Title: Image is Everything
Text: Psalm 73: 20
Date: June 24, 2012
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
We live in a world where
image is everything. And it may be a
surprise to you to hear me say this but “image is everything.” Not in the sense of this wicked world’s
constant promotion of self-image. But in
order to be eternally accepted of holy God, image is everything.
Title: Image is Everything
Proposition: Our text describes some whom God shall awake
from the dead in the day of judgment.
Psalm 73: 20: As a dream when one awaketh; so, O
Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.
Divisions: I. ADAM’S IMAGE; II. CHRIST’S IMAGE;
III. THE BELIEVER’S IMAGE
I. ADAM’S IMAGE
Adam
was created in the image of God: in purity, holiness, and righteousness.
Genesis 1: 26: 26: And God
said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle,
and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the
earth. 27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God
created he him; male and female created he them.
In
the likeness of God, Adam was given dominion, power, and authority over the
creatures.
Genesis
1: 28: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply,
and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the
sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon
the earth.
But the image of God in
which Adam was originally created became defiled by his disobedience and spiritual death.
Genesis 3: 9: And the LORD
God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10: And he said,
I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked;
and I hid myself.
Application: Here
was Adam, once holy and righteous so as to walk and talk with God, made in the
image of God, now afraid and hiding from God.
Why did Christ say that men hide from God? Why do sinners hide themselves from the
Light? What makes sinners uncomfortable to hear the gospel of Christ and him
crucified?
John 3: 19: And this is the
condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather
than light, because their deeds were evil.
Sinner,
what is keeping you from being honest with God and with yourself? Why all the excuses? Why the accusations? Why is there no unity with these saints
here?
John 3: 20: For every one
that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds
should be reproved.
Adam
would not come to God because he knew his sin would be reproved and he would
have to renounce the work of his hands by which he tried to cover his sin. But
when God drew him to confess his sin, then God covered him in the garments God
himself provided. Sinners who come to
Christ confessing that we have sinned and done nothing righteous receive mercy
from God. Those who hide—he shall despise their image.
Before the fall, when in the
image of God, verse 28 said, "God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be
fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have
dominion…over every living thing.” Now
after the fall, note how thoroughly polluted that likeness became.
Genesis
3: 17: And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy
wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt
not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou
eat of it all the days of thy life; 18
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt
eat the herb of the field; 19 In the
sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for
out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou
return.
In
Adam, the federal head and representative of all mankind, we all died—sin was
imputed to us. By natural generation we
were born with Adam’s corrupt nature. His polluted, defiled, image is the image
you and I are born with.
Romans 5: 12: Wherefore, as
by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned.
Genesis
5: 3: And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his
own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
Psalm 51: 5: Behold, I was
shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Application: Every moment, right now, sinners are
standing before the holy and righteous God in this unholy and unrighteous
image. Oh, a great many have washed
their hands in snow water and made themselves aprons of fig leaves. Ignorant
that the “wicked is snared in the work
of his own hands” many attempt to convince God that they are something they
are not.
Matthew
7: 22: Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have
cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23: And then will I
profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Psalm 73: 19: How are they brought
into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. 20: As
a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou
shalt despise THEIR IMAGE.
II. CHRIST’S IMAGE
Now we
see that if left in our sinful image, in the Day of Judgment God will despise our image. And we see that all mankind lost the image
of God by Adam’s disobedience and our being born of him. So then salvation has got to come from
someone who is not like us.
Job 14:4: Who can bring a
clean thing out of an unclean? not one….15:14:
What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he
should be righteous? 15: Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the
heavens are not clean in his sight. 16: How much more abominable and filthy is
man, which drinketh iniquity like water?...25:4:
How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of
a woman?
Salvation
has got to be by one: not born of natural generation of corruptible seed, but
one born of God, in the image of God—pure, holy, righteous, undefiled, separate
from sinners. He has got to be eternal
so as to obtain eternal redemption. But
how could such a one come into this earth?
Luke 1: 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary:
for thou hast found favour with God. 31
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and
shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall
be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall
give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob
for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this
be, seeing I know not a man? 35: And the angel answered and said unto her, The
Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow
thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be
called the Son of God.
Christ Jesus is the express
image of God.
Hebrews
1: 3: Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of
his person,…
The
express image means more than a mere likeness it means Christ is the brightness
of God’s glory, the Son of God: the essential, eternal image of his Father—distinct
from God the Father but not inferior to the Father in any way. Christ is the eternal one, perfect and
complete with the same nature and perfections.
Christ is the express image of holiness and righteousness, of wisdom and
power, of truth and faithfulness, of love and grace. Christ Jesus is the Son of God in whom God
takes infinite complacency and delight. Our
Savior, the Man Christ Jesus, is God. He
is the express image of God--altogether holy and righteous and fit to be the
high priest of his people.
Hebrews 7: 26: For such an
high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from
sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
Note: Adam was not the
express image of God, he was created merely in the image of God. But the first Adam was made by Christ and for
Christ as a foreshadow of the last Adam who is the express image of God. Christ is…
Colossians 1: 15: Who is the
image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16: For by him
were all things created,…all things were created by him, and for him: 17: And
he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Adam
was given dominion—so was Christ, but how greater is Christ the express image
of God…for he…
Hebrews
1: 3:…and upholding all things by the word of his power,…
He
upholds all creatures he has made, the whole universe and he rules and governs
and providentially orders and disposes of all things in the world by the word
of his power. But particularly, he
upholds this world because of the the everlasting covenant word that he shall
not lose one whom the Father gave him—this world is held in place by him,
because his covenant word insures that not one for whom he died shall perish,
but that he will see to it that all shall come to repentance.
Adam
disobeyed God and plunged all whom he represented into spiritual death, but
Christ obeyed God and saved all whom he represented:
Hebrews
1: 3:…when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high;
·
He
·
He by himself
·
He by himself purged our sins
Daniel
9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy
people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of
sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most
Holy.
·
He by himself finished the transgression for God’s people who make
up God’s holy city.
·
He by himself made an end of sins for everyone he represented
·
He by himself made reconciliation for iniquity of his elect, holy
city.
·
He by himself brought in everlasting righteousness for all he
represented
·
He by himself sealed up—filled-full—the vision and the prophecy—all
that was written of him.
·
GOD
HAS ANOINTED THE MOST HOLY
Hebrews
1: 3:…when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high;
God the Father despised NOT
the image of his Son—but God “raised up
Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this
day have I begotten thee.” (Acts 13: 33)
App. Except a sinner comes to God in the image of Christ our text
tells us the sure and certain reception he shall receive of God: Psalm 73: 20: As a dream when one
awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.
III. HOW IS A BELIEVER MADE TO HAVE THE IMAGE OF CHRIST?
We must be recreated after Christ’s image—and all those God
elected unto salvation shall be:
Romans
8: 29: For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren.
Each of his elect must and
shall be brought to hear the gospel of Christ for God predestinated them to be
conformed to his image so too he predestinated the means. The King of kings
shall in his almighty power to send the
good news of his accomplishments on their behalf. Each of his purchased possessions shall be
born of the Spirit and given faith to believe on him in spirit and in
truth. Christ who upholds all things by
the word of his power has power to do so.
Illustration: When the Word walked this earth—he knew
right where his children were—he went right to them and he called them
out. He is doing the same in our day
from his throne in glory through the ambassadors he sends to preach his gospel—his
gospel is forbidden and sent by him.
Acts
16: 6: Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and
were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, 7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to
go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not…10: And after he had seen
the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly
gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.
It is a must each one hear the
gospel because as Paul said, those who are blinded by the god of this world will
remain so…
2 Corinthians 4: 4:…lest the
light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine
unto them.
But when the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God shines unto his child of
mercy a miracle happens:
2
Corinthians 3: 18: But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory
of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even
as by the Spirit of the Lord (Turn to
Col 3)
The preacher has no power to
do this. It is the work of the Holy Spirit:
2 Corinthians 4: 7: But we
have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be
of God, and not of us.
John 1: 13: Which were born,
not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Galatians 6: 15: For in
Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a
new creature.
John 6: 63: It is the spirit
that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they
are spirit, and they are life.
Romans 2: 28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly;
neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one
inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and
not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
But by the Spirit of God it
is this new creation made of God wherein believers are created anew in the
image of Christ.
Colossians 3: 10: And have
put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him
that created him: 11: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor
uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is
all, and in all.
2 Corinthians 5: 17:
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old
things are passed away; behold, all things are become new 18: And all things are
of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us
the ministry of reconciliation;
Application: Our old way of saying some part of
salvation was of us is passed away—all things are of God. Our old course of
living passes away--there is a new course of living by faith, loving that which
is holy. Our old way of serving God in the flesh is passed away—now we serve
God in spirit and in truth. Our old way
of trying to come to God in the letter of the law is passed away—now we have
the law of God written on our inward parts—we are created anew in righteousness
and holiness of truth—(Eph 4: 24.) Our
old way was to watch and criticize with the eye of a Pharisee—now we know those
called of God are made righteous in Christ and the law was not made for a
righteous man.
Romans 8: 33: Who shall lay
any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
Before we were under the
law, we tried to constrain others by the law of works—now we are under grace,
constrained by the love of God, so we endeavor to helpers of one another’s joy.
We have been reconciled to
God and Christ has become our All!
Hebrews 7: 19: For the law
made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the
which we draw nigh unto God.
Before we put emphasis on
riches, honors, our former religion, we lived for self and really were
uncomfortable with God’s saints—those old things are all passed away, now our
riches are Christ. His honor and glory
rules our hearts. We love those who are
begotten of him and are more comfortable with his saints than with our former
companions. Our inward man has been
created eternally new after Christ’s image—never again to be corrupted: born of
his incorruptible Seed, we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto
these good works which he hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
In that final day of judgment—while
God shall despise the image of those who come in their own polluted image—every
believer shall be perfectly conformed to his image.
1
John 3:2: Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what
we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for
we shall see him as he is.
1
Corinthians 15:47: The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man
is the Lord from heaven. 48: As is the earthy, such are
they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they
also that are heavenly. 49: And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we
shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50: Now this I say, brethren, that
flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption
inherit incorruption. 51: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changed, 52 In a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall
sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on
incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be
brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O
grave, where is thy victory? 56
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the
law. 57 But thanks be to God,
which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalm 17: 15: As for me, I will
behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy
likeness.
Here is our application:
1
Cor 15: 58: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not
in vain in the Lord.
Amen!