Man car\u00adri\u00ades in his heart the lon\u00adging for love and jus\u00adti\u00adce. Jesus calls the place whe\u00adre this lon\u00adging is satis\u00adfied hea\u00adven. Moreo\u00adver, He chal\u00adlenges us to shape our lives on earth start\u00ading from hea\u00adven. With a hea\u00adven\u00adly hope, we can make cou\u00adra\u00adge\u00adous decis\u00adi\u00adons and live radi\u00adcal\u00adly new values. We gain access to hea\u00adven by sha\u00adring in the death and resur\u00adrec\u00adtion of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
In most cases, I like orga\u00adni\u00ads\u00ading fun\u00ade\u00adral ser\u00advices. This has not\u00adhing to do with cyni\u00adcism, but with the impres\u00adsi\u00adon that at such moments, time has come to the end and hea\u00adven is wide open. At the death\u00adbed, we like to say: \u00abOne day we\u2019ll meet again.\u00bb Will we real\u00adly see each other again or is that just a pipe dream? And \u2013 whe\u00adre will we see each other again? What will it be like? \tRead the text given. Alt\u00adhough not easy to under\u00adstand, it expres\u00adses the con\u00adtent of the ser\u00admon very well. Man car\u00adri\u00ades a lon\u00adging for love and jus\u00adti\u00adce in his heart. Jesus calls the place whe\u00adre this lon\u00adging is satis\u00adfied hea\u00adven. He also chal\u00adlenges us to shape our lives on earth from hea\u00adven. With a hea\u00adven\u00adly hope, we can make cou\u00adra\u00adge\u00adous decis\u00adi\u00adons and live radi\u00adcal\u00adly new values. Gai\u00adning access to heaven\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7059,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[81],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-creatio","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-6905","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"has-post-thumbnail","8":"hentry","11":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nHea\u00adven in the heart
\nThe\u00adre are many objects in the Crea\u00adtio. The only thing I have an inter\u00adnal per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve of is mys\u00adelf. I have a sto\u00adry that nobo\u00addy else knows. Only I know how it feels for me when I walk bare\u00adfoot through a pudd\u00adle, when I\u2019m in pain or when my wis\u00adhes don\u2019t come true. This inner per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve is also cal\u00adled the ego or soul.
\nWhe\u00adre is the sto\u00adry in a book like \u00abLion\u00bb? Is it in the ink, in the let\u00adters on the pages? What hap\u00adpens to the sto\u00adry if we burn all the books? Someone comes with a DVD<\/span> and the sto\u00adry \u2013 as a film \u2013 is also on the\u00adre. What hap\u00adpens to our histo\u00adry, our ego, when our body dies?
\nA com\u00admon thread run\u00adning through all reli\u00adgi\u00adons and cul\u00adtures is the gre\u00adat hope that the\u00adre is life after death. Among other things, the Egyp\u00adti\u00adans built pyra\u00admids and desi\u00adgned the buri\u00adal cham\u00adbers insi\u00adde them with over\u00adwhel\u00adming beau\u00adty. They pla\u00adced objects with the buried pha\u00adraoh that could have been useful for the afterlife.
\nSolo\u00admon wro\u00adte around 1,000 years befo\u00adre Christ: \u00abGod has deter\u00admi\u00adned the time for ever\u00ady\u00adthing in this world in advan\u00adce; he has even pla\u00adced eter\u00adni\u00adty in the hearts of men\u00bb (Eccle\u00adsi\u00adas\u00adtes 3:11 NLB<\/span>). Man car\u00adri\u00ades within him the hope that his ego will not fall into not\u00adhing\u00adness. We have hope for eter\u00adnal life, which comes after the book of the film. In addi\u00adti\u00adon to eating, slee\u00adping and dying, man is cha\u00adrac\u00adte\u00adri\u00adsed by the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing lon\u00adging: that love remains, that jus\u00adti\u00adce is done.
\nJesus speaks about heaven
\nWhat is the Chris\u00adti\u00adan visi\u00adon of hea\u00adven? The Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment visi\u00adon is of a land whe\u00adre God and peo\u00adp\u00adle come tog\u00ade\u00adther. Abra\u00adham is to move from his home\u00adland to the pro\u00admi\u00adsed land, which is to beco\u00adme the home of the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel. God does not want to bring his peo\u00adp\u00adle to a hea\u00adven, but to an ear\u00adthy land whe\u00adre milk and honey flow and whe\u00adre God wants to live tog\u00ade\u00adther with people.
\nThis endea\u00advour does not quite come to frui\u00adti\u00adon due to people\u2019s unfaithful\u00adness to God. That is why Jesus appears on this earth and speaks a lot about hea\u00adven and hell. He shapes a radi\u00adcal\u00adly new way of thin\u00adking, expres\u00adsed in the Lord\u2019s Pray\u00ader: \u00abYour king\u00addom come, your will be done on earth as it is in hea\u00adven.\u00bb Jesus thinks from hea\u00adven. In hea\u00adven, ever\u00ady\u00adthing hap\u00adpens accor\u00adding to God\u2019s inten\u00adti\u00adons. We should pray and live so that some\u00adthing of this beco\u00admes visi\u00adble on this earth. The \u00abhea\u00adven\u00bb model of thin\u00adking has extre\u00adme\u00adly strong con\u00adse\u00adquen\u00adces for life in this world.
\nIn the con\u00adtext of hea\u00adven, Jesus often speaks of reward: things we do on earth have eter\u00adnal con\u00adse\u00adquen\u00adces \u2013 both posi\u00adti\u00adve and nega\u00adti\u00adve. What we do in our lives real\u00adly counts. Not\u00adhing is over\u00adloo\u00adked: \u00abIf anyo\u00adne gives you even a cup of water becau\u00adse you belong to Christ, he will be reward\u00aded\u00bb (Mark 9:41 NLB<\/span>). Our decis\u00adi\u00adons have con\u00adcre\u00adte con\u00adse\u00adquen\u00adces. In view of this reward, He also pleads for a com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly dif\u00adfe\u00adrent life\u00adstyle than is com\u00admon in socie\u00adty. Jesus did not teach a feel-good gos\u00adpel: \u00abGo to church regu\u00adlar\u00adly and pray. The\u00adre you will find your part\u00adner for life and with God\u2019s help you can relax a litt\u00adle in the evening.\u00bb Like\u00adwi\u00adse, life with God is not about a nebu\u00adlous spi\u00adri\u00adtua\u00adli\u00adty, but about com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly new value stan\u00addards in key areas:
\nJesus chal\u00adlenges us to use our money for the good of others. \u00ab[\u2026] In this way, with your gene\u00adro\u00adsi\u00adty, you will accu\u00admu\u00adla\u00adte rewards in hea\u00adven\u00bb (Luke 16:9 NLB<\/span>). Con\u00adcre\u00adte hea\u00adven\u00adly hope makes us more gene\u00adrous with money. Our hand\u00adling of money has con\u00adse\u00adquen\u00adces in heaven.
\nEven our approach to sexua\u00adli\u00adty should have a hea\u00adven\u00adly per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve. Jesus says: \u00ab[\u2026] and still others have cho\u00adsen not to mar\u00adry for the sake of the king\u00addom of hea\u00adven. If anyo\u00adne can under\u00adstand this, let him act accor\u00addin\u00adgly\u00bb (Matthew 19:12 NLB<\/span>). Why so radi\u00adcal? Becau\u00adse we belie\u00adve in an unat\u00adtrac\u00adti\u00adve hea\u00adven at best, sexua\u00adli\u00adty has beco\u00adme our hea\u00adven. Jesus has the auda\u00adci\u00adty to shake our pseu\u00addo hea\u00adven. Live with your body in a way that is wort\u00adhy of hea\u00adven! With a hea\u00adven\u00adly per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve of hope, it is even pos\u00adsi\u00adble to live with unful\u00adfil\u00adled desires.
\nAnd now it gets real\u00adly chal\u00adlen\u00adging: \u00abBles\u00adsed are tho\u00adse who are per\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adted for righ\u00adteous\u00adness\u00bb sake, for theirs is the king\u00addom of hea\u00adven\u00bb (Matthew 5:10 LUT<\/span>). The lis\u00adten\u00aders knew what per\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adti\u00adon meant, and not that someone posts some\u00adthing bad on Face\u00adbook. The first disci\u00adples were kil\u00adled becau\u00adse of their faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus\u00bb com\u00adment on this was: Be hap\u00adpy! He jus\u00adti\u00adfies the\u00adse radi\u00adcal state\u00adments with hea\u00adven. \u00abRejoice in this! Rejoice! For a gre\u00adat reward awaits you in hea\u00adven. And remem\u00adber, even the pro\u00adphe\u00adts were once per\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adted\u00bb (v.12 NLB<\/span>). The first disci\u00adples could no lon\u00adger take death as a con\u00adcept so serious\u00adly. They went to their deaths for Jesus becau\u00adse they had seen the Risen One. They knew: \u00abIt will only take a second and then I will be in eter\u00adnal glo\u00adry. What should I be afraid of? Paul finds the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing words for this hea\u00adven\u00adly per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve: \u00abBut I am con\u00advin\u00adced that our pre\u00adsent suf\u00adfe\u00adrings are insi\u00adgni\u00adfi\u00adcant com\u00adpared to the glo\u00adry he will give us later\u00bb (Romans 8:18 NLB<\/span>).
\nWhat kind of hea\u00adven must it be to be hap\u00adpy about per\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adti\u00adon? The rather Greek idea of hea\u00adven as a realm of souls and spi\u00adrits is not suf\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adent for such a life\u00adstyle. The hea\u00adven of which Jesus speaks is as con\u00adcre\u00adte and ear\u00adthy as the land of Canaan.
\nOur lon\u00adging for love and jus\u00adti\u00adce does not fall into not\u00adhing\u00adness. The first fol\u00adlo\u00adwers belie\u00adved this becau\u00adse Jesus Christ died and rose again. Jesus did not appear as a spi\u00adrit after his death, he was resur\u00adrec\u00adted as a unity of body, spi\u00adrit and soul. The resur\u00adrec\u00adted Jesus had one body, but a dif\u00adfe\u00adrent one. He could walk through walls, sud\u00adden\u00adly appear and dis\u00adap\u00adpear, some disci\u00adples do not reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse him imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly, but then he does, and \u2013 he no lon\u00adger dies. Figu\u00adra\u00adtively spea\u00adking, Jesus muta\u00adted from a two-dimen\u00adsio\u00adnal cir\u00adcle into a sphe\u00adre. A sphe\u00adre has an addi\u00adtio\u00adnal dimen\u00adsi\u00adon and the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre has com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly new pos\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties. After his resur\u00adrec\u00adtion, he now rolls over the irri\u00adta\u00adted \u00abflat\u00adland\u00aders\u00bb.
\nPaul knows that all fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus will also beco\u00adme bul\u00adlets: \u00abWe, on the other hand, are citi\u00adzens of hea\u00adven, and from hea\u00adven we also await our Saviour \u2013 Jesus Christ the Lord. He will trans\u00adform our imper\u00adfect body and make it like his own body, which reflects God\u2019s glo\u00adry\u00bb (Phil\u00adip\u00adpians 3:20 New Tes\u00adta\u00adment). You are a sphe\u00adre. Your cur\u00adrent cir\u00adcle is part of it. But it is only a small part of much more. Your sto\u00adry beco\u00admes a living film! The mes\u00adsa\u00adge of the Bible is that this hap\u00adpens to the who\u00adle of crea\u00adti\u00adon: \u00abEver\u00ady\u00adthing on earth was sub\u00adjec\u00adted to cor\u00adrup\u00adti\u00adon. This was done against their will by the one who sub\u00adjec\u00adted them. But the who\u00adle crea\u00adti\u00adon hopes for the day when it will be set free from death and cor\u00adrup\u00adti\u00adon into the glo\u00adrious free\u00addom of the child\u00adren of God\u00bb (Romans 8:20f NLB<\/span>; cf. Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 1:20). The new crea\u00adti\u00adon encom\u00adpas\u00adses the who\u00adle cos\u00admos. On the one hand, histo\u00adry con\u00adti\u00adnues (con\u00adti\u00adnui\u00adty) and on the other hand, it is recrea\u00adted in a new dimen\u00adsi\u00adon (dis\u00adcon\u00adti\u00adnui\u00adty). In hea\u00adven, cir\u00adcles beco\u00adme sphe\u00adres, a book beco\u00admes a film.
\nThe new world is not an imper\u00adso\u00adnal, astral world. Jesus also calls hea\u00adven my Father\u2019s house: \u00abThe\u00adre are many dwel\u00adlings in my Father\u2019s house, and I am going ahead to prepa\u00adre a place for you\u00bb (John 14:2 NLB<\/span>). Later, Jesus says that his Father is also our Father (John 20:17). Hea\u00adven is not just an exter\u00adnal home, but the home of your heart. It is the place whe\u00adre you rea\u00adli\u00adse that this is what I was made for. Your lon\u00adging for love and jus\u00adti\u00adce will be rea\u00adli\u00adsed. Hea\u00adven is such that you intui\u00adtively feel com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly at home. Mean\u00adwhile, Jesus has been buil\u00adding this house for 2000 years. How inge\u00adnious it must be when you con\u00adsider that the Crea\u00adtor only nee\u00added 7 days to build the who\u00adle world.
\nAccess to heaven
\nThe cross and the resur\u00adrec\u00adtion of Jesus are the gate\u00adway to this new world. Jesus had to die and rise again for the new life. None of us is sim\u00adply waved through. We too are faced with a decis\u00adi\u00adon at the cross. Am I rea\u00addy to trust this God, to die and rise with him? Dying with Jesus means sur\u00adren\u00adde\u00adring and coming to the rea\u00adli\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon that I do not fit into the new world as I am. That\u2019s why I cling to Jesus and give my life to Him. In the cour\u00adse of the resur\u00adrec\u00adtion with Him, He gives me a new exis\u00adtence with the faci\u00adli\u00adty of 3\u2011D. The Bible also calls this pro\u00adcess rebirth. In bap\u00adtism, we express that we have died and risen with Jesus.
\nGod respects your decis\u00adi\u00adon and also accepts a No. The con\u00adse\u00adquence of this, and Jesus speaks very open\u00adly about this, is eter\u00adnal sepa\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon from God. He lea\u00adves us free. You can deci\u00adde today to beco\u00adme part of the new crea\u00adti\u00adon by con\u00adscious\u00adly tur\u00adning to Jesus.
\n
\nChris\u00adti\u00adan hope is much more than an after\u00adli\u00adfe con\u00adso\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon. It is a hope with which one can live and die. The priest Maxi\u00admi\u00adli\u00adan Kol\u00adbe found hims\u00adelf in a con\u00adcen\u00adtra\u00adti\u00adon camp in 1941. A pri\u00adsoner has escaped. And now ten inno\u00adcent peo\u00adp\u00adle are to die of star\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon. A father of a fami\u00adly is also sel\u00adec\u00adted. He cries out loud\u00adly. Priest Maxi\u00admi\u00adli\u00adan steps for\u00adward to die for him. When asked \u00abWhy are you doing this?\u00bb, he says: \u00abI am an old, sin\u00adgle man. This man the\u00adre is young and has a fami\u00adly.\u00bb Eye\u00adwit\u00adnesses still find it a mys\u00adtery today that the com\u00adman\u00adder accept\u00aded the priest\u2019s offer. Kol\u00adbe went to the death bun\u00adker with the others on 3 August 1941. Twel\u00adve days later, the camp doc\u00adtor used a phe\u00adnol syrin\u00adge to kill the four pri\u00adsoners who were still ali\u00adve at the time \u2013 inclu\u00adding Maxi\u00admi\u00adli\u00adan Kol\u00adbe. As long as he was still able to speak, he gave strength to his fel\u00adlow suf\u00adfe\u00adrers and told them about God.
\nHea\u00adven is not an after\u00adli\u00adfe con\u00adso\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon. The belief that this life is not ever\u00ady\u00adthing is what gives life incre\u00addi\u00adble value, depth and beau\u00adty. It is valuable when the weight of our life is in eter\u00adni\u00adty. This anchor holds, whe\u00adther your boat is rocked back and forth by the waves of suf\u00adfe\u00adring or the waves of hap\u00adpi\u00adness. When you live with Jesus, you are actual\u00adly alre\u00ada\u00addy begin\u00adning to live in hea\u00adven. And when you die, you will say: \u00abActual\u00adly, I have been living in the Father\u2019s house all this time. I just haven\u2019t seen ever\u00ady\u00adthing yet becau\u00adse I was a small circle.\u00bb
\n
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead the Bible text: Romans 8:1\u201322<\/p>\n
\n\tHow do you ima\u00adgi\u00adne hea\u00adven? What has chan\u00adged with this sermon?
\n\tIs your hope worth living a radi\u00adcal\u00adly dif\u00adfe\u00adrent life\u00adstyle \u00e0 la Jesus?
\n\tWhat does it mean to orga\u00adni\u00adse ever\u00ady\u00adday life thin\u00adking from heaven?
\n\tWhat does it mean to die and rise with Jesus Christ? Have you alre\u00ada\u00addy expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced this?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"