Made in His Image

This morning, we are going to talk about something that science has been trying to explain for centuries.

Although our technology continues to advance, mankind, on his own, has been unable to explain it, recreate it, or understand it. And the reason why this is… is because for the particular topic, science will forever fall short.

Why? Because there is only ONE SOURCE that can create something out of nothing. In fact, this source created EVERYTHING out of nothing, and everything that has been created gives testimony to HIS POWER that is at work!

Genesis 1:1 tells us

Genesis 1:1 NIV

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Those first five words of the Bible MEAN EVERYTHING. Those first five words set the stage for the rest of the 727,964 words that follow. These five words tell us some amazing things!

First, when it comes to the universe as we know it, there is a beginning. What is all around us has not existed for all eternity.

But God HAS existed for all eternity. God exists outside the limits of time and space. All we have know regarding our physical surroundings is time and space so we struggle to comprehend what could be beyond this physical existence.

Second, it tells us that we have a Creator.

This one is HUGE. And we are going to talk more about this in a moment. But we need to understand that NOTHING that has been made… is an accident. ALL that is around us and more importantly, every man, woman, and child, has been created with intentionality, with purpose, and with care.

Third, it tells us that God, is a POWERFUL God. God, in His triune existence, created the world in HIS POWER and AUTHORITY.

First, we need to understand that God, in three persons, created all that we know today.

Genesis 1:1 tells of the beginning of the event. But we are given more details as the chapter goes on.

God created the heavens and the earth. Once formed, Genesis 1:2 tells us something important.

Genesis 1:2 NIV

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

The Spirit of God was moving above the waters once the earth was formed.

Next, God begins to speak the rest of the world into existence. As this WORD of God is spoken, the elements MUST OBEY His commands. His authority over creation is displayed AND The Word of God is set into motion. Why is this Word significant? Because this Word is Jesus.

John 1:1–5 NIV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

So God, in all three persons, created this world, this universe, and set ALL things in motion. His authority is displayed as He speaks and the universe obeys.

Secondly, Genesis 1 tells us of God’s power along with His authority. The story of creation is a story that reveals the eternal power of our God. His power is displayed in Genesis 1, but it can also be seen today in all that He has made.

Romans 1:20 NIV

20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

This morning, we continue our series on The Power of God by going all the way back to the beginning of all things.

Why do I believe God is leading us to go in that direction? Simple. Because His ETERNAL POWER can be seen from what has been made.

Why is it that science has failed to come up with an answer to how all things came into existence? BECAUSE IT IS SOMETHING THAT CANNOT BE ANSWERED WITHOUT GOD. The creation of something from nothing… IS IMPOSSIBLE. But when it comes to God, we know that there is NOTHING our God cannot do!

Science will forever fall short in this discussion. Our understanding of how all things came into existence is not a matter of what science can tell us… it is a matter of faith.

AND… as science continues to try to understand the origins of the universe, there is a growing consensus in scientific communities that our universe is a product of… wait for it… intelligent design! Meaning there is no way this all happened by accident!

We know today that God created it all! Through His power and authority, God set this world, this universe, into motion.

And interestingly enough… the world has been trying to strip God of His title of creator of all things. WHY? Well, go back to Romans 1:20… Creation gives evidence… it testifies of His power, authority, and existence. So… if the enemy of God can convince the world that all of this… is nothing but happenstance… that all of this… is nothing but random acts of chemistry… think of what damage that can do to hearts and minds today.

We don’t have to imagine what that might look like… we are seeing it take hold of a generation right before our eyes.

Here’s the truth of the matter. There is only ONE PART of God’s creation that the enemy aims to destroy today and that one part… is the crowning achievement (if you will) of ALL of creation. The enemy seeks to steal, to kill, and to destroy… humankind.

God declared all of creation to be good… but He only declared one part to be VERY GOOD. God may have created all of the universe we know today… but there is only one part of His creation… that was made in HIS IMAGE.

Genesis 1:27 NIV

27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

I want us to read that verse together…

This is a POWERFUL reality. From this reality we are given two extremely important parts of our existence.

One… we are given identity.

Two… we are given purpose.

The enemy wants to remove from our minds the significance of God’s power at work through creation.

If God can be removed from the very beginning… then nothing else that follows matters… which means… you and I don’t matter.

And when that lie begins to sink into hearts, people begin to sink into darkness. But God is in this place today and has given me this message to proclaim to you that YOU ARE CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD THROUGH HIS POWER AND LOVE. YOU ARE CREATED ON PURPOSE, WITH PURPOSE, FOR HIS GLORY. You are NOT an accident, you are not merely a product of your parents, you are a child of the most High King! And God has GREAT things in store for you!

ALL PEOPLE MATTER TO GOD! YOU MATTER TO GOD. He sees you… He knows you… and He cares deeply about you.

And this morning, we are going to look at God’s power in creation… by looking at how amazing YOU ARE!

This is not to puff up our ego or to stroke any attitude of arrogance. It is simply a reminder that God made you and the answers regarding your identity and your purpose can only be found in relationship with Him.

So we start off by asking an important question today:

Who Am I?

This is question being asked by a generation that has lost sight of its identity. It is a question, that if left unanswered, that can cause great harm within and great confusion.

NO ONE desires to be in a place of shaken identity. NO ONE. The struggle is real… and people are looking for answers. But before we look at the answer people are looking for, lets briefly talk about why this question is on the rise.

First off, this is one of the damaging effects of taking God out of creation.

Recall the passage we spoke of from Genesis 1:27. This verse specifies that:

God created us.

He created us male or female

He created us in His image.

God did NOT create us to resemble anything else on this earth. He didn’t create us to act like anything else on this earth.

I’ve heard some say we can look to nature and see example patterns of life and systems of organization and order. But church, I really don’t care how the deer and the antelope play… because they were not made in the image of God!

God set humankind ABOVE everything else in this world. Genesis 1:26 reveals this truth.

Genesis 1:26 NIV

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

God created us TO STAND OUT. He created us for His glory. He created us in His image.

I think one of the saddest realities is… people are looking for the world to tell them who they are instead of accepting who God says they are.

Examples include:

The social media addiction that is sweeping generations. People find their significance in how many of their friends “like” a post or video.

The fear of the mirror. People see an image of themselves in the mirror and they don’t like what they see… as if their “image” has anything to do with what they look like. People believe that identity is found on the surface through appearance.

The mental health trap. Now I believe in the importance of mental health from a biblical perspective, not a secular perspective as secular “help” has gone off the deep end. People are encouraged to embrace new genders, new lifestyles, new trends because it might make them “happy.” Secular therapy requires therapists to affirm these identity crises instead of getting to the root of the problem.

Funny enough, many people have tried this by acting on the “experts” instruction and are now coming out against it. They changed their bodies, they drank the kool-aide, and they found themselves more depressed - and now physically mutilated.

Listen to me… when it comes to your identity… when it comes to answering the question, “Who am I” it can only be answered through seeking the One who made you in His image.

God KNOWS who you are. You are fearfully and wonderfully made by Him! (Psalm 139:14)

You are not who you are for what you can do… you are who your Creator made you to be! And if you have lost sight of God, then you will struggle with knowing who you are! And the enemy is going to play on that struggle to bring you down.

God is in this place to lift you back up! You are His Son, His daughter. He loves you and He has a purpose for you.

Secondly, the question of who am I is on the rise because this is one of the damaging effects of the breakdown of the traditional or nuclear family.

We cannot deny it… we cannot reject this truth. Although I do not like this fact, we cannot deny that the traditional family in America is now the minority in our culture.

For this first time in our nation’s history, fatherless homes became the majority in our last Census. And yes… this is a BIG deal. Loss of identity, loss of significance, loss of purpose, loss of faith, can all be traced back to the rise of broken homes.

Just as God designed each of us as men or women in His image, He designed the structure for the home. And when that structure breaks down, the effects can be catastrophic.

To all the single parents in the room, this is NOT a head bashing moment. I was raised by a single mom that did all she could to pour Christ into me. She did well. But If I were to stand here and tell you that the brokenness of our home did not have a lasting impact on me… I’d be lying to you today.

Moms and dads both play a significant role in the upbringing of their children. When one of those roles is missing, a part of the child will suffer… the identity within that child will suffer.

God’s blessing to Adam and Eve… to be fruitful and multiply… was given within the context of marriage. His blessing to “fill the earth” was given on the foundation of family.

Today, we multiply outside the design. Today we fill the earth on our terms… and it isn’t going so well.

The good news is… God can redeem it. God can turn it all around. God can do something we cannot do for ourselves!

This is true in the area of our image and this is true in the breakdown of the family.

You might be lost. You might be struggling. You might be living in the midst of chaos and brokenness. You might be feeling worthless. You might be feeling hopeless. You might feel like this is all for nothing.

I want you to hear me clearly this morning: GOD DID NOT CREATE YOU FOR THESE FEELINGS!

God did not create you for brokenness. God did not create you to have no identity. He created you for something greater! So as we consider the question who am I, we must also answer the question...

Why Am I?

PURPOSE! Why am I here? What was I created for? And this question plays a HUGE role in who God created us to be!

God DID NOT create us to be lost, broken, confused, or misled… HE CREATED US FOR HIS GLORY! He created us to be in fellowship with us.

That’s right! The God that spoke this universe into motion created you… to hang out with you!

Now obviously our relationship with the Lord is more than hanging out with each other… it is fellowship… it is living life in the fullness of His presence and love. This is what God intended… until sin entered the picture.

From the moment sin entered the equation, life on earth has become more and more challenging. And funny enough, technological advances have not made things better, I would argue they have made things worse.

The more “advanced” we think we are, the less dependent on God’s power we have become. The more we think we have things figured out, the worse things seem to be falling apart.

This plays true within our culture.

This plays true within ourselves.

Church, it’s high time we get back to why God has created us in the first place. We were created for fellowship… we were created to be in relationship with Him.

It is within that relationship that we find our true selves… the person GOD CREATED US TO BE.

Listen to me… the world is going to let you down. Your family may have let you down. BUT YOUR GOD WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN.

“But preacher you don’t understand! I feel like God has let me down already! All these bad things keep happening and I feel lost in the chaos!”

Unfortunately, this world is FULL of brokenness. This world is FULL of lies and deception. And many times, our feelings are based off the understanding of how the world works instead of how God works.

You can find yourself living in unfavorable circumstances… but still live in the favor of God. Just ask Joseph.

You can find yourself walking through the valley of the shadow of death… and fear no evil. Just ask David.

Your circumstance does not define who you are or why God created you… GOD AND GOD ALONE IS THE SOURCE OF SAID DEFINITION. The question is… do you believe what His Word says about you?

Listen, God cares so much about having a relationship with you that He sent Jesus to die for the sins that separated us from God.

In a moment, we will take communion in remembrance of what Jesus did for us… but this is how far our God is willing to go for you. He doesn’t want you lost, confused, and living in sin and brokenness. He wants you in fellowship with Him!

The key to finding yourself today… is coming back to the One that created you in the first place.

Here’s the deal… knowing that you are made in His image and for His purpose unlocks His power in your life!

You move from doubting yourself… being confused in who you are… to trusting in God’s power… and believing in who He created YOU TO BE!

So if you desire to know… you… you need to know… Him. You need to come back to a relationship with God through Jesus.

He made you for His glory. Even after sin entered this world, God made a way back for us. Jesus is that way and in Him you will find forgiveness of your sins.

Sin separates you from God… but the blood of Jesus covers ALL sin.

Are you ready to start or restart a relationship in Jesus Christ?

PRAYER - Salvation

Secondly, we remember what God has done through His Son. We celebrate our ability to know Him again. God does not want us lost… spiritually, or regarding our identity. He did only what He could do… we can know Him… and we can know His purpose for our lives.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 NIV

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.