All of Humanity is Created in the Image of God for the Purpose of Bringing God Glory
This blog post is Part 9 of a series entitled, "Orthodoxy" by Pastor Jeffrey Dean Smith of Donelson First in Nashville, TN.
Message Date: March 5, 2023
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While in France painting a portrait of a Member of the French Parliament in the early 1800s, the American artist Samuel Finley Morse received word that his wife had become deathly ill. Fearful that he would not reach his home in Massachusetts before she died, he penned her a letter telling her how much he loved her in hopes of her receiving the letter quickly. He then began the long trip back to America, only to realize upon arrival, that she had in fact passed and that he too had missed her funeral. Several days after he arrived home, the letter he had sent his recently deceased wife arrived at their home. This tragic occurrence of events so moved this American painter that he began working to create a way in which people could communicate with one another more rapidly than a written letter. Thus the creation of the electric telegraph which would relay up-to-the-minute news for years to come.
There are many creations and inventions that have transformed all of our lives – cars, phones, airplanes, plastics, rubber, and so many, many more. The US Patent office states that there are more than 300,000 new patents issued each year for a variety of creations.
Today we continue our exploration of aletheia, truth, Orthodoxy – the Foundational Principles that define the Christian Faith…
and it is today that we will discover a CREATION unlike anything else the world has ever experienced…
… and this CREATION has everything to do with you!
Foundational Principle #4: All of Humanity is Created in the Image of God for the Purpose of Bringing God Glory
Genesis 1:26-28
Humanity - - the pinnacle of God’s creation.
2 truths to this Foundational Principle:
1. I am created in the image of God.
2. My purpose is to bring God glory.
So, let’s first dissect the truth #1 of this Orthodoxy principle:
I am created in the image of God. What does it mean to be created in God’s image?
1. I am created as God’s very best creation.
God orchestrated some amazing, unique, and wonderful things at creation. In Genesis 1:3-24, we read 6 times the words, “And God said…”, and then… God does some unimaginable and remarkable things:
Day 1 God creates light and separates it from darkness. God calls the light “day” and the darkness “night.”
Day 2 God creates the sky by separating water from water.
Day 3 God creates land and the seas. God creates trees and vegetation.
Day 4 God creates the sun, moon, and stars.
Day 5 God creates all the creatures of the sea and the birds of the air.
Day 6 God creates all the wild animals, livestock, and all the creatures that move along the ground.
Wow! How about all of this! God made light, darkness, day, night, sky, the sun, moon, the stars, all creatures of the sea, birds of the air, wild animals, livestock, and all the creatures that move along the ground! Quite the week, would you not agree?!
Since the beginning of time, this is probably the most incredible week in the history of time on this earth, other than the events surrounding the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which by the way, we will examine in detail later this spring in the Orthodoxy series. Everything that happened in the first 6 days of this week truly was amazing… but God’s not done! As a matter of fact, God was saving His greatest, very best, and most amazing creation as His last!
Genesis 1:26-28
Wait…what?!
For 6 days God created amazing things. But before resting on day 7, God uses 2 words we have not yet heard Him use!
The two words: Image & Likeness!
You know…my Memaw and Pepaw, my momma’s parents, Larry & Dorothy Shupe, were German. Pepaw’s parents came over from Germany and settled in Stuttgart, AR.
My dad’s parents, The Smiths, grew up in Texas. Papa’s dad was a full-blooded Blackfoot Indian.
I got my dimples from Papaw. I got my dark skin from Papa. Both of my grandfathers were extremely hard workers. I believe I have followed in their footsteps in that regard. Also, my Papaw loved music, especially Big Band music. I do too! In so many ways, I am made in the likeness of my grandfathers!
You’ve probably heard people make comments in reference to family such as: “You take after your momma!” Or… “You’re the spitting image of your daddy!” We love to hear such comments made about us when such comments are paid as compliments.
But, when such comments reflect a critical analogy, such words reflect an entirely different weight… Do you know what I mean? Such as… “When you act like that, you are just like your momma!” Or, “Every time you do that, sadly, you are the spitting image of your daddy!”
Isn’t it amazing how the exact same sentence can take on two entirely different meanings?
Here is a sentence upon which every time I hear it, it should ignite within me a tremendous sense of pride and joy and pleasure and peace:
I am God’s very best creation... because I am created in His image and likeness.
You are! It’s true. To be “created in God’s image” also means…
2. I am created like God.
Look again at Genesis 1:26-28.
I want to show you two important words:
image /Hebrew/ = closely alike; reflection of.
likeness /Hebrew/ = closely alike; reflection of.
These two words carry the same Hebrew meaning. They too are used in Hebrew when explaining “statues representing deities” or “wall paintings in the likeness of royalty.”
Both Hebrew words refer to something similar but not identical to the thing represented.
Let’s first consider the first part of this definition: “closely alike.” To the Hebrew reader, the takeaway would have been that:
For man to be created in the “image of” or in the “likeness of” God, = man is closely like God and thus represents God to the world.
We see a similar use of this wording later in Genesis 5:3 which Scripture explains the likeness that Seth, Adam’s son, had to his father: Genesis 5:3
So, in Genesis 1:26, what God is saying is: Let us make man to be like us and to represent us to the world.
When I think about this, I immediately think... This is a HUGE responsibility; one I should not take lightly!
To be made like God and to represent God to the world carries a tremendous amount of weight, does it not? Which leads us to another way in which we are created in God’s image:
3. I am created with the ability to do what is right.
Consider the second part of the definition of these two Hebrew words:
Image & likeness = reflection of.
As His Children made in His image, we actually have the ability to “reflect God” to the world.
When I think of my reflection, I immediately think of what - - a mirror! When I look into a mirror, I see… well, as of late, a whole lot more wrinkles and a whole lot less hair! But I too see… me!
As God’s mirror, as an image bearer of Him, when the world sees me… the world should see God.
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
1 Corinthians 3:16
When I am at a restaurant, what does my server learn about God by witnessing how I treat him/her? When I am driving and Music City traffic becomes an inconvenience, what do the drivers around me learn about God from my actions, language or gestures? When I am talking with others about Donelson First, our leadership, our worship, and our campus, what do others learn about God in the words I use? When I am with my neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family, what does the world learn about God by watching how I live?
As an image bearer of God, how I reflect God to the world determines how the world sees God.
There is a tremendous responsibility in all of this, isn’t there? I think of all the times we complain, we gossip, we spread lies, we speak down of others, we become jealous, we strive to get even, we get mad… Do you know what this means you and I do in such moments? I’ll answer this question with a question:
In such moments, if I am not reflecting the image of God, whose image am I reflecting?
Well, Jesus was pretty black and white on such moments in our lives when we do not reflect well God’s image!
Matthew 16:21-25 This passage pretty much speaks for itself!
I would encourage you to keep this question before you this week:
Am I reflecting well the image of God?
Okay, I want us now to examine the second truth of: Foundational Principle #4 of Orthodoxy: All of Humanity is Created in the Image of God for the Purpose of Bringing God Glory.
My purpose is to bring God glory.
How do I do this? How can I bring God glory? Well, there are so many, many ways in which you and I can do exactly this. A starting point:
1. I bring God glory when I realize He doesn’t need me.
Who here today needs something? I sure do! You do too. We all are in need of something.
Today there are people here who need: Healing. Restoration. Grace. A second chance. Forgiveness from a friend. Freedom from addiction. A fresh start.
We each are in need of something. God is not.
Acts 17:24-25
God is self-sufficient. God is independent.
Some people believe that God created us and created everything because God was lonely or because He was in need.
Such people are gravely mistaken.
Remember when the devil tempted Jesus at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry? What was the third temptation? Look at it:
Matthew 4:8-10
What are the “kingdoms of the world and their splendor?”
Splendor /Greek/ = majestic status
Satan was tempting Jesus with the worldly thrill of receiving power and status from humanity.
And look at how Jesus responds: Matthew 4:10
Jesus is saying, “I need not the world’s splendor to give me purpose and meaning!”
God does not need anything from the world.
God did not create everything out of need. God created everything out of love.
The Psalmist confirms this in Psalm 50:10-12
So then, the obvious question is, “If God does not need me, am I really of any value to Him? The answer is, of course: Absolutely!
Why? Because Scripture confirms:
2. I bring God glory when I realize He delights in me.
Please! Please! Please hear this Church:
God, the Creator of the world… the One God who separated water from water, created the skies, put the fireball in the sky, was super creative enough to create an elephant, an aardvark, and platypus, and Mt. Everest, and the Milky way! Hear this & believe it: This same God delights in me!
Isaiah said this about the restoration of God’s people:
You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer will they call you Deserted or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, (hef-zuh-buh) and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married. As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. Isaiah 62:3-5
How many people know your name... really know your name? Consider this:
The God of all things, who doesn’t need me... knows me by name!
Isaiah says that God actually calls you by name!
Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. Isaiah 43:7
There is a guy who has been working at our house recently. The second week that he was there, he arrived early one morning and was sitting on the front porch waiting to talk with me. Prison. 10 years. Drug trafficking. His wife divorced him. '
“Do you think God can forgive me?” “Of course,” I told him. And I even shared this verse with him! - - Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. Isaiah 43:7
He started crying. And said to me, “It’s so good to be known for something more than who I’ve been!”
Look, I’ll tell you as I told him... If you are living in the guilt or regret of the past, wouldn’t it be so good, feel so good, to come to the end of your past? This begins with just simply saying, “God, help me let go and let you lead me.”
Listen… God is not disappointed in you. God is not mad at you. He delights in you!
The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. Psalm 147:11
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
3. I bring God glory when I allow Him to define my purpose.
Have you ever asked the question, “How do I know what I am supposed to do with my life?” You probably have! I know I have.
As a matter of fact, I made a list this week of all the jobs I’ve had: Mowed yards (started when I was 11). Delivered newspapers. (To me, that was the worst job ever...had to get up @ 3a before school!) Flipped hamburgers at Andy’s (Wendy’s brother). Sold Christmas Trees at Safeway in LR. Construction. In college, I was a lifeguard. After college, I modeled for a while in Nashville. (Yes if you search for the Martina McBride video for the theme song of the movie “Runaway Bride,” you will see me!) I sang some songs for a while. And then I started preaching.
I’ve done so much, as I am sure you have. But I can honestly say, none of what I have done or am doing or will do truly defines my spiritual purpose!
“How do I discover God’s purpose for my life?” Well, it begins with an understanding:
My greatest purpose in life is first defined by my intention to live in such a way to bring God glory.
Jesus Himself said these very words: I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. John 10:10b
Jesus is telling us, “You want the full life? Find it in me!”
Now, I know just because I say this and just because you read this passage, this does not mean that you automatically know what it is that you are to do with your life. But this is a starting point – and an important one at that!
The Psalmist understood this very thing.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:25-26
How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Psalm 84:1-2
As you choose to glorify God with your life, you find an overwhelming amount of peace and comfort and purpose… no matter what career path, life choice, or even moments of failure come your way. And when you get to this place, you begin to understand on an extremely deep and intimate level just-how-much-God-thinks-of you.
You see…
When glorying God with my life defines my purpose, I live in this “sweet spot” of knowing that God has my back, is in control, and that the Creator of the world, the heavens, the aardvarks, and the sunsets is on my side!
And then… Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. 1 Peter 1:8
“Yes Jeffrey, but that does not answer the question for me, “What is my purpose as it relates to my career, my money, or my retirement!”
Well, it is the correct starting point. And this is super important:
You see Scripture does not say, “Get the career you want and then glorify God!” “Have all your dreams come true, and then glorify God!” “BE comfortable in life… and then glorify God!” No! Scripture says:
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. Revelation 4:11
When my greater pursuit is to glorify God with my life, I find peace in my purpose… even when I am delivering newspapers at 3am!
4. I bring God glory when I live as He created me to live.
Genesis 2:7
Genesis 2:20b-24
In these few verses, God tells us so much about how He created us to live. I am not created to live alone.
Genesis 2:20b
God did not want man to be alone. This is why he created a woman. Now, we are going to talk in much greater detail about the role of man and the role of woman as we discuss Foundational Principle #5 in the weeks to come. So, more on this later. But be clear of this: There is only ONE thing God declared “not good” throughout the Creation story. Only one thing! And it is what… “Man to be alone!”
Genesis 2:18
And in this same verse, God offers the solution to man’s loneliness!
It is NOT fishing. It is NOT SportsCenter. And it is NOT anything unholy. God’s remedy to man’s loneliness? A “suitable helper!”
God’s remedy for man’s loneliness is clear:
1. The man does not get to decide the remedy. (God did not ask the man, “What or who do want as a partner?)
2. Another man is not suitable as the remedy.
Who was the “suitable helper” to remedy the man’s loneliness? A woman.
Genesis 2:21-25
You see it is clear, I bring God glory when I live as He created me to live to realize first, I am not created to live alone. And lastly...
I am created in clear distinction as either a man or a woman. You see…
There is a theological issue at stake when anyone suggests that there is not a clear distinction between a man and a woman. And this is what we are going to walk through in Part 10 of our series of Orthodoxy.
So... here’s the take-home for today and we will pick this up in two weeks: The reason this Foundational Principle is so important for us each today is that every single one of us in this room and watching virtually today is facing a very real, intimate, difficult and potentially overwhelming burden... If you are dealing with the uncertainty of your career... If you are struggling with your sexuality... If you are hurting emotionally... If you have spent time in prison... If you have cheated on your spouse... If you have stolen from someone else... If you have been carrying around for many, many years hurt from a daddy who left, a spouse who stopped loving, a loved one who hit you, a child who died... Or maybe I have not mentioned your burden today, but you know it’s there...
Hear this, receive this, and believe this:
I am created by God for a purpose only I can fulfill.
No burden is greater than the purpose for which I am created. Choosing to bring God glory in the midst of my burden will fashion a peace within me greater than a burden before me.
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Jeffrey Dean Smith is a husband, father to Bailey & Brynnan, author, and the Senior Pastor at Donelson First in Nashville, TN. If you are in Music City, meet Jeffrey and enjoy iced tea on the front lawn each Sunday at 10:30a.