God’s Commission Restored
Text: Acts 2:22 KJV
Introduction: Jesus could not heal the sick. Jesus could not deliver the tormented from demons. Jesus could not raise the dead. To believe otherwise is to ignore what He said about Himself. In Jn 5:19, Jesus said: "The Son can do nothing." Nothing in the Greek has a special, unique meaning, it means nothing! He had NO supernatural capabilities whatsoever. Though He was 100% God, He chose to live with the same limitations that man would face once He was redeemed. Jesus became the model for all who would embrace the invitation to invade the impossible in His name. He performed miracles, wonders and signs as a man in right relationship to God...not as God. The point we need to understand here is that if Jesus had done these things as God, then they would be unattainable to us. But because He did them as a man, I become responsible as a redeemed child of God to pursue after His lifestyle. If the Church could grasp this nugget of truth, a full restoration of the ministry of Christ in His Church would become a reality.
No doubt there were distinctions between the humanity of Jesus and those who followed closely after Him during His earthly visit. The two most important distinctions were:
(1) Jesus had no sin to separate Him from the Father.
(2) Jesus was completely dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit working through Him.
To His followers at the time, these distinctions forced their complete reliance upon Him and upon His relationship with the Father and Holy Spirit. But, there is a difference now. Because of His death, burial and resurrection, as well as the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, these distinctions no longer exist. The blood of Jesus takes care of the sin that once separated man from God and the giving of the Spirit enables believers to have and display the same power that Jesus had. What I am talking about here is Kingdom power and authority.
To get a clearer understanding here, we need to go back to the Garden of Eden. We need to discover God’s original commission and purpose for mankind. Man was created in God’s image and placed into a place of complete beauty and peace. There he was told to "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it." God’s plan was for man to eventually populate the earth with God-lovers and rule that earth for the glory of God it was to be like heaven on earth. All seemed so perfect, but one problem existed. Early in Genesis we discover that Satan has rebelled and been kicked out of heaven. God could have destroyed the devil on the spot but He chose to defeat this darkness through His delegated authority - those made in His image who loved Him by choice. The stage was set for all of darkness to fall as man exercised his godly influence over creation. But instead, man fell.
Understand something here, Satan didn’t attack the Garden violently and take possession. He couldn’t. He had no dominion there. God had given dominion over the earth to man. When Satan suggested eating the forbidden, he was simply encouraging Adam & Eve to come into agreement - a partnership, if you will - with him in opposition to God. By doing so, they would give him their power and dominion over the earth. This agreement enabled Satan to kill, steal and destroy. Even today, Satan is empowered through man’s continued agreement with him.
At that moment, Adam forfeited his right to rule and God kicked into play His predetermined plan of redemption for mankind. God’s plan of rulership for man never ceased. Jesus came to bear man’s penalty for sin and to recapture what had been lost. Through the victory gained on the cross, believers become victorious. It is time for us to come to the place where we have the desire and the will power to invade this earth with the power of heaven.
We need to begin by understanding:
1. We Are Born to Rule
A. In redeeming man, Jesus retrieved what man had given away.
1. From His place of triumph, Jesus declared: "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore..."
2. Jesus was saying in effect: I got it all back, now go use it and reclaim mankind.
3. This fulfilled the promise Jesus made to His disciples when He told them: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven."
4. The resurrection of Jesus Christ brought about this complete restoration to a place of rulership.
B. Sin brought consequences upon humanity.
1. Disease, sickness, afflicting spirits, poverty, natural disasters, demonic influences.
2. The victory of the cross brought victory over these consequences.
B. We were born to rule.
1. To rule over creation
2. To rule over the forces of darkness
3. To plunder hell and to establish the rulership of Jesus everywhere we go through the preaching of the gospel message.
Application: God’s original plan placed man in a position of rulership over all creation. We were born to rule over the King’s domain. Our rule continues to be over creation but we must now spend the majority of our time focused on exposing and undoing the works of the devil. In order to fulfill this work before us, we must encounter the God of all power and take His power upon ourselves. The invasion of God into impossible situations comes through a people who have received power from on high and who have learned to release that power into the circumstances of life.
To better understand what I’m talking about here, we need to understand:
2. The Keys of David
A. Two particular verses speak about the keys of David:
1. Is 22:22 says: "And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open."
2. Re 3:7 says: "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth"
3. Jesus regained authority to all Kingdom things for mankind through His victory over Satan at the cross.
B. So what does this have to do with us?
1. By being brought into the family of God, we inherit access to these keys to the Kingdom.
2. The key-holder had two functions:
a. Supervision of the royal chambers
b. Authority to decide who could be received into the King’s service.
3. Along with these two functions came a tremendous amount of responsibility.
a. Supervision means access to all that God has.
b. Authority to decide means we are responsible for proclaiming the gospel message far and wide.
Application: The keys of David are symbols of authority and power. God has given us all power and authority through Jesus Christ. We must learn to utilize that power that is made available to us for the sake of the Kingdom.
As we come to better understand the power and authority made available to us through Jesus Christ, there will be:
3. A Revolution in Our Identity
A. A full recognition of who we are through Jesus Christ.
1. I am no longer the defeated one - Satan is.
2. I am no longer the one under judgment - Satan is.
3. I am no longer condemned - Satan is.
4. I am victorious, I am God’s child - His heir, I hold the keys in my hand.
B. Satan has placed a defeatest spirit in believers for too long.
1. We figure he is still in control until we finally leave here.
2. We figure he is still in full power.
3. We figure he is still the dominant figure on this earth.
4. Get over it - recognize who you are in Jesus Christ.
C. It is time for a complete revolution in our way of thinking about who we are.
Application: We have been under the mindset for too long that says one day I’ll finally be victorious. That’s a lie of the devil. I am victorious now. Recognize who you are now.
Conclusion: Adam and Eve handed dominion over all things to Satan. He did not take them by force. Today, we hand dominion back over to Satan because we lack an understanding of who we really are and when this stuff is supposed to happen. I am a King’s kid now. Jesus won the victory for me on the cross. I don’t need to wait any longer.
The church needs restoration. The church needs to return to her roots - the church needs to once again visit heaven on this earth. Restoration comes through distinction. Distinction comes through following the perfect example of Jesus Christ - he had no sin to separate Him from the Father and He depended upon the power of the Holy Spirit to empower Him. This is what the church needs today. We need to get rid of the sin hidden in so many hearts and lives and then we need to recognize as well implement the power of the Holy Spirit into all that we seek to do.
You can hear this sermon and others at our website: www.corministry.com.
