I want to pick up the thought of man being created as the representative. I just want to focus on God's creation and his plan. Then we're going to look at each of the three aspects.
First of all, man was created to be representative. I don't know if you've ever thought of that, but you're actually called to represent someone, and that means you're not here to do your own thing. You're called to act as a representative.
Psalm 103:19 - "The Lord has established his throne in the heaven. His kingdom rules over all".
When God created the earth, he had in mind that he would extend his kingdom. His kingdom existed in the realm of the spirit. When he created the physical earth, all of the physical creation, his plan was he would expand his kingdom into that whole realm. He's a king, he's going to expand his kingdom; and so he intended that he would rule over the earth he created, and that he would display what he's like. His goodness is love. The earth would be filled with the goodness of God, the creativity of God - that's what he had in mind.
Any kingdom has four essential components:
1) A king that rules. So whenever you read about the kingdom, the kingdom of God, you're talking about a ruler, someone who rules; they're not elected, they are the king, they're in charge. Our thinking must be aligned to think kingdom. When God created all of this earth, he created it to extend his kingdom over it all, and that means he would rule over it.
2) A kingdom refers to property or territory. The whole of the physical world is called to be an extension of God's kingdom, the place he rules.
3) A kingdom also refers to subjects, or people. If a king is over a kingdom, then there's a place he rules over; and a people he rules over as well.
We have a brilliant example of that just looking at the funeral of the queen of England, and then the appointment of a king. Many of the features around the appointment of the king, and the anointing of the king, and even what they sing and read all comes out of the Bible. It goes right back to David's kingdom. The kingdom is the pattern God has for uniting everything in creation.
4) A kingdom has a cultural system of rules that makes it work. So it isn't just: everyone does what they want! There's always a system of law and rules; a way of doing things.
When you are born again, when you receive Christ, you are translated out of another kingdom - out of the power of darkness, out of an invisible kingdom, ruled over by the devil; and you are positioned in your heart as part of a different kingdom. That means you have a new king or ruler over your life, you become part of a family of people that God rules over - and there are patterns and ways that He does things. If you follow his pattern - things go well; but if you don't follow his pattern, if you break his laws, then demonic spirits have room to operate.
The chaos we see in the earth today is because of the rejection of God, the rejection of His rule, the rejection of His principles; and therefore, chaos, absolute chaos, wars, all kinds of difficulties - we see that everywhere.
God is the king over all of creation. He creates the physical realm, his desire is to extend his kingdom in it. Now, how is the king going to rule? Any kingdom, it has to be ruled. There's two ways the king can rule over his kingdom. One is He does it directly. God, because he is God, is able to directly rule everywhere. He's able to speak into the heart of every person. He's able to engage you. He's omnipresent, he's able to be everywhere. Therefore, it's possible for God to rule over the whole earth by himself. He don't need anyone to do it. However, he decided that that's not how we would do it. He would work through people.
A kingdom then, is ruled over, either directly by the king, or by someone he delegates to represent him - an organized pattern or structure for his kingdom, that's how it must work. All kingdoms work the same way. God has created man to be his representative, to carry out his purposes, to rule as he would rule - that's God's plan.