Regar\u00adding the trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon into Jesus-liken\u00adess (meta\u00admor\u00adpho\u00adsis), the\u00adre are various stumb\u00adling blocks. One might say, \u00abYes, but this one says \u2026 and that one says \u2026\u00bb. Look at the way they live their lives. If the fruits of a life accor\u00adding to the Ser\u00admon on the Mount are not visi\u00adble, such pro\u00adphe\u00adts have no aut\u00adho\u00adri\u00adty for you. But it is not only a mat\u00adter of pru\u00addence, but also of per\u00adso\u00adnal dis\u00adcern\u00adment. Am I a good tree with good fruit? We must not fran\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly try to bear good fruit, but stri\u00adve to beco\u00adme a good tree.<\/p>\n
In Homer\u2019s Odys\u00adsey, Odys\u00adseus cros\u00adses the waters of the Sirens with his ship. The\u00adse mythi\u00adcal crea\u00adtures lured the sail\u00adors to the cliffs of their island with their begui\u00adling songs in order to kill them. Odys\u00adseus orde\u00adred his crew to put wax in their ears. Only he hims\u00adelf wan\u00adted to hear the sirens\u00bb songs. But becau\u00adse he dis\u00adtrus\u00adted his own strength to resist, he had hims\u00adelf tied to the masts of his ship and orde\u00adred his men not to obey any of his com\u00admands. And inde\u00aded, when the sirens lured him with their sin\u00adging, their grand com\u00adpli\u00adments and their flat\u00adtery, he wan\u00adted not\u00adhing more than to yield to their voices. Had he not taken pre\u00adcau\u00adti\u00adons, he would have run to his own doom, drag\u00adging his crew with him. \tWhat expe\u00adri\u00adence do you have with fal\u00adse pro\u00adphe\u00adts, or wol\u00adves in sheep\u2019s clot\u00adhing? How do you check whe\u00adther a pro\u00adphet is true or false? Regar\u00adding the trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon into Jesus-liken\u00adess (meta\u00admor\u00adpho\u00adsis), the\u00adre are various stumb\u00adling blocks. One might say, \u00abYes, but this one says \u2026 and that one says \u2026\u00bb. Look at the way they live their lives. If the fruits of a life accor\u00adding to the Ser\u00admon on the Mount are not visi\u00adble, such pro\u00adphe\u00adts have no aut\u00adho\u00adri\u00adty for you. But it is not only a mat\u00adter of cau\u00adti\u00adon, but also of\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[72],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","wpfc_sermon_series-metamorphose","wpfc-sermon-single","post-3748","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nWe can also hear the temp\u00adting voices of the sirens today. Jesus warns against them in the Ser\u00admon on the Mount: \u00abBewa\u00adre of fal\u00adse pro\u00adphe\u00adts. They come along like harm\u00adless sheep, but in rea\u00adli\u00adty they are dan\u00adge\u00adrous wol\u00adves who want to tear you to pie\u00adces. You reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse them by their beha\u00adviour, just as you reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse a tree by its fruit. Thorn bus\u00adhes do not grow gra\u00adpes, and thist\u00adles do not grow figs\u00bb (Matthew 7:15\u201316 NLB<\/span>).
\nAt all times the\u00adre have been peo\u00adp\u00adle who have appeared and spo\u00adken in the name of God. They can cau\u00adse an enorm\u00adous fasci\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon. Today we live in a huge mar\u00adket of offers, espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly with regard to Chris\u00adti\u00adan spea\u00adk\u00aders. Many a per\u00adson runs a You\u00adTube chan\u00adnel and shares his or her insights. But how can we know whe\u00adther their music is from hea\u00adven or whe\u00adther for\u00adeign rhyth\u00adms are being drum\u00admed here? How can we pro\u00adtect our\u00adsel\u00adves from being taken in by \u00abfal\u00adse prophets\u00bb?
\nCaution
\nSo the\u00adre are sirens in our waters too, try\u00ading to gui\u00adde us to the wrong places. Jesus speaks to wol\u00adves who pre\u00adtend to be harm\u00adless sheep. The expres\u00adsi\u00adon \u00abwolf in sheep\u2019s clot\u00adhing\u00bb has its ori\u00adgin in this speech. The pro\u00adblem of such a wolf is that it dis\u00adgu\u00adi\u00adses its\u00adelf with sheep\u2019s clot\u00adhing in order not to be reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded as a wolf. In anci\u00adent times, she\u00adp\u00adherds pro\u00adtec\u00adted them\u00adsel\u00adves against the cold with skins from the sheep. A \u00abwolf in sheep\u2019s clot\u00adhing\u00bb wants to con\u00adfu\u00adse the sheep so that they no lon\u00adger know whom to fol\u00adlow. Do we have to stuff wax into our ears like Odys\u00adseus\u00bb crew? How are we to reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse ravening wol\u00adves and fal\u00adse pro\u00adphe\u00adts when they dis\u00adgu\u00adi\u00adse them\u00adsel\u00adves with sheep\u2019s clot\u00adhing, when they speak pious\u00adly and reason\u00adab\u00adly, when they act fri\u00adend\u00adly and helpful?
\nJesus gives us a clear cri\u00adter\u00adion for jud\u00adge\u00adment: You can reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse a fal\u00adse pro\u00adphet by their fruits. It is not gre\u00adat spee\u00adches in the name of God that estab\u00adlish their aut\u00adho\u00adri\u00adty, but their way of life. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, we must lis\u00adten careful\u00adly and pay atten\u00adti\u00adon to their actions. Are they authen\u00adtic, honest, truthful? Does what they cla\u00adim to be the truth cor\u00adre\u00adspond to the truth that is cal\u00adled Jesus Christ and the truth of the Bible? Do they preach water and drink wine? Do they say A and do B? One usual\u00adly pays quite clo\u00adse atten\u00adti\u00adon to this cor\u00adre\u00adspon\u00addence bet\u00adween word and deed; espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly in the case of fel\u00adlow human beings who are in the public eye. How many cars does the green trans\u00adport poli\u00adti\u00adci\u00adan have in his gara\u00adge? How much does the hus\u00adband of the finan\u00adce poli\u00adti\u00adci\u00adan who wants to push through tax reli\u00adef for the wealt\u00adhy earn? The good she\u00adp\u00adherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11), whe\u00adre\u00adas a wolf takes the life of the sheep. Whe\u00adre\u00adver we are pro\u00admi\u00adsed life, but basi\u00adcal\u00adly the cal\u00adlers\u00bb own pro\u00adfit is in the fore\u00adground, it smacks of \u00abwolf in sheep\u2019s clothing\u00bb.
\nTo reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse a per\u00adson by their fruits, you have to know them. Many of us lis\u00adten to spea\u00adk\u00aders on You\u00adTube and have no idea about their life and cha\u00adrac\u00adter. When I was appoin\u00adted as pas\u00adtor by the regio\u00adnal lea\u00adder here in 2007, he says that a pastor\u2019s fami\u00adly is in a glass house. Peo\u00adp\u00adle look at us, at our mar\u00adria\u00adge, at our fami\u00adly, at how we tre\u00adat peo\u00adp\u00adle, at how we respond to prai\u00adse and cri\u00adti\u00adcism, etc. Moreo\u00adver, a church pas\u00adtor has to ans\u00adwer for what he let out last Sun\u00adday or 10 years ago. Pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly the local pas\u00adtor is not the best rhe\u00adto\u00adri\u00adci\u00adan, nor the best Bible expo\u00adsi\u00adtor, but you can watch him, touch him and talk to him. That\u2019s why I advo\u00adca\u00adte giving more aut\u00adho\u00adri\u00adty to your own pas\u00adtor than to any spea\u00adk\u00ader who does\u00adn\u2019t give you a glim\u00adpse into his life. Even though it is of cour\u00adse true that even we pas\u00adtors are not immu\u00adne from spea\u00adking for our own glo\u00adry and honour. The meta\u00admor\u00adpho\u00adsis is not yet complete.
\nLet us bewa\u00adre of a misun\u00adderstan\u00adding: we must not con\u00adfu\u00adse fruits of faith with suc\u00adcess. It is not about how much exter\u00adnal suc\u00adcess someone has, how many peo\u00adp\u00adle he attracts and inspi\u00adres, how much dona\u00adti\u00adons he rai\u00adses or even what spec\u00adta\u00adcu\u00adlar heal\u00ading mira\u00adcles he per\u00adforms. In the\u00adse cate\u00adgo\u00adries, fal\u00adse pro\u00adphe\u00adts can out\u00adshi\u00adne true Chris\u00adti\u00adans, and this hap\u00adpens again and again. The fruits are not about out\u00adward suc\u00adcess, but only about whe\u00adther a per\u00adson lives tru\u00adly and lovin\u00adg\u00adly in word and deed. Or in other words, it is about the ques\u00adti\u00adon of whe\u00adther a person\u2019s atti\u00adtu\u00addes and actions cor\u00adre\u00adspond more and more to the Ser\u00admon on the Mount.
\nOdys\u00adseus had hims\u00adelf tied to the mast of the ship becau\u00adse he did not want to mista\u00adken\u00adly give in to the songs. Had he not taken pre\u00adcau\u00adti\u00adons, he would have run to his own doom and taken his crew with him. Sin\u00adce it is also not easy for us to reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse \u00abwol\u00adves in sheep\u2019s clot\u00adhing\u00bb, it might be hel\u00adpful to ask someone for their opi\u00adni\u00adon befo\u00adre wor\u00adship\u00adping a spea\u00adk\u00ader or for\u00adwar\u00adding their link.
\nPeo\u00adp\u00adle of cha\u00adrac\u00adter deve\u00adlop a sound eye in jud\u00adging all kinds of pro\u00adphe\u00adts. They do not stumb\u00adle in their per\u00adso\u00adnal meta\u00admor\u00adpho\u00adsis by say\u00ading, \u00abYes, but this one says\u2026 and that one says\u2026\u00bb.
\nInsight
\nNow we turn our gaze away from others and towards our\u00adsel\u00adves. We want to cri\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly exami\u00adne how our own fruits of faith are doing. Are my fruits such that I can say: I am a good tree \u2013 just as my hea\u00adven\u00adly Father wants me to be?
\nJesus does not only speak of fal\u00adse pro\u00adphe\u00adts, but makes a gene\u00adra\u00adli\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon: \u00abA healt\u00adhy tree bears good fruit, but a sick tree bears bad fruit. A good tree does not grow bad fruit, just as a sick tree does not pro\u00addu\u00adce healt\u00adhy fruit. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. You see, they are known by their fruit\u00bb (Matthew 7:17\u201320 NLB<\/span>).
\nEach of us is reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded by the fruits. In this con\u00adtext, the ques\u00adti\u00adon beco\u00admes urgent whe\u00adther a meta\u00admor\u00adpho\u00adsis is taking place in my life. Are my vir\u00adtu\u00ades and cha\u00adrac\u00adter beco\u00adming more and more like tho\u00adse of Jesus? Peo\u00adp\u00adle who let them\u00adsel\u00adves be trans\u00adfor\u00admed by the hea\u00adven\u00adly Father are the best adver\u00adti\u00adse\u00adment for the good news of Jesus. Peo\u00adp\u00adle who do not let them\u00adsel\u00adves be chan\u00adged are not neu\u00adtral, but immu\u00adni\u00adse against faith in Jesus Christ.
\nWe would misun\u00adderstand Jesus if we resi\u00adgned\u00adly said: I am and remain a bad tree, for my fruit is bad; the\u00adre is still so much trans\u00adgres\u00adsi\u00adon and wrong. We need not des\u00adpair of our\u00adsel\u00adves and think that God\u2019s grace has been in vain with us. Fruit takes time to ripen and is all small, green, bit\u00adter and sour to begin with, even if it is in its\u00adelf good fruit from a good tree. The gre\u00adat pre\u00ada\u00adcher of rep\u00aden\u00adtance John the Bap\u00adtist cal\u00adled out to the peo\u00adp\u00adle: \u00abWatch, bring forth righ\u00adteous fruits of rep\u00aden\u00adtance\u00bb (Luke 3:8 LUT<\/span>). Whoe\u00adver allows hims\u00adelf to be cal\u00adled to rep\u00aden\u00adtance (=rep\u00aden\u00adtance) again and again by God\u2019s Word, the good fruits will always ripen in him.
\nOn my par\u00adents\u00bb farm we picked tons of app\u00adles and picked up the fal\u00adlen fruit from the ground. In the midst of the best fruit, the\u00adre was always the occa\u00adsio\u00adnal rot\u00adten or dried apple. With gus\u00adto we threw the\u00adse at the trunk so that it splas\u00adhed on all sides. Bad fruit can be found on the best tree. Indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adal rot\u00adten fruits are not a sign that the tree is bad in and of its\u00adelf! Bad fruit need not depress us, but lead us into depen\u00addence on Jesus.
\nConfidence
\nOur con\u00adfi\u00addence is the trust that God will not lea\u00adve us alo\u00adne with his demand for \u00abrigh\u00adteous fruits of rep\u00aden\u00adtance\u00bb. Rep\u00aden\u00adtance does not mean that we have to give our\u00adsel\u00adves a litt\u00adle more effort, pull our\u00adsel\u00adves tog\u00ade\u00adther and exer\u00adcise more self-disci\u00adpli\u00adne. Each of us can sing a litt\u00adle song with Paul: \u00abWhen I want to do good, I don\u2019t do it. And when I try to avo\u00adid evil, I do\u00bb (Romans 7:19 NLB<\/span>). Rep\u00aden\u00adtance means refo\u00adcu\u00adsing on Jesus Christ, sur\u00adren\u00adde\u00adring to Him and trus\u00adting Him to bring about the trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon of our being.
\n\u00abAnd do not con\u00adform to this cour\u00adse of the world, but be trans\u00adfor\u00admed [in your being] by the rene\u00adwing of your mind, that you may pro\u00adve what is the good and accep\u00adta\u00adble and per\u00adfect will of God\u00bb (Romans 12:2 SLT<\/span>). The fruit can only get bet\u00adter as the tree gets bet\u00adter. Our most important and basic request to God must be that He will be gra\u00adcious to us and per\u00adform the mira\u00adcle on us of tur\u00adning bad trees into good trees. Our legi\u00adti\u00adma\u00adte con\u00adfi\u00addence is that God wants to trans\u00adform us into good trees through meta\u00admor\u00adpho\u00adsis. We must want this to hap\u00adpen to us. We express our inten\u00adti\u00adon by see\u00adking the hea\u00adven\u00adly Father in prayer.
\nNow we are almost a year into our jour\u00adney with the the\u00adme \u00abMeta\u00admor\u00adpho\u00adsis\u00bb. What has beco\u00adme of it? Are we making any pro\u00adgress at all with a way of life accor\u00adding to the exam\u00adp\u00adle of Jesus? It is a misun\u00adderstan\u00adding to belie\u00adve that we must always cle\u00adar\u00adly reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse our own fruits of faith. Jesus says: \u00abBy their fruits you will know them\u00bb (name\u00adly the others) and not: \u00abBy your fruits you shall know your\u00adsel\u00adves.\u00bb And when Jesus later tells the para\u00adble of the Last Judgment, he makes the belie\u00advers ask in ama\u00adze\u00adment: \u00abLord, when did we ever see you hun\u00adgry and give you food? When did we see you thirsty and give you drink? When were you a stran\u00adger and we gave you hos\u00adpi\u00adta\u00adli\u00adty? Or when were you naked and we clo\u00adthed you? When did we ever see you sick or in pri\u00adson and visit you?\u00bb (Matthew 25:37\u201339 NLB<\/span>). Only then will the Judge of the World open their eyes to the fruits of their faith.
\nOne pic\u00adtu\u00adre shows Jesus on the cross with a crown of thorns. As in a mir\u00adror image, one sees how the\u00adse thorns and thist\u00adles awa\u00adken to new life and bear fruit. The cross is the tur\u00adning point in world histo\u00adry: the new crea\u00adti\u00adon beg\u00adins. Death beco\u00admes life. The trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon of a human being into the liken\u00adess of Jesus Christ is a super\u00adna\u00adtu\u00adral mira\u00adcle that has its ori\u00adgin on the cross. If you trust this Jesus, fruit can grow even when the tree seems dead. Meta\u00admor\u00adpho\u00adsis is an expres\u00adsi\u00adon of the new world of God!
\n
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead Bible text: Matthew 7:15\u201320; John 15:1\u20138<\/p>\n
\n\tNow to our\u00adsel\u00adves: Do our fruits indi\u00adca\u00adte a good tree? What results do you see after one year of \u00abmeta\u00admor\u00adpho\u00adsis\u00bb?
\n\tIf your fruits don\u2019t quite con\u00advin\u00adce you, what is the start\u00ading point for a bet\u00adter result?
\n\tA rot\u00adten tree is cut down and thrown into the fire. What does that mean?
\n\tYou don\u2019t see the fruits of faith so well yours\u00adelf. Tell each other what fruits you see in each other!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"