Title: Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth

Focus: Since the creation of the world, God's desire is that his glory be shown to the ends of the earth. Therefore, we should glorify him through both preaching and living the good news

Function: To motivate the hearers to share the Gospel through ministries of mercy which leads to opportunities to share the Gospel

Text: Matt 6:24-34


Intro:
1.  Have you ever watched a movie that didn't make sense because you missed
the beginning of it?
2.  The Bible has a beginning that helps to make sense of the rest of the story
3.  What was God's intent for mankind?  Can see this in the beginning

I.  What is the FIRST command God gives to mankind?
	A.  Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth  (Gen 1:28)
	B.  This is a recurring theme in Genesis 1-11
		1.  So they began to multiply, but it didn't go well (Gen 6:1, 5, 11)
			a.  BUT Noah found favor with God (6:8)
			b.  Cleanses the earth by flood
		2.  God starts over (Gen 9:1, 7)
			a.  Places a rainbow to go with the cloud (v.14-15)
			b.  So when cloud threatens, God will remember
			c.  So they are to once again be fruitful, multiply
		3.  Once again, things did not go well (Gen 11:1-9)
			a.  They built a city and a tower
			b.  City offers security, strength, what wrong with that?
	C.  Several things wrong with it
		1.  They wanted to make a name "for themselves"
		2.  Nothing would be impossible, they forgetting God
		3.  Forgetting God evidenced in disobedience, they not filling earth
	D.  Why is God so concerned with filling the earth?

II.  God wants his glory to fill the earth
	A.  Glorify God means - To reveal him
	B.  One thing men have always had urge to do when glorifying a god
		1.  Go into any pagan temple, and you will see an image
		2.  Household idols and shrines were very common
		3.  But God commanded imageless worship
			a.  God is holy, holy, holy
			b.  Nothing built with our hands can capture his image
			c.  Idol cannot bear witness to God, (only to us)
			d.  We do not create God - He creates us
	C.  Can there be an image for an imageless God?  YES
		1.  But the image is not made with our hands!
		2.  God created Man in his own image
	D.  God's image, God's GLORY to be revealed through us!  
		1.  That's why he created us (Isa 43:4-7)
		2.  That's why he wants us to "fill the earth" 
		3.  (Isa 52:10) - That all the ends of the earth may see his salvation

III.  How is God's glory revealed through us?
	A.  The key is Jesus - We can only get an idea of God's glory through him
		1.  Jn 1:14 - Word became flesh and we beheld his "glory"
		2.  Col 1:15 - He is the image of the invisible God
	B.  (2 Cor 3:13-18) - Tells how God restored his glory and image in us
		1.  God restored brightness of his glory in us
		2.  When we "turn to the Lord" we bear his "image"
		3.  Bearing his image, we "glow" with his glory in a dark world
		4.  No wonder he calls us the "light of the world" in Mat 5:15
	C.  ILL:  Try to come up with illustrations
		1.  Like those with child - they "glow" - Full of Christ you "glow"
		2.  So full of Christ, he oozes out, leave him on any you touch
	D.  In other words, we become conformed to image of his son
		1.  We become like him in speech and action
		2.  What would Jesus do?
		3.  What would he feel?
		4.  What would he say?

Concl:
1.  So being restored to his image, you are his image bearer
	a.  Not an idol, a work of man's hands
	b.  But YOU are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works
	c.  You are his masterpiece that is to glorify him
2.  Let's not hole up in one place at the Tower of Babel
	a.  We need to fill our neighborhoods with God's glory
	b.  We need people to SEE the Gospel in action in our lives
3.  How?
	a.  Not by staying inside the city (church blg) like at Tower of Babel
	b.  Need to fill neighborhoods with God's glory
4.  Since we to be conformed to image of his son, we glorify God as Jesus did
	a.  He cared for those in need
	b.  Had compassion for people who were suffering
	c.  He healed wounds
	d.  He preached the Gospel to the lost
5.  Will elaborate on the "enfleshment" of the Gospel some more next week