Courthouse Towers, at Arches Nat. Park

You Can Have Dominion


    The above photo is a picture of Courthouse Towers in Arches National Park, at Moab Utah.  The towers are so tall and massive, that I had to use the widest lens that I had and move back some distance to get them in the picture.  These gigantic rocks remains standing after the weaker materials around them has eroded away.


Introduction:  

Webester's definition is, "1. Sovereign or supreme authority; the power of governing and controlling."  Is your life out of control?  Do you have dominion over your life? You can have dominion!!!  However, to have authority, you must first submit to authority and to submit means to put yourself under the mission of another.

I. God has absolute dominion in that He is the Creator.

A.  "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth"  (Genesis 1:1).

B.  "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him"  (Colossians 1:16).

C.  "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created"  (Revelation 4:11)

 II. God delegated dominion to man.

A. Man was made to have dominion. 

"What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet"  (Psalms 8:4-6).

B. God commanded man to have dominion.  

1. "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. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: 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"  (Genesis 1:22-26).

a. He was to be fruitful.

b.. He was to multiply.

c. He was to have dominion over all living creatures.

2. "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth"  (Genesis 1:28).

a. He was to be fruitful.

b. He was to multiply.

c. He was to replenish the earth.

d. He was to subdue the earth. (bring under subjection).

e. He was to have dominion over all living creatures.

3. "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it"  (Genesis 2:15).

a. God put man in the garden of Eden to have dominion.

b. He was to dress the garden of Eden.  (He was given authority to work the land).

c.  He was to keep it.  (He was given the authority and responsibility to watch over  and to protect it).

III. Man's failure to use his dominion caused him to lose it.   (Genesis 3:1-7, 16-24).

A. He had authority over all creatures. (Genesis 2:19 - Adam was given authority to name the creatures).

"And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof"  (Genesis 2:19).

B. He allowed the serpent to rule through disobeying God. 

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die"  (Genesis 2:17).

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat"  (Genesis 3:6).

C. He lost his dominion.  (Genesis 3:17-19).

"And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return"  (Genesis 3:17-19).

IV. We only see glimpses of dominion over nature in the Old Testament.

A.  Joshua commanded the sun to be still. 

"Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.  And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.  And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel"  (Joshua 10:12-14).

B. Elisha commanded the head of ax to swim on top of the water. 

"But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim"  (II Kings 6:5-6).

V. Jesus came to exercise dominion.  

A. He had dominion over temptation. 

"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.  And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.  Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.  Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him,  Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him"  (Matthew 4:1-11).

B. He spoke with authority.  

"And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes"  (Matthew 7:28-29).

C. He had dominion over nature.  

"And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm"  (Mark 4:37-39).

D. He had dominion over death. 

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live"  (John 11:25).

"And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go"  (John 11:43-44).

E. He had dominion over devils.  

"And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying,  Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not"  (Luke 4:33-35).

F. He had dominion over sickness.  

"When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick" (Matthew 8:16).

VI. Jesus came to regain dominion over Satan.

A. Jesus came to undo what the devil had done.

"He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil"  (I John 3:8).

B. The Father has put all things in subjection under the feet of Jesus.

"But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him"  (Hebrews 2:6-8).

C. Jesus came to take away the power of death from the devil.

"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage"  (Hebrews 2:14-15).

D. Jesus first descended into hades and overcame the powers of darkness and then ascended to a place of authority.  

"Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)"  (Ephesians 4:8-10).

E. Jesus made a public display of overcoming the powers of darkness. 

"And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it"  (Colossians 2:15).

VII. Dominion is given to the Church.

A. Jesus is to divide the spoil with Believers.

"Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors"  (Isaiah 53:12).

B. Jesus was placed in the position of authority and then he delegated that dominion to the Church.

"The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,  
Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all"  (Ephesians 1:18-23).

"And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus"  (Ephesians 2:7).

C. Jesus delegated authority to Peter and to Believers such as Peter.

"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. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven"  (Matthew 16:18-19).

D. Authority was given to Jesus and Jesus delegates it to his disciples.

"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: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen"  (Matthew 28:18-20).

E. Jesus gave authority to the Church to overcome the gates of the enemy.

"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"  (Matthew 16:18).

VIII. What is our responsibility?

A. We are to "Go ye therefore" and exercise dominion.

"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: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen"  (Matthew 28:18-20).

B. We are to "Go ye into all the world" and exercise dominion though proclaiming the gospel.

"And he said unto them,  Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.  So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen"  (Mark 16:15-20).

C. We are to "tread upon" the powers of darkness.

"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you"  (Luke 10:19).

D. We are to "stand" and "withstand" the powers of darkness.

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace"  (Ephesians 6:10-15).

E. We are to "resist" the devil and overcome him.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you"  (James 4:7).

IX. How is man to have dominion?

A. We are to have dominion through our obedience

"The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways"  (Deuteronomy 28:7).

B. We are to have dominion through faith and speaking.  

"And Jesus answering saith unto them,  Have faith in God.  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them"  (Mark 11:22-24).

C. We are to have dominion through properly using the name of Jesus.  

"Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk"  (Acts 3:6),

D. We are to have dominion through invoking the blood of Jesus.  

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death"  (Revelation 12:11).

E. We are to have dominion through the power of our testimony

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death"  (Revelation 12:11).


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