The sermon titled 'The Value of Image Bearers' by Jason Dohm emphasizes the unique worth of human beings as creatures made in the image of God. It contrasts our inherent value with the unworthiness brought by sin. Genesis 9:5-7 is discussed to illustrate the preciousness of life, noting that God demands a reckoning for the shedding of human blood. This passage underscores that life belongs to God and is precious, requiring justice when violated. The sermon explores the concept of talionic justice, where punishment corresponds to the crime, particularly in the context of murder. The speaker stresses that God has authorized mankind to exact the penalty of capital punishment for murder, highlighting the deterrence aspect. The message also points out the universal familial connection between all humans and the importance of valuing life as God does. The sermon concludes with a call to cherish human life, engage in societal change to uphold its value, and recognize the possibility of redemption through Christ, even for those who have sinned gravely.

The title of the message this morning is The Value of Image Bearers. We just sang a wonderful line. Two wonders, I confess. My worth and my unworthiness. You know, both are tremendously true.

We have tremendous unique value simply because we're made in the image of God, and yet we have these corruptions that came into our race through Adam that we've happily engaged in that makes us so unworthy. So both of these things are true. The thing that we're talking about today, though, is our tremendous unique worth as creatures who are made in the image of God. I said this last week when we were talking about animals being given as a food source. You could eat the flesh, but you could not eat the flesh with the life that is the blood in it.

So, when you killed an animal for food, you had to pour out the blood on the ground before you ate it. So here's what I said last week. What is this about? Life belongs to God, and it is precious. So I wanted to hang that banner over everything that last week's text was about.

Life belongs to God, doesn't belong to us, it doesn't belong to anyone else, it belongs to God, and it is precious. We should treat even animal life as precious, and that is reflected in what was said in last week's text. I said at that time that I was glad that we only took four verses last week so that we could really focus on it and develop it thoroughly and carefully, but I wasn't glad in this sense that that was part one of a two-part statement of blood and the preciousness of life. And I pointed us to verse 5 in today's text. And so really right now in the introduction I just want to rehang the banner saying that had to do with last week and how we treat animals and why we're not supposed to eat flesh with life that is the blood in it because life belongs to God and it's precious and the pouring out of the blood of animals before you eat it is a symbol of that.

God, this is life that belongs to you and it is precious. You've given us a precious thing to sustain us and we really acknowledge God in that. But now the banner hangs over a special preciousness in life, and that is human life. Let's pray. God, life of your creatures is amazing.

When we study it, animal life, human life, insect life, life of birds, it's just a marvel. With all that we can do we can't do anything like that. I thank you especially for life made in your image. How precious that is to you, how it should be valued, preserved, protected, and I pray that you would use this text to teach us in Jesus name. Amen.

We have three verses. Let's take them verse at a time. I'll start by rereading Genesis chapter 9 verse 5, and we'll just go verse by verse. Genesis 9 verse 5. Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning.

From the hand of beast I will require it of every beast I will require it and from the hand of man from every man's brother I will require the life of man So here in this verse we have what God will require. It's actually said three times. I will demand, I will require, I will require. It's actually the same Hebrew word. I don't know why the English translators translated it demand the first time and require the second two times but it's the same Hebrew Hebrew word this is what God will require your life is the property of God to such an extent And your life is precious to such an extent that if anyone were to shed your blood and take your life, God would demand a reckoning for it.

That should actually comfort you. If any animal took your life, if any person took your life, shed your blood, God would require a reckoning for it. There would be no way around it. God would require it. If God requires it, there's no way around it.

Why? Because God owns your life, so if somebody touches your life, that's a problem because God owns it. They've touched what God owns. And And it is precious. Even your life, air quotes, is not actually your life.

It belongs to God. And however you value it or don't value it, it is very valuable because God declares it to be very valuable. So that when blood is shed and life is taken, there must be a reckoning for it. And God undertakes it Himself. Mike Bennett pointed out on Monday, just look at this right in verse five three times, I will, I will, I will.

This is the voice of God saying that he will undertake it himself. Matthew Henry says this, the righteous God will certainly make inquisition for blood. Though men cannot or do not, one time or other, in this world or in the next, he will both discover concealed murders which are hidden from man's eye and punish avowed and justified murders which are too great for man's hand." What's he saying? He's saying what our text is saying. God will demand a reckoning for the shedding of blood.

What about concealed murders? What about murders that nobody else knows about? Oh, God knows about them, and in this life or the next, he has a thousand ways to require a reckoning for it, to make an accounting for all the concealed murders that no other human knows about. There are a lot of unsolved murders. It's a whole genre of podcast now, right?

Cold cases, unsolved murders. They're not unsolved at all, actually. They're perfectly solved. And in this life or in the next life, God requires a reckoning for the shedding of blood. Sometimes man cannot because we don't know of them.

Sometimes we do not because the person who committed the act is in such a place, holds such a place of fear in men's hearts that men dare not prosecute. No matter in this world or the next, God will require a reckoning. God says, I will. I will. I will.

He says it three times in verse five. In Revelation 21 verse eight, listen to this, Revelation 21 verse eight, God says that murderers shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. That is God's word on the matter. In the final book of Revelation, Revelation 21 verse 8. Murderers shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.

There will be a reckoning with God Almighty for every murder. Life belongs to God and God Himself requires a reckoning. The second sentence in verse five is this, from the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man. From the hand of every man's brother, I will require the life of man. Here's what we learn.

We are the sibling. We are the brother or sister. We are the relative of the person whose lifeblood is shed. What do I mean by that? Well, just look forward in Genesis chapter 9 to verse 19.

These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. So we're all related. Every other family line was ended at the global flood and reduced to a single family line so that if Ancestry.com could do it and we could trace it all the way up to a single point Noah and his wife. They had three sons. You would come through one of these sons of Noah, but all of us would trace back to Noah.

When there is a murder, you are the sibling, you are the relative of The person whose lifeblood is shed Paul says the same in Acts 17 verse 26 Listen to what Paul says in Acts 17 verse 26. God has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth. One blood. So take that racists. One blood.

Some people have lived closer to the equator historically and have There's been skin tone adaptations to that, but there really is, there are no races. There is a race coming from Noah, one blood. So when innocent blood is shed, I, by definition, by definition, there's no way around it, have a familial connection with the person whose blood is shed. And I am not at liberty when your lifeblood is shed to say that doesn't concern me. No.

I am required to say I have a familial connection. I am family with that person whose lifeblood was shed and there must be a reckoning. I demand a reckoning. You have a responsibility when the lifeblood of someone with which you have a familial connection, that's another human being, to demand a reckoning for the lifeblood. So that is verse 5, what God will require.

God will require a reckoning for the lifeblood of a man or a woman, of a human being. Verse 6, Genesis 9 verse 6, whoever sheds man's blood by man his blood shall be shed for in the image of God he God made man. For in the image of God, God made man. Here we have why God will require it. Why will God require a reckoning When the lifeblood of a person is shed, we get that in this verse.

There are actually two things in view in this verse. The penalty for shedding blood, what's the penalty? This verse tells us. And the basis for God requiring that penalty. Why does God require that penalty, this verse tells us.

The penalty for shedding blood is forfeiting your own life. And when you shed the blood of a human being, you forfeit your own life. In Genesis 3, we were introduced to the concept of talionic justice. Do you remember me talking about talionic justice? Give us a refresher course on talionic justice.

It is justice where the punishment corresponds to the crime. So the punishment is not totally disconnected from the crime. It actually has a relationship to the crime. In Genesis 3, one God-ordained part of a woman's life is childbearing. That's not the sum total of God's ordained purpose for a woman's life, but it is One God-ordained part of a woman's life is childbearing.

That's not the sum total of God's ordained purpose for a woman's life, but it is one God-ordained part of a woman's life. That is childbearing. So a penalty for rebellion against God is sorrow and pain in childbearing. There is a connection between the crime and the punishment. One God-ordained part of a man's life is subduing the earth, So a penalty for rebellion against God is unending toil and thorns and thistles and sweat in working the ground.

There is a connection between the crime and the punishment. In today's text, forfeiting your own life or giving up your own life for the crime of taking someone else's life is another example of that. It's talionic justice. You took somebody else's life, the connection to the penalty is you forfeit your own life. And mankind is to exact that penalty.

Mankind is to apply that punishment. Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed. So we're told, we're not waiting for lightning bolts from heaven. God could do that, couldn't He? He could make the earth open up and swallow you and close up over the top of you.

That actually happens in Scripture. God can do that at any moment. God could do it himself. But God has decreed that mankind is to exact that penalty. Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed.

God authorizes mankind to shed the blood of murderers. That actually has become the minority view. And that's not good. We'll talk more about that later. But that should be the majority view because that is the Word of God.

God authorizes mankind to shed the blood of murderers. What is the basis of that penalty? That all human beings are made in the image of God. So all human beings have the tremendous, unique value, so super high and unlike any other value, from bearing the image of the infinitely valuable God simply by virtue of being a human being. When you've been made in the image of the infinitely valuable God, by virtue of that you have a tremendous unique value.

It is not a status that has to be earned. What do I have to do to get that status? Nothing! It is nothing that can be earned. No animal can upgrade by earning their way into the status that humanity enjoys made in the image of God.

It is a status that has been conferred on each human being in human history by God simply by virtue of being human. So the baby in the womb has this tremendous unique value having done nothing to earn it or deserve it. They have it because they are made in the image of God this should terrify you. Knowing what has happened in our nation since 1973 this should terrify you. Every one of those 60 million babies were made in the image of God with a life worthy of protection because of this tremendous unique value.

And this is not the study for today, but a study of the shedding of innocent blood is a terrifying study at a national level. Listen to the ESV study Bible. This is a study note in the ESV study Bible. To murder another human being is to murder what is most like God, and is thus implicitly an attack on God himself. Whoa, I have never thought of murder in exactly those terms.

I've known it was really bad because we bear the image of God, but I've never thought of it exactly like that. But I don't think they're far off. To murder another human being is to murder what is most like God and is thus implicitly an attack on God himself. Listen to Matthew Poole. In the image of God made he man So that murder is not only an offense against man But also an injury to God and a contempt of that image of God which all men are obliged to reverence and maintain." Is that true?

All men are obliged, required to reverence and maintain the image of God in mankind so that when you injure a man, you injure God." Listen to what John Calvin says, although they, so we're talking about human beings, although human beings have nothing of their own by which they obtain the favor of God. We haven't earned the favor of God. God looks upon His own gifts in them and is thereby excited to love and to care for them. No one can be injurious to his brother without wounding God himself. Were this doctrine deeply fixed in our minds, We should be more reluctant than we are to inflict injuries.

Whoa, isn't that true? Now there are a couple of things said here Matthew Poole talks about injury to God Calvin talks about Wounding God this is They're not reflecting any vulnerability to God as if God is actually harmed by these things. God's offended by these things. That's what they're saying. God is offended by these things.

So, if we wondered if the corruption of humanity with the coming of sin into the world and sin into our nature erased the image of God in people, this is the answer. The answer is no. Corruption has come into our nature through sin entering the world, but the image of God has not been erased in human beings. We still bear the image of God and that makes life uniquely precious. And that makes the shedding of human blood a terrible offense to God.

Why is it that it is permissible, according to the Word of God, to kill animals and use them as a source of food, but that killing a person requires the forfeiting of your own life? Why is that? It's killing and killing. Why aren't they the same? It is simply this.

All people are made in the image of God. None of these other creatures that God has given us for food is made in the image of God. So one is permissible and one requires you to forfeit your own life, even though both are acts of killing and shedding of lifeblood. Another observation, Think of what just happened. What just happened in Genesis?

The global flood. Think of why scripture says it happened. Chapter 6 verse 11, before the flood, the earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So you could probably describe a thousand reasons that God flooded the earth, but when God reduces it down, he says there's corruption and the earth was filled with violence Now was violence the only expression of this corruption No, of course not but the scripture single out violence as the poster child for the corruption? As the symbol of the culmination, like the crescendo to violence?

Yes, it does. The filling of the earth with violence is the poster child for this corruption that caused God to send a global flood to wipe almost all of humanity off the face of the earth. What was the description of human nature before they got on the ark? Every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Chapter 6 verse 5, before they get on the ark.

What was the description of human nature? As they got off the ark, the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. Chapter 821, right, as they're getting off the ark. It's the same description. Okay, so the corrupt people have been wiped off the face of the earth, but the corruption remains in the heart of man.

With that being the universal condition of mankind, what will prevent things from devolving again and again and again into this condition that cries out for a purging of humanity from the face of the earth. What would just keep that from happening over and over and over again? Well, there's more than one answer to that question. One answer, of course, is the grace of God crashing into a sin-filled life and God taking out the heart of stone and implanting a spiritually alive heart of flesh. That's the answer we like the best.

Amen. To my own statement. I'm amen-ing myself. We've reached that point in the sermon. But another answer is God requiring a reckoning for life blood, for the shedding of blood.

God demanding justice, not at the final judgment, God demanding justice now. It will be justice now. The murderer forfeits his life now. The murderer forfeits her life now as a way to preserve life by preventing the taking of life. This is a deterrent.

When you put people to death for murdering other people, you get less murder. You remove murders from the face of the earth so you don't get repeat offenders after capital punishment. There are no repeat offenders after you put a murderer to death. And everyone else says, if I murder, this is what they do to murderers. So it serves the purpose to preserve life by preventing the taking of life.

Now listen to Calvin again. John Calvin says, God so highly estimates our life that he will not suffer murder to go un-avenged And he inculcates this in so many words in order that he may render the cruelty of those the more detestable who lay violent hands on their neighbors. It's to make murder detestable. And it is no common proof of God's love toward us that he undertakes the defense of our lives and declares that he will be the avenger of our death. So by declaring you forfeit your life and you murder, Calvin says you should see that as God's love towards you.

That is an expression of God's love for you. That it's not no big deal when life blood is shed. So that is the penalty for shedding blood and the basis for God requiring that penalty. The penalty is you forfeit your life. The basis is you have touched the image of God.

Man is made in the image of God. The infinitely valuable God makes his image bearers tremendously uniquely precious. Precious. Verse seven. Verse seven.

Genesis chapter nine verse seven, and as for you, be fruitful and multiply. Bring forth abundantly in the earth and multiply in it. In a way I could say ditto to portions of last week's sermon, because in the text, in last week's text, God blessed Noah and said be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. So there's not a lot new here. It's a repetition of it that Noah and by extension we should bring forth image bearers abundantly.

So bring forth these image bearers abundantly. I would say this is simply the other side of the coin. On one side of the coin, Don't take life. You flip it over, what's on the other side? Bring forth life abundantly.

Life's precious. Life's good. Don't take it. Bring it forth. John Calvin says that this is like God saying, you see that I am intent upon cherishing and preserving mankind.

You therefore also attend to it. It's like God saying, you see how much I cherish human life. Be like me. Cherish human life. See it as a blessing.

Bring forth abundantly. God is for life. We should be for life too. Don't depopulate the earth. Populate the earth.

It's the two sides of the same coin. Concluding remarks, I'll give you three. There will be some applications buried in there somewhere. You'll find them. Concluding remark number one.

There is an important principle of Bible interpretation to consider here. So you can get in lots of trouble with the Bible if you don't use sound principles for interpreting it. Seminarians call it hermeneutics, principles of Bible interpretation to make sure you're handling the Bible properly So there's an important principle to consider here of Bible interpretation and that is this We cannot require scripture to say everything Each time it says something What size book what size book would it be if you made scripture say everything Anytime it said anything. How would you even do that? That's impossible.

So don't require that of Scripture. There are a lot of very important things that are not said in today's text, but we shouldn't be disturbed that they aren't here. It is more than sufficient that they are said elsewhere in Scripture. So we don't come to this text and require Scripture to give us everything about the shedding of blood here. It's not the purpose of this text.

It's more than sufficient that those other things that ought to be said are said elsewhere in Scripture. So don't be disturbed by that. Things like what? What if you didn't mean to shed the person's blood, but you did shed their blood by accident? Is that the same as if you meant to do it?

You planned ahead of time and you executed the plan and you executed the person? It's not the same, actually. Exodus 21 and other places get into that. It's not here, but it is there. What if I didn't directly shed the person's blood, but my negligence indirectly resulted in the shedding of that person's blood?

Exodus 21 talks about an ox with a tendency to thrust its horns. And you know it tends to thrust its horns, but you didn't even keep it corralled and it gores somebody to death. Exodus 21 says you're actually guilty for that. Okay, so we kill the ox and we kill you for your negligence. Are there rules of evidence and requirements for witnesses?

There's nothing here about rules of evidence and requirements for witnesses, but there actually are in Deuteronomy 19 verse 15 and a bunch of other places. There are rules of evidence, a requirement for a careful investigation, a requirement for multiple witnesses. It's just not here. It's just anyone authorized to carry out the death penalty. So if I'm pretty sure you killed someone, can I just go ahead and exact God's vengeance on you and enact the death penalty?

No. In the Old Testament, certain People are given authority to do that, not everyone, but people prescribed by God. In the New Testament we have Romans 13 for where God institutes governing authorities, civil magistrates, who don't bear the sword in vain. We're talking about a sword here. But they are God's ministers to execute wrath.

They take the judgment of God on this matter and they put it into force. Are there kinds of shedding blood that aren't murder? And therefore do not require this reckoning. Yes, carrying out the death penalty. What if you're the person who carries out the death penalty?

You shed blood. Then does your blood need to be shed? And then does that person's blood need to be shed? And then does that person's blood need to be shed? And then does that person's blood need to be shed?

No, of course not. Legitimate self-defense. You shed blood in legitimate self-defense. That's not murder that requires a reckoning. What about soldiers in war?

So the Bible takes up all of these things. We could actually have a sermon series on the nuances and exceptions. We really could. It would be helpful. I'm willing.

Say the word. We'll do a sermon series on the nuances and exceptions of the shedding of blood, but the purpose of today's text is to fix in our minds the core truth without taking the teeth out of it by going right to the nuances and exceptions. Thank God there are certain places in scripture that don't go veer right to nuances and exceptions and blunt the force of the truth that is being set before our eyes. You know, there's such a risk of doing that. You come to a category and there is just a key truth.

Here it is, God owns life and it's precious to Him. And if you touch an image bearer, He requires that you forfeit your own life for it. And that should have full force and not have the force drained away by going right to nuances and exceptions. Well, except for here, except for here, except for here. And it dies by a thousand paper cuts.

So we're not draining off, I don't want to drain off any force from this. We should feel the full force. This text is for feeling the full force. So don't require that Scripture say everything anytime that it says something. Number two.

I consider Numbers 35 verse 33. I'll read it to you. Numbers 35 chapter 35 verse 33. God says, you shall not pollute the land where you are for blood defiles the land and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it except by the blood of him who shed it. So what is that saying?

If there's this shedding of blood and you refuse to have the murderer forfeit his own life, it defiles the land. There's no other way to make things right in the land except by shedding the blood of the murderer. There's no other way. Otherwise the land is defiled. That's why the children of Israel, one of the key reasons why the children of Israel were given this land, and that's One of the key reasons why the children of Israel were given this land, and that's one of the key reasons why they were taken into captivity, is the shedding of innocent blood.

Think of the implications of current abortion laws. We have said that's fine. That's fine. There's no penalty for that. And the lenient sentences for murderers.

They're trying to decide in California whether the two teenagers who blew away their parents with shotguns should get out of prison now or not. What are we doing? What are we doing? This is defiling our land. So the applications today are probably threefold.

Hold all human life as precious, but be willing to labor to make sure that your countrymen don't do what we're doing. We can't afford to be silent and we can't afford to sit on our hands unless you want to happen to us what has happened to so many nations before us. You think America's being made great again, you've lost your mind. And the prosperity that comes And the prosperity that comes from good policy, good political policy, will be swept away in a moment when God sends judgment for the things that are happening on our soil. I don't know what day it is, but I know that God won't wait forever because he never has.

So hold all human life is precious. Like speak and work so that your countrymen learn to hold human life as precious and pray. Pray. That God will give us time for that and that God will break in with a wind of grace this is about the hearts of our countrymen how you going to change the hearts of your countrymen I don't know how to do it I know I know how to have a prophetic voice. So we can go to the clinic and be a prophetic voice, but you're encountering these hard hearts.

You've been there. You know what I'm saying. Three. Don't misunderstand. Three, don't misunderstand.

This is just a sin for which God calls for immediate justice. Also this is the really bad one? No. This is a really bad one. This is the one that God calls for immediate justice, which can make you think of it as a separate category.

I quoted Revelation 21, murder is only part of a long list of things that shall give you a part in the lake of fire and brimstone." That's a long list. It's not a comprehensive list. Paul doesn't say the wages of murder is death. Paul never said that. Paul says the wages of the wages of sin is death.

Praise God the verse doesn't end there. I've realized, I say the first part of that verse all the time. I don't say the second part of that verse nearly enough. Shame on me. I resolved to say the whole verse together.

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. You know, Even even murderers don't have to have a part in the lake of fire and brimstone. Their murders, God can pour out his anger against those murders on His son. Now that might mean that the murderer still has to be put to death by the civil magistrate, but their eternity will be forever changed. Let's pray.

God, this is what an opportunity to wag our finger at murderers. And call for them to get their wages immediately and minimize the sin that would take us to hell. Where we would meet the murderers. Thank you for Romans 6 23 that though the wages of sin is death, that the free gift of God, His eternal life in Christ Jesus, that there is a way back for sinners. Thank you.

You have not left us in this world without a way back. You have sent your Son from heaven to do what we couldn't do and wouldn't do for ourselves. Thank you for Jesus. In Jesus name we pray, amen.