – God Our Provider.

God abundantly supplies the Christian worker with the necessary strength to accomplish the task that he has called him to.   The tasks assigned again are for the praise and glory of God.

The word depicts the training of a choir; the idea of equipping one for a task; to lead a chorus, providing for needs with unlimited liberality. To furnish or supply that which is needed.

Peter in this passage mentions two kinds of Gifts:

1. Speaking Gift.

Preaching, teaching, evangelism, singing, sharing words of encouragement, praise, and testimony are all verbal gifts.

“Let him speak as the oracles of God” – utterances; used of Scripture; the very words out of the mouth of God; the sayings of God.  (Rom 3:2, Acts 7:38).

We must always remember that the teacher or the preacher is not the originator of his own notions, but the transmitter of the sayings of God.     I like what William Barclay said, “If a man has the duty of preaching, let him preach not as one offering his own opinions or propagating his own prejudices, but as one with a message from God.”

Paul said to the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 5:20, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.”

Speaking gift has to do with the presentation of the gospel. It is God speaking through Him. Those who now speak the Word must depend upon the gift of the Spirit to proclaim the Scriptures.  As we speak we must speak the very words of God! 

2. Serving Gift.

“If anyone ministers (serves)” – there is an emphasis that insists we should treat our giftedness as a unique responsibility and honor.

Speaks of any kind of helping.  This could include acts of encouragement for the benefit of others.  Someone who is a servant seeks to meet needs, often times this person will free others to accomplish their task.   A servant will most often be behind the scene accomplishing ministry that help to make the public ministries possible.

Possible servant ministry in the local church:

·      Greeters

·      Nursery workers

·      Ushers

·      Cameras/ video equipment personnel

·      Media Team

·      People who open and lock up the building

·      Count money

·      Make deposits

·      Chair committees

·      Organize ministry efforts 

There are all many other service areas in the church.   What can you think of?

The real heartbeat of this passage is simple:  EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD GLORIFY GOD WITH THEIR SPIRITUAL GIFT   v11

“That in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen”

This is to be the aim and goal of all services done in Christ’s name.

1 Corinthians 10:31, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Since the ability to serve is a gift, and the strength for the ministry comes from God, why should a man boast?

Life lessons

Sometimes people can rob us of our joy because they do the things we do not want them to do.

It is that time of year again when we have to rake up and burn the leaves. As my children get older,  the less they like to help in this responsibility.  Yesterday, I asked for their help. Only to be greeted and an attitude undesirable portions!  

Well, I promptly began to teach my children about  joy, and the attitudes we have can and will impact our joy!  

Sometimes people  can rob us of our joy because they don't do the things we want them to do. But I would remind you that people are people. They have minds to think. They have emotions to feel. They have wills to act, just like you and I do. 

We cannot control the actions or the behavior of other people. But we can control the way we respond to other people. 

That is the great challenge, to really understand that the only one who  can really control my attitude is me.  My actions, attitudes and behavior says a lot about who I am and where I am going in life.   

Let's bring everything we have and everything we are under the control of Christ!