Made in God’s Image
Have you ever wondered how you got to be the you that you are? There are a lot of factors involved in trying to figure that out. Genetics are a factor in determining your hair color, eye color, height, ear lobes, weight, and doctors say there is a pre-disposition to certain illnesses.… you get what I’m talking about? And then there are certain characteristics that we have that are influenced by our environment – things that our parents did or didn’t do; how they related to other people. Were they social or anti-social? We they hard working? Were they trustworthy? I never knew my biological father so I can’t say if I have any of his biological traits. I do know that there are things in my life that I learned from my mom and step-dad as far as work ethic and connecting with other people.
I found out when I was 25 years old that my “name” dad wasn’t my biological father. I never knew him or had a chance to meet him, so I don’t know what kind of physical traits I might have inherited.
But in February of 1988, things changed. It was then that I was introduced to a new family – a family who all had the same Father – and I inherited a whole new set of traits. I wasn’t made perfect, but I became a whole new me.
Genesis 1:26-28
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
I. Let Us make man in Our image… At our home church in Troy, Charlotte and I teach children’s church a couple of times a month. One of the things that is pretty cool is that when you think the kids aren’t getting it, they do. Many of our kids can tell you about the Trinity – One God in Three Persons – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I want you to think about this. Everything that God has ever done, He has done with mankind in view. When He spoke the universe into existence, He did so with fallen man already in mind. He gave man authority over everything on the earth. When Adam sinned, God had already planned to send His Son to restore that broken fellowship. Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world… And with the Holy Spirit, God created a partnership with man that would bring about God’s ultimate plan for all things. God is sovereign and He has no need to explain Himself to anyone. He does what He wants to do and will accomplish everything that He wants to accomplish. That is evident in the creation story and at the end of the story when a new heaven and new earth will be formed. But in His sovereignty, He has chosen to use mankind, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to be stewards of His creation and to do the work He has planned for us. Ephesians 2:10(NKJV)
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
II. Created in the Father’s image… When I worked in construction, at various times, I was sent out on the job to meet with homeowners to discuss changes or to get clarification on different matters. My boss, at the time, entrusted me to go and represent him. I was given authority to act on his behalf. With that in mind, I knew that I had to act in a way that would benefit my employer and satisfy the customer at the same time. Our relationship with God is like that. He has given us authority to represent him to others. (RE-PRESENT). God the Father -the Great I AM- The One who spoke all things into existence - we are created in His image. Don’t get me wrong. We are not gods. We will never be God. But we do have His creative nature in us, as well as His authority.
Ephesians 3:20-21(NKJV)
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Do you see that? His power is at work in us but we are limited in our asking and thinking. Have you ever wondered just exactly how far God would go on your behalf, but you never even thought of asking?
Romans 8:31-32(NKJV)
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? When we read that He is Jehovah-Jireh, He doesn’t just provide. He is provision. He is Jehovah – Rapha healing isn’t something He does. It’s who He is. Healer! Jehovah-Shalom- peace. When God created the heavens and earth and animals, He spoke them into existence. With man, He formed him out of the dirt and then breathed His life into him. With that, Adam was created with the very nature of God in him. Then sin happened. Not the end of the story – just the beginning!
III. Created in the image of the Son…
What does that mean for us? Colossians 1:15-16(NKJV)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. Those verses give us a real clear description of the relationship between the Father and the Son in regard to creation. Jesus was involved in creation. But our being made in the likeness of the Son goes beyond creation only. First, Jesus is God embodied in flesh.
So, if we are created in His image, we have to understand that our physical bodies resemble the very essence of who He is. As we look through the Old Testament we see references to “The Angel of God”. This is what theologians call a theophany, a manifestation of God in fleshly form before the birth of Christ. Every time we see mention of that, we also see that people who saw “The Angel of God” mention the fact that they saw God or the Lord. Secondly, Jesus is the exact representation of the Father, Hebrews 1:3(NKJV)
…who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His (God’s) person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high… The work of the cross has now bridged the divide that came with Adam’s sin and all those who trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior come into the same type of relationship that Jesus has with the Father. No, we are not the Savior, but we are what Paul says we are.
Romans 8:16-17(NKJV)
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…
I love the book of Ephesians because it gives us a clear description of who we are positionally as believers. At least 14 times in the first 3 chapters, Paul uses the phrase ,in Christ, in Him, or in Whom , in reference to who we are as believers. We are seated with Him (right now) in the heavenly realms… that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, The last verse in Ephesians 1 tells us that we, the church, are the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way. Two verses I want you to look at.
Luke 6:40(NKJV)
A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.
John 8:31-32(NKJV)
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Oh come on, Whose image are you being formed into? 2 Corinthians 3:18(NKJV)
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. We have been, are being, and will be created in the image of Jesus. If that is the case, then we must be looking more like the Father, in Whose image we have been created.
IV. Created by the Work of the Holy Spirit… The first time we hear about the Holy Spirit in Scripture is in Genesis 1:1-2(NKJV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. That was the Spirit’s involvement in creation. What does that mean? Well, I’m no bible scholar, but it seems as though we just need to see the involvement of the trinity in creation and then also, in mankind being made in God’s likeness. From that point on, it seems as though the Holy Spirit’s involvement in history is to empower mankind. In the Old Testament time after time the Holy Spirit came upon individuals to empower them for a certain time. And in the New Testament, the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit is promised to all who place their faith in Christ. For what purpose?
John 15:26-27(NKJV)
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning. John 20:21-22(NKJV)
So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. The word translated a s “receive” literally means to get hold of. We tend to look at this as a passive word. If we are born again, then it will just happen to us. While that is a true statement, God never wants us to be passive in the process. He wants us to grab hold of it and never let go; to take it and do something with it. Because we are created in His image.
Speaking to a large audience, D.L. Moody held up a glass and asked, "How can I get the air out of this glass?" One man shouted, "Suck it out with a pump!" Moody replied, "That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass." After numerous other suggestions Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the glass. "There," he said, "all the air is now removed." He then went on to explain that victory in the Christian life is not accomplished by "sucking out a sin here and there," but by being filled with the Holy Spirit.
It is the Holy Spirit that is the catalyst for change in the lives of every believer. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses…That’s talking about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Paul told the church in Ephesus that they shouldn’t be drunk on wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. The verb tense of the word translated “filled” refers to an ongoing and continual action… be filled and keep being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit dwelling in you and flowing out of you that allows you to be changed into the image of Christ.
I want to close with this… We have the creative nature of the Father. We are being changed in the image of Christ. The Holy Spirit is at work in us… Then what keeps us from moving forward in power and authority to be the church Jesus said we would be – the one that beats down the gates of hell?
It’s matter of faith. When we pray, do we pray in agreement with the word of God?
When we pray, do we allow our circumstances to rule over the Word?
Do you walk by sight or by faith?
Mark 11:22-24(NKJV)
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.
For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
God’s word is alive and active…
God’s word is a weapon to use against the devil…
God’s word should be living in you…
John 15:7-8(NKJV)
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
God , the One Who created you, is glorified by these things…
1. You abide in Him… (remember who you are in Christ)
2. His words abide in you… read the Word, Study the Word, stand on the Word; agree with the Word…
3. Ask according to the Word… (“you have not because you ask not…)
4. Receive the promise of the Word…
5. Bear fruit… Be like Him…
You are created in God’s image. What would happen if we all made the decision to begin to live the way that God has created/re-created you?
We allow the enemy of our souls to put those thoughts in our heads that we will never be good enough, strong enough, smart enough to ever do anything for God. But, he is a liar – the father of all lies.
Picture this - a courtroom setting:
There is a judge sitting on the throne – God the Father
There is the defense attorney – Jesus who has already declared us not guilty
There is a prosecutor/accuser – the devil.
Those who have believed in His name. we escape the death penalty.
But how many times do we confess with our mouths or believe in our hearts in agreement with the things the accuser is saying?
You’ll never be healed… Jesus is still the Healer
Your family will never be saved… God’s word never comes back void, but will accomplish what He plans for it to do
You’ll never be strong enough to get through this hard time… Jesus has overcome the world…
You’ll never lead anyone to Christ… We are overcomers by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony!
You are created in the image of God.
What is the answer then?
I can do all thing through Christ who strengthens me.
