Bible 101 Dean Biebert, Pastor Shepherd of the Hills Church

Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn About Jesus – Our Highest Vocation

Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation What is our reason for living? Matthew 28:19-20: God has given us many vocations. He wants us to raise our children, help the needy, encourage each other, love our spouses, etc. None of these is our main reason for living. The main God leaves us here is… To bring more people back to God, to help them learn about Jesus.

Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation How can I carry out this vocation from God? Acts 13:2-3 & 1 Corinthians 9:13-14: We help more people learn about Jesus when we financially support the people we ask to devote their full-time to training us for this work. (Other passages: Galatians 6:6-10; Philippians 4:10-20; Titus 3:12-14) A. Through my offerings

Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation Note: In the Old Testament God required 10% of all His people’s income to go to the Temple to support the “word spreading” work. In a sense, it was a religious tax that God put into Jewish law. In the New Testament God tells us to donate a percentage of what He has given us. (2 Corinthians 8:10-15; 1 Corinthians 16:2) How can I carry out this vocation from God? 10% is the Bible’s standard. Many of us American Christians could give an even greater percentage! We think percentage giving when we figure out tips at the restaurant. This is the way we pay tribute to Jesus at church. It deserves our best planning and gratitude. (See 2 Corinthians 8:9)

Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation Where does my money go when I give to Shepherd of the Hills? Note: See “WELS Gospel Ministry” for the ways in which the 10% is used on the Synod level.

Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation How can I carry out this vocation from God? 1 Peter 3:15 We help people learn about Jesus when we learn how to tell about Jesus in our families, neighborhoods, jobs and community. B. Through my telling God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

If you were to die tonight, are you sure you would have eternal life? Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

What is it that makes you certain? Or, to put it another way... Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

If you were to die tonight and stand before God and He should ask you, "Why should I let you into My heaven?" If you were to die tonight and stand before God and He should ask you, "Why should I let you into My heaven?"..what would you tell Him? Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

What God Demands: Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith! “I am the L ORD your God. I am holy, and you must be holy too.” (Leviticus 19:2)

To be holy means to be completely set apart from sinners, to be without sin, without a flaw of any kind, to be absolutely perfect. Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

+ HOLINESS – SIN What God Demands: Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind’; and ‘Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.’” (Luke 10:27) Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

“If you do this,” said Jesus to the man, “you will have eternal life.” (Luke 10:28) Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

+ HOLINESS – SIN = LIFE What God Demands: Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

What God Sees: Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith! “Everyone has sinned. We fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23) “Your sins are the roadblock between you and your God.” (Isaiah 59:2)

– HOLINESS + SIN What God Sees: Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

“Sin pays off with death.” (Romans 6:23) Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

– HOLINESS + SIN What God Demands:  Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith! = DEATH

As sinners, how can we possibly be in a right relationship with God? Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

1. Try harder Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

1. Try harder Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith! SIN 2. Balancing Act SIN Good

1. Try harder Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith! 2. Balancing Act SIN Good 3. Comparison

1. Try harder Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith! 2. Balancing Act SIN Good 3. Comparison “Sometimes what seems right is really a road to death.” (Proverbs 16:25)

“If you obey all God’s rules except one, you are still guilty of breaking them all.” (James 2:10) Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

GOD'S GREAT EXCHANGE Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith! Jesus Christ  100% eternal God  became 100% mortal human

“Can any of you convict me of committing a sin?” (John 8:46) Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith! By His holy, sinless life, Jesus perfectly obeyed every requirement of God to qualify for life with God now and forever.

+ HOLINESS – SIN = LIFE What God Demands: Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith! What God Sees:

“The L ORD gave Him the punishment we deserved.” (Isaiah 53:6) Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith! God made Jesus guilty of our sins!

Our sins to Him + HOLINESS – SIN = LIFE Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

“My God, my God, why have you deserted Me?” (Matthew 27:46) Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith! “It is finished!” (John 19:30) Jesus paid our debt to God in full!

But what about God's other requirement......that of holiness? Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

His holiness to us + HOLINESS – SIN = LIFE Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

“Christ had no sins, but God made Him become sin in our place so that in Him we might become as perfect and without sins as He is.” (2 Corinthians 5:21). God has credited Jesus’ holiness to us! Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

– HOLINESS + SIN = DEATH Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith! + HOLINESS – SIN = LIFE He became what we were. – HOLINESS + SIN = DEATH + HOLINESS – SIN = LIFE We became what we were not.

+ HOLINESS – SIN = LIFE What God Demands: Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith! What God Sees:

“Sin pays off with death. But God’s gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) God's Promise Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31) Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith! God's Promise

“God has given you the opposite of what you deserve. You are safe through depending on Jesus. You had nothing to do with it. This is God’s gift to you. It isn’t something you have earned. So there is nothing you can brag about” (Ephesians 2:8,9). Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

“Nothing in my hand I bring. Simply to Your cross I cling.” Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith!

“Why should I let you into my heaven?” Lesson Fifteen: Helping People Learn about Jesus – Our Highest Vocation ling God’s Great Exchange A way to share your faith! “He's why you should let me into heaven. Your Son got rid of the roadblock for me. He is my Rescuer.” In faith we point to Jesus and say,