In the Beginning, Home
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Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Notice that God is referring to Himself in the plural
The word used here for God is 466 אֱלֹהִים (ʾělō·hîm)
1. אֱלֹהִים (ʾělō·hîm): Creator
While the word is plural grammatically, it’s meaning is singular
It is interpreted by most to suggest that God is referring to the Trinity or the Godhead
Remember Genesis 1:1-2
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Jesus is the Word made flesh
All three persons of God are present at the creation of the world
All things came into being through elohim, the Word made flesh
God declares that He created us in His image
We are His image bearers.
To be made in His image means that we are made according to His pattern to follow His design.
We share His attributes.
2. We represent His attributes to the world.
We are His ambassadors.
We are the expression of God.
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 1
rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
The word rule means to have authority over, to have dominion, or to govern
Because we bear His image, be are given His authority, at least in part
God tells us to be stewards of His creation
We are to take care if what he has given us
Remember during the creation event, we talked about last week, God began to speak order into chaos.
We are given that same authority.
3. We are given the authority to call upon God to establish order.
We have the authority to use the things that God has made to take care of ourselves
But most importantly to extend His authority.
We are to speak order into chaos.
Most Importantly, we have the authority over sin.
Turn to 1 Peter 2:21-25
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
Jesus committed no sin.
No deceit was in His mouth.
He bore the penalty of our sins upon His own body.
He did this so that we might die to sin.
In faith, we can return, Redeemed to our Shepherd.
4. Jesus gives us authority to reject sin and temptation.
This is our most vital authority.
We do not have to be subject to sin.
We do not have to succumb to temptation.
We do not have to be subject to chaos.
We have a choice.
We are no longer in bondage to the flesh.
We have been set free in Christ.
We have the power of Jesus living in us to cast aside all that afflicts us.
This is an authority that we cannot forget
We will have trouble in this world.
5. Jesus is the guardian of our souls.
Because we are united in Him, we have authority to reject chaos
We have the authority to stand in Him for strength
We have the privilege to call upon Him to speak order into our lives.
We do not have to allow the enemy to push us around or to intimidate us
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
Through Jesus, we have been given a spirit of discipline.
We do not have to fear the chaos of this world, we have the power of Jesus dwelling in us to help us in out time of need.
This is our eternal hope
Turn back to Genesis 1:27
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
God is defining His creation
God is speaking order over humanity
He created Adam: man.
God then created Eve: female.
6. We are defined by God, not the whims of our sinful imaginations.
We have been created by Him
We have been given life through Him
We bear His image
He sets the rules
He defines our nature
He has given order to what is becoming catastrophe.
Unfortunately, we live in a world that has given itself over to sinful desire.
7. Many people have lost our identity.
They have forgotten, or chosen to forget about what God says about them.
They are clamoring to try to find meaning
to try to find ways to define themselves in a way that is special.
This is a difficult subject.
I do not have time to unpack it, this morning.
I am not trying to be disrespectful or demeaning to anyone.
We are to love one another.
God loves us
He loves the sinners who are lost.
He loves the prodigal sons and daughters who have run away from their true home.
But God does not want to just leave them there, lost.
God calls them home.
8. God yearns for the prodigals to return.
He yearns for the sinner to walk away from sin turning to Him as Savior.
Our task is to love people, this is true.
But in that love, we are responsible to be a witness to order.
We are to be witnesses of peace that only God can bring.
We are to be the voices calling the lost to be found.
The slaves to be free from sin and turn to God.
9. Our responsibility is to bear the Word of truth.
Without compromise.
Sometimes, people do not want to hear the truth.
They do not want to hear the truth, because the truth requires responsibility.
The truth requires change
The Gospel is transformative
This means that, the truth of the Word should bring changes into your life.
Many people do not want the changes because they would rather dwell in their sin.
They identify with the sin
They have allowed sin to create their identity
God is very clear on how He defines His creation.
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Jesus reaffirms this standard for humanity
And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”
The Bible is very clear on the definition of humanity.
God gives the definitions because He created us.
We cannot create our own definitions.
This is against the very nature of our being.
Apart from the definitions described in His Word, we enter into confusion, chaos
God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Following the creation of man and woman, God blessed them.
The word bless in English is the Hebrew word Baruch.
In a simplified way bless means to show favor toward.
God turned His countenance toward them
He looked upon what He had made
After God blessed them, He gave them jobs to do.
Be fruitful and multiply.
Be productive.
Flourish
Be abundant
Multiply
amplify what I have done.
Continue to create order.
Fill the earth, with more people.
Also fill the earth with the presence of God.
This was am imperative handed to humanity from God.
10. Part of the task of humanity is to fill the earth with His presence.
They were to expand His presence on what was formless and void
The creation account states that the earth was without form
God spoke order into chaos
The people of God are to continue this practice
We talked about this last time.
We are to speak order.
V. 28 states that we are to subdue the earth.
The word in the Hebrew means to overcome, subdue or bring under control.
11. The people of God are to bring under control, chaos.
His people are to walk in His authority, bringing order.
Why did God not finish?
He created the Garden of Eden
He put humanity in the Garden.
The Garden of Eden was a location on earth. It did not fill up the whole earth.
Most people suspect that the Garden of Eden was in the Middle East, near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Why did God stop here?
Why did God give us the directive to fill the earth and subdue, bring it under control?
He wants us to be part of the story
He wants us to walk in our God given responsibility
He wants us to know our purpose as His people.
We are part of His story.
The rest of chapter one, God continues to explain that humanity walks in His authority.
Authority over everything that creeps on the earth.
Where is the enemy bound?
We have authority over sin.
We have authority to reject temptation.
Don’t rejoice in this truth.
have confidence, but do not be filled with pride.
Remember the words of Jesus in the book of Luke.
Turn to Luke: 10
And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”
we are to rejoice because we have seen Salvation.
We are to rejoice because we have professed faith in Jesus
Our names are written in His book of life.
We can exert His authority over the things that cause us to stumble.
But it is only because of our faith in Him.
Turn back to Genesis 1
Explain the Hebrew alphabet
Hebrew is a pictographic language
The letters produce sounds when read
But they also carry a visual meaning.
Like hieroglyphics
They letters in Hebrew represent words, but each letter also carries meaning in the form of a picture.
Because of this, the first word that begins a book of the Bible carries significant meaning.
Ancient scholars believed that the first word of a book, spoken by God, set the tone for the rest of the book.
The first word of the book of Genesis is: Bresheeth
Start with letter B
It was puzzling
Why did God start with B rather than A
Show letter
Aleph represents an Ox, meaning strength and provision.
God chose rather to start the very beginning of His revealed word with letter Bet
Show letter
Bet represents a home
First picture God reveals in His Word is that of home.
12. bet means home
God created for us a home.
God created us to be in fellowship with Him.
In the beginning, God gave us a home.
A place of safety in His provision.
An identity.
A purpose.
He gave us responsibility.
He imparted to us His authority to reject sin.
He gave us a means to be Redeemed, through Salvation in Jesus.