Bible Text: 1 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 3:10\u201315 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | In the para\u00adble of the two pro\u00addi\u00adgal sons, the ques\u00adti\u00adon ari\u00adses as to who should then do the work on the farm? Obvious\u00adly, the older brot\u00adher made a mista\u00adke by toi\u00adling in the fields like a slave. But just sit\u00adting in the ban\u00adquet hall does\u00adn\u2019t work eit\u00adher. Every human being rea\u00adches out for love, accep\u00adtance and app\u00adre\u00adcia\u00adti\u00adon. If we try to earn the\u00adse things by our actions, it comes out bad\u00adly. But if we act on the foun\u00adda\u00adti\u00adon of love, accep\u00adtance and app\u00adre\u00adcia\u00adti\u00adon, it turns out very well.<\/p>\n
Why are Chris\u00adti\u00adans often cha\u00adrac\u00adte\u00adri\u00adsed on the basis of their beha\u00adviour? The envi\u00adron\u00adment not infre\u00adquent\u00adly per\u00adcei\u00adves Chris\u00adti\u00adans as peo\u00adp\u00adle who have to fol\u00adlow rigid rules and are against abor\u00adti\u00adon, acti\u00adve eutha\u00adna\u00adsia and gen\u00adder ideo\u00adlo\u00adgy. A Bar\u00adna Rese\u00adarch sur\u00advey sought an ans\u00adwer to the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing ques\u00adti\u00adons: \u00abRigid rules and strict gui\u00adde\u00adlines play an important role in my life as a Chris\u00adti\u00adan and in our church.\u00bb Extra unap\u00adpe\u00adal\u00ading words like \u00abrigid\u00bb and \u00abstrict\u00bb were used. Yet 66% agreed with the state\u00adment. Why are Chris\u00adti\u00adans descri\u00adbed on the basis of their beha\u00adviour and not on the basis of their being at home in the house of God? My the\u00adsis is that we have strong simi\u00adla\u00adri\u00adties with the elder brot\u00adher in the para\u00adble (Luke 15:11ff). He too defi\u00adned hims\u00adelf by his behaviour. \tHow would you cha\u00adrac\u00adte\u00adri\u00adse Chris\u00adti\u00adans in gene\u00adral? To what ext\u00adent does this also app\u00adly to you? Bible Text: 1 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 3:10\u201315 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | In the para\u00adble of the two pro\u00addi\u00adgal sons, the ques\u00adti\u00adon ari\u00adses as to who should then do the work on the farm? Obvious\u00adly, the older brot\u00adher made a mista\u00adke by toi\u00adling in the fields like a slave. But just sit\u00adting in the ban\u00adquet hall.\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[53],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","wpfc_sermon_series-willkommen-daheim","wpfc-sermon-single","post-2077","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nThis week someone said that he was expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adcing a bias towards per\u00adfor\u00admance in see\u00adtal chi\u00adle. This has to do with its prot\u00adago\u00adnists. This obser\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon hits the nail on the head, becau\u00adse one of my life\u2019s mot\u00adtoes is: \u00abNot\u00adhing comes from not\u00adhing.\u00bb Is that dis\u00adre\u00adpu\u00adta\u00adble or even wrong? It can be, but it does\u00adn\u2019t have to be, as we will see in a moment.
\nThe beha\u00adviour of a slave
\nWe tend to behave like the elder brot\u00adher. Lite\u00adral\u00adly, he says to his father: \u00abYou know, all the\u00adse years I have slaved for you like a slave, I have never dis\u00ado\u00adbey\u00aded you. What have I got in return?\u00bb (Luke 15:29a GN<\/span>). Slaved like a slave, been obe\u00addient \u2013 to get some\u00adthing in return! The good man wan\u00adted to earn his father\u2019s bles\u00adsing by doing the right thing. He did not under\u00adstand that his father\u2019s love and accep\u00adtance depen\u00added neither on his good nor on his brother\u2019s bad beha\u00adviour. Per\u00adhaps he thought that he sim\u00adply had to make this sacri\u00adfice now in order to then bene\u00adfit from the inhe\u00adri\u00adtance later. Sub\u00adcon\u00adscious\u00adly, we may some\u00adti\u00admes think that we have to make a sacri\u00adfice for Jesus in this world in order to have it good later in eter\u00adni\u00adty. We put our\u00adsel\u00adves off until later and \u00abgrind\u00bb our way through life ins\u00adtead of enjoy\u00ading life in the Father\u2019s house now.
\nEvery human being is in search of love, accep\u00adtance, app\u00adre\u00adcia\u00adti\u00adon and for\u00adgi\u00adve\u00adness. The elder son did this by being busy. This search also has other faces: we feel uncom\u00adfor\u00adta\u00adble in a group, infe\u00adri\u00ador as out\u00adsi\u00adders. To get the atten\u00adti\u00adon we seek, we do a lot. We slip into a role or try to show off our suc\u00adces\u00adses and achie\u00adve\u00adments. Other peo\u00adp\u00adle still seek the reco\u00adgni\u00adti\u00adon of their bio\u00adlo\u00adgi\u00adcal father, even though he has long sin\u00adce died. Throug\u00adhout child\u00adhood, they did not expe\u00adri\u00adence uncon\u00addi\u00adtio\u00adnal love and accep\u00adtance. It was always, \u00abYes, but\u2026\u00bb In the mean\u00adti\u00adme, they have rea\u00adched the doc\u00adto\u00adra\u00adte, but con\u00adti\u00adnue to hunt for this uncon\u00addi\u00adtio\u00adnal acceptance.
\nSte\u00adve wri\u00adtes: \u00abFor many years I lived just like the older brot\u00adher. I beca\u00adme a Chris\u00adti\u00adan as a teen\u00adager and one thing I did\u00adn\u2019t rea\u00adli\u00adse at the time was that if I had sin\u00adned, I could have gone right back to God, into His pre\u00adsence, whe\u00adre all would have been well again. But I thought I had to earn God\u2019s appr\u00adoval anew first. If I had mes\u00adsed some\u00adthing up, I did\u00adn\u2019t dare go near Him. He was this Holy Being for me \u2013 which is true \u2013 but I felt like a litt\u00adle worm that had no busi\u00adness being in His pre\u00adsence. When I did dare, I felt like an unwor\u00adt\u00adhy Chris\u00adti\u00adan until I had three real\u00adly good \u00abquiet times\u00bb in a row. But God does\u00adn\u2019t want us to be like that.\u00bb
\nSomeone said: \u00abNow this woman was a faithful fol\u00adlower of Jesus all her life and a gre\u00adat exam\u00adp\u00adle for many. Why does she now beco\u00adme death\u00adly ill at such a young age? She does\u00adn\u2019t deser\u00adve this!
\nWhat was it like on the farm in the para\u00adble of the father and the two sons? The\u00adre was a lot of work that had to be done! Whe\u00adre would they have got to if life had been exhaus\u00adted to the ban\u00adque\u00adting hall? Not\u00adhing comes from not\u00adhing. Finan\u00adcial ruin and cha\u00ados would have been the result.
\nThe beha\u00adviour of a son
\nThe youn\u00adger brot\u00adher came back from his boo\u00adze crui\u00adse and was asked straight into the ball\u00adroom. Not quite. In bet\u00adween, he was pre\u00adsen\u00adted with three items that con\u00adfirm\u00aded his full accep\u00adtance as a son. Through the\u00adse gifts and the ges\u00adtu\u00adre of wel\u00adco\u00adme, the father demons\u00adtra\u00adted accep\u00adtance, app\u00adre\u00adcia\u00adti\u00adon, love and for\u00adgi\u00adve\u00adness to his son.
\nOn this strong foun\u00adda\u00adti\u00adon, the youn\u00adger brot\u00adher most cer\u00adtain\u00adly slip\u00adped into his work clo\u00adthes and took up the pitch\u00adfork. Out of the ban\u00adquet hall to work. Grace is anti\u00adthe\u00adti\u00adcal to per\u00adfor\u00admance, but not anti\u00adthe\u00adti\u00adcal to effort. Both brot\u00adhers knew how to hand\u00adle the pitch\u00adfork and used it. Seen from the ter\u00adrace of the farm\u00adhouse, one saw two brot\u00adhers with pitch\u00adforks. Purely visual\u00adly, no dif\u00adfe\u00adrence could be obser\u00adved, and yet they were dia\u00adme\u00adtri\u00adcal\u00adly different.
\nPaul gives us an inte\u00adres\u00adt\u00ading hint. He tells us that we can build with dif\u00adfe\u00adrent mate\u00adri\u00adals: \u00abWhoe\u00adver the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre builds on this foun\u00adda\u00adti\u00adon may use gold, sil\u00adver, pre\u00adcious stones, wood, hay or straw\u00bb (1Corinthians 3:12). The youn\u00adger brot\u00adher built with gold, sil\u00adver or pre\u00adcious stones, the older with wood, hay or straw. Both look good. The dif\u00adfe\u00adren\u00adces in buil\u00adding mate\u00adri\u00adals will only beco\u00adme visi\u00adble in the final recko\u00adning of life: \u00abIf it with\u00adstands the fire, he who built it will recei\u00adve reward. But if his work burns, he will suf\u00adfer a pain\u00adful loss. He hims\u00adelf will be saved, but only as one who escapes a fire with dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adty\u00bb (14+15).
\nThe foun\u00adda\u00adti\u00adon of the buil\u00adding is cru\u00adcial, says Paul: \u00abFor no one can lay a foun\u00adda\u00adti\u00adon other than the one alre\u00ada\u00addy laid \u2013 Jesus Christ\u00bb (11). Buil\u00adding on this foun\u00adda\u00adti\u00adon means acting out of the love, accep\u00adtance and for\u00adgi\u00adve\u00adness we have recei\u00adved. Paul again: \u00abWha\u00adte\u00adver we do, we do becau\u00adse the love of Christ moves us\u00bb (2Corinthians 5:14a). God wants not\u00adhing but love to moti\u00adva\u00adte us. Moved by the love of Christ, we build with gold, sil\u00adver or pre\u00adcious stones. From a defi\u00adcit of app\u00adre\u00adcia\u00adti\u00adon and accep\u00adtance, we build with wood, hay or straw. Work on the foun\u00adda\u00adti\u00adon of love, accep\u00adtance and for\u00adgi\u00adve\u00adness does not bur\u00adden and does not cau\u00adse burn\u00adout, but brings joy. That is why Jesus says: \u00abIf you love me, you will keep my com\u00admandments\u00bb (John 14:15). First the love, then the house rules. Would\u00adn\u2019t it be won\u00adderful if Chris\u00adti\u00adans were iden\u00adti\u00adfied with love for the Father and not accor\u00adding to the house rules?
\nIn each of Paul\u2019s let\u00adters, he explains long and broad\u00adly to the churches con\u00adcer\u00adned about their iden\u00adti\u00adty in Christ as well as about love, accep\u00adtance, app\u00adre\u00adcia\u00adti\u00adon and for\u00adgi\u00adve\u00adness. In the let\u00adter to the Ephe\u00adsi\u00adans, he needs a who\u00adle three chap\u00adters for this. After this has hop\u00adeful\u00adly been unders\u00adtood by even the most back\u00adward and last, he dares to point out the resul\u00adting right beha\u00adviour in two chap\u00adters. From the ban\u00adquet hall to the pitch\u00adfork and back.
\nThe path to filiation
\nIn all of us the\u00adre are parts of the youn\u00adger and the older brot\u00adher. We tend to lean towards the older the lon\u00adger we are in the faith. The big ques\u00adti\u00adon is: Is the\u00adre healing?
\nI read about a man who was in a psych\u00adia\u00adtric hos\u00adpi\u00adtal becau\u00adse of a para\u00adno\u00adid per\u00adso\u00adna\u00adli\u00adty dis\u00ador\u00adder. He got well by taking steps towards free\u00addom in Christ becau\u00adse of the sto\u00adry of the two pro\u00addi\u00adgal sons. He says some\u00adthing important: \u00abGod was always the guy with the stick in his hand for me. But now I know that he loves me. I don\u2019t want to sin any more, becau\u00adse by doing so I hurt someone who loves me so much.\u00bb
\nThis path to free\u00addom is in most cases a lon\u00adger pro\u00adcess. It beg\u00adins with loo\u00adking at our imprints, bur\u00addens, inju\u00adries and fix\u00ada\u00adti\u00adons, which \u2013 if we do not reflect on the\u00adse things \u2013 are auto\u00adma\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly the foun\u00adda\u00adti\u00adon of our actions. We can only build on this foun\u00adda\u00adti\u00adon with wood, hay or straw.
\nThis foun\u00adda\u00adti\u00adon has to be real\u00adly shar\u00adpe\u00adned away by pray\u00ader and pas\u00adto\u00adral sup\u00adport as if with a jack\u00adham\u00admer. The new foun\u00adda\u00adti\u00adon con\u00adsists of the new iden\u00adti\u00adty we recei\u00adve through faith in Jesus Christ. This con\u00adta\u00adins all the love, accep\u00adtance and for\u00adgi\u00adve\u00adness of the most important per\u00adson in the uni\u00adver\u00adse. To his elder son the father said, \u00ab \u00abChild,\u00bb the father said to him, \u00abyou are always with me, and all that is mine is yours\u00bb \u00bb (Luke 15:31 NG\u00dc<\/span>). I belie\u00adve that this sen\u00adtence has the poten\u00adti\u00adal to turn our lives around. Can we ever grasp this truth?
\nAs a teen\u00adager and young per\u00adson (and still today!), I knew very well the fee\u00adling of fee\u00adling infe\u00adri\u00ador and not belon\u00adging in a group. I envied the enter\u00adtai\u00adners who always knew how to put them\u00adsel\u00adves in the cent\u00adre. Today, I try to feel satis\u00adfied and posi\u00adti\u00adve, no mat\u00adter what posi\u00adti\u00adon I curr\u00adent\u00adly hold in a group. That has to be fought for. As soon as the infe\u00adrio\u00adri\u00adty makes its\u00adelf known, I have to tell mys\u00adelf sen\u00adten\u00adces like: \u00abChild, you are always with me, and ever\u00ady\u00adthing that is mine is also yours.\u00bb This is how I then try to grasp the love, accep\u00adtance and app\u00adre\u00adcia\u00adti\u00adon of the hea\u00adven\u00adly Father with my heart.
\nWhen I come into the office on Mon\u00adday after an inten\u00adse weekend, the next ser\u00admon or other chall\u00adenge is alre\u00ada\u00addy wai\u00adting. Sun\u00adday after Sun\u00adday, you have to con\u00adfirm yours\u00adelf as a pas\u00adtor in front of many peo\u00adp\u00adle. This pres\u00adsu\u00adre some\u00adti\u00admes feels quite big. In such moments, I first need to wal\u00adlow in God\u2019s love and accep\u00adtance through pray\u00ader. God\u2019s love for me is com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly inde\u00adpen\u00addent of my performance.
\nIt is very important that we learn to speak the truth into our lives in such situa\u00adtions. Jesus says: \u00abYou will know the truth, and the truth will make you free\u00bb (John 8:32).
\nBes\u00adi\u00addes the\u00adse sel\u00adec\u00adti\u00adve exer\u00adci\u00ads\u00ades in cri\u00adti\u00adcal situa\u00adtions, it is good to spend a lot of time with the Father in order to real\u00adly brea\u00adthe in his bene\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adal way and house cul\u00adtu\u00adre. The Gos\u00adpel is a good mes\u00adsa\u00adge for all of us. It leads to free\u00addom. Sure, the\u00adre are house rules. But they do not defi\u00adne us. It is our fami\u00adly mem\u00adber\u00adship with God that defi\u00adnes us. After all, we don\u2019t talk about fami\u00adly A, who hand in their mobi\u00adle pho\u00adnes at 8 p.m., fami\u00adly B, who tidy their shoes and do a lot of cho\u00adres, or fami\u00adly C, whe\u00adre child\u00adren have to hand in house\u00adhold money. It would be just as nice if we Chris\u00adti\u00adans were iden\u00adti\u00adfied not by the rules of the house, but by our mem\u00adber\u00adship in the fami\u00adly of God.
\n
\nWhen God crea\u00adted human beings, the first thing he did was to give them a Sab\u00adbath. Then the earth was to be pre\u00adser\u00adved and cul\u00adti\u00adva\u00adted. The work was to be done out of rest and com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adon with God. The youn\u00adger son was first allo\u00adwed to recei\u00adve the three gifts of son\u00adship and enjoy a par\u00adty in the ban\u00adquet hall befo\u00adre he took up the pitch\u00adfork. Our lives should also be deter\u00admi\u00adned by the basic rhythm of par\u00adty hall \u2013 work and back. We must never draw our value from sla\u00advish toil. You are invi\u00adted to step into the ban\u00adque\u00adting hall of God again and again and to rejoice in the child\u00adship of God! From this basic posi\u00adti\u00adon we may ope\u00adra\u00adte the pitchfork.
\n
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead the Bible text: 1 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 3:10\u201315<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat was the older son\u2019s problem?
\n\tWhat exact\u00adly is the reason for whe\u00adther someone builds with gold, sil\u00adver or pre\u00adcious stones or with com\u00adbus\u00adti\u00adble materials?
\n\tHow can you expe\u00adri\u00adence the three gifts of filia\u00adti\u00adon and the ban\u00adquet hall?
\n\tHow can the elder son in us be hea\u00adled? What is the goal of healing?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"