Odds and Ends – Christmas

ODDS and ENDS – Christmas

Since it is Christmas season, I thought I would post an Odds and Ends message for this season.  The bible is clear that we were made in the image of God but because of our rebellion and fall from grace that image has been come so distorted and wrecked we are longer look anything like God.

However there is  good news, Jesus came to the earth and dwelt among us and began the process of restoring the image of God in us. –

• He Dwelt among us – John 1:14 -And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
• So we could be made Children of God – John 1:12-13 – But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
• So we can reclothe ourselves with the image of God – Eph 4:20-24 – But you did not learn ^[a]Christ in this way— ²¹ if indeed you heard Him and were taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, ^22 [b]to lay aside, in reference to your former conduct, the old man, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, ²³ and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and to put on the new man, which ^[c]in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

JESUS THE BEST GIFT EVER – Please take the time to unwrap Him to day and let Him into your life.

The image and relationship with God restored by Christ.

Story by Athanasius and told by Michael Reeves: “One of the great heroes of the faith was the mighty fourth-century theologian, Athanasius. His name means “immortal.” And it’s quite appropriate. Athanasius had a lovely image to help us get how Christ is the image of God and how He restored the image of God in humanity.”

“He said, “Adam was like a beautiful portrait painting. On him, the image of God was drawn.” And what happened at the fall was that the portrait was utterly wrecked. Adam was no longer anything like God. He’d become vicious, selfish, horribly unholy. And so the image, the painting was ruined. So, how could this precious portrait be restored? And the problem was, there was nobody who knew what the portrait had once looked like. They couldn’t restore it. To restore it, you had to know God. You had to know what He’s like. Otherwise, you could never know what the image of God should look like. There was only one hope. The original subject of the portrait had to come and have His likeness redrawn on the canvas of humanity. Only the One whose likeness was originally drawn on Adam could restore and renew it. And so, the image of God Himself came. He took on humanity to renew His image in it. He came and showed us the image of God in the flesh. And in Christ alone could humanity be restored from what Athanasius called all this “dehumanizing of mankind.” Only He, the image of God Himself, could rehumanize us. Only in Him could we, as Paul puts it in Colossians 3:10, “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator.””

MERRY CHRISTMAS