IN GOD’S IMAGE

Pastor Ronald Berry, SW Washington

 

 

 

SEED AFTER ITS OWN KIND:

 

Gen 1:11-12 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

 

Grass, herbs, and trees produce seed after their own kind.

Grass produces grass.

Herbs produce herbs.

Trees produce trees.

 

 

FISH AND BIRDS AFTER ITS OWN KIND:

 

Gen 1:21: And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

 

§        Great whales, sea creatures, and winged fowl, all produce seed after their kind.

§        Whale produce whales.

§        Sea creatures produce sea creatures.

§        Fowls produce fowls.

 

 

LAND CREATURES AND BEASTS AFTER ITS OWN KIND:

 

Gen 1:24-25 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

 

§        Land creatures, cattle, creeping things, and beasts, all produce seed after their own kind.

§        Land creatures produce land creatures.

§        Beasts produce beasts.

 

 

MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN KIND:

 

Gen 1:26-27 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

 

God said “let us create man in our image, to have dominion.

God then created man in His image.

Man was created in the image of God.

 

 

In the same image:

 

§        Plants are in the image of a plant.

§        Fish are in the image of a fish.

§        Birds are in the image of a bird.

§        Beasts are in the image of a beast.

§        Men are in the image of God.

 

2Cor:3:18: But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

 

 

Man is in the image of God:

 

Man was created the same type of being as God is. What kind of a being is God?

 

John 4:24: “God is a Spirit”

 

§        The man created in Genesis chapter one was created a spirit being, in the image of God.

§        This is when man was created a spirit being or a god-man.

§        God created this god-man to exercise dominion over the created realm.

 

Psalm 8:4-8 What is man, that thou art mindful of him?  and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

 

Man was not yet a living soul.

 

In order to be a living soul there must be the merging of the Spirit of life from God with a physical body.

 

The god-man or the spirit man needed to be placed into a physical body in order to exercise dominion over the physical creation.

 

Gen 2:7: And 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 soul.

 

Man lost spiritual  life.

 

God’s Spirit [of life] left man when sin entered man.

Man lost the image and life of God, but retained his physical life and body.

 

Gen 2:16-17: And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

 

“Thou shalt surely die” in the Hebrew text reads [in dying thou shalt surely die]. Thus man lost the spiritual life he had received at creation and retained only his physical life and body.

 

YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN:

Jesus described the necessity for man to be born again of the Spirit. Now remember only a Spirit Being can give birth to a spirit being.

 

John 3:5-6 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

 

Man is a spirit being without spiritual life. The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of Life.

 

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

 

CREATION WAITS FOR THE REVEALING OF THE SONS OF GOD:

 

§        All of creation is waiting for the sons of God to manifest their dominion over the earth.

§        When man sinned, the Spirit of God left His place of residence inside of man.

§        Sin caused mankind to become a hostile environment for God’s Spirit.

 

Rom 8:19-20 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

 

Rom:8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

 

THE RETURN OF THE SPIRIT.

 

Jesus promised that the Spirit would return and take up residence in man, after they were cleansed.

 

§        After sinful man was cleansed from sin, by the blood of Christ.

§        God’s Holy Spirit could then reside again in man.

§        Every born again man has the Spirit of God residing in him!

§        The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Life.

 

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

 

Romans 8:9: But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

 

 

Born again the sons of God.

 

Every person that is born again of the Spirit of Christ is a son of God. I did not say we are The Son of God. Jesus is the Son of God and has the preeminence.

 

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.

 

Galatians 4:6: And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

 

1John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

 

Except God be with Him:

 

It was acknowledged that Jesus was the Son of God because no man could do the things He did except God be with him.

 

1John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

 

Every born again person has God in them, and can do the things Jesus did!

 

John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

 

 

The works of the sons of god:

 

Miracles, signs, and wonders should follow the born again believer. We can do all things because Christ’s Spirit resides in us.

 

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

 

John 16:17-18 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

 

YE are gods.

 

Jesus himself affirmed that we were created in the God-class of beings. If Jesus called us gods, (small g) who can deny this truth?

 

John 10:33-36 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

 

Creation waits:

 

All of God’s creation is waiting on the sons of God to manifest their authority over the earth.

 

Romans 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature (creation) waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

 

Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

 

Nature is out of course due to the un-godly words spoken out of man’s mouth.

 

James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

 

 

nature is off course.

 

Lost mankind has altered nature’s course.

 

Psalm 82:5-6 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

 

Jesus demonstrated His control over nature when He cursed the fig tree and when He spoke to the wind and waves. Jesus was able to do this because He was a man born of God, with God’s Spirit in Him. We are born again and have God’s Spirit in us also!

 

2Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

 

What we are!

 

§        We are God’s offspring.

§        We are the sons and daughters of God.

§        We are the children of God.

§        We are born again in the Image of God’s dear Son.

§        God is our Father.

§        We have God’s Spirit in us.

§        We are born again of the Spirit.

§        We are citizens of Heaven.

§        We are the elect of God.

§        We are sanctified and set apart for God’s use.

§        We are co-heirs with Christ.

§        We can do all things through Christ.

§        We are the head and not the tail.

§        We are more then over-comers.

§        We are the children of the Most High God.

 

Col:3:10: And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

 

Have a GOD-day!

   Pastor Ron