Genesis Part 6: Signposts in a Strange Land

Gensis 1:27-31

Title: Signposts in a Strange Land

-Genesis 1 (the whole chapter)

-Genesis 1:27

I. Image of God: Imago Dei, Tselem Elohim

-Genesis 1:27

-Genesis 1:28

A. Royal

B. Equal

C. Idol

-Numbers 33:51-52

-2 Kings 11:18a (end at "thoroughly")

II. The Endgame of Idolatry

-"Idolatry: a good thing turned into an ultimate thing" - Tim Keller

-“You can’t not bet your life on something. You can’t not be headed somewhere. We live leaning forward, bent on arriving at the place we long for.” - James K. A. Smith, You Are What You Love

-Psalm 115:4-8

III. Jesus, The Image of the Invisible God

-John 1:14

-Colossians 1:15,17,20

IV. The Kingdom of Image Bearers

-Mark 12:15-17

-2 Corinthians 3:17-18

-1 Corinthians 15:49

- “God has called us to nothing less than incarnating Christ to others. I am to be rooted in the Word, and zealous to bring the living Word–Christ–to lost, blind, and struggling people. You and I are called to put flesh and blood on who Christ is and what he came to do…The power of the incarnation is that it makes the presence and glory of God visible.

By taking on flesh and blood, Christ made known the unseen God. Why does the Light need to shine on earth? Because people are groping around in the darkness. Why does God need to be revealed? Because people do no see him…In Christ, the trust of God takes on flesh. Jesus is the ultimate exposition of how God intends people to think and live…This is quite radical, for it says that truth, in its most basic form, is not a system, a theology, or a philosophy. It is a person whose name is Jesus.

Living a godly life means trusting him, following him, and living like him. Personal ministry weaves the threads of grace and truth through every part of a person’s life. In that it is truly incarnational, because grace and truth will always lead people to Christ…The incarnation is not just an event; it also establishes an agenda, a set of plans to accomplish a goal. God’s agenda is for the church to be an incarnational community on earth, so that our very presence would reveal his grace and truth-laden glory.”

–– Paul David Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands.