“Unquestionable Character”
Series: The Mystery Revealed
Sunday, January 11, 2009; Genesis 3:1-7
Introduction: In the very beginning of the Bible, we are told some very important information: we have been created in the image of God. As the psalmist reminds us in Psalm 8:4-5, “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” God has given us a status of glory and honor. God calls us to be fruitful and multiply, and to have dominion over the animals and the creation. We have been commissioned by God to carry with us the attributes of God Himself in His divine image. This is God’s design for us.
However, we struggle to live this out. This morning we start a series called “The Mystery Revealed.” This series is to remind us of who we are called to be, and how we are called to live. God wants to develop each one of us.
I. Reflecting God- (Genesis 1:26; John 4:24; 1 Corinthians 15:35-44)
I’m sure you have read it before, Genesis chapter 1, where we are told that
we are created in the image of God. Genesis 1:26 is where we find this: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…’” So we are to reflect God’s image; God’s likeness. But what does this mean?
a. Authority- First of all, it means that we have been given authority. God,
who is the authority over all, has given us the authority over what is here on earth (as I said before, the animals and all of creation). As such it is important and right for us to explore our world and our universe, and to know as much as we can about our universe. God has given us good minds to think, and study, and understand. By knowing our world, we are better prepared to rule over our world.
The problem comes, however, when we seek to abuse our world, instead of use it. To be in God’s image means that we are to rule as God would rule; with love, and mercy, and good judgment. To abuse the world we have been given does not show love, and it does not show good judgment. As we abuse our world, we cause it to not be a place that could continue to support and sustain us. Abuse also shows disregard to God who gave us this important role and responsibility.
To have this authority given to us by God is a gift, and should be appreciated as a gift. To be in God’s image means that we respect the animals and world around us. We seek to protect them and nurture them and care for them. It means that we use wisdom and good judgment on what we need for provision, but not being wasteful or damaging. We are to rule, but not destroy.
b. Flesh and spirit- Secondly, we are in God’s image because we are not only
flesh, like the animals, but we are spirit as well. To be flesh and spirit means that we are allied to both heaven and earth. Our flesh allows us to live in this world; experience this world; enjoy this world. Our bodies have been created specifically to live in the environment in which God has placed us. The earth was made for our bodies, and our bodies have been made for the earth. There is specific design here.
But there is another level to us, and that is our spirit. Our spirit is what allows us to connect with God on a deep spiritual level. Jesus made this clear when He was talking to the woman at the well in the gospel of John, chapter 4, verse 24: “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” We alone in creation have been given this privilege of being able to connect with God! We are spirit as God is Spirit, and therefore our spirit’s can connect.
God talks about how the earth and the world as we know it will one day be no more, but we will continue on forever. The apostle Paul helps us to understand this in 1 Corinthians 15:35-44, “But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?"…38But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another… 42So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;… 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.”
c. To reflect God’s nature- A third way we are created in the image of God
is that we have the nature of God. While God is above and beyond us in most ways, there are a number of ways that we are like God. If you have gone through the new members class you have heard me talk about this before. We are like God in that we are loving (we can love others deeply), we can be forgiving, we are creative (God has given us the ability to create), we are eternal in nature, we can reason. I could go on and on, but I think you get the point.
We are created to reflect this nature of God; to exhibit it to one another; to be a reminder to each other of how we are to live. We have been given this honor by God as no other creature has. The problem is that we have fallen short of this ideal that God has set for us. And this has all come about because of sin.
II. The Distorted Picture- (Genesis 3:1-7; Romans 3:23, 6:6)
a. The Fall- As I just read in our scripture reading, sin was brought
into the world by Adam and Eve, through the deception of Satan. You see, Adam and Eve were not content to be made in the image of God with limitation. I think the real temptation was when Satan told Eve that she could be “like God.” Listen again to Genesis 3:5, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Satan is telling Eve that she isn’t created fully in the image of God; she is still lacking something (the knowledge of good and evil).
Illus. “The Devil’s Triangle (or Bermuda Triangle)” Hot Illus., p.56
At 2:10 p.m. on December 5, 1945, five U.S. Navy planes took off in clear weather from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and flew east over coastal waters. At 3:40 p.m. commander Lt. Taylor reported that his magnetic compass was not responding properly. It was heard over the radio Lt. Taylor giving the command to bail out, and then all contact was lost. Quickly two seaplanes were dispatched. Only one of the seaplanes landed. For days they searched, but found no trace of the 5 aircraft or the giant seaplane. In January of 1947 a British commercial airliner vanished after radioing Bermuda that all was well. December 1967 a 23-foot cabin cruiser disappeared off the coast of Miami. Ten minutes after they had radioed, the Coast Guard arrived on the scene, but there was no sign of the cruiser.
There are government reports of some 40 ships and 20 planes that have mysteriously disappeared over the last 60-70 years in this triangle from Bermuda, to Puerto Rico, to a point in the Gulf of Mexico west of Florida. No one can explain what has really happened to these ships and planes!
There is a “Devil’s Triangle” in our spiritual life as well. Just like Adam and Eve, we can be tempted by Satan, and when we follow this temptation, we become lost in our sin, and our lives become distorted. This is not news to any of us, as we all know Romans 3:23- “For all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.”
b. God’s attributes clouded- Because of this sin, God’s attributes,
that are in us, get clouded. They are difficult for us to see; they are difficult for others to see. We are called to display God’s likeness, but when we are in our sin, we cannot display this likeness. What is shown is a distorted picture.
EX. I don’t know if you have ever seen this before, but sometimes on game shows they will show a picture of a celebrity. But there is one catch, and that is that the face of the celebrity is distorted; misshapen. The challenge for the contestant is to name the celebrity while looking at this distorted image.
That is what happens when we allow ourselves to be lost in sin. People look at us, and they don’t see God. The image we are portraying is so distorted, that they can’t see God’s attributes in our lives. And in fact, the sin clouds our own eyes to how we are to act, and talk, and respond, and love.
Unfortunately the challenge is that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we bring our old life with us. We struggle to separate ourselves from the sin of the past. In Romans 6:6, the apostle Paul tells us: “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.” You see, we know that our old self was crucified, but there are times when we enter the Devil’s Triangle, and we get lost in that old self again. When this happens we forget who we are (God’s creation), and we forget how we are supposed to live (one who follows and lives out God’s plan and God’s ways).
III. God’s Image Bearers- (Romans 12:1-2; 1 John 2:15; Ephesians 2:1-5)
a. Be transformed- So how can we restore ourselves to be “image
bearers” for God? They say that character is what you do when no one else is looking. To be God’s image bearers means that we need to have unquestionable character. This doesn’t mean that we never do anything wrong, but it does mean that we acknowledge our shortcomings, seek out God for forgiveness when we do sin, and allow God’s Spirit to reign in us so that we can do our best at portraying the image of God.
The apostle Paul tells us what we need to do in Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
So we do 2 things: first we choose to not conform to the world, because as
1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” We seek to follow God; not the world. And then secondly we let God transform us. We let God transform us by helping us to understand what is right and wrong; what is helpful and not helpful; what is holy and what is sinful.
Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip offered up these questions: 1. Name the 5 wealthiest people in the world. 2. Name the last 5 Heisman trophy winners. 3. Name the last 5 winners of the Miss America pageant. 4. Name 10 people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.
HOW DID YOU DO? The point is, none of us remember the headliners for too long.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!!
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
THE LESSON is this: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials…the most money...or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most. This is what shows character, doing things because it was who we were created to be, not because we will get fame, or money, or attention, or accolades! Making a difference in people’s lives. Sharing the love of Jesus.
b. God’s Stewards- When you hear the word stewardship, you
probably think of money. But a steward is one who cares for that which has been entrusted to him. Money is just one aspect of what God has entrusted to us. We are called to be stewards of this world, our family, and the image of God’s character.
It is a big responsibility to try and live out. There is a saying that goes: “Your life may be the only evidence of God to someone else.” Meaning, that the way you live your life, can dictate how others view God. If you are a Christian, and you are judgmental, then they might think that God is a judgmental God; if you are hurtful with your words, then they might think God to be unloving; if you are dishonest, they might think that they can’t trust what God’s word says. We never know how our actions are influencing the thinking of someone who doesn’t believe.
On the other hand, Christians can also influence Christians. If you are struggling to live up to the standards of God, your struggle can cause others to struggle (especially if it is your children or someone who is young in the faith).
Being transformed then leads us to work hard at being good stewards of God’s image. Our character, who we are as a follower of Jesus Christ, is about our following God’s teaching. That doesn’t mean that we are perfect or without sin. But as people look at our lives, they understand that we love God with our whole heart, and that our goal is to follow God as best as we can. As people look at us, they see us as someone who holds up God’s ideals to be worthy of knowing and practicing.
We are told in Ephesians 2:1-5, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions…” As we are made alive in Christ, we desire to live a different kind of life; a life of unquestionable character, as we seek to display the likeness of God.
Conclusion: We are God’s image bearers. This is a profound privilege. The significance of such a responsibility requires us to commit our lives fully, and wholeheartedly to Christ. We need to desire to be God’s stewards in this way so that we might reflect the most vivid image of God’s character as we are conformed more and more to Christ through our Christ-like response to life’s joys and trials. As you think about your character, you might ask yourself if you are portraying the “image of God” you would like to portray. If not, where does God need to transform you? Give yourself over to him today, so that you can be a steward of “God’s character.” Amen.
Series: The Mystery Revealed
Sunday, January 11, 2009; Genesis 3:1-7
Introduction: In the very beginning of the Bible, we are told some very important information: we have been created in the image of God. As the psalmist reminds us in Psalm 8:4-5, “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” God has given us a status of glory and honor. God calls us to be fruitful and multiply, and to have dominion over the animals and the creation. We have been commissioned by God to carry with us the attributes of God Himself in His divine image. This is God’s design for us.
However, we struggle to live this out. This morning we start a series called “The Mystery Revealed.” This series is to remind us of who we are called to be, and how we are called to live. God wants to develop each one of us.
I. Reflecting God- (Genesis 1:26; John 4:24; 1 Corinthians 15:35-44)
I’m sure you have read it before, Genesis chapter 1, where we are told that
we are created in the image of God. Genesis 1:26 is where we find this: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…’” So we are to reflect God’s image; God’s likeness. But what does this mean?
a. Authority- First of all, it means that we have been given authority. God,
who is the authority over all, has given us the authority over what is here on earth (as I said before, the animals and all of creation). As such it is important and right for us to explore our world and our universe, and to know as much as we can about our universe. God has given us good minds to think, and study, and understand. By knowing our world, we are better prepared to rule over our world.
The problem comes, however, when we seek to abuse our world, instead of use it. To be in God’s image means that we are to rule as God would rule; with love, and mercy, and good judgment. To abuse the world we have been given does not show love, and it does not show good judgment. As we abuse our world, we cause it to not be a place that could continue to support and sustain us. Abuse also shows disregard to God who gave us this important role and responsibility.
To have this authority given to us by God is a gift, and should be appreciated as a gift. To be in God’s image means that we respect the animals and world around us. We seek to protect them and nurture them and care for them. It means that we use wisdom and good judgment on what we need for provision, but not being wasteful or damaging. We are to rule, but not destroy.
b. Flesh and spirit- Secondly, we are in God’s image because we are not only
flesh, like the animals, but we are spirit as well. To be flesh and spirit means that we are allied to both heaven and earth. Our flesh allows us to live in this world; experience this world; enjoy this world. Our bodies have been created specifically to live in the environment in which God has placed us. The earth was made for our bodies, and our bodies have been made for the earth. There is specific design here.
But there is another level to us, and that is our spirit. Our spirit is what allows us to connect with God on a deep spiritual level. Jesus made this clear when He was talking to the woman at the well in the gospel of John, chapter 4, verse 24: “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” We alone in creation have been given this privilege of being able to connect with God! We are spirit as God is Spirit, and therefore our spirit’s can connect.
God talks about how the earth and the world as we know it will one day be no more, but we will continue on forever. The apostle Paul helps us to understand this in 1 Corinthians 15:35-44, “But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?"…38But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another… 42So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;… 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.”
c. To reflect God’s nature- A third way we are created in the image of God
is that we have the nature of God. While God is above and beyond us in most ways, there are a number of ways that we are like God. If you have gone through the new members class you have heard me talk about this before. We are like God in that we are loving (we can love others deeply), we can be forgiving, we are creative (God has given us the ability to create), we are eternal in nature, we can reason. I could go on and on, but I think you get the point.
We are created to reflect this nature of God; to exhibit it to one another; to be a reminder to each other of how we are to live. We have been given this honor by God as no other creature has. The problem is that we have fallen short of this ideal that God has set for us. And this has all come about because of sin.
II. The Distorted Picture- (Genesis 3:1-7; Romans 3:23, 6:6)
a. The Fall- As I just read in our scripture reading, sin was brought
into the world by Adam and Eve, through the deception of Satan. You see, Adam and Eve were not content to be made in the image of God with limitation. I think the real temptation was when Satan told Eve that she could be “like God.” Listen again to Genesis 3:5, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Satan is telling Eve that she isn’t created fully in the image of God; she is still lacking something (the knowledge of good and evil).
Illus. “The Devil’s Triangle (or Bermuda Triangle)” Hot Illus., p.56
At 2:10 p.m. on December 5, 1945, five U.S. Navy planes took off in clear weather from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and flew east over coastal waters. At 3:40 p.m. commander Lt. Taylor reported that his magnetic compass was not responding properly. It was heard over the radio Lt. Taylor giving the command to bail out, and then all contact was lost. Quickly two seaplanes were dispatched. Only one of the seaplanes landed. For days they searched, but found no trace of the 5 aircraft or the giant seaplane. In January of 1947 a British commercial airliner vanished after radioing Bermuda that all was well. December 1967 a 23-foot cabin cruiser disappeared off the coast of Miami. Ten minutes after they had radioed, the Coast Guard arrived on the scene, but there was no sign of the cruiser.
There are government reports of some 40 ships and 20 planes that have mysteriously disappeared over the last 60-70 years in this triangle from Bermuda, to Puerto Rico, to a point in the Gulf of Mexico west of Florida. No one can explain what has really happened to these ships and planes!
There is a “Devil’s Triangle” in our spiritual life as well. Just like Adam and Eve, we can be tempted by Satan, and when we follow this temptation, we become lost in our sin, and our lives become distorted. This is not news to any of us, as we all know Romans 3:23- “For all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.”
b. God’s attributes clouded- Because of this sin, God’s attributes,
that are in us, get clouded. They are difficult for us to see; they are difficult for others to see. We are called to display God’s likeness, but when we are in our sin, we cannot display this likeness. What is shown is a distorted picture.
EX. I don’t know if you have ever seen this before, but sometimes on game shows they will show a picture of a celebrity. But there is one catch, and that is that the face of the celebrity is distorted; misshapen. The challenge for the contestant is to name the celebrity while looking at this distorted image.
That is what happens when we allow ourselves to be lost in sin. People look at us, and they don’t see God. The image we are portraying is so distorted, that they can’t see God’s attributes in our lives. And in fact, the sin clouds our own eyes to how we are to act, and talk, and respond, and love.
Unfortunately the challenge is that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we bring our old life with us. We struggle to separate ourselves from the sin of the past. In Romans 6:6, the apostle Paul tells us: “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.” You see, we know that our old self was crucified, but there are times when we enter the Devil’s Triangle, and we get lost in that old self again. When this happens we forget who we are (God’s creation), and we forget how we are supposed to live (one who follows and lives out God’s plan and God’s ways).
III. God’s Image Bearers- (Romans 12:1-2; 1 John 2:15; Ephesians 2:1-5)
a. Be transformed- So how can we restore ourselves to be “image
bearers” for God? They say that character is what you do when no one else is looking. To be God’s image bearers means that we need to have unquestionable character. This doesn’t mean that we never do anything wrong, but it does mean that we acknowledge our shortcomings, seek out God for forgiveness when we do sin, and allow God’s Spirit to reign in us so that we can do our best at portraying the image of God.
The apostle Paul tells us what we need to do in Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
So we do 2 things: first we choose to not conform to the world, because as
1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” We seek to follow God; not the world. And then secondly we let God transform us. We let God transform us by helping us to understand what is right and wrong; what is helpful and not helpful; what is holy and what is sinful.
Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip offered up these questions: 1. Name the 5 wealthiest people in the world. 2. Name the last 5 Heisman trophy winners. 3. Name the last 5 winners of the Miss America pageant. 4. Name 10 people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.
HOW DID YOU DO? The point is, none of us remember the headliners for too long.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!!
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
THE LESSON is this: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials…the most money...or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most. This is what shows character, doing things because it was who we were created to be, not because we will get fame, or money, or attention, or accolades! Making a difference in people’s lives. Sharing the love of Jesus.
b. God’s Stewards- When you hear the word stewardship, you
probably think of money. But a steward is one who cares for that which has been entrusted to him. Money is just one aspect of what God has entrusted to us. We are called to be stewards of this world, our family, and the image of God’s character.
It is a big responsibility to try and live out. There is a saying that goes: “Your life may be the only evidence of God to someone else.” Meaning, that the way you live your life, can dictate how others view God. If you are a Christian, and you are judgmental, then they might think that God is a judgmental God; if you are hurtful with your words, then they might think God to be unloving; if you are dishonest, they might think that they can’t trust what God’s word says. We never know how our actions are influencing the thinking of someone who doesn’t believe.
On the other hand, Christians can also influence Christians. If you are struggling to live up to the standards of God, your struggle can cause others to struggle (especially if it is your children or someone who is young in the faith).
Being transformed then leads us to work hard at being good stewards of God’s image. Our character, who we are as a follower of Jesus Christ, is about our following God’s teaching. That doesn’t mean that we are perfect or without sin. But as people look at our lives, they understand that we love God with our whole heart, and that our goal is to follow God as best as we can. As people look at us, they see us as someone who holds up God’s ideals to be worthy of knowing and practicing.
We are told in Ephesians 2:1-5, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions…” As we are made alive in Christ, we desire to live a different kind of life; a life of unquestionable character, as we seek to display the likeness of God.
Conclusion: We are God’s image bearers. This is a profound privilege. The significance of such a responsibility requires us to commit our lives fully, and wholeheartedly to Christ. We need to desire to be God’s stewards in this way so that we might reflect the most vivid image of God’s character as we are conformed more and more to Christ through our Christ-like response to life’s joys and trials. As you think about your character, you might ask yourself if you are portraying the “image of God” you would like to portray. If not, where does God need to transform you? Give yourself over to him today, so that you can be a steward of “God’s character.” Amen.
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