In the Ser\u00admon on the Mount the\u00adre are six the\u00adses which are trans\u00adla\u00adted as \u00abYou have heard that it says in the Law of Moses: \u2026 But I say to you\u00bb. How did Jesus rela\u00adte to the law of the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment? What is the rela\u00adti\u00adonship bet\u00adween law and grace? And what does the bet\u00adter righ\u00adteous\u00adness mean that Jesus demands from his disci\u00adples? The\u00adse and other inte\u00adres\u00adt\u00ading and rele\u00advant ques\u00adti\u00adons will be cla\u00adri\u00adfied in this sermon.<\/p>\n
What did Jesus chan\u00adge about the way we live? Nor\u00admal\u00adly, Chris\u00adti\u00adans are con\u00advin\u00adced of the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing: The Jews are under the law, we Chris\u00adti\u00adans are under grace. They see the law as a hea\u00advy bur\u00adden with many com\u00admands. Jews think they have to keep 613 com\u00admandments and pro\u00adhi\u00adbi\u00adti\u00adons to be saved. Chris\u00adti\u00adans belie\u00adve that the gos\u00adpel frees you from the law and that you don\u2019t have to do any\u00adthing else to be saved. What is the rela\u00adti\u00adonship bet\u00adween law and grace? To what ext\u00adent does the law of the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment still have mea\u00adning for us? \t\u00abI will put my law (Torah) within them and will wri\u00adte it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be my peo\u00adp\u00adle\u00bb (Jere\u00admi\u00adah 31:33 ELB<\/span>). The music of hea\u00adven is pla\u00adced in our heart. Both Bible pas\u00adsa\u00adges speak about God put\u00adting some\u00adthing in our heart: Torah and Spi\u00adrit. We need both. We should not think we do not need Torah, no law, if we have the Spi\u00adrit of God in us. Being born again in the Jewish con\u00adtext means Torah and Spi\u00adrit! Torah and spi\u00adrit belong tog\u00ade\u00adther \u2013 that is the fac\u00adtor that distin\u00adgu\u00adis\u00adhes the fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus from the best huma\u00adnists in the world. Other peo\u00adp\u00adle also do a lot of good. But the king\u00addom of hea\u00adven con\u00adsists of peo\u00adp\u00adle who are born again (cf. John 3:5). To be under grace means that the Torah and the Spi\u00adrit, the music and the dancing tea\u00adcher, have been pla\u00adced in our hearts. It is all the\u00adre to be trans\u00adfor\u00admed into the cha\u00adrac\u00adter of God in a lifel\u00adong pro\u00adcess. Accor\u00adding to Paul, \u00abFor God works in you a desi\u00adre to obey him, and he also gives you power to do what plea\u00adses him\u00bb (Phil\u00adip\u00adpians 2:13 NLB<\/span>). The law and grace are the two sides of the same coin. \tWhat is the dif\u00adfe\u00adrence bet\u00adween trans\u00adla\u00adting Torah as law and trans\u00adla\u00adting God\u2019s instructions? In the Ser\u00admon on the Mount the\u00adre are six the\u00adses which are trans\u00adla\u00adted as \u00abYou have heard that it says in the Law of Moses: \u2026 But I say to you\u00bb. How did Jesus rela\u00adte to the law of the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment? What is the rela\u00adti\u00adonship bet\u00adween law and grace? And what does the bet\u00adter righ\u00adteous\u00adness mean that Jesus demands of his disciples?\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[72],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-metamorphose","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-3390","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
\nThe direc\u00adti\u00adves of God
\nIn the Ser\u00admon on the Mount, Jesus cla\u00adri\u00adfies this very ques\u00adti\u00adon: \u00abDo not think that I have come to abo\u00adlish the Law or the Pro\u00adphe\u00adts; I have not come to abo\u00adlish, but to ful\u00adfil\u00bb (Matthew 5:17 ELB<\/span>). We urgen\u00adtly need to cla\u00adri\u00adfy terms first. The first five books of the Bible are cal\u00adled Torah, which means \u00abins\u00adtruc\u00adtion of God\u00bb. When the Torah was first trans\u00adla\u00adted into Greek in 250 B.C., the Greeks found no cor\u00adre\u00adspon\u00adding word in their lexi\u00adcon. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, they trans\u00adla\u00adted it with nomos (law), which crea\u00adtes a fal\u00adse asso\u00adcia\u00adti\u00adon. The Torah \u2013 in con\u00adtrast to the law \u2013 is the ins\u00adtruc\u00adtion of a Father bor\u00adne of love and not a coll\u00adec\u00adtion of legal norms. They reve\u00adal the cha\u00adrac\u00adter of God and are ins\u00adtruc\u00adtions for a suc\u00adcessful life. The heart of the Torah is the mes\u00adsa\u00adge of the loving God and the ins\u00adtruc\u00adtions on how to build a rela\u00adti\u00adonship with Him. A gen\u00adti\u00adle came to the Jewish scho\u00adlar Hil\u00adlel asking if he could teach him the who\u00adle Torah while stan\u00adding on one foot. Hil\u00adlel said to him, \u00abWhat you hate, do not do to your neigh\u00adbour. That is the who\u00adle Torah, and ever\u00ady\u00adthing else is only explanation.\u00bb
\nThe Torah is given on Mount Sinai and repea\u00adted in the Ser\u00admon on the Mount. In both, God is the soloist who, despi\u00adte varia\u00adti\u00adons, plays the same basic melo\u00addy. Old and New Tes\u00adta\u00adment both testi\u00adfy to us God as Crea\u00adtor, as Rede\u00ademer, as Pro\u00advi\u00adder, as mer\u00adciful, gra\u00adcious, for\u00adgi\u00adving Lord and Father (cf. Ex 34:6). The Torah and the Ser\u00admon on the Mount show us the poten\u00adti\u00adal of meta\u00admor\u00adpho\u00adsis, so that we beco\u00adme more and more like this God through trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon of our being.
\nNow what does Jesus mean when he says con\u00adcer\u00adning the Torah: \u00abI have not come to abo\u00adlish, but to ful\u00adfil\u00bb? Ful\u00adfil\u00adled does not mean abo\u00adlished. He says unequi\u00advo\u00adcal\u00adly: \u00abFor tru\u00adly I say to you: Until hea\u00adven and earth pass away, not one iota or one stro\u00adke of the law shall pass away, until all is ful\u00adfil\u00adled\u00bb (v.18 ELB<\/span>). Ful\u00adfil\u00adled means that Jesus is the first per\u00adson who ful\u00adfil\u00adled God\u2019s ins\u00adtruc\u00adtions in 100%. Ful\u00adfil\u00adled means that Jesus ful\u00adfil\u00adled some things for us (puri\u00adty regu\u00adla\u00adti\u00adons, sacri\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adal and die\u00adta\u00adry laws). But ful\u00adfil\u00adled is first and fore\u00admost a tech\u00adni\u00adcal term reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded in the rab\u00adbi\u00adnic deba\u00adte. If a disci\u00adple had hit the mark with his inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon, the rab\u00adbi would say, \u00abYou have ful\u00adfil\u00adled the law.\u00bb Jesus, as a Jewish tea\u00adcher, mingles with Jewish tea\u00adchers and actively par\u00adti\u00adci\u00adpa\u00adtes in the dis\u00adcus\u00adsion about the cor\u00adrect inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon. With the cla\u00adim of mes\u00adsia\u00adnic aut\u00adho\u00adri\u00adty, he redu\u00adces the ins\u00adtruc\u00adtions of God to the essen\u00adti\u00adals. Ful\u00adfilm\u00adent thus has the mea\u00adning of inter\u00adpre\u00adting correctly.
\nCon\u00adse\u00adquent\u00adly Jesus says: \u00abWhoe\u00adver the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre breaks one of the\u00adse least com\u00admandments and so tea\u00adches men will be cal\u00adled least in the king\u00addom of hea\u00adven, but whoe\u00adver does them and tea\u00adches them will be cal\u00adled gre\u00adat in the king\u00addom of hea\u00adven\u00bb (v.19 ELB<\/span>).
\nThe bet\u00adter justice
\n\u00abFor I say to you: Unless your righ\u00adteous\u00adness is bet\u00adter than that of the scri\u00adbes and Pha\u00adri\u00adsees, you will not enter the king\u00addom of hea\u00adven\u00bb (v.20 LUT<\/span>). Now the cru\u00adcial ques\u00adti\u00adon is: What makes a per\u00adson righ\u00adteous befo\u00adre God? Is it that in the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment it was the kee\u00adping of the law and sin\u00adce Jesus it has been grace? Paul tea\u00adches us that this is a misun\u00adderstan\u00adding: \u00abFor so it was with Abra\u00adham: Abra\u00adham belie\u00adved God, and God declared him righ\u00adteous becau\u00adse of his faith\u00bb (Gala\u00adti\u00adans 3:6 NLB<\/span>).
\nWhat then is the bet\u00adter righ\u00adteous\u00adness? Is Jesus asking us to be even more zea\u00adlous than the Pha\u00adri\u00adsees, to keep the rules even bet\u00adter? The pro\u00adblem of the Jewish spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal eli\u00adte was that they belie\u00adved that their righ\u00adteous\u00adness came from the Law. They took the Torah out of a rela\u00adti\u00adonship of trust with God and tried to get ever\u00ady\u00adthing right with gre\u00adat zeal. They put their trust in kee\u00adping the law rather than in Yah\u00adweh. This could not go well. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, they danced to other music. This is cal\u00adled sin. Peo\u00adp\u00adle can be impres\u00adsed with moral\u00adly sound lives, the LORD<\/span> is not decei\u00adved. \u00abA man sees what is befo\u00adre his eyes, but the LORD<\/span> looks at the heart\u00bb (1Samuel 16:7 LUT<\/span>). God is never con\u00adcer\u00adned with how much we do. He is pri\u00adma\u00adri\u00adly inte\u00adres\u00adted in the moti\u00adves for which we act or do not act.
\nWe live in the so-cal\u00adled New Coven\u00adant and face the same dan\u00adger. That is why Paul decla\u00adres: \u00abI do not throw away the grace of God, for if through the law comes righ\u00adteous\u00adness, Christ died in vain\u00bb (Gala\u00adti\u00adans 2:21 LUT<\/span>). Chris\u00adti\u00adans after Jesus also tend towards lega\u00adlism. God knows our moti\u00adves and our hearts. The righ\u00adteous\u00adness Jesus speaks of must come from our hearts. That is why Jesus says, among other things: \u00abYou have heard that in the Law of Moses it says, \u00abYou shall not com\u00admit adul\u00adtery.\u00bb But I say, whoe\u00adver even looks at a woman with a look of lust has alre\u00ada\u00addy bro\u00adken the mar\u00adria\u00adge with her in his heart\u00bb (Matthew 5:27f NLB<\/span>). Jesus is not about mini\u00admi\u00adsing adul\u00adtery by dif\u00adfe\u00adren\u00adtia\u00adting rules of the game. It is rather about coming to terms with one\u2019s own sexu\u00adal needs and fantasies.
\nJesus neither repla\u00adced nor ter\u00admi\u00adna\u00adted the Sinai coven\u00adant, but added to it. In doing so, he starts with the lack, with our heart. He does this in an inge\u00adnious way. In two places it is spo\u00adken about cen\u00adtu\u00adries in advance:<\/p>\n
\n\t\u00abAnd I will put my Spi\u00adrit within you; and I will make you live in my ordi\u00adnan\u00adces, and keep and do my sta\u00adtu\u00adtes\u00bb (Eze\u00adkiel 36:27 ELB<\/span>). To accom\u00adpa\u00adny the music, we are about to recei\u00adve a per\u00adso\u00adnal dance teacher.<\/p>\n
\nRigh\u00adteous\u00adness is not tied to my actions, but to my rela\u00adti\u00adonship with Christ. We are cal\u00adled to com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adon with Jesus Christ. From this fol\u00adlows the second part: the trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon of our being. I can fail in this, but that does not detract from my rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God.
\nStress ease
\n\u00abBut you should be per\u00adfect, just as your Father in hea\u00adven is per\u00adfect\u00bb (Matthew 5:48 NLB<\/span>). This sen\u00adtence could cau\u00adse stress, but it does not. It mere\u00adly shows us that the Father in hea\u00adven is per\u00adfect and that through meta\u00admor\u00adpho\u00adsis \u2013 with the Torah and the Spi\u00adrit in our hearts \u2013 we can be trans\u00adfor\u00admed towards this per\u00adfect cha\u00adrac\u00adter. It is not about a per\u00adfec\u00adtion that con\u00adsists in having always kept the thousand rules of the game to 100%, it is rather about dancing to the music of hea\u00adven with an undi\u00advi\u00added heart, with one\u2019s who\u00adle being and essence, and thus fin\u00adding one\u2019s way into one\u2019s desti\u00adny. It is about buil\u00adding vir\u00adtue and character.
\nWhen I took a dance class with my wife befo\u00adre we got mar\u00adried, I was more of a stumb\u00adler than a dancer. The music sui\u00adted, the dance tea\u00adcher was per\u00adfect and I \u2013 far from it. That was not a pro\u00adblem, I made small pro\u00adgress and had fun with it. The lis\u00adten\u00aders of the Ser\u00admon on the Mount were also stumb\u00adlers. Peter, who soon denied Jesus three times. Tho\u00admas, who doub\u00adted. Judas. Weak, of litt\u00adle faith, as Jesus hims\u00adelf says of them. I feel I am in good com\u00adpa\u00adny. The King\u00addom of Hea\u00adven is made up of peo\u00adp\u00adle who are \u00abspi\u00adri\u00adtual\u00adly poor\u00bb. They remain in con\u00adstant con\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adon to God and live for Him.
\nIt hap\u00adpens to us again and again that we stumb\u00adle and no lon\u00adger dance to the music of hea\u00adven. The Bible calls this sin. An old priest gives a good exam\u00adp\u00adle of how to deal with stumb\u00adling: \u00abBet\u00adween God and me the\u00adre is a con\u00adnec\u00adtion as with a cord: every time I sin, this cord is cut. And when our Lord for\u00adgi\u00adves me, the two loo\u00adse ends are tied tog\u00ade\u00adther again. The cord has thus beco\u00adme a litt\u00adle shorter again. That means: I have come a litt\u00adle clo\u00adser to God again through forgiveness.\u00bb
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\nIma\u00adgi\u00adne the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing fami\u00adly life with rules like: If ano\u00adther child takes your sho\u00advel in the sand\u00adbox, you should address the pro\u00adblem non-vio\u00adlent\u00adly with gent\u00adle\u00adness and mer\u00adcy using \u00abI\u00bb mes\u00adsa\u00adges. At meal\u00adtimes, a gra\u00adteful atti\u00adtu\u00adde towards the Crea\u00adtor should be evi\u00addent in the fact that you eat ever\u00ady\u00adthing with joy and are moti\u00adva\u00adted to clean the dish\u00adwa\u00adsher after the meal. The cho\u00adres such as clea\u00adning the toi\u00adlet, vacu\u00adum\u00ading and picking up the flo\u00ador and dis\u00adpo\u00adsing of old objects should always be done joyful\u00adly and on time. Every evening, the par\u00adents take out a tal\u00adly sheet with which each child is mea\u00adsu\u00adred. If it has ful\u00adfil\u00adled, it hears, \u00abYou are still our child and get atten\u00adti\u00adon.\u00bb If they stumb\u00adle, they are out of luck. No, child\u00adren are sup\u00adpo\u00adsed to learn vir\u00adtu\u00ades from a secu\u00adre rela\u00adti\u00adonship of trust with their mother and father and form a cha\u00adrac\u00adter based on the exam\u00adp\u00adle of their par\u00adents. That is grace and that is how our rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God works.
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\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead the Bible text: Matthew 5:17\u201320<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat does a fami\u00adly that func\u00adtions accor\u00adding to the law look like? What par\u00adal\u00adlels can be drawn to the rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God?
\n\tLaw and grace are not oppo\u00adsi\u00adtes, but the two sides of the same coin. How do the two con\u00adcepts interact?
\n\tThe Sinai Torah and the Ser\u00admon on the Mount are ins\u00adtruc\u00adtions from God that reflect His cha\u00adrac\u00adter. What mea\u00adning do they have for us?
\n\tHow can we let our\u00adsel\u00adves be trans\u00adfor\u00admed more and more into the image of God?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"