Heart and kid\u00adneys are two inge\u00adnious won\u00adders of crea\u00adti\u00adon! They are also cru\u00adcial for our spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal life!<\/p>\n
I want to announ\u00adce one thing right at the begin\u00adning of the ser\u00admon: This ser\u00admon will get under your skin! It is essen\u00adti\u00adal\u00adly based on two bibli\u00adcal pas\u00adsa\u00adges from the Psalms: \tBes\u00adi\u00addes the examp\u00adles in the ser\u00admon, how can one rela\u00adte other \u00abmat\u00adters of the heart\u00bb to the spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal life? Heart and kid\u00adneys are two inge\u00adnious won\u00adders of crea\u00adti\u00adon! They are also cru\u00adcial for our spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal life! I want to announ\u00adce one thing right at the begin\u00adning of the ser\u00admon: This ser\u00admon will get under your skin! It is essen\u00adti\u00adal\u00adly based on two bibli\u00adcal pas\u00adsa\u00adges from the Psalms: \u00abLord, put me to the test and try my heart and kidneys\u00bb.\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[35],"wpfc_sermon_series":[81],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-bernhard-hohl","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-creatio","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-6817","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
\n\u00abLord, put me to the test and put me to the acid test!\u00bb (Psalm 26:2 NLB<\/span>)
\n\u00abLord, I will give thanks to you with all my heart and tell of your won\u00adders\u00bb (Psalm 9:2 NLB<\/span>).
\nPar\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar\u00adly in the OT<\/span>, we occa\u00adsio\u00adnal\u00adly come across the phra\u00adse as we read it in Psalm 26. It sounds like a check-up at the doctor\u2019s, who exami\u00adnes ever\u00ady\u00adthing about me and checks whe\u00adther ever\u00ady\u00adthing is still in order \u2013 under the skin!
\nThe fre\u00adquent men\u00adti\u00adon of the heart and kid\u00adneys in the OT<\/span> shows how much the heart and the other inter\u00adnal organs were con\u00adside\u00adred the cent\u00adre of the per\u00adso\u00adna\u00adli\u00adty and our being at that time. Heart and kid\u00adneys are two inge\u00adnious won\u00adders of creation!
\nThat is why I put Psalm 9 at the begin\u00adning: \u00abLord, I will thank you with all my heart and tell you of your won\u00adders\u00bb (Psalm 9:2 NLB<\/span>).
\nOur two kid\u00adneys are the most inge\u00adnious sewa\u00adge tre\u00adat\u00adment plants I know! They don\u2019t stink and they do an excel\u00adlent job! They are about 12 cm long and weigh 150 g. They are well pro\u00adtec\u00adted by a fat pad to the right and left of the spi\u00adne \u2013 at about waist level. While we sit here com\u00adfor\u00adta\u00adb\u00adly in the ser\u00advice, the enti\u00adre blood volu\u00adme of the body \u2013 a good 5 l \u2013 flows through the kid\u00adneys about 10 times. Con\u00adver\u00adted, that means: every day, over 1000 lit\u00adres of blood are fil\u00adte\u00adred in you. I call them puri\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon plants becau\u00adse it is their cru\u00adcial task to puri\u00adfy the blood.
\nSub\u00ads\u00adtances that are harmful to the body are caught and drai\u00adned through the renal pel\u00advis and ure\u00adter so that they lea\u00adve the body in the uri\u00adne. Now you might think that what goes out through the uri\u00adne is pure poi\u00adson, but this is a mista\u00adke! When uri\u00adne lea\u00adves a healt\u00adhy body, it is com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly germ-free \u2013 you could even drink it.
\nUri\u00adne is also used to dia\u00adgno\u00adse dise\u00ada\u00adses. Dia\u00adbe\u00adtes, for exam\u00adp\u00adle, can be detec\u00adted by a simp\u00adle uri\u00adne test. If the uri\u00adne has a red\u00addish colour, it indi\u00adca\u00adtes a kid\u00adney or uri\u00adna\u00adry tract hae\u00admor\u00adrha\u00adge; if it looks clou\u00addy or even whitish-cre\u00ada\u00admy, the\u00adre is an infec\u00adtion some\u00adwhe\u00adre, the excess of white blood cells must be remo\u00adved. It is also inte\u00adres\u00adt\u00ading that the uri\u00adne can even be used to deter\u00admi\u00adne whe\u00adther a pregnan\u00adcy is pre\u00adsent or not.
\nThe job of the kid\u00adneys is done by around 2 mil\u00adli\u00adon renal cor\u00adpus\u00adcles, which are loca\u00adted in the renal cor\u00adtex. The\u00adse tiny vas\u00adcu\u00adlar clus\u00adters are the kid\u00adneys\u00bb fil\u00adters. Like a fine-pored sie\u00adve, they hold back all the good and indis\u00adpensable sub\u00ads\u00adtances such as glu\u00adco\u00adse, salts and other mine\u00adrals and return them to the blood\u00adstream. The bad, on the other hand, they let slip. If their abili\u00adty to func\u00adtion is rest\u00adric\u00adted, the body beco\u00admes poisoned.
\nThe kid\u00adneys also ensu\u00adre the cor\u00adrect com\u00adpo\u00adsi\u00adti\u00adon of the blood by drai\u00adning excess water and kee\u00adping the total amount of flu\u00adid in the body constant.
\nOur two kid\u00adneys are two inge\u00adnious won\u00adders of creation!
\nWhat about our hearts? The\u00adre are inge\u00adnious pumps in this world, but the heart puts all pumps in the shade.
\nWit\u00adhout our regu\u00adlar heart\u00adbeat, oxy\u00adgen and many nut\u00adri\u00adents could not be dis\u00adtri\u00adbu\u00adted pro\u00adper\u00adly in the body, becau\u00adse every sin\u00adgle cell in the body must be sup\u00adpli\u00aded with what it needs to live and func\u00adtion. The\u00adse include abo\u00adve all oxy\u00adgen, cer\u00adtain hor\u00admo\u00adnes, the sub\u00ads\u00adtances that the immu\u00adne sys\u00adtem needs and the ener\u00adgy-rich fuels that we con\u00adsu\u00adme with our food. The blood also trans\u00adports away via the ves\u00adsels all meta\u00adbo\u00adlic was\u00adte and resi\u00addu\u00adal gases such as car\u00adbon dioxi\u00adde (CO2<\/span>).
\nThe actu\u00adal heart\u00adbeat occurs when the strong ven\u00adtri\u00adcu\u00adlar walls con\u00adtract abrupt\u00adly. With each con\u00adtrac\u00adtion, they lite\u00adral\u00adly wring the blood out of the heart \u2013 in a first wave out of the right ven\u00adtric\u00adle to the lungs, from whe\u00adre it returns enri\u00adched with fresh oxy\u00adgen; the left dis\u00adtri\u00adbu\u00adtes it, along with the char\u00adged oxy\u00adgen and nut\u00adri\u00adents, to the last cor\u00adners of the body. The wall of the left ven\u00adtric\u00adle has to gene\u00adra\u00adte the enorm\u00adous pres\u00adsu\u00adre that sends the blood down to the tips of our fin\u00adgers and toes. That the blood flows down to the toe we under\u00adstand well, but how does it get back up? Four strong hard-wea\u00adring val\u00adves, the heart val\u00adves, open and clo\u00adse as nee\u00added and ensu\u00adre that the blood always flows on in the right direc\u00adtion. Over 500 lit\u00adres of blood flow through your heart every day!
\nIf you were to con\u00adnect all the blood-trans\u00adport\u00ading ves\u00adsels of your body, the\u00adre would be a path of 100,000 km. That is a length of more than twice around the earth! The\u00adse ves\u00adsels split into finer and finer ves\u00adsels until every mus\u00adcle fib\u00adre is rea\u00adched by a capil\u00adla\u00adry. Cor\u00adre\u00adspon\u00adding venous ves\u00adsels trans\u00adport the used blood back again.
\nTwo figu\u00adres best illus\u00adtra\u00adte how enorm\u00adously effi\u00adci\u00adent our heart is: The heart of a healt\u00adhy per\u00adson beats around three bil\u00adli\u00adon times during his or her life\u00adtime. In the pro\u00adcess, it pumps a total of around 250 mil\u00adli\u00adon lit\u00adres of blood into the body\u2019s circulation.
\nHow does a heart do that? It can rege\u00adne\u00adra\u00adte its\u00adelf \u2013 after every sin\u00adgle beat, even in the midd\u00adle of the har\u00addest work. From this fine\u00adly tun\u00aded balan\u00adce of effort and rest it draws the strength for its lifel\u00adong con\u00adti\u00adnuous performance.
\nThe heart and kid\u00adneys are tru\u00adly inge\u00adnious won\u00adders that we can only mar\u00advel at.
\nFeel your heart\u00adbeat for a moment and thank God for it!
\nThe com\u00admon men\u00adti\u00adon of heart and kid\u00adneys in the OT<\/span> is the most com\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsi\u00adve mea\u00adning of the cent\u00adre of our life with all that we are and have: Per\u00adso\u00adna\u00adli\u00adty, cha\u00adrac\u00adter and inner life, seat of emo\u00adtio\u00adnal impul\u00adses, source of spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal acti\u00advi\u00adties, will and intention.
\nIn the NT<\/span>, for exam\u00adp\u00adle, we noti\u00adce in Jesus that he alre\u00ada\u00addy speaks in a more dif\u00adfe\u00adren\u00adtia\u00adted way about the cent\u00adre of the human being when he for\u00admu\u00adla\u00adtes the most important com\u00admandment as fol\u00adlows: \u00abAnd you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength\u00bb (Mark 12:30 NLB<\/span>).
\nNow let us ask our\u00adsel\u00adves: What do the\u00adse two mira\u00adcle organs, heart and kid\u00adneys, have to tell us for our spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal life?
\nI have the impres\u00adsi\u00adon that some\u00adwhe\u00adre in or around our heart, the\u00adre is a con\u00adnec\u00adtion to God in all people.
\nI agree with Paul when he wri\u00adtes in the first chap\u00adter of Romans: All in crea\u00adti\u00adon can know God! But they do not want to wor\u00adship and glo\u00adri\u00adfy him. Many peo\u00adp\u00adle have tur\u00adned their con\u00adnec\u00adtion to God into an appen\u00addix. They don\u2019t real\u00adly know what this wire is for. And when it cau\u00adses pro\u00adblems, it is cut away like the appendix.
\nYet God crea\u00adted us for a rela\u00adti\u00adonship with him! Our con\u00adnec\u00adtion with him meant so much to him that Jesus Christ, his Son, died for us on the cross so that we can bring our lives into con\u00adnec\u00adtion with God. Then Christ lives in us through the Holy Spi\u00adrit and we may call our\u00adsel\u00adves God\u2019s child\u00adren. \u00abYes, the Spi\u00adrit Hims\u00adelf bears wit\u00adness to us in our inner\u00admost being that we are God\u2019s child\u00adren\u00bb (Romans 8:16 NG\u00dc<\/span>).
\nThis Christ in us is now our spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal kid\u00adney within us, the spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal puri\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon plant of our lives!
\nThe apost\u00adle John descri\u00adbes it this way in his first letter:
\n\u00abBut if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we are bound tog\u00ade\u00adther, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cle\u00adan\u00adses us from all sin. If we cla\u00adim to be wit\u00adhout sin, we decei\u00adve our\u00adsel\u00adves and clo\u00adse our\u00adsel\u00adves off from the truth. But if we con\u00adfess our sins, God pro\u00adves hims\u00adelf faithful and just: he for\u00adgi\u00adves us our sins and cle\u00adan\u00adses us from all the wrong we have done\u00bb (1 John 1:7\u20139 NG\u00dc<\/span>).
\nI need this spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal \u00abblood washing\u00bb again and again, pas\u00adtors are no exception!
\nEarth\u00adly and spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal pol\u00adlut\u00adants must be cle\u00adared. This is a spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal clea\u00adring out!
\nI am respon\u00adsi\u00adble for was\u00adte dis\u00adpo\u00adsal in our house\u00adhold and I love it! Thro\u00adwing ever\u00ady\u00adthing that accu\u00admu\u00adla\u00adtes, was\u00adte paper, glass, alu\u00admi\u00adni\u00adum into the appro\u00adpria\u00adte con\u00adtai\u00adners \u2013 I love the\u00adse movements!
\nLis\u00adtening to the bot\u00adt\u00adles shat\u00adter into a thousand pie\u00adces in the con\u00adtai\u00adner \u2013 wonderful.
\nAnd when ever\u00ady\u00adthing is gone and tidi\u00aded up at home again, it gives such a satis\u00adfied fee\u00adling! But it is much more beau\u00adtiful and glo\u00adrious to know: He for\u00adgi\u00adves our sins and cle\u00adan\u00adses us from all the wrongs we have committed.
\nOur kid\u00adney can uni\u00adque\u00adly sepa\u00adra\u00adte the bad from the good so that our body is not poi\u00adso\u00adned. The Spi\u00adrit of God can teach you just as uni\u00adque\u00adly to distin\u00adgu\u00adish bet\u00adween good and bad.
\nWe despera\u00adte\u00adly need this wis\u00addom from God in this day and age, in a world whe\u00adre we no lon\u00adger real\u00adly know what is truth and what is lies; what comes from God and what is \u00abSatan\u2019s whisper\u00bb! The blood brings the life-giving nou\u00adrish\u00adment into the body. In the same way, our faith in God needs spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal nou\u00adrish\u00adment. Peo\u00adp\u00adle go to so much trou\u00adble to feed their pets pro\u00adper\u00adly and, abo\u00adve all, in a man\u00adner appro\u00adpria\u00adte to their spe\u00adci\u00ades. Do we take the trou\u00adble to feed our faith in the same healt\u00adhy and spe\u00adci\u00ades-appro\u00adpria\u00adte way? Jesus has a few things to say about this:
\n\u00abI am the bread of life!\u00bb (John 6:48 NLB<\/span>) We do not find this bread in the super\u00admar\u00adket, but in the Bible. Jesus offe\u00adred \u00abliving water\u00bb to the Sama\u00adri\u00adtan woman at Jacob\u2019s well.
\nIn the\u00adse hot days we must not for\u00adget to drink enough! Belie\u00adving in the Bible and God is quite a hot busi\u00adness the\u00adse days \u2013 let\u2019s not for\u00adget to drink enough at the source of life. My wife and I once went on a hike and did\u00adn\u2019t think to take any\u00adthing to drink. How we suf\u00adfe\u00adr\u00aded! That was an unfor\u00adgettable les\u00adson for us! Usual\u00adly we do not for\u00adget our phy\u00adsi\u00adcal needs. While we often for\u00adget the spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal needs. What can we do about it? We can train our\u00adsel\u00adves to be spi\u00adri\u00adtual\u00adly hun\u00adgry and thirsty through regu\u00adla\u00adri\u00adty. It\u2019s the same with food: if we don\u2019t keep to our regu\u00adlar meal times, the sto\u00admach rebels and announ\u00adces hunger.
\nIt is the same with spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal food. When you have your regu\u00adlar time with God and one day it just does\u00adn\u2019t fit into your pro\u00adgram\u00adme, you rea\u00adli\u00adse that some\u00adthing is miss\u00ading! Some\u00adti\u00admes it is good for body and soul to fast. After\u00adwards you app\u00adre\u00adcia\u00adte the food more and are gra\u00adteful for it again!
\nBefo\u00adre, I said about the heart that it con\u00adstant\u00adly rege\u00adne\u00adra\u00adtes its\u00adelf. This is the only way it can with\u00adstand deca\u00addes of strain. It is the same in the spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal life. Paul wri\u00adtes in 2 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans: \u00abThe\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre I do not lose heart. The life forces I have by natu\u00adre are worn out, but the life God gives me is rene\u00adwed every day\u00bb (2 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 4:16 GNB<\/span>).
\nI also take the last sen\u00adten\u00adces of the ser\u00admon from the Bible, from the Let\u00adter to the Hebrews:
\n\u00abThe\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, let us enter into the pre\u00adsence of God with a sin\u00adce\u00adre heart and trust Him com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly. For our hearts have been sprink\u00adled with the blood of Christ to cle\u00adan\u00adse our con\u00adsci\u00aden\u00adces from guilt, and our bodies have been washed with pure water!\u00bb (Hebrews 10:22 NLB<\/span>)
\nAmen.
\n
\n
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups<\/p>\n
\n\tAre the\u00adre other organs or body parts who\u00adse mea\u00adning can be appli\u00aded to our faith?
\n\tHow can we awa\u00adken spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal hun\u00adger and thirst?
\n\tHow can we sus\u00adtain spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal hun\u00adger and thirst?
\n\tTell each other how you quench spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal hun\u00adger and thirst!
\n\tTake ple\u00adnty of time for an exten\u00added time of thanks and praise!
\n\tPray for a spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal hun\u00adger and thirst in loved ones and throug\u00adhout our nation.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"