Bible Text: Ephe\u00adsi\u00adans 1:3 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Bern\u00adhard Hohl | Series: Like you and me | How does a man of God live under God\u2019s bles\u00adsing in ever\u00ady\u00adday life? And what if he sud\u00adden\u00adly gets into a clinch and fear spreads? What we can learn from an Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment bles\u00adsing bea\u00adrer in the year 2020.<\/p>\n
Abram is about 70 years old when he lea\u00adves Ur in Chal\u00addea with his father Terah and his wife Sarai, who is bar\u00adren. His nephew Lot is also with him, his father having died young. The desti\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon of the jour\u00adney is Haran; eit\u00adher along the Euphra\u00adtes or the Tigris, over 1000 km away! (Gen 11:31) The\u00adre father Terah dies and is buried (v 32). In Haran, God appears to Abram and tells him to lea\u00adve the\u00adre with all his pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adons to a land that God will show him. In addi\u00adti\u00adon he recei\u00adves some pro\u00admi\u00adses of bles\u00adsing: \u00abI will make you a gre\u00adat nati\u00adon; I will bless you and make you a gre\u00adat name; you shall be a bles\u00adsing; I will bless tho\u00adse who bless you; all the gene\u00adra\u00adti\u00adons yet to come on earth will be bles\u00adsed through you\u00bb (Gen 12:2ff Lut). Abram goes out (75 years old), with his wife Sarai, with Lot, with the who\u00adle cara\u00advan, with ser\u00advants and maids. Their desti\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon: the land of Cana\u00adan! After a jour\u00adney of 600 km, they reach She\u00adchem. The\u00adre Abra\u00adham recei\u00adves ano\u00adther pro\u00admi\u00adse: God tells him that the land of Cana\u00adan, whe\u00adre they are now, he will give to his des\u00adcen\u00addants. Here Abram builds an altar to God and wor\u00adships and sacri\u00adfices to him. But Abram is drawn to the hill coun\u00adtry, whe\u00adre he can look out over the who\u00adle land. About 30 km fur\u00adther south, in the moun\u00adtain coun\u00adtry bet\u00adween Bethel and Ai, Abram and his peo\u00adp\u00adle set up their tents for a long time. Abram builds an altar again and wor\u00adships his God there. How can the gift of bles\u00adsing from God remain befo\u00adre us?<\/p>\n Being a bles\u00adsing to others \u2013 does that put pres\u00adsu\u00adre on you? If yes \u2013 why? If no \u2013 why not?<\/p>\n How can I remain \u00abflowing through\u00bb as a bles\u00adsing bearer?<\/p>\n Can you tell each other about simi\u00adlar embar\u00adras\u00adsing flops in front of non-Chris\u00adti\u00adans, as Abram expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced in front of Pharaoh.<\/p>\n Why did Abram get off scot-free after his faux pas befo\u00adre God?<\/p>\n Who can tell of a wal\u00adking experience?<\/p>\n Quiz ques\u00adti\u00adon: Which man in the Bible was kil\u00adled becau\u00adse of his beau\u00adtiful wife?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bible Text: Ephe\u00adsi\u00adans 1:3 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Bern\u00adhard Hohl | Series: Like you and me | How does a man of God live under God\u2019s bles\u00adsing in ever\u00ady\u00adday life? And what if he sud\u00adden\u00adly gets into a clinch and fear spreads? What we can learn from an Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment bles\u00adsing bea\u00adrer in the year 2020. Abram is about 70 years old when\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[35],"wpfc_sermon_series":[63],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-bernhard-hohl","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-wie-du-und-ich","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-2669","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nNow let us ask our\u00adsel\u00adves: How has God\u2019s bles\u00adsing shown its\u00adelf in Abram\u2019s life so far? Ans\u00adwer: God cho\u00adse and cal\u00adled Abram. He loves him. He is valued by God and is given the gre\u00adat task of beco\u00adming the pro\u00adge\u00adni\u00adtor of a gre\u00adat nati\u00adon. God speaks to him. His des\u00adcen\u00addants will one day pos\u00adsess this gre\u00adat land. Abram will not live to see it, but he can look at it now. God accom\u00adpa\u00adnied him and gave him grace for his long jour\u00adney. He has pro\u00adtec\u00adted the who\u00adle cara\u00advan. Abram knows God is near him. He main\u00adta\u00adins a rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God and he has a place of wor\u00adship and sacri\u00adfice. Like Abram, we too are bles\u00adsed in faith in Jesus Christ. If we now ask our\u00adsel\u00adves how we expe\u00adri\u00adence bles\u00adsing from God, we dis\u00adco\u00adver simi\u00adlar things to Abram. Paul sums it up like this in Ephe\u00adsi\u00adans: \u00abBles\u00adsed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Bles\u00adsed be He for the abun\u00addance of spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal bles\u00adsings in which we have been made par\u00adta\u00adkers in the hea\u00adven\u00adly world through Christ\u00bb (Ephe\u00adsi\u00adans 1:3 NG\u00dc<\/span>).
\nWhat this ent\u00adails is descri\u00adbed by Paul in this 1st chap\u00adter of Ephe\u00adsi\u00adans: \u00abWe are bles\u00adsed by our rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God; we have access to him; we wor\u00adship him and he hears us! God speaks to us. He is with us at all times and in all places. He accom\u00adpa\u00adnies us on our jour\u00adney through life. We expe\u00adri\u00adence his love, his for\u00adgi\u00adve\u00adness, his redemp\u00adti\u00adon; he gives us all kinds of gifts, hope, pres\u00adti\u00adge; we are child\u00adren of God; we live in the riches of his grace. We are infor\u00admed of our far\u00adthest future.\u00bb As I wro\u00adte the\u00adse lines I rea\u00adli\u00adsed with hor\u00adror that it is pos\u00adsi\u00adble to get used to all the good things we have in Jesus Christ and go through the day thoughtlessly.
\n
\nWe pay atten\u00adti\u00adon to our out\u00adfit; take a French show\u00ader with an eau de toi\u00adlet\u00adte becau\u00adse time is short; check if ever\u00ady\u00adthing is in the back\u00adpack, bag or brief\u00adca\u00adse\u2026 and then off we go! Who still thinks that we can enter each new day rich\u00adly bles\u00adsed. Bles\u00adsed for our\u00adsel\u00adves for others. If God tells you \u00abYou are bles\u00adsed and shall be a bles\u00adsing to others, then it is so. His word is true and appli\u00ades. Bles\u00adsed peo\u00adp\u00adle are direc\u00adted by God to do what God wants to bless. The bles\u00adsing per\u00adson is always God. Fried\u00adrich von Bodel\u00adschwingh even once said, \u00abNo one recei\u00adves a bles\u00adsing just for hims\u00adelf.\u00bb It always goes on, whe\u00adther we rea\u00adli\u00adse it or not. That is why it is my pray\u00ader, \u00abLord keep me from a sleep\u00adwal\u00adking rut under God\u2019s bles\u00adsing. I want to be awa\u00adke to your bles\u00adsings and be the\u00adre for you when you want to bless others through me!\u00bb
\nHalf truth and half lie
\nAnd now the Abrams sto\u00adry sud\u00adden\u00adly beco\u00admes exci\u00adting! A drought breaks out in the land. Drought, hun\u00adger\u2026 Is this a bles\u00adsing now? Haven\u2019t you expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced some\u00adthing simi\u00adlar? You were so clo\u00adse to God. You have expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced his clo\u00adsen\u00adess, his bles\u00adsing \u2013 and now?! You no lon\u00adger under\u00adstand God and the world! How would you, as Abram, take such a dis\u00adap\u00adpoint\u00adment Abram does not ask long, but deci\u00addes to go to Egypt with his clan. He tar\u00adgets a place whe\u00adre the\u00adre is no drought, but fer\u00adti\u00adle land \u2013 in Egypt in the area of the Nile Del\u00adta. It is also a bles\u00adsing that he expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced this at all! In the Nile Del\u00adta, the land was floo\u00added again and again over the cen\u00adtu\u00adries, crea\u00adting a fer\u00adti\u00adle mud\u00addy soil. The agri\u00adcul\u00adtu\u00adral yields were enorm\u00adous in that area! Wheat and bar\u00adley, orchards and viney\u00adards, fig trees, were in abun\u00addance. This area also offe\u00adred pas\u00adtu\u00adre for catt\u00adle. The Pha\u00adraohs also lik\u00aded to sett\u00adle in this almost para\u00addi\u00adsia\u00adcal regi\u00adon. But Abram has only one pro\u00adblem: he has a very beau\u00adtiful wife! (!) It could be that Sarai arou\u00adses desi\u00adres among the Egyp\u00adti\u00adans and then they will kill him and take his wife away from him. He says to Sarai: \u00abSay then that you are my sis\u00adter, that it may go well with me for your sake and that I may live for your sake\u00bb (Gen 12:13 Lut). Why don\u2019t you say you are my sis\u00adter, then it will be bet\u00adter for me and for you\u2026 How does that sound to you as a wife? Does\u00adn\u2019t that sound ungod\u00adly sel\u00adfi\u00adsh of Abram? Abram wants to enter Egypt with half a truth and half a lie. Abram and Sarai had the same father, but not the same mother.
\nIt hap\u00adpen\u00aded as it had to: Pha\u00adraoh noti\u00adced the beau\u00adty of Sarai and spon\u00adta\u00adneous\u00adly orde\u00adred his peo\u00adp\u00adle to \u00abBring Abram\u2019s sis\u00adter to me! In return, Abram recei\u00adved sheep, oxen, don\u00adkeys, camels and ser\u00advants and maids. But Pharaoh\u2019s joy at Sarai\u2019s beau\u00adty lasts only a moment. He hims\u00adelf and his enti\u00adre court staff fall serious\u00adly ill. Pha\u00adraoh rea\u00adli\u00adses that this must be a super\u00adna\u00adtu\u00adral sign. This woman must be pro\u00adtec\u00adted by an almigh\u00adty God! He calls Abram to him and reproa\u00adches him sever\u00adely: \u00abWhy did you do this to me? Why did\u00adn\u2019t you tell me that she was your wife and not your sis\u00adter? The\u00adre you have your wife again, take her and get out!\u00bb Embar\u00adras\u00adsing when a world\u00adly sta\u00adtes\u00adman has to embarrass a man of God like that. It is striking that God says not\u00adhing at all about the ques\u00adtionable beha\u00adviour of the tri\u00adbal father of God\u2019s peo\u00adp\u00adle. Per\u00adhaps he thought: Abram and Sarai have alre\u00ada\u00addy lear\u00adned their les\u00adson. At the good end, Pha\u00adraoh sends his peo\u00adp\u00adle with Abram to pro\u00adtect him and his belon\u00adgings and to bring him safe\u00adly across the bor\u00adder. With Abram and his cara\u00advan, the sick\u00adness in Pharaoh\u2019s court also dis\u00adap\u00adpears. They walk back to Bethel, whe\u00adre they had alre\u00ada\u00addy pit\u00adched their tents on the way the\u00adre. The\u00adre at the altar he had built at that time. And again he prays to God, his Lord.
\nThe Abram expe\u00adri\u00adence in Egypt chal\u00adlenges us. Are\u00adn\u2019t we often in dan\u00adger, just like Abram, to deal with half-truths in dicey situa\u00adtions. So that we don\u2019t lose the job; or half-truth in a let\u00adter of appli\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon so that we get the job; so that we don\u2019t lose fri\u00adends we com\u00adpro\u00admi\u00adse; so that we as Chris\u00adti\u00adans don\u2019t look stu\u00adpid in front of others we fudge our opi\u00adni\u00adon into half a lie\u2026 etc. That\u2019s a bit like Abram \u2013 like you and me \u2013 isn\u2019t it! What don\u2019t we do wrong when fear takes hold of us? Fear is the worst advi\u00adsor! Dou\u00adble cau\u00adti\u00adon is cal\u00adled for. Someone once said: Fear is a rela\u00adti\u00adonship dis\u00ador\u00adder! That was the case with Abram in his rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God at that moment. This dis\u00adtur\u00adban\u00adce could also exist with us! The fear of not being suf\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adent for God or the fear of chal\u00adlen\u00adging steps of faith, that scrat\u00adches at our rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God. This also hap\u00adpens in our rela\u00adti\u00adonships with non-Chris\u00adti\u00adans when we are afraid of loo\u00adking foo\u00adlish or being laug\u00adhed at. Fear can come up when you have rela\u00adtio\u00adnal dys\u00adfunc\u00adtion with yours\u00adelf. We are bles\u00adsed in the love of God. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, Paul is jus\u00adti\u00adfied in asking: \u00abWhat can sepa\u00adra\u00adte us from Christ and his love? Need? Fear? Per\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adti\u00adon? Hun\u00adger? Pri\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon? Dan\u00adger of life?\u00bb (Romans 8:35 NG\u00dc<\/span>)
\nI summarise
\nHow does it work to live as peo\u00adp\u00adle bles\u00adsed by God? It\u2019s not about what you do, it\u2019s about who you are. God said to Abram: You shall be a bles\u00adsing! And being is any\u00adthing other than per\u00adforming, working etc., but being sim\u00adply means being \u2013 let\u00adting God make!!! You can be a bles\u00adsing to others wit\u00adhout even rea\u00adli\u00adsing it!
\nThere\u2019s an old say\u00ading that\u2019s com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly off the mark: To stir brings bles\u00adsings! That is 100%ig not true. To stir appli\u00ades when God gives you a com\u00admand becau\u00adse he wants to do some\u00adthing with; like with Abram. God gave Abram the com\u00admand, \u00abGo!\u00bb And Abram goes, wit\u00adhout hesi\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon or doubt. How many times in the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment did God give the pro\u00adphe\u00adts and priests the direc\u00adtion: Go! Also to indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adal peo\u00adp\u00adle. How many times in the New Tes\u00adta\u00adment did Jesus mouth the\u00adse words \u00abGo\u00bb or \u00abGo\u00bb: Go and be recon\u00adci\u00adled to your brot\u00adher\u2026 Go with your brot\u00adher a second mile\u2026 Go into your clo\u00adset when you pray\u2026 Go through the nar\u00adrow gate\u2026 Go and sell what you have and give to the poor\u2026 Go to all nati\u00adons and make disci\u00adples of them. Bap\u00adti\u00adse them\u2026 Teach them\u2026
\nI do not know whe\u00adre and when the Lord will tell you in the coming week: Go! I don\u2019t know whe\u00adre and when God will make you a bles\u00adsing to others. You don\u2019t have to know, just be and stay the\u00adre for Him!
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRea\u00adding the Bible text: Gene\u00adsis 12:1\u201320 <\/p>\n