INTRODUCTION
This morning to find our text you can open your Bible with me to Genesis chapter 1.
At First Assembly we’ve started an exciting new series on the book of Genesis. Last week in Genesis chapter one we learned three significant lessons about God. This week in Genesis chapters one and two we will learn three important lessons about ourselves.
As you saw in the drama, people go to great lengths to discover who they are in relationship to their Universe. But before you turn to a psychic, to astrology, or to a metaphysical cult, I suggest you turn to God’s Word to find real answers. From the Scripture we can learn who we are by virtue of creation, why we were created, and where we can find true fulfillment in our lives.
Proposition: Today you will discover that you were created to bear God’s image, to fulfill His purpose, and to know His fullness.
Let’s pray together.
(Prayer)
TEXT
Gen 1:26 “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.’”
The Bible is a God centered book. In the beginning we find God at work. The first chapter of Genesis is one of the most God-centered chapters in the Bible. God is mentioned by name 32 times in 31 verses. Add to that use of personal pronouns, and He is mentioned no less than 43 times. On the very first pages of Scripture the Holy Spirit brings us into the presence of God and keeps us there. Last week we saw that the word Elohim is a plural name used in a sentence with singular construction. That’s because there is only one God but that one God is three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Here we find it again. God said, “Let us – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – make man in our – Father, Son, Holy Spirit - image.” We learn much about God in this first chapter of Genesis
In addition by studying the creation of mankind in Genesis chapter 1 and 2 there are also three important lessons you can learn about yourself. First, you learn you were created in the image of God. Gen 1:27-28 says, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Last week we tackled the subject of evolution and creation. Today as we begin to talk about the creation of man, I’d like to say a few words about evolution once again, because it is so important. You see if you think you’re nothing more than a cosmic accident; if you think you simply evolved from lower life forms through random chance; then you will have no sense of value, no sense of purpose, and no sense of destiny. Frankly most of us know better.
Despite the wide spread teaching of evolution in high schools and universities, few people believe it. Several years ago Gallup took a poll and learned 48% of people believe God created fully developed human beings approximately 10,000 years ago. Another 40% believe the time span was longer, and evolutionary processes were used, but that God carried out the process. Only 9% believe in evolution by natural law.
Dwyan Gish, the noted biologist says, “Evolution is a fairly tale for adults. In Grimm’s Fairy Tales someone kisses a frog and 2 seconds later it become a prince. We call that a fairy tale. In evolution, someone kisses a frog and 2 millions years later it becomes a prince and we call that science.” Evolution is indeed a fairy tale for adults.
We are taught monkeys are the same as us, so are frogs, and even the sod of earth. That would mean I am only a sophisticated machine. Yet we all know a machine can’t love. So I must not actually be able to love. What I’m sensing is only a chemical reaction. Regardless of what the evolutionist tells us, deep down we know are not simply machines. We can’t live with the conclusions of evolution.
You aren’t a machine and unlike the drama we saw today, you aren’t a zero and you weren’t created to worship a big zero. You are not a sophisticated ape that grew up out of the slime, who was created by a freak accident. God tells us that you are a person uniquely and wonderfully made in His image. You have value, significance, and worth. Your life really does matter.
In Genesis chapter one God gives us an overview of creation and in Genesis chapter two we receive more details. Look at Genesis chapter two, verse 7. It says, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
Man didn’t start as a little baby. Rather God breathed into him, and life came into him. He opened his eyes a fully functioning, intellectually reasoning, completely mature, man.
Then Adam begins discovering the Garden where God placed him. Like man, the trees, the animals, and stars were all created mature. You know the proverbial question. “What came first, the chicken or the egg?’ Genesis solves this mystery. God created a full grown chicken, who crossed the road to lay an egg. Adam begins putting his wonderful brain to use by naming the animals. Genesis 2:20 says, “So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.” He quickly discovers he is different than the animals. Adam is a creature who can relate to the animals but he is not like they are. The animals are not comparable to him because they have not been made in God’s image. In my body I am related to the animals. But I’m more than my body. Man is created to related upward to God and downward to the rest of creation. Remember, when I use the word man, I’m speaking of mankind. Man is different than the animals in many ways but let me give you a few this morning.
Man was created as a spirit being. John 4:24 says, “God is Spirit.” God is a spirit. He is person. One of God’s names is the “I AM.” He is self-aware. He knows that He is. Man is also a spirit. I Thessalonians 5:23, informs us that we are made of spirit, soul, and body. We are a spirit, we have a soul, and we live in a body. Animals have bodies and possess an animal soul but they are not spirit. We are spirit because we have been made in the image of God. Like God, we can say, “I am.” We’re self-aware, we know we are here. Unlike the animals, we ponder our lives, the reason for life, and our existence. We are made in the image of God. We primarily relate to God spirit to spirit. Rom 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
Man was created with freedom of choice. We have a free will. Joshua inferred this when in Joshua 24:14-15 he announced, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” He made His choice, He was going to serve the Lord. God didn’t create robots. They could choose to serve him or not. As such, man is self-determining. We not only have choices, but we can be creative with our choices. God is the great Creator. We, made in the image of God, are little creators. Unlike the animals, we are very creative. Birds have made their houses the same for thousands of years. Man’s world around him is changing faster than the patent offices can issue certificates. It’s because we have been made in the image of God.
Man was created equally with every other member of mankind. Some animals are more valuable than others based on their value to mankind. This isn’t true with mankind. Man is intrinsically valuable, because he is a man. It doesn’t matter his education, his age, or his appearance. He has value. It is also important to understand that we are all of equal value to God and should be of equal value to one another regardless of our gender, our race, or our nationality or station in life.
In creation there is no gender greater than another gender. Did you realize when God created mankind, the original man had Eve inside of him. Adam was originally both male and female. Man was made a “them.” Man was one person but had all the characteristics of male and female in one person. Genesis 5:1-2 says, “In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.” Men and women have wonderful differences but they are totally equal. In the church this should be a living reality. Galatians 3:27-28 says, “There is neither…male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
In creation no race is greater than another race. Charles Darwin wrote his famous book, “The Origin of the Species.” The subtitle was “The Preservation of the Favored Races in the Struggle for Human Life.” Educators don’t tell you that because they don’t want you to know that Darwin was a racist. He believed white people evolved separately from black people. Therefore white people were superior. Genesis does not teach that. Darwin was wrong about evolution and he was wrong about the races. We didn’t evolve from below, but we were created from above. We did come from different evolution processes. We were all, everyone of us, made in the image of God. This truth should be a living reality in the church. Gal 3:27-28 says “There is neither Jew nor Greek…for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
In creation we learn no nationality is greater than another nationality. Acts 17:26 says, “He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth.” I am all for patriotism but too often as Americans, we get this false sense of superiority over people from other nations. It isn’t right. Regardless of your status, achievement, parents, or nationality, you are sacred to God. Whether you sleep in a million dollar mansion in Beverly Hills or on a dirt floor in Calcutta, you are valuable and precious to God. This is what the church should be about. Gal 3:27-28 says, “There is neither…slave nor free…for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Transition: The first thing we’ve discovered in Genesis chapter 1 and 2 is that you were created in the image of God. Second, the text teaches us that you were created for a purpose.
Let’s go back and read Genesis 1:28. It says, “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.” God blessed them. Something about God’s blessing is that it never is to be horded. When God blessed Abraham, he blessed Him to be a blessing. When mankind was created, God blessed Him, but was in turn to bless God. Ps 103:1 says, “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!” When God blesses us he imparts life to us. When we bless God we are to worship and glorify Him. The first purpose of man was to love and glorify God. In Matthew 22:37 Jesus told us the first and great commandment of man was to love the LORD God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” In 1 Cor 10:31-32 Paul tells us, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” In Luke 3:38 Adam is called the “son of God.” Christ is the unique, co-equal Son of God. But we were created to be sons of God. We lost that in the fall but now can be sons and daughters of God again through Christ. As sons of God we are to reflect the Son of God. Like the moon reflects the light of the sun, we are to glorify God by reflecting His glory in the world.
In the next part of that verse we see more of our purpose. God tells them to “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth.” Some people think God is a prude. They even have the misconception that He is anti-sex. He’s not. In fact, He is the one who created sex. Sex within proper perimeters and boundaries. Because outside of those boundaries what God meant as a blessing becomes a curse. Some people are prudish about sex but others only see the physical aspect of this verse. I heard one man say that his college group was only interested in hearing messages about three subjects. They are first of all messages on sex. Then the subject of end times. And finally whether there will be sex in the end times. But there is more to this verse than procreation. Obviously it means to have offspring that populate the planet. Yet, in the context of the entire Bible we know it means more than that. For if one of our primary purposes on earth is to simply produce children, what about people who are single or those who are unable to have children. I think that it has a greater meaning than simply to bear children. I believe we are created for the purpose of becoming more like God and producing others who are becoming like God. By that the Bible does not teach we become God’s but that we are to become more godly. We aren’t his equal and never will be His equal, but we are to become more like Him. Romans 8:29 tells us that we are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. But our purpose isn’t simply to become like Christ but we are to see others become like Christ. The Great Commission can be found in Matthew 28:19 where Jesus says “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” You see, for most people it is easy to have children. And understand, simply being able to procreate children doesn’t automatically make you someone fulfilling the will of God. There are deadbeat dads who have a half a dozen children and don’t even know some of their names. Raising responsible productive, emotionally healthy children, that is raising godly children is the objective. You see parents, you don’t keep this command by simply having children but by raising Godly children. What an awesome honor and an incredible responsibility that is. And our culture is making it harder all the time. I salute the parents of this church who don’t just send your children to church but you bring them to church. You are making an investment of your life into seeing your children becoming committed followers of Christ. Godly people who will make a difference in their world.
Kelly and I have not yet had children, but I believe we fulfill this commandment by leading people to Christ and discipling them to become more Christ like. We are working hard to help populate this planet with committed followers of Jesus Christ. I think of others in our congregation like Nelda Porter. Nelda hasn’t had children yet but she has been fulfilling her God given purpose of replenishing the earth with people who glorify God in their lives. She noticed that there were a lot of children in her neighborhood who didn’t go to church and didn’t know the Lord. She started having them over to her house for Bible studies and she began bringing them to church. A number of them have committed their lives to Christ. I think of Chris and Stephanie Davis who also haven’t yet had children but are pouring their lives into teenagers to see them become life long disciples of Jesus. I commend you guys and all of you, because there are many of you, who are fulfilling your purpose of becoming more like God and producing others who are becoming like God.
Another aspect of our God created purpose we find in the last part of that verse. God instructs them to, “Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” You were created to rule in the earth under God. God’s rulership was to be carried out through man. Man was to be God’s Vice-Regent. This means he was to steward the planet. He was to take care of the resources God had entrusted to him. Ecology didn’t begin with Green Peace, it was to begin with Adam. We should be concerned of the planet while recognizing that the earth was created for the benefit of human beings who were made in the image of God. Man was to be submitted to God and to rule under God, enforcing His will. Man loses this dominion at the fall but it has been regained in Christ. In Matt 16:19 Jesus said, “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Take your place in Christ. Pray and work to see his will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Transition: We have seen that you were created in the image of God, with a purpose from God. Now Genesis teaches us that you were created to have your needs met by God, to enter into his fullness.
God did not create man to be independent of God but to depend on God to supply his every need. God provided for mans physical needs. Gen 2:9 “And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.” In the weeks ahead we will examine what the pre-flood earth must have been like. But in the pre-flood, pre-fall earth, man had his every physical need met in God. It is still God’s desire to be our physical need-meeter. He may do it partially through our work, but we must remember that He is our ultimate source. Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” If you are in financial need today, turn to the Lord in faith, because he still wants to supply your needs.
The Lord also recognized that man had relationship needs and he had a plan to meet the need. Gen 2:18 says, “And the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.’” Mankind was not made to be independent. Instead he was to be dependent upon God and interdependent upon others. We need other people. As such God made a companion for Adam. Look beginning in verse 21, “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.” The word in this verse for “made” does not mean “created” as used for the animals, or “formed” as used specifically for man, but the Hebrew words means “built.” In other words, the animals were simply created, man was actually formed, but the woman was really built. Verse 23, “And Adam said: ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man..’”
The word “rib” literally means a physical rib. You say, but men today have the same number of ribs as a woman. That’s right, but they didn’t originally.
Did you hear the embellishment of this story? It says that Adam was told God was making him a companion and it was going to be a woman. God said, "This person will cook for you and wash your clothes, she will always agree with every decision you make. She will bear your children and never ask you to get up in the middle of the night to take care of them. She will not nag you and will always be the first to admit she was wrong when you’ve had a disagreement. She will never have a headache and she will freely give you love and compassion whenever needed. Adam asked, "What would a woman like that cost me?" The answer was "An arm and a leg." Adam then asked, "What can I get for just a rib?" The rest is history.
When the Bible talks about a rib, it is a literal rib, but it means more than that. Rib could be better stated as side. Someone may say, “There is a side of me you don’t know.” The female side was taken from Adam. This was himself but in another form. To help you see this it may be good to know that the word helper was translated in the Latin Vulgate – “an ultra ego” – which means my other self. In Hebrew, Adam was a self, an ISH. But when he saw Eve, the word used for woman is ISHA. Like him but different. Men and woman are equal but they are different. And all the men said, “Praise the Lord.” There are many lessons that can be learned from this but the most important for our purposes is to see that God met Adam’s social need. We need other people.
Also God meets our really deep needs in life. He provides your heart’s deepest needs. He provides for our need for love, acceptance, significance, and wholeness. Genesis 2:25 says, “And they (speaking of the man and woman) were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” The word naked has in context the meaning of being exposed. It is the idea of people really knowing you. Some of you wouldn’t want people to really know who you are as a person because you would be ashamed. You’re ashamed because you’re not sure you’re everything you should be. You are deficient as a human being. The first couple was fully exposed to each other and there was no shame. They weren’t ashamed because they were complete in God. Without God, we aren’t completely whole and we should be ashamed. We have deficiencies in us that only God can fill. Adam and Eve were complete in God and therefore unashamed. Only God can meet those needs in us but in Genesis we learn that it is His desire to meet our deepest needs by His unconditional life and healing grace. In John 6:35 Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” He desires to meet those needs.
Transition: Here in Genesis 1 and 2 we have discovered that you were created to bear God’s image, to fulfill His purpose, and to know His fullness.
CONCLUSION
So what do you do with this information? First, don’t by into the deception of evolution. Instead, live like a person who has been made in the image of God. You have worth, value and significance. Hold your head up high in worship, you are God’s masterpiece.
Second, know that you were created for a purpose. You are to become more like Christ. Make it the goal of your life to worship God and glorify Him with your life. Allow the spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible study, and worship become an important part of your life so that they can begin to shape you to be more like Christ. Apply God’s Word to your life, put off old habits, and live a godly life. Not only that but share your faith with others. Invest in other people’s lives to encourage them and mentor them in the Christian life. Allow your life to make difference in enforcing God’s kingdom will and purpose on earth through fervent prayer and sacrificial service.
Third, realize you can meet your own needs. God is the ultimate source of our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Look to Him and allow Him to meet those needs in your life in His way.
ALTAR CALL
The greatest need any of us has is the need to be in right relationship with God. If you don’t know Jesus Christ, you can come to know Him today. First you have to admit that you do need Him. You see, all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s purpose for our lives. But God loved you so much, that His Son Jesus Christ came among us as a man. He lived a perfect sinless life and then died for the sin of the entire human race. He died for your sin and failure. If we want to be right with God, you can’t achieve it on your own. You have to come to Him for His forgiveness and restoration. Let’s pray together this morning.
