Name Image and Likeness

This is the day that the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it?

This is the day that the lord has made, and will you rejoice and be glad int it?

This is the day that the lord has made!

Can we praise his name this morning?

Let us stand.

Doxology

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow

Lord as the psalmist said, “I was glad when they said let us go into the house of the Lord,” let us be glad before you, and your spirit today. Your Holy spirit is already present this morning. Have your way, Lord! Amen!

Please remain standing for reading of the scripture by Rev. Levens.

Following the reading of the scripture we will be led to the Throne of Grace in Prayer by one of our Deacons.

Selection From the Choir

Anouncements by Sister Selina Blue

We would like to think Rev Levens for the reading of scripture and Deacon _________ for the heart felt prayer.

We would like to Thank Sister Blue for the reading of our announcements and.

It is now time for our Tithes and offering.

Let us stand for Prayer.

“God, you water the fields and feed all the animals of the earth. Your provision is abundant and evident in your world and in our lives. We ask now that you grant us a generous spirit and a trusting heart, that you might be lord of these resources that we now give back to you, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Selection from the Choir

All Things

2 Selections from the Choir

Giving Honor to God

To our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

To our Pastor Rev Powe in his absence

To Reverend LJ Powe in her absence

To Reverend Levens

To Elder Johnson

To our deacons

To our officers and members

Good morning

It is an honor and privilege to stand before you this morning at this sacred desk.

I am completely humbled this morning, and I do not take this for granted.

I give all glory, honor, and praise to God for allowing me to be a vessel for a time such as this.

Can we take a moment to give Rev Powe and Minister Powe a great thank you and round of applause for the magnificent work they do here at Ebenezer on behalf of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Thank you.

Read Genesis 1:26-28

Prayer

NIL is a set of rules governing the right of college and high school athletes to benefit financially from the use of their name, image, or likeness for commercial purposes, such as product endorsements.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which formerly prohibited athletes from entering into such agreements, changed its rules in 2021.

Many states now have NIL laws as well, covering both high school and college athletes.12

In 2024, the NCAA agreed to further changes and to pay damages of $2.8 billion to current and former athletes who had lost out financially because of its rules, going as far back as 2016.

The settlement currently awaits a judge's approval before it can become effective.

NIL refers to the rights of college and high school athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness through product endorsements and other activities.

The three elements of NIL—name, image, and likeness—are protected by the legal concept of "right of publicity."

For many years, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) prohibited student athletes from making money off their NIL, but it changed its rules in 2021, following a U.S. Supreme Court decision.

In addition to the NCAA rules, many states now have NIL laws covering college and high school athletes. State laws and NCAA rules are sometimes in conflict, suggesting the need for a federal NIL law.

In May 2024, the NCAA agreed to pay close to $2.8 billion to athletes who had suffered financially because of its prior rules and to further change its rules going forward.

The opening chapter of the Bible stands diametrically opposed to the various human philosophies.

Regarding these popular human theories, the believer takes his stand not on the shifting sand of human opinion but on the bedrock of the Bible.

The Bible stands in Opposition to Atheism.

A lack of belief in God.

“The Bible states in the beginning God.”

The Bible stands in Opposition to Polytheism.

The belief in many Gods.

The Bible states “In the beginning God.”

The Bible stands in Opposition to Pantheism.

The belief that the universe, nature, and reality are the same as God.

The Bible states: “In the Beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

The Bible teaches us the Separateness of God and Matter.

The Bible stands in opposition of Materialism.

Materialism is a philosophical theory that states that matter is the fundamental substance of nature and all things, including consciousness and mental states, are the result of material interactions.

The Bible States “Let us make man in our image.”

Man is like God, Possessed of a spiritual nature.

The Bible stands in opposition to evolution.

The belief in a scientific theory that explains how living organisms change over time through changes in their DNA.

The bible states “Everything God Created was after his kind!”

The expression occurs twelve times.

It locks each kind into its own category.

It did not evolve from something else!

God created it!

The bible is in opposition to naturalism.

Naturalism is the idea that the universe is governed by natural laws and forces, and that the world can be explained by physical phenomena.

The Bible states that “In the beginning God Created!”

Matter is not eternal, nor is man a machine.

The Bible is in opposition to Nihilism.

Nihilism is the belief that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated.

The Bible says, “and God created…and God said…and God blessed.”

Man is more than a machined, determined, or capricious, operating in a meaningless closed system.

The bible is in opposition to Existentialism.

Existentialism is the belief that people must create meaning in their lives, and that this meaning is not given to them by any outside authority.

The Bible says, “And God said” ten times, “and God saw” Seven times, “the evening and the morning were” six times. “And it was so.”

There is a historical Basis for faith.

The Bible deals with concrete facts.

God’s use of plural pronouns (us … our … our) to refer to himself has raised many questions.

At least five different suggestions have been put forward to explain them: they may be references to (1) the Trinity; (2) God and his angels; (3) God and creation; (4) God’s majesty as expressed by a literary device known as the “plural of majesty”; or (5) a polytheistic view of God. Since the Bible teaches elsewhere that there is only one God (Dt 6:4; Mk 12:29; 1Co 8:4), the fifth option is not tenable.

The two Hebrew words translated as image and likeness are often understood as having the same meaning.

But some interpreters suggest that “image” refers to the ability to reason, with “likeness” referring to the spiritual dimension.

What exactly is the “image” of God? Since the Bible teaches that God is Spirit (Jn 4:24), many commentators believe it refers to the non-material aspects of a person—our moral sensibilities, intellectual abilities, will, and emotions.

Based on God’s commands in Genesis 1:28, others have suggested that it consists of the role humans are to play on earth—their rulership over the planet and its resources, and secondarily the physical, mental, and spiritual abilities that enable them to fulfill that role.

The NT teaches that Christians will someday bear the image of Christ.[1]

The creation of humanity is the crowning event of chapter 1, as shown by the fact that created is repeated three times.

The verb created (Hb bara’) is the same one used in 1:1, referring to a kind of creative activity that only God can do.

The term man (Hb ’adam) is used elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible to refer to humanity in general, not just males (7:21); all people, both male and female, are created in the image of God (cp. Jms 3:9).

It should not be concluded that God is both male and female.

Christians generally agree that God does not have a literal physical body.

He is in no way limited by space but is everywhere fully present (Ps 139:7–10; Ac 17:28).

Therefore, he cannot be said to be literally either male or female, or both. People are the only beings that are created in the image of God (Gn 9:3–6).

The Bible never lumps people into the category of animals. Instead, it separates the creation of people from all other beings and attributes the most privileged roles in creation to humans alone.

In this the longest of the five blessings found in the account of creation, God gave humanity five different commands.

Implicit in the first three commands is God’s blessing on the institutions of marriage and the family.

The final two commands, to subdue the earth and rule the animal kingdom, express God’s blessing on the use of the planet’s renewable and non-renewable natural resources. Of course, only the wise use of these resources permits people to fulfill God’s command to fill the earth. A similar command to the survivors of the flood is shorter, having only the first three verbs in it (9:1).[2]

God is the creator of our Name, Image and Likeness was created by God.

I would like to offer a NIL deal to you today on behalf of a loving Father.

We have all been bought for a price.

Jesus went to Calvary.

The reason he had to go to the cross was to glorify His Father in the Salvation of sinners.

He came to do for us that which we could never do for ourselves: He came to save us from our sins.

Jesus was condemned as a criminal and was executed by crucifixion at Calvary.

Christ by Himself, for his people, fulfilled all the conditions of the everlasting covenant of grace.

He insured the salvation of all whom he represented, all for whom He lived, obeyed, died, and arose again.

He shall not lose even one of them as His

Righteousness demands our salvation and final glory.

He paid our debt in full, and we must receive the benefits of his Payment.

To say that even one could finally perish is to cast shame and reproach upon His blood and His righteousness.

Just as sin demands death, righteousness demands life.

Let us Stand.

The doors of the church are open.

I want to tell you about a NIL deal today.

We are all created in the Name, Image, and Likeness of our loving Father.

Romans 10:9 says “That if thou confess with thy mouth the lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that god hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

If today was the last day of your life, do you know where you would spend eternity?

Will there be one?

You may come as a candidate for baptism.

You may come by letter.

You may come on Christian experience.

Maybe you are in search of a church Home.

Maybe you are in need of Prayer.

It is prayer time.

Now unto him that is able to keep you from failing, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion, and power, both now and ever. Let us all say Amen.

[1]Robert D. Bergen, “Genesis,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 6. [2]Robert D. Bergen, “Genesis,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 6–7.