Sermon Notes 05-31-09

May 31st 2009 “The Image Giant”
“You made my whole being; You formed me in my mother's body. I praise You because You made me in an amazing and wonderful way. You saw my bones being formed as I took shape in my mother's body. When I was put together there, You saw my body as it was formed. All the days planned for me were written in Your book before I was one day old.” Ps. 139:13-16

You see a lot of people when you sit in an airport or Church or a Restaurant! I have to be honest with you. I had a number of thoughts as I went the airport last month to send Sheri off to Phoenix. One was, “God, You sure formed a lot of different people. And some of them are really strange.”

2. God only makes originals! Everything in this world God made and nothing is a copy. Every tree is different. Every plant is different. Every animal is different. Certainly every human being is different. There’s nobody like you in the entire world. You don’t have to realize that God has done almost creative overkill. He never makes copies of anything. Even twins aren’t exactly alike. God makes everything an original.

3. God could have made us all alike. But God didn’t want to do that. Why? Because an original is always worth more than a copy.
You’re not one in a million. You’re one in over six billion.

Points to Ponder:
1st You Are Unique!
There is no one in the universe like you!

A. Genesis 2:7 it says this, “God formed man from the soil of the ground and He blew the breath of life into his nostrils and man became a living being.”
Circle “formed.” This word is found all through the Bible.
God says that He custom shaped you and there’s nobody else shaped exactly like you.

Most people don’t like the shape or the form God made them into!Isaiah 29:16 “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, “He did not make me”? Can the pot say of the potter, “He knows nothing”?

You are Custom made!Psalms 139:13-16 “You made my whole being; You formed me in my mother's body. I praise You because You made me in an amazing and wonderful way. You saw my bones being formed as I took shape in my mother's body. When I was put together there, You saw my body as it was formed. All the days planned for me were written in Your book before I was one day old.”

God formed, God saw me, God shaped me, God put me together, and God planned every day of my life before I was even born!
There are no accidental children. You are not an accident.
Your parents may not have planned you but God did.
You are not an accident.

B. When God made Adam He broke the mold!
When God made Eve He broke the mold. Adam looked at Eve and said, “Honey, you’re the only woman in the world for me.”
You could go out and go on a round the world tour and search the entire world and you’re never going to find anybody with your thumbprint, with your footprint, with your voiceprint, with your eye print.

You’re unique.

C. Why did God go to all the trouble to make you? Because He wanted you to be an original. If He had wanted you to be somebody else He would have not made you. He would have made somebody else. But He wanted you.

Points to Ponder:
1st You Are Unique!
2nd What’s the PROBLEM?

First: Most people don’t like the way they are!“I wish I were taller, I wish I were smaller, I wish I were thinner. I wish I had red hair… brown hair, black hair. I wish I had a different skin color!” “I don’t like my nose. I don’t like my teeth. I wish I had more talent. Why couldn’t I be like her? Why couldn’t I be like him?”
They’re always comparing and competing rather than accepting what God made them to be.
Most people do not accept themselves and as a result they live frustrated lives.

Matthew 6:32-34 “So don’t worry at all about having enough food and clothing. Why be like the heathen? For they take pride in all these things and are deeply concerned about them. But your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, 33and he will give them to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to. 34“So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.”

What’s the PROBLEM?Second, they try to be somebody else!
A. They say, “I’ve got to wear shoes like her…I’ve got to have bigger hair they her…I’ve got to dress like him… I’ve got to make as much money as he did and I’ve got to do what she did. I’ve got to please my parents.” Most people start off as originals and end up as carbon copies.
If you’re here, it means that God says that you have something you can contribute that Pastor Phil can’t or anybody else can’t.

David tried to wear Saul’s armor, but it didn’t fit—he had to fight in his own armor and so do all of us!

Points to Ponder:
1st You Are Unique!
2nd What’s the PROBLEM?
Trying to change the way they look and Trying to be someone else!
3rd Getting into Your Shape!

The God intended shape for you!A. Job 10:8 “Your hands formed and shaped me...”The ‘S’ in s.h.a.p.e. stands for Spiritual gifts. 1st Corinthians 12:1 “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.” There’s over twenty listed in the New Testament.
You were designed to use your God given Spiritual Gifts!
Each and every one of us is gifted by God for His glory, not for ourselves but for His glory.

The ‘H’ in s.h.a.p.e stands for Heart. David said: Psalm 52:10-11 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.”
When you heart is cleansed, you will be ready and willing to live within your shape that God has created you to be!

The ‘A’ in s.h.a.p.e stands for Ability!
What natural ability has God given you?
Singing, Laughing, telling jokes, reading blue prints, doing math, spelling, cooking, dancing, walking on your hands, sticking your foot in your mouth—YOU KNOW—things that just come naturally to you—YOU NATURAL ABILITIES!

You have certain abilities – five, six, seven hundred of them.

The ‘P’ in s.h.a.p.e stands for Personality! A. Personality is How has God wired you!
Some of us in this room are very competitive.
Some of us are very cooperative.
Some of us are extroverts and some of us are introverts.
Some of us are self-expressive while others of us are self-controlled.
Some of us in the room just love variety.
While others in this room just love to be around routine.

God takes a man and a woman in a marriage and puts routine and variety together.
How has God wired you?

The ‘E’ in s.h.a.p.e stands for Experiences!
We have all kinds of experiences in our lives.
I have so many people tell me:—“What you see is what you get!” That’s why I like you!

Until I accepted the way God had SHAPED me—I never liked myself and really though nobody else could like me!
What’s the experience in your past that maybe you keep wanting to hold back.
The bottom line is this. You’re made by God, to make a difference for God.

You got your SHAPE or your Experiences from God: Psalms 139:14 “I praise You because You made me in an amazing and wonderful way. You saw my bones being formed as I took shape in my mother's body”
God wired it into your system.
He wanted us all to do different things.
If we all liked to do the same things there would be a lot less done in the world.
You’re unique and you’re special. Nobody’s going to be like you.
If you refuse to be you: there’s going to be a whole missing in history.

God Counts Your Hairs on Your Head!
Matthew 10:30 “And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”

It’s very important that you know your shape.
When people fulfill their purpose they bring glory to God. Isaiah 43 “Bring Me all the people who are Mine whom I made for my glory.”Circle “whom I made for My glory.”
You were made for God’s glory.
That’s why you’re alive.