{"id":7355,"date":"2023-06-11T09:45:29","date_gmt":"2023-06-11T07:45:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sermons.seetal-chile.ch\/?post_type=wpfc_sermon&p=7355"},"modified":"2023-06-11T11:37:51","modified_gmt":"2023-06-11T09:37:51","slug":"im-konflikt-mit-dem-heiligen-gott","status":"publish","type":"wpfc_sermon","link":"https:\/\/sermons.seetal-chile.ch\/en\/sermons\/im-konflikt-mit-dem-heiligen-gott\/","title":{"rendered":"In con\u00adflict with the holy God"},"content":{"rendered":"

The sto\u00adry of Cain and Abel is an exam\u00adp\u00adle of a con\u00adflict bet\u00adween a human being and the holy God. First the\u00adre is a dif\u00adfe\u00adrence which trig\u00adgers some\u00adthing in Cain and influen\u00adces his inner atti\u00adtu\u00adde. He throws God\u2019s war\u00adning to the wind and looks for a scape\u00adgoat in Abel, on whom he final\u00adly takes out his anger. Cain pro\u00adjects the guilt onto Abel and makes him respon\u00adsi\u00adble for HIS<\/span> problem.<\/p>\n

Today we dive into one of the first con\u00adflicts in human histo\u00adry. It is the sto\u00adry of the first two peo\u00adp\u00adle born on this earth \u2013 Cain and Abel. This con\u00adflict should ser\u00adve as an exam\u00adp\u00adle for us. Per\u00adhaps you are won\u00adde\u00adring what con\u00adflict bet\u00adween brot\u00adhers has to do with the annu\u00adal the\u00adme of holi\u00adne\u00adss. But I hope I will be able to show this in the cour\u00adse of the sermon.
\nAffirm differences!
\nThe sto\u00adry is found right in the first book of the Bible. After Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Gar\u00adden of Eden, they fathe\u00adred child\u00adren. First Cain was born, then Abel. The\u00adse brot\u00adhers were very dif\u00adfe\u00adrent. That is whe\u00adre most of the cau\u00adses of con\u00adflict lie. Dif\u00adfe\u00adren\u00adces are com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly nor\u00admal and are part of life. Dif\u00adfe\u00adrence is not some\u00adthing bad per se. But it beco\u00admes a pro\u00adblem when I can no lon\u00adger affirm it.
\nIn the case of Cain and Abel, the\u00adre were some dif\u00adfe\u00adren\u00adces. Cain was a far\u00admer by pro\u00adfes\u00adsi\u00adon. He plan\u00adted the land. Abel was also far\u00adming, but in a dif\u00adfe\u00adrent way \u2013 he was a she\u00adp\u00adherd. One after the other, both had the same inten\u00adti\u00adon. They wan\u00adted to offer a vol\u00adun\u00adt\u00ada\u00adry sacri\u00adfice to God. The exact moti\u00adves are not clear, but I assu\u00adme that their inten\u00adti\u00adon was to say thank you to their God. When it comes to the choice of what to sacri\u00adfice, the next dif\u00adfe\u00adrence beco\u00admes appa\u00adrent. Cain cho\u00adse part of his har\u00adve\u00adst. I can still remem\u00adber the children\u2019s Bibles whe\u00adre this was all so beau\u00adtiful\u00adly drawn. Melons, cucum\u00adbers, toma\u00adtoes, car\u00adrots, pota\u00adtoes, grains, figs, straw\u00adber\u00adries, etc. The sight of the\u00adse dra\u00adwings makes your mouth water. In con\u00adtrast to all the fruits and vege\u00adta\u00adbles, Abel also makes an offe\u00adring from his work. He takes a few of the first\u00adborn lambs, kills them and offers them along with the fat. Both offer a sacri\u00adfice from what they have work\u00aded for. But then the third dif\u00adfe\u00adrence appears. For one sacri\u00adfice is accept\u00aded favour\u00ada\u00adb\u00adly by God, the other is not. The vege\u00adta\u00adble, fruit and fruit offe\u00adring was rejec\u00adted. The meat offe\u00adring, on the other hand, was accept\u00aded. What does this mean? Is God not a vegetarian?
\nWe often focus on what is sacri\u00adfi\u00adced, but not on the one who sacri\u00adfices. God looks at the per\u00adson and the sacri\u00adfice. \u00bb [\u2026] The LORD<\/span> loo\u00adked favour\u00ada\u00adb\u00adly on Abel and accept\u00aded his sacri\u00adfice\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 4:4 NLB<\/span>). In con\u00adtrast, \u00abHe rejec\u00adted Cain and his sacri\u00adfice. [\u2026]\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 4:5 NLB<\/span>). The\u00adre are count\u00adless theo\u00adries as to why Cain was rejected.
\nOne says, for exam\u00adp\u00adle, that Cain was rejec\u00adted becau\u00adse he did not sacri\u00adfice the first fruits. Yet ano\u00adther says that Abel\u2019s sacri\u00adfice was accept\u00aded becau\u00adse he intui\u00adtively did the right thing. This is becau\u00adse the Bible gives a com\u00admandment on how a sacri\u00adfice should be offe\u00adred. \u00abThe priest who minis\u00adters shall burn ever\u00ady\u00adthing on the altar; such an offe\u00adring is plea\u00adsing to the LORD<\/span>. All the fat belongs to the LORD<\/span>\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 3:16 NLB<\/span>). Was Abel right becau\u00adse he also sacri\u00adfi\u00adced the fat? Final\u00adly, one assump\u00adti\u00adon is that only Abel\u2019s sacri\u00adfice was accept\u00aded becau\u00adse he sacri\u00adfi\u00adced ani\u00admals and blood was shed as a result. If no blood is sacri\u00adfi\u00adced, then the\u00adre is no con\u00adnec\u00adtion to life. Alt\u00adhough all the\u00adse theo\u00adries are jus\u00adti\u00adfied, they fall short. The dog is buried in a dif\u00adfe\u00adrent place \u2013 in Cain\u2019s rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God. \u00abBy faith, Abel offe\u00adred God a bet\u00adter sacri\u00adfice than Cain. God accept\u00aded Abel\u2019s sacri\u00adfice to show that he was righ\u00adteous in his eyes. And though Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us in this way\u00bb (Hebrews 11:4 NLB<\/span>). This is the fourth and cru\u00adcial dif\u00adfe\u00adrence. By faith, Abel offe\u00adred the bet\u00adter sacri\u00adfice. This is also echo\u00aded in various theo\u00adries. Abel trea\u00adted the holy God with rever\u00adence. His who\u00adle life was orga\u00adnis\u00aded as a ser\u00advice to God. The dif\u00adfe\u00adrence bet\u00adween the two sacri\u00adfices lies in the faith of the per\u00adson who per\u00adfor\u00admed the act. Cain was not rejec\u00adted becau\u00adse of his sacri\u00adfice, but the sacri\u00adfice was rejec\u00adted becau\u00adse of Cain!
\nWe often have the fee\u00adling that this pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly best-known con\u00adflict takes place among brot\u00adhers. But this is not the case. This con\u00adflict is bet\u00adween Cain and God. I had a trai\u00adning ses\u00adsi\u00adon this week on the topic of con\u00adflict. The\u00adre I lear\u00adned that the gol\u00adden rule in con\u00adflict theo\u00adry is that pro\u00adblems always have to do with mys\u00adelf first. This is also the case with Cain. The second mista\u00adke that Cain makes is the one that we also make all the time. We want to sol\u00adve the con\u00adflict. But con\u00adflicts can\u00adnot be sol\u00adved \u2013 even if this is col\u00adlo\u00adqui\u00adal\u00adly said \u2013 they can only be dealt with.
\nFee\u00adlings and inner atti\u00adtu\u00adde take over!
\nBut Cain had no know\u00adledge of con\u00adflict theo\u00adry, so he wan\u00adted to sol\u00adve his pro\u00adblem. Let\u2019s look fur\u00adther at how he pro\u00adcee\u00added. After they had both sacri\u00adfi\u00adced and his sacri\u00adfice was rejec\u00adted, some\u00adthing hap\u00adpen\u00aded to him. \u00bb [\u2026] Then Cain was very angry, and he loo\u00adked down fier\u00adce\u00adly\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 4:5 NLB<\/span>). The non-accep\u00adtance trig\u00adge\u00adred fee\u00adlings in him. I can ima\u00adgi\u00adne how the mere fact that his litt\u00adle brother\u2019s sacri\u00adfice was bet\u00adter than his own trig\u00adge\u00adred a lot in Cain. Fee\u00adlings are always sub\u00adjec\u00adti\u00adve and not objec\u00adti\u00adve and uncon\u00adtroll\u00adable at first. Sin\u00adce, as I said, the pro\u00adblem always has to do with mys\u00adelf first, ten\u00adsi\u00adons trig\u00adger dif\u00adfe\u00adrent reac\u00adtions in each per\u00adson. A distinc\u00adtion is made here bet\u00adween five con\u00adflict styl\u00ades. Ever\u00adyo\u00adne reacts dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly. Some imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly go on the attack and meet the con\u00adflict part\u00adner with aggres\u00adsi\u00adon. Others flee and avo\u00adid the con\u00adfron\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon. Some seek con\u00adsen\u00adsus. Until con\u00adsen\u00adsus is rea\u00adched, posi\u00adti\u00adons can be fought over very hard. Some seek a com\u00adpro\u00admi\u00adse, but this does not neces\u00ads\u00ada\u00adri\u00adly mean that the\u00adre is a win-win situa\u00adti\u00adon. A final group adapts and gives in. All the\u00adse styl\u00ades have their strengths and weak\u00adne\u00ads\u00adses. This is also not a jud\u00adge\u00adment, but a descrip\u00adti\u00adon of a cer\u00adtain pat\u00adtern that a per\u00adson falls back into in a con\u00adflict. This does not mean that this is per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly satis\u00adfac\u00adto\u00adry. I per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly have the con\u00adflict type of com\u00adpro\u00admi\u00adse. This means that I aim for a quick agree\u00adment. Howe\u00adver, this can also mean that I am some\u00adti\u00admes dis\u00adsa\u00adtis\u00adfied with the result becau\u00adse I per\u00adcei\u00adve mys\u00adelf as not being firm enough. I think that Cain was an atta\u00adcker in terms of style.
\n 
\nAfter the fee\u00adling of anger had sett\u00adled in him, his inner atti\u00adtu\u00adde chan\u00adged more and more. He lowe\u00adred his gaze grim\u00adly to the ground and ente\u00adred what is known as tun\u00adnel visi\u00adon. This nar\u00adro\u00adwed his visi\u00adon. This is exact\u00adly what hap\u00adpens when emo\u00adti\u00adons get the bet\u00adter of you. One effect of this is the sim\u00adpli\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon of ever\u00ady\u00adthing. The\u00adre are no more shades or shades of grey, only good or evil, for or against me, right or wrong. Cain was angry becau\u00adse God was mer\u00adciful to Abel and did not tre\u00adat him like this. \u00abThe LORD<\/span> repli\u00aded: I will cau\u00adse my good\u00adness to pass by you, and I will pro\u00adcla\u00adim my name \u00abthe LORD<\/span>\u00bb befo\u00adre you. I will bestow my favour and mer\u00adcy on who\u00adme\u00adver I will\u00bb (Exodus 33:19 NLB<\/span>). This atti\u00adtu\u00adde cau\u00adsed him incre\u00adasing difficulty.
\nObser\u00adve war\u00adning signs \u2013 other\u00adwi\u00adse a scape\u00adgoat will be penalised!
\nCain did not have a con\u00adflict with a human being, but with the holy God. As in every con\u00adflict, the\u00adre is also a war\u00adning sign here \u2013 this time even from God hims\u00adelf. God asks Cain: \u00ab \u00abWhy are you so angry?\u00bb the LORD<\/span> asked him. \u00abWhy are you loo\u00adking so grim\u00adly at the ground? Is it not so? If you have good in mind, you can look around free\u00adly. But when you plan evil, sin lies in wait for you. It wants to bring you down. But you shall reign over her!\u00bb \u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 4:6\u20137 NLB<\/span>). God points out HIS<\/span> pro\u00adblem to Cain. He shows him that the\u00adre is no reason to be angry and look so grim. Loo\u00adking down shows that he has evil in mind. The inner atti\u00adtu\u00adde resul\u00adting from the dif\u00adfe\u00adrence and the fee\u00adlings now radia\u00adtes into his pos\u00adtu\u00adre, ges\u00adtu\u00adres and facial expressions.
\nGod points out to him that sin is lur\u00adking. Sin means miss\u00ading the mark. The par\u00adents of Cain and Abel were crea\u00adted by God hims\u00adelf. He wan\u00adted to have fel\u00adlow\u00adship with them. Their ori\u00adgi\u00adnal mis\u00adsi\u00adon was to live in God\u2019s pre\u00adsence and to put him first. In God\u2019s eyes, sin is any\u00adthing that does not put him first. It mis\u00adses the goal of being com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly devo\u00adted to God as a human being. It was not only Cain who had to make this decis\u00adi\u00adon hims\u00adelf, but it is some\u00adthing that all peo\u00adp\u00adle know \u2013 even tho\u00adse who say that they fol\u00adlow Jesus Christ and put him first. The New Tes\u00adta\u00adment descri\u00adbes how fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus Christ should deal with this urge for self-rea\u00adli\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon. \u00abDo not let sin rule your lives; do not give in to its urges\u00bb (Romans 6:12 NLB<\/span>). It is our own choice how we deal with details, but we are to rule over our desi\u00adres. This mes\u00adsa\u00adge was for Cain, but also for us. But Cain goes fur\u00adther and fur\u00adther in the spi\u00adral of conflict.
\nBecau\u00adse Cain still does\u00adn\u2019t see the pro\u00adblem with hims\u00adelf despi\u00adte God\u2019s war\u00adning, a scape\u00adgoat has to be found. A per\u00adfect and sup\u00adpo\u00adsedly guil\u00adty vic\u00adtim is found in Abel. Abel is bla\u00admed for Cain\u2019s pro\u00adblem. He wants to resol\u00adve the con\u00adflict of his unac\u00adcept\u00aded sacri\u00adfice. But this can\u00adnot be sol\u00adved, only ans\u00adwe\u00adred. He choo\u00adses the sup\u00adpo\u00adsedly easy way of a quick solu\u00adti\u00adon ins\u00adtead of working on his rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God. Once he has found a good scape\u00adgoat in Abel, the\u00adre is no more tal\u00adking, but action. \u00abLater, Cain sug\u00adgested to his brot\u00adher Abel: \u00abCome on, let\u2019s go out into the field. While they were the\u00adre, Cain atta\u00adcked his brot\u00adher and struck him dead\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 4:8 NLB<\/span>). I have men\u00adtio\u00adned seve\u00adral times that the pro\u00adblem always has to do with mys\u00adelf first. Per\u00adhaps this sen\u00adtence has con\u00adfu\u00adsed you, becau\u00adse what does Abel have to do with it? Becau\u00adse this is also true in this case. Becau\u00adse Abel was not a par\u00adty to the con\u00adflict at all, but mere\u00adly a scape\u00adgoat \u2013 and yes, we can\u2019t help it here, but Abel did\u00adn\u2019t rea\u00adli\u00adse any\u00adthing per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly until he was killed.
\nCain had the choice of how to deal with his pro\u00adblem. But he allo\u00adwed hims\u00adelf to be drawn into the maelstrom, which ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly ended in fra\u00adtri\u00adci\u00adde. Cain was then dri\u00adven out. Befo\u00adre that, he was in the pre\u00adsence of God. Wha\u00adte\u00adver this may have loo\u00adked like. After all, he expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced first-hand that he and his sacri\u00adfice were not accept\u00aded. He was not yet dead, but self-deter\u00admi\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon (sin) deter\u00admi\u00adned his life from then on. This was the rea\u00adli\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon of what the apost\u00adle Paul later said in his let\u00adter to the Romans. \u00abFor the wages of sin is death, but the unde\u00adser\u00adved gift of God is eter\u00adnal life through Christ Jesus our Lord\u00bb (Romans 6:23 NLB<\/span>). The decis\u00adi\u00adon is yours. Fol\u00adlo\u00adwing the holy God means sub\u00admit\u00adting to him com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly and making your who\u00adle life a ser\u00advice to God \u2013 as Abel did.
\n 
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\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nRead the Bible text: Gene\u00adsis 4:1\u201316<\/p>\n

\tWhich dif\u00adfe\u00adren\u00adces do you find dif\u00adfi\u00adcult? Which ones can you easi\u00adly affirm?
\n\tWhat does the sen\u00adtence: \u00abPro\u00adblems always have to do with yours\u00adelf first\u00bb do to you?
\n\tCan you clas\u00adsi\u00adfy the sequence (dif\u00adfe\u00adrence leads to ten\u00adsi\u00adon, fee\u00adlings take over, inner atti\u00adtu\u00adde chan\u00adges (tun\u00adnel visi\u00adon), dis\u00adre\u00adgar\u00adding war\u00adning signs, loo\u00adking for a scape\u00adgoat, taking action) of Cain\u2019s action? How do you expe\u00adri\u00adence it?
\n\tWhe\u00adre have you expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced God\u2019s war\u00adning signs? How did you react to them?
\n\tWhat does your \u00absacri\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adal ser\u00advice\u00bb look like? Do you give yours\u00adelf com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly to God or are you rather reser\u00adved? What holds you back?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The sto\u00adry of Cain and Abel is an exam\u00adp\u00adle of a con\u00adflict bet\u00adween a man and the holy God. First\u00adly, the\u00adre is a dif\u00adfe\u00adrence that trig\u00adgers some\u00adthing in Cain and influen\u00adces his inner atti\u00adtu\u00adde. He throws God\u2019s war\u00adning to the wind and looks for a scape\u00adgoat in Abel, on whom he ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly takes out his anger.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":7365,"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-7355","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

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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/noscript>\n\t\t\t\t<\/form>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t","sermons_blog_image_url":"https:\/\/sermons.seetal-chile.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sermons\/2023\/06\/Thumbnail_2023-06-11.jpg","sermons_blog_video":"