Territorial Mission Resources Department Australia Southern Territory © 2016 1Written by Christopher Trodden B.A (Bib.Stud)

Christmas 2016: Light of the World: Message 5Sermon Outline: The Image of God

Topic: The image of God

Main Point: Jesus came to restore the image of God in us

Intended Response: Reflect the image of Christ

Key Verse: Colossians 1:15 “The Son is the image of the invisible God”

Mission Intention Making Disciples, Transforming Lives.

IntroductionThis sermon speaks about the gift of forgiveness, the gift of new life, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

A. The gift of forgiveness We need to know why Jesus was born into the world Sin distorts the image of God Christ came to restore the image of God in us

Point One: Forgiveness is an incredible gift

B. The gift of new life New life give us a new start Forgiveness is how we are restored We now reflect Jesus

Point Two: New life in us reflects Jesus to others

C. The gift of the Holy Spirit Jesus continues to give us gifts Jesus gives us gifts of the Holy Spirit Jesus gives us life and life in abundancePoint Three: Jesus gives us many gifts through the Holy Spirit

Teaching Illustrations and props:This sermon uses the illustration of a mirror. You may want to set up several mirrors at the front of the church. There are times in the sermons where it could be a powerful way to reinforce the point. You also have opportunity to use a notepad or exercise book for one of the points.For more resources for this sermon, including PowerPoint slides www.sarmy.org.au/christmas-packs

Territorial Mission Resources Department Australia Southern Territory © 2016 2Christmas Series: The Light of the World. Written by Christopher Trodden B.A (Bib.Stud)

Christmas 2016: Light of the World: Message 5Sermon Transcript: The Image of God

Introduction The Christmas tradition has many features: hanging decorations, adorning the Christmas tree with lights, carols, the food, the party’s, the bbqs – but one of the main elements that is a focus, especially for children is the giving and receiving of gifts – Christmas presents!

God gave the best gift at Christmas – His Son. In fact, the Christmas story reveals the giving nature of God: He is the giver of good gifts, high quality gifts, and He has gifts for each of us. Who doesn’t like receiving a good present?

Well, there is an old saying, “like father, like son”. Jesus is also a giver of gifts.

Someone once said, “if you were to hold a mirror up to God’s face the reflection you would see is that of Jesus”. Indeed, Colossians 1:15 tells us “we look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen” (MSG). Jesus is the mirror image of God (hold up mirror).

The Book of Hebrews also tells us “The Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature” (Heb 1:3 MSG). Jesus is very much like his father in that he is also a giver. Today, we are going to look at three important gifts Christ makes available to us.

There gifts are so incredibly important to all of us because they offer us forgiveness, new life, a fresh start, and many more things required for the abundant life Christ talked about.

Transition The first gift available to us all is the gift of forgiveness

1. THE GIFT OF FORGIVENESS

At Christmas time, we retell the story of how Jesus was born. The nativity scene with the wise men, the shepherds, the angels, the manger, the star of David high in the sky, the fulfilment of God’s promise said long ago that “a Saviour has been born” (Lk 2:11).

For Christmas to have true meaning we need to remember why Jesus was born into the world.

When God first created humankind, He said of them, “Behold, let us make humans in our image…and it was very good”(Gen 1:26). But, Adam and Eve sinned, thereby destroying the goodness of their original state.

The Bible says that even though it was Adam who sinned, if we were the ones in the garden, then we would have done the same thing (Rom 5:12, 18-19). Because of this truth, Scriptures tells us “… all of us have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23).

So we all have been born into a world broken by sin and into a state of separation from God because of the sin of Adam and Eve. And that’s why Jesus was born.

Territorial Mission Resources Department Australia Southern Territory © 2016 3Christmas Series: The Light of the World. Written by Christopher Trodden B.A (Bib.Stud)

Jesus was born into the world because of how we were born into this world. He was born to rescue us from a fallen world and restore us back to what God intended.

Illustration (hold up mirror)…I don’t know what you think when you look into a mirror? Perhaps you like what you see; perhaps you wish you could change a few things? I have wrinkles that weren’t there before, and I’m sure my hairline was closer to my eyebrows before I had children, and there’s a bit of a spare tire forming around my waist (thank you Cadbury’s chocolate). When I look into the mirror, there’s a few things I want to change.

But who we are on the surface is not what Jesus came to change…

Jesus doesn’t look at outward appearances as we might, He looks at our inner self:

The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Sam 16:7).

God knew our inner self had been distorted by Adam and Eve’s sin, the inner reflection no longer resembles what God intended so He sent his Son Jesus to re-establish God’s image in us.

My friends, the whole point of Christmas is to remember that Jesus who being born of a virgin and conceived of by the Holy Spirit, who lived a sinless life and died a sinners death for us, has made the gift of forgiveness available for all who would believe in His name (Matt 1:20, Lk 1:35, Jn 20:31). All of this was done to reverse the fallen nature of humankind so we could be restored.

What an incredible gift the gift of forgiveness is! To be given a fresh start, a second chance, to have all of our mistakes erased by God, and to have it all done for us by someone else.

Point 1: Forgiveness is an incredible gift.

Transition Have you received the gift of forgiveness yet? It’s the best gift anyone can receive at Christmas time.

2. THE GIFT OF NEW LIFE

The second gift Jesus gives is the gift of new life. When we are forgiven the very next thing Christ does for us is to give us a new start in God. Our mistakes, our separation, our sins have been dealt with by God and we get to start anew. Jesus says this is what it means to be born from God again (Jn 3:7).

Illustration (hold up a notepad or an exercise book)Have you been writing something only to make a mistake on the page. There are a few choices. You can either ignore it, you can scrub it out, you can use white out, or you can scrap the page entirely and start a fresh on a new page – that’s what it’s like when we receive new life in Christ.

The whole page with all of our mistakes on it, maybe a few pages, is removed. (action: rip out page with error on it)

Territorial Mission Resources Department Australia Southern Territory © 2016 4Christmas Series: The Light of the World. Written by Christopher Trodden B.A (Bib.Stud)

Scripture says:

“Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant cancelled and nailed to Christ’s cross. (Col 2:14 MSG).

When we receive the gift of forgiveness, Jesus washes away our sins and begins the process of renewal by giving us the Holy Spirit. We no longer need to be defined by our past mistakes or our fallen nature:

“You were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6:11).

“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).

New life gives us a new start and forgiveness is how we are restored.

Story: share a 2 minute testimony of how you or a family member came to faith in Christ

It is because of this wonderful gift of new life we are now able to reflect Christ as He reflects God:

The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. (Rom 8:29-30 MSG).

That word conformed means: to share the same inner essence-identity.And the word Image means: a mirror-like representation (hold up mirror).

So as Christ came as the mirror image of God, we now because of new life begin to reflect the image of Christ. When people look at us, they are to see Christ in us – that is why we serve, that is why we pray, love, give hope, help the homeless, care for others, make disciples, and act to reform society – we are here to reflect the image of Christ so others may be reconciled to God.

Can you imagine the reality of that for a moment (hold up mirror). God holding up a mirror and seeing Jesus. Then Jesus holding up a mirror and seeing us. Then as we hold up a mirror we see Christ – powerful.

Point 2: New life in us reflects Jesus to others.

Transition And Jesus just doesn’t stop there, though that would be more than enough…

3. THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Jesus continues to give us gifts – gifts of the Holy Spirit.

There are so many gifts He gives, but here is a quick list on what Christ gives his church:

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Lk 3:16),

Territorial Mission Resources Department Australia Southern Territory © 2016 5Christmas Series: The Light of the World. Written by Christopher Trodden B.A (Bib.Stud)

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers (Eph 4:11-2),

Prophesy, serving others, teaching, encouraging others, giving, leadership and kindness (Rom 12:6-8)

And there’s so much more: like the gift of His peace, the gift of prayer, the gift of love, the gift of hope. And that’s not even to mention the gift of a place in heaven!

There is so much to experience in Christ.

I love John 21:25And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written (Jn 21:25).

Jesus gives us life and life in abundance, not a hassle free life – but a life overflowing with the goodness and kindness of God towards us.

This little baby born on the first Christmas didn’t just come to receive gifts from the three wise men, He came to give us all gifts – oh that we would receive them today!

Point 3: Jesus gives us many gifts through the Holy Spirit

Transition What an incredible arrangement of gifts made available to us all: The gift of forgiveness, the gift of new life, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and so much more.

The question we can all pause to reflect on this Christmas is, “what gifts from Christ have I received?” and are there any you would like to receive?

Call to Action What do you see when you look in the mirror?

You know, the Bible puts out a heavy challenge to us:James 1:22-4 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.

Do you ever feel that there is more, but you’re not sure where? Or feel like you believe in God but don’t feel as if you know him? Or perhaps you sometimes feel like your mistakes push God away and that

He isn’t near you or would want to be near you?

The thing is, to see your reflection in the mirror you need to be close to it. We have all been invited to “be conformed to the image of Christ” (Rom 8:29).

Closing Prayer

Dear God, we thank you for all the riches in Christ that have been made available to us: forgiveness, new life, the abundant grace of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We ask you today to give us these gifts afresh, that we may reflect your glory to all around us, so others may find their hope in you this Christmas – Amen.

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Christmas 2016: Light of the World: Message 5Sermon Scriptures: The Image of God

Col 1:15 (NIV)The Son is the image of the invisible God.

Heb 1:3 (NIV)The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.

Rom 5:12 (NIV)Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.

Rom 18-19 (NIV)So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.

1 Sam 16:7 (NLT)But the LORD said to Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

Matt 1:20 (NIV)But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Lk 1:35 (ESV)And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called Holy - the Son of God.

Jn 20:31 (NIV)But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 3:5 (NLT) Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.

Col 2:14 (HCSB)He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross.

1 Cor 6:11 (NLT)You were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Territorial Mission Resources Department Australia Southern Territory © 2016 7Christmas Series: The Light of the World. Written by Christopher Trodden B.A (Bib.Stud)

(NIV Titus 3:5)He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

(ESV Rom 8:29)For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.

Luke 3:16 (NIV)John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Eph 4:11-2 (NLT)Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ

Rom 12:6-8 (NASB)Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

John 21:25(NASB)

And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.

James 1:22-4 (NIV)Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

Rom 8:29 (NLT)For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

2 Cor 3:18 (NASB)But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Territorial Mission Resources Department Australia Southern Territory © 2016 8Christmas Series: The Light of the World. Written by Christopher Trodden B.A (Bib.Stud)