221: Steve Cheetham - Exhortation: The Image Of The Father

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1. 0:13

   Welcome to Good Burger selfie and talks. I’m Levi and I’m Chris and I’m Brian, thank you for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one taco week to help us get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post a new episode of the start of each week with a short intro before. Hand to kind of set the stage for the talk. You’re about to listen to and now let’s talk more about this week’s talk.

2. 0:51

   Welcome to the good christadelphians Ox podcast. This is brother Brian. This week’s talk is an excitation that was given by Brother. Steve Cheatham at the Moorestown New Jersey, Ecclesia just a few weeks ago, The eggs are it was titled the image of the father and the focus is on how we are all made in the image of the father. But are we showing that to others? Is that what we think of when we treat and interact with other people?

3. 1:24

   Is that what we see in ourselves when we look in the mirror and truly examine ourselves? Probably not but despite what we see in the mirror that is not what we should be either glorifying or be tripped up by That in order to maintain this image, we obviously need to avoid sin and temptation but were plagued by poor self-control.

4. 1:53

   Thus, we acutely understand the chasm that exists within all of us, there is a desire to do, right? But the inability to fulfill it. So as brother Steve says, Don’t let that though. Keep you away from praying. Don’t let that stop you from coming to meeting. Don’t let that make you think that you are Unworthy of God’s image? that by consistently meeting together and marching together as the Apostle Paul alludes to We show God that we want to be a part of him and that we wish to be seen as Jesus is viewed. The mirror image of the father.

5. 2:40

   P ends with a great reference about our God. Is it becoming God and that how by our weekly meeting together as an outward showing of a desire to become a part of our God recognizing that we Are Made In His Image? Even if what we feel we show is tarnished or poor reflection.

6. 3:02

   So as always, we hope this strengthens your faith and brightens your day brother. Steve Cheatham, the image of the father. Good morning, everyone. I want to thank you personally for your prayers on my behalf. It’s really nice to be here with you and to actually be standing before you. That is quite a blessing.

7. 3:24

   So thank you. I have a mirror here. And apparently it’s broken. It’s not the glass. The problem is every time I look into it. I see my own reflection and that’s a problem. It’s not good. It’s not the image that I want to see reflected especially here, Sunday morning when we consider our Lord, which we’ve just sung of.

8. 4:01

   And before I go on, I just want to thank our pianist for that last 10, which she’s been learning all week, it really sums up what we’re going to be talking about Christ, Our Glory, Christ in US. So, we’re going to be talking about Reflections and images this morning. And we’re going to start at a very odd passage, its Genesis 9 verse 6, and I’ll read it to you, Genesis 9 verse 6.

9. 4:35

   Whoso sheddeth man’s blood. By man shall his blood be shed? For in the image of God made he man. Now we would read over that very quickly but think about what that verse is saying and what it really is when you think about it, It’s the whole doctrine of Christ’s teaching in the New Testament, of Jesus, and the apostles.

10. 5:06

    And this funny little verse in Genesis 9. Do you think about it? Jesus said, love your enemies. Love your neighbor as yourself. Do good to all men. If a man strike you, when your right cheek, give them your left, too. Pray for them that despitefully use you whosoever compelled you to go. A mile, go with him two. Now, you might ask yourself if you heard the Lord teaching this, well, why should I do good to these people? They’re taking advantage of me.

11. 5:49

    I don’t even like them. What were you thinking some of the other teachings of the New Testament of Our Lord, go sell all that you have and give to the poor or when they’ll make us to Feast call the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the Blind. And again, you might say, well, why should I do this Lord?

12. 6:16

    And Genesis 9 verse 6 is the answer. It’s because all of them are made in the image of God. Not just us here. But those outside, we are all made in the image of the father. And for that reason, alone, we treat all men with respect and honor. Now, let me give you an example. It might be a little silly but but it really illustrates it. If you were to Google when your phone, how do you handle a flag from the United States?

13. 6:55

    Or how do you dispose? Of United States flag, you would almost be shocked at how detailed and extensive that list is for handling a piece of cloth. And the whole reason is, it’s to show respect to acknowledge what it represents. How much more Our Father in heaven? The one who made each one of us.

14. 7:29

    Consider how this word images used in Genesis? Somebody found three times. Genesis 1:27. We all know. So God created, man in his own image, in the image of God, created him at the very start of creation. God sets the standard, all of you are in my image. And that’s to us, that was until an Adam and Eve what was going on.

15. 8:00

    That passage is written to the readers. Genesis 5 verse 3, Adam bore a son Seth and what’s different here, scripture points out, Seth was in Adams image, not the image of the Lord. And the last place in Genesis, the word images used is. We’re told not to kill because all mankind is in the image of the father And just a little footnote, just a little Thai things in later.

16. 8:38

    Why does Genesis 5 talk about Seth being in Adams image and not the father’s image? It’s because God’s image had become marred. Seth inherited a disobedient nature from Adam. Seth’s birth was the direct result of his brother, killing his other brother Cain, rising up and killing Abel. And why? Because able reflected the image of God and Cain did not and so that you call it a broken nature.

17. 9:19

    A marred nature was handed down to Seth. And then after all mankind had been destroyed by the flood. Only righteous Abel only righteous Noah and his small family of emerged from the ark and it’s another new beginning. And so the principle is laid down for a new generation. That you are all created in the image of God.

18. 9:49

    Now the issue the struggle I think from the beginning is making our insides match, our outsides, the clerk down in 7-Eleven is in the image of God. But I can’t speak for internally of his character and his being and see. That’s why I don’t like the mirror instead of reflecting the Son of God, instead of reflecting the father, it still reflects me and that’s something I Need to deal with as do you, and, and it really brings it to Sunday morning, doesn’t it?

19. 10:30

    Think about Paul’s words, concerning the emblems before us and surprisingly, he picks up this theme. 1st Corinthians, 11:28. But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. Kane forgot, whose image, he was and because of that, only sorrowful followed. But here this morning brothers and sisters, we think of the image.

20. 11:01

    We are to follow to have an us. We think of the image we should be. When we look at the emblems, the bread and the wine. And it’s actually a bigger issue in the Brotherhood among ourselves.

21. 11:18

    In Colossians 1:15. Speaking of Jesus. It speaks of who is the image of the invisible? God, we’re going to get back to the emblems in a moment. Who is the image? Of the invisible. Now. How can you make an image of something that’s invisible? Isn’t that impossible? You think a dams talk a few weeks ago where he is talking about? His plans and the image.

22. 11:56

    It is mind of building this Podium and how he took something that was on paper until it’s been realized it in a physical form which I’m standing behind. How would an have done making this if his pattern was invisible?

23. 12:16

    It’s a tall order. Isn’t it? Can you make an image of something that’s invisible? It is impossible. if we were trying to make an image, If we were trying to make a representation and then fill it in shape, it sand, it paint it stain it, and present it before you like the podium. And see that desire to see the outward is the problem. The Apostle Philip made the same mistake and John 14. Verse 8, Philip says, Lord let us see the father and we have need of nothing more.

24. 13:04

    That’s not what Philip needed. Philip needed to see the invisible, the real essence of the father, not the physical. And Jesus said, have I been with you so long and you haven’t seen it. Right now, I’m looking at about 50 faces. All of you. Our representative of our father, all of us were made in His image are young or old male, female children, teens.

25. 13:38

    Middle-aged seniors were all here. And even those outside the wall are made in the outward image of the father. But we all know that doesn’t matter. It’s what’s inside. It’s the invisible, which we need to be seeking Greek says, the Greek word says that which cannot be seen with your eyes, Philip thought seeing the external was enough and it wasn’t So if I asked you then now that we’re thinking of the n-word draw me a picture of love.

26. 14:21

    Draw me a picture of Julie. I asked my Sunday school students. Can you draw me a picture of glory and mercy, you can’t, they’re abstract Concepts, but what you can do to illustrate it is, you can illustrate love a picture that shows love, it, shows this affects it shows, love in action, or Mercy or kindness or goodness.

27. 14:51

    We can show the effects of it. You can’t draw a concept. Depth. So how do we see it? John 14, verse 9, Jesus said, as we kind of alluded to he that hath seen me set this to Phillip hath. Seen the father wasn’t the outward, but the heart, the soul, the spirit, Jesus represented, the father. and so now when we go back to the emblems that passage, I read earlier, Let a man examine himself.

28. 15:32

    And let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. You know, that little passage has caused more problems. Because you might be feeling at this morning, you come here this morning and you’ve examined yourself and you really feel unworthy. Some brothers and sisters stop coming to meeting because they can’t examine themselves honestly. And live with it to live with that image that they see. And they actually stay away from the bread and the wine they stay away from other brothers and sisters who were trying to be like the father and that’s a problem. Now, I’ve Heard lots of explanations of that, let a man examine himself, but I’m going to suggest to you, the easiest, Is right there in Corinthians.

29. 16:24

    If we just let Corinthians interpret Corinthians and second Corinthians 13, verse 5, we read Examine yourselves. Whether ye be in the faith. Prove your own selves know ye not that your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in. You see at the table of the Lord, This is where we acknowledge. This is where we desire is.

30. 16:57

    We’ve just some, even our opening hymn filled thou, my heart O Lord, with praise. This is where we acknowledge our failings, and we pray for the Lord to fill us. This is where we recognize that Jesus is working in us that he wants to work in us and to be in US.

31. 17:25

    This is where we Show brothers and sisters that we want to be part of that, glorious body. You know, despite the week you may have had whether it was good or bad. The bottom line is you’re here because you want to renew your commitment. You desire to stay in the body of Our Lord. Being here is the proof.

32. 17:57

    So, Paul to the Ephesians says, Be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind and, and the key word there is the word, renewed. It implies something that slipping something that needs to be strengthened something that needs attention. And here’s where we identify that. And try to deal with it in the week to come.

33. 18:28

    Here’s the crooks when we’ve had a bad week, we may not feel like we can break bread and that’s absolutely wrong. Galatians 5:17 and listen carefully. We’re going to come back to this verse this is from Weymouth translation Galatians 5:17. For the craving of our lower nature, or opposed to those of the spirit. and the Cravings of the spirit or opposed to those of the lower nature because these Are antagonistic to each other.

34. 19:13

    We all understand Cravings, right? Could be as simple as wanting, another potato chip. We know that Cravings like gravity can pull us. If we allow it away from the father, Cravings can pull us away from the body, the path that were walking on. And so as we talk about our week in our failings or need to try again, I’d like to share a secret with you.

35. 19:46

    A true secret and maybe it’ll be a little eye-opening for you. None of us. None of us have the self-control. We wish we had. We think we should have None of us. You look around. I brothers and sisters who you think are strong? And they don’t have the self-control. They wish they had, I don’t You know, in a study that I just read, it’s been shown that almost everyone. And I just got to put the almost in there, but I’m going to say, Everyone has the same level of self-control which in the end is very poor.

36. 20:37

    We probably can thank Adam for that. We all have the same level of self-control, but here’s the difference in their studies. When they tested people, who said they had strong self-control, they were good at not giving into something. Here’s the difference, those people who thought they had good self-control what they really found was it wasn’t self-control but they were good at staying away from the desires. That’s what they were good at.

37. 21:11

    They were good at avoiding things that would lead them to give in and that’s why they thought they had good self-control when they put all the strong people who thought they have self-control and all the people like me who have weak self control in the same room. Studied them. They all failed. They all had poor self-control.

38. 21:34

    The difference is knowing to avoid the temptation. I find that powerful. And so, whatever my issues were last week, if I just take the biggest one in, start dealing with it, start avoiding situations, where that happens, I might appear to have good self-control but I know better. I’m just avoiding the sin when I tell that story, I think about Lloyd who was way ahead of his time and he told a story of mrs.

39. 22:10

    Got rocks. I’m just going to tell it to you. Briefly because it just illustrates it better than I can. She was a very wealthy Widow and she needed a driver and she had three candidates and She interviewed all three. And at the end of each interview with the three candidate, she asked him. This question.

40. 22:29

    I know a lot of, you know, the story, but she said up on Cemetery Ridge. How close can you get your tires to the edge, obviously, without going off? The first man said I can get my tires rate on the white line and write it all the way around that curve with no problem.

41. 22:52

    This is gotrocks. So she thanked him asked all the normal questions to the second and finish with that. Same question up on Cemetery, Ridge. How close can you get your tires to the edge without going over because I can get half the tire off the edge with? No trouble mrs. Got rocks. So she thanked him, third candidate, all the normal questions in the interview and finally, she ended it with up on Cemetery Ridge. How close can you get your tires to the edge without going over? And the answer was, I’ve never tried. Who do you think got the job said, Uncle Bob? It’s the one who avoided it.

42. 23:43

    How simple lesson that is to keep us with God’s image intact in US? Avoid the Temptations. That’s what self-control really is. So if you’ve struggled last week, Don’t beat yourself up. The simplest way forward is to identify your Temptations, and then take them on one at a time. Learn the best way to avoid it, you know, an alcoholic learns, when he’s recovering you go home, a different route, you will avoid the bar.

43. 24:21

    You avoid the friends that bring you to the bar, whatever it is that gets you into drinking again. You just avoid it. Some people move. Some people have changed jobs because they want to avoid a Temptation that they think is destructive.

44. 24:40

    How much more should we? So this morning, we talked about self-control and our need to recalibrate fix the things that have been slipping. but let’s get back to that verse in Galatians and I’m going to read it now from the King James Think about what he’s telling us. Galatians 5:17 for the flesh, lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh.

45. 25:17

    So, let’s talk about desires and Cravings. Once more, you either think of yourself or you think of someone else who’s in the midst of really craving something, whether it’s a potato chip, or whether it’s alcohol or something else, a substance that they’re addicted to get that image in your mind of somebody who’s craving something.

46. 25:43

    All right, so just give that a minute. Think about how strong that craving is. You have it in your mind, you’re ready? The power of that craving. We just read is the same power that God, craves you. That same craving, somebody has for a substance is the same. Craving says Paul to the Galatians that the father has towards you to bring you here to save you, to fill you with his glory, that same almost desperate craving for you. Is what Paul says, the father has towards us. How could we not want to be part of his body? What are reason to avoid Temptation and our own weaknesses.

47. 26:43

    The father wants you. So badly says, Paul, he’s craving you so when you sin knowing that don’t you think that if you pray to the father to help remove the first Temptation you’re dealing with That he’s not going to help. I’ll do anything to save you. Put it to him in prayer again and again. All the things that trip us up that make us slip that need recalibration and our spiritual Minds. Put to the father in prayer.

48. 27:28

    And he will answer you and when he starts helping you do your best to avoid going back work with the father because he’s they’re working with you. The more we fill our image with God’s character. The better, our decisions down the road will be, we will become more like him. We will think more like him. Talking about a mirror.

49. 28:03

    Think of what Paul wrote to the Corinthians. Its first Corinthians, 13:12 Paul’s talking about a mirror and think about what he’s saying, First Corinthians 13:12 for now we see in a mirror Darkly, but then face to face, You see what Paul is saying? He’s saying his mirrors just as clouded his mind just as broken, it’s dark.

50. 28:32

    All I see is me. Not the father. And that’s all Paul saw. His mirror was dark, it was not a clear reflection. Paul struggled with the things were struggling with. but he tells us how to overcome and Paul followed his own advice. Paul said, we need to be led by the spirit. And in Galatians 5:25, he says, we need to walk in the spirit. And and here’s the other thing, we all together, our images of the father, But Galatians says, not only do we walk as individuals to the kingdom that word, walk means to be drawn up into a line together.

51. 29:21

    Paul saying we are all marching following the spirit together. Never think you’re alone. We are all marching together. Says Galatians 5:25. We’re not alone. We bear each other’s burdens. We lift each other up because we are all walking to the kingdom together.

52. 29:49

    And that’s why we need to be here. You know, I spent weeks at home watching this And it’s not the same as being here in person. It just isn’t when you’re here, you truly feel like you’re walking together. You’re listening to each other, you’re strengthening each other, just by being here, just by talking about a week behind and the week that’s coming up. and if we’re walking in the spirit, we’re making progress. We’re moving forward.

53. 30:28

    We are all moving forward together, leaving or difficulties behind. And finally, I want to give you one more help. You’re all familiar with the proverb as a man thinketh in his heart. So is he? I read a lot and science has just proven that. What Solomon said is true as a man thinketh in his heart. So is he?

54. 31:03

    There’s a study can. Sorry, I’m showing I like to read a lot. The study was entitled words can change your brain by dr. Andrew Newberg.

55. 31:15

    Words like love peace. Happiness. When you use those words yourself, when you say those words yourself, you actually trigger the brain to take you down that path. Your brain, really loose releases chemicals, that support, that mindset, that support the words you’re using and just the opposite. When you use negative words that the fear section of your brain, I won’t bother pronouncing it. Because I can’t but the fear centers then triggered and the chemicals that support fear and stress are released in your body.

56. 32:04

    Just by the words, you were saying happy words and they’ve looked at the blood and the chemicals are released to support it nervous. Calm fearful words and your body goes that direction. Isn’t it amazing? As a man thinketh in his heart. So is he? What words are you filling your brain with? whether you say them or you’re watching on the screen and it says, if you were there, Are you saying words that will lead you to the kingdom to the mindset of Our Lord?

57. 32:42

    Are you filling your image with that? Are you filling up with things? That draw us away. I would love for us all to start tomorrow morning with these words. I can do all things through Christ, Jesus, who strengthens me. And so brothers and sisters the table before us reminds us that we’re all part of Jesus. Our brothers and sisters and our young people sitting around you this morning, should remind you that you’re not alone. That each one of us are in it together. The people outside the Wolves here who bear, God’s image? Should remind us that they need help. That they need to reflect not themselves, but the father and we can start breathing those words into them. Brothers and sisters.

58. 33:43

    When you come here this morning, it shows your commitment to belong to Jesus body. It shows your need to share the emblems to fill yourself as it were symbolically with our Lord.

59. 34:00

    This morning. You should remember that none of us are good enough. That we all fail, but we all need to press on and not give up. and maybe the last lesson that I find the most important is Your heavenly father, truly wants you to be part of him. Not with him, but to share his nature and to share that, with his Immortal sun, he will forgive you anything. If you just put it to him, You know, I when I finish this, I thought of the words of brother galette brother, Dennis galette and he said, in a little passage, our God is a becoming God.

60. 34:48

    And that’s actually what the name of the Lord means. I will be in whom I will be God is growing, he’s becoming more As we joined to him and stay joined to him. Our father wants you. And what we for take of the bread and the wine we showed him that we want him to

61. 35:26

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62. 35:42

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63. 36:23

    God, bless and talk to you next week.