The Right Reflection

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Ezek 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

Ezek 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones

of fire.

INTRODUCTION:

What is a reflection? According to the dictionary it is an image/likeness/representation/ counterpart/impression. From the beginning of time God wanted to reflect Himself. He cannot create another god like himself so the next best thing was to create an anointed angel to reflect His glory in the heavens and created man on earth to

reflect His glory on earth.

So what happened? In this creation process God chose to allow everyone (angels included) to have a free will. God knew what would happen. The reflection would be tarnished or removed, let’s take a closer look.

I. LUCIFER: heylel, hay-lale’; (in the sense of brightness); the morning-star:--lucifer.

A holy angel with beauty and wisdom. A holy angel with precious stones and musical instruments. A holy angel that was to cover the mountain of God. A holy angel that was to reflect the glory of God. Tradition says he was the praise and worship leader

for all the angels in heaven. So why was he created?

a. To reflect God’s Glory

b. For God’s Service

c. To Bless God

What happened? Pride took over and he thought he could take over. Instead of reflecting God’s glory he wanted the glory for himself but God makes a very clear statement in Isaiah

Isa 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

II. LET’S LOOK AT ADAM

Gen 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

Gen 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

Gen 3:9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

Gen 3:10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Created in the image of God.

He became fearful and ashamed

He hid from the presence of God

Adam was not the reflection of God that God had intended for him to be. Just as Lucifer he made a choice and the choice wasn’t the right choice. There was a price to be paid. Just as Lucifer fell from the heavens like lightening, Adam fell from the presence of God.

III. LET’S LOOK AT MOSES

Exo 34:29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

Exo 34:30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.

In Chapter 32 we read of the golden calf and Moses braking the first set of tablets.

In Chapter 33 Moses goes back up on the mountain and asks to see God’s glory.

When Moses came into the presence of the Lord several things happened:

*He had a change in his relationship with the Lord - He interceded for the people

*Being in the presence of the Lord changed his physical countenance

*Moses had a change in his relationship with others

IV. NOW LET’S LOOK AT THE PERFECT REFLECTION

a. He had the glory of the Father

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory,the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

b. He could only do what the Father does.