We talk about the Great Commission but what makes it so great or to put it another way, what is it greater than? Is there another Commission?
First there was the genesis commission...
What is the Genesis Commission, what was man’s original purpose?
We have been restored in 3 Arenas… power, presence and image…
Gen. 1:27-28 Subdue… to subject, subdue, force, keep under, bring into bondage
To bring into bondage, make subservient, To subdue, force, violate, To subdue, dominate, tread down.
Have dominion over the earth, can be passive, you’re in charge… but to subdue something requires work and effort and requires something to resist you… What was Adam and Eve supposed to subdue and have dominion over… All the animals were under their authority and didn’t need to be subdued… The only thing that needed subdued was Satan…
Man submitted to God was to extend the boundaries of the garden through obedience and bring the whole earth under his dominion…
Psa. 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
Man was created in a hostile environment with one purpose, to subdue and bring the earth under his control… Living Under God’s rule gives us the authority to extend God’s rule over the whole earth.
Luke 4:5-6 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
Satan said to Jesus that the keys of Authority were given to me, I know you came to get them back and I will give them to you if you just fall down and worship me…
When Adam sinned he gave the keys of authority in the earth to Satan…
Gen. 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Man was created to carry the presence of God, God breathed something of himself into the man…
When Adam sinned he lost the presence of God…
Gen. 3:9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
Gen. 5:1-3 In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
Adam was created in the image and likeness of God, but when he sinned his offspring were born in his likeness and so he lost the image of God…
Gen 28v10-17
1. House of God has an open Heaven.
2. God was there.
3. Angelic activity.
4. Ladder is on earth reaching heaven, not the other way around.
5. House of God, there was no building, just a guy leaning on a rock.
6. Gate of Heaven.
7. Angels ascending and descending, coming down to do mans bidding and returning when they are finished…
An open heaven speaks of favour, when the heavens are open to us it speaks of the favour of God on our lives.
• Mal 3 throw open the floodgates of heaven… Matt 3v16 No obstruction…
• Heavens are as brass is when there is no favour… Deut. 28v23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
The presence of God always abides in the house of God, whether we realise it or not… Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you…
Angels… Angels have been assigned to assist us… Heb. 1v14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
The ladder was set up on the earth, it was setup from earth to heaven… we have a work to do.
House of God is one man leaning on the rock under an open heaven…
Acts 7:48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things?
1Cor. 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
John 1v14 Jesus was the house of God tabernacling among men. Angels ascending and descending on the Son of man John 1v51.
Gates are access points, just a way to get from one area to another, to go from your garden to the street etc.
Matt. 16v15-18 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matt. 16v19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.
I bind here what I see bound there, I loose here what is loosed there…
Eph. 1v3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph. 2v6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Why did he bless us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places and why did he make us sit together in heavenly places, if he was going to do that then why didn’t he just kill us and take us to heaven when we got saved… because he wanted to give us heavenly perspective for our earth walk to bring heaven on earth… Matt. 6v10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
What was God’s purpose in giving the earth to men, God made man in his own image and likeness, God set them as rulers of the earth, man was meant to be a gate of heaven and bring heaven to earth and that’s why Jesus said they will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Psa. 115v16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
Jesus model was heaven.
John 8v12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 8v26 I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.
John 8v38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
John 5v19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
John 11:41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
Matt. 5v14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
We have the authority.
Ex 4v1, 3 levels of authority, over devils, over sickness and disease, over nature itself…
Ex. 14v13-16 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
Luke 8v22-25 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.
Ex 17:1 Moses strikes the rock.
Num 20v8 speak to he rock… it was never about the rod but about the authority…
Jesus answered their prayer and then rebuked them for their little faith… Sometimes when we pray we are avoiding our responsibility…
Ps 24v7-10 Gates are people with authority… Lift up your heads, what you look at will determine your level of authority… If you lift your head the king of Glory will come in…
Conformed to His image
1John 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
Rom. 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
As he is so are we in this world, we are called to be conformed to His image… When we read these verses sometimes we fail to grasp the truth of what’s being said…
What is the primary purpose?
Gen. 1:21-25 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Gen. 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: (after our kind) and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
God’s purpose has always been that we should be in His image, how much more now in Christ…
But what image of Christ did God want for us…
Jesus was known as…
• The suffering servant
• Man of sorrows
• The Shepherd
• Despised and Rejected
Were these the image that God wanted for us?
1John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
1John 4:17 …because as he is, so are we in this world. Notice as He is not as he was…
John 7:39 But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.
Why could the Holy Spirit not be given until Jesus was glorified, what is the Holy Spirit’s purpose?
He will lead us into all truth, he will take from Jesus and reveal it unto us, he gives us gifts and produces in us the fruit of the Spirit but for what purpose… To make us like Jesus or so that we might be conformed to the image of the Son… Ok so what image then are we to be conformed to?
The image that we are to be conformed to is the image of the glorified Christ.
The Holy Spirit’s purpose on the earth is to make us like Jesus, as soon as the Holy Spirit got here he was to look to Jesus and conform us to that image, if he had been given before Jesus was glorified then that is the image he would produce in us, but that wasn’t God’s plan and so God had to wait until Jesus was glorified to send the Holy Spirit and then the glorified Christ was the model the Holy Spirit used to conform us to…
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
2Pet. 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
2Cor. 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Matt. 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
We need to remember… Jesus didn’t need power and authority to be given to him, as God he already had all power and authority, but as man he received all power and authority on our behalf and so he has entrusted that power and authority to us as believers so we can overcome all the works of the enemy…
Two main temptations…
1. Doubt God… did God really say
2. Doubt yourself… if you are the son of God
When we got born again we were restored to his purpose, we have dominion, we have his presence and we are restored to his image.
you can watch the video here...
Grace Media Blog Archive Restored to His Purpose 
Linear Mode
