God’s Signature
The heavens declare the Glory of God and the firmament shows His Handiwork.
Psalm 19:1
Let Us make man in Our Image, after Our Likeness: and let them have dominion …
Genesis 1:26
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
God Signed It
One does not need to gaze long at the wonders of nature, the sky above, or the vast oceans before concluding that God made all these things. Yes, these creative marvels point to the Glory of God and the splendor of His eternal power. One of King David’s most classic songs is Psalm 19. It describes the awesome beauty of God’s creation and then transitions into the majestic Glory of God’s Law. The Psalm closes with a self-reflection and prayer that God would keep him from sin and grant that his heart meditations would be acceptable in His sight. The power of the opening verse grabs our attention: The heavens declare the Glory of God and the firmament shows His Handiwork. God signed His creation by giving it eye appealing grandeur. God signed His creation in such a way that each day it shouts the Glory of God.
One need not strain to hear the sounds of Angels when all around us, God has the voice of His natural wonders proclaiming His Power. The Psalmist says, there is no speech or language where their voice is not heard … their line is gone out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world. Ps. 19:3-4.What a Mighty God we serve who gave these glorious things that we might see His Signature. Yes, God signed it all and the beauty of it all still proclaims His wonders.
We can certainly appreciate the work of artists who spend long hours grueling over a canvas or piece of marble until it has become a magnificent work of art. Once completed, the artist will affix the signature that symbolizes ownership, completion, and quality of the work. If you have seen the works of Michelangelo, you can say with assurance that he performed the work. But just in case there is some question, Michelangelo added his signature to signify that the work belongs to him and no one else. One contemporary artist stands out in my mind, not because his work is superior to all others, but the style in which he uses in his artwork. Bob Ross has captivated the minds of many with his smooth technique and flowing style of rivers, trees, mountains, and flowers. Ross also talks his audience through each painting and makes the process seem so easy. Then, when the work is done, he adds his signature indicating that the work is quality. The work is completed, and the work is genuinely Bob Ross.
When it comes to God Almighty, His signature is the finished work. No one can make a tree but God. No one can create the mighty oceans but God. His signature is His work. His signature is all over every living thing that is created from the tiniest micro-organism to the huge whales that swim the oceans. The heavens declare the Glory of God and the firmament shows His Handiwork. The moment you cast your eyes upon the snow capped mountains, you automatically know God’s signature. The sound of birds singing their melody at the dawning of the new day is God’s signature. God signed it, and that means it is filled with His Glory.
God’s Masterpiece
Yet, God chose for His masterpiece, not the mighty waterfalls and flowing rivers. No, God did not choose them for His masterpiece. God did not choose Mount Everest whose height is over 29 thousand feet. Nor did God choose Mount Matterhorn in the Alps with all its majestic beauty. God did not choose Mount Sinai for its masterpiece, even though He signed His Ten Commandments on that mountain. No God didn’t choose a mountain, or an ocean, or a river, or a place for that matter. God chose man to be His masterpiece and to reveal His image. Let Us make man in Our Image, after Our Likeness: and let them have dominion. Genesis 1:26. Humans have yet to grasp the full meaning of this great declaration. The Angels in Heaven certainly have God’s Glory and Power, but they are not created in the image of God. Nothing in all of creation bears God’s Image except humans. For that reason, God not only affixed His Holy Signature, but God also stamped His Holy Likeness on mankind. Now, the children of God on this earth can proclaim that they are God’s Signature work. We have been made by God, but we are also made like God.
We could spend eternity attempting to describe the Glory of this Truth and yet words can never fully describe it. Rather than attempt to describe the Truth, our time would be better spent trying to apply this Truth. What does it mean for us to function as God’s Masterpiece? How do we live out the Glory of God in our daily walk? If we truly are God’s Masterpiece, where does He want to place us and what does He plan to do with us as His signature work? Those are some powerful questions. Please recall the purpose of the signature: ownership, quality, and completion. God combined these features when He signed off on the creation of believers in Christ.
The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Church at Ephesus and mentioned that God had placed His signature on God’s saved folk as His Masterpiece. Ephesians 2:10 tells us, we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them. This reveals God’s ownership: we are His workmanship. This reflects on the quality of God’s work: created in Christ Jesus unto good works. It also reminds us that God will finish what He started. God’s work will be completed: God has before ordained that we should walk in them.
Some of you are probably thinking, “I don’t feel like a masterpiece.” Most of us would even admit, we are far from what we ought to be much less God’s masterpiece. How in the world will God turn me into something wonderful for His Glory and then place me in a treasured place as “His Masterpiece?” The short answer is: you don’t know God. You don’t know that if God can take nothing and make a universe, He can certainly take a mess and turn it into a miracle.
For starters, the artist material does not look like the end product. The materials have flaws, the tools which the artist uses are not always shiny and neat. Yet, the skilled artisan takes the rough material and uses his worn tools to craft an object of beauty. In your life and mine, God has used the tools of struggle, the chisel of problems, and the paint of circumstances to create His Masterpiece. At times, we felt like we were worthless, but God kept on working and is still working on our lives. I can testify that He is still working on me. I don’t look like that Masterpiece yet, but I’m glad I don’t look like what I have been through. I’ll know when He is finished when He adds the Signature. For now, I must be patient and give God the praise for He will finish what He has started.
Is there a functional use for this Masterpiece of God? Absolutely! According to the Apostle Paul, we are God’s workmanship. The New Living Translation of Ephesians 2:10 says, we are God’s Masterpiece, He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. Did you hear that? God planned for us long ago to be His Masterpiece and to have a functional purpose as we serve in Christ Jesus. Here is the key: we must function in Christ Jesus and like Christ Jesus. That is correct. Jesus Christ is our model. He is the completed work that God ordained long ago. So, when God finishes His Masterpiece, we will walk, talk, and act like Jesus. As a matter of fact, we can start imitating Him now. In another chapter of the Ephesian letter, Paul said that we should be imitators of God in everything we do because we are God’s dear children. How is that for function?
God’s Signature is Required
Practically all transactions of value require a signature to certify the agreement or the document of record. Signatures were once placed on parchment and stored in a secure place. We have now evolved into using electronic signatures to verify identity, make transfers of assets, and conduct business legally. Yet, the signature is required.
Did I mention the fact that God is a Jealous God? As we know from the Bible that Israel is God’s firstborn. It is through Israel that God would bring the Gift of Salvation to all the world. Well, Israel went down to Egypt to live there but subsequently found themselves as slaves to the Egyptians. They dealt harshly with Israel and afflicted them with hard bondage for four hundred thirty years. At that time, God sent Moses to settle an ownership dispute with the nation of Egypt. Moses, as God’s agent, was given God’s signature card so that if he ran into any difficulty in bringing God’s people out of bondage, all he had to do was use God’s signature. Well, guess what? Pharaoh refused to let the people of Israel go and claimed that he owned them. God had already signed off on nine plagues that would end this dispute. Every time Pharaoh would disobey God’s order to let the people go, Moses would present God’s signature in the form of a plague. First the water was turned to blood, then came the frogs, then the gnats. The Egyptian magicians were able to duplicate the plagues with their enchantments until they got to the gnats. It was then they advised Pharaoh, that this was the Finger of God or God’s Signature. See Exodus 8:19. It wasn’t until Moses got to the ninth plague that Pharaoh gave up and let the people go. When God struck the Egyptians with the death of their firstborn, that’s when Pharaoh acknowledged God’s signature.
I close this message by reminding you that you not only need God’s Signature, but you also have God’s Presence. There are situations in life where you and I will need God to make a way where there is no way. We will need for our Great God to sign for our deliverance. I don’t need to remind you that we were bound by sin and imprisoned to our addictions and habits. That is when God took the Pen of Grace and dipped it in the Blood of Jesus and signed our release order. Because the question had been asked, “what can wash away my sin?” Then the answer came from Glory: “nothing but the Blood of Jesus.” God’s Signature was required. Not only that, but we also needed power to live as a child of God, God signed the order for us to receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8, But you shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in all the world, beginning at Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the world. Are you God’s Witness today? We can only claim that because God gave His Signature.
Then, one day, you and I will stand before the Gates of Glory, and the question will be asked, why should you be allowed to enter. Some will try to enter on the signature of good works. Others will try to enter on the signature of fame and fortune. But that is when God’s signature will be required. There is no admission without God’s valid signature. Counterfeits and forges will be immediately identified. My advice would be to get God’s Signature and keep it as your eternal identification. You are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them. That is God’s Signature and His Masterpiece.