Vocation of Man: Examining the Message of the Four Gospels

May 3, 2020 / Ryan Brown

Sin is…

  • Anything that detracts us from our original vocation of worshiping and serving God
  • The offense of sin is not our moral character, but that we have rejected our vocation
  • The root of sin is Idolatry
  • Sin leads to vocational Exile (synonymous with death)

“If you relieve a camel of the burden of his hump, he ceases to be a camel” – G.K. Chesterton

If you relieve man of the burden of his purpose, he ceases to be man!

To understand the cross, we must first understand:

  • Vocation of Man (Where we came from)
  • Eschatology i.e. “Last things” (Where we are going)
  • Sin (How it detracted us from vocation and end state)

Weeks Challenge: Find anywhere in the gospels where getting man to heaven is the point of the cross…

Gospel of Luke

  • Theme: Holy Spirit
    • Mentioned in Luke: 34 times (second most in any book in Bible)
    • Mentioned in Acts: 67 times (Most in any book in Bible)
  • Theme: Witness
    • Example:
      • John the Baptist
      • The Women in Luke
      • Into Acts, the apostles and first generation church

Primary Message of Luke: That through the Power and Leadership of the Holy Spirit, who enabled the prophets, John the Baptist, Jesus, the Apostles, and the first generation church, we are to enact the same boldness to our vocation as witnesses.

Gospel of John

  • Theme: The Glorification of Christ
    • Entire Gospel surrounds the “hour of glorification”
      • John 2:4
      • John 7:30
      • John 8:20
      • John 12:23
      • John 12:27
      • John 13:1
      • John 17:1
    • John 1:14
      • “Glory” mentioned 24 times in John

Primary Message in the Gospel of John: That Christ was God in the flesh, whom through the cross demonstrated the full heart, character, and ultimately, glory of God.

Gospel of Matthew

  • Theme: Kingdom of Heaven
    • Mentioned 54 times in Matthew
      • Message of John the Baptist
      • Message of Christ, “The Kingdom of Heaven is here”
      • Temptation of Christ – “Presented all the kingdoms”
      • Sermon on the Mount – Beatitudes “There’s is the kingdom of heaven”
      • Lord’s Prayer “Your kingdom come, your will done, on earth as it is in heaven”
      • Proclaim the message, “The kingdom of heaven is here”

*Hebraically, “heaven” and “earth” is not defined as a “place,” but “space.”

  • Heaven is God’s “space” and Earth is our “space”
  • Christ’s proclamation is that our space has become God’s space, and God shares His space with us!

*The message Christ communicates is that we were never meant to leave earth and go to heaven, rather bring heaven to earth to complete our vocation!

    • It does not change our affection and hope…whether in heaven or earth, we desire to live eternally with Christ
    • It does change our affection and commitment to creation
      • Difference between renting a house vs. owning a house
    • Bible ends with the establishment of God’s throne on Earth!
  • Theme: “God is with us”
    • Matthew 1:23
    • Matthew 28:19-20

*Christ consistently emphasizes that the point is that heaven came to earth, not that earth goes to heaven

*Christ came to save us FOR the world, not FROM it!

Primary Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven is here, and here to stay. We are to become patriots of God’s kingdom serving as vessels of service, worship, and a conduit for the Spirit to work through.

Gospel of Mark

  • Theme: Urgency
    • Use of term “Immediately”
    • Mark 2

Primary Message of the Gospel of Mark: There is an urgency to engage in the Kingdom of God. Not a, “I’ll serve God later” or “when I’m in a better place in my career, finances, or family” but RIGHT NOW!

What is the message of the Gospels?

THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP AND POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHO IS WITH US ALWAYS, WE ARE TO URGENTLY (IMMEDIATELY) SERVE/PARTICIPATE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND BEAR WITNESS TO THE GLORY OF CHRIST JESUS

  • THROUGH WHOM, REFOCUSED OUR WORSHIP FOR GOD AND DEFEATED THE POWER OF IDOLS IN OUR LIFE
  • HE BROUGHT THE NEW PASSOVER, THE NEW EXODUS, AND ESTABLISHED NOT ISRAEL’S KINGDOM, BUT WHAT THE KINGDOM ISRAEL INTENDED TO REFLECT…THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

 

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