Embracing Our Identity as Image Bearers of God
Summary
Identity is a profound theme that we are exploring throughout this year, focusing on who we are and who we are becoming. Our identity is multifaceted, encompassing personal, social, and cultural aspects. Personal identity involves our sense of self, values, and beliefs. Social identity is shaped by our roles and group memberships, while cultural identity is influenced by our customs and heritage. However, the core of our identity is rooted in being created in the image of God, the imago Dei. This core identity is foundational, reflecting our relationship with God and our alignment with faith principles.
Being made in God's image means we share certain attributes with Him, such as rationality, morality, and the ability to relate to God and others. This identity gives us a task, a purpose, which involves living in obedience to God's will and engaging in meaningful work that reflects His creative nature. Our mission at Grace Church is to encourage our community toward wholeness in Jesus, which involves supporting one another, inspiring growth, restoring strength, and empowering each other to serve God and others.
Our community is both the Grace Church family and the extended family, including all people created in God's image. We are called to be witnesses to everyone, sharing the love and grace of God. The journey toward wholeness in Jesus is both personal and communal, involving transformation and a commitment to live out our identity as image bearers of God. This wholeness is deeply connected to holiness, a life set apart for God, marked by love, grace, and purpose.
To encourage our community toward wholeness in Jesus, we must first accept Christ's invitation to salvation and build a Christ-centered community. This involves living out our mission statement, core values, and strategy, fostering unity and service, and reflecting God's love in our relationships. As we continue to explore the theme of identity, we are reminded that our identity gives us a task and a purpose, and we are called to encourage one another toward wholeness in Jesus.
Key Takeaways:
1. Core Identity in God: Our core identity is rooted in being created in the image of God, the imago Dei. This identity reflects our relationship with God and our alignment with faith principles. It emphasizes our unique attributes, such as rationality, morality, and the ability to relate to God and others. Understanding this core identity helps us live out our purpose and task as image bearers of God. [49:49]
2. The Task of Identity: Our identity gives us a task, a purpose that involves living in obedience to God's will and engaging in meaningful work. This task includes exercising justice, righteousness, and care for others, reflecting God's creative nature. It calls us to live righteously and fulfill God's calling in our lives, emphasizing the importance of our roles and responsibilities within creation. [53:05]
3. Community and Wholeness: Our mission at Grace Church is to encourage our community toward wholeness in Jesus. This involves supporting one another, inspiring growth, restoring strength, and empowering each other to serve God and others. Our community includes both the Grace Church family and the extended family, encompassing all people created in God's image. [01:03:57]
4. Wholeness and Holiness: Wholeness in Jesus refers to a life fully restored, healed, and made complete through Christ's redeeming work. It encompasses spiritual, emotional, relational, and physical aspects of life, aligning with God's original intent for humanity. Wholeness is deeply connected to holiness, a life set apart for God, marked by love, grace, and purpose. [01:12:17]
5. Encouraging Toward Wholeness: To encourage our community toward wholeness in Jesus, we must accept Christ's invitation to salvation and build a Christ-centered community. This involves living out our mission statement, core values, and strategy, fostering unity and service, and reflecting God's love in our relationships. Our journey toward wholeness is both personal and communal, involving transformation and a commitment to live out our identity as image bearers of God. [01:16:55]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [46:40] - Understanding Social Identity
- [48:38] - Exploring Core Identity
- [49:49] - Imago Dei: Created in God's Image
- [51:22] - Characteristics of Being Image Bearers
- [52:10] - Structural Aspect of Identity
- [53:05] - Functional Aspect of Identity
- [54:01] - Relational Aspect of Identity
- [55:21] - Community and Relationships
- [57:17] - Identity and Purpose
- [58:00] - Grace Church's Mission Statement
- [01:00:26] - Keys to Encouragement
- [01:03:57] - Community: Grace Church Family
- [01:06:59] - Extended Community and Witness
- [01:12:17] - Wholeness in Jesus
- [01:16:55] - Building a Christ-Centered Community
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. Genesis 1:26-28
2. John 17:1-3
3. Colossians 3:12-17
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#### Observation Questions
1. According to Genesis 1:26-28, what specific roles and responsibilities are given to humanity as image bearers of God? How does this relate to the concept of stewardship? [53:05]
2. In John 17:1-3, what does Jesus say is eternal life, and how does this relate to our relationship with God? [55:21]
3. Colossians 3:12-17 describes certain virtues believers are to embody. What are these virtues, and how do they contribute to a Christ-centered community? [01:17:37]
4. How does the sermon describe the relationship between wholeness and holiness, and what role does community play in this process? [01:12:17]
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#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the concept of being created in the image of God (imago Dei) influence our understanding of personal identity and purpose? [49:49]
2. What does it mean for a community to be Christ-centered, and how can this be practically achieved according to the sermon? [01:16:55]
3. The sermon emphasizes the importance of encouragement within the community. How does this align with the biblical call to love and support one another? [01:00:26]
4. How does the idea of "wholeness in Jesus" challenge or affirm your current understanding of spiritual growth and transformation? [01:12:17]
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#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your personal identity. How does understanding that you are created in the image of God impact your daily life and decisions? [49:49]
2. In what ways can you contribute to building a Christ-centered community within your church or small group? Consider specific actions you can take this week. [01:16:55]
3. Think of a time when you felt encouraged by someone in your faith community. How can you replicate that encouragement for someone else this week? [01:00:26]
4. The sermon discusses the importance of unity and service. Identify one area in your life where you can practice humility and serve others more effectively. [01:20:00]
5. How can you pursue wholeness in Jesus in your spiritual, emotional, and relational life? Identify one specific area to focus on this month. [01:12:17]
6. Consider the relationships in your life. How can you better reflect God's love and grace in these interactions, especially with those who may be difficult to love? [01:09:47]
7. What steps can you take to ensure that your identity and purpose align with God's calling for your life? How can your small group support you in this journey? [01:21:42]
Devotional
Day 1: Created in God's Image, Reflecting His Attributes
Our core identity is rooted in being created in the image of God, the imago Dei. This identity is foundational, reflecting our relationship with God and our alignment with faith principles. Being made in God's image means we share certain attributes with Him, such as rationality, morality, and the ability to relate to God and others. Understanding this core identity helps us live out our purpose and task as image bearers of God. It emphasizes our unique attributes and calls us to live in a way that reflects God's character in our daily lives. [49:49]
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27, ESV)
Reflection: In what ways can you intentionally reflect God's attributes of rationality, morality, and relationality in your interactions today?
Day 2: Living Out Our Purpose Through Obedience
Our identity gives us a task, a purpose that involves living in obedience to God's will and engaging in meaningful work. This task includes exercising justice, righteousness, and care for others, reflecting God's creative nature. It calls us to live righteously and fulfill God's calling in our lives, emphasizing the importance of our roles and responsibilities within creation. By understanding our identity, we are better equipped to live out our purpose and make a positive impact in the world around us. [53:05]
"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8, ESV)
Reflection: Identify one area in your life where you can better align your actions with God's call for justice, kindness, and humility. What steps can you take today to make this change?
Day 3: Building a Community of Wholeness
Our mission at Grace Church is to encourage our community toward wholeness in Jesus. This involves supporting one another, inspiring growth, restoring strength, and empowering each other to serve God and others. Our community includes both the Grace Church family and the extended family, encompassing all people created in God's image. By fostering a sense of belonging and unity, we can create an environment where everyone feels valued and supported in their journey toward wholeness. [01:03:57]
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV)
Reflection: How can you actively contribute to building a supportive and encouraging community within your church or local area this week?
Day 4: Wholeness and Holiness in Christ
Wholeness in Jesus refers to a life fully restored, healed, and made complete through Christ's redeeming work. It encompasses spiritual, emotional, relational, and physical aspects of life, aligning with God's original intent for humanity. Wholeness is deeply connected to holiness, a life set apart for God, marked by love, grace, and purpose. By pursuing wholeness, we are invited to experience the fullness of life that God intends for us, living in harmony with His will and purpose. [01:12:17]
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9, ESV)
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel incomplete or broken? How can you invite Jesus into that area to experience His healing and restoration?
Day 5: Embracing a Christ-Centered Community
To encourage our community toward wholeness in Jesus, we must accept Christ's invitation to salvation and build a Christ-centered community. This involves living out our mission statement, core values, and strategy, fostering unity and service, and reflecting God's love in our relationships. Our journey toward wholeness is both personal and communal, involving transformation and a commitment to live out our identity as image bearers of God. By embracing this journey, we can grow together in faith and purpose. [01:16:55]
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." (1 Thessalonians 5:11, ESV)
Reflection: What specific action can you take today to strengthen your relationships within your community and reflect God's love more clearly?
Quotes
"And this core identity it's, it's rooted in one's beliefs about God, about faith, about, about purpose, about ultimate meaning. It reflects one's relationship with God and an alignment with, with beliefs and faith principles. In the Wesleyan and Nazarene traditions, identity is culture. It is grounded in the belief that humans are created in God's image." [00:49:24] (25 seconds)
"And so humanity's core identity is rooted in being made in the image of God, or the Latin, imago Dei. If you're keeping up with your notes, your next notes there is our core identity is that we are created in God's image. And being created in God, in the image of God, in God's image, means that we share a likeness or a similarity to God." [00:50:56] (26 seconds)
"Reflecting God's wisdom and God's justice. And we possess this ability to relate to God and to worship and to pray. And we have the capacity for kind of self-determination and a creative expression that the rest of creation doesn't have. The second characteristic regarding me and creating the image of God is the functional." [00:52:42] (28 seconds)
"And Genesis 1, 26 through 28, which we just read, portrays kind of humanity as rulers over creation. As called to stewardship. And this characteristic of being image bearers also reflects God's creative nature by engaging in meaningful work that includes exercising things like justice and righteousness and care for others." [00:53:34] (27 seconds)
"And this characteristic calls humanity to living righteously and kind of fulfilling God's calling in our lives. And then there's the third characteristic of being created in the image of God. And it's the relational. The relational. And this characteristic kind of focuses on how we relate to God." [00:54:41] (20 seconds)
"John 17, 1-3 reads, When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you. Since you have given him authority over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life that they know you." [00:55:12] (25 seconds)
"And so encouragement becomes empowering to others. It gives power. It calls out their gifts and their potential to others, to serve God, to serve others. And so encouragement kind of emphasizes community, mutual accountability, growth in holiness. It reminds us that we are not alone. And through the Spirit, we can strengthen, strengthen one another, to live lives that reflect being created in the image of God, for created being image bearers of God." [01:03:01] (36 seconds)
"Wholeness in Jesus means living out into the abundant life that he offers. It's a life marked by love. It's a life marked by grace. It's a life marked by purpose. But how do we move toward holiness? How do we move toward wholeness in Jesus? And how do we encourage our community toward wholeness in Jesus?" [01:14:25] (25 seconds)
"Grace Church has been a place that has been encouraging this community toward wholeness in Jesus for over 72 years. And it continues to be. It's continuing to grow. It's continuing to become more. We encourage spiritual growth through discipleship, through small groups and Sunday school classes, Wednesday night Bible studies. We encourage our community, the Grace Church family, to engage our community, to engage the extended family in acts of love, in acts of unity and service." [01:22:41] (37 seconds)
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