GENESIS (Series) THE MAKING OF MANKIND GENESIS 1:26-31

REVIEW “IN THE BEGINNING GOD….” Genesis 1:1 “IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH” Genesis 1:1-25 Day 1: Light Day 2: Separation of waters below and waters above Day 3: Separation of water from dry land and creation of vegetation Day 4: Creation of the galaxies, and time Day 5: Creation of fish and fowl Day 6: Creation of animals and mankind Day 7: Creation complete – God rests

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every creeping thing that moves on the earth.’” GENESIS 1:26-28

“Then God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food’; and it was so. And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” GENESIS 1:29-31

I. THE PLAN OF GOD FOR MANKIND “THEN GOD SAID, ‘LET US MAKE MAN….’” Gen. 1:26 The change in the process The climax of the process The culmination of the process

QUESTION AND ANSWER QUESTION: WHY IS THIS ACCOUNT OF THE MAKING OF MANKIND IMPORTANT INFORMATION? ANSWER: IT ANSWERS FOR MAN THE BASIC QUESTIONS ABOUT LIFE!

THE BASIC QUESTIONS ABOUT LIFE 1. WHERE DID I COME FROM? 2. HOW DID I GET HERE? 3. WHY AM I HERE? 4. WHERE AM I GOING? 5. WHAT’S THE MEANING OF LIFE? 6. WHAT’S THE PURPOSE OF LIFE?

II. THE PATTERN GOD USED TO MAKE MANKIND! “AND GOD SAID, ‘LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE, ACCORDING TO OUR LIKENESS….’ AND GOD CREATED MAN IN HIS OWN IMAGE, IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, HE CREATED HIM; MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM.” Genesis 1:26,27

WHAT IS THE LIKENESS THAT MAN HAS WITH GOD SHARED CHARACTERISTICS 1. MORAL ATTRIBUTE 2. ABILITY TO REASON (intellect) 3. EXERCISE OF FREE WILL (volition) 4. INTELLIGENCE 5. ABILITY T0 MAKE AND PRODUCE (creativity) 6. COMMUNICATE 7. RELATIONSHIP 8. SPIRIT (immaterial) 9. RESPONSIBILITY 10. LOVE (care, give)

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES THE IMAGE OF GOD MAKE IN MANKIND? 1. THE IMAGE OF GOD SETS MAN APART FROM THE REST OF GOD’S CREATION! 2. THE IMAGE OF GOD GIVES VALUE AND WORTH TO MAN! 3. THE IMAGE OF GOD GIVES MAN PURPOSE AND MEANING! “What is man that Thou are mindful of him…. You have made him a little lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor.” Ps. 8:4

III. THE PURPOSE OF GOD IN THE MAKING OF MANKIND ENJOY LIFE “and God blessed them….” 1:28 MULITPLY “be fruitful and multiply….” 1:28 RULE “subdue the earth and rule.…” 1:28 REPRESENT GOD “…in our image.…” 1:26 WORK “cultivate the earth….” 2:15 CHOOSE “eat of every tree, but.…” 2:16 OBEY “and God commanded the man….” 2:16

THE WESTMINSTER SHORTER CATECHISM (107 questions and answers about life and God) Question #1: What is the chief end of man? Answer: To know God and to glorify Him forever!

IV. THE IMAGE OF GOD AND THE PREDICAMENT OF MAN “AND GOD SAW WHAT HE HAD MADE, AND BEHOLD, IT WAS VERY GOOD!” Gen. 1:31 “FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND HAVE COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD” (Rom. 3:23) “Whatever else is true of man, it is certainly true that man is not what He was meant to be.” G.K. Chesterton

JESUS CHRIST WAS GOD AND HE WAS BORN WITHOUT SIN! “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory (the likeness of God) the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

JESUS CHRIST WHO WAS WITHOUT SIN TOOK UPON HIMSELF OUR SIN! “And God made Him (Jesus) Who knew no sin to become sin for us…” II Cor. 5:21 “And the Lord God caused the sin of us all to be laid upon Him (Jesus).” Isaiah 53:6 “His appearance was marred more than any man and His form more than the sons of men.” Isaiah 52:14 JESUS CHRIST WHO WAS WITHOUT SIN TOOK UPON HIMSELF OUR SIN!

JESUS CHRIST PAID THE RANSOM FOR MAN’S SIN, CONQUERED DEATH, ASCENDED TO HEAVEN AND SITS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER! “And He (Christ) is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made atonement for our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.…” Hebrews 1:3

JESUS CHRIST IS IN THE PROCESS OF TRANSFORMING US INTO HIS IMAGE! “God has pre-determined that we (believers in Christ) are to be transformed (changed) into the IMAGE OF HIS SON.” (Romans 8:29) “But we are all…being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” (II Cor. 3:18)

JESUS CHRIST IS COMING BACK AND WHEN HE DOES WE WILL BECOME JUST LIKE HIM! “Beloved, NOW we are the children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that when He appears, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, because we shall see Him just as He is.” I John 3:2

GOD’S IMAGE IS STAMPED UPON EVERY HUMAN LIFE – (just like a coin) “Teacher, tell us, ‘Should we pay taxes to Caesar, or not?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Show me a coin.’ And they brought him a coin. And he said to them, ‘Whose image is on this coin?’ And they replied, ‘Caesars.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give to Caesar the things that are Caesars; and give to God the things that are Gods.’”

GIVE TO GOD THE THINGS THAT ARE GODS! QUESTION HAVE YOU GIVEN YOURSELF TO GOD?