Faithbase

Glorifying God means to reflect His likeness in all that we do. Therefore, falling short of the glory of God means that we're not reflecting properly His image any longer. So, last week we were speaking about our eyes, the purity of the eye, and it is peculiar because on Sunday our pastor gave a message on sin. We're going through Genesis right now, and I wanted to look at that a little bit closer. So, what is the definition of sin? Typically, we hear disobeying God, missing the mark, breaking the Ten Commandments, turning our own way. These are all good definitions. Now, the original Hebrew word is hatha, which means missing the mark or failing at a particular mission. So, what is the failing or the missing that we actually experience? Well, if we go back to Genesis 1-27, God says, let's make man in our image and our likeness. Therefore, we are to be a reflection, a visible reflection of the invisible God, imago Dei, the image of God. But then we all know what happened with Adam and Eve, right? The fall, the fall that has contaminated all of humanity. We are feeling still the repercussion today. Romans 3-23 says, we all, we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So, let's see if we can look at sin a little bit differently than just breaking a set of rules and regulation. Glorifying God means to reflect his likeness in all that we do. Therefore, falling short of the glory of God means that we're not reflecting properly his image any longer. It's almost like a mirror. A mirror is made to reflect an image. So, we are to reflect that image of God. But what sin does puts cracks in the mirror. So, the mirror doesn't cease to be a mirror, but all of a sudden, its image is distorted, and the enemy doesn't love any more than just trying to distort that image of God anytime he has a chance. Let's look at it another way. God is the creator of this wonderful play that he called Very Good, and he has different actors, different characters in this play. And all these characters are carrying out that particular plot that he designed. But then all of a sudden, what happens? Well, some of those characters, some of those actors decided, we go rogue. We go off script. So, they're not representing the original intent any longer. Why? Because they wanted to write their own script. So, we're going from Imago Dei to Imago Ominis. And what is very interesting is that even Jesus himself in John 5, he says, if I bear witness of myself, then my witness is not true. So, he's even emphasizing the work of the fathers through him. We should be everything that every Christian should do, emphasizing the work of the father through them. And here's how David Wilkerson, the pastor of Times Square Church, puts it. He says, if I'm not Christ-like at heart, if I'm not becoming noticeably more like him, then I've totally missed God's purpose for my life. It doesn't matter what I accomplished for his kingdom. If I miss this one purpose, I lived, preached, and yes, striven in vain. So, simply put, sin says, God, I know what you want, but I'm going to do what I want. Guys and gals, nothing would turn people faster to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ than a living example of him, and nothing would turn them quicker away than funniness and hypocrisy. Therefore, let's strive to reflect, to glorify, to magnify Christ in us. That would be our highest and best achievement in this life. So, let's now crack that beautiful mirror that he gave us. Guys and gals, I love you, and I catch you next week. Ciao.