Bible Text: 2 Kings 6:24\u20137:20 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | First we must live our\u00adsel\u00adves, then help others to live. This order is illus\u00adtra\u00adted to us by a sto\u00adry of lepers who first fil\u00adled their own bel\u00adlies and then shared the good news. We are invi\u00adted to the table in the house of God. The\u00adre we are fed with deli\u00adca\u00adci\u00ades. We are then chal\u00adlen\u00adged to invi\u00adte others.<\/p>\n
Befo\u00adre each flight, you are told how to use the oxy\u00adgen mask in an emergency.<\/p>\n
\tPull the mask down towards you.
\n\tPlace the oxy\u00adgen mask over your mouth and nose.
\n\tSecu\u00adre the mask with the strap behind the head and pull the mask tight with the ela\u00ads\u00adtic straps on both sides and con\u00adti\u00adnue breathing normally.
\n\tAfter you have put on your own mask, you can help others who have pro\u00adblems using it or can\u2019t get to their mask.<\/p>\n
Every time I think that this is a bit sel\u00adfi\u00adsh. Should\u00adn\u2019t one first help others, espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly the child\u00adren, to get dres\u00adsed. The idea behind it is dif\u00adfe\u00adrent: First you have to live yours\u00adelf, then help others to live. It is the same in fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Jesus Christ.
\nFill your belly
\nWel\u00adco\u00adme home. Home is the place whe\u00adre peo\u00adp\u00adle eat tog\u00ade\u00adther. Sit\u00adting tog\u00ade\u00adther at the table and enjoy\u00ading a fine meal is an apt image for home. When the staff team sits tog\u00ade\u00adther and takes a break, the most com\u00admon topic of con\u00adver\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon is food. This is pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly becau\u00adse ever\u00adyo\u00adne feels so at home.
\nToday it is also about food. In the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment, which as we know is the pic\u00adtu\u00adre book of the New Tes\u00adta\u00adment, the\u00adre is a won\u00adderful\u00adly grue\u00adso\u00adme sto\u00adry (2 Kings 6:24\u20137:20). This sto\u00adry illus\u00adtra\u00adtes a spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal truth in an impres\u00adsi\u00adve way. The city of Sama\u00adria is sur\u00adroun\u00added by the who\u00adle army of the king of Aram. As a result, the inha\u00adbi\u00adtants are star\u00adved. This is an anci\u00adent batt\u00adle tac\u00adtic. If you want to force someone to sur\u00adren\u00adder, you have to star\u00adve them out. For days and weeks, the inha\u00adbi\u00adtants of Sama\u00adria have had not\u00adhing to eat. It is so bad that pige\u00adon dung and don\u00adkey heads are alre\u00ada\u00addy being traded as food for a lot of money. Even more, a mother has coo\u00adked and eaten her son tog\u00ade\u00adther with a fri\u00adend. Tra\u00adgic con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adons prevail.
\nThe\u00adre is ano\u00adther set\u00adting: out\u00adside this city the\u00adre is a place whe\u00adre the lepers live. We would call them \u00ablepers\u00bb. The pro\u00adblem is that during a fami\u00adne, the\u00adse lepers are gua\u00adran\u00adteed not to be at the top of the list when it comes to get\u00adting food. So the\u00adse peo\u00adp\u00adle star\u00adved even more than ever\u00adyo\u00adne else. They were four lepers loo\u00adking their cer\u00adtain death in the eye. But then a glo\u00adrious idea flas\u00adhes through their minds. They ask them\u00adsel\u00adves, \u00abWhy should we wait here to die? If we stay here, we die, and if we go back to the city whe\u00adre the hun\u00adger is, we die too. We might as well go and sur\u00adren\u00adder to the Ara\u00adme\u00adans. If they let us live, so much the bet\u00adter. If they kill us \u2013 well, then we die\u00bb (2Kings 7:3f).
\nNo soo\u00adner said than done. Trembling and shaking, they go into the ene\u00admy camp and what they find the\u00adre sur\u00adpas\u00adses their wil\u00addest ima\u00adgi\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon: The camp is emp\u00adty! The ene\u00admy is no lon\u00adger the\u00adre! Appar\u00adent\u00adly they had to flee very quick\u00adly, becau\u00adse they left ever\u00ady\u00adthing behind. The\u00adre were tre\u00adasu\u00adres in abun\u00addance: Don\u00adkeys, hor\u00adses, clo\u00adthes, gold, drink, food. Unbelievable!
\n\u00abWhen the four leprous men came into the camp, they went into one of the tents, ate their fill and quen\u00adched their thirst\u00bb (2 Kings 7:8a; Hfa). First they fill their bel\u00adlies. They enjoy it and real\u00adly let them\u00adsel\u00adves go. That is pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly the most nor\u00admal thing in the world. \u00abThen they gathe\u00adred up all the sil\u00adver, gold and clot\u00adhing they could find the\u00adre in the tent and hid the tre\u00adasu\u00adres out\u00adside the camp. Quick\u00adly they hur\u00adried back, went to the next tent and also took from the\u00adre all the pre\u00adcious things they could find to bring to their hiding place\u00bb (8b; Hfa).
\nHere a good spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal atti\u00adtu\u00adde is illus\u00adtra\u00adted to us: Take from God what you can get! They take all they can! This food saved their lives. This is the sto\u00adry of your life and mine. If you have come to know God, then hop\u00adeful\u00adly you have expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced that with Jesus you can eat your fill, that you get ever\u00ady\u00adthing you need. It is a big pro\u00adblem for many Chris\u00adti\u00adans that they do not feed on Jesus but on other sources. \u00abIn two ways my peo\u00adp\u00adle have done wrong against me: Me, the foun\u00adtain of living water, they for\u00adsa\u00adke, and ins\u00adtead dig for them\u00adsel\u00adves leaky wells that can\u00adnot hold water\u00bb (Jere\u00admi\u00adah 2:13). We go to the source of \u2019suc\u00adcess\u00bb and say: If I am suc\u00adcessful, I will be satis\u00adfied. Or to the well of \u00abrepu\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon\u00bb: If only I have enough repu\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon, then I will be satis\u00adfied. Or to the source \u00abwealth\u00bb: If I have that, then I will be full. Or to the source \u2019sexua\u00adli\u00adty\u00bb: If I have this woman, then I will be full. And we do not beco\u00adme full becau\u00adse the\u00adse sources can\u00adnot ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly nou\u00adrish us. Jesus is the source of life. Whoe\u00adver comes to him will be filled.
\nWhen was the last time you fed yours\u00adelf to God, real\u00adly hit it? When was the last time you real\u00adly spent time with Jesus, may\u00adbe on a walk, and said, \u00abJesus, here I am. I need food for my soul. The\u00adre are my needs, my wants, my frus\u00adtra\u00adti\u00adons. Come and feed me!\u00bb In the house of God, we eat first! I belie\u00adve that one of the main pro\u00adblems of us Chris\u00adti\u00adans is that we don\u2019t fill our bel\u00adlies with Jesus.
\nShare the good news
\nBut then they said to each other: \u00abWe are not doing right if we do not share the good news of this day. If we wait until tomor\u00adrow, we will be guil\u00adty. Come, let us go back and tell it in the king\u2019s palace\u00bb (9).
\nWe are not doing right if we do not share the good news of this day! The four lepers have dis\u00adco\u00adver\u00aded some\u00adthing gre\u00adat. Then they rea\u00adli\u00adse that it is not right for them to eat and eat and eat when at the same time a who\u00adle city is star\u00adving. A lot of Chris\u00adti\u00adans fill their bel\u00adlies with Jesus and it\u2019s always about them. Sal\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon sel\u00adfi\u00adsh\u00adness. It\u2019s not right if we just eat and eat and eat. The\u00adre is a city that is star\u00adving. The\u00adre are peo\u00adp\u00adle who are star\u00adving. It is writ\u00adten about the pro\u00addi\u00adgal son who aban\u00addo\u00adned his father: \u00abThe young man was so hun\u00adgry that he would have lik\u00aded to eat the pods he fed to the pigs hims\u00adelf. But no one gave him any\u00adthing\u00bb (Luke 15:16). Every per\u00adson who is not with the Father is hun\u00adgry. With some it is obvious, with others, it is more hid\u00adden. But deep in the heart, at night, when it is very quiet, a hope\u00adl\u00adess\u00adness final\u00adly makes its\u00adelf felt. Blai\u00adse Pas\u00adcal speaks of the god-shaped vacu\u00adum within us. Hun\u00adger! And we? We know the good news and hop\u00adeful\u00adly do not keep it to our\u00adsel\u00adves. We are not doing right if we do not share the good news of this day. Today is a day of joy!
\nWe have a fan\u00adta\u00adstic mes\u00adsa\u00adge for the peo\u00adp\u00adle in the city. Jesus says: \u00abI am the bread of life. Whoe\u00adver comes to me will never hun\u00adger again. Whoe\u00adver belie\u00adves in me will never thirst again\u00bb (John 6:35). Our mes\u00adsa\u00adge is: if you come to Jesus, your thirst will be quen\u00adched. You will no lon\u00adger have to quench it in care\u00ader, repu\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon or appearance! Jesus came to give us abun\u00addant life (John 10:10b). David expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced this too. That\u2019s why he can say in Psalm 23:1, \u00abThe Lord is my she\u00adp\u00adherd, I have all I need.\u00bb
\nWhy is the Gos\u00adpel actual\u00adly good news? Our stan\u00addard state\u00adments go in the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing direc\u00adtion: \u00abYou are a sin\u00adner. Jesus died for you. You get eter\u00adnal life\u00bb. This chain of reaso\u00adning is com\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsi\u00adble for a pri\u00adsoner in a cor\u00adrec\u00adtion\u00adal insti\u00adtu\u00adti\u00adon. But is it also for the suc\u00adcessful pro\u00adfes\u00adsio\u00adnal woman with good cha\u00adrac\u00adter and high ethi\u00adcal stan\u00addards? Do peo\u00adp\u00adle have to feel bad first in order for us to score points for the gos\u00adpel? And then once you live as a Chris\u00adti\u00adan, you have to meet a who\u00adle cata\u00adlo\u00adgue of stan\u00addards and regu\u00adla\u00adti\u00adons. To be honest, I too find that unattractive.
\nNo, the gos\u00adpel is also good news for rock-solid and suc\u00adcessful peo\u00adp\u00adle. The pro\u00adblem is the term sin. Some more reli\u00adgious peo\u00adp\u00adle under\u00adstand it to mean the trans\u00adgres\u00adsi\u00adon of the law and are\u00adli\u00adgious peo\u00adp\u00adle the small plea\u00adsu\u00adres of ever\u00ady\u00adday life. Uni\u00adle\u00advel cau\u00adsed a stir a few years ago with the new vari\u00adants of its \u00abMagnum\u00bb ice cream brand. The varie\u00adties were named after the seven dead\u00adly sins, for exam\u00adp\u00adle \u00ablust\u00bb, \u00abreven\u00adge\u00bb, \u00abenvy\u00bb and \u00abgreed\u00bb. Peo\u00adp\u00adle in the Ori\u00adent under\u00adstand sin less as a moral fail\u00adure than as some\u00adthing that dis\u00adturbs the coven\u00adant com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty with the hea\u00adven\u00adly Father. Sin means not being at home with God. The two sons have both drifted away from their father, lea\u00adding to hun\u00adger in the youn\u00adger son and dis\u00adcon\u00adtent in the older. Jesus defi\u00adnes sin: \u00abThe sin of the world is that it does not belie\u00adve in me\u00bb (John 16:9). Living in sin means not being con\u00adnec\u00adted to Jesus and thus not having a home with God. This inde\u00adpen\u00addence from God is sin and leads to wrongdoing.
\nThe Gos\u00adpel is good news becau\u00adse it adds tre\u00admen\u00addous value. It is not uncom\u00admon for peo\u00adp\u00adle to ask, as they grow older, \u00abIs that all the\u00adre is?\u00bb One can live a good life wit\u00adhout God. But it is unbe\u00adlie\u00adva\u00adble and most unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte what someone does wit\u00adhout. Jesus Christ gives us a hope that endu\u00adres through the ups and downs of our earth\u00adly life and bey\u00adond. One can have a good mar\u00adria\u00adge \u2013 even out\u00adside the house of God. But faith tog\u00ade\u00adther is the best resour\u00adce the\u00adre is. Peo\u00adp\u00adle with high resi\u00adli\u00adence can over\u00adco\u00adme kar\u00adstic times. But it is quite ano\u00adther thing to take refu\u00adge in such situa\u00adtions to the hea\u00adven\u00adly Father, who is our rock.
\nOur mes\u00adsa\u00adge to peo\u00adp\u00adle is: Don\u2019t be satis\u00adfied with so litt\u00adle, Jesus is more! This thought beco\u00admes most radi\u00adcal and clear in the face of death. Then, at the latest, the ques\u00adti\u00adon ine\u00advi\u00adta\u00adb\u00adly ari\u00adses: \u00abWas that all?\u00bb
\nInvi\u00adte home
\nCome home and eat your fill! As a church we want to repre\u00adsent the way of hos\u00adpi\u00adta\u00adli\u00adty of this God on earth. Paul decla\u00adres that the church is the house of God (1 Timo\u00adthy 3:15). The house rules and cul\u00adtu\u00adre of God\u2019s house are to be expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced by peo\u00adp\u00adle in the local church. We want to repre\u00adsent the house of God in this world and open our arms as wide to peo\u00adp\u00adle as the father of the two sons did in the parable.
\nThe\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, it is a gre\u00adat way to invi\u00adte hun\u00adgry peo\u00adp\u00adle of the city to an event and bring them the good news indi\u00adrect\u00adly. May\u00adbe you are thin\u00adking about the fail\u00adures you have had. Our mis\u00adsi\u00adon is to pro\u00adcla\u00adim the good news, but we are not respon\u00adsi\u00adble for suc\u00adcess. That we must not be dis\u00adcou\u00adra\u00adged by this is taught to us by a host who has had to accept many can\u00adcel\u00adla\u00adti\u00adons. He sim\u00adply car\u00adri\u00ades on and orders his employee: \u00abGo out into the coun\u00adtry roads and behind the hedges and ask ever\u00adyo\u00adne you find to come, so that the house will be full\u00bb (Luke 14:23).
\nWe have work\u00aded hard in recent years to ensu\u00adre that guests can feel com\u00adfor\u00adta\u00adble at every ser\u00advice. Nevert\u00adhel\u00adess, the\u00adre are also spe\u00adcial events geared towards this, such as the see\u00adtal chi\u00adle Talk or the next 19h ser\u00advice fol\u00adlo\u00adwed by a bar\u00adbe\u00adcue on a bal\u00admy sum\u00admer evening. Glow Youth, glow Ameis\u00adli, glow Kids and glow Next also design their pro\u00adgram\u00admes to be very visi\u00adtor-fri\u00adend\u00adly. What do peo\u00adp\u00adle get when they come to our ser\u00advices? They get a bril\u00adli\u00adant mes\u00adsa\u00adge. They get hope and a per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve that goes bey\u00adond death. They get joy becau\u00adse they get to know Jesus per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly. The many posi\u00adti\u00adve echo\u00ades from new peo\u00adp\u00adle should make us cou\u00adra\u00adge\u00adous to invi\u00adte our fri\u00adends too. It comes good!
\n
\nWe are not doing right if we do not share the good news of this day. Have you ever eaten your fill of Jesus? Who could you share the good news with? Who could you invi\u00adte to an event in the church?
\n
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead the Bible text: 2 Kings 6:24\u20137:20<\/p>\n
\tWhat does the Gos\u00adpel con\u00adtain? Explain it in the group!
\n\tDid you fill your bel\u00adly with Jesus? What do you mean by that?
\n\tIs the mat\u00adter of Jesus such good news for you that you can tell it to others with conviction?
\n\tWho could you invi\u00adte to a com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty event? Why don\u2019t you make a con\u00adcre\u00adte plan?<\/p>\n
A litt\u00adle exer\u00adcise: Tell someone the good news or invi\u00adte someone to an event in the church!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bible Text: 2 Kings 6:24\u20137:20 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | First we must live our\u00adsel\u00adves, then help others to live. This order is illus\u00adtra\u00adted to us by a sto\u00adry of lepers who first fil\u00adled their own bel\u00adlies and then shared the good news. We will dine in the house of God.\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-2266","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t