In His Image || Dave Stone

Hey everybody, welcome and thank you for joining us this morning. My name is Michael Cass and I'm the campus pastor at Southeast Christian Church, Elizabethtown, Kentucky and so glad that you're able to be with us today. Hey, I want to let you know that we have the ability, you have the ability to write in and ask questions or let us know or to share stories about what's going on in your life and we do our very best to get back with you on those. So I would encourage you to do that and I think that the address is on your screen. You'll be able to write in and do that and also would encourage you beyond that is to subscribe to the Pando app so that you and your friends and even some family can be able to worship together through this format and surprisingly enough or I think exciting enough is that we have 31,000 people who are actively engaged in subscribing to the app. Well, we've got a real treat today as Dave Stone is going to be preaching and he's going to be talking to us and continuing our series in Genesis called In the Beginning and in his sermon, Dave is going to be specifically talking about how we are made in God's image. We're made in his image. I don't know about you, but anytime my wife and I go and visit a couple who have had a new baby or a grandparent will show us a picture of their baby. When I look at that baby, to me it looks like a baby. I don't see anything, but my wife has this ability to look at a picture and look at a baby and goes, oh, she has her mother's smile or she has her dad's eyes and she's able to see who they are related to. And here's what I want you to know. No matter where you are, no matter what your story is, you are God's child. And Dave is going to be sharing that message. And so I would encourage you to dial in, to lean in to that truth. And so I want to invite you guys just to kind of clear your minds, just to get ready and to focus in as we begin to worship and to join us as we worship together. I praise when I'm sure, I praise when I'm doubting, I praise when I'm numbered, I praise when surrounded, because praise is the water my enemies drown in. Come on, you sing.

As long as I'm breathing, I've got a reason to praise the Lord, oh my soul. I'm going to praise the Lord. Sing I praise. I praise when I'm feeling, I praise when I don't. I praise because I know you're still in control. Oh my praise is a weapon, oh it's more than a sound, yeah. My praise is the shout that brings Jericho down. Come on, hey. As long as I'm breathing, I've got a reason to praise the Lord, oh my soul. I'm going to praise the Lord, oh my soul. No, I won't be quiet, my God is alive. How could I keep it inside? I'm going to praise the Lord, oh my soul. Come on, all over the room, put your hands together. Worship is our weapon. So come on, let's sing, let's praise this morning. Would you testify? I praise because you're sovereign, praise because you reign. I praise because you rose and defeated the grave. I praise because you're faithful, come on. I praise because there's nobody greater than you. I praise because you're sovereign, praise because you reign. I praise because you rose and you defeated the grave. I praise because you're faithful, praise because you're true. I praise because there's nobody greater than you. ♪ I'm gonna raise the Lord on my soul ♪ ♪ I'm gonna raise the Lord on my soul ♪ ♪ Raise the Lord on my soul ♪ ♪ I'm gonna raise the Lord on my soul ♪ ♪ I won't be quiet, my God is alive ♪

♪ How could I keep it inside? ♪ ♪ No, I won't be quiet, my God is alive ♪ ♪ So how could I keep it inside? ♪ ♪ Sing, I won't be quiet, I won't be quiet ♪ ♪ My God is alive, how could I keep it inside? ♪ ♪ I'm gonna raise the Lord on my soul ♪ ♪ Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa ♪ ♪ We lift you high, yeah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Have you heard of the cross of Jesus ♪ ♪ Son of man was lifted high ♪ ♪ Full atonement for my transgressions ♪ ♪ Where my debt was satisfied ♪ ♪ What a Savior, what forgiveness ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, it is finished ♪ ♪ Power, power, my living hope ♪ ♪ From death to life there is wonder ♪ ♪ Wonder, working power in the precious blood of Christ ♪ ♪ And I was broken, heavy laden ♪ ♪ Now that only sin the greatest ♪ ♪ No more darkness, oh I've been pardoned ♪ ♪ I am free in Jesus' name ♪ ♪ Power, power, my living hope ♪ ♪ From death to life there is wonder ♪ ♪ Wonder, working power in the precious blood of Christ ♪ ♪ The same spirit that raised him up now lives in me ♪ ♪ Baptized in the crimson flood, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ The same spirit that raised him up now lives in me ♪ ♪ Baptized in the crimson flood, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪

♪ Power, power, my living hope ♪ ♪ From death to life there is wonder ♪ ♪ Working power in the blood of Christ, power, power ♪ ♪ Power, power, my living hope ♪ ♪ From death to life there is wonder ♪ ♪ Working power in the precious blood of Christ ♪ ♪ The same spirit that raised him up now lives in me ♪ ♪ Now lives in us, baptized in the crimson flood, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Said the same spirit that raised him up now lives in me ♪ ♪ Now lives in us, I'm baptized in the crimson flood, hallelujah ♪ ♪ In the crimson flood hallelujah hallelujah ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Amen. Amen, y'all church, you can be seated. Well, hey church family. My name is Brie. I'm a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, a survivor of abuse and a living example of what it looks like when the church moves towards the vulnerable. I work with Southeast Recovery where we get an opportunity to step into broken places with men and women who are currently battling drug addictions, survivors of sex trafficking. We get to shout the good news of the gospels and let them know that they are not alone. We also have thousands who worship online with us who are currently behind bars through the Pando app. Church, we are called to move, to move close to the vulnerable,

to move closer to the brokenhearted, to move close to the darkness. Recently, we got to go into a women's prison and we got to hear directly from them the impact that the Pando app has on them each day. No matter what the circumstances are for those of us who are just holding on, we stand on this truth. We are all created in the image of God on purpose and for a purpose. The image of God still remains in each of us. I've been here at this facility for about three years. I have been an addict since I was about 13 years old. I just kind of let that lifestyle just kind of take me. Nobody had taught me how to heal from grief and I lost my mom. She had a brain aneurysm in my arms. Christ has been moving in me and working on me tremendously. From this picture right here, I'm not that person no more. As I went inward, I was able to see that I was not alone in this. As I went inward, I was able to receive forgiveness. No one had ever taught me to ask for help. No one ever taught me how to press in. I fought my way through prison. I didn't do much for myself that wasn't destructive. He stepped into my life in 2021 and nothing has been the same. I just walk with him daily from morning to night,

morning to night, I'm in the Word and I love praise and worship. But I love the fact that I've been able to turn my huge life of a mess into something that my kids can use as a testimony. I've been here for eight years and my son was saved in this chapel and my son's words to me, he's like, you look like my mom, but I don't know who you are. He said, so whatever you found, it has to be real. Yeah, and so I was in these classes and I had a teacher and she was like, do you know you're worth it? And I was like, no, just these ladies that were put in my life through the chapel and through CWA and my science team, it's just all the life that they've spoken to you and all of a sudden you're like, maybe I am worth it. But like the person that you would think would never touch Pando is literally on Pando and they're being transformed. Being able to literally have Jesus at my fingertips at any point during the day has been far and wide one of the greatest tools that I've had. And in my routine, I do my worship music, I do my sermons and I even, it was so, the app is so good that I told my mom about it and my children and my mom watch Pando with me and once a week we come together and we watch sermons, we'll pick out a couple of sermons,

like she'll find some or I'll find some for the week and then we'll watch them and we'll call each other and we'll discuss what we understood about the sermon or how to apply it to our lives and it has really brought me and my mom closer and my children, they get to watch too. Oh man, like, okay, so the Pando app's amazing. When I got here, I was like, you mean, no matter what kind of day I'm having, no matter what I'm doing, no matter what kind of phone call I get off of, I can reach my tablet, push on this and get instant Jesus. Having the Pando app is, if phenomenal is a big enough word for it, I will say that it's phenomenal. You know, I'm walking with the love of Christ on my shoulders at all times and it's beautiful. Angela, today is a child of the most high God. Yes. Once you learn who you are in Christ, you're able to walk a different walk and you're able to lift your head a little bit higher. Who would you say you are now? I'm a child of God. I'm forgiven. I'm loved. I'm a grandma. I'm a conqueror. And I can't wait to take this into the world, to the people out there and come back in here

to do the same thing. Thank you. Thank you. My name's Matt Robinson and I'm a grateful recovering alcoholic and addict and I'm a pastor here at Southeast. I've been a pastor for 25 years. I've been a pastor for 25 years and I've been sober for the last five and a half of those because of the grace and mercy of God, the love of Jesus, and largely because of how this church moved closer to me when I was in a really broken spot. The heart of move is to move close to the most vulnerable. Proximity matters because you can help from a distance, but healing takes touch. Each week because of the Pando app, we get to be reminded of that when we get letters from people that are incarcerated that write in to us and let us know what God is doing in their life. And I want to take a time and read a few of those to you today. One said, when I received your letter, I honestly wasn't expecting anyone to write back. It surprised me to realize that someone cared enough to reach out and speak encouragement into my life. Hearing that there might be something more for me than the life that I've known made me start thinking differently about my life and my future. Another one said, I'm currently incarcerated in state jail in Texas, but every week I look forward to the sermons from your church through the Pando app. I still have time left on my sentence, but I'm trying to use this season well and grow in my faith. Thank you for sharing the gospels in places like this. It's making a difference. Another one said, I'm writing you to let you know that my life has been changed. Watching the messages and the worship services from your church helped bring me to a breaking point where I realized I couldn't keep living the way I'd been living.

I've struggled with addiction, a lot of destructive choices, but I've discovered that God's mercy reaches even into places like prison. What I've learned is that there is no place too far, too deep, or too broken for the love of Jesus to reach. Another one says, for many years, I lived in darkness and believed I had to handle life on my own, but through the messages, worship, and the word of God, something in my heart began to change. The more I read scripture and fill my mind with truth, the more clearly I see God's purpose for my life. I'm learning that God never gave up on me, and now I want to live the rest of my life following Jesus. Church proximity matters because we can help from a distance, but healing takes touch. The heart of moving close to the most vulnerable, or like I like to say it, is we want to be close to people that are in broken places, comes directly from how we saw Jesus act. In John chapter eight, there's a story of a woman that was caught in adultery in the middle of one of the most broken moments of her life, and she was drug in front of a bunch of people that were coming to seek justice for the behaviors in her life, and they all picked up rocks, and they were ready to stone her, and they questioned Jesus, and they said, what do you want to do? You want to follow the law or not? And Jesus moved closer to the lady that was found in a broken place, and it says he leaned in beside her, and he started writing in the dirt, and nobody knows what Jesus was writing in the dirt, so everything we think is just speculative. We're all just guessing what he wrote because it doesn't say. Some scholars and people that study the Bible say that he was writing down consequences for sin that maybe some of the people there should experience, or maybe he was writing different pieces about the law that was making them think about what was going on. But as I was discussing this story with my wife Christy, she said, Matt, nobody really knows what he wrote, but I wonder what it would have been like if when he leaned down close to this woman that was in a broken place, and he started writing stuff in the dirt that

it was everything she'd ever been through in her life, that he started writing out pieces of her story. And because it becomes a lot harder to chuck rocks at somebody when we learn the story of their life and the wounds behind a lot of the behaviors. Church, proximity matters because we can help from a distance, but healing takes touch. We move closer to the most vulnerable people. We pull up chairs besides people that are in broken places. And so if you're here this morning and you're in treatment, or you are in a stage of your life, can I please just beg you, you're just like me, we're just trying to get another day, 24 hours, one day at a time. Can I beg you to please continue to do the work of healing? Do not run from the hard. What we run from pursues us. What we run from pursues us, but what we face with Jesus will transform us. If you are worshiping with us today on Pando, thank you for reminding us that the spirit of the living God is not held down by walls in a building, and that he moves and chases and pursues people. Thank you for continuing to look for God, even though there was probably lots of times in your life when you came looking for God, and all you found was people with rocks. Church, if you're here with us this morning, may we be a church that drops the rocks. May we be a church that intentionally pulls up chairs besides people in broken places. May we be a church that gets caught up. enough to touch so the healing of the great physician can touch the people that need to know he's alive and he's real. Listen, if you're here and you don't think you belong because of who you found attractive your whole life, I want you to know there's a seat at my table. If you're here today and you had to get high this morning just to come to church because you want God but that terrifies you, you gotta meet me in the next step room after the service because we got people that are here today that have just got sober that are saying yes to Jesus. You don't have to be afraid. There's a seat at our table. Church, let

us drop the rocks. Let us worship with gratitude because we pull chairs up besides people in broken places. May the words in our mouth be, I once was blind but now I see. I once was lost but now I'm found. I once was broken but I met a man named Jesus. We can help from a distance but healing takes touch. Church, let us be a church that drops the rocks. Oh come on my soul, don't you get shy on me. Lift up your song, cause you've got a lion inside of those lungs. Get up and praise the Lord. Oh come on my soul, don't you get shy on me. Lift up your song, cause you've got a lion inside of those lungs. Get up and praise the Lord. Oh come on my soul, don't you get shy on me. Lift up your song, cause you've got a lion inside of those lungs. Get up and praise the Lord. Oh come on my soul, don't you get shy on me. Lift up your song, cause you've got a lion inside of those lungs. Get up and praise the Lord. Oh come on my soul, don't you get shy on me. Lift up your song, cause you've got a lion inside of those lungs. Get up and praise the Lord. Oh come on my soul, don't you get shy on me. Lift up your song, cause you've got a lion inside of those lungs. Get up and praise the Lord. Thank you. Thank you Jesus. So Lord, Lord, you know why we're here. We are here to be a representation of you. To be the type of church that you've called us to be. A church that doesn't label people. A church that welcomes people. A church that cares about those who are hurting. A church for those who need a second chance, because let's be honest, that is every single one of us. So Lord, we ask you to do what only you can do. Speak to us through your spirit, and may we be listening and may we be receptive. It's in the powerful name of Jesus that we pray, and all God's people said, Amen. Well I am so glad you are here. We have already had church. A good preacher would just stop right now and close with prayer, right? Sorry. I am excited, always excited whenever, and Kyle is so kind to share this pulpit and allow me to come back. I love the way Kyle's leading. I'm excited for those of you who just joined in the MOVE journey, and maybe you're new to the church and you are a part of it. It will be an exhilarating discipleship journey. My wife and I have been on it for the last year, and thanks for joining and being a part of it. You're going to grow a whole lot in your relationship with Christ. Well, years ago, my oldest daughter, Savannah, she was four years old, we went on a family vacation to Colorado, and we took my parents with us, and my daughter, Savannah, calls my dad, Daddo. That's the name, that's the granddad name that he had.

And she didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with Daddo Stone, but she got to spend three days with him and do everything with him. She'd go on walks with him, and they'd play together, and it was just really neat to see them bonding. Well, the next week when we got back to Louisville, every once in a while, we noticed that Savannah, everywhere she walked, she would stop, and she would spit. And you know, this was very unusual. She had not been doing this before, and she had not mastered the art even, so lots of times it would end up on her shirt. And we're trying to figure this out, how she'd gotten into that habit, and then we realized she'd spent time with my dad, and she was unknowingly imitating something that she wanted to be like. She wanted to be like her granddad. And my dad just occasionally would spit. Now it wasn't tobacco, you know, he was a preacher back then, I always did feel sorry for the choir. But he just had this habit, I guess from watching so much Cincinnati Reds baseball, that's just what he did. And so she picked up this habit as well. And when people would ask me later, who does Savannah look like? I said, well, she's the spitting image of her granddad, you know. Come on. Well today we're going to see who it is that each of us should resemble. And we're in a new series that started last week in the book of Genesis. We learned that the word Genesis means beginnings, and Genesis describes the beginnings of the world, the beginning of the human race, the beginning of God's covenant, the beginning of faith, the beginning of the promise of Jesus. Turn in your Bible to page one. I've always wanted to say that. Carl taught us last week that God is powerful, He's creative, He's kind.

We are loved deeply by Him. God created the universe both purposely and purposefully, and you were on His mind. And this week we want to go a layer deeper and discover that humans are different than animals. There's something that distinguishes us, and it's more than fur or fangs. Genesis chapter one, verse 26. Then God said, let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea, and the birds in the sky, over the livestock, and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. I love this. There's a conversation taking place. You say, well, who in the world is God talking to? Well, look back in your handy-dandy Genesis notebook that you received at all of our campuses. For those of you who are note-takers, I want you to fill in some blanks here. First of all, see that a creation there is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. Notice what it doesn't say in your Bible. It doesn't say, let me create man in my image. That's not what it says. It says, let us create man in our image. Now, the word trinity appears in the Bible zero times. Okay? Now, the concept is all throughout the Bible. It's a great trivia question to ask somebody sometime, but we learn that each part of the Godhead serves a function or a role, and yet the three are united as one. We have God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit. Did you notice I didn't drop my hand down as I went through those? Because they're equal. It's not like God the Father's up here, and then God the Son is junior partner, or that the Holy Spirit is vice president. They are divine.

They are deity. They are God. Think of water in three states. You can have water that's frozen in an ice cube. You can have water in a liquid form that you drink. You can have water in a gas that's steam or mist or fog. In Genesis, last week, we read that God created the heavens and the earth. We read throughout Genesis that God created everything. Bible doesn't tell us that Adam evolved from a lower life form. It says that God created him. And in the first verse, everything that we need to believe is right there. And everything that we read in today's passage is consistent and parallel with that first verse. We are image bearers of God. We have a purpose and a mission. Our purpose is to reflect the image of God, to glorify God, to worship him. And what is perplexing to me is that some believe that we are here as a result of a cosmic explosion. That you're just here by accident. The other, the Bible, says that you're here for a purpose. You see the two? The Bible says you're here for a reason. There was a study done in 2024 of the Western world, and this is how America fared in it. Three out of five Americans in between the ages of 18 and 25 say that their life lacks meaning and purpose. Sixty percent. I can see why. If you think you just got here as a result of an accident, and you don't believe the fact that God has you here for a purpose, you see, you are not an accident of biology. You are a reflection of the creator of the universe.

You bear his image. We are loved by the creator in a way that he does not and cannot love animals, plants, or matter, because they do not have the capacity to love him or relate to him. They don't have a soul. God identifies with us through Jesus Christ. God grieves for us in spirit. He rejoices in our triumphs, and I'm convinced he intervenes in our lives in response to our prayers. Look at verse 27, the next verse. So God created mankind in his own image. In the image of God, he created them. Male and female, he created them. I've been preaching for 40 years, and if you would have told me that when I began preaching that there would come a time when our culture would be divided over whether or not there were only two genders, I would have been shocked if you said that, or to think that a person can choose what their gender is. I just think that that defies logic, and yet our culture sees it differently, and our culture has been hijacked as a result, and there is a reality with a lot of teens and young adults, and there is gender confusion, there is gender dysphoria, and please don't shake your head at that and say, oh, I don't think so. It is a real thing, and our enemy Satan specializes in creating confusion where God has given simplicity and order, and I think that the implication that is troubling to my heart, the idea of choosing one's gender is the thought that somehow, somehow we know better than God does. I don't want to cavalierly dismiss a person's feelings. I know a lot of people who are in this boat, and in the season of life that they are in, they are struggling in this area, but at the same time, you must remember that feelings are not facts. It's a difference, and this culture is like a battering ram that chips away at you day after day, and they want to alienate you, and they want to separate you, and let me

just say, if you are struggling with some gender confusion, or you are having question marks, or you feel that way, or you feel like God made a mistake, I just hope you will talk to someone, someone who believes the Bible, some trusted friend, rather than just rushing into some decision that perhaps seems like it's your only option, because it's not your only option. Well, look back in your notebook. There's another fill in the blank here. This next line is, human beings are a unique creation unlike any of God's other created beings because we are image bearers of God. As human beings, we uniquely reflect God in ways that no other part of creation does or can. The phrase doesn't mean that physically we look like God, but it does mean that we share certain capacities and responsibilities that mirror his nature. So to bear God's image means that as humans, we reflect God's character. So let's divide. are talking to two different areas. Here's the first one, the privilege of being an image bearer. I mean, it is a privilege. The Hebrew word used here for that word image normally refers to a representation, a statue, a carved image. In the ancient world, idols or royal statues would be placed throughout the kingdom to represent the authority of the king. So the idea is that we as human beings, image bearers of the creator himself, now we've been placed as living representatives. Instead of lifeless idols spread throughout, the creator placed men and women whom he created all throughout his creation. And as image bearers, we testify to him in Kentucky, in Indiana, in Tennessee, wherever it is that he plants us. God's word says, let us make mankind in our own image, in our own likeness. And that word likeness is an interesting one too, because it represents similarity or resemblance. So we are to represent the God who made us and we should resemble him. So when I read this, I'm reminded that because we are image bearers, every single person, every single person has value, dignity, purpose. We're called to reflect and resemble the God in whose image we've been made. When I was growing up, our family was really close with a family, the Sims family, and we did all sorts of stuff with them. We were at their house all the time. They were at our house all the time. But the Sims family, they had like-minded

values that we had as well. And when we'd start to leave their house to go to the park to play ball or ride bikes, whenever their kids would start to walk out that door, their parents would say this, remember whose you are and who you are. Remember who you are and whose you are. And what they were saying is, remember you're a Sims, remember your family. And then they were saying, remember whose you are, you belong to Christ. The longer I was there through the years, they dropped that down just to remember who and whose, and finally it just got to who and whose. They just say who and whose, just walk out the door. And the Sims boys knew what they meant, and the Stone boys knew what they meant. That's a good thought for all of us. You might want to jot those words down in your note page because it serves as a reminder to remember who and whose. I wonder how that simple thought could transform how we approach the moments in our everyday life. When we walk into the workplace, we remember who and whose. When we start to lash out at somebody on social media, we remember who and whose. When our basketball team loses in March. Yeah, and it'll happen again. Remember who and whose. Perhaps you put it on a post-it note, on your cubicle, or on your dashboard, or next to a picture of your family. You know, in the New Testament, in the gospel of John, Jesus makes seven I am statements, all right? And these are assertions of his deity, and he says some really powerful things. Seven different places in John. I am the true vine. I am the bread of life. I am the resurrection of the life. I am the good shepherd. I am the door or the gate for the sheep. I am the way, the truth, and the life. You remember what the other one was? He says, in John 8 verse 12, he says, I am the light of the world. Now hold that thought, because back in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus looks at his followers, and he says, you are the light of the world. A contradiction. Well, which is it? Is Jesus the light of the world, or are we the light of the world? Yes, both, hopefully. Because if we are image bearers who are drawing near to him, and being Christ of this world, then it's who he is, and it's who we are. We are to resemble and reflect. I am the light of the world, Jesus says. You are the light of the world. And this is a beautiful sight, to look out at all of our campuses, and to think that every single one of you represents a light, an image bearer. You can shine that light. But just understand, as beautiful a sight as this is at every single one of our campuses, it only serves its purpose when it's in darkness. We come here to worship, to get our lights charged up. We go out to illuminate the darkness. There's a church I've been to several times in Orlando, Florida. It has a sign as you pull onto the campus. As you pull on, it says, enter to worship. And then as you

As you leave, on the backside of that same sign, it says, depart to serve. I thought, that's pretty cool. I like that. At Southeast, at our Nelson County campus, we have a sign too. It says, you're in the wrong lane, stupid. Uh. All right. But they got a sign, all right. That's not, that's not true. Some of you, that's the only note you're taking. Oh, okay, I'm writing that down. Avoid Nelson County, people. All right, no. They're great, they love the Lord there, I promise you. But notice, this is the only one of the seven I am statements where Jesus says that we are that as well. Because we can't be the good shepherd. We can't be the resurrection of life. We can't be the bread of life. But we can reflect his light. We resemble and reflect. And as this world becomes increasingly dark, the hope of the gospel shines that much more brightly. Think back to it this way when you think of likeness. Maybe when you were in high school or middle school or a college sports team that you made. Do you recall how excited you were to have the name of that school or that mascot on the front of your uniform?

I attended a very small Bible college. Was fortunate enough to make the basketball team there. We had a really good team. We had a 12-man roster. I was the 11th or the 12th man, depending upon who you spoke with. But I was at the bottom of the heap. But our team was good and our starters were exceptional and they would blow teams out. And you know what that means? If you blow teams out, the final minutes of the game, the coach would put the starters on the bench because he didn't want them to get injured. And he didn't care about me. So he would put me in the game and I get to run around and play the final two or three minutes. I was somebody that the coach put on the team so that after the game was over, the cheerleaders would have somebody to hug that wasn't all sweaty. That was my role. But when I made that team and I got that uniform and those colors, those symbols meant something to me. It was an honor and a privilege to wear that. Same thing could be said of you for your first job that you had. Or maybe you served in a branch of the military and when you put that uniform on with pride, you represent this country. Now I want you to take that concept.

I want you to multiply it by like a million. And that is the honor and privilege that we should feel in bearing the image of the creator of the universe. It is not a logo branded on your clothing. It's his likeness etched on your heart. Recently I was talking with a man who had suffered a severe stroke and he shared how it really affected his identity. I mean, I can understand that. I think God wired men in such a way that we tend to feel significant and oftentimes we get our self-worth from our job or our accomplishments. He said, when it came to his identity, he said, I just wasn't the same man afterwards. He said, I had to recalibrate all that. He said, just imagine, Dave, I'm literally driving to work one morning and in a moment, I'm on the phone with 911 and I'm suffering a stroke and one half of my body, I'm slumped over in the seat and I can't even pull myself up. I'm about to pull on a busy interstate. He said, instantly, I'm no longer able to work. I can't do my job. In that instant, I'm now retired. He said, my new job became recovering through grueling physical therapy for the next two years. He said, but the moment I realized that there was one piece of distinctiveness

that wasn't changed, my identity in Jesus, he said, I began to develop an even richer, deeper identity than ever before. I could have a confidence in Christ and all the other stuff that I lost, it was okay. Now, he didn't get to that point overnight. It was a process, but he got there and his identity in Christ has deepened. But his testimony got me to thinking, wow, what if I lost all the feeling on one side of my body? What if I had to learn to walk all over again? What if I couldn't use my gifts or skills? Would I still trust that I was of value to God and others solely on the fact that I was created in the image of God, that I am his child? Well, I sure hope I would. Some of you know Greg Allen. Greg is the campus pastor. at Crestwood, but back in the early 90s, he was the worship leader of Southeast when we only had one campus. And he used his amazing singing voice constantly, every week. But eventually he developed polyps and nodules on his vocal cords. And he had three surgeries in three straight years. He had to go on complete voice rest several times through those years. He would come into staff meetings. I mean, here's a guy as gregarious as can be,

extroverted, loved to be with people. And he'd have this dry erase board. And to say anything, he'd have to write it down on this board and he'd turn it around and we'd make fun of him and razz him. And there'd be some times that he'd be trying to put a thought down that might be two sentences. And he'd get about the second sentence. It's like, ah, it's not even worth it, you know, with you guys. And I remember a Christmas went for the month of December. Greg wasn't allowed to say a word to his wife or his daughters for that entire month of December. But if you were to talk to Greg, Greg would say that during that stretch, he went on a physical and spiritual journey for those three years. And Greg discovered that even if he was never able to sing again, that he was loved by God, not because of his job, but because he was a child of God. And Greg's voice never returned to its original quality or strength, but his faith grew deeper and his identity in Christ was solidified. And that's much more important than whether your voice is on a scale of one to 10, a 10, or whether it's an eight, or whether it's a three. You have value, not because of what you do, but because of who you are. You have been created in the image and likeness of God. And those two stories drive it home.

Blaise Pascal, a 17th century philosopher, said, there is a vacuum in every person that cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by the creator. That's the void that God fills perfectly. Well, we've seen the privilege, let's see the responsibility of being an image bearer. Earlier, we talked about how when we have that jersey or that uniform from work on, how it is that we are representing, there's a name on it, it's an honor, but there's also accountability and responsibility that goes with it. I don't know if you know this, but years ago, we used to have Southeast bumper stickers. And we would encourage everybody, oh, you need to get a bumper sticker, you need to get a bumper sticker, follow me to Southeast Christian Church. And we encouraged everybody to have, well, I had a bumper sticker on my car for quite a while. And finally, my wife pulled me aside and said, hey, I'm not sure you're really helping the cause. And because I can drive a little faster than I should. And I was witnessing to a lot of officers. But she felt like it was defeating the purpose of what the bumper sticker was all about. I wasn't bearing that image very well at that time. Number one, image bearers are known by his name. Names have always been important to God.

That's why one of the 10 commandments is all about treating God's name with reverence. In the first gospel sermon in Acts chapter 221, Peter says, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. In Acts chapter four, speaking of Jesus, says salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given to mankind by which we must be saved. How about later in Acts 22, when Paul is recounting his conversion and when Ananias is challenging him. And Ananias says in verse 16, and now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name. Are you getting the impression just how important names really are? In the book of Acts where we read all of the beginning of the church, there's a mention that people were followers of the way. And then in Acts from that point on, it refers to followers of God in a different way. Acts 11 26, it was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians. They were simply called Christians, meaning little Christs. That's what that word means. So not only are you created in his image, you bear his name.

The name Christian should mean something. When you speak, truth is the only thing that comes out of your mouth. When you listen, you have a compassionate heart. When you're at the office party and the jokes get kind of raunchy, you bear the name of Jesus Christ, if you're a Christian. You see, there's a better way to approach life, to be an example for Christ. Let me put it this way. Rather than removing the Southeast, bumper sticker. Instead, a few years ago, I could have kept it on there and decided that I was going to start obeying the law and driving the speed limit. Hmm, that's a novel idea, a thought that didn't even cross my mind at the time. But what if I chose to bear his name by obeying his word? What if I were to avoid going to those places that actually have a hold on my life? Or being at that party with those people who I know are going to bring me down rather than lifting me up? What if I just looked at life differently and saying, Lord, I want to do your will. I've been a Southeast member here for 36 years, and this has happened frequently where I'll be out somewhere and someone will find my connection with the church and they'll say, Oh, do you know? And they'll say a name. And sometimes I'll hear the name and I'm like, Oh, yes. Oh, I love that person. They're incredible. And they'll say, Oh, yes. What a person of integrity. And other times they'll say the name. And in my heart, I don't let my face show it. I kind of cringed. I'm like, Oh, wow. Because you kind of are like, I bet they see a lot of inconsistency. I'm not. I'm not trying to be judgmental. I'm certainly not trying to say that I've got my act together in most areas. I don't. But I think you understand what I'm getting at. Here's what I'm saying. What's the purpose of the church if we live like the rest of the world? I mean, do we really need to come here for an hour and 15 minutes every week just to check a box and then to go back to living the lives we were living before? Do you think that God really

is impressed by that? Sometimes our inconsistency and our hypocrisy becomes the barrier in between a person who doesn't know Christ and Christ. And I don't want to be that wedge. I don't want to be that person. But consistency and authenticity make Christianity winsome and attractive. Image bearers are known by his name. Secondly, image bearers carry his cross daily. The cross idea is one we embrace if you're talking about a gold chain around your neck or a cross that hangs from your rearview mirror. But if you take it back to the context of the first century and you realize that they're not talking about a decorative trinket or a way to accessorize your wardrobe. The cross was the Roman instrument of death. If you saw a cross, it made the hair on your arm stand up. In Luke chapter 9, verse 23 says this, then Jesus said to them all, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross daily and follow me. What's that mean? I like what A.W. Tozer said. He was a missionary back in the 20th century. And he talked about three different signs or marks of a crucified person. You might want to take a picture of these three. His observations are spot on. What are three things that a person on a cross has in common? One, they are facing in only one direction. Two, they can never turn back. And three, they no longer have any plans of their own. That's what it means to take up your cross daily. So if you're into church shopping, please don't look for a church that has great facilities. Don't make your choice based upon how funny the teacher is in your kid's elementary class. Make your decision based upon whether or not that church will help you die to yourself and live to Christ. Galatians chapter 2, verse 20, Paul says, I have been crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not I, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me. Think of it like this. When singleness seems like it will last forever, you don't lower your standards because you're facing in only one direction. When marriage is hard, you can never turn back because you've chosen faithfulness. When the budget is tight, you continue to tithe because you no longer have any plans of your own. Look with me at one more responsibility. Image bearers are known by his name, they carry his cross daily, and finally, image bearers leave the fragrance of Christ. Wherever you go, I want the aroma of Christ to be left behind where people sense and know, boy, that person marches to the beat of a different drummer. 2 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 14, he, speaking

of God, God uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are like a Christ-like fragrance, rising up to God. You be that aroma. You share your faith. You be a walking witness for Christ. Their response is not your responsibility, but spreading the knowledge of Christ and trying to put the fragrance of Christ into others is our task. It's a higher calling. It's why we're here. We're image bearers. President John F. Kennedy loves to tell the story of during the early days of the American space program, he visited the NASA headquarters and he shares it. In one hallway, he walked past a janitor carrying a broom and he asked, what are you doing? And the janitor replied, Mr. President, I am helping you put a man on the moon. He said the janitor understood something profound. His role mattered because he was part of a greater purpose. And so are you. You really are. You're an image bearer. When God created humanity in his image in Genesis, he didn't just give us value, he gave us purpose. Every person carries divine fingerprints and has a significant role to play in God's story.

But I'm guessing that there are some of you who still don't think you're worthy. There's a man who's listening to me now who's been bypassed for the promotion again and again, and your job feels more like you're serving time rather than you're using your gifts. There's a disciplined gal who's been doing the fitness plan for 10 weeks straight now. You've stuck with the diet, you're seeing results. Your friends say that you are beautiful and you look in the mirror and you see some of that beauty and yet you still feel empty on the inside. And as I've been speaking, you're realizing it's more of an identity thing than it is an appearance thing. And your mind drifts back to the women in that prison, in that video that we watched earlier, who seem to have incredible meaning and purpose How do I say this? How is it the people behind bars are more free than some of us who are on the other side? And it's because their identity is now rooted in Christ. And that's what gives them meaning. That's what gives them purpose. I realize that the idea of being an image bearer is daunting and Satan is quick to point out how poor we do at it. But rather than feeling shame, why not let it motivate you to surrender,

to crucify your agenda and to take up his. You say, well, Dave, I don't resemble Christ very well. Okay. Could you look more like Christ this month than you did last month by bearing his name, carrying his cross and leaving the fragrance of Christ wherever it is that you are. I want to go back to something that was said. I think it was Angela that said it in that video. They said, who are you, Angela? She said, Angela today is a child of the most high God. And I mean, that just really hit me. And I think some of you need to be reminded of that. And so on the screen, you'll see there's a blank there. That blank is for your first name. And I'm going to have you in just a minute, put your first name in there. And then we're just going to say this three times in a row. Dave, today is a child of the most high God. I'm going to have you put your name in there. I want you to say it like you mean it. Okay, we'll do it three times in a row. Here we go. Ready? One, two, three. Today is a child of the most high God. Again, today is a child of the most high God. Louder, today is a child of the most high God. Do you believe it? Will you live like it?

Our Father in heaven, we say it three times because we need to hear it three times because Satan is saying something totally different. He is the author of confusion. He does not want us to find our identity in Christ. He will do anything he possibly can to mess with our mind. Lord, I know there are people here who need Jesus, who have never humbly bowed a knee to him and said, Lord, you are the master. You are sinless and I am sinful. So Lord, I pray that people will step out in faith and that they will begin to bear that image and wear it well by starting by turning their life over to you. Would you help them make that commitment? Lord, at every campus we have people in the next step area down toward the front. All they have to do is just come, talk to them, pray with them, share whatever their prayer need is or whatever is on their heart. But Lord, today is a day of salvation. The Holy Spirit will never say tomorrow. He only says today. Satan won't tell us that there's no heaven. Satan won't tell us that there's no hell, but he will tell you there's no hurry. So Lord, may we get this identity piece right and it begins with accepting you as our Lord and Savior. And Lord, for the rest of us who sometimes feel that shame that we don't always wear your name well and we're like, I think I better take that bumper sticker off. Would you help us move toward obedience, surrender, and humility? It's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen. Amen, church. So grateful for the word today. I love that mindset.

I feel like I'm going to go and tell my family, we're going to say that every time we leave our house, know who you are and whose you are. And as image bearers of Christ, we know that we are known by his name and we carry his cross. And it was on that very cross that Christ bought the church with his blood. During communion, we remember that God sent his only son to save the thing that he cherished the most, which was us, me and you. During this time of communion, as you take those elements, the bread represents the body that was broken for you. The cup represents the blood that was shed for you. Let's pause and meditate and just thank the Lord for the sacrifice that only he could make for us. You can take communion whenever you're ready. Won't you sing this morning, church? Oh, Christ be magnified. From the altar of my love. Christ be magnified in me. When every creature finds its emotionality. And every human heart its native cry. Then it would in rapture. ♪ And in the praise we'll sing Christ be magnified ♪ Oh, be magnified in our song. ♪ Sing it oh, Christ be magnified ♪ ♪ Just let it His praise arise ♪ ♪ Christ be magnified in me ♪ ♪ Sing it oh, Christ be magnified ♪ ♪ From the altar of my life ♪ ♪ Christ be magnified in me, yeah ♪ Oh, thank you God. There's no one like the Lord.

There's no one like you God. Nothing can stand against He who works and lives and is to come, yeah. And I won't bow to idols I'll stand strong and worship you If it puts me through the fire I'll rejoice cause you're there too I won't be formed by feelings I'll hold fast to what is true If the cross brings transformation You can't hang me there with you Cause death is just a doorway Into resurrection life If I join you in the sufferings Then I'll join you when you rise And when you return in glory With all the angels and the saints My heart will still be singing My song will be the same And oh, Christ be magnified Just let His praise arise Christ be magnified in me And oh, Christ be magnified The altar of our life Christ be magnified in me And oh, Christ be magnified Just let His praise arise Christ be magnified in me And oh, Christ be magnified The altar of my life

Christ be magnified in me Hallelujah. Redemption I love you more Oh, love you more You give life To a love You bring light To the darkness You give hope You restore Every heart That is broken Great are you Lord It's your breath It's your love It's your love It's your love It's your love It's your breath In our lungs So we pour out Our praise We pour out our praise It's your breath In our lungs So we pour out Our praise to you Holy Yes, we pour it out

You give life To a love You bring light To the darkness You give hope You restore Every heart That is broken Great are you Lord It's your breath It's your love It's your love It's your love It's your breath In our lungs So we pour out Our praise We pour out Our praise ♪ Pour out our praises to Your bread in our lungs ♪ ♪ So we pour out our praise to You only ♪ ♪ It's Your bread in our lungs ♪ ♪ So we pour out our praises, pour out our praises ♪ ♪ It's Your bread in our lungs ♪ ♪ So we pour out our praise to You only ♪ ♪ You deserve it all, You can have it all, Lord ♪ We sing all the earth. ♪ All the earth will shout Your praise ♪ ♪ Our hearts will cry these songs the same ♪

♪ Great are You, Lord ♪ ♪ All the earth will shout Your praise ♪ ♪ Our hearts will cry these songs the same ♪ ♪ Great are You, Lord ♪ We sing all the earth. ♪ All the earth will shout Your praise ♪ ♪ Our hearts will cry these songs the same ♪ ♪ Great are You, Lord ♪ We sing one more time. ♪ All the earth will shout Your praise ♪ ♪ Our hearts will cry these songs the same ♪ ♪ Great are You, Lord ♪ ♪ You're breath in our lungs so we pour out our praise ♪ ♪ Pour out our praise ♪ ♪ It's You're breath in our lungs so we pour out our praise to You only ♪ ♪ You're breath in our lungs so we pour out our praise ♪ ♪ We pour out our praise, pour out our praise ♪ ♪ It's Your breath in our lungs so we pour out our praise to You only ♪ ♪ We sing praise for You Lord ♪ ♪ We sing praise for You Lord ♪ ♪ We sing praise for You Lord ♪ Well, Pando family, I don't know about you, but that's a message that I needed to hear personally for my life. And I love how Dave reminded us of that biblical truth. It doesn't matter who we are or what our story is, that we are God's son and we are God's daughter. I just love that fact that we are His kids and He loves us. It's just exciting to know. And it's a good reminder because there are times in my life, and I'm sure in your life, when we question that

or we question our value or our own worth. Hey, I want to let you know about a couple of next steps and some things that are coming up. First of all, we have a Bible study called Towards Strength, and it's a study through the book of Acts, and it drops every Wednesday. And it's just for you to be able to look at and to study, to kind of keep up to speed with God, to kind of grow in your life with God throughout the week. And on Thursdays, we have a podcast just for our Pando family that also follows up on some of the things from the weekend and through the week that will also be a source of encouragement. So I want to encourage you to take advantage of both the Bible study and the podcast that comes out. Pando family, I want to close out by having a prayer that comes from Philippians 1, verses 9 through 11. This is part of the Bible where God is encouraging us. So I wish to encourage you to join me as we pray. Dear God, we pray that our love will abound more and more with all knowledge and all discernment so that we may be able to approve what is excellent and to be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. God, we pray that we are filled with the righteousness that comes through Christ Jesus to the glory and praise of God. Amen. Well, thanks Fando family. We will see you next week.