'What is man that thou art mindful of him' ?

 MKJV: Job Chapter 7 [17] What is man, that You should magnify him, and that You should set Your heart on him,

 MKJV: Job Chapter 15 [14] What is man, that he should be clean? And what is he born of a woman that he should be righteous?

 MKJV: Psalms Chapter 8 [4] what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man, that You visit him?

MKJV: Psalms Chapter 144 [3] O LORD, what is man that You take knowledge of him! Or the son of man, that You esteem him?

MKJV: Hebrews Chapter 2 [6] But one testified in a certain place, saying, "What is man, that You are mindful of him; or the son of man, that You visit him?

This Holy Spirit inspired scripture encourages us to ask 'Why does God care about us '?

• God loves us- (Child view)

• God wants relationship with us (Teenage view)

• God sees us as his reflection in creation (Adult view)

 Today I want to discuss the adult view.

 What is God's purpose in creating us?

MKJV: Genesis Chapter 1[27] And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female.

MKJV: Genesis Chapter 9 [6] … for He made man in the image of God.

But man is not a prototype blueprint

• Cattle after the cattle kind

• Fish after the fish kind

• Fowl after the fowl kind

• Man after the God kind

Initially man was a physical representation of God to the rest of creation

God taught man as an equal (MKJV: Genesis Chapter 3 [8] And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.)

Man lost the right to represent God – died in the Garden of Eden because of sin

Angels had to stand in place of fallen mankind

(MKJV: Ecclesiastes Chapter 9 [4] For whoever is chosen, to all those living, there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion. )

Man lose all knowledge of his identity and formed images from his own imagination of what God may have been like so that he could continue to worship.

In reality the the image of the true was forming an image of falsehood to worship – this was an abomination to God as highlighted in scripture.

MKJV: Exodus Chapter 20 [4] You shall not make to yourselves any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

Jesus told the women at the well that the Father wished to be worshiped in spirit and in truth

MKJV: John Chapter 4 [22] You worship what you do not know, we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. [23] But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him. [24] God is a spirit, and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.

This means 'Without an intermediary and in full understanding'

Jews worship using blood sacrifices the Samaritans did not understand what it was they were worshiping

Satan desires to be worshipped

Man also desires to be worshipped

Animals do not seek to be worshipped

Satan offered Christ all, if only he would bow down to him (MKJV: Matthew Chapter 4 [8] Again, the Devil took Him up into a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. [9] And he said to Him, All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me. )

Nimrod is believed to be the first human leader who desired to be worshipped as a God (
MKJV: Genesis Chapter 10 [8] And Cush fathered Nimrod. He began to be a mighty one in the earth. [9] He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. [10] And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. [11] Out of that land he went forth to Assyria. And he built Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, [12] and Resen between Nineveh and Calah, which is a great city. )

Pharaoh in Egypt also was worshipped as a God (Exodus )

Nebuchadnezzar built a statue (of himself) to receive worship and adoration from his subjects

MKJV: Daniel Chapter 3 [1] Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits, and its breadth six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. [2] Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the justices, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. [3] Then were gathered the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the justices, and all the officials of the provinces, to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. [4] Then a herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, [5] at the time you hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, zither, the lyre, harp, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. [6] And whoever does not fall down and worship, at that moment they will be thrown into the middle of a burning fiery furnace. [7] Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, the pipe, zither, the lyre, harp, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

Darius also wished to be prayed to (MKJV: Daniel Chapter 6 [7] All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects, and the satraps, and the officials and governors, have planned together to establish a royal law, and to make a strong ban that whoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except from you, O king, he shall be thrown into the den of lions. )

Roman Emperors at the time of Jesus Christ were also worshipped as Deities though not in Jerusalem.

Today it is not uncommon for individuals to seek this same form of worship from their spouses or children

Bullies in school are recognised to want to exercise power and control over others and this is the root of seeking personal worship/gratification

The cycle continues

God did not create fear of his image until after man sinned (MKJV: Genesis Chapter 9 [2] And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon the animals of the earth, and upon every bird of the air, upon all that moves on the earth, and upon all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. )

God cannot be represented as one to be afraid of

God is love - (MKJV: I John Chapter 4 [16] And we have known and believed the love that God has in us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. )

MKJV: I John Chapter 4 [8] The one who does not love has not known God. For God is love.

Comment that is generally misunderstood is the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (MKJV: Proverbs Chapter 9 [10] The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.)

MKJV: Psalms Chapter 111 [10] The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all practicing them have good understanding; His praise stands forever.

This does not mean that we should be afraid of God but rather that we should have a fear of him not being with us

Children often display irrational fear when away from parents (I.E) Staying with a relative.

This is often called 'homesickness' but it does not mean that the children are afraid of their parents they are only afraid that their parents are not there with them. This is a better example of the fear that we should have of God.

In the Bible when we look at the worship of idols fear is the main factor

• Fear that the crops may not grow

• Fear that we may not be protected from an enemy attack

• Fear that if we offend in some small way our God may become angry

Fear drives people to do things that they normally will not do – for example sacrifice their children to a presumed angry God.

God wishes us to obey him not out of fear but because it is the right thing to do in order to prove this God provides us with examples of his outgoing love and concern for his creation, both in scripture and in nature herself .

We are told in scriptures that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son and in another place that while we were still enemies to Christ he died to save us from death.

MKJV: John Chapter 3 [16] For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

MKJV: Romans Chapter 5 [8] But God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

Why do this?

Because when we are dead to God we cannot represent him

God is invisible and who can know him, this is a true statement shared from the Bible

MKJV: Colossians Chapter 1 [15] who is the image of the invisible God, the First-born of all creation.

MKJV: Romans Chapter 11 [33] O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! [34] For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?

If God did not make the first move in getting to know us we would never seek him out or accidentally come across him.

Scripture says the dead know nothing (MKJV: Ecclesiastes Chapter 9 [5] For the living know that they shall die; but the dead do not know anything, nor do they have any more a reward; for their memory is forgotten.)

But through Jesus Christ we are made alive to our Father in Heaven

Paul states that we have now become new creations

MKJV: Galatians Chapter 6 [15] For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision has any strength, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

Consider this statement :

If someone is making something new then he is not working with something that is broken.

If he was working with something broken then we would say he repaired it/ fixed it. If he was changing the purpose for which it was originally intended we would say that he is altering it.

But Paul makes it clear that we are being made 'anew' and that means that none of the old parts are going to be kept.

Paul reminds us that as we are new creations even the physical body will fade away as it is not worth keeping

So how can this be explained to be happening to us now?

When you accepted Jesus Christ you know that God did not give you a new body, but he did give you a new spirit, even the spirit of his own son Jesus Christ. It is Christ living in us that has brought life back into these dying bodies.

The start of the process was when we accepted Christ.

Scripture says that the spirit will renew our minds

How do we explain this?

When a person is spiritually dead their only stimulus is that which is available through their five senses: sight, sound, scent, touch and taste.

But these physical senses can be tricked into believing false information.

A wheel observed revolving at speed appears to change its direction

Two objects of equal size set at apparent distance can be made to look of different lengths

The voice can be mimicked

Tastes can be disguised or artificially enhanced

A spiritually dead person only believes what they are taught from a voice of authority

Satan as God of this world and Prince of the Power of the Air is the voice of authority to this dead world and all who are without Christ will listen and believe him.

Paul highlighted this by expressing that preaching is foolishness as those who are without Christ cannot hear with understanding the truth.

MKJV: I Corinthians Chapter 1 [21] For since, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom did not know God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.

So how can people be saved?

In that God makes his spirit available through Christ so that as preaching is heard in the ear, the spirit offers life on an individual basis to all who are able to receive the message of salvation

If there is no preaching then this could not work, as God has stated 'that it is only through the foolishness of preaching that we are to reach out into this world'. To preach we have to be sent to be sent we have to be instructed in Christ.

As Christians we do not only receive the physical information but also spiritual information via the holy spirit who is our teacher.

You can not learn about Christ solely from books nor only from reading the Bible for God intends us to be schooled by the Holy Spirit and the Spirit teaches via the human voice.

Why is this?

It is because Christians are to become the image of Christ, who in turn is the image of God.

Remember why God created mankind – It was to allow his creation to interact with him through the visible living image he had placed so lovingly on the Earth.

In Christ the perfect image of God was restored to mankind and we who are called to serve Him are privileged to represent God not only to the physical world but also to all of creation.

 In you God has made his image live is it any wonder that Satan wants to counterfeit this in the end time was a live image of his beast.

MKJV: Revelation of John Chapter 13 [15] And there was given to it to give a spirit to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might both speak, and might cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.