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My Vocation in Christ • Lesson Five •

Through My Vocation, God Is Glorified 1. Through my vocation, Christ continues to do his work in the world 2. Through my vocation, Christ reaches people with his gospel

Worship Suppose you had a narrow escape from what would have been a very serious traffic accident. You have no idea how you avoided the oncoming car, but somehow you escaped without a scratch. Do you think that story might be worth telling someone? You have a story like that: the story of your rescue by the Lord Jesus from sin, death, and the devil. We pray responsively selected verses from Psalm 57. In these words the psalmist acknowledges that he must tell the world how the Lord rescued him. Leader: Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, Group: because my soul has taken refuge in you. Leader: In the shadow of your wings I will take refuge until destruction has passed by. Group: I call to God Most High, to God, who completes his plans for me. Leader: He will send from heaven, and he will save me. He puts to shame the one who pants as he pursues me. Group: God will send his mercy and his faithfulness. Leader: I will give thanks to you among the peoples, O Lord. Group: I will make music to you among the nations, Leader: because your great mercy reaches above the heavens, and your faithfulness to the skies. Group: Be exalted above the heavens, O God. Let your glory be over all the earth.

Introduction On September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center was attacked, firefighters and police—many at the cost of their own lives—rushed into the building to save the people trapped inside. Afterward, when commentators praised them for their heroism, many of them answered, “We were just doing our job.” Christians serving faithfully in their vocations are also “just doing their job.” But through them, Christ himself is at work, doing good and rescuing people. This work of Christ’s is usually less dramatic—but for the people he helps and saves it’s no less glorious.

Studying God’s Word Through my vocation, Christ continues to do his work in the world It looks like any other baseball—until you turn it over and see Henry Aaron’s signature between the seams. That signature turns a baseball worth a few dollars into a valuable collector’s item. Good works are often simple things that ordinary people do every day. But today we will see that when Jesus’ signature is on them, they take on a whole new meaning.

• Read John 15:1-5. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he is going to cut off. And he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, so that it will bear more fruit. 3

“You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I am going to remain in you. A branch cannot bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Likewise, you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5

“I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him is the one who bears much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”

1. How are branches able to bear fruit?

2. How are Christians able to do good works?

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• Read Ephesians 2:10. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.

3. What further evidence is there that the works we do are God’s works, not simply our own?

• Read Matthew 10:42. “Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink because he is my disciple—Amen I tell you—he will never lose his reward.”

4. Evaluate this statement: When we speak about the Lord’s work, we should think primarily about the work of spreading the gospel.

• Read 1 Corinthians 15:58. Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 5. How can we know for sure that our “labor is not in vain in the Lord ”? (Note which chapter this verse comes from.)

God’s Word in My Life Sue is down at church almost all the time. She plays the organ. She teaches Sunday school. She serves as church secretary. She is president of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society (LWMS). Her involvement in church activities leaves her very little time to spend with her family or in her community. Sue would like to cut back on church activities, but she’s worried she’ll miss out on opportunities to serve her Lord. Comment.

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Wherever there is such faith and assurance of grace in Christ, you can also confidently conclude with regard to your vocation and works that these are pleasing to God and are true and good Christian fruits. Furthermore, such temporal and physical works as governing a land and people, managing a house, rearing and teaching children, serving, toiling, etc., also develop into fruit that endures unto life everlasting. Thus the holy patriarch Abraham and our holy ancestress Sarah will be commended and praised on Judgment Day for their marital life. Although the married estate will come to an end and be no more, as will all the life and activity of this world, yet this holy Sarah, and others with her, will receive their little crowns because they were pious spouses and mothers, not by reason of their works per se—for these had to cease—but because they did these works in faith. In like manner, the works of all Christians are performed to God’s everlasting pleasure; they will not be despised, as will those of non-Christians, but will have their eternal reward also in yonder life, because they are works done in Christ and grow from the Vine. —Martin Luther (Luther’s Works 24:220f) We think thus also concerning every good work in the humblest callings and in private affairs. Through these works Christ celebrates His victory over the devil . . . —Apology of the Augsburg Confession Article III:71 (Concordia Triglotta, p. 174)

Through my vocation, Christ reaches people with his gospel “Love your neighbor as yourself” sums up everything God wants us to do in our vocations. If we love our neighbor as ourselves, we certainly can’t withhold from him or her the very best things we have. • Read John 1:35-42. 35

The next day, John was standing there again with two of his disciples. 36When John saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look! The Lamb of God!” 37The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38

When Jesus turned around and saw them following him, he asked, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39

He told them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying. They stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour. 40

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. 41The first thing Andrew did was to find his own brother Simon and say to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is translated “the Christ”). 42He brought him to Jesus. Looking at him, Jesus said, “You are Simon, son of Jonah. You will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).

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1. Upon learning who Jesus was, Andrew found his brother, told him what he had learned, and brought him to Jesus. The Scriptures give no indication that someone told him to do that. Think of several reasons why that was the natural thing to do.

2. The account about Andrew suggests a very natural place for us to look for people with whom we can share the good news. Where?

3. Why is it natural for us to want to share the good news with those closest to us?

• Read 2 Kings 5:1-3, 14, and 15. Na’aman, the commander of the king of Aram’s army, was a great man in the opinion of his master. He was highly honored because the Lord had provided victory for Aram through him. Although he was a powerful warrior, he had leprosy. 2

Raiding parties had once gone out from Aram and brought back a young girl. She served Na’aman’s wife. 3She said to her mistress, “I wish my master stood before the prophet who is in Samaria, because he would cure him of his leprosy.” 14

So he went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times, just as the man of God had said. Then his flesh was restored like the flesh of a small child, and he was clean. 15Then he and his whole escort went back to the man of God. He stood in front of Elisha and said, “To be sure, now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. Now accept a gift from your servant.” 4. How did Naaman learn that Israel was the place to find a prophet of the true God?

5. Most people would have considered this girl’s vocation to be a very lowly position. Yet, how did God work through this lowly vocation to accomplish a grand purpose?

6. It’s unlikely that giving religious advice was part of this girl’s job description. Why do you think she did it?

7. Where, then, is another likely place to find people with whom we can share the gospel?

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God’s Word in My Life A congregation has no formal evangelism committee and sets aside no money in the budget for outreach. It does no door-to-door canvassing, doesn’t do phone campaigns, and schedules no special outreach events. Evaluate this statement: The people of that congregation must not understand the purpose of the church, because they aren’t interested in evangelism.

There is nothing I want more than to make His Gospel known to the world and to convert many people. —Martin Luther (Luther’s Works 26:379)

Life with God Day 1: Read John 1:29-50. Make a mental list of the people in your family who don’t know Jesus as their Savior. Pray for each. How might you help to reach them with the gospel? Day 2: Read 2 Kings 5:1-19. Make a mental list of the people where you work who don’t know Jesus as their Savior. Pray for each. Note: if you don’t know who these people are, how might you find out? How might you help to reach them with the gospel? Day 3: Pray Psalm 67. How might God use you to make his ways known on earth? Day 4: Read Matthew 25:31-46. What is your motivation for sharing the message of Jesus with those around you? Day 5: Read Luke 10:38-42. Does Jesus criticize Martha? If so, for what? (Look carefully.) Day 6: Read 1 Corinthians 15:58–16:18. What kinds of “labor in the Lord” does Paul mention? How do Christians do similar labors in the Lord today? Day 7: Read Revelation 19:5-10.

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