Major Bible Themes
Mike Doyle · Jun 26, 2011
Major Bible Themes (2011), No. 26
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926238484006

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

For those of you, we are studying through major Bible themes and we have arrived at man as his creation. Now, what we're going to do, and actually when I started studying this I was laughing because this is exactly what we're doing with the kids in Sunday school.

Only there's another question there that I forgot to ask. The questions that we're going to try to answer is How were we created? Where did we come from? How can you know that you're created in God's image? How does man's image differ from God's and what's the makeup of man? And Hal Malloy put these questions together which I think are really good and he would use these questions to, the stories he would tell about about running into somebody on an airplane. He'd be sitting next to them and somewhere in the conversation he would say to them, well, everybody's got to answer four questions in their life.

Who am I? Where'd I come from? What am I doing here? And where am I going? And if you get all those questions answered, you're probably in pretty good shape. So that was a basic thing that he would do. So I thought, well, you know, with the kids, We started with where did you come from and we went to Genesis and found out. And now we're beginning to work on why am I here and then where am I going. Most of them know where they're going.

But the who am I is one that we didn't ask but incorporated in where did I come from is the who am I. So we spent time doing that. So who am I? Who are you from a biblical standpoint? you could say that you're the highest form of animal life. You retrieve, you sit, you stay, you were created in God's image and likeness.

Let's talk about that. What does that mean? Let's go to Genesis 1, I think maybe verse Twenty six. OK. I will have to live it out. Sorry. I mean, it's up and everything is OK. I get my help. Nobody challenged me when I said you were the highest form of animal creation. Are you?

According to who? His word. No. According to the human viewpoint. What you are from the word is created in the image and likeness of God. Oh wow. So Genesis 1, 26 and 7. Somebody read it. And 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. God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. So are you deity? What makes you and me in the image and likeness of God?

Okay, you don't have to answer because I'm going to wait. Next thing, where did I come from? The world would say I came from, where? The latest and greatest and pervading attitude is evolution. Where did you come from? I don't know, some slime somewhere. Protein soup, yeah. The Word of God says where did you come from? Created by God.

So what are you doing here? The answer from a world standpoint is I wish I knew. What does God's Word say that you're doing here? Why are you here? What are you here to do? To be conformed and transformed. That's the process, but that isn't why you're here. Glorify Him. That's right. You're here to glorify God. So, you hear that term, what's it mean? If I said, alright Steve, your job is to glorify God, now tell me what that is, could you tell me? How do you glorify God? What is glory? We've discussed it a lot. What is God's glory?

The sum total of His attributes. Okay, so it's the sum total of His attributes. So how would you, as a creature, glorify God? by knowing who I am in him. Process again. Wouldn't it be that you would demonstrate and manifest some of his or all of his attributes? Isn't that how you would glorify him?

Doesn't that put the onus then on me? Yeah, it would seem. If that's what you're here to do. But if you have any sense at all, you realize that it's impossible for you to do. Right? Now you said be conformed? Yeah. But the conforming process is a process that's done to you by the Spirit of God. The result is that you manifest His glory. Okay. So where are you going if you're a humanist? Back to being reincarnated. Okay.

Or, Molloy said, lights out. We as believers, where are we going? This cool place with clouds called heaven, got a gate in front of it, says whosoever will. What is heaven? What is heaven? Wherever God is. That's right, wherever God is. So, how would you describe, or how do you have fixed in your own mind, when you check out from the planet and you leave, where are you next? Are you in this place called heaven? Nobody knows where they're going? Do I have to put you down under the evolution one?

You're seated at the right hand of the Father. And the right hand of the Father, but where are you positioned? In Christ. You're in Christ. Yeah, that's a really cool thing. So wherever He is, is where you are, positionally. Now, conditionally, then. Okay? And Nick is right. Heaven is wherever the Lord is. Okay? Alright.

So, I wish you could see, if I turn this around maybe you can see it. Can everybody see that? They see circles. Have you seen it? You've seen it before? You can't see it. Well, I couldn't see it if you stuck my nose on it. What it is is three circles that try to describe God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three circles that are joined together and they have a unity between the three of them.

They have a unity of heart, mind, essence and nature. Now, when you have the triune God, three persons in one God, they all have a role to play that they've determined themselves. So what would you say the role of the Lord Jesus Christ is? John 1.18, quick, or Colossians 1.15, what's his role? These are roles they've taken upon themselves. If the purpose is to declare God's glory, this role fits right in with that. What is it? What do you think? The Lord Jesus' role is to declare the Father. Okay? So, then what's the Holy Spirit's role? Declare Jesus. What's that? To declare Jesus. Sure. So here's the way it works.

The Father's a spirit, right? Not knowable by us, because he's not tangible or physical. So the Lord Jesus Christ being the Logos of God or the Word of God and flesh he's the all fullness of the Godhead dwells in him and he's knowable because he's a person and but he isn't knowable just because you got curious one day and started looking around the role of the Holy Spirit is to reveal Christ to the believer so that he can know God and glorify him and know the Father and the Lord Jesus said one day, and John, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father, because they're the one in essence, they're the same. There aren't any differences in them.

No questions there? Now, with the same three circles, like this, you could say man is made up of body, soul, and spirit. You have a physical body, I like to say it this way, What's your essential identity? Are you a body? Are you a soul? Or are you a spirit? What's your identity? Everybody would agree it's not your body. Right? He's going to be a lot better looking than Glory. Won't have any physical problems he'll be able to see. I'll be able to hear. It'll be great.

So your essential identity is not a body, is it? Is it a soul? What's a soul? Is it a music genre? No. What's your soul? Personality. It's your intellect. It's your emotions. It's your will. It's who you are in a personal standpoint. What about spirit? What's your spirit made up of? What's it got in it? Does it have any characteristics at all?

You could say that your soul makes you conscious of the environment that you live in and the ability, personality-wise, to know each other. I really know Craig and he knows me soullessly. That's how we know each other. You know, he knows my intellect, how limited it is. I know his. and I know some emotion about him, he knows emotion about me, he knows certain tendencies, certain ways and that kind of thing. But what does his and my and your spirit make you conscious of, aware of?

We are in Christ. Close. Makes you God conscious. You know God spiritually because God is a spirit. Now, so when you're born in Adam, you're born, as the word says, spiritually dead. And dead means separated. What's the separation process? You can't know God. You can know He exists by observing His creation, but you can't know Him, because you're spiritually separated from Him.

So we have a unity of heart, mind, essence, nature, and flesh. All three of those come together to make up me, the human being. Now, which part of me is the image and likeness of God? You got to go to sleep at night. The soul and spirit. What's that? Both the soul and the spirit. Alright, both the soul and the spirit. What properties of the soul line up with who God is? The characteristics. Huh? His characteristics. Well, not to be too tricky. Does God the Father have a soul? Answer, no he doesn't. Does he have a body? No he doesn't. But the Lord Jesus does. He has a soul and a spirit.

Which one of those entities is to control the man? Spirit, soul, or body? Which one's in charge? Or should be in charge? Spirit. So my, and this is my opinion, debate with me if you want, I think man is made up of, he's essentially a spirit that has a soul that lives in a body.

If your spirit leaves your body, your body ceases to function. And your soul and spirit are attached to each other, they go together. So you're created in God's image and likeness. What's the image that you have that's God-like? Spirit. What do you have? Spirit. Sure. You're spiritually alive. Your spirit is God-like. Now, with your spirit and with your soul too, what does that allow you to do? in terms of the relationship with God. Let's assume that you were created without sin like Adam.

What could he do because he was in the image and likeness of God? He could have fellowship with Him. He could love God and he could be loved by God. Right? He could enjoy God's intellect and he had an intellect of his own. He could receive information He could respond to God. You can't respond to the Creator unless you are like him in some way. Do you agree?

But there is some differentiation. God is holy, he is righteous and he is just. Man's glory in Christ as a believer has a capacity to be set apart to God. Man has a capacity to be righteous and to be just. Right? Now, let's talk about righteousness for a minute. Who was I sitting with? Oh, it was Calvin. And we were talking about righteousness. We were talking about law keeping. If you could keep the mosaic law system, would you be righteous? I have three no's, four no's, answer yes you would be. Because God gave the mosaic system all 600 plus laws and if you could keep them perfectly, you would be righteous. What's the problem with being righteous like that? You're the one that's righteous. It's your own righteousness, which doesn't measure up to God's righteousness.

See the difference? So a believer is said to have the righteousness of God in Christ. So whose righteousness is it? It's Christ's righteousness, but you have it because you're in Him. It's not your own, it's His. Now, in terms of a believer, functioning in the image and likeness of God, that's a pretty good place to start. That you have exactly the same right standing with the Holy God of the universe as the Lord Jesus does, because it's His righteousness. And there aren't any hiccups in His righteousness. And that's what you possess because of your position in Christ's name.

But how can you be righteous if, even if you keep all the laws, you're still born with the same nature, aren't you? It's impossible. There's no question. If you didn't have a sin nature, Adam was given one law and he couldn't keep that one. Without a sin nature, how would you keep 600 plus? You couldn't. But the purpose of the law was not for man to become righteous by keeping all its tenets. The purpose was to demonstrate to him that he couldn't do it and that he had to go to God, dependent on him.

Although our brother Paul said he was righteous once. In other words, there must have been that nanosecond between the last animal he sacrificed and the next thought that he had that was sinful. One of the most important things about you and I as believers is that we have the righteousness of God in Christ, which means you have the exact same access and the Father views you exactly as He views Christ.

No impediments. That's really cool. And He intended it to be that way. And that's a much greater intimacy and relationship than Adam had before the fall. God is infinite. We're finite. God is omnipresent. What's omnipresent mean? It means He's everywhere. But you don't have that capacity. But do you know the capacity you do have? You do have that where you can manifest God's power everywhere you are.

Now, look at John 15.5. I'm sorry, did I say omnipresent? I meant omnipotent and powerful. You can manifest God's empowerment. John 15, 5. Somebody read that. I am the vine, you are the branches, he who abides in me, and I in him. He bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. Wow, that's pretty cool. If you abide in him, you can bear fruit that's commensurate with and exactly like him. In any situation, anywhere, what's the requirement that you abide in Him? What's that mean? How do you abide? Do spiritual push-ups six days a week, right? How do you abide? Don't know? You guys sure you're at the right church? How do you abide?

Rest in the position that we're in. Say that again. Just rest in the position that we're in. Rest in the position we're in, which assumes that you know the position. So you've got to know, to start with, from the Word. And then what do you do with what you know? Live it by faith. You believe it. And you abide. Now, I think there's a third element of that, is the beholding element. The knowledge of God is really, really important. It's where it starts. and as you learn and know things that you do believe in.

But all of that is designed specifically to reveal the person of Christ to you. And he's the one that attracts you and keeps you focused. It isn't the fact that you've got a mind full of theological facts and you're sweating to believe them. It's because he's captured your heart from a personal intimacy of beholding him in the word. So if you're abiding him from an empowerment standpoint, you can do anything. Because it's him doing it through you.

He's the vine with the life. He is omnipresent. But we can only be in one place at a time. He is omniscient. Now, this is interesting. Omniscience means that he has all knowledge, right? What about you? You have the capacity to think abstractly. You can reason. You can understand and you can be intelligent. Now why is that in one sense similar to God and in another sense not similar at all? Can God reason? Does he think? Does he Understand? Is he intelligent?

God has all knowledge in play right now. He does not think sequentially like we do. That's hard for us to understand because we think sequentially. We put concept, concept, concept, and like the Word of God is starting that line upon line, precept upon precept, faith upon faith. But God, who knows all things, knows everything right now. He sees the whole picture. It's not so much whole. It's like it's all working right now. He doesn't sit and think about, oh, I need to bring in this piece to make that work or that piece. It's all working right now. You see that? All of it.

So that's what But do you see how God has, in making us in his image and likeness, we don't have that capacity, but we do have the capacity to reason and understand things from him, and we have intelligence. If we had that capacity, it would not be necessary for us to grow in him, right? Well, we would think of ourselves like Lucifer, we would be as God. We were studying Lucifer last week.

The thing that I've never been able to answer is, he was the greatest of God's creation and he didn't figure out that he wasn't omnipotent? That he wasn't the originator of anything? That everything he does he has to copy God? Because that's what he's doing. He looks at God and says, oh yeah, I think I'll do it the way you did it. Because he doesn't have any original thoughts. There aren't any. Why didn't he figure that out? It's because he got vain about how beautiful he was. God is self-existent. You and I are dependent on God for physical and spiritual life. But we are eternal. We're going to live forever.

Now, how would you say in terms of the image and likeness of God, he has other attributes, and some of those are God is love. How do you fit under that heading, image and likeness of God? You have the capacity to love, and you have the capacity to worship God. By the way, what does worship mean in terms of worshiping God, is it because you just decided to do it, we're going to have great music and do a lot of spiritual push-ups? What is worship? How would you say, oh I want to worship God today, what would motivate you to say that? Are these questions too hard for you? What does worship require on your part?

Acknowledgement. Acknowledgement of what? Of who he is. How about this? How about the acknowledgement that he's worthy? He's earned it. And it isn't that I try to worship him through various ways. I worship him because I've discovered he's worth it. Because of who he is. I wouldn't discover it unless he had determined that I could by creating me in his image and likeness. You see that? You know, we have this new puppy. He's not really a puppy, he's a year old.

But he's learning us and we're learning him. And he has the capacity to do a few things. You know, show affection towards us, to respond. But he's never going to have the capacity to love like God loves. You see that? Just because it isn't in him. But you and I do. He built us that way when he recreated us in Christ. God is gracious. Steve? Just to stop you for a minute, so you're saying... Only one minute. We worship because of who he is, but have we answered what worship is yet? No, we haven't. You were involved in that your whole life. What do you think it is? That's always been a question of mine.

What is worship? Okay, well, if you've got an answer... You know, when it says let's worship, so that means either sing or bow down or it could mean any number of things to people. Yeah. What do you think it means? Now, you've been thinking about this for years, I expect a good answer from you. It means singing in tune. A lot of people think that. Or playing my instrument to the best I can. Right? Or singing clearly with the... Singing the same line over and over. Oh yeah, well that's contemporary.

What do you think worship is? It's a really interesting subject, I think, because we don't... Because it can lapse into form very easily. That's a really good point. You understand what Steve said? It can lapse into form. We worship this way, which we've now made a law out of it. A lot of denominations define their worship based on difference. The way they conduct their service, the way they do things. Sure.

Okay, I didn't answer your question, you haven't answered mine. What do you think worship is? I'm still bouncing it around in my head, trying to figure it out. Yeah, it's a very interesting question because one of those hymns, one of the oldest hymns is, Thou Art Worthy. I think you have to discover that he's worthy before you can worship him.

Well, and then isn't that once you discover he's worthy, It's that expression. It's a response. A response to that worthiness. Sure. Whether that comes out in a song, a poem, a prayer, a quiet moment. Or it doesn't come out at all. Right. Yeah. Whatever. I think you're right, Ruth. And I think it's one of those things like you're alone with the Word and you're just spending time with the Lord and He shows you something. And it just sort of knocks you back.

How do you respond to that? Well, it's the same way you respond to grace. Grace is God's unmerited and unlimited blessing to you. And when grace comes at you and you recognize, wow, God is coming at me where there's nothing required of me to do, and it's unlimited, and it's blessing me, and it's all based on what Christ did, how do I respond? Thank you? That's worship. Thank you is worship. I thank you.

So to decide that while we see this word worship and that's part of the Christian life and we've got to come up with a program to worship is ridiculous. Because if I'm an Old Testament king and I want my subject to worship me, I tell them how to do it. And they better be doing it right. Where what God does is he comes at us with his grace and shows us who he is and extends his grace to us and we respond. And I think that's what makes grace the greatest motivator there is.

Do you understand that? When you see God's grace coming at you, you can't help but respond. Does that make sense? Does that help you? Probably not. God is immutable. What does that mean? It doesn't change. How about you? I know some of you, so give me the right answer. You're changeable. That's a good thing for us. You know why? Because you can change for the good. That's kind of cool.

You can be conformed to the image of Christ. You can learn and identify with the truth of the word of God. You can manifest Christ himself. You can do all that kind of stuff. But that's all change, right? Now, let me ask you this. Your position in Christ, is it immutable? You're wrong. It is. It doesn't change. Your position in Christ doesn't change. Now your condition might change, but your position doesn't. And the reason that's really important is because once you're in that position, to understand that it's unchangeable is a blessing to you. Because you may be jumping all over the lot, changing in your condition, but that position never changes. Never. It's the height of arrogance for man to think that he can get God to change his mind about you. He can't do it.

He's truthful, he's faithful, he's spirit and we have an eternal spirit which means that we can fellowship with God on his level. Let's talk about that for a minute. Back to my dog. Could I have a marriage relationship with my dog? Why not? I said maybe in California. Maybe I could in California. Why couldn't I have a marriage relationship with my dog?

Basically. We're not the same level of creation. That's right. We're not the same level of creation. I'm a human. He's an animal. He has certain capacities and I have certain capacities and they don't meld. Can a human being be married to God? The answer is yes. But what's got to happen for that to take place? The rapture. What's that? The rapture.

Well, what has to happen to me in order to be qualified to be the bride of Christ? I have to be like Him in creation, don't I? Because like marries like. But Adam couldn't do it, but I can because I'm going to be the bride, we're all going to be the bride of Christ. It is because we have been raised up to newness of life, now we qualify.

See that? That's really something. When you think about your stature in amongst all the creatures that God created, look where your stature is. Hebrews says that he was made a little lower than the angels, but when he rose from the dead he went above them. And so did you. You are, from a positional standpoint, a greater creature than Lucifer was.

Isn't that something? And God has created us, recreated us in Christ in that image and likeness for that specific purpose. So think about it. Those of you who are married have an intimacy with your spouse that's just a fraction of what your intimacy with Christ is going to be for all eternity. And you're going to have the capacity to be in that relationship. How cool is that?

God is sovereign and you're subject. I know you Americans don't like to hear that. But it's interesting when God created Adam What did he, before he fell and he gave him marching orders, what did he tell him? He said, I give you dominion over the earth. You're going to be like me, you get to be boss. You know, you have to care for things, you're in charge, you have to name the animals. I've given you dominion.

Again, another feature of image and likeness of God. Now when Adam sinned, that all went away because who got the dominion? when Adam sinned. Satan did. And when Christ rose from the dead, he got it back. So now a man is going to be in charge of, like God originally. Let's see. How does man's image differ from God? And there's another whole slide, I wish you could see it. And there's a bunch of verses on there. Hopefully we'll get this thing working by next week and you can see it.

God is creator. We're creation. We're a creature. God's sovereign. We're subject. He's a triune God. We're a triune person, body, soul, and spirit. He's the life-giving spirit. We're a living soul. He's spiritual or natural. He's heavenly or earthly. Let's talk about that for a minute. Let's turn to 1 Corinthians 15. I think it starts in 46. Let's just take a look at that for a second. Somebody read it. 47 and 48, that's it.

The first man is from the earth, earthly. The second man is from heaven. As is the earthly, so also are those who are earthly. And as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Alright, who are the two men? Adam and Christ. Amos and Andy. No, Adam and Christ. Right? The first man is Adam. What's the characteristics of him? He's earthly. How about the second man? He's heavenly. Now, why these two men?

What do they represent? They are known as federal heads of races. Every single human being comes from one of those two races. You're either from Adam's race or you're from the race of the resurrected glorified Christ. Everybody on the planet Earth is from one of those two guys. If you're from the Earth, then you've got all the characteristics and all the standing of your father who's Adam. How you doing so far? What's his status before God as a representative man and as his race?

You're dead. You're dead to God. You're born that way. You're conceived that way. just because you come from Him. How about if you're in Christ? Number one, you're a heavenly man and not an earthly man anymore. And what's your standing before God? Exactly what Christ is. Exactly what His is. So, I dare say that one of the biggest issues of ignorance within the Christian community is not knowing that you're a heavenly man and what that means. It's really important that we know that we're heavenly men because then we'll stop trying to fix the earth up.

It's like my son has a buddy who's now in Afghanistan in the army. Is that his home? No, he's not from there, he's from here. But he's there for an extended period of time. Is he interested in what goes on in Afghanistan? Insofar as he's safe it is and that kind of thing. But where's his heart go?

Home, back here, right? So here you are, heavenly creatures, but where are you stuck for a while? Here. Where's your heart go? where your home is. But you know what? You've got to know about your home. You've got to know that you're from there. You've got to know, like Peter says, we're sojourners and strangers. So we're passing through the earth, we're on a trip. A sojourner is a guy who just sort of comes through, right? He may even stop and buy a house and live here for a while, but he's not from here. None of us are from here. Not a single one of us. We don't belong here. So, we're here because the Lord put us here for his purposes, and when that purpose is done, just like my son's buddy in Afghanistan, he's coming back. As soon as your purpose is done, you're going back home.

God is incorruptible. You and Adam are corruptible. There's a fellowship of the Godhead. The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit have fellowship with each other on a moment-by-moment basis. And I think, before God ever created anything, what were the three of them doing? They weren't in any golf courses, in nothing. What were they doing? With one another. Were they totally satisfied with one another? Did they need to create you to sort of add to the joy? No. So, now think about this. The three of them are totally satisfied, they create so that they can manifest their glory to a creature who can appreciate it.

Go through the process of creation, Adam is created, he sins, Christ comes, he's crucified, buried and resurrected, you're united to him. in that crucifixion bearing resurrection, you're seated with him in the heavenlies. Now where are you in terms of that three of them fellowshipping with each other? Where are you? In Christ. You're plugged in. Are the Jews plugged into that?

They will be. No they won't. No. No they won't. Because they're not in Christ. But they will be during the millennium reign. They'll be what? Let's talk about what they'll be. they will be plugged in because they will have the law written on their heart. Oh, yeah, the law written on their heart. And they'll have a new heart. Right? And the law written on their heart. Is that the same thing as being in Christ? I know the obvious answer, but... No, it's not. No, it's not. And by the way, the Jews all come from which guy? Adam or Christ?

So what kind of creatures are they? Heavenly or earthly? And all the promises made to Abraham, are they heavenly or earthly? Earthly. So where are the Jews going to live for all eternity? Right here. New planet. But they'll be here. This will be heaven because Christ will be here. Where are you going to live for all eternity? With Christ. You get Arvada. I want Aurora. Okay, you can have Aurora. You get Castle Rock. Where are you going to be?

Wherever Christ is, because you're in Him. So, the point that I'm making here is that the fellowship that we have for all eternity will be, the best way my mind can describe it, is you'll be plugged into that stream between the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit because you're in Christ. We'll have everything that Christ is except for deity. And you'll be totally suitable to receive and to respond in that realm. How cool is that? Yes. So the believing Jew will be separated out into the camp in Christ. Believing Jew in what time frame? Today? Believing in Christ. Today. Before the millennium or today? Today. What happens when a Jew believes in Christ today?

He stops being a Jew, doesn't he? In Christ Jesus there's no Jew or Gentile, bond or free, male or female, we're all one in Christ. There's no Jewish distinction. That's an earthly distinction. When you become a heavenly creature in Christ, all those distinctions go away. Another interesting concept.

Now, what about a Jew in the Millennial Kingdom? Are people going to have to believe in Christ during the thousand-year reign in order to become righteous and be saved? Yes, they are. It's going to be right there, but they're going to have to believe that He's the Savior. They're going to have to live by faith.

Let's close. Father, we thank you for your word and to discover this being created in your image and likeness, especially as we are positioned in Christ, affords us such credible position and intimacy and the carrying out of why you initially wanted human beings in your image and likeness, Father. We thank you for the grace that we live under. We pray in your Son's precious name. Amen.