Go and Take Conway for Christ (Genesis 1:26-28; Matthew 28:16-20; Ephesians)
As I began another Bible reading, and was thinking about preaching this week, the Great Commission was lingering in my mind. Every year at this time, I preach again about what we are about and what we are to be doing. And most of those years it has been by looking at the Great Commission, which we will discuss some today.
But it was Genesis 1:26-28 that particularly captivated me this week. And it is here that we will be as we discuss the Church’s mission here on Earth. And what we are to be doing here in Conway, Arkansas.
We are approaching this from a little bit of a different angle this year. As I hope you see by the end of the sermon, the Great Commission really comes out of Genesis 1. It is how the Church is to accomplish taking dominion of the world. It is the method for expanding the borders of God’s Kingdom to every place on Earth.
Go Forth and Subdue (Genesis 1:26-28)
You have likely read this multiple times. But notice what God tells Adam and Eve. They are to have babies, subdue the Earth, rule over it. They are vice regents of the One True King. They are to rule it and subdue it as His representatives on Earth.
I would like to spend some time here thinking about what it means to take dominion of the Earth. And we will be helped in this as we examine what the Garden of Eden was and what they were supposed to do. Eden was a temple-like structure. It was a special place where God and man dwelt. And Adam and Eve were to expand the borders of the temple.
Consider first that the Temple was the place of God’s unique presence later in the Scriptures. The Garden of Eden was the unique place of God’s presence at this moment in time. (Genesis 3:8; Leviticus 26:12; Deuteronomy 23:14; 2 Samuel 7:6-7; Ezekiel 28:14)
Secondly, we also see that the priest was given the task of working and keeping the temple. And what is it that Adam and Eve are to do with Eden. Of course, they are to work and keep it. (Numbers 3:7-8, 8:25-26, 18:5-6; 1 Chronicles 23;32; Ezekiel 44:14)
Thirdly, we see that the cherubim were to guard the tree of life after Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24). Those cherubim are memorialized in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:18-22). It is, at the very least, a call back to the Garden of Eden.
Fourthly, it is possible that the “Tree of Life” found in Genesis 2:9 is the model of the lampstand in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:31-40). This ornate tree is either modeled after the tree of life, or it is simply an Edenic structure of immense beauty that is to remind us of paradise. Either way, it was intended to move attention that direction.
Fifthly, there were wood carvings throughout the temple that were garden-like. These are scattered throughout the directions given in 1 Kings 6-7 (1 Kings 6:18, 29, 32, 35; 7:18-20).
The sixth thing that should be noted is the direction that the temple entrance faced. In Genesis 3:24, we find that Israel’s temple entrance faced east and in Ezekiel we are told that it rests upon a mountain (Ezekiel 28:14-16). The end times temple is to face East and also be upon a mountain (Ezekiel 40:6, 40:2; 43:12).
Seventh and my final comparison, there is another similarity to Eden and the end-times temple. A river flowed from Eden (Genesis 2:10). We see that a river also flows from the end times temple (Ezekiel 47:1-12; Psalm 36:8-9; Revelation 21:1-12; Revelation 22:1-2)
I say all of this to make one point. Adam and Eve were in Paradise. They were in the presence of God. And the borders of paradise were to be expanded as they had children and subdued the wilderness.
In other words, “be fruitful, multiply, fille the earth, and subdue it” is to fill the earth with other image bearers, subdue the wilderness, and turn the entire globe into paradise where God and man dwell together.
As the body of Christ our job is not to just sit here and exist. It’s not just to be comfortable. It’s not just to hang out together and enjoy each other’s company.
We have a job to do. And it’s a big one. It’s the job that’s always been there to do.
Human beings were created in God’s image with a mandate to rule and reign as His Vice Regents. Adam and Eve were to expand the borders of paradise worldwide as they raised families that glorified and honored the Lord.
Today this touches every part of who we are. We have children and we raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord. We teach them the Scriptures and tell them about Jesus because we desire for them to honor the Lord with their lives someday. We also hope that God’s Kingdom expands through them.
For my own part, I hope to be able to see grandchildren be baptized as they trust in Christ as Savior. I hope that after I’m long gone children in my family are coming to faith in Christ. If the Lord tarries, I hope that my family lineage is coming to faith in Christ in droves as my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren raise their own children in the Lord. I hope and pray for family faithfulness.
And we are also to work toward the wilderness out there to come under the rule and reign of Christ.
When I see debauchery take place in Conway, Arkansas I should not be surprised. There is a lot of wilderness here. And in the wilderness, there is a lot of rebellion against the Lord.
Are we helpless in the wilderness? Are we, God’s Vice Regents on Earth, incapable of going into the wilderness and bringing it under His control?
Did any of you play Oregon Trail long ago? What was the premise of that game? It was really a game that told the story about how the Western part of America was subdued. This really happened. People really went into the wilderness and settled it. They subdued the land and took dominion of it.
As Christians we are to go out to the wilderness and bring it under the dominion of Christ. And in the Great Commission, Jesus gave us the method for doing so.
Go Forth and Make and Make Disciples of All Nations (Matthew 28:16-20)
For a number of years I have found Matthew 28:17 interesting and a bit perplexing. Jesus performed miracles, died on the cross, and they saw Him risen from the grave. How is it that they could be doubting? What could they be doubting about?
The doubting has to do with what comes next. What happens now? And are they able to do what comes next?
Jesus brings encouragement to them even as He gives them a command. Why is it that they can do what comes next? Because Jesus has all authority. All authority was given to Jesus (Matthew 28:18). He is King of Kings and Lord of lords. And so, all hesitancy should be removed far from them. Therefore, they can go.
And it is the same for us today. Why can we go? Why can we go into the wilderness and the darkness and proclaim Christ to the lost? We can do so because Jesus is Lord over all.
And what is the method for doing so? Jesus gives us the method. We are to baptize and teach all that Jesus commands. And this is to be done everywhere. It is to be done in all nations. And Jesus, who has all authority is with us.
We go and take the message of the gospel out into the wilderness. We take it to a lost and dying world in need of the Savior.
God the Son took on human flesh and dwelt among us. He earned our salvation for us by living the perfect life we should’ve lived. And He died on the cross, paying the punishment that was owed for our disobedience. Three days later, He rose from the grave and accomplished our justification. That is our salvation and it is the message we proclaim.
We read this at the end of the Gospel of Luke,
“Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:45-48 ESV)
This message transforms people. They join our ranks in baptism. And we teach them everything that the Lord commanded.
Notice that the Word is central to everything that we do.
We preach the gospel, found in the Word and people believe in Christ.
We baptize them because our Lord told us to do so.
We teach God’s Word because we are to teach everything the Lord has commanded.
We go forth, preaching and teaching the Word of the Lord.
And this is how the two passages fit together. We are to go forth and take dominion. As a church located in Conway, Arkansas, we are to go forth and take dominion of the wilderness around us. And the method for doing so is the preaching and teaching of God’s Word.
Why do we emphasize preaching and teaching?
That is the method. The method is not entertaining people into the Kingdom. It is making disciples through the preaching and teaching of God’s Word.
A disciple is first and foremost a learner. That is what it means to be a disciple. We are to go out into the wilderness, reach people with the message of the gospel, and teach them the Scriptures and how to be faithful to them.
Now, the problem that I see most often around here is that people are reached out to, come to church, and don’t become strong disciples that know the Scriptures. They don’t know the Scriptures that they profess to believe. And where does this leave them?
How effective is a person that doesn’t know the Scriptures at proclaiming the message of the Scriptures to their neighbor?
We must focus on this.
But I will also say this. Many times it is the case that a person uses not knowing how to talk with someone as an excuse to not talk to people even if they are capable of doing so. In other words, it’s an excuse. Remember, Christ is with us. And He will be with us until His return.
As a church, we must continually be at work to make fruit bearing disciples of Christ.
As a Christian, you must continually be at work to now the Scriptures and to make fruit bearing disciples of Christ. This will be done in your homes with your children, coworkers, your neighbors, and your extended family.
I remember being in Florida on vacation about 2.5 years ago. I was reading a book about a church being revitalized. And he said something that really stuck with me in that book. He encouraged pastors to encourage congregants to be a part of something outside of church for the purpose of reaching out to the community.
His premise was that Christians often lock their selves away and don’t rub shoulders with unbelievers. But if they get involved in some activity, your child’s sports team, an extracurricular for yourself such as going to the gym or jiu jitsu. And get to know people. Then tell them about Jesus.
I believe there is a lot of truth to what he said. My family has found, rather by accident, that going out into the community allows you to rub shoulders with people that you wouldn’t normally meet. I know from experience that it’s difficult to meet people that are not in your church when the only people you talk with are from your church.
It is easier than ever to never meet new people. I have neighbors that never leave their house. Their groceries are delivered. They don’t go to church. They work from home. When they do open the door to get their groceries, they look a little like a vampire with pale skin as the sun hurts their eyes.
Meet lost people. Share the gospel with them. Make disciples.
Satan Disrupted Adam’s Work and will Try to Disrupt Ours (Genesis 3:1-6; Ephesians 6:10-20)
Remember, Satan disrupted the work in the Garden of Eden. Mankind was to spread the worship of the Lord worldwide. And when Adam and Eve rebelled due to the temptation of Satan the whole thing was short circuited.
Bud amid the horrors of that rebellion, God promised a Savior. God promised one that would undo all that Satan had destroyed (Genesis 3:15). And that is the message we deliver. Jesus came and conquered. Jesus makes everything sad come untrue.
But that doesn’t mean that Satan is currently finished. He is currently working to disrupt the work of the Church.
And here I would like to end with a summary of the Book of Ephesians and apply it to what we have discussed so far. The Book of Ephesians details many of the ways that Satan wills eek to disrupt the Church and their work. The outline of the book is essentially how we are to walk in this life amid the attacks of sin and Satan. A rough outline would look something like this.
- We are now God’s people.
- We have been united to other Christians.
- We had the responsibility to preserve the blood-bought unity of believers.
- We have the responsibility to walk in righteousness.
- We have the responsibility to raise families that honor the Lord.
- Put on the full armor of God because Satan will be at war with you every step of the way.
When things are going well, you really should look out. It’s not that Satan has left a church alone, it’s that something is coming. Between our own personal sinfulness and the attacks of Satan there is always something to be wary of. And that is really the point that comes out of the Book of Ephesians.
Just as Satan disrupted the work of God’s representatives in Eden, he seeks to disrupt the work of God’s people today.
Just as seeking self rather than God disrupted the work of God’s people in Eden, it can disrupt the work of God’s people today.
Looking at the outline above:
What happens when the Christians within a church body are unsure of their standing before Christ? They are more timid and have difficulty reaching out. And what happens when they don’t understand the gospel well? They of course have a hard time spreading a message they don’t know very well.
What happens when a church body harbors resentment or animosity toward others within the body? If you have been here long, then you know what happens. People talk bad about other people in the church. People gossip and slander. Until eventually that local church has no unity to speak of.
What happens when a local body of believers takes lightly the work of raising God-honoring families? Well, I don’t believe that a lot of weak families are going to come together to make a strong church.
Or what if we think back to the Book of Genesis and Satan’s temptation there. What if we are tempted to doubt God’s Word? What if our focus changes and we begin to twist the Scripture to make people feel good about their sinfulness? If that ever happened, we would lose our ability to really help people. And we would lose the blessing of God, for He works through the preaching and teaching of His Word.
My point is quite simple here. Our sinful inclinations can lead to a short circuiting of good things that are and could happen here. And Satan’s temptations could lead to a short circuiting of good things that are and could happen here. Satan didn’t stop prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. He is still doing that right now.
We are to go forth and take dominion of the Earth, making disciples of all nations. And the thing that can happen quite quickly is that we can follow our own sinful flesh and the temptation of Satan and though Christ is king and He will win, the work here can be short circuited.
Conclusion
When I think about where we are as a church family, I would say that we are doing very well in comparison to where we were when I first got here. And over the course of the last couple years, we’ve seen growth in a lot of different important ways. In other words, I am happy with the direction and hope that this continues.
I open with a message from the Great Commission every year because we need to always keep our eyes where they are supposed to be. We are to make disciples of the nations, beginning in our own homes, neighborhoods, and city. We work and pray that the Lord would bless our labor. We work and pray that the Spirit would be with us.
But this year, I wanted to begin with a special caution. As we go forth and take dominion, little by little, we do so knowing that our own sinful desires and Satan’s temptations could short circuit our own work. Our own rebellion against God could bring our own efforts to ruin.
God’s King is on His throne. God the Son has come and conquered. He has accomplished our salvation and will rule and reign forever. He will succeed. His Kingdom will expand to the nations. And we get to be a part of that. But we must never take for granted what is happening here. We must work to take dominion in God’s way. We must work to maintain unity and love for one another. We must work to maintain the primacy of God’s Word in our work. We must work to teach God’s Word to all people left under our care.
We must take dominion by making disciples.