Uneasy Reflections

Using the Term God like seems almost blasphemous to me.

I have been peaching holiness for 20 plus years and I still feel a bit uncomfortable when using some of the verbiage I struggle with this mostly becuase I know just how not God like I am.  

Sometimes I don’t see myself as good even though I know that is how God created me.  I feel like Isaiah When he was taken up in a vision to heaven.

Isaiah 6:5

5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” 

I know that I am not worthy and I defiantly know that I am not God like.  

However...if I believe what I spoke about last week God can and wants to cleanse me and make me Holy becuase He has already made me in His image.  

This is shown to us in the same Isaiah passage... God removes any doubt that He wants to and is able to make us Holy and use us even though we know the Truth about us.  

Isaiah 6:6-9

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” 

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” 

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” 

9 He said, “Go and tell this people:.... 

God knows the truth about me…But His truth is different than mine.  God see’s me as he created me…Good and in the image of God.  

You may be as uncomfortable with the responsibility of being the image of God as I am.

We know the Truth about ourselves....But God’s truth about you is different than yours.

God created us in His image both female and male.  

A note about image…Image is not the original…we are not created to be God…we are created to reflect God like qualities to the world.

Ephesians 4:17-32 NLT

Ephesians 4:17–32 NLT

17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. 25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil. 28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. 29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. 30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

WE are going to Focus on Ephesians 4:22-24

Once God sanctifies us He empowers us and changes our very nature as we allow.

22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. 

Paul list 3 specific to help the Ephesians and us understand how to embrace our Uneasy likeness to God:

(1) with regard to their former way of life, they were to throw off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires. Their old way of thinking cannot coexist with God’s way of thinking.

They are incompatible…if they try to make good decisions by simply trying to fit God into their current frame work it will always be less than God’s best for them and the world.

(2) regarding their way of thinking they were to be made new in the attitude of your minds.

In a similar passage (see Romans 12:2), Paul exhorts his readers to no longer conform to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of their minds.

The word he uses for “transformed” is the same from which we get the modern term metamorphosis. This is a word describing the miraculous change that takes place inside a cocoon of a moth or butterfly. It enters the cocoon as a caterpillar, and emerges as an adult species.

(3) in relation to their nature, they were to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness

 The change within the cocoon is profound, influencing each part of the insect in its entirety. What emerges is radically new and different from what went in. The analogy holds true for the Christian: we may come to God very much in our old nature, but it must be with a desire to be changed from what we are to what we shall be.

This is not a rearranging of attributes, or simply a dusting off and fixing up. This is a complete and total change wrought (there is that word again) within the individual which renews and transforms from the inside out, into the holy image of God.

The word wrought is defined as produced or shaped by beating with a hammer, as iron or silver articles. Putting off the old self is basically allowing God to beat the secular out of us. This is a work of God on us until we allow His Holiness to become second nature.

None of these things is possible on our own.  This is why Sanctification is so misunderstood and quite frankly so complex.  We struggle becuase we have a hard time separating ourselves from our “former way or Life”.  

If our desire continues to be about the things of this world we will reflect more of the worlds values.  

When we allow God to sanctify us daily God’s passions slowly or quickly become our passions which magnifies our ability to be the Image of God in a natural way.  

Allow God to Transform our Desires for This Life

We cannot will a change of our desires...it must be surrendered to...and nurtured by God.

Illustration: Bad Translation of the metamorphosis...

Often our understanding of Gods transformation get lost in our own bad translation…Holiness often does not make sense becuase we don’t understand that to be more like God means to be more human.

God’s does not need more earthmovers he wants to create more butterflies.

People who bring beauty and hope to the world…This is what you and I are created for. We all have this inside…we just need to cultivate God’s image in our lives.

In order to allow God to transform our desires it is important to add in more spiritual activities while letting go of the lesser secular pursuits.  

Simply put we must respond to the sacred prompts instead of giving in to a worldly desire.

Instead of Binge watching a Netflix series maybe we spend more time in prayer

Instead of buying that extra car maybe we look for ways to give to the less fortunate

Instead of trying to keep out kids involved in every activity in school maybe we involve them in more spiritual pursuits.

At first these seem like sacrifices but as we intentionally give more of our attention to God…it becomes part of our nature. As it becomes part of our nature we will see the fruit of the spirit and the gifts of the Spirit come alive in us.

Again I want you to remember doing these things are a result of the sanctifying work of God not a condition of the sanctifying work.   

Illustration…Old days give up cigarettes on the altar etc…many of them left the church when they failed thinking they were not good enough or that God really did not love them. I am not saying God can’t do these things I am saying that most of the time God helps us as we are able.

Do not try to change everything at once…don’t even try to give up the big things first. Just seek the one thing that God brings to your mind in prayer and start there.

A Sanctified Church Becomes an Expression of a Holy Society

As each member allows God too Sanctify and Nurture them we become an Imago Dei community or in more understandable language an image of a God Community.

30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Eph 4:30-32 NLT

We become a community of Joy becuase of our salvation, We become a community of Goodness, We become a community of peace.

This is what changes our world…When people in desperate need see a church living the image of God for all to see that community will be undeniable and irresistible.

Communion