Introduction

We’re in an election year. While we won’t tell you who to vote for, we do want to equip you with a biblical understanding of our role as citizens of two kingdoms, the kingdom of man and the kingdom of God.

The goal of this series is to root the church’s identity as the people of God in Christ and his kingdom. God’s people are unified by our faith in him—our primary identity does not lie in political affiliations, interest groups, or demographics. This is not about fixing the political divide in our country. This is about being good news in an unprecedented politically divided country. We need to talk about these things now more than ever

But I do want to begin this series with a warning. This will require emotional maturity for us all. One Sunday you may think, Preach it Pastor Rob. But then the next Sunday you may think, I totally disagree and now I’m mad! You will hear something you don’t agree with. You may feel uncomfortable at times. So, how will you handle that? Will you be able to talk about it in your small group? Will you be open to dialogue and conversation?

In order to talk about the kingdom of God, we need to explore three questions first: Who is God? Who is his kingdom for? How did the world get so messed up?

God Is the Creator and Sustainer of All

(Read Genesis 1:1-2)

God transforms chaos into creation. God is the subject of the first sentence of the Bible. Elohim, the plural name for God in Hebrew is used because it represents God’s majesty. It points to God as the king of the universe. In chapter one of Genesis, we see the handiwork of God: He speaks, calls, names, separates, creates, sees, blesses, sanctifies, and rests.

The first thing God does is create. The word for create in the Hebrew is bara. It is only used three times in Genesis 1 and is only used for God’s activity in the entire Bible. Humanity can build and make some pretty amazing things, but only God can create something from nothing (Ex Nihilo).

Because God created all things, this assumes that all things are under his control. This is what it means to say God is sovereign. He is both creator and sustainer.

God created everything by his powerful word. God brings about form and order in creation by simply calling it into existence.

This is our starting point if we are going to talk about God’s kingdom. For some of you, this is not your starting point. Some of you want the benefits of the kingdom but without the king. It doesn’t work that way.

The great theologian, JI Packer writes,

The message of these two chapters is this: “You have seen the sea? The sky? Sun, moon, and stars? You have watched the birds and the fish? You have observed the landscape, the vegetation, the animals, the insects, all the big things and little things together? You have marveled at the wonderful complexity of human beings, with all their powers and skills…Fantastic, isn’t it? Well now, meet the one who is behind it all!” As if to say: now that you have enjoyed these works of art, you must shake hands with the artist; since you were thrilled by the music, we will introduce you to the composer.

God created a remarkable world where he was king. But what good is a kingdom without people to serve and love?

God Created Mankind in His Image to be Stewards Over Creation

(Read Genesis 1:26-28, 31)

God saved the best for last by creating mankind in his own image. There are a few important words and phrases we need to understand.

‘Let us’

God lives in community, one God three persons, the Trinity. In verse 2, we saw the Spirit's activity in creation. We know from the NT that Jesus had a role in creation as well (John 1:3). Because God lives in perfect community, he makes man and woman to live in community as well. We need each other.

‘Image’/’Likeness’

“Image”(tselem) is something that represents something else. In the ancient world a king would put statues of himself all over his empire. They represented his image and therefore his authority and rule. Humanity reflects God’s image and authority

“Likeness” (demut) refers to an object similar to something else. I look like Ryan Reynolds, I am not him! This word is given to make sure we don’t get confused about things. Man is like God, he is not God. There are plenty of religions and self-help gurus that will tell you, you are god over your own life. You’re not.

How are we like God? Morally we have the capacity to know right and wrong (conscience). Spiritually we are physical and spiritual people (soul/spirit). We have the spiritual capacity to relate to God. Mentally we can think and reason. Relationally we were created for one another, for community. As humans, we all reflect his image and his likeness. Humanity’s purpose then is to not only represent God but to also rule for him.

‘Rule’/‘Subdue’

These two are words that speak to stewardship or management. As God’s representatives, created in his image and likeness, our purpose is to rule over all that God has created, to rule as God would rule. This in no way means that we can do whatever we want to the earth or to people. We rule the earth as God would rule it with love, compassion, care, responsibility, and humble service. We treat the earth and people as God would. Christians have a mandate to care for the planet too.

‘Male’/’Female’

There’s one more important aspect of being made in God’s image that we need to explore. God created us in his image, “male and female,” he created us. I understand we are living in a world of gender dysphoria and fluidity. I don’t have the time in this sermon to discuss the biblical and traditional view of sexuality or gender. For now, I want you to see that both men and women are made equally in God’s image.

Men and women together reflect God’s character in their lives. This means that men and women are equally important to God and equally valuable to him. Humanity, as image bearers of God are incomplete with either gender. The NT teaches for example, that spiritual gifts are given to both men and women, not according to gender. We are equal, but we are given different roles for human flourishing. Again, this too is another sermon!

What’s the point? People were originally designed to work together to steward God’s creation in order to build a “shared life” together with God as king. God did not need to create us! He wasn’t bored, he lived in perfect community with the Trinity. God created us to love us and for us to love him back. You may be thinking now, This all sounds good and makes some sense, but how did the world get so messed up!

At the Fall Sin Entered the Human Race and Divided Us

In Genesis God makes creation in order to have something to love and bless.

Adam and Eve (Genesis 3)

God creates Adam and then later Eve and places them in the garden together. Adam and Eve had absolute freedom in the Garden to enjoy everything that God created. They had complete fellowship with God and with one another.

Adam was destined to lead his family, to guard the garden and to joyfully work the ground along with Eve. Eve was to be Adam’s helper, a role of great importance and significance, a title only given to God. They were having a lot of fun being “fruitful and multiplying” the earth with descendants. All seemed perfect, all seemed good, all seemed right.

Yet the possibility to sin and do evil was clearly present. Their single prohibition was not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Satan enters the Garden disguised as a serpent. Satan questions God’s goodness, “Did God actually say?” Satan focuses Eve’s attention on the single tree in the center of the Garden. He says nothing about the fact that they were free to eat from all the other trees of the Garden. Eve eats from the forbidden tree and gives some to her husband who was clearly right next to her.

Eating a piece of fruit was not the sin. Disobeying God’s Word and distrusting God’s character was the sin. They were not choosing evil either, they had never experienced evil. Adam and Eve chose between good and God. Eve said that the fruit was good and pleasing. That’s how sin works. It’s always a choice between something we think is good and God.

After eating from the tree, they hide in shame, God banishes them from the Garden and no longer has intimate fellowship with them. The rest of Genesis is God’s attempt over and over again to be with his people as they constantly rebel.

The word curse is used five times in Genesis 3–11 and it’s always in response to sin. Each time it means a loss of freedom and life.

Soon after, Cain kills his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8). God destroys the world with a flood, but saves Noah and his family. After the flood waters dry up, Noah gets drunk on wine. The waters did not kill sin, because it lies in the human heart. Then in chapter 12, God begins again with Abraham, and God uses the word bless again. God is using one man to reverse the curse (Gen. 12:1-3).

But things continue to go wrong. Ishmael and Isaac have a huge blow up. Jacob and Esau have major relational issues. It’s always brothers turning against each other — those who are supposed to be united but instead take opposite sides in the work to be done.

The story of the kingdom of God is one of being unified and restored to our original calling. To be a good stewards of creation and to be a blessing to all people. God created people to steward over his creation, but sin divided people against one another.

Conclusion

(Read Genesis 3:15)

Everything up to this point has been good and blessed by God, but here, for the first time God curses something. God curses the Serpent. Satan’s curse was to eat the dust of the ground, which was an ancient metaphor and symbol of humiliation. God makes it clear that there will be ongoing strife and conflict between the Serpent and humanity. Between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. Here’s the good news...

Genesis 3:15 all throughout church history is considered the first gospel. Through the “offspring” or the “seed” of the woman a future person would be born who would crush the head of Satan. The “seed” refers to Jesus Christ who would crush Satan’s head through his death and resurrection. God, in his divine wisdom, did for us, what we could not do for ourselves. He rescued us by sending his Son Jesus to cover our nakedness, sin and shame through the blood of Christ.

And Jesus is coming back to this world again to fully do away with evil once and for all and heaven will be filled with all of his people.

(Read Rev. 7:9)

I have four applications of the ‘Imago Dei.’ Tim Keller says the early church is known for 1) pro-life, 2) care of poor, 3) sexual ethic, 4) racial reconciliation. Two of those issues are right and two are left. How do Christians fit into a two party system? We don’t. How do we discern as the people of God? We are divided on more than just political parties—it is deeper than that. We aren’t actually seeing each other as made in the image of God.

Race

“We see you.” I said that statement in one of my sermons and it struck a chord with so many people. I was blown away at the response from my friends of color. When we truly understand what it means to be created in the image and likeness of God, we begin to treat people differently because we see them as God’s sees them. We’re able to see and feel their pain.

Every single human being, no matter how much the image of God is marred by sin, by illness, or weakness, or age, or disability, still have the status of being made in God’s image. All people deserve our dignity and respect. This is why racism is sin. And racism is not a battle of the left vs the right. It’s a battle of the kingdom of God against the kingdom of darkness!

Sexual Ethics

God created us male and female. Man alone does not fully reflect the image of God. Women alone do not fully reflect the image of God. Together we do. This is one of the reasons why God created marriage to further reflect his image (Gen. 2:18-25).

Christians believe in two distinct genders—male and female. Christians also believe in marriage being between one man and one woman for life. That was counterculture then just like it is now! In the kingdom of God, monogamy, commitment, self-control, sacrifice and love are what express our identity as those who reflect his image.

Care of the Poor

All throughout the Old Testament and especially in the Minor Prophets, God brings judgment on his people for two major sins: idolatry and callousness toward the poor, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. Why? Because we are all created in his image.

Jesus, at the beginning of his ministry, was in a Synagogue, and here was one of his first messages, quoting from the prophet Isaih, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).

Pro-Life

If God is the creator and sustainer of life, if all people are created in his image, then only he has the right to give life or take it away. Personally, I am pro life from “womb to tomb.” I believe in women’s rights and the right of the unborn.

There’s a third box to check. Being pro-life means all life matters to God, even refugees, immigrants, orphans, those in the LGBTQIA+ community and people of color.

Like the early church that shook up the ancient world, I pray that our church too will care for the poor, care for all life, have a biblical sexual ethic and do the hard work of racial reconciliation.

Rob Hall is the Lead Pastor at New North Church, located in the San Francisco Bay Area.