INTRODUCTION
• What is one of the most critical questions in life?
• WHO AM I?
• How would you answer the question, Who am I?
• Where would you start?
• Name, occupation?
• How much of your answer is about you as an individual, and how much is about the relationships you form?
• How you answer the "Who am I?" question will come from your worldview.
• This is yet another reason why how you form your worldview is vital.
• Science has tried to answer the question from a viewpoint in which God does not exist.
• On July 7, 2012, a prominent group of scientists released the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness, which states that human beings are not unique in ways that matter.[i] In other words, "There's nothing special about being human."
• Humanity no longer occupies a special place in the natural order of things.
• Ingrid Newkirk, founder of PETA, once declared, "a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy." There's no difference. (https://www.peta.org/blog/rat-pig-dog-boy/)(Dan Raymond's message on Core 52).
• Many scientists and philosophers are skeptical about whether human life has any special meaning or intrinsic value.
• MIT physicist Jeremy England argues that the purpose of human existence is to use up energy in the universe.[ii] [ii] https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-thermodynamics-theory-of-the-origin-of-life-20140122/
• WOW, that is a sad commentary on who we are; energy burners.
• I wonder why a teenager would take their life when things get tough, given that mindset!
• I wonder why anyone with that outlook on life would want to live when things are difficult.
• Our society is entering a culture-wide identity crisis.
• We cannot even decide what a woman is any longer.
• We have lost our source of identity and are now trying to replace it with such things as pleasure, power, environmentalism, and identity politics.
• If no one put us here, and we aren't here for any sort of meaningful reason, then who are we, and why are we here?
• If we are here by accident of nature, then there is no good answer to who we are and why we are here.
• If here by choice (God created) instead of chance, that changes everything!
• The opening chapters of the Bible are an unequivocal affirmation of our true identity as people.
• We are a creation of God.
• The overwhelming message of Genesis is that we are here by choice, not by chance.
• We are here because God put us here; He wanted us here.
• Of all the life on this planet, humanity is exceptional.
• We hold a special place in the universe and are categorically and essentially different from all other species.
• We are in a series called Core 52, in which we are exploring the 52 most important passages of Scripture and the essential stories and themes connected to them.
• By understanding these verses of God's eternal word, we aim to increase our overall knowledge of God's word, grow our spiritual maturity, and increase our intimacy with God.
• Last week, we saw that creation shows us that the God who created all this must be powerful, purposeful, eternal, and good.
• This morning's core verse comes from Genesis 1:26.
• Today, we will examine three truths that we need to understand from the Creation account that are essential to a proper sense of identity and our understanding of the sanctity of human life.
• Let's turn to Genesis 1:26-27. Verse 26 is your memory verse for the week.
Genesis 1:26–27 (NET 2nd ed.)
26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.”
27 God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.
SERMON
I. You were created in God's image.
• Our memory verse states that God created humans in His image, and verse 27 punctuates the point when it states, God created humans in His own image, in the image of God He created them, male and female He created them!
• Your identity is found in God!
• What does this mean?
• Genesis 1:26-27 makes it clear that we did not evolve from some other form of life.
• A primate did not become pregnant and one day birthed a human.
• We said last week that when God created, each species was to reproduce after its own kind.
• Cats have cats; dogs have dogs; sheep have sheep; monkeys have monkeys, etc.…
• Isn't it interesting that God saw fit to include that little tidbit in the creation account as He knew would try to push him out by saying all life came about by some cosmic accident?
• Interestingly, God told us to let us make humans in OUR image.
• Some debate who the US and OUR are in the passage.
• The US and OUR refer to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• God did not have a meeting with the angels, who were created according to Psalm 148.
• When we have kids, the kids look like us because they come from us; your kids have the DNA of the mother and the father in every cell in their body.
• When we are created in God's image, it probably does not mean that God looks like us physically, but rather it goes deeper.
• When God created everything else, He never said it was created in His image.
• How was Adam different from the rest of creation that was not created in the image of God?
Genesis 2:7 (NET 2nd ed.)
7 The LORD God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
• God formed Adam from the ground; He did not just speak Adam into existence; he fashioned him.
• Then, God breathed the breath of life into him.
• Our life came directly from God. It says God breathed into Adam the breath of life. In the Hebrew, the word for spirit and the word for breath are the same word.
• You could just as easily read this as "God breathed into him the spirit of life." (Dan Raymond)
• What does it mean that we are created in God's image?
• There are many layers to that question, but the basic meaning is we have divine characteristics that God has, but the rest of creation does not possess.
• We will cover three, even though there are others.
• Time.
• As humans, we broker in time.
• We look at our clocks, phones, or watches when we get up, and before we get up, we set alarms.
• We eat and work based on time.
• Our awareness of time allows us to meditate on the past and plan for the future.
• Although God transcends time, he can see the present, past, and future; He works in time and does things on timing.
• My cats, for instance, do not wear watches or have phones; they do not have a concept of time; if they did, they would not sleep 15 hours a day!
• They do get conditioned as to when it is time for wet food,
• When I leave home, they are happy to see me but do not know how long I have been gone.
• The second characteristic is beauty.
• No other animal creates art like we do.
• Spiders do build intricate webs, but they are not driven by beauty.
• I would venture to say that most of us have some form of art around us all the time.
• We also notice the beauty of the opposite sex.
• We are attracted to that beauty.
• We work hard to maintain beauty.
• Animals do not contemplate the beauty of an Arizona sunset; they do not build anything other than what God imprinted within them.
• A beaver does not paint his dam to beautify it.
• Animals do not make music built from emotion and beauty.
• Birds make sounds, but they are not singing, and they do not create new songs.
• Birds and whales call; they do not express emotion in their calling other than when it is fear, which is a shared characteristic.
• We create for the sake of creating.
• A third area is language.
• The animal kingdom communicates for survival.
• We communicate to express ideas and to share thoughts.
• Language, for us, is a creative drive that we cannot get enough of.
• We are the pinnacle of creation; we are made in the image of God.
• Let's look at verse 26 again.
Genesis 1:26 (NET 2nd ed.)
26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.”
II. You were created for a God-given purpose.
• Life is not meaningless, it is not for nothing, life is not about coming from a monkey and then dying and seeing your existence end.
• God created us with a purpose!
Genesis 1:28 (NET 2nd ed.)
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.”
• We are not some accident of nature who made it to the top of the food chain; God created us for a purpose!
• We are not just taking space and burning energy; we are here for a reason.
• Our purpose, in part, what God created us for, is contained in the word used here in verse 28, RULE.
• We have been given dominion over the natural world, at least on this planet.
• This world is our domain.
• God gave us this world as you might gift an artist with canvas and paints.
• Fill the earth, subdue it, have rule over the animals.
• God is talking about building civilization and making something out of this world.
• God never intended that this world would remain some pristine, untouched garden.
• God gave us a beautiful world, not just to enjoy but to build something with it.
Genesis 2:15 (NET 2nd ed.)
15 The LORD God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it.
• Even in the Garden of Eden, Adam was called to care for and maintain the garden.
• God created the world, and He wants us to create!
• Animals make things, but they have never made anything other than that which was imprinted in them.
• They do not make beautiful cities, they never painted Starry Night.
• They have not made medical advances or built cars and planes.
• Since we are created in the image of God, we are also given the task of reflecting that image to others.
Ephesians 2:10 (NET 2nd ed.)
10 For we are his creative work, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.
• God has a plan for your life!
• Paul builds on this thought.
Galatians 2:20 (NET 2nd ed.)
20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
• You have a purpose: to reflect Jesus in EVERY area of your life!
• You are part of something bigger than you!
• Let's conclude with our passage along with Genesis 2:18.
Genesis 1:26–27 (NET 2nd ed.)
26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.”
27 God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.
Genesis 2:18 (NET 2nd ed.)
18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him.”
III. You were created for community.
• When God created, He said it was good, then when He got to Adam, God said it was not good for the man to be alone, so He made Adam a companion, Eve!
• God created us for community!
• We are communal creatures.
• Notice that God said let US create humans in OUR image.
• God is communal; He is in communion with the Son and the Holy Spirit!
• We need human relationships.
• When we are baptized into Jesus, we are not told, good luck; I hope you make it out there on your own; God gave you a church family.
Hebrews 10:24–25 (NET 2nd ed.)
24 And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works,
25 not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near.
• On one level, Jesus is our "personal" Savior, and our faith is "personal"; however, God gave us the church because our faith is to lived out in community!
• Why did God give us the church?
• It is there so we can all experience Jesus together!
• We are called to encourage one another; you cannot do that alone in nature or sitting at home in your PJs sipping coffee and watching online.
• As I have said, other than when you are sick or out of town, you should be at church worshipping with your church family; to do otherwise is not correct.
• In the United States, we are proud (or used to be) of what we call the rugged individualist.
• The attitude that I can make it on my own is not in any sense Biblical concerning how to live out your faith.
• Had Church been nothing more than watching on TV or the computer when I came to Jesus, I would have never gotten off the ground.
• Some so many people were instrumental to my growth; many were not even aware of it!
CONCLUSION
• You are unique and loved in God's eyes!
• You are created in God's image for a purpose.
• You were created to be in community with other believers!
• You were created to spend eternity with God!
• Next week, we will move to lesson three, The Fall!
• Make sure to spend 15 minutes a day for five days in the Core 52 Book this week.
