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Created in God's Image

Genesis 1:26-31
- I know I told some of you that we would study carbon dating this
week, but I have felt led by the Holy Spirit to go another direction
o we are still studying in Genesis 1, still answering your
questions about the Bible
o Tonight we will study about the creation of mankind in
Genesis 1:26-31
- BEING TRANSPARENT
o We need a God to move in our midst
we all seem to be too content to play church
we need Christians to be broken over our sinfulness
we need the Lost to come to faith in Jesus
We need God to SHOW UP for this to happen
o Honestly, I have stood before you guys too often without
asking the Spirit of God to FILL and ANOINT ME
when I haven't, I've preached under my own power,
and let's face it, NOTHING will happen
I ask and beg for you all's prayer, now and each week
that God would fill and anoint me with His Spirit
that God would SHOW UP and work in our midst
that GOD would speak to each one of us,
beginning with ME
o At my conference I learned that in the 70's God SHOWED
UP all across the UNITED STATES
people in the HIPPIE communities were coming to
JESUS in HUGE numbers
teenagers and young adults that had been
caught up in the Hippie Movement were now
caught up in the JESUS MOVEMENT

o druggies gave it up in a moment of

professing faith in Jesus
o guys and girls who were living wild sexual
lives changed in an instant of salvation
o people's lives CHANGED
there were churches and Youth Groups that
would baptize 10+ teenagers ever week
and people thought that was normal
WE NEED GOD TO SHOW UP
this starts with PRAYER, not "good food, good meat,
good God lets eat" but getting on our faces before God
and BEGGING HIM to do something AWESOME
It starts with Christians, like some of you, being broken
for your sins and repenting to turn to a life obedient to
God
o PRAYER TIME: I want to start tonight in an unusual way, we
are going to take a few moments, get on our knees, and
BEG God to show up
anyone who desires to join me down here at the stage
can, pray in your seats, and please don't distract
others and please dont mock this time
- I believe that tonight, we can see this start with a sermon about
God creating Adam and Eve
- V26-27
- "God created man in His own image"
o the term "man" does not mean male here, it means humankind; both male and female; specifically Adam and Eve here
o image can mean many things
the idea here is that animals, plants, nothing else was
created in the image of God
only mankind was created in the image of God

mankind has a soul that will exist exist after

death
mankind has the ability to reason
mankind was created to have relationships
mankind is capable of LOVE
the list can go on and on
o Genesis 5:3 "When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered
a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him
Seth."
we see here that Seth was created in the image of
Adam, who was created in the image of God,
therefore, Seth too was created in the image of God
the image of God is passed down from parents to
children
WE ARE ALL CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD

#1 Incredible WORTH
- V28
- God restates and adds to verse 26
- "subdue the earth and have dominion over the fish, birds, and all
animals"
o God here tells us mankind's Incredible WORTH
o He says that we are to subdue, or "conquer and rule over"
the earth
the plants, the rocks, the waters, the fish, the birds,
and all animals
if God told us to rule over all other creation, then He
created us greater than it
WE ARE GREATER THAN ALL OTHER CREATION
Why? because we are CREATED in the IMAGE OF
GOD
- Psalm 8:4-5 "What is man that You take thought of him, And the
son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little
lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty!"
o Mankind is the only creation God has EVER made that was
created in the Image of God
o not-even the Angels were created in the image of God
o WE ARE GREATER THAN THE ANGELS because we are
created in the IMAGE OF GOD
- V31
o "VERY GOOD"
o after everything else God made, what is said?
after day 1, light and dark it is good
after day 2, the skies and heavens it is good
day 3, dry land and plants it is good
day 4, sun, moon, stars, planets - it is good
day 5, water creatures and birds it is good
day 6, land animals it is good
BUT day 6, mankind IT IS VERY GOOD

o GOD VALUES US, WE HAVE INCREDIBLE WORTH

- ILLUSTRATION: Upward basketball; JUDAH AND MERCY; I pray
that their WORTH is not found in anything other than the fact that
GOD VALUES THEM because they are created in HIS IMAGE
- APPLICATION:
o Some of you may think you have very little worth
some may contemplate suicide
you may practice self-harm
you live lives of destruction to yourself
cutting, premarital sex, ingestion of drugs and
alcohol
these are self-destructive things
you may not be as smart as you would like
as pretty, outgoing, popular as you would like
o BUT, i'm here to tell you that you have WORTH
you are incredibly VALUABLE
why? BECAUSE GOD MADE YOU IN HIS IMAGE

o the Psalm I mentioned earlier "Psalm 8:4-5 "What is man

that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You
care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than
God, And You crown him with glory and majesty!"
this is said right after we get a mental image of David,
as a shepherd before becoming King of Israel, laying
under the stars, seeing the beauty of creation, and
wondering "WHY WOULD GOD CARE ABOUT ME?"
and then GOD speaks to David's heart "because YOU,
are my greatest CREATION!"
o ILLUSTRATION: my GOLD WEDDING RING; only has value
because we, creatures greater than the ring, say it does
o When you doubt your WORTH or VALUE
after a failed test, after you don't make the team or
band, after you get dumped by your boyfriend or
girlfriend REMEMBER, your VALUE is not found in
those things, it isn't even found within you, your VALUE
comes from GOD placing Value on you
o YOU ARE A BEARER OF THE IMAGE OF GOD
- James 3:8-9 "but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a
restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and
Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness
of God."

o This verse is talking about how Christians use their words

1 minute they are praising God
the next minute they are putting down other human
beings who are made in God's IMAGE
o our understanding of being made in the image of God has to
overflow past our selves
o we MUST understand that ALL OTHER HUMAN BEINGS
ARE MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD
I believe that in understanding what it means for
mankind to be made in God's image, we can eliminate
much of the problems in the world
racism, bullying, sexism, abortion, murder,
abuse, rape, starvation and all types of
mistreatment
if you think about it, if we saw the INCREDIBLE
WORTH of every human being to be what GOD HAS
SAID IT IS, there would be no mistreatment of others
we wouldn't let children starve to death
we wouldn't allow child slavery
we wouldn't look down upon other races, social
classes, or anyone
IF ONLY YOU WOULD BE THE GENERATION
THAT SEES PEOPLE FOR WHAT THEY ARE
WORTH

o YOU HAVE TO STOP

talking bad about other people
having thoughts that other races are lesser than you
having thoughts that other people are lesser than you
mistreating others
o YOU HAVE TO START
asking the people you have wronged to forgive you
thinking of the people in need of food, clothes, homes,
friends
taking the Gospel to people created in the image of
God who will live eternally in Hell if they do not put
their faith in Jesus
o IF ONLY YOU WOULD BE THAT GENERATION
o IF ONLY GOD WOULD MOVE AND IT ALL BEGIN
TONIGHT
ILLUSTRATION: AMERICAN IDOL and THE VOICE; the song is not
the object of praise, the singer is
#2 Inspired WORSHIP
- V31
- When God saw mankind, He noted that it is "VERY GOOD"
o this is a statement of WORSHIP
o is God worshipping mankind? NO WAY!
o God is worshipping the one that created the beauty of
mankind; HIMSELF
o GOD IS WORTHY OF WORSHIP because He did is a
brilliant artist and it should INSPIRE US TO WORSHIP HIM
o anyone that worships creation is foolish because the creator
is the one who is brilliant and creative
- There is one major time in history when God did something that
SHOWS you the INCREDIBLE WORTH He has always had for
you, while at the same time ISPIRING us to WORSHIP HIM

o God the Son came down to earth as a human, lived a sinless

life, and died to pay for your sins
all the mistakes you've made that should send you to
hell for eternity were covered by Jesus' sacrificial death
- INVITATION: ask james to come up and everyone to stand
o If you have never asked God to forgive you and placed your
faith in Jesus' death for that forgiveness, NOW IS THE TIME,
as James begins to play a song; COME DOWN here
come down here to the front, get on your knees and
beg for God's forgiveness, place your faith in Jesus
i will come speak with you and pray with you
and TONIGHT you can walk away WORSHIPPING
GOD for salvation
o CHRISTIANS if you have already found salvation in Jesus'
death, WORSHIP GOD; PRAY FOR GOD TO MOVE IN
OUR STUDENT MINISTRY; Pray for those around you who
may need Jesus right now
- Remember:
o you have INCREDIBLE WORTH
o all other human beings have INCREDIBLE WORTH
o because God made us VERY GOOD we should be
INSPIRED TO WORSHIP