CARBON COPY
Text: Genesis 1:26-27, 5:3, 6:5
Well, we finally got a new copier for our church. When I first came here nearly 18 years ago there was an old mimeograph machine that had not been used for a little while. For those of you who may not know, a mimeograph was a copier (sort of). It was messy and would only copy whatever you could cut on a stencil with a typewriter. It would not do photographs, clipart and fancy stuff like that.
Then one day we were the recipients of a used copier made possible by the generosity of Charles Partridge. What an improvement that was--- we could do pictures and clipart. Charles donated at least one other copier and we wore that one out also.
On Wednesday of this past week, a brown truck came roaring into our driveway and within minutes I was making perfect copies. You are holding in your hand the product of that fine machine. The bulletin that you have is a perfect image of the original (right down to the lines on the picture that were part of the "master" copy).
The bible says man was created in the image of God (read Genesis 1:26-27). What happened? Well, Genesis 5:3 gives us a clue. It tells us that the children born of Adam were made in his likeness, after his image which was a very tarnished copy of the original. We all know what took place in the Garden of Eden in chapter three of Genesis. By the time Noah was born in Genesis 5:29, the world had become a very wicked place. In Genesis 6:5 we are told that "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." There was only one copy of the original that was worth saving and that was Noah and his immediate family.
Things aren't much different today--- perhaps worse. Luke 17:26 says, "And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man." I think we are there.
This morning, I want to talk about this concept of image as it pertains to us and our relationship with God.
The word of God tells us that we are here to make disciples--- to duplicate ourselves in the world (Matthew 28:19-20--- literally, "Go ye therefore and make disciples"). How are we going to do that and produce copies that look like the Father? There are several things that must be taken into consideration:
I. TO MAKE GOOD COPIES YOU HAVE TO START WITH A GOOD ORIGINAL
Last night, the first copy to come out of the new machine was missing text down the left side of the prayer list. This puzzled me until I looked at the original. It too was missing text down the left side of the prayer list. The truth to be learned here is that the copies are only going to be as good as the original.
The Bible has a lot to say about this but it can all be summed up in the words of Jesus when He repeatedly said to His disciples and others, "Follow me". I checked and there are at least seventeen occurrences of that phrase in the gospels.
A disciple is one who is a copy of the teacher. Jesus said, "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23).
If our life is going to be a good "original" for others to copy we must make sure we are following Christ. Jesus said, "If you've seen me you've seen the Father." All we have to do is look at Jesus and then follow Him if we want to look like the Father.
II. ONCE YOU PUSH THE RIGHT BUTTONS ON A COPIER THE PROCESS IS AUTOMATIC. THE SAME IS TRUE OF OUR LIFE BEFORE OTHERS.
Let me clarify this: Whether we like it or not, others are following in our footsteps. The process is automatic. Our children, our spouses, new believers, folks that come through the door of our church.
Paul was aware of this principle when he uttered the words to the church at Corinth, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Young minds especially have a hard time discerning that which is good from that which is bad. So, they look to the significant people in their lives as a model. The old saying "garbage in/garbage out" is a true one.
New believers look to old believers as a model. It is automatic. When someone new comes into our church on Sunday morning they see a pretty good crowd here. They come back on Sunday night or Wednesday night and come to the conclusion, "Well, I guess this is not too important."
We must be careful because the process is automatic.
III. IT IS NECESSARY TO CHECK ON THINGS FROM TIME TO TIME
On our previous machine this was really necessary. Originals had a habit of slipping as the "table" moved back and forth on top of the machine. Gradually the text or pictures would move off the edge of the copy and things were a real mess.
It is imperative that we check ourselves from time to time and also check what we are producing. What parent has not been appalled by some character trait they observed in their child only to realize it was a flaw in their own character. We must check both the original and the copy if we are to be successful in this process of duplicating ourselves in the world.
It was King David who said, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24). We would do well to do the same.
We must examine our lives in the mirror of God's word. In James 1:22-24 we find these words: But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
Upon examination we must make the necessary changes so that our lives are a reflection of the Original-- the One who created us in His image.
IV. ONE DAY GOD'S IMAGE WILL BE PERFECTED IN US
Philippians 1:6--- Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
1 John 3:2--- Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Until then, we are going to have to struggle with flaws. Our copies will not be perfect because we have not yet attained perfection. Today's bulletin is a good example. On my computer screen the picture of the church is perfect. But, alas, my printer is not perfect. It is a hand-me-down that I am certainly grateful to have but it does not print out a perfect picture. So, the copies are not perfect either. But, they are usable.
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And so it is with us--- we are not perfected yet but, by God's grace, we can be usable. The reason we are here is to duplicate ourselves in the world. That was God's plan from the beginning; especially since the church age. Had those early disciples not done that then I suppose we would not be here today worshipping the same God, walking with the same Savior as they did.
So, I would ask you today, "What kind of copies are your cranking out?" Do they look like the Father in whose image you are created? Remember, to have a good copy you have to start with a good original. Make sure you are just exactly that--- look to the Original, look at His word, and ask Him to help you be true to His image in you. Then, go out a duplicate yourself in the world. The reason so many folks don't look like the Original is because we have not been doing a very good job.