Culture treats identity as personal expression, but God views identity as representation, getting just the briefest understanding of how profound it is. When God said, let us make man in our image. It will transform your thinking. It will radically expand your expectations and your entire approach to life.
Now I won't be able to do this justice. It's that profound. But I do want to bring enough to begin to challenge your thinking, to cause you to begin to understand how God sees you, what he's called you to, and the impact you're to have. Now I will in a moment share three direct applications, but the first is the understanding that we must not just give this mental ascent, that it's just great information, but begin to approach God asking for deeper revelation, deeper understanding of how profound this is.
And. Application. How do we live this out? And it's something we will grow in the rest of our lives, understanding the depths of what it means and how we apply it. But when God said, let us make man in our image, it was less about physical likeness. The word image is SEM and it means delegated presence.
That when God said, let us make man in our image, it was profoundly about us being his delegated presence in the earth. And what does that mean? It means bringing his heart, his care, his authority and responsibility into every situation that when God said, let us make man in our image, it was about delegating the responsibility for everything he'd created.
And he backed it by his authority because he immediately gave man dominion. But to get an idea of what it means to be that delegated presence, Jesus said, I have perfectly reflected the Father. It's the same idea. Jesus had walked in authority; he had cast out demons. He healed the sick, and he reflected God's heart in everything he did with Grace and with mercy.
And when he was confronted by misunderstanding, when he cast a demon out of a man, his response is, if I've done this by the power of God, it's the demonstration the kingdom of God has arrived. That was representing, that was that delegated presence representing the heart of God and Jesus then passed that on to us.
He said to the disciples, you'll do greater works than I did, and never before in history have you asked of my name. But ask now that your joy may be full, that he's delegated to us the responsibility for greater works and to use the power and authority of his name as mind boggling as that is. See, going back to God created a man in his likeness and he gave dominion.
And the idea of dominion is one that so quickly runs off the rails because the surface level definition is authority rulership, and that can go to people's head, and again, they go off the rails. But it's understanding Dominion was that responsibility backed by authority that when you combine image with Dominion, image leads to authority.
When you're creating the image of God, which requires responsibility and leads to a response in every situation. Here's the way to think of dominion. Domination is ruling for our own benefit. Dominion is ruling in bringing God's presence, his outcomes to situations that God calls us to literally bring order to disorder, increase to lack, to bring grace and mercy.
That we would literally advance the kingdom, that it would produce hot hope, life blessing, overflow. That's what God has called us to as part of delegated presence. Now, again, this is so deep and profound. We will grow in this the rest of our lives, but three direct applications in one is applying that identity.
In the world around you that we recognize you are called and authorized to bring God's delegated presence. That in the ancient culture, that delegated presence meant that person was able to move completely as a complete representative of the king in making and enforcing agreements, settling disputes, whatever the situation may be.
That first one is understanding how it impacts your approach to life, is recognizing God has called you to be his delegated presence and understanding that salvation is not just heaven, salvation is God's restoration. To the original plan. We get heaven in the process, but the immediate response is God is restoring us to that original plan.
Even though our shortcomings in our failures because of Jesus, we are restored and we are to move in that likeness, in that delegated presence. Number two, what are the responsibilities? What are the situations in your life right now? Where are you expected to take dominion? For his benefit, for the people around you right now, what is right in front of you, requiring you to begin to get a deeper understanding of being his image, being understanding of your identity and the responsibility and authority that comes with that.
What is waiting for your response right now? And then finally. Understanding what does it mean to take dominion, that it's not, again, dominating for our benefit, but how do we evaluate that when we're moving in his likeness and his identity, his responsibility and authority? Are we demonstrating the heart of God?
Are we bringing glory to him? Are we bringing blessing to the people around us? Are we transforming situations, bringing, again, that life and hope, bringing order to disorder, increase to lack, abundance, overflow, and blessing. So, the question today, how do you begin to grow in, get a deeper understanding and live out the real, the reality of your identity as his delegated presence?
Randy Gladden
