The world is open to young peo\u00adp\u00adle. They have a lar\u00adge part of their lives ahead of them. What is worth living for? This ques\u00adti\u00adon is not only asked by young peo\u00adp\u00adle, but by ever\u00adyo\u00adne. For what is it worth inves\u00adt\u00ading one\u2019s life? Peo\u00adp\u00adle look for sup\u00adpo\u00adsed ful\u00adfilm\u00adent in three are\u00adas. We look for mea\u00adning in what we do, in what we own, or in what others think of us. Alt\u00adhough all of the\u00adse things are com\u00admon and wide\u00adly accept\u00aded today, they can never defi\u00adni\u00adtively ans\u00adwer the ques\u00adti\u00adon of mea\u00adning. Fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus have a dif\u00adfe\u00adrent per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve. They do not seek con\u00adfir\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon in the\u00adse three things. So their faith is shown in what they do. They rea\u00adli\u00adse that God\u2019s grace is all they need. Fur\u00adther\u00admo\u00adre, they know that they are God\u2019s bel\u00adoved child\u00adren and this is all the reco\u00adgni\u00adti\u00adon they need.<\/p>\n
Per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly, I grew up in a fami\u00adly for whom faith in Jesus Christ and fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Him was very cen\u00adtral. So I also went to a youth group whe\u00adre I got to know Jesus more clo\u00adse\u00adly with my peers. I basi\u00adcal\u00adly lik\u00aded going the\u00adre, but the\u00adre were some\u00adti\u00admes encoun\u00adters that hurt me very much. I was and still am a very fun-loving per\u00adson. I like to be with peo\u00adp\u00adle and occa\u00adsio\u00adnal\u00adly act like a clown. I love to laugh for life and yes, usual\u00adly very loud\u00adly. Unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly, my man\u00adner was not always well recei\u00adved and I was often repri\u00adman\u00added in the youth group. I should\u00adn\u2019t laugh so loud\u00adly, I should\u00adn\u2019t attract atten\u00adti\u00adon, I should just be quie\u00adter. This hurt me a lot and unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly also gave me the image that fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Jesus has only limi\u00adt\u00aded to do with joy. But in the mean\u00adti\u00adme I know and am con\u00advin\u00adced that fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Jesus can be a lot of fun. \tDo you have a mot\u00adto for your life? What dri\u00adves you? <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The world is open to young peo\u00adp\u00adle. They have a lar\u00adge part of their lives ahead of them. What is worth living for? This ques\u00adti\u00adon is not only asked by young peo\u00adp\u00adle, but by ever\u00adyo\u00adne. For what is it worth inves\u00adt\u00ading one\u2019s life? Peo\u00adp\u00adle look for sup\u00adpo\u00adsed ful\u00adfilm\u00adent in three are\u00adas. We look for mea\u00adning in the\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":7043,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[79],"wpfc_sermon_series":[81],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-cedric-bruegger","wpfc_sermon_series-creatio","wpfc-sermon-single","post-6750","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\n1. rejoice and enjoy your life!
\nEccle\u00adsi\u00adas\u00adtes 11:9 says: \u00abRejoice in your youth, young man, and live ligh\u00adthe\u00adar\u00adted\u00adly in your young years! Take the path your heart is drawn to and do what plea\u00adses your eyes\u00bb (Eccle\u00adsi\u00adas\u00adtes 11:9a NLB<\/span>). The aut\u00adhor of Eccle\u00adsi\u00adas\u00adtes is the Israe\u00adli King Solo\u00admon. King Solo\u00admon is con\u00adside\u00adred one of the wealt\u00adhie\u00adst men in the Bible. He had gre\u00adat pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adons and influence. But Solo\u00admon was not only a king, he was also a poet. Among other things, he wro\u00adte the book of Eccle\u00adsi\u00adas\u00adtes. The Book of Eccle\u00adsi\u00adas\u00adtes gives advice on life. The basic tenor of the book is that life is point\u00adless and meanin\u00adg\u00adless. The\u00adre is not\u00adhing bey\u00adond life that is worth fight\u00ading for, living for or dying for. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, the one pie\u00adce of advice keeps coming out: rejoice and enjoy your life! Young peo\u00adp\u00adle in par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar should rejoice in the face of the meanin\u00adg\u00adless\u00adness of the life that still lies ahead of them and enjoy every day.
\nPer\u00adhaps this may seem a litt\u00adle para\u00addo\u00adxi\u00adcal, that in the face of a hope\u00adl\u00adess world, the con\u00adclu\u00adsi\u00adon is drawn that one should enjoy one\u2019s life to the ful\u00adlest. But this mot\u00adto \u00abrejoice and enjoy your life\u00bb is also today, at least in Wes\u00adtern cul\u00adtu\u00adre, the gre\u00adat ideo\u00adlo\u00adgy that deter\u00admi\u00adnes life. We, too, live in a world in which many things go hay\u00adwire. The out\u00adlook for the future is no lon\u00adger all suns\u00adhi\u00adne. Many things are uncer\u00adtain. Cli\u00adma\u00adte chan\u00adge, incre\u00adasing war\u00adli\u00adke acti\u00advi\u00adties in Euro\u00adpe, fami\u00adly break-ups, extre\u00adme\u00adly harsh poli\u00adci\u00ades. All this and much more would give enough reason to pau\u00adse. But our wes\u00adtern world has also, by and lar\u00adge, found an ans\u00adwer: Enjoy your life, do what you want and what is good for you.
\nThis idea is also refer\u00adred to as a phi\u00adlo\u00adso\u00adphi\u00adcal doc\u00adtri\u00adne cal\u00adled hedo\u00adnism. The defi\u00adni\u00adti\u00adon of hedo\u00adnism is a \u00abphi\u00adlo\u00adso\u00adphi\u00adcal doc\u00adtri\u00adne foun\u00added in anti\u00adqui\u00adty, view accor\u00adding to which the hig\u00adhest ethi\u00adcal prin\u00adci\u00adple is the pur\u00adsu\u00adit of sen\u00adsu\u00adal plea\u00adsu\u00adre and enjoy\u00adment, pri\u00adva\u00adte hap\u00adpi\u00adness is seen in the las\u00adting ful\u00adfilm\u00adent of indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adal phy\u00adsi\u00adcal and men\u00adtal plea\u00adsu\u00adre\u00bb (Oxford Lan\u00adguages defi\u00adni\u00adti\u00adon). Do what you want and you will be fine and this will give mea\u00adning to your life. This sounds simi\u00adlar to Eccle\u00adsi\u00adas\u00adtes\u00bb defi\u00adni\u00adti\u00adon. This is the inner dri\u00adve for ever\u00ady\u00adthing we do. We want to give mea\u00adning to our lives. This may look dif\u00adfe\u00adrent, but we want our lives to make sen\u00adse. The ques\u00adti\u00adon of mea\u00adning dri\u00adves us.
\nThe mes\u00adsa\u00adge of Eccle\u00adsi\u00adas\u00adtes does not stop here, but con\u00adti\u00adnues. Ear\u00adlier I with\u00adheld from you the second part of the ver\u00adse. It says \u00abBut do not for\u00adget that you must ans\u00adwer to God for all your deeds\u00bb (Eccle\u00adsi\u00adas\u00adtes 11:9b NLB<\/span>). Solo\u00admon intro\u00addu\u00adces an ins\u00adtance here which ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly con\u00adsiders the meaningful\u00adness of all my deeds. This is expres\u00adsed a litt\u00adle dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly in 1 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans. \u00abAll things are lawful for me. But not ever\u00ady\u00adthing is good. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be ruled by any\u00adthing\u00bb (1 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 6:12 NLB<\/span>). The God of the Bible has crea\u00adted us won\u00adderful\u00adly. He wil\u00adled each and every one of us and this God desi\u00adres not\u00adhing more than for us to have Him first. We are allo\u00adwed to rejoice and enjoy life, but should always be free to stop dead in our tracks in ever\u00ady\u00adthing becau\u00adse it does not defi\u00adne us. Life is always in this ten\u00adsi\u00adon bet\u00adween doing what I mys\u00adelf want and taking respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty for my actions.
\n2. three (sup\u00adpo\u00adsedly) rewar\u00adding life tasks!
\nIn order for our lives to make sen\u00adse, we invest a lot. In the pro\u00adcess, the\u00adre are three life tasks that can quick\u00adly cap\u00adtu\u00adre us and sup\u00adpo\u00adsedly give our lives mea\u00adning. The\u00adse may make sen\u00adse at first glan\u00adce, but if they dri\u00adve our lives to the last, then the who\u00adle thing beco\u00admes perverted.
\nThe first pro\u00admi\u00adsing search for mea\u00adning is cal\u00adled: I am what I do. The defi\u00adni\u00adti\u00adon runs through what I do. What defi\u00adnes me is what I can achie\u00adve. My per\u00adfor\u00admance is at the cent\u00adre. If this dri\u00adves life, then I am per\u00adcei\u00adved as dili\u00adgent and con\u00adsci\u00aden\u00adtious. Yes my deeds shi\u00adne and ever\u00adyo\u00adne is proud of me. As an employee, peo\u00adp\u00adle app\u00adre\u00adcia\u00adte me becau\u00adse I do ever\u00ady\u00adthing con\u00adsci\u00aden\u00adtious\u00adly and my per\u00adfor\u00admance is top notch. But if I base my life on my per\u00adfor\u00admance, then at some point this can also have nega\u00adti\u00adve effects. In order to achie\u00adve top per\u00adfor\u00admance, I stand on the toes of others and block their way. I do this con\u00adscious\u00adly, even when they are bet\u00adter at some\u00adthing than I am. I do ever\u00ady\u00adthing so that I can main\u00adtain my sta\u00adtus, and thus also the mea\u00adning of my life. Peo\u00adp\u00adle who defi\u00adne them\u00adsel\u00adves by doing are faced with a sham\u00adbles of a life when they lose their job or, at the latest, when they reti\u00adre. Becau\u00adse the mea\u00adning is gone.
\nThe second stra\u00adtegy to give mea\u00adning to one\u2019s life is that I defi\u00adne mys\u00adelf by my pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adons. I am what I pos\u00adsess. Thus wealth and pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adons are seen as a goal in life. The goal is to have a house, of cour\u00adse as beau\u00adtiful, big and extra\u00adva\u00adgant as pos\u00adsi\u00adble. A car that ever\u00adyo\u00adne always looks at me for, or any\u00adthing else that gives my life mea\u00adning. Other peo\u00adp\u00adle see that I am suc\u00adcessful. They admi\u00adre me for what I have achie\u00adved. Peo\u00adp\u00adle might even look at me a litt\u00adle jea\u00adlous\u00adly. But the pro\u00adblem with this stra\u00adtegy is that I attach my heart to my pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adons. At some point, it\u2019s all about having more. But when I have more, I always want more. This can mean that I lite\u00adral\u00adly walk over dead bodies, as I don\u2019t care about the fee\u00adlings and needs of others, as long as I can only accu\u00admu\u00adla\u00adte more sta\u00adtus symbols.
\nThe third way in which I can seek mea\u00adning for my life is by defi\u00adning mys\u00adelf by what others think about me. I am what others think about me. What mat\u00adters is what peo\u00adp\u00adle, even stran\u00adgers, think of me. Sud\u00adden\u00adly fol\u00adlo\u00adwers on social media beco\u00adme a source of mea\u00adning. I am worth as much as peo\u00adp\u00adle emu\u00adla\u00adte me. If this is life\u2019s search for mea\u00adning, then I always tre\u00adat peo\u00adp\u00adle cour\u00adteous\u00adly. I tre\u00adat peo\u00adp\u00adle with love and do things to make them like me. But the dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adty is that I am like a flag in the wind. As long as peo\u00adp\u00adle like me, I do ever\u00ady\u00adthing. I twist the truth, I pre\u00adtend to be some\u00adthing that is not. The main thing is that others like me. I try as hard as I can to keep peo\u00adp\u00adle away from my inner\u00admost self. Becau\u00adse if they real\u00adly knew me, I\u2019m afraid they would\u00adn\u2019t like me any more.
\nAll three stra\u00adte\u00adgies seem very good and desi\u00adra\u00adble on the sur\u00adface. In our envi\u00adron\u00adment the\u00adre are enough role models who live out one or more of the\u00adse tasks. What is wrong with being suc\u00adcessful at work, rai\u00adsing child\u00adren, doing sports or going to school? What is wrong with having the same things that many others do? Why should\u00adn\u2019t I be popu\u00adlar with peo\u00adp\u00adle ins\u00adtead of ever\u00adyo\u00adne being upset with me? The chall\u00adenge with the\u00adse things is not that they are bad per se, but that I attach my heart to them and try to give mea\u00adning to my life through them. Alt\u00adhough peo\u00adp\u00adle admi\u00adre me for it, the\u00adse things can\u00adnot fill my inner hole. The ques\u00adti\u00adon remains, what makes me tick?
\n3. bear responsibility!
\nEach per\u00adson is respon\u00adsi\u00adble for his or her own life goal and what is con\u00adside\u00adred important. On this day, the three of you will not only recei\u00adve many gifts and spend time with your fami\u00adlies over a good meal. From this day on, you are reli\u00adgious\u00adly matu\u00adre. You may deci\u00adde for your\u00adsel\u00adves how you want to ans\u00adwer the ques\u00adti\u00adon of mea\u00adning in your lives. You have seve\u00adral opti\u00adons. You can choo\u00adse one of the dif\u00adfe\u00adrent reli\u00adgi\u00adons or you can say that you don\u2019t want to have any\u00adthing to do with any reli\u00adgi\u00adon. If you choo\u00adse this path, you will pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly fol\u00adlow one of the pre\u00advious three life tasks in order to give mea\u00adning to your life. You can also deci\u00adde to be a Named Chris\u00adti\u00adan. This would mean that you act cul\u00adtu\u00adral\u00adly and in cer\u00adtain decis\u00adi\u00adons as it is writ\u00adten in the Bible. May\u00adbe you also attend a church ser\u00advice, read the Bible and pray from time to time. But faith has no gre\u00adat meaningful func\u00adtion in your life, you just stick with it out of tra\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon. Or you deci\u00adde not to fol\u00adlow a reli\u00adgi\u00adon, but Jesus Christ hims\u00adelf. You deci\u00adde to fol\u00adlow Jesus in your life. My wish for you three, but also for all other peo\u00adp\u00adle, is that you choo\u00adse this path. This is becau\u00adse I am con\u00advin\u00adced that it sol\u00adves the ques\u00adti\u00adon of mea\u00adning and also offers three good coun\u00adter-designs to the three very com\u00admon ways of life of our time. All of them ari\u00adse from the rela\u00adti\u00adonship with Jesus Christ. All three intert\u00adwi\u00adne and belong together.
\nThe first is that disci\u00adple\u00adship shows its\u00adelf in good deeds. A fol\u00adlower of Jesus Christ is a doer of good. \u00abIt is not enough just to have faith. A faith that does not lead to good deeds is not faith-it is dead and wort\u00adhl\u00adess\u00bb (James 2:17 NLB<\/span>). Fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus are to be con\u00adspi\u00adcuous by their good work. Dili\u00adgence and con\u00adsci\u00aden\u00adtious\u00adness is good. But in doing so, I do not walk over others. I see mys\u00adelf as part of some\u00adthing big\u00adger and sup\u00adport others and, per\u00adhaps most dif\u00adfi\u00adcult, I help others to do things even bet\u00adter than I can.
\nFur\u00adther\u00admo\u00adre, a fol\u00adlower of Jesus is not depen\u00addent on any pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adons. The only thing that mat\u00adters and counts is the grace of God. \u00abEach time he said, \u00abMy grace is all you need. My strength is shown in your weak\u00adne\u00adss.\u00bb And now I am con\u00adtent with my weak\u00adne\u00adss so that the power of Christ can work through me\u00bb (2 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 12:9 NLB<\/span>). God\u2019s grace is shown in loving me as I am. God wants me to care about him too. Peo\u00adp\u00adle who are com\u00admit\u00adted to God and want to live their lives for him do not do ever\u00ady\u00adthing well or even bet\u00adter than others. But they are bet\u00adter off. Becau\u00adse whe\u00adre they are weak, God\u2019s strength is revealed.
\nIn con\u00adtrast to see\u00adking appr\u00adoval from peo\u00adp\u00adle, fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus Christ seek their appr\u00adoval from God. In the search for mea\u00adning, we humans repea\u00adted\u00adly take paths that are not meant to be taken. But man is desi\u00adgned to find his mea\u00adning with God. Man was crea\u00adted in the image of God and aims to have com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adon with God. But see\u00adking mea\u00adning in things other than God is what the Bible calls sin. God desi\u00adres that we fol\u00adlow him com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly. Faith in him, is all it takes to be accept\u00aded by God. \u00abAnd Abram belie\u00adved the Lord, and the Lord declared him righ\u00adteous becau\u00adse of his faith\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 15:6 NLB<\/span>). To decla\u00adre righ\u00adteous means that God for\u00adgi\u00adves us for not loo\u00adking to him for the mea\u00adning of life. The faith of Abram descri\u00adbed here was demons\u00adtra\u00adted by the fact that his faith was shown in trus\u00adting and acting towards this God.
\nIt is not through any action that I am accept\u00aded befo\u00adre God. But by grace alo\u00adne. By belie\u00adving in him, that is, by ack\u00adnow\u00adled\u00adging that I alo\u00adne am not able to satis\u00adfy the ques\u00adti\u00adon of mea\u00adning in my life. This shapes my life and is reflec\u00adted in my actions.
\nYes, it can always be that you three have pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adons in your life, have care\u00aders and peo\u00adp\u00adle like you. But all this can never fill the ques\u00adti\u00adon of mea\u00adning in you. But a life with Jesus at the cent\u00adre is defi\u00adni\u00adte\u00adly wort\u00adhwhile. And not only when you have grey hair. \u00abThink about your Crea\u00adtor while you are young. Don\u2019t wait to do this until you are old, the days beco\u00adme bur\u00adden\u00adso\u00adme for you, and the years come of which you must say, \u00abI don\u2019t like them!\u00bb \u00bb (Eccle\u00adsi\u00adas\u00adtes 12:1 NLB<\/span>). A life as a fol\u00adlower of Jesus is wort\u00adhwhile. It is wort\u00adhwhile in that it gives mea\u00adning to your life. You no lon\u00adger have to be the best, you no lon\u00adger have to have the most, you no lon\u00adger have to be the most popu\u00adlar. You can just be a fol\u00adlower and go on your way. Have joy in your life, in a life that makes sense.
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nRead the Bible text: Eccle\u00adsi\u00adas\u00adtes 11:9\u201312:1<\/p>\n
\n\tAre you attrac\u00adted to the con\u00adcept of hedo\u00adnism? What in par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar makes this ideo\u00adlo\u00adgy inte\u00adres\u00adt\u00ading for you?
\n\tWhich of the three (sup\u00adpo\u00adsedly) rewar\u00adding life tasks spurs you on? (I am what I do; I am what I own; I am what others think of me). Why?
\n\tWhat makes it so dif\u00adfi\u00adcult for you that, ins\u00adtead of fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Jesus Christ com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly, you pre\u00adfer to pur\u00adsue this life task?
\n\tWhe\u00adre is it in your life to get a dif\u00adfe\u00adrent per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve? Defi\u00adni\u00adti\u00adon about doing (Read James 2:17). Defi\u00adni\u00adti\u00adon about pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adon (Read 2 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 12:9). Defi\u00adni\u00adti\u00adon about what others think of me (Gene\u00adsis 15:6).<\/p>\n