Genesis 1:24 - 1:31
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Hear now the Words of our God
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 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.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 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.” 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. 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. 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.
These are the Words of the Lord.
Let’s Pray - Dismiss Children
Today our goal is to finish the first chapter of the creation account as recorded by Moses.....
Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in the book of Genesis.
This will be a big task as there are several incredibly important questions that arise as we look at these final 8 verses.
Speaking of questions: I have been very encouraged by the questions that have already been asked due to our study of this book.
Some really deep theological questions and some not so deep but definitely entertaining questions.
Questions like: Since birds of the air were created on day 5 and land animals on day 6, what about birds of the land like Chickens and Ostriches.
I would assume day 6, but I’m not sure this is a question we should lose too much sleep over.
Or what are my thoughts on the Nephilim does this speak of demons and humans doing that which shall not be named?
Well, not sure what that has to do with the Creation account, but instead of saying Day 6 let’s just wait till Chapter 6.
Or finally, my personal favorite question from last week’s sermon, what is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow.
Once we determined that it was indeed a European swallow, we did conclude that it is because of Day 5 we can find the answer to this question once and for all, since all birds, including the Norwegian blue, were indeed created on Day 5.
However I have neither the time nor the mathematical talents to figure that answer out beyond birds were created on day 5.
and Now for something completely different.
Today, though, we will be looking at some difficult and meaningful questions that would be most beneficial to grasp biblically.
Questions like, what does the “US” and the “OUR” mean when God says, Let “us” make man in “our” image.
We will dig into the idea of us being image bearers and what that means and doesn’t means.
What is our relationship to God versus our relationship to animals, what distinctions are there?
A question or two usually arises when we try to understand what it means to have dominion over all the earth.
Oh, and we shouldn’t skip the beginning of day 6 which is when animals were brought forth according to their kinds.
What do kinds mean?
As you can see there is a lot to explore and much to consider.
So, without further ado, let us jump back into Genesis chapter 1 and let’s look at verses 24 and 25.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.
And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Here we see God bringing forth all manner of living creatures according to their kinds at the start of day 6.
Everything from what would become farm animals, to the beasts (think lions, tigers, and bears) oh my, and
This would even include dinosaurs.
But hold on, you might say, dinosaurs are not mentioned anywhere in the Bible. (You would be correct)
The word dinosaur did not originate until 1841, which is why we see other words used instead, like behemoth.
Oh and insects would be created on this day.
This reminds me that not everything will always make sense to me and and today I’m reminded why I am not God.
I’m actually not speaking about the Dinosaurs here, dinosaurs makes sense to me,
That is something I would have wanted to create as well!
I do not, however, see how insects are good, but God says it was good,
And I do not see spiders as good, but God says it was good.
If you have lived in Florida during the spring, you will struggle with the idea of love bugs as good.
Now, you may say hold on, “Love bugs were genetically engineered by the University of Florida.”
This is an urban myth that is not true, I actually did some research on this topic.
Professor Philip Cole-er of UF, when asked, said that if they would have genetically engineered them, they would be orange and blue, not orange and black.
But, he did confirm that their department did not create this bug and he is not sure how the myth began but I’m sure it had to do with Florida State Seminoles.
So, that means we can no longer blame the Florida Gators for this atrocity and we probably need to rethink our issues with them.
Thus, all land animals and insects according to their kinds came during day 6.
But, what does it mean by kinds.
If you would like to do further research on this, I would encourage you to look up a website called Answers in Genesis.
They have an entire ministry dedicated to the study of Genesis, including the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter in Kentucky.
Matt and Jackie just returned from there with their family, and our family went several years ago. It was fascinating.
Briefly speaking, kinds mean the type of animal that when reproduced would bring forth all the different kinds of animals we have today.
This is in direct conflict with what Charles Darwin predicted.
He predicted that everything evolved from one thing.
The Bible says that God created all sorts of kinds, which then produced all that we see today.
However, each kind only produced according to its kind.
So, we have all different types of dogs today, all different breeds, but they all came from one kind.
We see the same today in the diversity of the human race.
We came from Adam and Eve, yet through thousands of years of being fruitful and multiplying we have all different looks and features.
Those of Asian descent look different from African descent, look different from middle eastern descent, and different from Latin or European descent.
Yet, we are all from the same Human race.
Ken Ham, the founder of Answers in Genesis, during the G3 conference a couple of weeks ago brought up this very concept and reminded us we are all of one race: The human race.
We are not different races, we are different cultures, and we are different colored depending on the amount of melanin in our skin, but we are all from the one race or one kind, the human race.
Michael Jackson made it famous in His anthem when he said it doesn’t matter if your black or white.
What unites us is vast and deep compared to the differences that separate us.
But, the clearest example of this concept being true is the breading of different animals.
Certain species cannot breed with each other, like a cat and a dog.
But certain animals that are the same kinds can, like a zebra and a horse can and they call them a Zorse.
Or a horse and a donkey which makes a mule.
But we do not see in nature creatures evolving in the ways that Darwin suggests.
Do creatures adapt? Absolutely.
Can creatures change as the adapt to their surroundings? 100%
But, can a creature become another creature that is outside of its kind? No, it cannot.
God created all of the animals according to its kinds and saw this was good.
Next we are going to see God make another creature, but this creature would be different than everything else He had made.
Let’s look at what God was going to do next.
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.”
Day six continues and now we enter into what would be the pinnacle of God’s creation.
A creation that would not just represent His glory and His creative power and wisdom,
But a creation that would also reflect His image and likeness.
Before we get into the image that humanity would reflect, let’s begin with the question of what God meant when He said us and our.
Today, we have the full revelation of God in the 66 books of the Bible, so we are able to look at the big picture and have greater clarity.
Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Bible so those leaving Egypt in the Exodus would not have the full understanding at that time.
But, they had some pretty incredible things that they were able to witness during their time that we do not.
How amazing would it be to see the seas parted, mana from heaven, the cloud pillars by day and fire by night.
Yet, when it comes to this verse and understanding it with better clarity, we do have an advantage today.
The Us and the our here, have been believed to be one of three things.
Option 1: it could be a continuation of the usage of God’s majesty and referring to Himself in a way that proclaims Himself as great.
We discussed in verse 1 that Elohim, the Hebrew word for God, is in the plural and it represents the majesty and grandness of God.
So, it could be argued that God is speaking of Himself as majestic and grand, however,
We do not have any other place in Scripture were God speaks of Himself in this manner.
The second way of thinking, or Option 2: is that God is speaking towards the heavenly realm and including the angelic beings.
As if God is calling on “all of us in the angelic realms” of heaven.
However, we are not made in the image of Angels, we are made in the image of God.
So, this would not be a valid option.
We do not have time today for rabbit trails, but I believe this is a valuable point to be reminded of.
It is this reason as to why we should not say that those who passed away are now angels in heaven.
Or when a child passes away that they have their wings now.
This is not biblically correct or theologically accurate.
I know there is very kind and sincere intentions behind these phrases, but we are much different than the angels.
1 Corinthians 6:2–3 (ESV)
Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!
While the point is that we are to judge here on earth, and we are to judge righteously, or rightly here on earth according to God’s Standard.
We are reminded that we will be judging angels, too. This is referring to the fallen angels.
We also have a special place that the angels do not have, as we are made in the likeness of God, which we will get to momentarily.
We are also adopted into God’s family and Jesus is referred to as our brother.
This is a position that the angels do not hold.
Therefore, we are not like angels or become angels and thus, to tie back into our point....
Saying that God is speaking of the angelic beings and Himself doesn’t track.
The last option, and the one that I believe makes the most since is that it is indeed referring to God as a trinity.
This is the most consistent with Scripture.
In verse 2 we see the Holy Spirit.
In John 1:1 we see that Jesus was with the Father in the Beginning and was the Word of Creation.
While, I do not think this is the best verse to prove the trinity, and the Israelites would not have fully grasped this at the time,
It certainly supports what the Bible declares as it unfolds.
So, speaking as the Father to the Son and the Spirit, as a work of the Trinity,
We see God declare that man would be made in their likeness.
Next we will look at God making us in His image.
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.”
What we discover in these next few words is truly incredible.
That we are made in the image of God, after the likeness of God, should cause us to be awestruck.
This truly separates us from the rest of Creation.
Animals are not made in the image of God, plants are not made in the image of God, nor are angels made in the image of God.
But, the final and greatest creation of God would be a creation that mirrors Himself.
The Imago Dei, which is this doctrine in the Latin, is a very important and often misunderstood concept.
Some take this doctrine too far and teach a heretical concept that we are “little gods” and taking this declaration too far.
Many in the Charismatic movement fall victim to this heretical teaching that elevates us higher than what Scripture declares.
On the flip side we can lose the true beauty and wonder of this declaration and think of ourselves as no more important than the rest of creation.
3 Weeks ago, I engaged with a lady who thought in this very same way:
On Friday’s I go to the abortion clinic to offer help and hope for those who are about to murder their babies.
A lady came out of the office and asked me if I ever killed a roach before.
I was taken back by the question and said “yes, I have, what does that have to do with your precious son or daughter?”
Her response was “why should I care what she does when I too, have killed another image bearer of God.”
Instead of responding to her statement I asked her question.
Do you believe that your son or daughter has no more value or dignity than a roach?
She again said that they were both image bearers of God so if don’t have any remorse killing a roach she doesn’t have any remorse killing her child.
At this point I addressed the issue and shared that while Genesis 1 tells us that God created everything and it is good,
God in Genesis 1:26 only made us in His image.
Therefore, the value, dignity, and worth of that child is of substantially greater value than an insect.
I tried to reason with her that if she believed in God than her statement is not what God declares but what Atheists believe.
Atheists see ourselves as creations of the animal kingdom not a creation of God.
As an Atheists, viewing yourself as the same as a roach would be consistent with the atheistic worldview, but not the Christian worldview.
I shared that as image bearers of God we have the ability to reflect God’s character.
God’s law is written on our hearts and we know the difference between right and wrong, unlike an insect.
We are made in order to be in fellowship with God, to speak to God, and to hear from God.
We are made distinct from animals and insects.
We have the ability to create (or if you remember from our first sermon, repurpose) in beautiful and amazing ways.
One pastor when asked this question said that you don’t see many monkey’s creating a Mona Lisa.
We are given the ability to love, to support, to protect, to care, lift up, and to encourage.
These are abilities given to us as image bearers in order to reflect the character and nature of God.
To kill another image bearer is a grave sin because you are not just killing an insect but a fellow image bearer.
“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.
God is a just God who seeks Justice and we also desire and seek Justice,
the reason is because we are made in the image of God.
Because God is a just God, we reflect God when we seek justice in the same way.
I continued to share with her:
Which is exactly why we are here today to let you know that this doesn’t have to be your story today
And to encourage you, help you, and support you in caring for this baby that God has specifically gifted you with today.
I wish I could tell you that she changed her mind and decided to keep the baby.
But, her heart only hardened further at this point as she went through with killing her baby, claiming that it was no different that a roach.
I want us to jump ahead a verse and then we will back track.
While we are on image bearers I want to show you something that is very important and fascinating for this particular time and culture.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
The creation account continues with not just the creation of man, but that this creation would include two genders, male and female.
While in our culture today, this takes on a different meaning, as many try to claim all sorts of different genders.
In the time of Moses and the culture of the Pagans, they didn’t deal with the question of, “What is a woman?”
They were not confused about what a woman is, however they had unbiblical thoughts on the value of a woman.
Moses declares what would have been very controversial at the time.
Both male and female are image bearers of God and made in the likeness of God.
The concept of image bearer and made in the likeness are interchangeable phrases we see used in the Scriptures.
Women were not seen as less than or lesser than in dignity, value, or worth, but equal.
While men and woman are equal, men and women are made differently.
This does not negate God’s design of men to be protectors nor does it negate God’s design of women to be nurturers.
To be lesser in physical strength does not mean lesser in dignity, value, and worth.
The same can be said of those who are elderly or an infant, their value, dignity, and worth do not increase or decrease based on age.
But, everyone, male and female, regardless of stage or ability, is intrinsically valuable and display the image of God.
This was a radical concept of those in Moses time when males were considered above women and women were inferior in all ways.
It is declared right in the beginning that both men and women are image bearers of the most high and reflect God in their creation.
Let’s jump back now to verse 26 to pick up on the next part that we should explore further.
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.”
The next part that is brought up is dominion.
We actually see this repeated in verse 28 so lets look to verse 28 as well.
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.”
First, we see one of my favorite commands in the Bible, be fruitful and multiply.
So, before we seek to understand dominion over the creatures of the earth, let’s address this fantastic topic.
Here we are called to get married, have babies, raise them in the faith, and fill the earth with image bearers.
One area that is shocking to me is that we are starting to see our populations diminish.
While we have not gone backwards in regards to our population, it is estimated that by 2080 we may see the first year where more people die than are being born.
This is for many reasons, but a great reason is that we are losing site of the nuclear family and the trends in sexuality are changing.
The gay community without surrogates, are not able to produce kids.
Kids in the trans community are growing up on puberty blockers or with their sexual organs mutilated and will no longer be able to reproduce.
Those that are struggling due to the mental health crisis of sexuality are no longer having the desire for marriage and raising a family.
Tik Tok videos celebrate how much more fun it is to be single and not have to worry about a family.
However, if we follow God’s purpose and plan, we will see our world flourish instead of diminish.
An important question arises when discussing verses like this.
What if I desire a family, desire kids, or more kids, but God has not granted this as of yet.
We do see all throughout the Bible people’s desire to have kids yet for purposes and reasons only God knows, He has not granted this yet.
We see in Genesis Sarah not able to conceive and the struggles this caused their marriage and personal sorrow.
Due to the brokenness of this world, caused by sin entering the world, things are not as they are supposed to be.
The curse of sin manifests itself in many ways including through pregnancy or the lack of pregnancy.
My encouragement is to continue to seek God, trust in God’s providence, and rest in His timing and purposes.
Easier said than done, but God sees you, hears you, and is working all things to the good of those who love Him.
We as Christians do have a unique advantage in the growing culture crisis happening with our population.
We are have the opportunity to get married, to have children, raise them in the faith, and send them into the world to be a light.
While the rest of the world begins to dwindle and no longer desires to populate the earth, Christians can take advantage of this.
One conversation was very impactful to Coty and I in pertaining to this subject.
A husband and wife approached us and said that they did not plan on having any more kids because they didn’t want to be shamed.
But, seeing how we have 8 and are happy and our kids are happy.....right kids? look happy....just kidding.....that it encouraged them to have another child.
The desire to have more children was there, but the cultural stigma associated with having more than 2 kids was difficult to overcome.
Now yes, we should be wise with this and we shouldn’t have kids just for the sake of having kids and not be able to care and protect and provide, absolutely we should consider this.
But, we also trust in God to provide.
There have been many times that I thought we would not be able to manage if we had another child.
Yet every time I experienced God’s kindness to our family and we have not gone without.
It was difficult though because we were made fun of, and everyone is shocked when they hear I have 8 kids.
I’m usually asked this questions. You do know what causes this, right?
I’ve learned to joke about it and say, listen I’ve got it narrowed down to two possibilities.
Before I move on I do want to add that one of the wonderful aspects of being in a church family is that you play a vital roll.
The kids that are a part of this congregation are also your spiritual children. They are also your spiritual family.
Whether you are young or old, have many kids or no kids, you have a family and a way to pour into the next generation.
I’d love to spend more time here, but we still have much to discover.
Now let’s discuss Dominion.
To have dominion over the earth does not mean that we get to use it however we would like and abuse it to any degree.
Dominion does not mean that we can misuse its resources or mistreat the animals.
Actually to have dominion means that we rule and reign in a way that the earth and its creatures flourishes. (Repeat)
God is our example as he rules and reigns over all of the universe to guide, direct, and care for His creation.
Likewise, we should enjoy the earth, care for the animals and creatures of the earth and \
Protect the beauty and resources in a responsible manner.
A great hinderance in our understanding is when we look to politics instead of Scripture to understand our planet.
There is a group of republicans that are notorious for doing whatever is necessary for the sake of capitalism.
It doesn’t matter if it depletes all resources, if it hurts our atmosphere, or poisons our water,
if it is progressing technology, giving us more conveniences, and making money, well let’s go!
Now, this is not all republicans but there are many that value capitalism at the expense of conservation.
This is not biblical dominion.
Now, before you call me a liberal tree hugger, the issue is that there are many democrats who elevate the earth where it should have dominion over us.
That mother earth is the god to be worshipped and we are invaders of this place.
We have no right or claim to the planet and must repent of our use of its resources.
This is not biblical dominion, either.
Biblical dominion means that we enjoy all of the gifts and benefits that the earth provides through the creation of God.
The resources of the earth and below the earth are put there by God for our enjoyment and flourishing.
We should absolutely enjoy every aspect of God’s creation and use it for our good and God’s glory.
However, we should not enjoy them to the extent of damaging our rivers, destroying our forests, and polluting our oceans.
We should value the nature that God has given us and care for the animals provided to us that display God’s creativity.
As Christians we should be about both enjoying and utilizing the earth with all of its resources and life.
Along with protecting and conserving the earth and all of its resources.
To have dominion is to be in full control of the plants, animals and everything else on this planet.
But, that also comes with the responsibility to care well for its resources and creatures.
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.
After Dominion, God in his kindness and generosity, turns to his providence in the food that Adam and Eve were to eat.
Well technically, at this point we don’t know Adam and Eve’s names, that will come next chapter,
But, more than likely that is not a spoiler for you.
What may be a spoiler, is that this means that Adam and Eve were both vegetarians and God’s original design was apparently vegan.
Now, before you think I’m asking everyone to give up meat, God did approve the eating of steaks and pork to Peter in Acts 10.
But, one could make the case that God’s original plan and even what we will experience in the new Heaven and new Earth would be vegan.
Now, while this may make some of you less excited to go to heaven, I’m pretty sure that what we will experience and taste will be unlike anything we can imagine on earth.
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.
Next we see the same here for the beasts of the earth.
This means that even dinosaurs ate only green plants.
How could this be you might ask when it is pretty obvious that they killed and many ate meat?
That is because death did not enter the world until sin and that happened not through animal, but through Adam and Eve.
In the garden, there was no sin, and there was no death, and there was only community with each other…and veganism.
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.
Looking back over creation God saw everything that was made.
From the distant galaxies that we have yet to discover, to the tiniest atom and molecule that we are still grasping to understand.
Everything that God made, as a collective whole, was complete.
As God surveyed the expanse of His creation and He was well pleased. It was very good.
Everything was exactly as it should be and there was peace, harmony, joy, and satisfaction at every moment and beyond every area.
To try to imagine what that would have been like is difficult for us today.
We cannot truly grasp what this would be like because we do not live in a world without sin, shame, guilt, and sorrow.
We are constantly reminded of this world, not in its state of perfection, but in its state of corruption.
To think of it as it truly was, with sinless perfection, is probably beyond our comprehension.
As hard as it is to comprehend what day 6 would have been like, especially without sin,
It is even harder to fathom that the Holy son of God, that sinless perfect one, clothed Himself in the very form in which He created.
Not only did He cloth Himself in humanity but then suffered and died a sinners execution in order to defeat sin and death.
The letter Paul wrote to the church in Philippi tells of this story well.
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
As we look and marvel at the Creation account and how man was brought forth, it should absolutely captivate our hearts and minds.
We, today, are the direct benefactors of this incredible creation story.
However, we quickly find that creation was not going to stay as it should be.
Yet, God had a plan for this, too.
Except this plan was completely unexpected.
The creator, enters into His creation, becomes His creation, and then dies for His creation.
There is so much more to share about our God and His greatness, and yet this is only the beginning.
Amen? Let’s Pray
Baptism:
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,
We are called as a church to make disciples, and then to baptize them.
Baptism symbolizes the cleansing of our sins and the new creation that springs forth after receiving the Gospel.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Baptism is a visualization of the old being passed away and being brought back to new life.
Baptism also signifies that like Jesus, we are dying to our sin and being resurrected to new life through the waters.
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
While baptism is symbolic, it is a beautiful display of what the Gospel accomplishes to all those who receive it.
The Gospel is a recognition that we were Created by God, for God, and to God.
However, we have rebelled against God and rejected God.
But, God, because of His great love for us, though we were dead in our sins, made us alive in Christ.
For you have been saved by grace, through faith, and this is a gift of God, not of works.
Chanel is here today to declare that this story is now her story.
This reality is now her reality.
Today she wants to declare before all of us today that she is a new creation.
Not because of anything she has done, but because of everything her Savior has accomplished on her behalf.
Do you, Chanel, believe that Jesus is your Lord and Savior and has paid the penalty for your sins and has granted you His righteousness.
Do you Chanel wish to declare this truth to your friends, family, and the congregation of Confessors of Christ Church today?
Then I baptize you in the name of the father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.