CREATED FOR ETERNITY

 
"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap,nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly
 Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"  MAT 6:26.

The Greek word from which the word better was taken is diaphero which means "To be of more value."
The word diaphero is translated as "better"three times in the New Testament. Our text is one: MAT 6:26.

We find the second one in MAT 12:12, "How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful do well on the sabbath days." The third instance is in LUK 12:24, "Consider the ravens: for they neither
sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better
than the fowls?"

In each of these Scriptures the meaning is, "Of more value." Wherein do we have more value than those
innocent little creatures? Jesus speaks of them in terms of value in MAT 10:29- 31, "Are not two sparrows
sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your  Father. But the very hairs of your are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."

This teaches us that man is set apart from the animal creation because he comes from a much nobler order,
one created for eternity. Man has a never-dying soul; the birds are here today and gone tomorrow; they
return to the earth from which they came. They do not have a soul. We have been created for eternity, and value of our never-dying soul is priceless. GEN 2:7 says, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust
of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

GEN 1:27 says, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female he them." I have found it to be necessary in the preparation of a message to find the original meaning
of some of the most common words to understand what the Word of God teaches. The word image, as used in
that verse is taken from the Hebrew word Tselem which means "a resemblance, i.e., a representative figure."

Now see why Jesus says we are of much more value. It is because we were created to be the reflection of God's
character. Man would reflect the image or character of God, who is a Spirit; man would be a resemblance;
man is a representative figure of God to the world. Do you see why man is of much more value than the birds?
The purpose of God's creating man was to be God's image-bearer; man was created to reflect the knowledge,
righteousness, and true holiness of God as in a mirror. We were to be the representatives of God's character
before the world because we would have His resemblance.

ROM 8:28-29 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who
are the called according to his purpose.For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to
the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." That is why Jesus said we are of
more value than the birds of the air.

God created man to reflect these attributes of righteousness and true holiness as God's representative and
to be the ruler over the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field. When Jesus asked, "Are ye not much
better than they?", He was referring to GEN 1:26, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air [Do you see why
they are better? God has placed man as His representative over the birds of the air], and over the cattle, and all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." God placed man in dominion
over all. Therefore, He says, "Are ye not much better than they?" God set man above the fowls of the air.

This purpose of God, i.e., that reflection of God's attributes of righteousness and true holiness in our human which man lost through the fall, is that which Christ came to restore. Jesus came to restore the purpose God's creation.

Let's consider how Christ restored the purpose of God in our human nature; for God to accept us in Christ, was necessary for Christ to be very man. He became the image of God in our human nature. HEB 1:3
speaks of Jesus, "Who being the brightness of his glory [of the Father], and the express image of his person, upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on
the right hand of the Majesty on high."

Now we see how in our human nature the purpose of God's creation is fully fulfilled in Christ. The Lord Jesus
Christ is the express image of His person with the authority, the kingship, God created man to hold.
Jesus purged away our sin, restoring the reflection of the image of God in His perfect human nature.

We see this also in 2CO 4:4, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,
lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." The
Lord is teaching us that those who were hardened against the truth (in their degenerate state having been by the god of this world, Satan) may not pretend to reflect the image of God.

It is important to understand that the apostle is dealing with the sin of having a form of Godliness, but denying power thereof. 2TI 3:5 tells us, "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:
from such turn away." Wherein lays the power of Godliness? It is found in the reflection of the image of God the law of love, i.e., loving God with our heart, soul, and mind. Such love is not possible under the
power of sin. The apostle shows us that the unregenerate, those who are blinded by Satan, are not reflecting
the image of God. In V:4 he described those who have this form of Godliness as "Traitors, heady,
highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God." They have a form of Godliness; Godliness is to partakers of the Divine nature, i.e., to escape the corruption of the world. 2PE 1:4 says,
"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers
of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

What is the Divine nature? What is the nature of God? 1JO 4:7-8 says, "Beloved, let us love one another:
for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth
not God; for God is love." They may be church members and make great professions, but if we have Godliness,
we must reflect the image of God,"which is Christ in you, the hope of glory," COL 1:27b. That image must
reflect into the world.  Amen.