Just like Dad

You can be chasing after a whole lot of things in life and run right past your reason for being. Jonathan evidence is our closeness to Christ isn't measured by our accomplishments by our family resemblance is important for us to know that the reason why we're here is to be just like dad. This is the alternative Tony author, speaker, pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the alternative, they say, imitation is the highest form of flattery will today. Jonathan Evans explains why can also be the strongest demonstration of devotion as he talks about what it means to be made in the image of God. Let's join today I want to take a little time to talk to you about being just like dad about being just like that.

If you know anything about my father and you hung out with me for a little while.

It would take you long to start making those comments that I hear a lot more. You just like your daddy you move like him. Your mannerisms are like him when you smile. I can see him all in your grill, you just like your father. There's so many things about you that reminds me of who he is, a question on the floor. Today is when people see you operate in your life. Do they know to whom you belong and who you come. Do you share his DNA. Seeing that he created us to bear his image is not our own image. But bear his image and understanding that we were created to be just like dad to have his mannerisms move the way that he moves think the way that he thinks and go about life the way that he has created us to go about it so that we can be people who were image bearers of our father to be just like that.

I don't know if you know it or not, but if you don't understand that you were created to bear his image as the word says you can be chasing after a whole lot of things in life and run right past your reason for being, because it's important for us to know that the reason why we are here is to be just like dad not that long ago I was an executive producer of the Christian hip-hop album with a friend of mine who wanted to produce one and he walked into the studio when he created the album over series of months and then we mastered it. Then we mixed it and then they gave us this master CD. After we created everything not wanted to pass out the CD so what I did was take it to a master duplicator so that I can get duplicates and replicas of the master.

I put the master and a master duplicator and then got out a whole bunch of blank CDs. I put the blank CDs in the other units and what I wanted to do was burn what was on the master onto the blanks. So when I passed out the copies of the master people would listen to it and basically have the master now. The copies are not the master, but there's so much like the master that when you hear it you might as well be listening to the master were supposed to be copies are replicas of the master were supposed to bear his image and burn off on us who he is, so that when people say yes they see the master and I don't get it twisted you in our harbormaster who were supposed to be so much like him, that even though were not him. People see him.

Our job is to be just like dad look at what he says in Genesis chapter 126 he says, then God said, let us make man in our image, apathy on this word make or create for us to really understand this because when I was reading the word for myself and I looked at it, let us make how does God make or create.

If you want to understand who you are. You have to understand the creative nature of God or a little bit about how he creates or the following theology behind how he creates when God creates when he makes he only creates that which he is. He does not create that which is not the only creates out of his nature. He doesn't create that which is not only creates that which he is. For example, God is an oddly benevolent being meaning he's all good. We say in the church.

God is good all the time and all the time God is good if you look at the creation account anytime he created something he would back door and by saying and it was good. And God saw that it was good because God can only create out of his nature and he is a good being. Another thing is that in first John chapter 15. He says that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. Come back to Genesis chapter 1 you'll see that God said, let there be light. He never said, let there be dark if you look at the creation account. God didn't create darkness dark darkness existed only because of the absence of light. If I take the light bulbs out of this room, you will automatically have darkness I'll have to call someone to ask him to come. Install darkness, all I have to do is deactivate the light in the will automatically be dark in the room because he is light in him there is no darkness at all.

So you see that he created what he is.

He didn't create what is not, therefore you also can't believe that God created evil, because there is no evil in him. A lot of people think because evil exists in God is the creator of all things that he also created evil, or had a hand in that. But you can't believe that because God only creates out of his nature. He doesn't create that which is not, therefore, why does evil exist because God is good. Evil can only exist when decisions are made. Apart from him just like darkness. Darkness only exist because of the absence of light. Not because he said, let there be darkness, therefore evil, only exists Adam and Eve brought evil into the world because they made the decision apart from God so therefore he allows that, but he did not created so with the press to understand were supposed to understand who we are is important is for us to understand first the nature in which he creates. There's another thing when I was reading the text for myself that I saw and thought about just in that word create the word create means that God is the create tour.

He's the maker he's the create tour and everything else is creation. Another words he set apart. He's distinct these incomparable he's in a class all by himself when I'm not saying though is be holy, set apart unique unto your self because most people live life like that. I want to be young people they understand it as that, do me spirit is the homage I'm just going to me. If you look at our culture today. Everybody is just being who they are, but is not unto God is to their own image bearing so however they want to look however they wanted address. They call it swag whatever swag they want to put on the floor you just got accepted because that's just who I am.

But when you operate that way separate from God what you're doing is putting yourself right in the middle of sin because God is good, anything separate from him automatically as evil.

So when you operate disconnected from him.

It put you right in the middle of sin.

When I look at that word creator. It shows me that he is distinct and set up and he only creates that which he is not that which is not but let's look a little bit deeper in the verse here. He says let us create man in our image, and, in our likeness, and then he says I like this. He says and let them why would he say that it tells you. Verse 27 because God created man in his image in the image of God he created him male and female he created them.

The reason why he told Adam and Eve that they were supposed to rule is because they were supposed to be just like that. And God is a ruler. Remember, God only creates that which he is. He does not create that which is not someone he created man and told man to bear his image. He saying in different giving him little he saying you're supposed to be just like that. So if you're supposed to be just like dad and I am a ruler I am the king and I have dominion over everything that I'm going to give you a domain in which to have dominion because he said let them rule. Your role is defined as taking every opportunity with in your garden to advance his kingdom and his name using the unique skills and talents that God has given us. You are not ruling if you take advancing his kingdom and his name out of the definition most people are taking every opportunity with in their garden to advance their name in their image using the unique skills, gifts and talents that God has given you. That is not a definition of ruling that is the definition of existing God should be involved in everything you do in bearing his image. If you are disconnected from him. You have automatically lost your he has given he has placed us all in a garden. He has placed me in a garden.

He's placed you in a garden that assures your situations worse. Your family life. Your ministry life. Your your work life. He has placed you there so that you can rule it not so that it can rule you. A lot of us are being read by our gardens because we have disconnected ourselves from the image, not that long ago I went went to target not only like going shopping, but I'm just trying to be a good husband and that my wife would tell me to go in there look for stuff, but I don't like it because I get lost I can't find that she's used to the store and all that. I'm not like that. I get lost and then when I'm in the checkout line.

She wants to send text messages all go get this tonight got a get out the line good j2 with three T-shirt go get the ironing board. We are iron just broken overheated what you talking about. Let me check out here but when I get lost in the store what I'm doing is looking for someone with a red shirt on that has a target logo on their shirt because I know if you have a target logo on your shirt, you have a bigger kingdom called target that has given you the authority to tell me how to operate on this floor that logo authenticates your activity without the logo you just as lost as I am, but with the logo. I know that you are backed by a kingdom called target you've received instruction and they have given you authority to rule in that room. A lot of Christians are operating disconnected from the logo and if you're disconnected from the logo. You're just as lost as everybody else because you're not back by the kingdom in the kingdom only backs those who are willing to be connected to the logo you have to stay connected to his image and everything that you do with in your garden to understand what life is really about and have purpose in your life and really rule the garden that he has placed you and he said, let them rule not let the garden rule over them.

When Jonathan Evans continues in just a moment, tell us about a time when he personally found himself disconnected and lost first.

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All the details are waiting for you@tonyevans.org or you can call us day or night at 1-800-800-3222 let one of our team members help you with your resource request. Again, that's 1-800-800-3222, Jonathan Evans, will return with more of today's message right after this there are songs about togetherness, standing side-by-side uniting we hear a lot about unity but no one really knows what unity truly is only the power of oneness in Christ United guided payers and new devotional stronger together weaker apart powerful prayers to unite us in half. Dr. Tony Evans shows you how unity spiritual journey and how standing with others in prayer leads to a stronger and impactful life nation. Find out more about stronger together weaker apart@tonyevans.org Tony and Donna like as an NFL athlete I played in the NFL for about four years but I found myself a depressed I found myself broken. I found myself chasing after the next check I found myself doing a whole lot of things, but there was still emptying the Senate. There was no fulfillment in it.

Now don't get me wrong, I was saved I knew Jesus but I was still in a garden in the garden was breaking me even though you with think it's a great garden.

Isn't this the National Football League God isn't this my dream isn't this what I really wanted to do but when I was in NFL Europe. I wanted to walk right off the football field and I told my coach coach. I can't do it anymore, I'm leaving tomorrow morning. He said I really want you to stay. I said I have my flight booked already at 11 AM. I'm I'm I'm out of here have already decided that this is not for me because I'm broken in this garden he said will you can't leave at 11 AM because you have to do an exit physical before you leave and we do those at 11 AM and then I talked to my dad and my dad said don't you think it's interesting that you couldn't leave when you want to believe you always get some spiritual to say when I'm down and I'm out. You always got some say but I listen to my father and he said I want you to go to one more crack because it's something with you not being able to get out wanted to get out and I said okay. I went out to practice and when I tell you I was distraught on the football field because there was an emptiness, even though I was in the garden called the NFL. I wanted to take my pants off while I was running through the drills and just on the 50 yard line and walk right off the field, but I prayed to God and I said God if you want me to be here if you want me to be here, then you have to give me peace that surpasses all understanding, because right now you're the boys broke I'm broken right now in this situation, so you have to give me peace if you want me to be here. That's the first time I prayed a prayer like that while in the NFL.

I never included what he wanted. I was only thinking about what I wanted when I prayed that prayer when I tell you I broke a little in the next time I put my hand on the ground. I knew what was going be there the whole season because he gave me peace that surpasses all understanding. I went to my head coach and a thick coat I'm going to be here. He said what happen. I said I included God and God. Let me know the reason why was there is not for me it was for him, so that season my teammates started, Mireille and two guys got saved and guys were coming to my room and they were asking about him asking about what's going on in different relationships and what is not, say about this and what is God say about that and then I started enjoying football now football was no longer leaving me but I was ruling it.

But it was only because I finally connected God to what I was doing disconnected from God. I was a broken brother but connected to God. I was reeling my room.

You cannot rule your realm. Disconnect from the image are supposed to be married, but if you're dealing with the situation that looms large in your life, God is bigger than that there was a man named David in the Bible you go to first Samuel. He wasn't looking at what all the other Christians were looking at all the other Christians were looking at Goliath. David, when looking at Goliath. David was one of the Christians that stood out in his uniqueness because what everybody else was looking at the giant David was looking at God's all said, here's my armor. Now go out on the battlefield and handle your situation. David said no no no no no, I don't know anything about your God has created me a little bit different than he's created you so I can go out there and try to handle this giant hallway. What was the tool that God gave Adam and Eve that he's also given to us for them to rule their realm.

Well, he gave them his word. That's what you get. He said Adam you name all the animals and whatever you name them.

That's what they will be you gave them authority. He gave them a word of responsibility that you keep that you guard gave him a word of freedom. Hey, you're free to eat from any tree gave more to regulation don't eat that will no God gave them a word of instruction in order for them to rule their realm. Well, the problem was is that the main tool that God gave them was attacked when slick came into the garden, Satan slithered up into the garden and he said, hath God said, and gave them a contradictory tool that would not benefit them in ruling their realm and God didn't make because he didn't build us to take another word, he only built us to bear his image, which means abiding by his word didn't build us for anything else.

If I take my Altima and I put diesel fuel and it is not gonna work. I gotta put regular unleaded is not regular unleaded than instead of driving along and ruling the road.

The road is going to be ruling me because I'm going be bumping along because I put the wrong thing in the tank too many times were putting the wrong thing in our tank because of all the competing words that have entered our garden and wondering why were bumping along in life. God has created us to rule his room. Based on the uniquenesses and gifts that have been bestowed upon us. When the Cowboys went on the field with that logo in their they got all of these different talents and they got off all of these different uniquenesses and all of those different things they still only have one job. Their job is to bear the image of the playbook. When I played football, you signed your contract and you went straight to that 500 page playbook and you had to learn it, memorize it, eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner.

It was what you had to operate by it wasn't partial life. It was whole life and training. Can't you get up at 6 AM you will get back to your room till 9 PM and all your thinking about is that playbook are you executing the playbook all coach wants to know is are you executing the playbook I gave you this logo I gave you this contract. Your job is to be an image bearer of the playbook and if you're not doing that your embarrassing the organization and then what's gonna happen is after the game is over, you have to come back to the meeting room. You come back to the meter all football players don't like the meeting room because then it displays your flaws to the whole team. The coach pulls down the screen. He turns on the overhead projector. He grabs his little remote and it has a red laser on it and he points out every little good thing you did every little bad thing you did in the whole team is sit in the room to watch your flaws because he wants to know whether you were bearing your own image and doing your own thing, whether you were bearing the image of the Dallas Cowboys.

That's your job. Your job and to go out there and usually uniqueness for yourself.

Your job is to go out there and bear the image of this playbook. God is calling us to bear the image of the playbook. He has given us a logo said that he has created us in his image for his rule to bear his playbook and his work that is the tool that he has given each one of us to rule our room without that tool, you're not ruling. You're just existing and there will be a day it's in second Corinthians chapter 5 there will be a day that we have to go before the judgment seat of Christ, we will go right back to chapter 1 because your coach is going to want to know whether you were bearing his image. Whether you were out in the field of play, doing your own thing and he's been a pull down the screen is going turn on his cosmic overhead projector.

He's going to grab his mouth and he'sit out. Let's review the film and when he sits down and reviews that film you want to know for sure that you took his word seriously that you didn't take it casually that you what the Bible says, fear the Lord. The Lord doesn't mean trembling and scared, fearing the Lord means taking him seriously. Were you bearing his image. Were you out on the field doing your own thing. My prayer is that we rule our realm within our garden using our uniquenesses and using the tool called his if you don't have the kind of relationship with God, Jonathan Evans described. If you don't know what it means to be a real Christian and are still looking for a reason to call God your heavenly father hears Dr. Evans to tell us why it's so important greatest need all of our lives is for the forgiveness of sins is only one person who can do that. That's Jesus Christ. That's why died on the cross and rose from the dead, and he offers forgiveness of sins. If you carry a guilt for what you've done. Fear for what you've done. Jesus Christ is right here right now if you go to him confess your sinfulness to him and trust him to forgive you. He will do it on the spot and also grant you eternal life.

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