In His Image

[Music] as we have explored the creation week together we have seen god's creation becoming more and more glorious nearer and nearer to its completion last week we began the sixth day of creation and explored these animals these beautiful creatures that god has created to be our companions but even still god's creation is incomplete he hasn't yet created the final masterpiece of his creation and so today we begin where we left off last week in the middle of that sixth day of creation not only looking at the creation of mankind and womankind but what it means to be human and what it means to be in relationship with god created especially by him in a very special way on the sixth day of creation i'm so glad that christina could come and join today and she'll be sharing part of our message with us but before we go any further before we open god's word i want to invite you to bow your heads with me in a word of prayer father in heaven thank you so much for the beauties of your creation for this opportunity that we can be outdoors and explore together thank you for your word it reveals to us not only where we came from but your love and your care towards us and your final plan for each and every one of us lord as we open your word now i pray that you will lead and guide us as we seek to draw closer to you and in a deeper knowledge of your plan for us we pray this in jesus name amen let's see what happens let's go [Music] so do [Music] here on this sixth day of creation the creation account continues in genesis chapter 1 and verse 26 we read these words then god said let us make man in our image according to our likeness let them have dominion over the fish of the sea over the birds of the air and over the cattle over all the earth and over everything 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 what is it that makes mankind different from all the other animals of creation are we simply a bit more intelligent a bit more advanced we're certainly not any stronger physically there are many animals that are much stronger than us but what is it according to the bible this separates humankind from the animal kingdom we get even more clues in the creation account found in genesis chapter 2 there in this creation account we find the story of how god made humankind genesis 2 and verse 7 the lord god formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being it says in the king james version man became a living soul and so it is that throughout this creation week we have seen god we have heard god creating with his voice he said let there be light he spoke each of the six days of creation he spoke into existence the world the sun moon and stars the land the seas the animals the birds but now he stops he is not simply speaking into existence humankind but as it were he stops he stoops down he takes time because he's making someone very special it says god formed mankind of the dust of the ground and i can just picture oh it sends chills down my spine to picture our creator god stooping down to the earth scooping up the clay and the dust forming gently with his fingers every intricate detail of the human body and then with a kiss reaching down and breathing life into this lifeless human form there for the first time adam opens his eyes and peers directly into the eyes and face of his maker what is man who is man and what makes us different from the animal kingdom well we see a lot of clues right here in this passage first of all in the very creation before mankind was created god's conversation among the members of the godhead here let us make man in our image none of the other creation it says is made in the image of god all of creation as we said it was spoken into existence by his word but now now god is creating with his own hands breathing life with his own mouth into his new creation this special being that it says was made in his image was then given dominion over all the works of his hands fish of the sea the birds of the ear the cattle everything that creeps upon the earth mankind was made to be the preeminent the crowning work of his creation what does it mean to be made in the image of god what does god look like the bible says no man has seen god and lived and yet and yet there was a man by the name of moses many years later who asked to see god and god placed him there in the mountain in the cleft of the rock and passed by and as god passed by moses got to behold the glory of the lord and the lord spoke there from the midst of this glorious presence the lord the lord god merciful and gracious abounding in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands of forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin the lord declared his character and that was his image the character of god and i want to i wonder what does it mean to be created in the image of god is it because somehow humankind has a moral awareness an awareness of the character the law of god an ability to relate to god within a framework that none of the other animal kingdom can i hear all around the voice of the birds the sparrows and the and the mockingbird the swallows all singing praises to god and yet we as humankind were created in a special way to be in special relationship with god many people teach that within the human being the thing that makes us so different from the animal kingdom is an eternal and immortal soul a divine element that is placed within the heart of man that makes mankind different and separate from the animal kingdom and it's a beautiful thought but but as i read this passage here in genesis it says in the king james version that when god formed that body and breathed that breath into adam it didn't say that he placed within adam a soul but he created this disembodied spirit and then placed it in a body but it says that mankind that man became a living soul and there's something that we can learn about the very nature of mankind not that we and we possess within ourselves some bit of divinity some bit of immortality but the god created us the whole being the body the breath together making the soul he created us to live in communion in relationship with him in a way that none of the animal kingdom can to be his special companions to be his special friends created in his image this psalmist describes this beautiful and unique position that god placed humankind in in the eighth chapter of psalms as he goes out and looks up at the heavens and sees the glories of god's universe he asked the question what is man the thou art mindful of him we're the son of man that thou vist him for thus made him a little lower than the angels and has crowned him with glory and honor he goes on to say you have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands and put all things under his feet all sheep and oxen yeah the beasts of the field the birds of the air and the fish of the sea a direct reference to that passage we read in genesis 1 verse 26 what does it mean that god has created humankind to have this dominion over creation does that mean that god has given us the entire world to spoil to take advantage of to take everything we need to throw our garbage everywhere that we don't want what does it mean that god has placed us in this world to tend to guard and to keep to care and care for and nourish the rest of the creation that he has made well of course we don't have to look far for the answer right here in the passage we see a job that god has given to adam right there in the garden of eden before the entrance of sin into this world there in genesis chapter 2 it speaks of how out of the ground the lord god formed every beast of the field and every bird of the ear and notice what it says he brought them to adam to see what he would call them adam had the job of naming the animals each one god would bring bear to adam and adam as he would observe this animal this creature observe its behavior start to form a relationship with this animal he would give it a name he would call it a name and it seemed as though their god and adam are cooperating there together just building a friendship just having fun and god is saying to adam here adam look at this look at what i made what would you call this it's like a father maybe a young child and adam is just having the time of his life created there in the image of god created to have relationship with god and yet at the same time as animal after animal after animal comes adam is noticing that for each animal there's another animal a male and a female and that together these animals have a special companionship and as each pair comes by pair after pair after hair adam begins to look around and he begins to wonder why it seems as though he is alone well it seems as though there is no none other of the human kind that is just like him made especially to have relationship with him you know i've often wondered why would god allow adam to go through this experience of being alone the only one of his kind in the whole and it makes me wonder if perhaps god is not teaching adam some important lessons some important lessons about what it means to be human perhaps even more some important lessons about what it means to be made in the image of god [Music] relationships god is a god of relationships here we have adam who is out naming all these animals and realizing that all the animals have a partner someone to live life with male and female everyone created in pairs and here he is all alone and of course we know that god himself is a god of relationships because what do we see god say when he's ready to create adam in the first place he says let us make man in our image god himself has a relationship and so as he creates man in his crowning act in his own image he creates man to want a relationship and so adam is lonely he wants a companion he wants someone to complete him and so we find in genesis 2 verse 18 god says it is not good that man should be alone i will make him a helper comparable to him or as in the old king james version it says i will make him a help meet and then we find that god does that so in verse 21 the lord god caused a deep sleep to fall on adam and he slept and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place then the rib which the lord god had taken from man he made into a woman and he brought her to the man i can just see adam like falling asleep not because he was tired but just falling asleep perfectly happy and content in what he had just done happy and the work he had completed and naming all the animals and the time he had spent with god but then the surprise when he woke up you know i used to think well maybe god just went down and said hey adam i want you to go to sleep now i have a surprise for you when you wake up maybe he did but maybe he didn't maybe adam just went to sleep and then woke up with the most amazing surprise of his life here was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid his eyes on it was different she was different than any other creature of all those creatures that he had named so far and he he was shocked he was starstruck this beautiful this was his and he said this is woman because she came from man this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh he says in verse 23 she is called woman wow i wish i wish i could have been there to see it to just see that expression on his face the the twinkle in his eyes the giant smile that he just absolutely couldn't hide and even to think of what eve saw when she was created and of course the first thing she saw when she was created was her maker her creator but the second thing that she saw was adam adam was stunning this tall handsome man ready in complexion just the prince charming of all prince charmings i mean this guy was amazing i'm quite sure that daniel's just like him but i might be just a little biased i can just picture adam and eve looking at each other gazing into each other's eyes just experiencing the thrill of the deepest love they had ever imagined and to know that they were created for each other to be together forever what an amazing thought in fact they didn't even have to at their wedding say you know i'll be with you in sickness and health or you know uh prosperity or poverty or whatever because they were in a perfect world there was no sickness there was no death they didn't even have to stay till death do us fart at that point life was forever for eternity of course they had no idea what would come later but just seeing god smiling at them their creator looking at them seeing the love that was growing in their hearts for each other and realizing this is it this is why i created them because i wanted them to understand the relationship that i want to have with them and the love that they have for each other is just a little glimpse of the love i have for them and so you see god uh preaching the first wedding sermon in verse 24 where he says therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife and they shall become one flesh wow what a wedding what a beautiful picture of relationship and the end of the day six ended with god saw everything that he had made and indeed it was very good you know you see day one day two day three day four day five god saw what he had made and it was good god saw what he had made and it was good and now you get to day six and he says now it is very good i just love that i love that picture of what god has created [Music] [Applause] so god said something interesting when just before he created eve he said i want to make a help meet or a helper for man what does it mean that women were created to be a helper for man you know honestly over the centuries this passage has been abused in many ways because you know men have lorded that over women and said we were created first we're better than you you are created to be our helpers so therefore you have to do what we say and you end up with this idea that women are a slave women were created to be uh you know the the doormat for the man and when we look at this passage closer it's not that's not the case at all god wanted to create someone who would be compatible who could stand by adam's side i mean we look at where god took that bone from adam where was it was it under his foot was it like you know a toe bone or um an ankle bone or something you know down at the bottom to show like he's way she's way lower than him of course he didn't do the other extreme either right it wasn't a piece of the skull or you know but no it was from his rib from his side someone who could stand shoulder his shoulder with him and say i want to be with you i want to let's work together let's be a united team you know we look at the relationship between god the father and god the son jesus christ and the holy spirit and how they work together it's not one is over the other and says you know you're gonna do this and this and this is how this is gonna work no they're one they're united and that's the same kind of relationship that god wants to have in a marriage he wants to see a united man and woman working together to be able to accomplish more than either one of them could individually you know i absolutely love that about my relationship with daniel uh it was it's just so amazing how we can work together in ministry work together for the lord and accomplish so much more than either one of us could if we had been signaled and it's just been an amazing journey an amazing experience that god wants us to have and that's what he wants for all of his creatures he wants them to experience god's love and his care so what is god's purpose for a woman what is our responsibility as women taking on this role that eve has passed down to us what is our responsibility how should we behave you know one of the things that we can remember is that yes man was created in the image of god but women were also created in the image of god we have a purpose and as such we can take the responsibility to care for ourselves to keep ourselves in health to educate ourselves uh you know and also to remember that we are individuals when we get married our individuality doesn't just completely disappear under a man we don't all of a sudden because of course you know because i love my husband i want to help him i want to do his wishes i want to keep the house for him but at the same time i am an individual i am unique and i have goals and dreams too and so god wants us to preserve our individuality and to pursue the dreams that god has given and of course as most of you know i have a restaurant daniel when he can comes over to the restaurant to help me for a couple hours here you know once in a while when he can and when i can i try to go with him on some of his pastoral visits or you know some of his responsibilities as a pastor but together we're doing ministry i share jesus through food he shares jesus more through the pulpit and through media and bible studies and some of the other things that i can't always do but we work together in it and in the evening it's so much fun to be able to share together what god is doing what god did for us that day and to be able to talk through challenges together and work solutions together and you know just just imagine if if in every marriage relationship the man was always the one doing everything and all the woman did was just stay home and become invisible yes there's nothing wrong with being a mother that is amazing obviously i don't have children so i can't stay home to be a mother a mother is the one of the most important works ever but to just become invisible to the world is not what god wants he wants you to shine he wants you to uh if your husband has a passion in something educate yourself enough that you can actually help him with that passion and hopefully he will do the same for you and your things and when my husband and i first got married he was a computer guy so guess what i learned computer programming so that way when he came home from work i could talk to him and actually understand some of the things that he was telling me and we could actually have a conversation about something that he was passionate about and he loved obviously computers aren't my passion but i know enough that i can be intelligent about it and that's one of those examples on how you can work together as a united team and of course if you have children working together as a united team to raise your children is the most important work that either of you could ever do [Music] do [Music] god created mankind but i'm so glad that he didn't create men to be alone i'm so thankful for the help meet that he created for me my eve for adam now of course i know that not everyone has the privilege of living in a married relationship many people that i minister to perhaps you who are watching perhaps you have loved and lost perhaps you've never had the privilege of living in a marriage relationship but that's okay god calls each and every one of us to different places in life to fill different places in our world and i think whether we're married or whether we're single that seed that longing desire that god places in our hearts for relationship teaches us something of what it means to be made in the image of god you know i think god himself longs for relationship that's why he himself exists in a plurality the father the son and the holy spirit that is i believe why he created this world and created man and woman so that we could fill a void if you will in his heart could fill his desire to receive love not love that is forced but love that comes from our own free choice and that is perhaps one reason why he longed in his love when humankind fell why he paid such an infinite price to redeem you and me back we find in revelation chapter 3 and verse 20 these beautiful words behold i stand at the door and knock if anyone hears my voice and opens the door i will come into him and dine with him and he with me god is calling to our hearts he longs to have that relationship with us we humankind of all the creatures in this world have the special ability to have that relationship with god that no one else can what do you think when i come home from a long day of work open the door what goes through your mind i'm so happy you're home awesome lately it's been me coming home and you get home before me it is it is and when i see the headlights pulling into the driveway i just want to jump up from my chair and sometimes i don't hear the car pulling in because i've got maybe a sermon in the woods that i'm editing and i hear her turning the latch of the door and i spring from my chair and go to give her a big hug just because he always says you're home and i think that picture of the the joy that we have in a marriage relationship i know for me has taught me something of the heart of god's love and just how much god longs to have a relationship with each and every one of us and so in conclusion i just want to simply ask you do you have that relationship with him do you have that longing in your heart to be together with him do you sense the longing in his heart the longing that he has to be with you this i believe is the lesson that we find on that fourth day of creation and as the sun sets in the evening the two are together but really it's not two it's more than two adam and eve and god shall we pray together friends father in heaven lord thank you thank you for what we have learned from your word about the sixth day of creation about the nature of mankind but more importantly about your love your longing heart of love longing for relationship with each and every one of us lord we accept that desire lord plan in our hearts the same longing for relationship with you and lord may we accept your love and your sacrifice as shown in the infinite infinite price paid by our loving savior jesus christ so that we could have that relationship again with you may we hear you knocking on the door of our hearts and may we answer and may you come in and live with us and we with you both now and for eternity this is our prayer in jesus name amen i love you too [Music] you

Channel: Daniel McFeeters

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Id: Whz2Y4bZfzI

Length: 35min 58sec (2158 seconds)

Published: Sat May 29 2021