Dominion
Notes
Transcript
Who are two people that you look up to?
Why do you respect them?
Transition:
Transition:
Often times as people we tend to think of our job, as our identity. Hi I’m Samuel Dingler, Youth Pastor. But the reality is our identity and character are not defined by our work, we are more than that. Yet when God made people, He made them to work.
Many of us if we were to imagine the perfect day, we would be laying on a beach somewhere with nothing to do. Just chill all day, relax and soak up the sun. And that is a great day for a vacation, or a break from the routine. But could you imagine living your life with nothing to do? Every day, forever. No school, no job, no games, no nothing just living like a homeless man. Every day the same with nothing to do… It wouldn’t take long and you would be begging to go do something, anything.
Beleive it or not work predates the fall. Work itself is not a punishment of sin, the toil and pain of work yes, but not the work itself.
1.God gave us dominion over the earth
1.God gave us dominion over the earth
Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
God made man and gave us dominion over the earth. Dominion is the fancy bible word for authority and responcibility. We have the authority to make the world orderly, and the responcibility to take care of it.
2. God meant for us to work.
2. God meant for us to work.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.
God placed Adam into the Garden to tend it. Imagine God makes the literal most beautiful garden, and tells Adam to work it and to keep it, to make it better. To give it more order, and care.
Then God brings all the animals to Adam to name. Using the authority God gave him Adam got to decide what each animal would be called. In the Ancient times, to name something was to exhort authority over it. Parents name their kids, because they have that authority. You name your pets because you have that authority over them.
How many of you have pets? What are their names? What do you have to do to take care of those pets?
Having dominion isn’t just a powertrip kind of deal. Its also the responcibility to take care of the one you are over. You work to care for them.
That’s How God intended us to be, Under his authority he gave us the dominion to shape the world, but that requires work.
3. God has a calling for each of us.
3. God has a calling for each of us.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Tonights key word is...
Key Word: Calling- the purpose that God has for your life
Key Word: Calling- the purpose that God has for your life
God has made each of us with different skills, talents, passions. God’s plan for us is to find that thing we seek to do. Some people God has a specail calling for in ministry, but for most that call is more generic.
We are to Love God and follow where he leads us. To work under his authority to bring his work into brighter glory. In the same way Adam took care of Eden, our calling is to do what God has commanded. This isn’t just job related. You are more than what you do. But we should live our lives to honor God, To live up to the good works that he has for us to do.
Sometimes your calling might be to care for someone in need. Sometimes it might be to tell a hard truth to a friend.
Ultimately we have to remember
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
Applicaiton: What are you responcible for?
Applicaiton: What are you responcible for?
As a middle schooler you might be sitting there tonight thinking that you don’t have dominion over anything, since you are still at home, or school everyone else seems to have dominion over you.
But think about it, What are you responcible for?
Your Bedroom? clean it up take care of your stuff
Your grades? take responsibility they don’t depend on your parents or teachers. Don’t just goof off, work heartily. If your struggling ask for help.
Your Sports/clubs? Do your best and don’t slack off.
Your free time? what do you do with the time that you have that isn’t booked? should you really waiste all day on that game, or your phone? build relationships, help your friends or siblings,
Whatever you do, do your best for Jesus!
