Family - Enabled Review - Family - God’s likeness in creation. God’s image - identity/character Family’s origin: The invisible God created mankind in their image, male and female Adam’s fall skewed that image. In Christ the image is restored. Challenge for us - fulfill our role as part of a family. Image of family is distorted Without a partner God’s image vs Adam’s skewed image Faithful / Unfaithful Humble / Proud Submissive / Arrogant Selfless / Selfish Compassionate / Critical Gentle / Harsh Caring / Unaffectionate Serving / Demanding Willing / Stubborn Assertive / Violent Kind / Angry Forgiving / Bitter Good listener / Unaware Communicates / Closed Dependable / Irresponsible Diligent / Lazy Decisive / Insecure Available / Detached Meek / Unteachable Joyful / Grumpy Consistent / Temperamental Friendly / Cold True and Honest / Deceptive Powerful / Domineering Provide / Inconsiderate Protector / Abandoning Patient / Impatient Impartial and Fair / Partial Loving correction / Abusive Wise / Brash God’s Redemptive plan - to restore original family design Exodus 15:11-13 (NIV) 11 Who among the gods is like you, LORD? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? 12 "You stretch out your right hand, and the earth swallows your enemies. 13 In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling. Concept of Covenant – God’s initiated relationship with mankind to restore God’s image. Noah Genesis 6:18 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. Genesis 9:11 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." Covenant with Abraham to establish family that would form Godly nations. God’s part - the impossible - Required only belief Genesis 15:5-6 (NIV) 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Man’s part from belief - established identity as a family all the way till Christ. Outward mark of an inward reality. Genesis 17:10 (NIV) 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. Covenant through Moses Exodus 19:5-6 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites." New Covenant Hebrews 8:8-10 8 But God revealed the defect and limitation of the first when he said to his people, “Look! The day will come, declares the Lord, when I will satisfy the people of Israel and Judah by giving them a new covenant. 9 It will be an entirely different covenant than the one I made with their fathers when I led them by my hand out of Egypt. For they did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I rejected them, says the Lord God. 10 For here is the covenant I will one day establish with the people of Israel: I will embed my laws within their thoughts and fasten them onto their hearts. I will be their loyal God and they will be my loyal people. Hebrews 9:14 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Jesus - born as both Son of God and son of man. Identified as Son of God Luke 2:49 (NIV) 49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" Identified as Son of Man Matthew 12:40 (NIV) 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. New Covenant – God’s initiated identity for us through Christ – apart from anything we do. Romans 5:6-8 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 6:3-7 (NIV) 3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. With belief become a part of the family of God. Romans 8:29 (NIV) 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Family of God enables image Luke 8:19-21 19 Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice." Our part – allowing the outward representation of inward reality By beholding the image of Christ, we are changed into that image, putting off the old nature and putting on the new by faith. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. All the old skewed image is completely dealt with 2 Corinthians 5:17 (TPT) 17 Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new creation. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new. Putting on Christ annihilates the old. Colossians 3:8-10,12,14 (NIV) 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Living out our family role comes from the reality of Christ’s life in us. Colossians 1:27 (NIV) 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We are changed from the inside out rather than from the outside in. Isaiah 10:27 (NIV) 27 In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat. What was not possible – accomplished in Christ. Romans 8:15 (TPT) 15 And you did not receive the “spirit of religious duty,” leading you back into the fear of never being good enough. But you have received the “Spirit of full acceptance,” enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as he rises up within us, our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection, “Beloved Father!”