“Jesus,

 the  Kingdom,  &  Us:      

Living  Here  &  Now  as  God’s  Missionary  People”  
New  City  Church:    Northridge  ~  Fall  2009  
 
Session  #3:    “Understanding  My  Story  in  Light  of  God’s  Story”  
Part  II—Vocation  &  The  Great  Commission  
 
“…we  can  say  that  culture  in  its  broadest  sense  is  the  purpose  for  which    
God  created  man  after  His  own  image”  (H.  Bavinck,  Our  Reasonable  Faith)  
 
I.    The  Original  Great  Commission:    The  Calling  to  Build  Culture    
 
  A.    Remember,  God  created  the  material  universe,  &  He  created  it  ‘very  good’  (Gen.  1:31)  
• Contra  Gnosticism  &  Platonism  which  says  it  is  bad  &  the  goal  is  to  escape  it.      
 
  B.    God  commissions  humanity  to  rule  as  stewards  over  God’s  good  creation.      
1)    Genesis  1:26-­‐27;  Genesis  2:15;  Psalm  8:6  
 
• M.  Wittmer,  “God  did  not  create  a  static  world.    He  didn’t  want  his  pristine  creation  to  remain  the  same,  
but  commanded  Adam  &  Eve  to  make  it  better”  (Heaven  is  a  Place  on  Earth).  
• N.  Bierma,  “The  Garden  of  Eden  was  an  unfinished  masterpiece…It  was  without  flaw.    But  part  of  the  
reason  God  made  human  beings  was  to  make  it  even  better….we  were  made  to  give  a  greater  beauty  to  a  
beautiful  creation…”  (Bringing  Heaven  Down  to  Earth).  
• OP  Robertson,  “Made  in  God’s  image,  man  has  the  unique  responsibility  to  ‘subdue’  the  earth  and  rule  
over  every  living  creature…This  subduing  involves  the  bringing  out  of  all  the  potential  within  the  creation  
which  might  offer  glory  to  the  Creator.    Such  an  ordinance,  embedded  in  the  creational  responsibilities  of  
man,  clearly  intends  to  affect  his  entire  life  pattern”  (Christ  of  the  Covenants).  
 
2)    Work  was  originally  designed  to  be  a  royal  activity  of  establishing  good  culture—or  what  
is  later  called  the  Kingdom  of  God—over  the  face  of  the  earth.  
 
• Albert  Wolters,  “…human  history  and  the  unfolding  of  culture  and  society  are  integral  to  creation  and  its  
development…[they]  were  built  in  from  the  beginning…[If  we  can  see  this]  then  we  will  be  much  more  
open  the  positive  possibilities  for  service  to  God  in  such  areas  as  politics  and  the  film  arts,  computer  
technology  and  business  administration,  development  economics  and  skydiving”  (Creation  Regained)  
• W.  Dryness,  “Culture  is  what  we  make  of  creation.”      
• Q.  Shultze,  “Human  culture  is  a  symphony  in  which  we  can  all  play  either  well  or  poorly.    We  enter  the  
stage  of  God’s  creation  and  make  our  music.    When  we  play  well,  in  tune  with  our  gifts  and  God’s  score,  the  
music  is  magnificent.    We  pour  spiritual  life  into  a  luscious  creation…On  the  other  hand,  when  we  
stubbornly  write  our  own  score,  we  orchestrate  dissonance,  destruction  and  despair.”      
 
Key Question: "If you converted to Christianity today, do you think your life would be larger, fuller,
richer, more attractive and creative, more involved with the people, circumstances, art, and culture around
you? Or do you think your life would be smaller, narrower, more withdrawn, judgmental, and negative,
less winsome and creative, less involved with the people, art, circumstances, and culture around you?"
~ Ellis Potter
 
II.    My  Place  in  This  World:    The  Doctrine  of  Vocation  
Gene  E.  Veith,  “‘Justification  alone’  is  surely  the  most  important  contribution  of  the  Reformation.    
The  second  most  important,  arguably,  is  ‘the  doctrine  of  vocation.’”  
 
  A.    Work  is  good.      
 • John  Calvin,  “…before sin entered the world, and before we were condemned by God to painful and difficult
work, it was necessary for men to occupy themselves with some work. Why? Because it was against our nature
for us to be useless blocks of wood.”  
 
B.    Luther  &  The  Lord’s  Prayer:    We  ask  God  to  give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,  but  notice  how  
He  does  it:    through  the  vocation  of  the  farmer,  the  baker,  the  truck  driver.    Yet  we  know  that  
it  is  God  who  provides  for  our  needs,  but  he  does  it  through  humans,  through  vocations.      
C. Luther:    vocation  is  a  mask  of  God.    That  is,  God  hides  Himself  in  various  places  through  
various  vocations.      
(1) To  speak  of  someone  being  hidden  does  not  mean  they  are  not  there.    But  here,  to  speak  
of  God  being  hidden  is  a  way  to  talk  about  God  being  present.  
(2) So  God  hides  himself  in  your  workplace,  in  your  university  classroom,  in  your  family,  in  
your  church,  and  in  a  million  and  one  places  in  society.      
- God  healed  me  (shoulder  surgery)  
- God  speaks  to  me  (through  my  pastor,  my  seminary  profs,  friends,  Bible  +  HS)  
- God  gives  me  pleasure  (through  the  laughter  of  my  kids,  my  wife’s  smile,  the  
musician)  
 
D.    God  calls  us  to  a  life  of  good  works.  
(1)    Ephesians  2:8-­‐10,  “For  by  grace  you  have  been  saved  through  faith.  And  this  is  not  
your  own  doing;  it  is  the  gift  of  God,  not  a  result  of  works,  so  that  no  one  may  boast.  
For  we  are  his  workmanship,  created  in  Christ  Jesus  for  good  works,  which  God  
prepared  beforehand,  that  we  should  walk  in  them.”  
(2)    Titus  3:4-­‐8,  “But  when  the  goodness  and  loving  kindness  of  God  our  Savior  appeared,  he  
saved  us,  not  because  of  works  done  by  us  in  righteousness,  but  according  to  his  
own  mercy,  by  the  washing  of  regeneration  and  renewal  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  whom  he  
poured  out  on  us  richly  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Savior,  so  that  being  justified  by  his  
grace  we  might  become  heirs  according  to  the  hope  of  eternal  life.  The  saying  is  
trustworthy,  and  I  want  you  to  insist  on  these  things,  so  that  those  who  have  believed  
in  God  may  be  careful  to  devote  themselves  to  good  works.  These  things  are  
excellent  and  profitable  for  people.”  
 
E.    The  Purpose  of  Vocation  (life!):    To  love  and  serve  God  by  loving  and  serving  your  
neighbor.      
(1)    Kid’s  Catechism:    “Who  is  your  neighbor?”    “Everyone  is  my  neighbor.”  
(2)    Who  is  your    neighbor?    Co-­‐workers,  customers,  boss,  professors,  pastors,  congregants,  
family  members,  clerks,  taxi  drivers,  etc.  
 
F.  God  is  hidden  in  vocation,  but  He  is  also  ‘hidden’  in  our  neighbor.  
(1)  Mt.  25,  Jesus  says  whenever  we  feed  the  hungry,  give  drink  to  the  thirsty,  shelter  the  
stranger,  clothe  the  naked,  or  visit  the  prisoner,  we  are  in  reality  doing  for  him:    
“Whatever  you  did  for  the  least  of  these  brothers  of  mine,  you  did  for  me.”      
(2)  Col.  3:23-­‐24,  “Whatever  you  do,  work  at  it  with  all  your  heart,  as  working  for  the  Lord,  
not  for  men….It  is  the  Lord  Christ  you  are  serving.”      
(3)    How  does  that  change  your  perspective?      
 
 
Key  Point:    We  are  called  to  be  God’s  missionary  people    
here  (in  Calgary)  &  now  (“for  such  a  time  as  this”—Esther  4:14).