God and Vocation. How Faith Affects All We Do in Life 2. THE GOAL OF WORK

Transcription

1 God and Vocation How Faith Affects All We Do in Life 2. THE GOAL OF WORK

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3 Fall Redemption Consummation

4 Fall Story God creates all things, with humans as his royal priests. Story Adam and Eve disobey and are expelled from the Garden. Next verse, same as the first: Cain, Flood, Tower of Babel, ISRAEL.

5 Exod Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. Exod 19: 5-6 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. 1 Pet 2.9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Exod And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work. Rev 1:6 To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Cf. 5:10; 20:6

6 Exod Throughout nightbethe cloud darkness the God one Gen And God said, Letthe there light, andbrought there was light. 4toAnd side thewas other side; so God neither went near night long... sawand thatlight the to light good. And separated thethe lightother fromall the darkness. Then Moses out waters his handunder over the the heavens sea, and be all gathered that nighttogether the LORD 9 And God stretched said, Let the into drove the sea withdry a strong east wind turned one place, andback let the land appear. Andand it was so. it into dry land. Gen 1.26 Then God said, Let Exod 19: 5-6 Now therefore, if you will indeed us make man in our image, obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall after our likeness. And let them be my treasured possession among all peoples, have dominion over the fish of for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to the sea and over the birds of me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. the heavens and over the Gen 1.16 And God made the two great lights livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing the greater light to rule the day and the that creeps on the earth. lesser light to rule the night and the stars. Exod And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work. Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

7 2. The Goodness Serving as Priests and Kings Exod Throughout nightbethe cloud darkness the God one Gen And God said, Letthe there light, andbrought there was light. 4toAnd side thewas other side; so God neither went near night long... sawand thatlight the to light good. And separated thethe lightother fromall the darkness. Then Moses out waters his handunder over the the heavens sea, and be all gathered that nighttogether the LORD 9 And God stretched said, Let the into drove the sea withdry a strong east wind turned one place, andback let the land appear. Andand it was so. it into dry land. Num 3.7 They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. 8 They shall guard all the Exod 19: 5-6 Now therefore, if you will indeed furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall guard over the people of Israel as they be my treasured possession among all peoples, minister at earth the tabernacle 18:7). for all the is mine; 6 (cf. and8:26; you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Gen 1.16 And God made the two great lights the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night and the stars. Gen 1.26 Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Gen 2.15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it (cf. 2:5). Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

8 2. The Goodness Serving as Priests and Kings Exod Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. Gen 1.26 Then God said, Let Exod 19: 5-6 Now therefore, if you will indeed us make man in our image, obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall after our likeness. And let them be my treasured possession among all peoples, have dominion over the fish of for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to the sea and over the birds of me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. the heavens and over the Gen 1.16 And God made the two great lights livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing the greater light to rule the day and the Gen creeps 1.26 Then said, Let that on thegod earth. lesser light to rule the night and the stars. us make man in our image, after ourgen likeness. Andonletthe them Exod And he 2:2 And have dominion erected the court seventhover day the Godfish of the sea and overhis thework birdsthat of around the finished the heavens anddone, over and the he tabernacle and the he had livestockrested and over all the earth altar, and set up the on the seventh every creeping thing screen of the gate of and overday from all his work the court. So Moses that creeps thaton hethe hadearth. done. finished the work.

9 2 Pet 1.3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. JONATHAN EDWARDS 2. The Goodness Serving as Priests and Kings There are many reasons to think that what God has in view, in an increasing communication of himself through eternity, is an increasing knowledge of God, love to him, and joy in him.... for so much the more is it united to God in love, the heart is drawn nearer and nearer to God, and the union with him becomes more firm and close: and, at the same time, the creature becomes more and more conformed to God.The image is more and more perfect, and so the good that is in the creature comes for ever nearer and nearer to an identity with that which is in God. John Piper, God s Passion for His Glory, God in seeking his glory seeks the good of his creatures, because the emanation of his glory (which he seeks and delights in, as he delights in himself and his own eternal glory) implies the communicated excellency and happiness of his creatures... God, in seeking their glory and happiness, seeks himself, and in seeking himself, i.e. diffused and expressed (which he delights in as he delights in his own beauty and fullness), he seeks their glory and happiness. John Piper, God s Passion for His Glory, Gen 1.26 Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after ourgen likeness. Andonletthe them 2:2 And have dominion seventhover day the Godfish of the sea and overhis thework birdsthat of finished the heavens anddone, over and the he he had livestockrested and over all the earth on the seventh and overday every creeping thing from all his work that creeps thaton hethe hadearth. done.

10 Where We re Heading What then is our creational responsibility as priestly kings in the world? Fundamentally, it is to worship God. 2. The Goodness Serving as Priests and Kings It is also to mediate God s goodness (and power) to the world and then to offer the fruit of that work by back to God in worship (as priests). This means that we need to reclaim the language of goodness, not to mention power in ways that recognize our responsibility to steward these gifts for the sake of the world and God s kingdom. The creational goodness of work is this: sharing in the extension of God s goodness to the world. Gen 1.26 Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after ourgen likeness. Andonletthe them 2:2 And have dominion seventhover day the Godfish of the sea and overhis thework birdsthat of finished the heavens anddone, over and the he he had livestockrested and over all the earth on the seventh and overday every creeping thing from all his work that creeps thaton hethe hadearth. done.

11 2. The Goodness Serving as Priests and Kings 3. The Goal Perfecting the Kingdom of God Perfecting the Kingdom, it seems, was not a tableau, not a static scene. The creator has a future in mind for it: and Human this strange creature, full of mystery and glory is the means by which the creator is going to take his project forward. The garden, and all the living creatures, plants and animals, within it, are designed to become what they were meant to be through the work of God s image-bearing creatures in their midst. The point of the project is that the garden be extended, colonizing the rest of creation; and Human is the creature put in charge of that plan. Human is thus a kind of midway creature: reflecting God into the world, and reflecting the world back to God. That is the basis for the truly human vocation (Wright, After You Believe, p ). PRIESTS & KINGS

12 2. The Goodness Serving as Priests and Kings 3. The Goal Perfecting the Kingdom of God Rev 21.1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. PRIESTS & KINGS Gen 1.28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

13 Heb 4.8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. PRIESTS & KINGS What was the original goal of work? Subduing. Stewarding. Rest. 2. The Goodness Serving as Priests and Kings 3. The Goal Perfecting the Kingdom of God Gen 2.15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

14 The pre-fall situation of man, and of the whole earth, was a temporary one, which could not remain as it was. It was of such a nature that it could be raised to a higher glory, but could also, in case of man s transgression, be made subject to vanity and corruption. Herman Bavinck, quoted in Jan Veenhof, Nature and Grace in Herman Bavinck, 25 CREATION FALL REDEMPTION CONSUMMATION Garden Food Marriage Unashamed nakedness Dominion over animals Voice of God à The whole earth à Sabbath rest à Trees of wisdom & life à Filling the earth à Royal investiture à Dominion over angels à Presence of God

15 The pre-fall situation of man, and of the whole earth, was a temporary one, which could not remain as it was. It was of such a nature that it could be raised to a higher glory, but could also, in case of man s transgression, be made subject to vanity and corruption. Herman Bavinck, quoted in Jan Veenhof, Nature and Grace in Herman Bavinck, 25 CREATION Garden Food Marriage Unashamed nakedness Dominion over animals Voice of God FALL CONSUMMATION REDEMPTION à à à à à à à The whole earth Sabbath rest Trees of wisdom & life Filling the earth Royal investiture Dominion over angels Presence of God