jn_en_2019_12_12
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====== Starting to listen ... ====== | ====== Starting to listen ... ====== | ||
- | Thursday, Dez 12, 2019. | + | Thursday, Dez 12, 2019. How do you understand God? You could start to read the bible, and |
+ | many of its parts will tell you a lot about the Lord. | ||
+ | Are there particular starting points, which can help you to learn more about him? Yes, there are | ||
+ | various such starting points. One of them are the 10 commandments, | ||
+ | Chapter 20 (and further places). They are the background and basis for many other parts such | ||
+ | as the Beatitudes of Jesus in Matthew 5-7. | ||
+ | |||
+ | This morning, I would like to take the first commandment as a discussion point. Of course, there | ||
+ | have been various books and sermons on the 10 commandments. They are attributed to Moses, which means | ||
+ | that they have been recorded about 1400 BC. What is their core idea and purpose? | ||
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** Only one God ... ** | ** Only one God ... ** | ||
+ | The 10 commandments start with God himself, and with our relationship to God. It is said: | ||
<color #aa0000> | <color #aa0000> | ||
+ | And God spoke all these words, saying, | ||
+ | “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. | ||
“You shall have no other gods besides me. | “You shall have no other gods besides me. | ||
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+ | God is a liberator. He is a God of freedom. He is a God of dignity. He is a God of historical | ||
+ | relevance, he is in the middle of our life and our history. | ||
+ | But the first commandment also comes with a clear order. Do not have other Gods besides me. God | ||
+ | is the only God. There is no other God. There are things or beings which want to take the role | ||
+ | of God in our life. But if that takes place, it is very bad for us. Why? Since we are off | ||
+ | reality. With God not being God in our life any more, we follow illusions and lies. That cannot | ||
+ | be a good basis for life. | ||
{{ 2019: | {{ 2019: | ||
- | ** ...** | + | ** God and Ethics |
+ | |||
+ | It is very interesting to compare the composition of the 10 commandments with the struggle of | ||
+ | modern mankind with ethics. Here, it is said that the first thing is to realize that God is God. | ||
+ | Then, it is important to realize that God is good. And with him being love, being truth, | ||
+ | being faithfullness, | ||
+ | Honour your father and mother. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not | ||
+ | bear false witness. Do not covet your neighbours house or wife or anything of him. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The ethics of the 10 commandments reflect who God is. | ||
+ | The ethics of the 10 commandments come from him. They can also lead us to him. They can tell | ||
+ | us about him. They can attract us to him. They are his footprint and the desire of his heart. | ||
+ | Christian faith is more than ethics. It is a relationship. It is about all layers of our life, | ||
+ | from birth to death to eternity. But as free beings our choices and our desires are important | ||
+ | to us, and the character of God is important to us. Companionship and fellowship are in the | ||
+ | center of who we are. And God wants to be our fellow and companion - even if he is a special | ||
+ | fellow as the eternal creator and ultimate goal. | ||
(Roland Potthast) | (Roland Potthast) | ||
jn_en_2019_12_12.1576133915.txt.gz · Last modified: 2019/12/12 07:58 by potthast