Genesis 1_26-27 being who I was created to be

Genesis 1:26-27 “Being who I was created to be.”

Intro: A Wild-eyed man, dressed like Napoleon Bonaparte entered into the office of a psychiatrist, he placed his right hand inside of his coat and nervously said, “Doctor, I need your help right away!”

The Doctor said, “I can see that, lie down on that couch, and tell me you problem.”“I don’t have any problems,” the man snapped “In fact, as Emperor of France, I have everything I could possibly want: money, power --- everything! But I’m afraid my wife, Josephine, is in deep mental trouble.”

The psychiatrist said, “I see, and what seems to be her main problem?”

The man replied, “For some strange reason, she thinks she is Mrs. Schwartz!”

A cute little joke however I tend to preach today about a serious matter plaguing humanity and that is the identity crises that effects everyman.

Orientation: The word Genesis comes from the Greek Old Testament and tells of the generations of Adam. No Bible book more fully teaches God as Creator and humanity as sinners who cannot save themselves, than Genesis.

There are 5 main themes in this book, they are Creation, Death, Judgment, Covenant, and Providence.

Creation – man was created in God’s image giving rightful evidence that he is accountable to god.

Death – (“He died”)(78x) impresses the fact that sin had the effect God warned about

Judgment - the flood and it is proof positive that God judges the race that He created.

Covenant – w, God’s covenant with Noah and Abraham, testifying that God reaches out with grace in mercy to the fallen race.

Providence – (Joseph’s story) God’s providential care of those people who are indeed His!

CPS: You are God created by God in grace and great love, fashioned after His image, yet due to sin there is a crisis among everyman but there is hope that you can be whom God created you to be.

Man was created to be God’s image bearer Gen. 1:26-27

Show the care in which God created man fashioning him as a potter fashions pottery. Fashioned unlike all of creation to reflect his image. “Imago Dei”

What God created

God created you as his image bearer with personality, a mind, a will, with emotions, and freedom. Like God, man has intellect, a moral nature, and the power to communicate with others.

What God said about His creation

Man was created to love God by his own free will Gen 2:15-17

Show that God created man innocent without the need to discern good from evil but wanted man to love Him at His own free choosing, thus God gave man a Command to obey.

Man has been damaged by sin Gen 3:6-7

Show how Eve was tempted and how Adam ate deliberately and immediately sins results was death. Now God’s beloved image bearer is marred and sin has affected all of him.

The Temptation

The Results

Shame and frightened

Immediate Spiritual death

Progressive Physical death

The Failed Attempt

Because of sin, the whole of man is damaged and in his natural state the truth of who he was created to be escapes him, now he is a sinner whose mind is so corrupt that he doesn’t have the ability to recognize sin in his life.

ILL: Man calls it an accident, God calls it abomination.

Man calls it a defect, God calls it a disease.

Man calls it an error, God calls it an enmity.

Man calls it a liberty, God calls it lawlessness.

Man calls it a trifle, God calls it a tragedy.

Man calls it a mistake, God calls it madness.

Man calls it a weakness, God calls it willfulness.

Man can be who he was created to be Gen 3:21

By grace through faith man can be reborn and become whom he was created to be, one to reflect the glory of God through out all creation.

The Picture of Atonement

The Savior Who came

The example

The sacrifice

The New Man

2 Cor. 5:17

Eph. 4:24

Col. 3:10

Rom. 8:29!!!

Application: Sin will take you farther than you ever thought you’d straySin will leave you so lost, you think you’ll never find your waySin will keep you longer than you ever thought you’d staySin will cost you more than you ever thought you’d pay

Be who you were created to be and tell all of the world that can be too!