The desi\u00adre to impro\u00adve our\u00adsel\u00adves more and more is inher\u00adent in us humans. But unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly, this opti\u00admi\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon fails in the encoun\u00adter with the holy God. Becau\u00adse even an opti\u00admi\u00adsed ego can\u00adnot stand befo\u00adre God on its own. The pro\u00adblem is so-cal\u00adled sin, which means miss\u00ading the tar\u00adget. In order to res\u00adto\u00adre man\u2019s access to God, Jesus Christ died on Good Fri\u00adday. He was the total\u00adly bla\u00adme\u00adl\u00adess sacri\u00adfice nee\u00added to bear all the guilt of the world. After bea\u00adring it all, he cries out one last time with the words \u00abIt is finis\u00adhed!\u00bb. The Holy God sent His own Son, who died for us unho\u00adly peo\u00adp\u00adle \u2013 all this to have fel\u00adlow\u00adship with us! <\/p>\n
It seems to me that the\u00adre are only two types of adver\u00adti\u00adsing today. One is the adver\u00adti\u00adsing that sug\u00adgests you can beco\u00adme a bet\u00adter you with this and that tip. It\u2019s all about self-opti\u00admi\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon. You are respon\u00adsi\u00adble for your ego and you can beco\u00adme any\u00adthing if you want enough. You can ful\u00adfil your every wish \u2013 it\u2019s only up to your will. The other kind of adver\u00adti\u00adsing tells you that you are per\u00adfect the way you are. You don\u2019t have to chan\u00adge any\u00adthing, you can live your best self. It seems to me almost like a maga\u00adzi\u00adne that descri\u00adbes on the first five pages how you can lose ten kilo\u00adgrams of weight in one month and then fol\u00adlows five pages about how you don\u2019t have to chan\u00adge any\u00adthing about yours\u00adelf becau\u00adse you are per\u00adfect the way you are. But the\u00adre is a con\u00adtra\u00addic\u00adtion here in adver\u00adti\u00adsing, but also in our socie\u00adty. On the one hand, you are basi\u00adcal\u00adly good as a human being and don\u2019t have to chan\u00adge any\u00adthing about yours\u00adelf. On the other hand, you have to opti\u00admi\u00adse yours\u00adelf. On the other hand, the\u00adre is agree\u00adment that human beings are not bad or evil. If someone is bad, it\u2019s always the others, not myself. \tAre you yours\u00adelf always in dan\u00adger of wan\u00adting to opti\u00admi\u00adse yours\u00adelf? Whe\u00adre does this happen? The desi\u00adre to impro\u00adve our\u00adsel\u00adves more and more is inher\u00adent in us humans. Unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly, howe\u00adver, this opti\u00admi\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon fails in the encoun\u00adter with the holy God. Becau\u00adse even an opti\u00admi\u00adsed self can\u00adnot stand up to God on its own. The pro\u00adblem is so-cal\u00adled sin, which means miss\u00ading the mark. In order to opti\u00admi\u00adse people\u2019s access\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":7258,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[79],"wpfc_sermon_series":[90],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-cedric-bruegger","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-heilig-heilig-heilig","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-7251","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
\nA life for more than optimisation
\nBut what are we humans made for? What do we humans live for? If we fol\u00adlow the bibli\u00adcal sto\u00adry of crea\u00adti\u00adon, then man was crea\u00adted to live in com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adon with the holy God, his Crea\u00adtor. As humans, we are crea\u00adted for a God who does not fit into our con\u00adcept. It is a God who goes bey\u00adond all our thoughts, actions and ima\u00adgi\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon. This God crea\u00adted us so that we can enjoy his pre\u00adsence. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, the most important task as a human being is to love God. Jesus Christ was once asked what the most important com\u00admandment in the Bible was. \u00abJesus repli\u00aded: \u00abYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind\u00bb \u00bb (Matthew 22:37 NLB<\/span>).
\nUnfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly, howe\u00adver, it is often the case that the world around us is not only good, but often it is dif\u00adfi\u00adcult for us to belie\u00adve that a God exists. But my the\u00adsis is that the reason why man is capa\u00adble of good, alt\u00adhough the\u00adre is so much bad on earth, is becau\u00adse the\u00adre is the abso\u00adlu\u00adte good. But if the\u00adre is abso\u00adlu\u00adte good, then unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly the\u00adre is also abso\u00adlu\u00adte bad. Only in the dua\u00adli\u00adty of good and evil can some\u00adthing also be clas\u00adsi\u00adfied in this way. This abso\u00adlu\u00adte good is the holy God. We humans were crea\u00adted to spend our lives in the pre\u00adsence of this good God, but unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly we lost this inti\u00adma\u00adte posi\u00adti\u00adon with God. We lost this becau\u00adse our ances\u00adtors wan\u00adted to be like God and distin\u00adgu\u00adish good from evil. This miss\u00ading of the mark is descri\u00adbed in the Bible as sin. So when sin is spo\u00adken of, it always means that some\u00adthing mis\u00adses its target.
\nThis miss\u00ading of the mark in us is not always evi\u00addent, but always when we do some\u00adthing that we would descri\u00adbe as bad. Becau\u00adse if we humans have an ide\u00adal, then it is actual\u00adly this: To always act well. Becau\u00adse nobo\u00addy wants to con\u00adscious\u00adly act bad\u00adly unless it brings an advan\u00adta\u00adge. This may also be the reason why we are always try\u00ading to opti\u00admi\u00adse our\u00adsel\u00adves. But opti\u00admi\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon does not mean that ever\u00ady\u00adthing is good. Unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly, we fail to opti\u00admi\u00adse our\u00adsel\u00adves per\u00adfect\u00adly. We are like it says in the let\u00adter to the Romans. \u00abWhen I want to do good, I don\u2019t do it. And when I try to avo\u00adid evil, I do it\u00bb (Romans 7:19 NLB<\/span>). Unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly, we the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre eit\u00adher have to resort to excu\u00adses such as: \u00abI\u2019m doing my best, but\u2026\u00bb; \u00abI\u2019m still bet\u00adter than\u2026\u00bb or \u00abIf the other per\u00adson had\u00adn\u2019t acted like that, then I would\u00adn\u2019t have\u2026\u00bb. Or we rea\u00adli\u00adse that unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly the\u00adre is a part of every per\u00adson that we can\u00adnot be proud of at all, but unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly we can\u00adnot over\u00adco\u00adme it eit\u00adher. The pro\u00adblem is that if we want to come back into the pre\u00adsence of God, we have to be wit\u00adhout a miss\u00ading tar\u00adget. And this leads us to Good Fri\u00adday. Good Fri\u00adday is God\u2019s solu\u00adti\u00adon to this. Good Fri\u00adday is the sto\u00adry of a real\u00adly good, holy per\u00adson dying for real\u00adly bad, unho\u00adly peo\u00adp\u00adle. Yes, it is the sto\u00adry of God giving his Son, hims\u00adelf 100% God and at the same time 100% man. Jesus Christ is alre\u00ada\u00addy descri\u00adbed in the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment on Good Fri\u00adday. \u00ab[\u2026]. His appearance was neither beau\u00adtiful nor maje\u00ads\u00adtic; he had not\u00adhing attrac\u00adti\u00adve to plea\u00adse us. He was des\u00adpi\u00adsed and rejec\u00adted by peo\u00adp\u00adle \u2013 a man of sor\u00adrows, fami\u00adli\u00adar with sick\u00adness, someone from whom peo\u00adp\u00adle hide their faces. He was des\u00adpi\u00adsed and meant not\u00adhing to us. Nevert\u00adhel\u00adess, he took our ill\u00adnesses upon hims\u00adelf and bore our pain. And we thought he was ost\u00adra\u00adcis\u00aded, bea\u00adten and humi\u00adlia\u00adted by God! But becau\u00adse of our offen\u00adces he was pier\u00adced, becau\u00adse of our trans\u00adgres\u00adsi\u00adons he was crus\u00adhed. He was punis\u00adhed so that we might have peace. By his wounds we were hea\u00adled!\u00bb (Isai\u00adah 53:2\u20135 NLB<\/span>).
\nJesus drinks the bit\u00adter cup
\nWhat Isai\u00adah had pre\u00addic\u00adted over 700 years ear\u00adlier was ful\u00adfil\u00adled with Jesus Christ almost 2000 years ago. Alt\u00adhough he came into the world pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly for Good Fri\u00adday and Eas\u00adter, it was not an easy path for him. The path was rocky and hard and cost him ever\u00ady\u00adthing \u2013 inde\u00aded, it cost him his life. Jesus\u00bb cru\u00adci\u00adfi\u00adxi\u00adon took place around the Pas\u00adso\u00adver. This feast is still the hig\u00adhest feast of the Jews today. On this day, a lamb wit\u00adhout ble\u00admish is sacri\u00adfi\u00adced. It is a remin\u00adder of the Exodus from Egypt, when they also had to slaugh\u00adter a lamb. At that time, the blood was pain\u00adted on the door\u00adposts and ser\u00adved as a sign that the inha\u00adbi\u00adtants were spared by God. The inno\u00adcent, flaw\u00adless lamb had to die so that the first-born sons could live in the house. This prin\u00adci\u00adple runs through the enti\u00adre sacri\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adal the\u00adme in the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment. A bla\u00adme\u00adl\u00adess ani\u00admal must die for the offen\u00adces of the peo\u00adp\u00adle so that they them\u00adsel\u00adves can live. Howe\u00adver, as peo\u00adp\u00adle repea\u00adted\u00adly fai\u00adled to ful\u00adfil their duty to God, they had to sacri\u00adfice again and again. A guilt\u00adless sacri\u00adfice is neces\u00adsa\u00adry to rede\u00adem the guilt once and for all. A sacri\u00adfice is nee\u00added that does not its\u00adelf miss the mark. This in turn is only pos\u00adsi\u00adble through God hims\u00adelf. That is why God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world. This is what the let\u00adter to the Hebrews says about Jesus. \u00abOnce he brought blood into the Most Holy Place, but not the blood of goats and cal\u00adves, but his own blood, through which he brought us the sal\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon that is for all time. In the past, sprink\u00adling the blood of goats and bulls or the ashes of a young cow could cle\u00adan\u00adse a person\u2019s body of ritu\u00adal impu\u00adri\u00adty. How much more can the blood of Christ do, becau\u00adse through the power of God\u2019s eter\u00adnal Spi\u00adrit, Christ offe\u00adred hims\u00adelf to God as a per\u00adfect sacri\u00adfice for our sins. He frees our con\u00adsci\u00adence by absol\u00adving us from our deeds for which we deser\u00adve death. Now we can ser\u00adve the living God\u00bb (Hebrews 9:12\u201314 NLB<\/span>).
\nJesus sits with his disci\u00adples befo\u00adre the Pas\u00adso\u00adver. That evening, he insti\u00adtu\u00adtes the Last Sup\u00adper, which we want to take tog\u00ade\u00adther after\u00adwards. After this time, he goes into a gar\u00adden with his disci\u00adples. The\u00adre he pre\u00adpa\u00adres hims\u00adelf for what will hap\u00adpen to him in the next few minu\u00adtes and hours. What hap\u00adpens the\u00adre shows a deep strugg\u00adle bet\u00adween the Son of God and God hims\u00adelf. \u00abHe went a litt\u00adle fur\u00adther, sank to the ground and pray\u00aded: \u00abMy Father! If it is pos\u00adsi\u00adble, let the cup of suf\u00adfe\u00adring pass from me. But I want to do your will, not mine. [\u2026]. And again he left her and pray\u00aded: \u00abMy Father! If this cup can\u00adnot pass from me, then let your will be done\u00bb \u00bb (Matthew 26:39\u201342 NLB<\/span>). Jesus was afraid to die and asked his disci\u00adples to stay awa\u00adke with him, but they kept fal\u00adling asleep. In his dar\u00adkest hour, he was alo\u00adne. The cup is a bibli\u00adcal sym\u00adbol for a divi\u00adne tri\u00adal, but also for God\u2019s wrath. The bit\u00adter cup that Jesus has to drink is the enti\u00adre fail\u00adure of man\u00adkind. Jesus Christ has to bear the enti\u00adre wrath of God on the cross. It is not just the fear of death, but the total wrath of God and the remo\u00adten\u00adess from God that he is so afraid of. Jesus places hims\u00adelf under the will of the holy God, who demands this sacri\u00adfice so that his lon\u00adging can be ful\u00adfil\u00adled \u2013 that peo\u00adp\u00adle can come into cont\u00adact with him again. Jesus hims\u00adelf says: \u00abFor I have come down from hea\u00adven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do what I mys\u00adelf want\u00bb (John 6:38 NLB<\/span>). Do you know why Jesus did this? Becau\u00adse of you! Becau\u00adse he loves you so infinitely!
\nIt is done!
\nJesus vol\u00adun\u00adt\u00ada\u00adri\u00adly allo\u00adwed hims\u00adelf to be arres\u00adted and nai\u00adled to the cross. And so the life of Jesus Christ draws to a clo\u00adse. The\u00adre he hung and at the end he drank a litt\u00adle wine vin\u00adegar from a spon\u00adge. \u00abWhen Jesus had taken some, he said: \u00abIt is finis\u00adhed! Then he bowed his head and died\u00bb (John 19:30 NLB<\/span>). It is finis\u00adhed! The Greek here is teleo. This means to be ful\u00adly accom\u00adplished. But what has been accom\u00adplished, what has been ful\u00adly achieved?
\nIf we are socia\u00adli\u00adsed as Chris\u00adti\u00adans or are a litt\u00adle more invol\u00adved with Eas\u00adter Sun\u00adday, then we quick\u00adly come to the con\u00adclu\u00adsi\u00adon that Jesus defea\u00adted death on the cross. But this is too quick a leap to Eas\u00adter Sun\u00adday. Can we with\u00adstand the ten\u00adsi\u00adon of Good Fri\u00adday? Sure, after Good Fri\u00adday comes Eas\u00adter Sun\u00adday. But do we under\u00adstand what hap\u00adpen\u00aded the\u00adre at that moment on the cross? Jesus accom\u00adplished some\u00adthing the\u00adre that no ani\u00admal sacri\u00adfice befo\u00adre him could accom\u00adplish. It was the one-time sacri\u00adfice that rede\u00ade\u00admed us.\u00bb[So] 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\u00adence from guilt, and our bodies have been washed with pure water!\u00bb (Hebrews 10:22 NLB<\/span>). Ori\u00adgi\u00adnal\u00adly, the altar was sprink\u00adled with the blood of the sacri\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adal ani\u00admals and this cle\u00adan\u00adsed it and made it pure. What sounds like a hygie\u00adnic non\u00adsen\u00adse is a deep\u00adly ritua\u00adli\u00adstic truth. By sprink\u00adling our hearts with the blood of Jesus Christ, they were cle\u00adan\u00adsed. They are now so pure that we can come befo\u00adre God and meet him.
\nDo you noti\u00adce the ten\u00adsi\u00adon of Good Fri\u00adday? Jesus, the Son of God, died. God is dead! For you! This is not a mis\u00adcar\u00adria\u00adge of jus\u00adti\u00adce, not a coin\u00adci\u00addence, but God\u2019s free decis\u00adi\u00adon. What is your ans\u00adwer? God ardent\u00adly desi\u00adres that you ans\u00adwer him: \u00abHere I am\u00bb. Good Fri\u00adday ends with Jesus Christ dead. He lea\u00adves the unans\u00adwe\u00adred ques\u00adti\u00adons: Was it all for not\u00adhing? What hap\u00adpens to the words and deeds? Good Fri\u00adday defi\u00adni\u00adte\u00adly burst the ima\u00adgi\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon of the disci\u00adples and the peo\u00adp\u00adle of that time \u2013 and of today. But God would not be God if he did not go bey\u00adond our ima\u00adgi\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon. For a God whom we can grasp com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly is not a God, but an ima\u00adgi\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon. Let us endu\u00adre this ten\u00adsi\u00adon, which goes bey\u00adond this Good Fri\u00adday. For after that comes Eas\u00adter Satur\u00adday. Can we bear the fact that not ever\u00ady\u00adthing always pas\u00adses quick\u00adly, but that the\u00adre are moments of ten\u00adsi\u00adon? How do we deal with Good Fri\u00adday and Eas\u00adter Satur\u00adday in our lives?
\nOn Good Fri\u00adday, the holy God dies for us humans. He dies out of love for you. All tho\u00adse who belie\u00adve in him and have recei\u00adved him ther\u00adeby beco\u00adme saints them\u00adsel\u00adves. Not by their own power, but through the blood sprink\u00adled on the hearts of the fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus. After\u00adwards we will take com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adon. In pre\u00adpa\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon for this, we will pray the Apost\u00adles\u00bb Creed. This con\u00adsists almost half of the Good Fri\u00adday and Eas\u00adter events. In it we sta\u00adte as the gathe\u00adred church that we belie\u00adve in the \u00abcom\u00admu\u00adni\u00adon of saints\u00bb. For Jesus Christ has paid. He has finis\u00adhed it! It is finished!
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nRead the Bible text: Isai\u00adah 53 and John 19:28\u201330<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat is your favou\u00adri\u00adte missed goal? Whe\u00adre do you keep doing things that you don\u2019t real\u00adly want to do?
\n\tDo you under\u00adstand the importance of a bla\u00adme\u00adl\u00adess sacri\u00adfice for us humans? What do you think is the dif\u00adfe\u00adrence that the sacri\u00adfice of Jesus Christ was enough to achie\u00adve this?
\n\tHow do you feel about the fact that Jesus strug\u00adg\u00adled with the fact that he should go to the cross?
\n\tIt is done! What does this sen\u00adtence trig\u00adger in you?
\n\tCan you stand the ten\u00adsi\u00adon of Good Fri\u00adday? Why can\u2019t you? What could be the tre\u00adasu\u00adre in endu\u00adring this tension?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"