[Matt's Messages] “The Creator and His Creation”

“The Creator and His Creation”
Reflections on the 2019 EFCA Theology Conference
February 10, 2019 :: Genesis 1, Revelation 21

Thank you for sending me this week to the EFCA Theology Conference. This was my fifth year in a row getting to attend this national conference of EFCA pastors and church leaders and theologians who care deeply about thinking deeply about God and His Word.

Thank you for praying for me, especially on Wednesday, as I answered questions as part of a panel that was doing a Q&A on the proposal before the conference this summer to change a word in our doctrinal statement. I was nervous right up to the beginning of the hour, but by the end, I wished that I had gotten to answer more questions! I know that was your prayers. So thank you!

The conference had a lot of other parts to it than I will share with you this morning, but the seven main sessions were all about The Doctrine of Creation. It’s theological significance and implications.

And it was a really really good conference!

The teaching was rich and expert and excellent and careful and thoughtful and coherent.

I was really glad that I got to participate, and I wished that you all could take it all in, as well.

So, I thought, what if I gave them just a few of the highlights of things I learned or was struck by?

So, that’s what we’re going to do today.

Normally, when Christians start talking about the Doctrine of Creation, the discussion almost inevitably goes over to the questions of WHEN and HOW?

“When was the world created and how was the world created?
When were humans created and how were humans created?

How old is the Earth?
How old is humanity?”

Questions like that.

And those are good questions that must be wrestled with especially in light of the current somewhat contentious consensus of modern science on those questions.

There is tension there.

But that’s not what our conference was about.

Those questions were there and running in the background, but they weren’t in the foreground at this conference. Just one of the 7 talks got into it.

Trinity, our school, has been studying the doctrine of creation from multiple angles  as part of a three year project funded by a 3.4 million dollar Templeton grant.

And this conference was part of the fruit of that project.

The point of our conference was theological.

The theological significance and implications (practical) for the doctrine of Creation.

So the chief questions were more like: WHY and WHO and SO WHAT?

Those are tied to WHEN and HOW, of course.

But they are more fundamental and more meaningful for our every day lives.

As I said, there were seven main talks about the Creator and His Creation, but I want to give you the whole thing in just three big biblical ideas.

Number One:

#1. GOD MADE ALL THINGS GOOD.

Let’s look at Genesis chapter 1, verse 1.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

The first sentence in the Bible, and what a sentence it is!

Our statement of faith starts here, too.

In Article One it says, “We believe in one God, Creator of all things...”

When Moses says “the heavens and the earth” that is what is called merism.

A merism is when you give two contrasting things and you mean those two things and everything in between.

Day and Night
A to Z
From Soup to Nuts

What that means is heaven and earth and everything that is between the two.

Which is...everything!

It is all things!

God made all things.

If it’s a thing, and it isn’t God, it was made by God.

Just let your mind be blown by that.

That’s what we spent the week thinking about.

Being a creation of God.

Being in the creation of God.

Do you think of yourself as a part of creation?

Do you think of creation at all?

And God didn’t just make all of creation but He made it all good.

That’s the refrain of the song of Genesis chapter 1.

I won’t read it all to you, but again and again it says, “God saw that it was good.”

“God saw that it was good.”
“God saw that it was good.”
“God saw that it was good.”
“God saw that it was good.”

And then when He had made everything including us, it says, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”

Now, this is something I needed to hear this week.

I needed to be reminded of how good creation is.

How pleasing. How right. How precious. How wonderful. How well-designed.

How good creation is.

The Hebrew word is “Tov.”

As in “Mazel Tov.”

Tov, Tov, Tov.

I needed to be reminded because the world has been corrupted by sin.

This world is broken. All things are not as they should be.

I don’t have to convince you of that.

All you have to do is watch the news.

Go to a hospital or a funeral.

But that comes in at Genesis 3.

That’s not how things were designed to be.

That’s not how things were at the beginning.

God made all things good.

Now, what are the implications of that?

We could spend the whole morning just on that!

But here’s one. God deserves all of our worship for making all of the things–including us!

Worship!

What kind of a God can make all of this?

I talk to a lot of hunters who worship God in nature.

They go out there in the woods, and they say, “How can anyone doubt that there is a God when they see that?”

And they are led to worship the Creator God in His Creation.

And that’s exactly right.

You know my favorite place on God’s green Earth, right?

Cook Forest State Park.

I can see the glory of God in what He has made.

Trees, ferns, river, stones, wild-life, hills, trails. Beautiful!

There is very little light pollution there.

On a clear night, I like to go out to this one field and just look at all of the stars. You can see like the whole Milky Way.

Psalm 19 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

Now, get this.

The world needs God, but God does not need the world.

The theological/philosophical word for that is “contingent.” The world is contingent, but God is not.

The world depends on God, but God does not depend on the world.

Even if there was no world, there still would be a God.

But if there was no God, there would be no world.

God made all things good, and that means that He deserves all of our worship!

That means giving thanks for all of our gifts.

When we pray before a meal, we thank the Lord for His good provision.

But we should give thanks just for existing at all!

Because we wouldn’t if it wasn’t for Him.

And don’t forget, we were made by God through Jesus.

John picked up this these in His Gospel

“In the beginning [what] was the Word [who we know as Jesus], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

All things were made through Jesus.

Paul said it this way in Colossians 1, “For by him [Jesus] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

I guess He deserves all of our worship!

If He wasn’t holding us all together, we would all fly apart!

God Made All Things Good.

Metal? Stars!  Hot.  Cold.  Wet.  Moist.  Fire.  Nuclear Fission.  Atomic Particles.  Brain Cells.  Mountains.  Weather.  Blood Vessels.  Continents.  Snow.  Mice.  Microbes.  Blue Whales.  Tomatoes.  Eggs.  Galaxies.  Moons.  Meteors.  Tidal Waves.  Northern Lights.  Dirt.  Milk.  The Big Dipper.  Softness.  Scratchiness.  Lukewarmness.  Humanity.  Grasshoppers. Light Waves.  E=MC2.  Gorillas.  Giraffes.  Deserts.  Palm Trees.  Mexican Jumping Beans.  Caves.  Windstorms.  Ponds.  Fresh Air.  Falling Leaves.  Corn Cobs. The Milky Way.  Combustion.  Eyelashes.  Uranium.  The Smell of Skunks.  The Color Purple.  The Fabric of Reality. 

God Made All Things Good.

Number Two.

#2. GOD MADE ALL OF US IN HIS IMAGE.

Drop your eyes down to verses 26 through 28.

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’”

God made all of humanity in His image.

Last year, we learned the Latin phrase for that: “Imago Dei.” Remember that?

The image of God.

We were made special. The capstone of creation.

And were made to image God in the world.

There are so many implications for that.

One is just the sanctity of life, right?

What the folks from the PRC are always talking about, “You matter to God.”

Human life is sacred.

We can’t trash humans.

We aren’t allowed to just treat humans like trash.

Especially the most vulnerable.

We’ve seen in our culture just recently an abhorrent disdain for human life.

Made in the image of God.

One of the speakers, Paige Cunningham, is the director of Trinity’s Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity.

And that’s one of the things she talked about–humans have an intrinsic dignity because we are stamped with the very likeness of God.

And, of course, that goes for humans of all races. This is Black History month, and I’ve been doing a lot of reading about the disgraceful ways that African-Americans have been treated over the last 400 years.

How different the story could have been if they had been treated as the image-bearers they are!

We tend to love and respect and care for those people who look the most like us.

But God says that fundamentally all humans look, in some way, like Him[!]. That’s more basic, and that should govern how we treat each other.

Including how we talk to one another.

Like on social media?

Remember when you say something on social media about someone else, even if that someone is a politician or a celebrity or your opponent or your enemy, they are first and foremost made in the image of God.

James says, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.” And that's whether you a trashing President Trump or Speaker Pelosi or someone else.

Let that guide your typing on your phone.

God made all of us in His image.

Both male and female.

Did you catch that in verse 27?

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

One of the talks was about human sexuality.

That humans come in two different sexes: male and female.

And that is good. That is tov.

And all of the implications of that.

Marriage, for example.

God has designed marriage to be a covenantal relationship between one man and one woman.

And sexual relations are to be exclusively practiced within that covenant of marriage between one man and one woman.

That is tov.

Sadly, our world is not tov in so many ways.

On this side of Genesis 3, we see gender dysphoria. Where a person can feel greatly distressed about their biological sex and feel a mismatch between their biological sex and their own mental identity.

On this side of Genesis 3, we see same-sex attraction. Where a person is drawn romantically and sexually to people of their own sex instead of to the other sex.

And on this side of Genesis 3, we all need to have great compassion for people who are experiencing those things.

Because on this side of Genesis 3, we are all sexually broken, just in different ways.

We all feel the effects of the Fall.

We can’t celebrate that sexual brokenness.

But we can have all kinds of compassion for others.

And walk alongside them.

And, by God grace, point them towards God’s good design.

Tov.

The speaker about this said something really profound. He pointed to Jesus who was male and is still male today.

And he said that Jesus was fully human and fully sexual as a male but not fallen in any way.

Fully human and fully sexual.

And yet Jesus never "had sex."

He didn’t have to "have sex" to be fully human or to be fully actualized or even fully male.

Think about the implications of that.

Our culture doesn’t get that. Not at all.

Our culture thinks that having sex is life.

But as good as sex is, and it was designed by God, so it’s really good.

It isn’t that important.

It’s not where life is.

Just look at Jesus.

That re-calibrates singleness, doesn’t it?
That re-calibrates celibacy.
That re-calibrates sexuality.

You can see how much there was to think about this week.

God made all of us in His image.

And when He did that, He gave us work to do, didn’t He?

There was a whole message on our responsibility to care for the creation that He gave us.

So what Jared does over there in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

What we should all do as we care for this world that He has given us dominion over.

Don’t let the politically far Left be the only people talking about caring for this world. God told us right here that we are to be the benevolent rulers, protecting and cultivating and caring for this creation. We are stewards of it, and will be held accountable for what we did with it.

And there was a whole message on The Doctrine of Creation and Human Work.

Do you remember a few years ago I got fired up by a teacher who said that we pastors don’t do enough to prepare our people to be disciples of Jesus in the workplace, and I preached a series of messages called “Working for the Lord?” Remember that?

That same guy did this talk at the conference.

And he gave me another great idea for how to see our work as worship and to highlight your work for the Lord on Sunday mornings.

Starting today, we’re going to have regular interviews and prayer times on Sundays that we’re going to call “Jesus at Work.”

And I want to do the first one right now.

I called Laurie last night and asked if she would serve as a guinea pig for this.

Laurie, if you would come up here?

I’ve got three questions for you, and then we’ll pray for you.

1. What will you be doing this week at work?
2. What are joys and challenges in your work right now?
3. How can we be praying for you as you do your work this week?

We were created for work.

Not just work for compensation, but work for contribution.

Work as our worship. Serving the Lord as His image-bearing creation in His creation.

One more point this morning, and then we’ll go.

And by the way, we’re going to do prayer corners again this week.

And the folks in these prayer corners would love to pray for you about your work this week.

God cares about your work.

God made all of us in His image, and put us to work.

#3. GOD WILL MAKE ALL THINGS NEW.

The conference wrapped up with a message from my friend Mike Wittmer on the Doctrine of Creation and Human Destiny.

And what Mike said was so encouraging because He said that the creation is going to be restored to what it was supposed to be “tov” and even better.

We’re not just going to go to heaven someday, but we’re going to get a New Heaven and New Earth!

Turn to Revelation chapter 21. Look at the first 5 verses:

“Then I [John] saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. [That was the goal all along. Immanuel, right?] They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. [God with us!] He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ [Genesis 3 will be undone. The curse will be reversed. V.5] He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”

My friend Mike said, “Notice that it doesn’t say, ‘I will make all new things.’ It says, ‘I will make all things new.’”

It will be this world but resurrected.

Mike called it "the Consummation."

“No more death or mourning or crying or pain.”

All of the goodness, the tov, of creation, and none of the bad.

And because of Jesus, it will not just be like it was, it will be redeemed, restored, resurrection, refreshed.

God will make all things new.

What’s the application of that?

Live for and long for that day.

Live for it.

Everything we’ve talked about this morning and more.

Worshiping God for making all things good.
Living out God’s good design in human sexuality, human dignity, human stewardship because of the image of God in humanity.
Working for the Lord in His good creation.

Living for the Lord as His good creation.

And also longing for that day to come when all will be restored.

That’s why the Bible ends with this last prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

Come to make all things new.


****

Questions for Group Discussion

1. Read Genesis 1:1 and make as many observations as you can about that one verse. How foundational is it to everything that we know and believe?

2. What did God make? What does it mean that His creation was made “good?” What are some of the implications of that truth?

3. Read John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:15-17, and Hebrews 1:1-3. What do you learn about Jesus’ relationship to creation in these passages?

4. Read Genesis 1:26-28. What are a few of the implications of the truth that we are made in the image of God? For example, reflect some on the implications for human work, human stewardship, human sexuality, and human dignity. How might you live differently this week because you remember that you are an image-bearer and so are all of the people you interact with?

5. Read Revelation 21:1-5. Do you long for the return of Christ? What do you long for most? How can we pray for each other this week in light of what we’ve learned today?

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[Matt's Messages] "Imago Dei"

“Imago Dei”
Sanctity of Human Life Sunday
January 21, 2018 :: Genesis 1:26-31

We’re going to take a one-week break from our study of the Gospel of Matthew because today is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, and I’ve felt called for the last couple of weeks to focus specifically on that with today’s message.

Thank you, Karen, for being with us today and sharing with us about the important work of the State College Pregnancy Resource Clinic. We are glad that we’ve been partnering with you for many many years.

The PRC has a motto that they go by: “YOU MATTER.”

And by that, they mean that people matter to them. They care about people both born and pre-born people. People matter to the PRC.

But it’s more than that.

They don’t just mean that people matter to them.

They mean that people matter to God.
That people have intrinsic value.
That people have God-given value and worth.

That there is a sanctity, a sacredness to human life.

Where does that come from?

And what does it mean?

That’s what I want us to think about a little this morning. It’s a big important thing!

And, like most big important things, it starts in the first book of the Bible.

Genesis chapter 1 introduces us to God and to His creation. In highly stylized a wonderful language, Genesis 1 reveals an awesome God Who is indisputably sovereign over His creation. I wish I had time to read the whole thing.

Genesis 1 tells a beautiful story of God’s seven days of designing and implementing His world: Time, Space, Environment, Agriculture, and Animals.

And there’s a pattern to the story:

God spoke, what He wanted happened, He saw that it was good, and a day was over.
God spoke, what He wanted happened, He saw that it was good, and a day was over.
God spoke, what He wanted happened, He saw that it was good, and a day was over.

6 Days of Creation like that and then 1 day of Sovereign Rest.

Today, I just want us to go into the Sixth Day of Creation (vv.26-31) and ponder together (at length) one major concept introduced there.

On this sixth day, God didn’t just say, “Let there be...” and it happened. The pattern breaks. God says, “Let us make...” and then He created.

There is a break in the cycle of repetition as God puts the masterful finishing touch on His masterpiece. This stroke of the Artist’s brush was what all the other 5 days of creating had been leading up to. It’s as if God now gets personal in His creating.

And what He makes is...us.

It’s been a while since we learned any fancy Latin terms.

So, I’ve got one for you today!

I don’t know very much Latin, but this is an important one that theologians use all of the time. Ready?

“Imago Dei.”

Imago Dei means the Image of God.

And Genesis 1:26 and 27 says that you and I were made in the image of God.

We were we made in Imago Dei.

Turn to the person next to you and say, “You have the Imago Dei.”

It sounds romantic, doesn’t it? Like some kind of funky perfume!

It sounds funny, but you are really saying something amazing when you say it!

Genesis 1:27. “God created man in his own image [Hebrew: zelem], in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

I want us to ponder today [looking at this passage and at other passages throughout the Scriptures] the meaning of this phrase, “created in the image of God.”

What is the Imago Dei? And what does it mean for our lives?

Well, to understand what something is, it is often helpful to understand what it is not.

So let’s start there.

#1. THE IMAGO DEI IS NOT PHYSICAL.

When v.26 says, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness,” He is not saying that God had a body with certain physical features that we now have, too.  Arms and legs, and noses and ears and so on...

My favorite theologian, Calvin (and his friend Hobbes), made this mistake in this cartoon.

That’s not what Genesis 1 is saying. Jesus said in John chapter 4 that God is fundamentally Spirit, and therefore the resemblance here in the image of God in humanity is not physical.

#2.  THE IMAGO DEI IS NOT GODHOOD.

It doesn’t say that God made “little gods.” It doesn’t say that we are exact replicas of God, gods in our own right. We are “in the image of God, in His likeness.” We are not exact copies, but we are like Him. It is God-likeness not God-hood itself.

Do you see the difference? It is God-likeness not God-hood. And along with that, it doesn’t mean that we are on our way to becoming gods. God-likeness but not God-hood.

Both of the words used in verse 26–“image” and “likeness”–“refer to something that is similar but not identical to the thing it represents” (Grudem, p. 442).

God didn’t make gods. He made God-reflectors.

Anyone who tells you that you are a god is not a Christian and is not thinking biblically.

In Genesis 5:3 it says that Adam had a son in these same two words, “In his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.”

And that doesn’t mean that Seth was Adam. Right? It means that Seth was like Adam in some fundamental ways. In the same way, we are not god because we have the imago dei. We are like God. And we were made to reflect God’s glory.

And the third thing it is not, is completely lost.

#3. THE IMAGO DEI IS NOT COMPLETELY LOST.

In the Fall.

In Genesis chapter 3, sin enters the world, and in its wake, the image of God goes through a traumatic transformation.

It becomes deformed, debased, distorted, and defaced.

But, not erased.

Defaced but not erased.  (I get that language from Robert Pyne in his helpful book Humanity and Sin, pg.67.)

The image of God is defaced in fallen humanity, sinners like you and me, but not erased. It is still there. Still active. Still present in humanity. Defaced but not erased.

How do I know this?

- Genesis 9, verse 6 says that we are still in the image of God.
- 1 Corinthians 11:7 says that we are still in the image of God.
- James 3:9 says that we are still made in the likeness of God.

Though “marred, hampered, and reduced” in sinners, the image of God is not completely lost. It is present in each and every human.

From the little baby crying in the pew to the oldest person here today.

The Imago Dei is present.  Defaced but not erased.

Now, from what it is not, we begin to get an idea of exactly what the Image of God actually is. Let me try to put it in positive terms:

Being made in the image of God describes our unique, God-given ability (more than any other of God’s creations) to be like God and to represent God. It describes our many inherent capacities to be like Him and to act like Him.

THE IMAGO DEI IS OUR CAPACITY TO BE LIKE GOD AND TO REPRESENT GOD.

It is our God-given capacity to be God-like. [Not to be God! But to be LIKE God.]

The Image of God is our capacity to be like God and to represent God.

Now, we are like God in a whole lot of ways:

(The following list is adapted from Grudem's Systematic Theology, pgs. 445-447 and an unpublished sermon by Russell Muilenburg.)

Theologians have noted moral similarities. We have an inner sense of right and wrong that sets us apart from animals. We have a sense of fairness and justice (something like God’s). We don’t always do what is fair and just (or even want it!), but we are able to sense it. No one likes it when their things are stolen. “It’s not right,” we say.

And we are spiritual beings.  One writer says, “There is an ‘invisibility’ about us. We know that when we look in the mirror we are only looking at the surface, we know that the real ‘us’ is inside. Just as God is Spirit, so are we.  This means that we have a spiritual life that enables us to relate to God as persons, to pray and [to] praise Him, and to hear Him speaking His words to us.” (Muilenburg)

The rest of creation doesn’t. It does not matter how intelligent your dog is. You will never see him spend an hour in intercessory prayer for the health or salvation of a friend!

There are also mental likenesses in us with God. “We have an ability to reason and think logically and [to] learn. We can weigh options and wrestle with our conscience. We can think through abstract problems and make plans for the future. We can develop technology and use tools.  Obviously, our knowledge and wisdom will never match the omniscience of God [not even close!], but our ability to think reflects the intelligence of the Creator who made us.” (Muilenburg)

Of course, even as we say these things, we have to acknowledge that sin has tarnished the image of God in us. “We have become very adept at twisting morality and ignoring the spiritual dimension of our lives. We have turned our mental abilities to shameful pursuits. But God's image in us is not erased completely. If you look closely, you can still see glimpses of His likeness. If you look around, every once in a while, you will see the Creator reflected in His people.” (Muilenburg)

We are like God in all these ways and many more. And we are called to represent God.

1 Corinthians 11:7 says that Man is “the image and glory of God.” That means we are supposed to reflect His glory like a little mirror. That’s why I put up all of these mirrors here in the background.

When God painted Adam into the Masterpiece of Genesis 1, He was placing a representative ruler on Earth of the Ruler in Heaven. An Ambassador of Glory!

Think just a little about the God of Genesis 1, and you will be amazed at the humans of Genesis 1:26&27!

Ambassadors of the Almighty God! Miniature Royal Images of the King of Glory.  The small self-portraits of the Sovereign dotted on the landscape of history.

That’s what we were supposed to be! Like God and Representing God on Earth.

However, Genesis 3 happened. We fell into sin. And an ugly black stain streaked across the self-portrait of God.

The little mirrors of God continued to reflect a little of His glory, but they were shattered by the heaved rock of sin.  V.31 says that everything was made “very good.”  But now it wasn’t “very good” any longer. It was depraved.

And everyone here in this room, not only has the Imago Dei, but has a deformed version of it, a defaced version of it. Everyone here is a sinner. Fallen short of reflecting the glory of God like we should.

We were created to be much more than we are!

And that’s some of the saddest news in the world.

But God! But God immediately went on a rescue mission to restore His image in us. It’s called “Redemption.” In Genesis chapter 3, God promised a Redeemer.

And that Redeemer is Jesus Christ.

The Person we’re learning about in the Gospel of Matthew.

Some of the best news in the world is that Jesus Christ is the Image of God that we were supposed to be.

What we (in Adam and every day) messed up, Christ does perfectly.

Just like what we saw last week when Jesus passed the test in the wilderness.

Listen Colossians chapter 1, verse 15, “[Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”

2 Corinthians 4:4, “Christ...is the image of God.”

And if we are in Christ, then we have the image of God again!

That’s the Gospel! That’s the best news in all the world.

Let me give you five points of application this morning.

I know this is a very different kind of a sermon. We don’t normally focus on just one phrase, like “created in the image of God.”

But it’s a really important concept, isn’t it?

Let’s tease out 5 implications of this concept for us today.:

#1. WE SHOULD REJOICE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE PERFECT IMAGE OF GOD.

The Bible says, “If anyone is IN CHRIST, they are a NEW CREATION, the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

If you are in Christ, then you have the perfect image of God again. His righteousness, His obedience, His glory is credited to your account before God. He is what you were supposed to be. And if you are in Him, God sees you as you should be!

And that is reason to rejoice! That is a reason to sing. Every day!

You know we have a church in our district called, “ikon church.” And that’s because the Greek word for image is “ikon.” They are bringing this out. Whenever they explain the name of their church, they share the gospel.

We were made in the image of God.
That image has become defaced.
But Jesus is the perfect image of God, and if we are in Him, the image is restored.

If that isn’t a reason to rejoice, I don’t know what is.

We Should Rejoice That Christ Is the Perfect Image of God.

Second implication of the Imago Dei.

#2.  WE SHOULD ALLOW GOD TO RESTORE HIS IMAGE IN US.

As we become like Christ.

If you are a Christian, every day of your life, God is working on redeeming you.  He redeemed you at the Cross, and He is redeeming you each day.

Listen to what Paul says is going on in our lives in 2 Corinthians 3:18:

“We [that is, believers]...are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord...”

Theologians call this “Progressive Sanctification.”  God is at work transforming us back into His likeness.

And because Christ is the image of God, He is transforming us into Christ-like-ness.

Romans 8:29. “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.”

If you are a Christian, God wants to restore God-likeness in you. And He does it bit by bit each day.

And He desires your co-operation. He wants you to give in to His designs for you and your character. For you and heart. For you and your behavior.

He wants to make you like Jesus.  He wants to conform you to Christ.

Are you cooperating?

Listen to Colossians chapter 3, verse 10. As it describes the process of changing from the old you to the new you.

“...you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”

More like Jesus every day. The image of God restored in us in Christ-like-ness.

We should allow God to restore His image in us as we become like Christ.

What is the Lord trying to do in your life? Is it painful? God has a purpose for that pain. He is conforming you to Christ. Let Him!

Because one day soon, His redeeming work will be done. 1 Corinthians 15 tells us that on Resurrection Day, “Just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.”  Perfectly.  Without blemish, spot, or wrinkle. 1 John 3:2 says, “We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

The “very good” of Genesis 1:31 will be perfectly restored once more. And therefore John goes on to say... “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as [Christ] is pure.”

We should allow God to restore His image in us as we become like Christ.

#3. THE IMAGO DEI MEANS THAT WE SHOULD DO WHAT GOD DOES.

God is after our hearts. To make our hearts like His. But that is going to change the way we act. We should more and more act like God, right?

Doing the kinds of things that God does. Imaging Him. Representing Him in the world. Fulfilling, in many ways, our original marching orders.

For Adam and Eve it was Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

For us it is Ephesians 5:1, “Be imitators of God...as dearly loved children and live a life of love...”

Imitate God. Do the kinds of things He would do if He were in your situation. In your skin.

What would God do in the situation you are facing right now?

Do that. It might not be fun at first, but it would be right and will yield good fruit.

The Image of God Means That (Right Now) We Should Do What God Does. What we see God doing.

And one of the things that God would do is #4. THE IMAGO DEI MEANS THAT WE SHOULD VALUE AND RESPECT AND PROTECT HUMAN LIFE.

That’s why Karen is with us today from the PRC.

This is why people matter.

Because of the Image of God.

The Image of God in every single person gives them dignity and value.

Each life is precious because God’s image is stamped on each person.

We are inherently valuable because we are made in God’s likeness.

Humans (unborn or born, aged or young, disabled or completely healthy) are valuable.

We are not disposable. We are not just pieces of matter conveniently or inconveniently assembled together into bodies. We are wonderful CREATIONS of a wondrous Creator with His own image indelibly engraved on each of us.

In the Ancient Near Eastern culture in which Genesis was written, other people groups also believed in men being made in “the image of the gods...”

...but only the kings!

The King was seen as a representation (an image) of the God of that people. But only the King!

In Genesis, however, every person has the image of God. Every person is a likeness of the Creator. No matter how tiny. All humans were made to be “royal.”

That’s a reason to value and to protect human life. When a woman has an abortion, she is damaging the “Mona Lisa” of God.

The Image of God in every person means that we should value and protect human life.

And that goes for more than just the littlest humans.

It goes for everybody.

This last week, our nation recognized Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It’s been 50 years since he was killed.

And our nation has made some major strides in racial harmony over the last 50 years.

But we’re not there yet.

Dr. King’s dream has not yet become a reality.

And it’s easy to point fingers and lay blame to say whose fault that is. There is plenty of fault to go around.

But it’s harder to look inside of ourselves and ask what we’ve been doing to improve things.

Personally, I’ve been doing a lot more reading on racial reconciliation and on compassion and justice. [I recommend Benjamin Watson's recent book Under Our Skin for a readable introduction to the current state of things.] I’m thankful that our upcoming EFCA Theology Conference  is on that subject, and I’m looking forward to learning more and growing in this area.

And doing my part to see true healing between the races. And not just black and white. But also red and brown and yellow.

“Because all are precious in His sight.”

Because all have the image of God.

This is why “people matter.”

We should value and protect and RESPECT other people.

James chapter 3 verse 9 says, “With [our words] we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.”

Do you see how that disrespects the image of God?

Do you see how seriously God takes this?

What have you said about others this week?

How have you treated them?

What have you said on Facebook? What kind of words have you used about other human beings also made in the image of God?

The Image of God in every person means that we should value and respect and protect others.

#5. WE SHOULD GIVE OURSELVES TO GOD BECAUSE WE BELONG TO HIM.

Here is a coin.

One day, a group of Pharisees tried to lay a trap for Jesus. They came to Him with a trick question, hoping to either get His popularity to drain with those who hated the Romans or to get Him in trouble with the Romans.

They asked Him, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

And Jesus loves to answer trick questions with trick questions.

So He said, “Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? [Greek Word: EIKON, IMAGE, LIKENESS.]”

They said, “Caesar’s,”

Then he said to them, “Okay. Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

What is Caesar’s? Well, the money with Caesar’s image on it.

But what is God’s? The people with God’s image on them.

Give yourself to God.

So often, we say, “It’s My Life, I’ll Do With It What I Want!”

But that’s wrong.

It’s His life. And we should give it to Him.

If you have been holding back from God, stop today. Give yourself fully over to Him.

Because He wants to not just own you in creation, but to own you in redemption!

He wants to return you to His image, conforming you to Christ.

Give in today. Turn yourself in to God.

Because you belong to Him!

Know how I know?

You are stamped with His image.

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[Matt's Messages] "The First Gospel"

“The First Gospel”
December 13, 2015
Genesis 3:15

Three years ago, I began a new preaching tradition. Each year on the Sunday before our normal Christmas service (which will be next Sunday), I’m planning to preach on an Old Testament prophecy or foreshadowing of the Messiah. A prediction of Jesus Messiah from the Old Testament.

That first year, I preached on Genesis 49:8-12 which was the fairly obscure passage where we get the phrase, “Lion of Judah.” The Messiah would be the “Long-Expected Lion.” Remember that? Two years ago? Some of you do.

Last year, we focused on the prophecy of Immanuel from Isaiah chapters 7 and 8. Immanuel means, “God with us,” and we saw how Isaiah predicted that very thing.

This year, I want us to go back to the book of Genesis once more and look at the passage that Christians for many centuries have called “The First Gospel.”

Or big name for it is the “Protoevangelion" or "Protoevangelium."

The first time that God proclaimed the good news about His Son.

Now, we might guess that first gospel occurs very early in the Bible, and here it is in the third chapter.

We might also guess that it happens only after the Fall occurs. Because you have to  understand the bad news before you can understand the good news. And chapter 3 is actually the chapter that tells the story of the Fall.

And we might also guess that this first presentation of the gospel would be very shadowy and almost ambiguous because there is a looooong time between this first statement of the gospel and the fulfillment of the gospel’s promises. And there is a lot of story to develop and a lot story to unfold before anyone could really understand what this first prediction of the Messiah was really saying.

And that’s true, too. This one verse is shadowy, and if we didn’t have the rest of the Bible, I’d even say it was vague.

But for most of church history, many followers of Christ have seen in this one verse the whole story of redemption in a nutshell. Christians have heard the good news about Jesus pulsating here in seed form and then growing out of this simple statement into the astonishing forest of redemption.

However, what we probably would not guess, is that this first gospel was proclaimed  to the serpent of Genesis 3, the tempter in snake form, the enemy, the “bad guy” in the story of the Fall.

The first gospel appears as a part of the curse.

Do you know what I mean when I say, “The curse?”

We looked at this earlier in the Fall when we were talking about how the curse affects our work. Work is now tainted by toil and frustration and is characterized by groaning.

The curse is the statement of consequences that came on us and our world when we fell into sin. The curse is the promise from God of trouble as a punishment for our rebellion.

And that curse affects everything. Humans and the whole world.

And the serpent.

You know the story. God made a world that was good and He made people to live in it as his imaging-bearing representatives. A first man, Adam and a first woman, Eve.

And He gave them the responsibility of filling and subduing the earth.

But they failed. God had given one prohibition–to not eat the fruit of a certain tree.

And this serpent, a deceptive mouthpiece of God’s enemy Satan, tempted our first parents to disobey.

And, sadly, they did. And we did in them. “In Adam’s Fall, we sin all.”

The curse is the consequences of that sin.

Shame where there had been intimacy.
Fear where there had been innocence.
Blame where there had been love.

And so much more.

Pain, disrupted relationships, distorted work, a damaged ecology, banishment from the blessings of the garden, and worst of all, death.

And there was curse on the serpent, too.

A curse that involved both humiliation and hostility.

In verse 14, the Lord tells the serpent who was the most crafty (v.1) that he will be the most cursed.

“So the LORD God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, ‘Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.”

You will be humiliated. You might think that you have won this day because Adam and Eve have sinned.

You might think that you deserve an exalted position above all creation, but instead you will slither on your belly and eat dust in abject humiliation.

Whenever we see a snake in the grass, we are reminded of the humiliation of the serpent’s curse.

“Satan, you will not win. All of the days of your life.”

But God says more than that. He says verse 15 which we call “The First Gospel.”

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

It’s important to understand the story that you are living in.

A lot of people don’t realize that they are living in a story.

They go through their life thinking that it’s just their life. They are not part of something bigger, something more complex.

Life is just this thing that you muddle through, doing your best to survive or pursue happiness or whatever.

But they don’t realize that they wake up each morning as a character in a great big story.

Now some do. Some realize that there is a story going on with their life but most of them have the idea that they are the main character in that story.

But we learned when we studied Genesis before in 2003 that we are not the main characters in the story in which we live.

That would be God.

He’s the main character.

We all have much smaller roles to play.

They are significant roles, but they are not central to the story.

It’s important for us to understand the story that we are living in.

Because understanding that story and where we are in that story will help us to understand what’s going on in our lives and guide us to make our choices as we live them.

That was the point of the Challenge Conference in 2014. I remember seeing the lights go on for our students who were attending as they began to understand God’s Big Story and their part in it.

Do you ever wonder why things are happening the way they are?

I hear a lot of people saying, “I just wonder why.”

I heard somebody say that this again this week. “I just don’t understand why.”

While understanding the story doesn’t always given the specifics of why, it normally will supply the categories. The big story makes sense of the twists and turns of the plot.

Understanding the story also helps us to understand Christmas.

Why is there a Christmas?
What does Christmas mean?

Why did Jesus come to Earth? Why was He born in Bethlehem? Why did the angels sing to the shepherds and the wise men visit from the East?

What’s such a big deal that we would celebrate it this way every year?

It’s important to understand the story that you are living in, and the First Gospel in Genesis 3:15 tells us the story in miniature.

It says, (point #1 of 2):

#1. WE LIVE IN A WAR-ZONE.

The story of the world is a story of conflict, of unrelenting warfare. V.15 again.

“And I [the Lord] will put enmity between you [that is the serpent] and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Want to know what kind of a story you woke up in this morning?

It’s a war story.

There is a war going on. It’s part of the curse.

And it is, surprisingly, good news.

Because it’s something that God is doing.

Notice what it says in verse 15. Who is introducing the enmity, the hostility, into the equation?

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;”

This is something that God is doing.

And it’s hard thing. It means bad things. War is bad news.

But God always has a good reason for everything He does.

For one, He is introducing hostility between two parties who had been temporarily allied.

Notice that?

It doesn’t say, “I’ll go to war with you, Satan.” Though that’s part of what it means.

Satan and God are already at war.

But Satan may have thought that he had won.

He had tricked Eve into confederating with him. He might have thought that Eve was on his side.

But God says that He will step into that situation and assure that there is war between the woman and the serpent.

And between the offspring of the serpent and the offspring of the woman.

Who are they?

Well, a lot of theories could be advanced. You could guess that this is the offspring of the snake, which is other snakes, and the offspring of the woman would be humanity.

So there is a war going on between snakes and men.

That’s possible because really there is. Especially the more poisonous the snakes.

But most of us think there is something more going on here.

The offspring of the serpent could be demons as the family of Satan. And there’s probably some truth to that, as well. The unseen enemies, the principalities and powers with whom we are at war.

But it’s more likely that the offspring of the serpent are those human beings who are under the sway of Satan. Those who listen to His lives and live in sin.

They include the worst of people in the world...and some of the most religious. Jesus told the Pharisees (who were more religious than anyone in this room) that their father was the devil, who was a liar from the beginning, and he called them a brood of vipers, snakes.

The offspring of the snake are those who believe the snake and do what he wants. And it’s what all of us naturally are.

The offspring of the woman in this fight are those whom God has set apart to be His.  God’s people.  In this age, we call them “the church.”  The people of God.

They are the people whom God in His sovereign grace puts a love for Him and hate of sin in their hearts.

“I will put enmity between you and the woman.”

They are the people of faith.  Those who believe the promises of God and are saved.

Sin introduced a terrible consequence–a spiritual battle with Satan and his people that rages across our world and across history.

And that’s good news!

Of course, it’s bad news. War is always bad news.

But war is sometimes necessary. It’s good news here because it means that Satan has not and will not win.

God didn’t say, “Okay. You got them to sin, I guess the game is over. You win. I’ll just go home.”

No, He said, “This means war.”

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Does that help you to understand what’s going on in your life right now?

Why is life is so difficult?

I’ve had a very difficult year. Perhaps the hardest year of my life so far.

It’s up there with the year we lost our daughter to stillbirth and the year we lost Heather’s mum to cancer.

And the last two months have just been really stressful for me.

I had been recovering from my surgery and then Blair died.

And I’ve had a lot of other stressful responsibilities that I have been carrying.

And you know what’s helped me the most recently?

It’s been our Hide the Word verse. John 16:33.

What did Jesus say? “In this world you will have trouble.”

Isn’t that encouraging?

Well, yeah, it is. Because that means that I’m in the right story.

This is the story where we have trouble. Followers of Jesus have trouble!

Don’t believe anybody who tells you that followers of Jesus don’t have trouble. Because Jesus said we would!

We live in a war-zone.

There is a spiritual battle raging around us.

So don’t be surprised if things get a little hairy.

And this also helps us to understand Christmas.

Christmas is about conflict.

Christmas isn’t about nice stuff. It’s about war.

Christmas is an invasion.

Jesus came to win this war!

But now, I’m getting ahead of the story.

First, I’ve got to give an application of point #1.

Make sure you’re on the right side.

If we are living in a war zone, if that’s the story we live in, it’s important to make sure you’re on the right side.

Are you offspring the serpent or offspring of the woman?

Those are the only two choices.

And I’ll tell you that everybody is born onto the wrong side.

We’re natural born sinners.

We’re natural born rebels.

Ever since Adam and Eve, our whole race has been born on the side of the snake.

So it takes repentance, which is treason against Satan[!], and faith in Jesus to get onto the right side.

You don’t get born onto the right side even if you are born to a Christian family in so-called Christian nation.

You’ve got to cross over the line and join up with the other side.

Have you done that?

Have you left the service of the serpent and entered in the army of King Jesus?

Here’s one way that you know.

Are you becoming more like Christ?

Do you hate sin?
Do you love sinners?

That’s Jesus for you, and His followers, His disciples, are becoming like Him.

Do you hate sin and do you love other sinners?

That’s how you know if you’re on the right side.

You’ve put your faith and trust in Jesus and you are becoming like Him.

Because faith, hope, and love are the “weapons” of the Christian. They are how we fight on our side of this battle that has been raging all through human history.

Faith, hope, and love.

Friends, let’s not get caught up in unbelief, fear, and hate.

I see a lot of that in our culture right now.

Including among those who claim the name of Jesus.

Unbelief, fear, and hate.

That’s the other side!

The right side is faith, hope, and love.

Make sure you’re on the right side.

Because there’s a war on, and it’s going to get dicey.

And here’s where it the good news part really shines.

#2. THE OUTCOME HAS BEEN ALREADY DECIDED.

Yes, we’re in a terrible war.

But the outcome of this war has already been decided.

It was from the first.

Jesus Christ has won and is going to win this war. V.15 again.

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

Now, at first, it’s not clear who will win this war.

The word for “crush” and the word for “strike” are actually from the same Hebrew root word.

And it says that the serpent will strike at the heel of the offspring of the woman.

That’s the normal approach of a snake isn’t it? To lash out and get a winning venomous blow in the heel, taking his enemy down.

So is this just an equal battle for all eternity?

No. Don’t forget where this prophecy sits.

It’s part of the curse.

This is bad news for the serpent. Very bad news.

Not just that he hasn’t won as he thought and now has a long war of ahead of him.

But that he is going down.

The seed of the woman will crush his head.

The people of God will triumph over the Deceiver.

This is the First Gospel. God’s people will win in the end.

The outcome has already been decided.

And the ultimate offspring of the woman is Jesus Christ Himself.

Do you see that little word “He” in verse 15?

Who is that?

If you have the King James, it says, “it.”

In the Hebrew, it’s a little third person personal pronoun to refer to the offspring of the woman.

It could represent the people of God corporately, but Christians have always seen Jesus Himself in that little word. And some Jews saw the Messiah in it centuries before Jesus was even born.

In some ways, the whole story of the Old Testament is a hunt for the “he” of verse 15.

Have you seen this children’s book called The Biggest Story by Kevin DeYoung and Don Clark?

It’s not really for little kids. It’s more for big kids who love complexity and artistry.

I love it. It’s just gorgeous and theologically rich.

The subtitle is “How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden.”

Listen to how DeYoung tells this part of the story:

God was not happy with Adam and Eve. He wasn’t happy with the Snake either. God put a curse on the man and the woman and the Snake and everything else.

He kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden Paradise he had made for him. It wasn’t possible for a people who were so bad to live with a God who is so good.

They had to go.

But before they left, God made a promise. He promised that the evil Serpent, the Devil, would always be a war with Eve and her children.

Now that doesn’t sound like a very nice promise–that bad guys and good guys would fight all the time. Who wants to live in a war that never ends?

But here’s where the good part of the promise comes in: God promised that one of Eve’s children would, someday, eventually, sooner or later, crush the head of that nasty Snake.

Nobody knew when or how, but she would have a child to put things right. (pgs. 24-27)

Do you see how Genesis 3:15 is a messianic prophecy?

The whole Old Testament is a search for that conquering snake crusher.

Is it Abraham? No.
Is it Isaac? Uh uh.
Is it Jacob? No way!
Is it Joseph? Not quite.
Is it Moses? No.
Is it Joshua? Not really.
It certainly wasn’t one of the judges.
How about David?  Well, it almost seemed like it, didn’t it?

But it wasn’t him and it wasn’t any of his sons.

Until...Christmas!

Until the invasion of our world by the enfleshed son of God.

Christmas is the game changer.

Because when Jesus was tempted just like Adam and Eve had been–though His temptation was much harder, in a desert instead of a garden!–Jesus was victorious where Adam and Eve had failed.

And then on the Cross when the Serpent struck at his heel, and He even died, Jesus still didn’t lose!

Jesus won at the Cross.

He won this battle at the Cross.
He paid for our sins at the Cross.
Satan was defeated the Cross.

At the Cross, Jesus was putting an end to the this unending war.

Just as predicted.

The outcome has already been decided.

So, application: Take heart!

Right?  What’s our Hide the Word verse say?

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

He’s won the decisive battle.

And so we can have peace and joy and courage.

Take heart!

Those are the most precious words to me right now, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Do you need to hear that this morning?

I sure do.

Martin Luther said it in his great song, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”

The Prince of Darkness Grim
We Tremble Not for Him
His Rage We Can Endure
For Lo, His Doom Is Sure:
One Little Word Shall Fell Him.

What’s that word?  Jesus!

I know that it doesn’t feel that way all of the time.

It’s hard to take heart. It’s hard to see that Jesus has overcome the world because He has not yet returned to make His blessings known as far as the curse is found.

We are still living in the war-zone.

And we have to keep watch like we talked about last week while wait for that victory to be spread around the universe and that peace to become universal.

But He’s told us.

“Take heart!” He said.

And that needs to be good enough for us for now.

Let me give you one more verse to chew on.

It’s in the book of Romans chapter 16, verse 20.

If the Lord gives me strength, we’re going to return to Romans in a few weeks in the new year.

So, I’m giving you preview of coming attractions.

Listen to Romans 16:20 and hear the echoes of Genesis 3:15 and John 16:33.

Paul says, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”

Take heart!

Satan will not just be crushed under Jesus’ feet.  “Under your feet.”

We will share in His victory.

One day this war will be over and those who belong to Jesus will also be overcomers.

Because Jesus came at Christmas to overcome.

Take heart, Christian!

Here’s how Kevin DeYoung ends his book:

The Snake Crusher is coming back again to wipe away all the bad guys and wipe away every tear. He’s coming to make a new beginning and to finish what he started. He’s coming to give us the home we once had and might have forgotten that we lost.

So keep waiting for him. Keep believing in him. Keep trusting that the story isn’t over yet. God’s promises never fail and the Promised One never disappoints.

One day we will see him. One day we will be with him. One day there will be nothing but the best days, day after day after day after day.

And forever and ever it will be a wonderful time to be God’s children in God’s wonderful world. (pgs. 123-125)

Take heart!

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[Matt's Messages] "Long Expected Lion"

“Long Expected Lion”
December 15, 2013 :: Genesis 49:8-12

I’m trying to start a new preaching tradition this year that on the Sunday before our normal Christmas service (which this year is next Sunday, the 22nd  that I’m going preach a message on an Old Testament prediction of the Messiah.

Some of those passages are more obscure than others, and this one is fairly obscure. In fact, many people don’t even know that it’s there. And there are a lot of little details in that are debate-able. But believers have seen a prediction of the Messiah in this little passage tucked into the middle of Genesis 49 for a long long time.

In fact, I’m going to call today’s message, “Long Expected Lion.”

Today, we’re not talking about the Nittany Lions, but the Lion of Judah.

Have you ever heard of Jesus Christ being referred to as the Lion of Judah?  This is where it all starts.

Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you. You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness-- who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.

Did that sound like Jesus to you?

Did it sound like Christmas to you?

It’s a pretty strange passage of Scripture tucked into the middle of a blessing at the end of the book of Genesis.

But it’s about Jesus!

The Lion of Judah.

The long expected, the long looked for lion of Judah.

Let me explain the context. Genesis 49 recounts the prophetic blessing of the patriarch Jacob (right before he died) on his 12 sons whose families will become the 12 tribes of Judah.

Jacob has a lot to say, and back in 2003 and we studied this passage. Some of his words of blessing are very and some are very difficult to interpret.

His words are very prophetic, many of them point forward to what that tribe was going to be like.

And nestled in that blessing on all the tribes is this particular blessing on the tribe of Judah. Judah the man was not the firstborn of Israel.  He was, in fact, the fourth born of Jacob’s wife Leah.

And Judah the man had not been a stellar example of faithfulness, righteousness, and wisdom.  If we had time, we could go back over his life and notes some of the low-points!

But we could also note how Judah had changed. In the middle of the Joseph story, there is a Judah story. Chapter 38. We studied it back in 2003 under the title, “The Humbling of Judah.” I think Cody went over it a few months ago with our youth Sunday School class.

God worked in Judah’s life to humble him and give him grace.

But who would have expected this?

Judah is told that his other brothers would eventually praise him. V.1

“Judah, your brothers will praise you...”

(By the way, that’s probably a play on words with his name, Judah, which sounds like a word that means praise. But it’s going to happen anyway.)

That’s unexpected. Especially because at this point in the story of Genesis, it really looks like Joseph and his two sons are going to lead the people of Israel. The one who was sold into slavery and the rose to become Pharoah’s righthand man and save his family! Joseph will probably be first.

But that’s not what God says through Jacob.

“Judah, your brothers will praise you;”

In fact, you will become the top lion. V.1 again.

“Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you.”

Judah is going to triumph over his enemies and his brothers will recognize him as the leader.

#1. LION SUPREME.

In fact, he says, v.9, “You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness–who dares to rouse him?”

That’s what Judah will become. The supreme lion.

The tribe that goes out at fights and comes back victorious.

The lion and the lioness are pictures of power. Pictures of untamed power.

“Who dares to rouse him?”

The king of the beasts! Right?

He’s the top of the food chain.

That’s what Judah will become.

Now, when did that start to happen?

Did it happen that day?  Did Jacob just make Judah the head of the family?

No, it didn’t happen that day.

Did it happen the day when God wanted to take the people of Israel out of Egypt? Was it someone from the tribe of Judah who said, “Let my people go?”

No, it didn’t happen that day.  Moses wasn’t from the tribe of Judah.

How about Joshua?

No.

Was it Tall King Saul?

No.

We’re talking at least 400 years from this prophecy to the King...David.

We just learned that he was from the little town of Bethlehem and that his father, Jesse was from the tribe of Judah.

King David was the first lion.

But even David wasn’t the Lion Supreme.

Great David’s greatest Son will be the Lion Supreme. Look at verse 10.

“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.”

David only partially began to fulfill this prophecy.

“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.”

#2. RULER OF THE NATIONS.

The scepter or the ruler’s staff was that large stick that marked the office of the King.

It will not move. It will stay between the feet of this king.

“Until he comes to whom it belongs...”

And we know who that is.

Or we do we?

This phrase is notoriously hard to translate.

Your version might say, “until Shiloh comes” or “until tribute comes to him.”

Those are all possible translations of the Hebrew.

Many people (Jews and Christians) think that Shiloh is a name for the Messiah.  And that’s possible, though it’s not clear what that name would signify.

It’s possible that Shiloh means the place Shiloh that we’ve recently read about in 1 Samuel. That’s where the tabernacle was and Eli was the priest.

The ESV Study Bible says, “it could be an allusion to the departure of the ark of the covenant from Shiloh in the time of Samuel, when the tribe of Judah, in the person of David, replace the time of Ephraim as Israel’s leading tribe” (pg. 134).

And that’s interesting based on what we’ve been learning recently.

But I think the NIV is the most probable translation:

“...until he comes to whom it [the ruler’s staff] belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.”

It predicts the coming of a Judahite par excellence.  A Judah of Judahs.  A king of kings.  A David of Davids.

“...and the obedience of the nations is his.”

He is not just supreme over Israel. He is supreme over the nations.

All that nations of the world will be gathered to Him and be subject to Him.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love (Isaac Watts)

Did that happen yet?

The long expected lion has come in the baby, King Jesus.

And the rulers of the world began to come and pay homage to Him. Like those royal emissaries with gold, frankincense and myrrh.

But the all of the nations have not yet bowed down.

The long expected lion has to come again.

And in the meantime, we are to tell the nations about the King.

That’s why we have missions.  Because the King has come and the world needs to know about it.

Beautiful Savior, Lord of all nations
Son of God and Son of Man
Glory and honor, praise, adoration
Now and forever more be Thine (Fairest Lord Jesus)

“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.”

His kingdom has come (that’s Christmas!) and His Kingdom is taking over the hearts of people all over the world.  One day, His kingdom will no longer be challenged or opposed.  Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

What a day that will be!

And that’s the point of verse 11.

“He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.”

Here’s what I think that means.

#3. THE BLESSINGS OF THE KINGDOM.

Do you normally tether your donkey to a vine?

No. Vines are edible. You don’t tie your donkey to an edible hitching post.

But what if there are so many vines that you can tie your donkey up to one and even if he eats it, there are plenty more?

Wine will be so abundant that you can do your laundry in it!

It’s not saying that he likes his garments red. It’s saying that there will be so much joy-giving wine in the world that you could use your detergent and use it as the washing-up water.

It’s the same kind of thing as the streets of gold in the book of Revelation.

The point is that there is so much wealth, they walk on the gold there.

Nobody is going to say, “I need to dig up this road. It’s gold!

No, they say, “Oh, gold. Yeah, we walk on that stuff. That’s nothing.”

It’s picture of unimaginable blessing.

A kingdom of unimaginable blessing.

When the Long Expected Lion comes, then the citizens of His kingdom will enjoy unimaginable blessing.

Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”

The point of Christmas is that Jesus has come to give us eternal and abundance life.

“He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.”

And all who belong to Christ will experience the richest of blessings forever!

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,

And we will know the most glorious Savior forever.

That’s the point, I think of verse 12.

“His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.”

I don’t think that’s supposed to be taken literally. This what Jesus looked like: dark red eyes, really white teeth.

Dark eyes and white teeth were considered to be very beautiful physical qualities in the Ancient Middle East.  This prophecy, therefore, predicts a gloriously beautiful Messiah. One who is attractive and appealing in every way.

Now, when Jesus first came, that first Christmas, He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him (Isaiah 53).

But when Jesus comes a second time, His glory will no longer be veiled and will be seen to be the most beautiful thing in the universe.

#4. THE BEAUTY OF HIS GLORY.

Jesus is glorious and worthy of all of our worship.

I think that’s what Jacob was getting it.

It’s hard to know. Jacob, though inspired by God Himself, saw this from very far off.

In fact, even though we stand on this side of the Cross, a lot of what Jacob predicted here is still far off!

But we know that the Bible takes this idea of the Messiah being a Son of Judah and a Lion of Judah and applies it to Jesus Christ.

The Apostle John does that in Revelation chapter 5.

The Bible not only starts with this reference to a Lion from Judah.

It also ends with a reference to the Lion of Judah.

Revelation 5 is a dramatic vision of a holy God on His holy throne holding the scroll of human destiny in his right hand.

And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was worthy to break the seals and to open the scrolls and to fulfill God’s plan for humanity–both judgment and blessing.

When the Apostle John saw that noone was found worthy, he began to weep uncontrollably.

John despaired because all of a sudden it looked like all of God’s promises would not be fulfilled.  It looked like justice would never be done.  All of those chosen by God would be lost.  Heaven would be empty of humans, and Hell would be full to overflowing.  All meaning in the universe would be lost.

Because no one was worthy.

But then something glorious happens in this heavenly drama.  One of the 24 elders makes an announcement that changes everything!   Listen to Revelation chapter 5, verse 5.

“Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.’”

There IS SOMEONE WORTHY!  There IS Someone able to open the scroll and its seven seals.

It’s “The Lion of the tribe of Judah!”

The baby who was once laid in a manger.

Jesus Christ.

He is the Supreme Lion of Judah, worthy of praise.
He is the Ruler of the Nations, calling them to obedience.
His Kingdom will be unparalleled in blessing and abundance.
His Glory will be seen to be the most beautiful thing in the universe.

And Revelation 5 says, “He has triumphed!”

It’s a strong word in the Greek. It means that He has conquered.  He has gone through a bloody war and won!  He has prevailed.

He is a conquering, royal Lion!

The lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered.

And we know that He did that through His Cross.

On the Cross, Jesus Christ (who came at Christmas) conquered sin and death.  He paid the penalty for the sins of His people and set them free.

The long expected lion has come and has triumphed!

And here’s what we are supposed to do about it:

#1.  Put Your Trust in the Triumph of the Lion of Judah.

His triumph means nothing to you unless you have received Him and put your faith in His conquering victory on the Cross.

Turn away from whatever you have been trusting in for your life and your eternal well-being and put your trust in the triumph of the Lion of Judah.

He invites you today to receive Him as Savior and Lord.

If you put your trust in His triumph, then you will have the power of the unchallenged Lion of Judah working on your behalf.  You will triumph, too.

If you put your trust in His triumph, then you will experience the abundant blessing of the Kingdom that He brings.

But the Ruler of the Nations must be your Ruler first.

You must put your trust in the triumph of the Lion of Judah.

#2. Center Your Life Around the Lion of Judah.

Worship Him alone!

He is worthy because of His Cross to break open the scroll.

He is worthy of your worship every day as well.

Center Your Life Around the Lion of Judah.

So many things compete for our attention and our worship in this world.

But only One Person has “eyes darker than wine, teeth whiter than milk” that is worthy to have our lives centered around.

He was born on Christmas, and He’s coming back soon.  Worship Christ!

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,

Center your life around the Lion of Judah because He has triumphed!

And #3. Long for the Lion to Return.

He is still the Long Expected Lion!

We are still waiting for the full fulfillment of Genesis 49.

And we work while we wait.  We tell people about Him.

But we eagerly wait for His return.

Let’s sing Joy to the World.

We sing it at Christmas time because the Lord has come, bringing joy with Him.

But it’s really a song about Jesus’ second coming when He fulfills this ancient prophecy in its fullness.

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,

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