Dominion, Given, Lost, Regained
Genesis 1:26-28
Introduction: In the Book of Beginnings God turned over to
man His entire creation here on earth.
Because of lust, man lost everything to God’s worst enemy, Satan. Today we look at the fall and how it affects
us.
A.
Today millions are living in spiritual, mental, and
physical bondage.
1.
What a force there is to degrade human dignity.
a.
Untold millions are held in invisible chains.
b.
Bound by fear and various evil habits
c.
Terrible diseases that crush them
d.
Many bound by demon powers
B.
In primitive lands base superstitions make slaves.
1.
Islamic – we have seen this today
2.
Clothed like a lamb, but inside a raving wolf.
3.
Based on fear, must please Allah
4.
Also much demon worship, witchcraft, spiritism
a.
All these teach fear
C.
Our problem here is oppression and depression.
1.
Many today are held captive by these evil forces.
2.
Why is mankind enmeshed in this terrible bondage?
3.
The Word of God answers these questions.
II.
Man was created to rule. Genesis 1:26-28
A.
Here God revealed that man was a created being.
1.
Made him in His image and likeness.
2.
Genesis 2:7
B.
God blessed them – Vs 28
1.
Be fruitful and multiply
2.
God said subdue, have dominion
3.
This was man’s beginning and position with God.
a.
David spoke it – Psalm 8:6
b.
Hebrews confirmed it – Hebrews 2:6-8
A.
What a beginning there was for man.
1.
Possessing credentials of ruler-ship from the Most
High.
2.
To fall to the wearing of the devils chains of slavery.
B.
How did man lose his dominion, lord-ship, and
sovereignty?
1.
Only the Bible answers that question.
2.
God’s word declares:
a.
Man knowledgeably, willfully, and deliberately lost his
freedom.
b.
Genesis 3:6
3.
Adam did not exercise his responsibility of lord-ship
over the garden.
C.
Adam was to keep the garden –
Genesis 2:15
1.
A close look at the word keep
2.
Much stronger implication than we have today
a. Example: I will keep your pet for you.
3.
The word is guard, a very different
meaning
a.
Genesis 3:24 – No way to get to that tree or in the
garden.
4.
Adam was to guard the garden.
a.
If there were no enemy, why would God say guard it?
b.
Adam was given power over all that moved. Genesis 1:20
c.
The serpent moved.
A.
He knowingly sinned against God.
1.
In this he delivered his kingdom and place of
leadership into the hands of God’s enemy.
Luke 4:6
B.
When Adam transgressed against God:
1.
He died spiritually
2.
Fear was born in his heart
3.
He hid himself from God
4.
When he died spiritually, physical death began.
C.
The spirit of man fell and he was separated from God.
1.
God’s highest part of His complex being had lost
dominion.
2.
Now man was wearing the chains of the devil’s slavery.
V.
The Change.
A.
With great dignity Adam had worn his vested authority.
1.
He was created
to rule
2.
Note: Man either has dominion or he is under dominion.
a.
There is no neutral ground
3.
Man was created to be dominated by no force except the
Divine.
a.
He was created to have power over all influences before
him.
b.
When this force is not in divine order, the result is
disaster.
4.
When man fell, the entire world fell with him. 1 John 5:19
a.
Chaos was ushered into creation by:
1.
John 12:31, 16:11
2.
Ephesians 6:12,
2 Corinthians 4:4
b.
Even Adam’s beloved animals no longer obeyed him.
1.
The lamb could no longer lay down with the lion.
A.
Man fell from God’s grace into sin.
1.
He did not stumble or slip
2.
He fell into the very gutter of despair, disgrace,
disease
3.
His fall was threefold – Genesis 3:6
B.
One = The Body
1.
He looked upon the fruit of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil and he saw it good for food.
2.
He lusted for that food
3.
1 John 2:16 -
The first instance of the “lust of the flesh”.
C.
Two = The soul
1.
The fruit was pleasant to the eyes
2.
His soul desired this forbidden fruit
3.
This unholy desire meant rebellion against God
4.
By not controlling his eyes and looking to the Lord:
a.
He permitted his eyes to lust the forbidden
b.
This caused the down fall
D.
Three = The spirit
1.
He was told the fruit would make him wise
2.
This was the sin of the spirit, the pride of
life.
3.
Man fell completely ‘
a.
Body, soul, spirit
b.
In so doing he lost his lordship, dominion over evil
and disease.
A.
At the collapse of man, God initiated His plan.
1.
The glorious plan of redemption
a.
God’s plan to redeem man
b.
He promised a redeemer, born of a virgin, who would
bruise Satan’s head. Genesis 3:15
2.
Impelled by love, God made a master stroke:
a.
He sent Jesus, His only begotten Son
b.
Jesus was to pay the for sin
c.
He was to defeat Satan
d.
He was to bring back man into his place of divine
dominion.
3.
We are to continually give thanks for His divine plan.
a.
Colossians 1:12-14
Conclusion: The enemy has been defeated and Jesus is
Lord. Let us now begin to exercise our
AUTHORITY and walk in DOMINION.