{"id":7601,"date":"2023-11-12T09:45:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-12T08:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sermons.seetal-chile.ch\/?post_type=wpfc_sermon&p=7601"},"modified":"2024-12-27T08:38:50","modified_gmt":"2024-12-27T07:38:50","slug":"kirche-uebungsplatz-fuer-die-persoenliche-heiligung","status":"publish","type":"wpfc_sermon","link":"https:\/\/sermons.seetal-chile.ch\/en\/sermons\/kirche-uebungsplatz-fuer-die-persoenliche-heiligung\/","title":{"rendered":"Church \u2013 a trai\u00adning ground for per\u00adso\u00adnal sanctification"},"content":{"rendered":"

At first glan\u00adce, the demands pla\u00adced on a fol\u00adlower of Jesus Christ appear to be a pure impo\u00adsi\u00adti\u00adon and some\u00adti\u00admes even unat\u00adtrac\u00adti\u00adve \u2013 becau\u00adse they often seem to put you on the losing side. Howe\u00adver, when the\u00adse are con\u00adtras\u00adted with a life with con\u00adtra\u00adry moral ide\u00adas, they sud\u00adden\u00adly seem very desi\u00adra\u00adble. The church is a good place to prac\u00adti\u00adse the\u00adse things. But the cru\u00adcial thing is not THAT<\/span> we try to keep the\u00adse gui\u00adde\u00adlines, but our MOTIVATION<\/span>. This should come from being cho\u00adsen as saints and bel\u00adoved of God.<\/p>\n

Two com\u00adpe\u00adting cities \u2013 which one will you choose?
\nI would like to intro\u00addu\u00adce you to two cities. One is the city with the hea\u00adding \u00abLais\u00adsez-fai\u00adre\u00bb, the other is nick\u00adna\u00admed \u00abMora\u00adli\u00adty abo\u00adve all\u00bb. I would like to out\u00adline the\u00adse two cities for you. The task is for you to con\u00adsider which of the two cities you would like to live in.
\nLet\u2019s start with our \u00ablais\u00adsez-fai\u00adre\u00bb city. The\u00adre are no rules in this city \u2013 do what you want is the mot\u00adto here. The main thing is that it\u2019s right for you. Live your life. Live your dream. Yes, the\u00adre are no rules. Not\u00adhing like lifel\u00adong fide\u00adli\u00adty or an ethic that says sexua\u00adli\u00adty only belongs in mar\u00adria\u00adge \u2013 let alo\u00adne only with one per\u00adson. If you want to do some\u00adthing, no mat\u00adter what \u2013 then do it. Pas\u00adsi\u00adon is the dri\u00adving force. Cha\u00adse the money! If someone is stan\u00adding in your way, then get them out of your way, get angry with them and blas\u00adphe\u00adme about them. The main thing is that you\u2019\u00adre doing well. In \u00ablais\u00adsez-fai\u00adre\u00bb, you are the cent\u00adre of atten\u00adti\u00adon \u2013 the others are only of inte\u00adrest as long as they don\u2019t get in the way.
\nNow to the city of \u00abMora\u00adli\u00adty abo\u00adve all\u00bb. This is a city whe\u00adre things are civi\u00adli\u00adsed. The focus is on the weak, the poor and the down\u00adtrod\u00adden. Com\u00adpas\u00adsi\u00adon, mer\u00adcy and kind\u00adness towards all are para\u00admount. It is also important not to take yours\u00adelf too serious\u00adly and to do what you want, but to make decis\u00adi\u00adons for the good of the who\u00adle. It is also important to always react gent\u00adly and pati\u00adent\u00adly. Never offend anyo\u00adne. The two most important maxims are love and peace.
\nWhich city would you like to live in? I think the case is clear. Who wants to live in the first city with all nar\u00adcis\u00adsists and ego\u00adtists? Yes, the life\u00adstyle may sound temp\u00adting at first glan\u00adce, but the\u00adse prac\u00adti\u00adces can wreak havoc on many a fami\u00adly, fri\u00adend\u00adship and town. After all, unbrid\u00adled sexu\u00adal beha\u00adviour and an out-of-con\u00adtrol use of lan\u00adguage always ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly lead to the des\u00adtruc\u00adtion of rela\u00adti\u00adonships on various levels. Some may still tell them\u00adsel\u00adves that this could be a fun time, but in fact you are on your own and lost in that sen\u00adse. The second city, whe\u00adre your neigh\u00adbour is seen and respec\u00adted, is much more attrac\u00adti\u00adve. We read about the\u00adse two ways of living in Colos\u00adsi\u00adans. The first city is descri\u00adbed in Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:5\u20139 and the second in Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:12\u201317, the first part of which we will now read tog\u00ade\u00adther. \u00abSin\u00adce God has cho\u00adsen you to be among his saints and bel\u00adoved, be full of com\u00adpas\u00adsi\u00adon and mer\u00adcy, kind\u00adness, humi\u00adli\u00adty, gent\u00adle\u00adness and pati\u00adence. Be leni\u00adent with the faults of others and for\u00adgi\u00adve tho\u00adse who have offen\u00added you. Do not for\u00adget that the Lord has for\u00adgi\u00adven you and that you must the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre also for\u00adgi\u00adve others. But the most important thing is love. It is the bond that unites us all in per\u00adfect unity. We wish your hearts the peace that comes from Christ. For as mem\u00adbers of one body, you are all cal\u00adled to live in peace with one ano\u00adther. And always be thank\u00adful!\u00bb (Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:12\u201315 NLB<\/span>). We want to look more into this way this morning.
\nThe ethi\u00adcal and moral demands made by the bibli\u00adcal aut\u00adhors and by Jesus Christ hims\u00adelf often seem too far away. But when we con\u00adtrast the\u00adse with the oppo\u00adsi\u00adte, we rea\u00adli\u00adse that we fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adly long for them.
\nIt has not\u00adhing to do with weak\u00adne\u00adss to try to live accor\u00adding to the\u00adse moral stan\u00addards. The Eng\u00adlish-spea\u00adking theo\u00adlo\u00adgi\u00adan N.T. Wright wri\u00adtes: \u00abPeo\u00adp\u00adle who accept this chall\u00adenge are usual\u00adly also peo\u00adp\u00adle who are capa\u00adble of making dif\u00adfi\u00adcult decis\u00adi\u00adons and enga\u00adging in other chal\u00adlen\u00adging acti\u00advi\u00adties in other are\u00adas. So Chris\u00adti\u00adan beha\u00adviour makes us more human, not less human. Plea\u00adsu\u00adre-see\u00adking and habi\u00adtu\u00adal anger or lying seem fun for a while, but they des\u00adtroy us soo\u00adner or later \u2013 usual\u00adly soo\u00adner\u00bb (N.T. Wright).
\nPeo\u00adp\u00adle will make fun of such a life\u00adstyle, but only becau\u00adse they have a fal\u00adse under\u00adstan\u00adding of it. Com\u00adpas\u00adsi\u00adon does not mean being sen\u00adti\u00admen\u00adtal. Com\u00adpas\u00adsi\u00adon does not mean that I con\u00addo\u00adne the actions of others. Kind\u00adness does not mean being sen\u00adsi\u00adti\u00adve. Humi\u00adli\u00adty does not mean having low self-esteem. Gent\u00adle\u00adness does not mean weak\u00adne\u00adss, it means kee\u00adping your emo\u00adti\u00adons under con\u00adtrol. Pati\u00adence does not mean let\u00adting ever\u00ady\u00adthing hap\u00adpen to you.
\nMost peo\u00adp\u00adle long to live in this city, which at first glan\u00adce appears to be too mora\u00adli\u00adstic, but we main\u00adly live in the \u00ablais\u00adsez-fai\u00adre\u00bb city. Here are three facts. Accor\u00adding to a Soto\u00admo sur\u00advey, 27% of the Swiss have alre\u00ada\u00addy chea\u00adted once \u2013 a web\u00adsite that offers dating oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adties has almost a quar\u00adter of a mil\u00adli\u00adon mem\u00adbers in Switz\u00ader\u00adland alo\u00adne. 38% of Swiss peo\u00adp\u00adle feel lonely some\u00adti\u00admes or often, accor\u00adding to an offi\u00adci\u00adal stu\u00addy by the Swiss govern\u00adment. Guess for yours\u00adelf how long we were wit\u00adhout war on earth after the Second World War? \u2013 Accor\u00adding to my histo\u00adry tea\u00adcher from the voca\u00adtio\u00adnal bac\u00adcalau\u00adrea\u00adte school, it was only two weeks!
\nChurch as a trai\u00adning ground for sanctification
\nThe demands of living tog\u00ade\u00adther are pla\u00adced abo\u00adve all on the fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus Christ. Espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly when tra\u00advel\u00adling tog\u00ade\u00adther in the church. The church beco\u00admes the ide\u00adal trai\u00adning ground for taking the steps towards sanc\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon. Once again the intro\u00adduc\u00adto\u00adry words. \u00abSin\u00adce God has cho\u00adsen you to be among his saints and bel\u00adoved, be full of com\u00adpas\u00adsi\u00adon and mer\u00adcy, kind\u00adness, humi\u00adli\u00adty, gent\u00adle\u00adness and pati\u00adence\u00bb (Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:12 NLB<\/span>). This is not about fol\u00adlo\u00adwing some moral code and fin\u00adding new ways to stand befo\u00adre God, but about a chan\u00adged heart that is fil\u00adled with love and gra\u00adti\u00adtu\u00adde. This is par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar\u00adly evi\u00addent in our dealings with all tho\u00adse who also belong to the church.
\n\u00abBut the most important thing is love. It is the bond that unites us all in per\u00adfect unity\u00bb (Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:14 NLB<\/span>). Love goes bey\u00adond all other things, which should be shown in our dealings with other fol\u00adlo\u00adwers. Com\u00adpas\u00adsi\u00adon, mer\u00adcy, etc. all ari\u00adse from cir\u00adcum\u00ads\u00adtances. But love is inde\u00adpen\u00addent of this. It appli\u00ades to the per\u00adson as such. \u00abLove does no harm to anyo\u00adne; the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre love is the ful\u00adfilm\u00adent of God\u2019s law\u00bb (Romans 13:10 NLB<\/span>).
\nWhat does this mean in con\u00adcre\u00adte terms for the fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus Christ? What unites us? Are they uni\u00adform con\u00advic\u00adtions and tea\u00adchings? As much as we would like to affirm this, unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly very clear and sharp state\u00adments also lead to equal\u00adly sharp dis\u00adpu\u00adtes. Fol\u00adlo\u00adwers can be reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded by their love for one ano\u00adther. Alt\u00adhough it can some\u00adti\u00admes be dif\u00adfi\u00adcult, ever\u00adyo\u00adne is ful\u00adly com\u00admit\u00adted. The\u00adre are many a stumb\u00adling block in tra\u00advel\u00adling tog\u00ade\u00adther. It may be that a church has no obvious sexu\u00adal mis\u00adcon\u00adduct, but is full of mali\u00adcious gos\u00adsip about each other \u2013 such a church has sim\u00adply exch\u00adan\u00adged some\u00adthing bad for some\u00adthing else. But equal\u00adly, a church whe\u00adre ever\u00adyo\u00adne looks after each other well is not just bey\u00adond reproach. Becau\u00adse often this is also a cul\u00adtu\u00adre of \u00ablais\u00adsez-fai\u00adre\u00bb in which nobo\u00addy dares to speak up becau\u00adse such a per\u00adson is then per\u00adcei\u00adved as unloving.
\nCho\u00adsen as saint and beloved
\nThe church is a place whe\u00adre the vir\u00adtu\u00ades of com\u00adpas\u00adsi\u00adon, mer\u00adcy, kind\u00adness, humi\u00adli\u00adty, gent\u00adle\u00adness, pati\u00adence, peace and love are to be prac\u00adti\u00adsed. Howe\u00adver, the decisi\u00adve fac\u00adtor is not that we live this way, but our moti\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon behind it. Our the\u00adme for the year is \u00abholy, holy, holy\u00bb. This quo\u00adte in the teaser comes from the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment, but is also quo\u00adted in the New Tes\u00adta\u00adment. The fol\u00adlo\u00adwing task is given to the fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus Christ. \u00abObey God becau\u00adse you are his child\u00adren. Do not fall back into your old, bad habits. You did\u00adn\u2019t know any bet\u00adter back then. But now you are to be holy in ever\u00ady\u00adthing you do, just as God who cal\u00adled you is holy. For he hims\u00adelf has said, \u00abYou shall be holy, becau\u00adse I am holy\u00bb \u00bb (1 Peter 1:14\u201316 NLB<\/span>).
\nThe key to lea\u00adding such a life can easi\u00adly be over\u00adloo\u00adked. Let\u2019s go back to the first ver\u00adse of our pas\u00adsa\u00adge. \u00abSin\u00adce God has cho\u00adsen you to be among his saints and bel\u00adoved ones [\u2026]\u00bb (Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:12 NLB<\/span>). The\u00adre are three important key\u00adwords here. Cho\u00adsen, saints and bel\u00adoved. This appli\u00ades to ever\u00adyo\u00adne who has a rela\u00adti\u00adonship with Jesus Christ.
\nElected:
\nA big \u00abYes!\u00bb stands over all tho\u00adse who have Jesus Christ as their Lord. But who is cho\u00adsen? Cho\u00adsen is \u00ab[\u2026] ever\u00adyo\u00adne who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved\u00bb (Romans 10:13 NLB<\/span>). When we come to Jesus Christ, he does not push us back. This elec\u00adtion should then be fol\u00adlo\u00adwed by a respon\u00adse on the human side, which is writ\u00adten about in the same let\u00adter as our pas\u00adsa\u00adge. \u00abSink your roots deep into his soil and draw from him, and you will grow in faith and beco\u00adme stead\u00adfast in the truth in which you have been ins\u00adtruc\u00adted. And then your life will over\u00adflow with gra\u00adti\u00adtu\u00adde for all he has done\u00bb (Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 2:7 NLB<\/span>). We are to take root in Jesus Christ; this is the good soil in which a life in abun\u00addance can grow.
\nSaints:
\nTho\u00adse cho\u00adsen by God are all saints. This is a con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon. As such, they are set apart from the world for God. This is the most pri\u00admal mea\u00adning of holy, name\u00adly set apart. As saints, they no lon\u00adger belong to this world, but to God accor\u00adding to their state.
\nBeloved:
\nIf you have deci\u00added in favour of Jesus Christ, then you are one of God\u2019s bel\u00adoved ones. You are abso\u00adlut\u00ade\u00adly lova\u00adble. God loves you for no reason \u2013 sim\u00adply becau\u00adse he loves you! Becau\u00adse God loves us so much, he has also for\u00adgi\u00adven us for no reason. So we should also for\u00adgi\u00adve others. \u00abBe leni\u00adent with the faults of others and for\u00adgi\u00adve tho\u00adse who have offen\u00added you. Do not for\u00adget that the Lord has for\u00adgi\u00adven you and that you must the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre also for\u00adgi\u00adve others\u00bb (Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:13 NLB<\/span>). But for\u00adgi\u00adve\u00adness is not for cowards. It cos\u00adts you a lot. We often come across the phra\u00adse \u00abThe other per\u00adson star\u00adted it\u00bb. That\u2019s true. That\u2019s exact\u00adly when we should for\u00adgi\u00adve. Becau\u00adse if the other per\u00adson had\u00adn\u2019t star\u00adted it, we would have not\u00adhing to for\u00adgi\u00adve, but would have to ask for for\u00adgi\u00adve\u00adness ourselves.
\nPer\u00adhaps you have asked yours\u00adelf what the fruits of elec\u00adtion are. It is not that you beco\u00adme holy and loved, becau\u00adse the\u00adse are both con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adons. The fruit is a chan\u00adged being. It is a being in who\u00adse heart the peace of God reig\u00adns and the who\u00adle per\u00adson should be per\u00adme\u00ada\u00adted by it. \u00abWe wish your hearts the peace that comes from Christ. For as mem\u00adbers of one body, you are all cal\u00adled to live in peace with one ano\u00adther. And always be thank\u00adful!\u00bb (Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:15 NLB<\/span>). I see gre\u00adat par\u00adal\u00adlels in how our beha\u00adviour chan\u00adges, as is also the case in a loving rela\u00adti\u00adonship. Can you still remem\u00adber that? Sud\u00adden\u00adly you\u2019\u00adre doing things you\u2019\u00adve never done befo\u00adre. Not becau\u00adse you have to, but becau\u00adse you do it out of love for that per\u00adson. It is exact\u00adly the same when we fol\u00adlow Jesus Christ. Becau\u00adse our con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon has chan\u00adged, we sud\u00adden\u00adly want to live differently.
\nThis other life is sanc\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon. It has a stan\u00addard. \u00abAnd wha\u00adte\u00adver you do or say should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, through whom you should give thanks to God the Father!\u00bb (Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:17 NLB<\/span>). Sanc\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon means living always and ever\u00ady\u00adwhe\u00adre in the pre\u00adsence of Jesus Christ. Fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of him love becau\u00adse they are loved. They prai\u00adse God\u2019s name becau\u00adse they are cal\u00adled. They help others as best they can becau\u00adse ever\u00ady\u00adthing good they have is a gift from God. They give thanks through Christ becau\u00adse he gives them ever\u00ady\u00adthing. In con\u00adtrast to the fruit, know\u00adledge plays no role. Becau\u00adse the decisi\u00adve fac\u00adtor is the word and deed done in the name of Jesus Christ. Lovin\u00adg\u00adly and dri\u00adven by his peace.
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nRead the Bible text: Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:5\u20139; Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:12\u201317<\/p>\n

\tIma\u00adgi\u00adne two cities. In one, the con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adons descri\u00adbed in Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:5\u20139 pre\u00advail, in the other tho\u00adse descri\u00adbed in Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:12\u201317. Which would you choose?
\n\tHow does a life\u00adstyle like the one in Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:12\u201317 seem to you? Is it desi\u00adra\u00adble? Why not?
\n\tWhat about com\u00adpas\u00adsi\u00adon, mer\u00adcy, kind\u00adness, humi\u00adli\u00adty, gent\u00adle\u00adness, pati\u00adence, peace and love in the con\u00adtext of the church? Do you actively live these?
\n\tWhat con\u00adnects you to the peo\u00adp\u00adle of see\u00adtal chile?
\n\tRead Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:12 again: Do you under\u00adstand the three key words cho\u00adsen, holy and bel\u00adoved? Do you see yours\u00adelf befo\u00adre God with the\u00adse three?
\n\tWhat about the fruits of elec\u00adtion in your life?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At first glan\u00adce, the demands pla\u00adced on a fol\u00adlower of Jesus Christ appear to be a pure impo\u00adsi\u00adti\u00adon and some\u00adti\u00admes even unat\u00adtrac\u00adti\u00adve \u2013 becau\u00adse they often seem to put you on the losing side. Howe\u00adver, when the\u00adse are con\u00adtras\u00adted with a life with con\u00adtra\u00adry moral ide\u00adas, they sud\u00adden\u00adly seem very desi\u00adra\u00adble. The church is\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":7608,"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-7601","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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