In His Likeness: Part 1

Introduction

Well, good morning! It feels great to be here…to be able to worship…to fellowship…to open up God’s word…and listen, I’m just excited to be able to proclaim the gospel this morning…I feel privileged to able to walk us through His word.

And thank you so much for allowing me to be your pastor…seriously, it’s one of the greatest blessings God’s given me.

Alright, before we get started this morning…let’s recite our mission verse together…I’ll get us started. Matthew 28, verses 19 & 20.

English Standard Version (Chapter 28)

“19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

[Prayer]

Alright, if you have your Bibles and I hope you do…open ‘em up with me to Genesis chapter 1…Genesis chapter 1.

So far in chapter 1…we’ve looked at the main character of the Bible…which is God. We’ve looked at his purpose in creation…which has always been man’s redemption and his glory. We’ve looked at the first six days of creation and we really got a snapshot of his character and his nature. But this morning....as we walk through the end of chapter 1…we’re gonna see something a little different about the last thing he creates…which of course is us. There’s something very unique and very different about how God created mankind. And listen, it’s tells us a ton about who we are…and what it means…but also, it tells us more about this God that created everything.

There’s a different kind of approach we see here with humanity. There’s a personal touch…there seems to be a different feeling toward us.

Listen, where’s my parents at this morning?…You remember the very first time you looked at each of your kids?…gotta hold them? It was a special feeling, right? Like, something in you just changed.

I’ll never forget the first time with each of my kids…but with Lacey…I’ll definitely never forget it…Brittany and I, we went in to the ER one night…it was toward the end of her pregnancy…we found out Lacey was breached and so, they did an emergency c-section. And listen, I’m wimp when it comes to gross stuff. I don’t like seeing blood or guts or any of that. Well, they did everything that was involved in a c-section and I’ll never forget…they brought my first child to me…straight outta the womb…I looked at her....and I literally said to ‘em, “That’s alright…you can go clean her up first!” I mean there was all this stuff all over her and I mean, they didn’t do anything but take her out and try to hand her to me. I was struggling, guys.

But listen, on serious note…I’ll never forget the first time I looked her in the eyes…of course she was clean at that point…but I thought to myself, “Wow…we made that! She’s part of us!”

I mean, you just have a very different kind of love for your children, right? It’s special. And I think any good parent would do anything for their kids…because again it’s just a special kind of bond you have with them. You want the very best for ‘em.

I always think it’s funny when you see parents coaching their kids in different sports…and other parents, they’re like, “Hey, you’re playing favorites out there!”...Of course they are! It’s their kid. And guess what, I’d do the same thing…because they’re my kids, right? I love ‘em more. God gave ‘em to me. He didn’t give me your kids.

Guys, as we come to this passage this morning…that’s exactly what God does for mankind…He kinda plays favorites here. He puts more thought and creativity in us. He gives us more…he blesses us more…He makes us in his image, right? He’s made us to know him.

And so, if you’re there with me this morning. Let’s stand together as we read…starting in verse 26, “26 Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and 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 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

Thank you, you can be seated.

Listen, there’s two main things I want us to see this morning…First, how does the Bible define us…and then secondly, what’s that mean?

And so, let’s jump right into it.

1.) How Does the Bible Define Me?

Children

So, how does the Bible define me? Verse 26, “26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

First off, immediately you have to notice the Triune God, right? He says, “Let US make…in OUR image.” Those words, they’re plural. But who’s he talking to? It’s the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…making us in their image. We see the plurality of God here.

But what’s it mean about us…how’s this defining us?

Turn over with me to Genesis chapter 5. Moses writes in verse 1, “1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them.” (Listen to me, because I don’t want this sermon to be about what we know to be obvious as Christians…God created male and female separately and uniquely…your gender, it was chosen by God and its not something that can be changed by man…and it doesn’t matter how much that hurts your feelings…If you’ve been with us the last few weeks…God’s the author of life and he’s the only one with enough authority to define that kind of thing. Amen?

Moses continues,“and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.” But listen to this…verse 3, “3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.”

Listen, even though this particular passage is showing the genealogy from Adam to Noah…its also showing us that the word “image” was almost always attached to sonship. Adam, he fathered a son in his own likeness and image, right? But who was Adam made in the likeness of? God!

Being made in the image of God indicates God’s paternity…we’re his children.

That’s exactly what Imago Dei (E-mog-go Day) means…it’s a core theological term that’s applied uniquely to mankind and demonstrates the special relationship that exists between God and all of humanity. While everything that God made was to bring fulfillment and satisfaction to man…we were made specifically by God, for God. We’re the pinnacle of his creation…which was exactly why at the end of day six, God steps back and sees everything he’s created and he says what? This is “very good.” It wasn’t just good…its now “very good.” Because when he steps back…he sees those made in his image…he sees his sons and his daughters.

And of course, we know how the story goes…the fall would come. Man would turn from God and rebel against him…but what I want you to recognize this morning is that it never changed the fact that man is still made in God’s image and made for him.

This is why we fight against things like abortion and homosexuality…because the image of God is so important. Every single person that’s born into this world is made in that image and it means that every single life matters…but it also means there’s a dignity that every single person deserves because whether they proclaim it or not, they belong to God…they’re his children…they’re made in his likeness and in his image. Yes, it’s distorted. But it’s why the gospel and advancing it’s so important. Because there’s one…Jesus Christ…who’s not just made in the image of God…but he is the exact imprint of God.

The author writes in Hebrews 1:3 “ 3 He [Jesus] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”

Guys, because Jesus is God, he of course is the exact imprint of God. Listen, when you look at your mom or dad…none of us are the exact imprint of them, right? We’re just images as sons and daughters…But because Jesus is the exact imprint…our hope at restoration, it lies with him. Its in the Christ who is “the image of the invisible God.” Christ came as the second Adam…he lived a perfect life…all so that he could die on our behalf as our sacrificial lamb. All so that he could pay for our sins and reinstate us as his children. Why’d he do that? Because wouldn’t you do anything for your children? Wouldn’t you do what’s best for them?

Listen, the reason the good news of Jesus is so important is because when we repent and believe in him…we’re not only restored but he begins to shape us into his image spiritually. Our destiny as believers is to be made into the image of Christ. That’s where fulfillment’s found. And when we’re made fully in his image…we share in his inheritance…we share in his likeness…his responsibility…we’ll talk more about that in a second.

But the first thing to understand about being made in the image of God, it’s that you’re his child…you’re a son or a daughter of the Creator.

Hearers

But how else does Moses define us as those made in the image of God…He shows us that we’re all hearers of God.

Look at verse 28 again. Immediately after God creates man, he speaks to them. It says, “28 And God blessed them. And God said to them.”

Guys, this means that as image-bearers we can hear and receive God’s word. There’s no other creature we see throughout the entirety of the creation narrative with that kind of ability.

In the other days of creation…God would bless them but he would just speak over them…this is the first time God speaks directly to his creation.

When he made us…he made us very different. He made us with the ability to communicate…and not just to communicate with each other…but to more importantly communicate with him. And listen, this ties perfectly into us being made as his sons and daughters.

Guys, my kids…they have access to me that you’ll never have. Between them and my wife…they’re the only ones that can approach me and communicate with me at all times…no matter what’s going on, right? I’ve had to stop meetings before…or jump out of class for ‘em. They can even walk into my office late at night when I’m working on school. Why? Because they’re my kids.

Listen as God’s children, we have direct access to him. God created us for personal relationship with himself. Now again, the fall distorted that…but listen, it doesn’t mean that’s not still what God desires…his desire is still that personal relationship…which is why the gospel’s so important. Jesus, paying the penalty of our sins…he becomes the mediator on our behalf…he makes it possible for us to communicate with God again…he bridges the gap that separates us from God’s holiness.

As image-bears, we were made for personal relationship with the Creator and made to have direct access to him because we belong to him. That’s why he goes to such great lengths to restore that relationship and that ability to speak to us directly.

And listen, that’s why I’ve made it such a big deal to dig into God’s word and to have a personal quiet time…it’s why I’m pushing KNOT Groups so hard…because this is what we were created for…and when we’re not in God’s presence…things always seem to fall apart.

Being made in the image of God, it means we have the ability to join him in his perfect relationship with the Trinity.

Rulers

But this passage also shows us that with this image we’re made in, it comes with a responsibility.

Because we’re his in a very personal way…because we’re made in his image…we share responsibility with him.

Look at what he says in verse 26 again. It says, “let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” And then again in verse 28, “28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Listen, we’re gonna talk more about our responsibilities next week…as those made in the image of God…but real quickly, we see as image-bearers…God’s called us to rule over his creation. As image-bearers…we’re rulers. God’s made man his royal figures in creation. He’s given us authority and dominion. And that thought, it should really astonish us just like it did with David when he wrote Psalm 8. Verse 3 says this,“3  When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4  what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5  Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6  You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, 7  all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8  the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9  O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

There’s this dignity attached to being made in the image of God…not only because we’re made in his very likeness but also because of the responsibility we hold to rule over his creation.

As image-bearers…we’re his sons and daughters…we have direct access to him....we’ve been given dominion over all he created. That’s how the Bible defines us…But listen, God created us in this likeness because this reflection…this image we’re made in…it was meant to point everything else to him. We’re meant to point everything to the God of Creation…and we’re meant to bring him glory.

We’re gonna examine that idea more next week…but that’s the significance of being made in the image of God.

2.) What Does it Mean?

Knowledge

But listen, what’s all this mean…like, besides being his children and having the ability to communicate with him and to rule his creation…what really separates us from everything else he’s created…what’s it mean to be a child or a hearer or a ruler of God’s?

Well, first off…it means we’re able to have true knowledge of God. And listen, it’s a knowledge that transcends just mere information about God. Because we’re made in his image, we’re able to actually know this God…we’re able to relate to this God.

John 17:3 says, “3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

Guys, we were made to know God in a very personal way. That was his desire from the very start…that’s what most separates us from the rest of creation…He made us in his image because ultimately, he wanted us to know him in the same ways he knows us.

And just because there’s those that reject and rebel against God, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have the same ability to know God. Our image…whether we admit it or not…everyone of us…believer, unbeliever…we seek for something divine…we seek for something to fill the void in our lives because ultimately we know there’s something greater out there…its why every people group since the beginning of time has worshipped some kind of god. The image we’re made in proves there’s a God out there…and we know that.

That’s why God goes to such great links to restore what was broken at the fall…and through Jesus…through his work on the cross…we’re able to experience redemption and experience this knowledge of God that even Adam and Eve couldn’t experience. We can know God in a very personal way today because of the Spirit of God and ultimately because of the image we were created in. That’s the purpose of what John wrote there in verse 3. That’s what eternal life’s all about…it’s to know the only true God.

And so, I’ll just say this…I’m not trying to guilt you this morning…but if you struggle with digging into Scripture…spending time with God…if you struggle with desiring to know him more…then you’re probably not gonna like heaven very much. Because it’s all about knowing God.

That’s why Paul wrote to the Philippians…chapter 3, verse 8, “8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

Guys, we were created…in his image…to know him…and because we’re made in his image…and because of Jesus....we’re able to really know him. And when the gospel’s really changed us…when it’s really got a hold of our heart…it gives us this desire to know him.

Do you know him? And do you desire to know him more?

Purpose

But listen, this image we’re created in…it also means…just as we’ve talked about over the last several weeks…it means we have purpose in light of God’s nature. David writes in Psalm 89:15, “15  Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face.”

David says, “Blessed or happy, fortunate…are those people.” They’re to be envied. Why? Because they’re people that know the joyful sound or appreciate the spiritual blessings that’s symbolized by feasts here…and so they walk in his light…meaning they’ve learned how to worship him in joy…they’re able to enter into God’s presence and find this continuous happiness. They’re able to rejoice at all times as Paul mentions to the Philippians over and over again.

Guys, that’s what our purpose is…of course he’s gonna call us to very specific vocations in very specific places and with very specific people…but our purpose collectively is to find real joy and satisfaction in him and it causes us to genuinely worship the One that’s provided this joy so graciously to us. That’s our purpose.

Listen, I’ve had to punish Braylin a lot here lately…He just doesn’t listen sometimes…he gets in these moods where he rebels…and before he even realizes it, it gets him punished. And listen, most recently, we took all of his technology away. And guys, it’s devastated him. But listen…do you really think I enjoy punishing him? Do you really think I enjoy taking away the things that bring him joy and happiness? Noooo. I want him to be happy…in fact…I work hard to make sure that my family has everything they need so that they’re happy and that all their needs are taken care of.

Guys, when God looks on our rebellion…when he sees this punishment we’ve brought on ourselves, it doesn’t make him happy that we’ve messed up this purpose he had for us…it’s why, again…he’s gone to such great lengths to restore that for us....he wants us to find joy…but it takes us turning to him…and listen, he wants that because that’s our purpose and because it leads to us genuinely worshipping him.

Because we’re image-bearers, our purpose is joy…and that joy…it leads to worship. Because to truly know him…its to truly rejoice…which is to truly worship.

When God carefully crafted us in his likeness…that image we’re made in…it gave us a purpose that no other creation has. God cares about our joy because ultimately he cares about his worship and his glory.

Morality

But real quickly…being made in God’s image also means that every one of us understands right from wrong.

Because God is the definition of goodness…we ultimately know when we’ve done something that dishonors him because we’re made in his likeness…and this is true of believers and unbelievers alike.

That’s why Paul writes in Romans 1, “28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.” But listen to this…Paul’s talking about those that aren’t believers here. He says this, “32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”

Listen, Paul’s saying here that even unbelievers…those that intentionally reject God, they know right from wrong but they still give into those sinful desires anyway.

It’s why we can go to some remote rain forest and people there, they still know right from wrong. They understand it’s wrong to lie or to steal or to murder, right? They don’t need me to tell them that…because listen, they’re made in the image of God…It’s why we all deserve death and eternal damnation.

Someone asked me not too long ago, “Pastor Steven, why would God send people to hell?” Well, first off…it’s important to understand God doesn’t send anyone to hell. It’s a place that was created for Satan and his fallen angels…it wasn’t created for man…God gave man the ability to know right from wrong because of the image we’re made in. And so, because of that…man sends themselves to hell because every one of us understands right from wrong…and as the Bible mentions, “We all fall short of God’s glory…none are righteous…no, not one.”

And honestly, whether those in our culture wanna admit it or not, they don’t really need us to tell them that things like abortion or homosexuality are wrong…they don’t need us to tell them that sex trafficking is wrong. They know these things on their own…but like what Paul says, “Though they know God’s righteous decree....they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”

Listen, just sit across from someone who’s actually lived their life as a transitioned male or a transitioned female…they’ll tell you that they regret their decision. There’s all kinds of videos trying to show young people the consequences of these types of decisions. Of course, our society won’t publicize these things because they wanna approve evil.

Sit across from someone who’s aborted their unborn child....it’s always one of the greatest regrets of their life and it’s always something they struggle to get past. Society won’t publicize that.

But you know why this is almost always the end result? Because even without having this personal relationship with God, these people, they’re still made in his image…and with that comes morality that’s built in every one of us…we all know the goodness of God even if we don’t admit it because ultimately we’re all made in his image.

Holiness

And because of that image…we were all created for holiness. Before the fall of man…before sin entered this world. Adam and Eve, they walked with God…they were in every way, holy…because to be holy means to be set apart. Sin is the separation from that which is holy.

And now…because of that sin…the only way to restore that holiness…its through the Son of Man…through Jesus. But guys, as someone who’s been restored…as someone that’s experience genuine salvation…you’ve been made holy again…you’ve been set apart all over again…through Jesus. That’s why Paul opens almost every one of his letters by saying, “To the saints in Corinth or to the saints in Rome or Ephesus or Philippi or wherever,” right? The word “saints,” it means holy…it means to be set apart.

As God’s image-bearer…and more specifically…as someone that’s been reborn…you are holy…you’re set apart by God, for God. That’s why Peter says in 2 Peter 1:4…that we may be partakers of his divine nature. God wants that for us…he wants to restore that holiness that he created us with…its why Jesus came…to bring about that restoration. To make us in his likeness all over again.

Closing

Listen, would you bow your heads and close your eyes with me?

If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior…if you understand the significance of the image you’re made in…how would someone define your holiness? Is your life a testimony of the work Jesus’s done to restore that which we broke? What comes out of you?

What about this…do you really desire to know this God that’s gone through such great lengths to bring you that restoration? How’s that demonstrated in your life? Are you reading his word? Are you meeting with other believers to grow?

Listen, if you truly understand this image we’re all made in…and if you’ve truly been set apart by Jesus…does it burden your heart that there’s those that are made in that same image…people that deserve the same dignity and respect because of that image…does it burden you that there’s some that will spend an eternity in hell because they haven’t heard the gospel or responded to it? Guys, being changed…being restored…it means we know God, we find joy in God, we know right from wrong and strive to be holy…it means we value those made in the image of God because of what it represents. How we approach and share the gospel demonstrates the change that’s really occurred in our lives.

We should all be on our knees praying for God to move in the lives of people we all know…people made in his image…that don’t know him. Will you do that today? Will you begin to care about your holiness and about his image?

Listen, even as I speak…as Wendy plays…these steps, they’re open for you to pray…to seek God…whatever it is you need.

But listen, maybe you’re here this morning and you don’t understand what I mean when I say you can be restored. Guys, you were made in the image of God…you were made in his likeness. He created you to be his child…to know him personally…to communicate with him…to rule with him…he created you with purpose.

But because you’ve turned from him…because you’ve gone your own way, it’s separated you from God…it’s separated you from how he originally created you. And because of that…because you still know right from wrong, you deserve punishment…and if something doesn’t change, you’ll spend an eternity completely apart from God.

But praise God…he sent Jesus to be our substitute…to pay for that punishment. That’s why he hung on a cross…so that all you have to do is repent and believe…turn from your old ways and turn to him…let him restore you…and just believe he is God.

When you do that…you’re made new as John 3 says…you’re reborn…given a new heart…given a new spirit. He restores you…he restores that holiness…he gives you the righteousness of Christ. But guys, you have to repent and believe. You have to make that step…you have to believe in your heart and confess with your mouth.

And so listen…if that’s you today…would you just step out from where you’re at…come talk to me…let me help you turn to him.

Listen, this time…its yours…whatever’s on your heart…you need to pray…you want salvation…whatever…you come as Wendy plays.

[Prayer]