Pastor Jintae Kim’s sermon manuscript
Date: Jan 19, 2025
Text: Genesis 1:26-27 “Take the initiative of your life!”
[26] Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; let the
m rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Introduction
1. The first step in interpreting the Bible:
To understand the Bible, we must first understand to whom and for what purpose it was given. Genesis is the first book of the Pentateuch given by God to the Israelites through Moses before the Exodus.
2. Background of Genesis - Exodus
(Exodus 6:6) Therefore say to the children of Israel, 'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
So what is the purpose of the Exodus? It is well described in Exodus.
[7] I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. [8] I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as an inheritance. I am the Lord.'" (Exodus 6:7-8)
Think about the reality of Israel.
(1) They arrived at Mount Sinai purely by the grace of God. The 10 plagues and the Red Sea
(2) The problem is that the Exodus is not the end. The real goal is to conquer Canaan, but that is where formidable forces are encamped on high fortresses.
Being liberated from slavery is one thing but establishing the kingdom of God in Canaan is totally another.
3. God’s dilemma
The most serious problem was the slave mentality and inferiority complex.
Think about it. These people have been slaves for 400 years and have a slave mentality engraved in their souls and bones. Slaves do not do anything on their own and only do what they are told. They simply do not take the initiative in anything they do. How could such people take the initiative in conquering the nine tribes of Canaan who were armed with iron weapons and living in strong fortresses at the time and establish the kingdom of God there?
This inferiority complex is such a persistent and dirty thing. Listen to the report of the spies sent by the Israelites before entering Canaan.
Num 13:32 “And they brought up a bad report of the land before the children of Israel, saying, The land through which we have explored it is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come from the Nephilim. We seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and we seemed the same to them.”
During the Exodus, estimated to be around 1400 BC, the Israelites were nothing more than a band of slaves who had nothing but clubs carved from acacia wood in their hands.
On the other hand, the nine Canaanite tribes were already civilized societies with iron civilization, and they possessed a strong army heavily armed with all kinds of iron weapons and chariots.
Before conquering the Canaan, they must first overcome their inferiority complex. Otherwise, the road ahead will be bleak.
That was God’s dilemma. “How can I change the self-identity of these people, who are full of slave mentality and inferiority complex, into the people of the Almighty God?” That is why God said in Genesis 1 and 2 that the God who leads them is the omnipotent Creator and that He created the people in His image. That is the original purpose of Genesis 1 and 2.
So, are we any better than the Israelites?
Of course not. We believe in Jesus and are saved, but aren’t we still staying in the world?
False Identity
The devil is deceiving us with all kinds of lies. One of them is instilling a false self-identity full of inferiority.
Let me list a few false identities of self. What’s not our true identity
(1) What we think we are
(2) What other people say what we are
(3) What we have such as knowledge, job, material wealth, power, appearance, age, and social status….
True Identity
Then, what is a true self-identity?
A true self-identity is what God says in the Bible. Because God is the one who created me, He knows me better than I, others, and the world. Whatever God says is true and comes true.
Listen to what God says about you.
(Gen 1:26-27) [26] Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Meaning of the Image of God
The word "image" appears three times here. This is because it is the most important self-identity. So, what does it mean? Let me explain it in easy terms. In the Middle East at that time, the word "image" meant a being in whom God's spirit dwells (Gen 2:7), and who rules over all things on God's behalf (Gen 1:26, 28).
So, our self-identity ought to be:
(1) We are God’s image created with God’s character and authority.
(2) Our mission is to reign over all creation. In other words, we are born again to be the owner of the circumstances.
Application
How shall we live then? Let me list three:
(1) Take the initiative of your life.
(2) Take responsibility.
(3) Enjoys what you do: study, work, love….