How does it work: wai\u00adting for Jesus to come again?
\nWe ask Jesus and the two apost\u00adles Paul and Peter.<\/p>\n
Wai\u00adting sucks! What hap\u00adpens when you\u2019\u00adre stan\u00adding on the plat\u00adform and the train does\u00adn\u2019t come? Alre\u00ada\u00addy three minu\u00adtes late, no announce\u00adment, no noti\u00adce on the plat\u00adform screen! \u00abNo, this can\u2019t be hap\u00adpe\u00adning! It\u2019s always the same\u00bb. Our dining table lamp, which we bought at the begin\u00adning of the year, has given up the ghost. We were told that it would take about 4\u20136 weeks to repair it. At the begin\u00adning of the week, I cal\u00adled to say that the six weeks were now over! Yes, they had to wait a long time for the spa\u00adre parts. Today, week 7 is alre\u00ada\u00addy over! I have to say about mys\u00adelf: I\u2019m real\u00adly bad at wai\u00adting. When I dri\u00adve out of the under\u00adground car park and my wife is not yet at the exit, I yell at her: \u00abWhat took you so long? \tWai\u00adting for the return of Jesus is no walk in the park. The\u00adre we encoun\u00adter tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adons, fal\u00adse tea\u00adchings, dis\u00adtrac\u00adtions; and on top of that, hat\u00adred and rejec\u00adtion. Life on this earth is chal\u00adlen\u00adging: inju\u00ads\u00adti\u00adce, sel\u00adfi\u00adsh\u00adness and god\u00adless\u00adness are on the rise, as are natu\u00adral dis\u00adas\u00adters, dise\u00ada\u00adse and poverty.<\/p>\n \tThe good thing about wai\u00adting for a long time is that as long as we wait, our faith can still grow and beco\u00adme stronger.<\/p>\n Moreo\u00adver, God still offers us human beings his grace. The many dear peo\u00adp\u00adle who are a con\u00adcern to you and whom you wish with all your heart to find faith in Jesus Christ still have the chan\u00adce to share with us the hope of eter\u00adnal life. The wai\u00adting time is a sign of God\u2019s love and pati\u00adence with us humans. We can con\u00adti\u00adnue to build the King\u00addom of God tog\u00ade\u00adther and bear fruit for HIM<\/span>. The dar\u00adker it gets in this world, the brigh\u00adter the light of Jesus shi\u00adnes in us and through us! So plea\u00adse, no end-time \u00ablap\u00adping up\u00bb! We are a ray of hope for the world! In Jesus we have a glo\u00adrious future. He says: \u00abBehold! I am coming soon. Hap\u00adpy is he who fol\u00adlows the pro\u00adphe\u00adtic words of this book!\u00bb Amen.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How does it work: wai\u00adting for Jesus to come again? We ask Jesus and the two apost\u00adles Paul and Peter. Wai\u00adting sucks! What hap\u00adpens when you stand on the plat\u00adform and the train does\u00adn\u2019t come? Alre\u00ada\u00addy three minu\u00adtes late, no announce\u00adment, no noti\u00adce on the plat\u00adform screen! \u00abNo, this can\u2019t be hap\u00adpe\u00adning! It\u2019s always\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[35],"wpfc_sermon_series":[63],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-bernhard-hohl","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-wie-du-und-ich","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-3273","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nAre you pati\u00adence its\u00adelf, or are you more like me? We are eager\u00adly wai\u00adting for the Covid19 infec\u00adtions to con\u00adti\u00adnue to fall and not tor\u00adpe\u00addo our Christ\u00admas cele\u00adbra\u00adti\u00adons! When will the\u00adre final\u00adly be a vac\u00adci\u00adne! When will all the pan\u00adde\u00admic mea\u00adsu\u00adres final\u00adly be lifted? What are you wai\u00adting for? Some\u00adti\u00admes you feel like you\u2019\u00adre at the cine\u00adma: it\u2019s always \u00abcoming soon\u00bb \u2013 but some\u00adti\u00admes it takes a long time until the new film final\u00adly arri\u00adves! What hap\u00adpens when you have to wait? \u00abWhat\u2019s wrong? Whe\u00adre is it stuck? Why can\u2019t I get an ans\u00adwer? Has some\u00adthing hap\u00adpen\u00aded? Have they for\u00adgot\u00adten about me? Why won\u2019t He let me hear?\u00bb Are the\u00adse not also our reproachful ques\u00adti\u00adons when God keeps us waiting?
\nAdvent is wai\u00adting time \u2013 wai\u00adting for the coming of Jesus Christ; then and now. They were wai\u00adting for Jesus then and we are doing it again! It was not an easy time when Jesus came into the world. The Romans ruled with a bru\u00adtal hand. It was cen\u00adtu\u00adries of wai\u00adting until final\u00adly an angel from God appeared to the she\u00adp\u00adherds in the field and told them, \u00abDo not be afraid! I bring good news for all peo\u00adp\u00adle! The Saviour \u2013 yes, Christ the Lord \u2013 has been born tonight in Beth\u00adle\u00adhem, the city of David!\u00bb (Luke 2:10\u201311 NL<\/span>)
\nIt is not an easy time today eit\u00adher!!! World orga\u00adni\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adons have been working to hal\u00adve world pover\u00adty and now we are back to whe\u00adre we were at the start. Unem\u00adploy\u00adment figu\u00adres are rising. Many busi\u00adnesses have gone bank\u00adrupt becau\u00adse of Covid19. Or we also think of the bla\u00adtant per\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adti\u00adon of Chris\u00adti\u00adans around the world. Chris\u00adti\u00adans suf\u00adfer in pri\u00adsons and labour camps. Churches are vio\u00adlent\u00adly des\u00adtroy\u00aded. Here and the\u00adre, fear of ter\u00adro\u00adrist acts is being stir\u00adred up anew, here in Switz\u00ader\u00adland and all over Euro\u00adpe! Shel\u00adt\u00aderless and home\u00adl\u00adess refu\u00adgees are loo\u00adking for a place to live. Actual\u00adly, the\u00adre should be a run on Bibles now. A lon\u00adging for Jesus, who gives us ever\u00ady\u00adthing to live and to die. He should be in high demand now! He who has brought light and hope into this world! He who offers new life \u2013 with new con\u00adtent; with new mea\u00adning; with hope; with a future. The word \u00abfuture\u00bb has an inte\u00adres\u00adt\u00ading pre\u00adhisto\u00adry: Until the 17th cen\u00adtu\u00adry it was not a time word at all! It meant \u00abto come to; to come to\u00bb. You must have also \u00ab\u00d6ppis zue cho lah\u2026\u00bb in this pre-Christ\u00admas sea\u00adson! Soon the term \u00abfuture\u00bb was repla\u00adced by the term \u00abarri\u00adval\u00bb. The future was then often used to descri\u00adbe the time ahead of us. From the 19th cen\u00adtu\u00adry onwards, pupils were taught verbs in the three ten\u00adses past, pre\u00adsent and future. They had it easy with only three tenses!
\nIt is very valuable for us to know about the\u00adse two mea\u00adnings of the future. At Christ\u00admas we cele\u00adbra\u00adte the fact that Jesus Christ came to us, to this world. And sin\u00adce the ascen\u00adsi\u00adon of Jesus, we have been wai\u00adting for his second coming, coming down to us in this world. Then what hap\u00adpens to us is what John descri\u00adbes in his 1st let\u00adter: \u00abMy dear fri\u00adends, we are alre\u00ada\u00addy the child\u00adren of God, and what we will be like when Christ comes again we can\u00adnot even ima\u00adgi\u00adne. But we know that at his return we will be like him, for we will see him as he real\u00adly is\u00bb( 1 John 3:2 NL<\/span>).
\nHe will come to take belie\u00advers with Him, then we will join them in the hea\u00adven\u00adly world! The good thing is that Jesus does not lea\u00adve us wai\u00adting alo\u00adne. In his fare\u00adwell dis\u00adcour\u00adses he pro\u00admi\u00adsed in John 14 that he will not lea\u00adve us orphans (John 14:18). Through the Holy Spi\u00adrit, Jesus con\u00adti\u00adnues to be very clo\u00adse to us. He dwells with his Father in us. What he pro\u00admi\u00adsed short\u00adly befo\u00adre his depar\u00adtu\u00adre from this earth, he keeps: \u00abI am with you every day, until the end of the world\u00bb (Matt 28:20). Paul speaks of an \u00abadvan\u00adce\u00bb that we have recei\u00adved through the Spi\u00adrit: \u00abHe has put his seal on us as a con\u00adfir\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon that we are now his own, and has given us his Spi\u00adrit in our hearts as a pledge and down pay\u00adment for what he still wants to give us\u00bb (2 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 1:22 NG\u00dc<\/span>).
\nHow to wait?
\nThe only ques\u00adti\u00adon now is, how do we best wait for this migh\u00adty fina\u00adle that we have befo\u00adre us at the end of time? I loo\u00adked up three bibli\u00adcal per\u00adsons to see what they recom\u00admend for us to wait for, name\u00adly Jesus and the two apost\u00adles Peter and John.
\nWhat tips does Jesus give us?
\nAccor\u00adding to the mot\u00adto \u00abYou can wait best if you do some\u00adthing\u00bb, he gave the disci\u00adples an exam\u00adp\u00adle by washing their feet befo\u00adre he left! His mes\u00adsa\u00adge was: Do the same! Remem\u00adber my exam\u00adp\u00adle! Don\u2019t feel too good for the lowest ser\u00advice! His second tip goes in the same direc\u00adtion: Show each other in the con\u00adgre\u00adga\u00adti\u00adon that you are fond of each other and love each other from the bot\u00adtom of your hearts. When they obser\u00adve this in you, they will won\u00adder whe\u00adre we get this love from and will be more open to ask about Jesus\u00bb love. Jesus also cle\u00adar\u00adly said that he has some\u00adthing else in mind for you and me: \u00abIt was not you who cho\u00adse me, but I who cho\u00adse you: I have appoin\u00adted you to go and bear fruit \u2013 fruit that will last\u00bb (John 15:16 NG\u00dc<\/span>).
\nHe also cle\u00adar\u00adly indi\u00adca\u00adted that our wait for him will not be an easy time. We will have to endu\u00adre a lot. Many peo\u00adp\u00adle have hated and per\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adted him and we will expe\u00adri\u00adence that too, he says. When Jesus comes again, he will total\u00adly sur\u00adpri\u00adse us all. In Matthew 24:44 he said he would come when no one thought of it! We are to be alert and rea\u00addy at all times. Does being alert and wai\u00adting mean that we have to go into the day every mor\u00adning kno\u00adwing that it could be the last? Will that help? But the dan\u00adger is gre\u00adat that our rela\u00adti\u00adonship with Jesus gets lost in our ever\u00ady\u00adday stuff, along with our faith \u2013 and we all know that this can very well hap\u00adpen \u2013 that is why he calls us again and again: Stay awa\u00adke! Pray and count on my strength and on my pos\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties! Trust in me! Do not let your worries cover you! Jesus prays to the Father for us: \u00abI do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one\u2026 \u00bb (John 17:15 LU<\/span>). It is good to have peo\u00adp\u00adle pray\u00ading for you. In addi\u00adti\u00adon, you have pray\u00ader sup\u00adport from Jesus. Isn\u2019t that brilliant!
\nWhat tips does the apost\u00adle Peter give us in his let\u00adters? He also says some\u00adthing about our ever\u00ady\u00adday worries: we should cast them on Jesus and lea\u00adve them with him (1 Peter 5:7) In the first let\u00adter in the second chap\u00adter he says to us: \u00abPeo\u00adp\u00adle, you must not for\u00adget some\u00adthing, in this world you are only guests and stran\u00adgers; this is not your home\u00bb. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, Peter warns, do not give in to the sel\u00adfi\u00adsh desi\u00adres of our human natu\u00adre. What are the\u00adse desi\u00adres? I think of plea\u00adsu\u00adre addic\u00adtion, greed addic\u00adtion, sex addic\u00adtion whe\u00adre it is all about me alo\u00adne: I want to enjoy, I want to have this still, I want sex \u2013 now and as I want! In the same let\u00adter Peter wri\u00adtes: \u00abBe pru\u00addent, be vigi\u00adlant! Your ene\u00admy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, always loo\u00adking for a vic\u00adtim to devour. 9 Resist him by hol\u00adding stead\u00adfast to the faith\u00bb (1 Peter 5:8\u20139a).
\nIt seems like a sur\u00advi\u00adval trail to me! Peter wants us not to lose our foot\u00adhold in the faith and to reach the goal. Later he warns us against fal\u00adse tea\u00adchers in the church. We are to be vigi\u00adlant so that we are not car\u00adri\u00aded away by fal\u00adse tea\u00adchings. We should rather be careful to grow in know\u00adledge! How do I put this into prac\u00adti\u00adce: \u00abGrow in know\u00adledge\u00bb? If you don\u2019t under\u00adstand some\u00adthing in the Bible, don\u2019t just pass over it! Dig, rese\u00adarch, read par\u00adal\u00adlel pas\u00adsa\u00adges, compa\u00adre with other pas\u00adsa\u00adges. And if you get stuck, ask others or, if you have access to it, read the inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon in a Bible com\u00admen\u00adta\u00adry. In this way you will grow in faith and gain more and more knowledge!
\nFinal\u00adly, I knock on Paul\u2019s door. What tips does he have for us who are wai\u00adting? He encou\u00adra\u00adges us to be the\u00adre for one ano\u00adther: \u00abThe\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, encou\u00adra\u00adge one ano\u00adther and streng\u00adthen one ano\u00adther, just as you are alre\u00ada\u00addy doing\u00bb (1 Thes\u00adsa\u00adlo\u00adni\u00adans 5:11 NL<\/span>). We need each other. Fel\u00adlow\u00adship among Chris\u00adti\u00adans is essen\u00adti\u00adal. Due to Coro\u00adna, this is only pos\u00adsi\u00adble to a limi\u00adt\u00aded ext\u00adent, but we hope and pray that we will soon be able to meet again at our church events wit\u00adhout fear and masks. Paul also encou\u00adra\u00adges us not only to wait, but to beco\u00adme acti\u00adve: \u00abWhile the\u00adre is still time, let us do good to all peo\u00adp\u00adle, but espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly to tho\u00adse who belie\u00adve in Jesus Christ with us\u00bb (Gala\u00adti\u00adans 6:10 Hfa).
\nSummary<\/p>\n