Transformed into God’s Image
Text: Genesis 1:26, 1 John 4:17, 2 Corinthians 3:18
INTRODUCTION
By the end of this message tonight you are going to know who’s image you are living in, because you have a choice of who’s image you want to walk in and live in.
Webster says that image means a representation of a person or thing.
1. We the believer are to represent Christ the bible says in I Corinthians 5:17-20 that we are ambassadors for Christ.
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;
19: To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20: Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
An Ambassador is a Minister of the highest rank employed by one country at the court of another to carry out his countries affairs; a messenger, intermediary, authorized envoy and an official representive.
We the believer are to represent Christ and we can’t be a representation of Christ sick and crippled up with diseases and all types of sickness because Christ was never sick, poor, and depressed. Christ never lived below his privileges why because he had an image of himself. (St. John 7:29, 9:5).
29: But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me.
5: As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
Jesus knew who he was and who his Father was and what right he had, so if we are to be like Jesus we must have the Image of Jesus so lets continue defining this word Image. The vital impression of something produced by a lens or a mirror.
The job of a mirror is to reflect what is in front of it we know that the word of God is the mirror and when you look into the Word you see yourself you see what you are suppose to be, how you are suppose to act as a believer, how you suppose to talk as a believer, what you are suppose to be, and how you are suppose to function as a believer.
Let me ask the question, are you what Christ says you are, are you acting the way Christ says you should act, are you speaking what God’s Word says you are suppose to speak or are you living beneath your privilege in Christ. Let continue on defining this word image-A copy, a counterpart-something that fits together complete or complements another.
We as believers are Jesus counterpart we are suppose to complement Jesus because Jesus is love so am I, Jesus is peace so are we, we fit together. A likeness to reflect-we are to reflect Christ in every area of our lives if we are going to confess to be a Christian.
Body
In our Text in Genesis 1:26-27 that God crated man in his own image and in his likeness so I look like my father God sow when you look at me you Don’t see Elder you should see Jesus.
We have to stop looking at the person and look at the God in the person whether its Jesus or the god of this world, so many people look at the person and all their faults or see the past life and that all they see is the bad and the ugly in the person the negative things and we have got to stop seeing that and see Jesus, Because we the believer are created in the Image and likeness of God, now if I am created in the image and likeness of God then that means I have the same right and privileges that Jesus had.
In 2 Corinthians 3:18 the bible say that we are changed into the same image, what image Jesus image from glory to glory by the spirit of God so you see if the Spirit of God is manifested in your life and you have the made the decision to let the spirit of God have full reign or course in you life you will be change into the image of the spirit of God, What is the image of the spirit of
God lets take a look at 2 Corinthians 4:4.
4: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them, which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
So what is the image of the spirit of God it is the Word of God and Jesus is the Word, now with all of this information le take a look at Romans 8:29
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.
I was destined before the foundation of the world dot be molded into the image of God, if this started before I came on the scene and come into the things of God what am I now because the Bible says in Genesis 1:27 that I was created in God’s image, I was created in God’s image when I was just formed in the mind of Christ it was already done form the beginning as we see in Genesis.
Lets take a look at 1 Corinthians 11:7 7: For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. Here the Apostle Paul was talking about the correct standard of worship for that church according to their custom and he saying here in the 7th verse that the man is the image or reflection of the Glory of God but some of us are not.
We are backbiting, Gossiping, causing strife, and division in the body of Christ, peace breakers instead of peacemakers. If you are going to confess that were the image of Christ we are going to have to start loving one another and all speak the same thing beloved we are not all on the same page and wonder why thing are not happening for us as quickly as they should.
Beloved it would be a weird thing if Jesus didn’t work together with the Father you know what would of happened he wouldn’t have no power, wouldn’t be able to work one miracle, the women with issue of blood would never received her healing the water would have never turned to wine the dead would have not been rasied and we would have never have the opportunity to have salvation. Why because Jesus would have been functioning in the realm of disobedience. I heard a Pastor preach a message entitled disobedience will steal your anointing.
Lets remember that were made in the image and likeness of God, now lets take a look at 1 Corinthians 15:49,
49:And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Paul is talking here again and he is talking about the spiritual body and saying you bear the image or look like your earthly parents when you received Christ you should look like you heavenly parents. because__________ is _________________son/daughter and we know this why because she/he reflects her/his parents now if I was to say that_________________was________________son/daughter you would say that was untrue because_____________________does not have neither one of their image in other words____________________does not look like_______________________now ________________has accepted Christ as her/his personal Savior Jesus has become Lord of her/his life she/he is indwelled with the Holy Spirit you know what she/he is now changed into God’s image.
Just as ___________________reflects_____________________now that she/he born again she/he reflects our Father God why because she/he was destined from the beginning, she/he was created in the image and likeness of God. Now turn with me to 2 Corinthians 3:15-18
15: But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vial is upon their heart.
16: Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vial shall be taken away.
17: Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
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.
Now we saw that we are suppose to look like or reflect God we have been talking about the recreated spirit and here Paul is telling us that we are changed into the same image (what image) God’s image from glory to glory and I like the way the amplified version says we are constantly being transfigure you see our recreated spirit are created in the image an likeness of God but our minds have no lined up with our spirit.
That’s the problem with the body of Christ today their minds don’t line up with what’s in their spirit they say one thing with their mouth and another with their spirit, your mind has to line up with your spirit because when your mind lines up what your spirit the body will line up because the mind controls the body because we re created in the image and likeness of God and we need to get this down in our spirit.
So then we have to line this mind up with our spirit then what happens is all of a sudden the body begins to function on what the mind is thinking because the Bible says to renew your mind by the washing of the water how by the Word of God.
Turn to Colossians 3:10- And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Lets look at what Paul says here now that you are born again, love God, and filled with the fullness of God which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Go who crated It as I renew myself in the Word my mind I crated after the image of God who created me.
Conclusion
Lets close with this Scripture 1 John 4:15- whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
John is talking about the love of God and here he is letting us know that God is Love and down in the 15th verse John is saying that whosever confesses that Jesus Christ is God’s Son Jesus dwells in them and goes on to tell us that we understood that God loved us and that God I love and that he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God dwells in them.
John goes on to say the because of all that love the agape love has mad us the believer complete and when we know that we complete in him we have assurance for the day of judgment why because as he is so are we in what his world.
As Christ is I am now Jesus is healing I am healed, Jesus live royal so will I, Jesus had power to lay down his life and pick it up so do I, Jesus had the power to speak to the tree and it withered so do I and not only that I can speak life to that same tree or situation why because Proverbs18: 21 says.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. What you say is what you get.
If I am like Jesus in this world according to 1 John 4:17 then I can do what Jesus did he spoke to the situation and people were heal or deliver or whatever the situation was. I can speak to things and they must obey why because Jesus calleth those things that be not as though they are, I can speak my loved one into the kingdom of God, I can speak prosperity into my life, I can speak healing into my life.
Turn to Romans 4:17- As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickened the dead, and called those things that be not as though they were.
So you see I can call those things which be not as though they were wee because I am made in the image and likeness of my father God and if am made in the image and likeness of God I can say like john because as he is so am I in this world. How can you say that preacher because the bible says I have been redeemed from the curses of the law what I the curse of the law read Deutoromy 28, so you see I am complete in him why because I am made in the image and likeness of my father God I reflect, I represent and I am the vital impression produced by God according to Genesis 1:26-27
I HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO GOD’S IMAGE
PROPHETIC WORD:
Even as you look up and you can’t see me if you look at one another I have manifested my spirit by my image because each one of you are created in my image and in my likeness so when you look at one another you see me.
