Made In Heaven
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Introduction
Introduction
Illustration: MadeInAmerica.ORG is a Non-Profit consumer education initiative. Never before has it been so important to help consumers understand WHY they should become Patriotic Spenders. When we buy American Made products, we have to understand that some of those dollars will return back to us. Buying American made products benefits us all and only makes this country stronger. Many only consider price and quality when making a purchase. We are educating consumers on why they must also consider the country of origin and purchase American made products whenever possible.
AMERICANS ARE INDUSTRIALISTS… DRIVEN BY DETERMINATION… AND INNOVATION… WE SET THE BAR ON QUALITY… AND INGENUITY
“Made In USA” Behind The Label
A lot of brands claim that their products are made in the USA, but what truth does that really hold? Automobile, wool, textile, and fur product brands have specific laws that require them to disclose U.S. content–all other products can use the ‘made in USA’ label for marketing as long as they follow certain requirements listed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The FTC’s “Made in USA” policy requires brands to be transparent about the origin of the materials and processing used for production. They do so by making brands follow specific guidelines before listing a product as American made. The policy applies to U.S. origin claims that are directly stated or that are implied through symbols or context in advertising.
The enforcement policy applies to certain marketing claims
Unqualified “Made in USA” Claims
An unqualified “Made in USA” claim is when a product is “all or virtually all” made in the United States. The policy considers all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories and possessions as part of this statement.
The term “all or virtually all” means that all parts and processing for the product are in the USA and the product can only contain foreign content if it is small enough to be insignificant. Most importantly, its final assembly must be in the U.S. Here is an example from the National Institute of Standards and Technology:
In order for a company to back up its claims, they need reliable evidence that the product follows the “all or virtually all” rule. The commission mainly looks at total manufacturing costs and what percentage of that is attributed to overseas parts and processing. This includes the cost of manufacturing materials, direct manufacturing labor, and manufacturing overhead.
Companies should make sure to check with their suppliers on what percentage of their parts are truly ‘American made’. Products with foreign raw materials or other sourced parts may still be considered American made if the materials are far enough removed from the final product.
If a product follows all of these guidelines, the brand is safe to say their product is made in the USA without any restrictions.
Transition to Body
Transition to Body
The original audience of the book of Genesis is the generation of Israelites who will go into the promise land
This book of holy scripture written to remind God’s people, who are living in a society, community, or culture that worships idols, to not worship images of false gods who have no power and hence are dead, instead remember they are images of the one and only living God, Yahweh.
Our text today explains how images of the LORD God are created
By God fashioning the world through the power of his words
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Body: The triune God (Father, Son, & Holy Spirit) made man in their image
Body: The triune God (Father, Son, & Holy Spirit) made man in their image
Deliberation Of God In Creating Humanity
Deliberation Of God In Creating Humanity
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Illustration: One of my favorite Gospel singers is Travis Greene. One of his first number one hits was a song named “intentional”
All things are working for my good, yeah
'Cause He's intentional
Never failing
I know that all things are working for my good, yeah
He's intentional
Never failing
Deliberation
the act of thinking about or discussing something and deciding carefully
: a discussion and consideration by a group of persons (such as a jury or legislature) of the reasons for and against a measure
13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Emphasis On Humanity Reflecting God’s Image
Emphasis On Humanity Reflecting God’s Image
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Emphatic
uttered with or marked by emphasis
: tending to express oneself in forceful speech or to take decisive action
: attracting special attention
So We Are God’s Image bearers:
Image-
to chop off, hew, cut, carve.
Hew-
: to cut with blows of a heavy cutting instrument
roughly hewn logs
: to cut down by blows of an ax
: to give form or shape to with or as if with heavy cutting blows
In other words, God is saying:
“I want to see myself in creation- but not in inanimate objects or creatures that don it contain my essence
People look at you and they see God”
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
There's an old saying that goes like, "You leave with the one that brought you." It refers to social etiquette and means that if you go to a party with a date, it's considered to be in bad taste if you leave with someone other than your date.
Illustrate: Cognitive Dissonance
In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance occurs when a person holds contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values, and is typically experienced as psychological stress when they participate in an action that goes against one or more of them. According to this theory, when two actions or ideas are not psychologically consistent with each other, people do all in their power to change them until they become consistent.[1] The discomfort is triggered by the person's belief clashing with new information perceived, wherein they try to find a way to resolve the contradiction to reduce their discomfort.
I don it want you to get cognitive dissonance when it comes to being a child of God and my image bearers
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
People are portrayed as the pinnacle of creation, endowed with dignity (both male & female) as those made in the image of the Creator.
The image of God is an important theological concept both in Old and New Testaments, with roots that extend back into ancient Near Eastern thought. In the ancient world an image was believed in some ways to carry the essence of that which it represented. An idol image of deity, designated by the same terminology used here, was used in worship because it contained the deity’s essence. This does not suggest that the image could do what the deity did or that it looked the same as the deity (even though the idol was a physical object). Rather, the deity’s work was thought to be accomplished through the idol. The Hebrew word ṣelem (“image”) is a representative in physical form, not a representation of the physical appearance.
While a baby may be affirmed to be in the image of its father, few can recognize that image. Based on the inherent image and the relationship with the father, the image grows more recognizable as the child matures. This does not essentially take place in a physical way, but rather in the way the child mirrors the attitudes, expressions, and character traits of his or her father. The biblical text, by offering us this explanation, gives us the key that while we are all in the image of God, we likewise have the capacity to become more and more in the image of God; that is, we were created with the potential to mirror divine attributes.
one cannot derive the notion of the divine likeness of human beings directly from Israel’s environs. Nor is the thesis entirely tenable that Gen. 1:26–27 is to be associated with ancient Near Eastern ideology of kingship
Genesis 1:26–27 (IVPBBCOT): But that is not all there is to the image of God. Genesis 5:1–3 likens the image of God in Adam to the image of Adam in Seth.
Genesis 1:26–27 (IVPBBCOT): The tools he provided so that we may accomplish that task include conscience, self-awareness and spiritual discernment.
Genesis 1:26–27 (IVPBBCOT): In Mesopotamia a significance of the image can be seen in the practice of kings setting up images of themselves in places where they want to establish their authority.
Blessings Of Humanity As God’s Image Bearers
Blessings Of Humanity As God’s Image Bearers
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
“subduing” is associated (grammatically, not semantically) with the prior verb, “filling,” and has the earth as its focus. “Ruling” is directed toward the animals and implies domestication or some other level of use or control.25 Of course this does not legitimize slaughter, abuse, or neglect.
Fill- become full of God image bearers
1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Subdue /Dominion
It follows necessarily that human dominion is a power bestowed by God and must serve to maintain God’s order. Human rule must have positive consequences for the ruled; in ruling, humans must preserve their humanity and remain humane. Therefore human dominion can be understood only as an action for which humans are accountable to God.
1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah 7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! 9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah
And God’s Image bearers are: Blessed To Be A Blessings
And God’s Image bearers are: Blessed To Be A Blessings
Our God who blesses His image bearers to be a blessing:
Genesis 6:8- but Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD
Genesis 9:1- and God blessed Noah & his sons & said to them, “Be fruitful & multiply & fill the earth
Abraham and his seed mediates God’s blessings to others by being fruitful & multiplying
Genesis 24:1- the LORD blessed Abraham in all things
Genesis 25:11- After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac
Genesis 26:3- the LORD appeared and blessed Issac
Genesis 26:4- in Isaac’s offspring, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed
Genesis 27:26- Isaac blessed Jacob
Genesis 28:8-14- the LORD appeared to Jacob on a dream and said, “in you & your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed”
Genesis 35:9- God appeared to Jacob again and blessed him
Genesis 48:3- God appeared to Jacob/Israel & blessed him
Genesis 48:8-49:27- Jacob blessed his offspring
Summary on those the LORD God blesses- they are to be fruitful & multiply & fill th earth as God’s image bearers=
Summary on those the LORD God blesses- they are to be fruitful & multiply & fill th earth as God’s image bearers=
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
So You’ve been blessed to be a blessing
Transition To Close: God The Creator & Human Worth
Transition To Close: God The Creator & Human Worth
Illustration: Watching Disney Pixar movies
In the movie Toy Story 2, the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen once again bring to life the animated heroes Woody and Buzz Lightyear, two action-packed toys owned by a boy named Andy. The movie begins as Andy prepares for a week at Cowboy Camp. But just before he leaves, Woody’s arm tears at the shoulder, so Andy leaves him behind. Feeling lonely and worthless, Woody wonders if he is nearing that time when a boy abandons his favorite toy for the next high-tech fad. While pondering his worthlessness, Woody sees fellow toys being taken out to the family yard sale. Woody attempts to rescue his friend, but he is spotted by Al, a greedy toy collector. Al, recognizing Woody’s incomparable value as an antique, steals him and takes him to Al’s Toy Barn, where Woody is met by a cowgirl named Jessie, who is ecstatic at his arrival. Woody asks Jessie why anyone would make such a fuss over him. Jessie shows Woody a video. He watches in amazement as it dawns on him that the image on the TV screen is his own. He is the original Sheriff Woody, “the rootin’est, tootin’est sheriff in the West,” and the star of a popular 1950s TV show, Woody’s Roundup. Woody, boggling over his identity, looks around the room filled with lunch boxes, kids’ toys, record albums, even a yo-yo that bear his likeness. “Just look at all this,” he exclaims. Jessie responds, “Didn’t you know? You’re valuable property!”
Close
Close
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function,
The LORD Seeks People After His Own Heart
The LORD Seeks People After His Own Heart
14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
If My People Who Are Called By My Name
If My People Who Are Called By My Name
13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.
O LORD, You Formed My Inward Parts
O LORD, You Formed My Inward Parts
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. 5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. 7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. 13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
Clay Can’t Direct It’s Maker
Clay Can’t Direct It’s Maker
9 “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’? 10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’ or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’ ” 11 Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: “Ask me of things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands? 12 I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host. 13 I have stirred him up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways level; he shall build my city and set my exiles free, not for price or reward,” says the Lord of hosts.
4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” 9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
For I Know The Plans I Have For You
For I Know The Plans I Have For You
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
In him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men
In him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
He Came To His Own
He Came To His Own
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
See How Great A Love The Father Has Lavished On Us
1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
For this Reason, I bow my knees
For this Reason, I bow my knees
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Postlude
Postlude
Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field
Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field
1 “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
Head and not the tail
Head and not the tail
13 And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, 14 and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.