Following God Series
Delivered at Harlem Reformed Church, 2013

Intro

Matthew 7:13-23; Luke 6:46; 13:22-30 – Many will be deceived that they followed God, only to have Jesus tell them it was all an illusion.

  • Matthew 13:24-30,36-43; 25:1-13 – this will include those who externally seem like really good Christians (the tares/weeds looked like wheat, and the virgins are a symbol of outward purity)
  • Leviticus 10:1-2 – Two sons of Aaron, full of zeal, approached God on their terms–not His terms–and were killed by God.  
  • Leviticus 8 – Both were consecrated and anointed priests
  • Leviticus 16 – this is the Day of Atonement, a day fulfilled perfectly by Jesus’ sacrifice and our trust in Him, and it gives a direct contrast to Leviticus 10:1-2.  This is God’s way to approach Him.

God’s Commands

Exodus 20:1-6:

  1. Do not worship false gods (v. 3)
  2. Do not worship man-made images of the true God, or anything else (vv. 4-6)

God’s Image

  • John 4:24; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:27 – God is spirit.  God is invisible.
  • Rom. 1:20 – God communicates His invisible nature through visible creation
  • Genesis 1:26-27; 2; 5:1-2; Luke 3:38 – Adam and Eve were made in God’s image.  They were THE visible images of the invisible God: 
    • Man is alive (Gen. 2:7) | God is alive (2 Cor. 6:16)
    • The man and woman were multiple people, yet one substance (Gen. 1:27 – “He created him [singular]…He created them [plural]”; Gen. 2:22,24) | God is one substance, yet made up of multiple (i.e. 3) Persons (Gen. 1:26 – “God (singular) said, ‘Let us (plural) make man’”; Matthew 28:19 cf. Mark 12:29)
      • Man is a tripartite being (spirit, soul, body — see Gen. 2:7; Heb. 4:12; 1 Thes. 5:23) | God is a Tripartite being (Matthew 28:19 cf. Mark 12:29)
    • The bride was formed from the man’s life when his side was pierced and he was put to sleep (Gen. 2:18-25) | the bride of Christ was formed from Christ’s life when His side was pierced and He was put to sleep (see Ephesians 5:25-32 and John 19:33-34)
    • Man had dominion over the earth (Gen. 1:26) | God has dominion over everything (2 Chronicles 20:6).
    • Man thinks and creates (Gen. 2:19) | God thinks (1 Cor. 2:11) and creates (Gen. 1:1).
    • The life of man was meant to reproduce and spread (Gen. 1:28) | God’s life is meant to reproduce and spread (Acts 12:24).
    • Man and woman communicated by speaking words (Gen. 3:17) | God communicates by speaking His word (Matt. 4:4).
  • Genesis 3:6-19 – God’s image became corrupted and marred due to sin
  • Gen. 3:12-13 – they took on the nature of the “Accuser”, which is what Satan means.
    • 1 John 2:10 – all who are not born again with God’s Spirit are children of Satan
  • Genesis 9:6; 1 Corinthians 11:7; James 3:9 – even after this image was corrupted, man still carries God’s image in some ways.  We are fractured pictures, showing some things of God, while not giving a completely trustworthy picture.
    • Gen. 3:12-13,21 – man showed the nature of sin and Satan, while also reflecting God’s heart to redeem
    • Malachi 1:6,8,14 – in the midst of Israel’s sinfulness, various human relationships could still illustrate what God is truly like
    • Luke 11:13 – evil fathers show aspects of God as our Father
    • Conclusion: humans give some ideas of God, but cannot be trusted to perfectly reflect what the invisible God looks and acts like any more.  We need a clearer picture, lest we approach Him on false terms that lead to Him ultimately rejecting us when we meet Him face to face!

Jesus

Jesus is the “exact representation” of God’s nature (Hebrews 1:3, NASB), and the “beloved” Son of God (Luke 3:22).  Furthermore, He is the “only begotten Son” (John 3:16).  Thus, just as a son is the representation of his father, so we can know exactly what the invisible God is like through his only visible Son.  

Discussion:  Jesus no longer walks the earth in the form He did 2,000 years ago.  So how can we clearly see and know what Jesus (God the Son) is like, and thereby know exactly what God (the Father) is like?