Many things that you might think are unthinkable in life are in God\u2019s rea\u00adli\u00adty also chan\u00adgeable. Your pre\u00advious wealth of expe\u00adri\u00adence does not have to remain the limit of your future pos\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties! With Jesus, exis\u00adting pat\u00adterns of life are bro\u00adken and thus you are con\u00adfron\u00adted again and again with the rethinkable.<\/p>\n
Lord, give us a heart for your word and also a word for our heart. Amen.
\nOur life patterns
\nDo you also know such situa\u00adtions in which you react in a simi\u00adlar way again and again? In which you repea\u00adted\u00adly behave in the same way? For exam\u00adp\u00adle, that you always sit in the back rows when you go to the cine\u00adma or church ser\u00advice. Or that you quick\u00adly defend yours\u00adelf when you recei\u00adve cri\u00adti\u00adcal feed\u00adback, or that you switch to attack\u00ading and thus don\u2019t let your coun\u00adter\u00adpart get a word in edge\u00adwi\u00adse. I mys\u00adelf had the habit for a long time that when peo\u00adp\u00adle gave me com\u00adpli\u00adments, I did\u00adn\u2019t want to accept them. I con\u00adstant\u00adly made mys\u00adelf smal\u00adler than I real\u00adly was and had trou\u00adble accep\u00adting prai\u00adse from others. Until someone explai\u00adned to me that by my beha\u00adviour, I was underva\u00adluing what was important to others.
\nSuch repe\u00adti\u00adti\u00adve beha\u00adviours are cal\u00adled \u00abpat\u00adterns\u00bb. We always speak of life pat\u00adterns when we con\u00adscious\u00adly or uncon\u00adscious\u00adly behave simi\u00adlar\u00adly or in the same way in dif\u00adfe\u00adrent life situa\u00adtions. Some of the\u00adse lear\u00adned pat\u00adterns are good and give us secu\u00adri\u00adty from the expe\u00adri\u00adence we have gai\u00adned. Others are rather dif\u00adfi\u00adcult becau\u00adse we repea\u00adted\u00adly fall into des\u00adtruc\u00adti\u00adve pat\u00adterns that we our\u00adsel\u00adves do not want, but also can\u00adnot sim\u00adply dis\u00adcard! We have adopted such pat\u00adterns from our par\u00adents, from our fami\u00adly, from our child\u00adhood. We have adopted some of them as values becau\u00adse ever\u00adyo\u00adne around us beha\u00adves in this way. Becau\u00adse that\u2019s what \u00abpeo\u00adp\u00adle\u00bb do in our cul\u00adtu\u00adre or in the church. With other pat\u00adterns, we have lear\u00adned that they pro\u00adtect us. Then we pre\u00adfer to take a back seat and let others go first.
\nThe the\u00adme of the ser\u00admon is: \u00abUnthinkable \u2013 get used to dif\u00adfe\u00adrent or why pat\u00adtern brea\u00adking is part of being a Christian\u00bb.
\nChan\u00adge of view with Jesus
\nI have brought you a video clip from \u00abthe cho\u00adsen\u00bb. This new Jesus film series is about loo\u00adking at Jesus from the human per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve of his cho\u00adsen disci\u00adples. The sub\u00adtit\u00adle of the first sea\u00adson is appro\u00adpria\u00adte\u00adly cal\u00adled \u00abGet used to different.\u00bb
\nI will take you with me to the Sea of Gali\u00adlee, whe\u00adre Jesus meets the fisher\u00adman Simon for the first time on the shore and con\u00adfronts him with his fami\u00adli\u00adar pat\u00adterns (video clip). Yes, many things that we might con\u00adsider unthinkable in our own lives are in fact also rethinkable. In other words, it is not impos\u00adsi\u00adble per se, but sim\u00adply needs to be seen dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly, ret\u00adhought and reinter\u00adpre\u00adted. For Simon, that was the case here. It was clear to him that after a long unsuc\u00adcessful night of fishing, it made no sen\u00adse at all to cast the nets again in day\u00adlight in the mor\u00adning. He knew from expe\u00adri\u00adence that you fish best in the quiet of the night. All his fishing col\u00adle\u00adagues would have con\u00adfirm\u00aded this to him and it is well known that you don\u2019t catch the most fish in broad day\u00adlight, but in the dark\u00adness and silence of the night. And yet, after a long, very inten\u00adse exch\u00adan\u00adge of glan\u00adces with Jesus, he agrees to break his usu\u00adal pattern.
\nDuring the pre\u00adpa\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon, I asked mys\u00adelf why Jesus per\u00adfor\u00admed this fish mira\u00adcle here? Was it, as Zebe\u00addee, the father of James and John, real\u00adly about Simon\u2019s tax debts, which could now be paid through this magni\u00adfi\u00adcent catch? Did Jesus want to help the two brot\u00adhers Simon and Andrew out of exis\u00adten\u00adti\u00adal and finan\u00adcial hard\u00adship with this catch? Yes, per\u00adhaps? We don\u2019t read any\u00adthing about it direct\u00adly in the Gos\u00adpels. But just becau\u00adse it was\u00adn\u2019t writ\u00adten down in the Bible does\u00adn\u2019t mean that it did\u00adn\u2019t hap\u00adpen! I do belie\u00adve that Jesus also takes care of our ever\u00ady\u00adday worries; finan\u00adces, health, job, family [\u2026].
\nHowe\u00adver, I can just as well ima\u00adgi\u00adne that Jesus wan\u00adted to con\u00adfront Simon with what was unthinkable for him. Per\u00adhaps Simon also nee\u00added to get used to some\u00adthing dif\u00adfe\u00adrent from what he had known so far. Per\u00adhaps a cer\u00adtain kind of pat\u00adtern brea\u00adking is a fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal part of fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Jesus! It may well be that Simon should learn right from the start that his pre\u00advious wealth of expe\u00adri\u00adence does not have to remain the limit of his future expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces. Tog\u00ade\u00adther with Jesus, things can and should be dif\u00adfe\u00adrent from what he has been used to.
\nPrin\u00adci\u00adple of the not-yet
\nIn our living room hangs a quo\u00adte from the church father Augus\u00adti\u00adne. \u00abMira\u00adcles are not against natu\u00adre, but only against the natu\u00adre we know. With this, Augus\u00adti\u00adne pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly wan\u00adted to make it clear: \u00abJust becau\u00adse I have not expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced and per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly wit\u00adnessed some things (mira\u00adcles) mys\u00adelf, does not then mean that they are also per se impos\u00adsi\u00adble!\u00bb That is why I now like to hear the expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces of others and their sto\u00adries of what they expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced with Jesus.
\nThis is usual\u00adly becau\u00adse the\u00adse peo\u00adp\u00adle have expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced some\u00adthing that they had not pre\u00advious\u00adly expec\u00adted or expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced. I can well ima\u00adgi\u00adne that Jesus wan\u00adted to explain the Chris\u00adti\u00adan \u00abprin\u00adci\u00adple of not yet\u00bb to Simon here. At the moment, I am still in the pro\u00adcess of lear\u00adning this \u00abJesus prin\u00adci\u00adple of not yet\u00bb mys\u00adelf. It looks some\u00adthing like this for me today: When someone asks me if I can cook, I no lon\u00adger say, \u00abNo, I can\u2019t cook.\u00bb Ins\u00adtead, I say\u2026 \u00abYes, I can\u2019t cook yet!\u00bb Can you see the small dif\u00adfe\u00adrence? When I say that I can\u2019t cook, I\u2019m making a com\u00admit\u00adment. Then that\u2019s the way it is and will pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly stay that way in the future. Howe\u00adver, if I ans\u00adwer that I can\u2019t cook yet, I am still ope\u00adning up the pos\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty that things could be dif\u00adfe\u00adrent one day and with the help of my son, my wife (or God\u2019s grace ;)) things could be dif\u00adfe\u00adrent. I am firm\u00adly con\u00advin\u00adced that brea\u00adking pat\u00adterns and lea\u00adving what I am used to is a fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal part of being a Christian.
\n
\nTo live in disci\u00adple\u00adship does not mean to be sta\u00adtic, but to be mobi\u00adle, agi\u00adle and chan\u00adgeable in the truest sen\u00adse of the word. Fol\u00adlo\u00adwing means \u2013 going after Jesus. He leads the way and I fol\u00adlow his exam\u00adp\u00adle. I trust his recom\u00admen\u00adda\u00adti\u00adons as to whe\u00adre his path or his exem\u00adpla\u00adry beha\u00adviour will lead me. Jesus often starts with what we alre\u00ada\u00addy know and what we can alre\u00ada\u00addy do. I call this \u00absanc\u00adti\u00adfy\u00ading natu\u00adral gifts\u00bb \u2013 (music, finan\u00adces, orga\u00adni\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon, working for others.) Jesus wants to expand your poten\u00adti\u00adal and your wealth of expe\u00adri\u00adence so far, to add to it with his unli\u00admi\u00adt\u00aded possibilities.
\nIn our sto\u00adry, Jesus pro\u00admo\u00adtes the fisher\u00adman Simon to a fisher of men. This pro\u00adfes\u00adsi\u00adon had never exis\u00adted befo\u00adre! In future, Simon is no lon\u00adger to catch fish in the Sea of Gali\u00adlee, but to net\u00adwork peo\u00adp\u00adle for Jesus. Alt\u00adhough Jesus starts with his mun\u00adda\u00adne pro\u00adfes\u00adsio\u00adnal qua\u00adli\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adons, he increa\u00adses, sanc\u00adti\u00adfies and uses his nor\u00admal abili\u00adties by beco\u00adming a fisher of men in God\u2019s daw\u00adning king\u00addom. Today, peo\u00adp\u00adle talk about \u00ablifel\u00adong lear\u00adning\u00bb at school and at work. \u00abYou prac\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly never stop lear\u00adning\u2026\u00bb We know from modern brain rese\u00adarch that we can learn well into old age. (The say\u00ading that you never learn what you don\u2019t know has been disproved).
\nThe sanctification
\nThe Bible speaks of \u00absanc\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon\u00bb in the same con\u00adtext. For sanc\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon is not\u00adhing other than a pro\u00adcess of lifel\u00adong spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal lear\u00adning in disci\u00adple\u00adship. \u00abHe who is holy must also con\u00adti\u00adnue to seek sanc\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon\u00bb (Reve\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon 22:11). Spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal lear\u00adning does not stop when I alre\u00ada\u00addy know the out\u00adco\u00adme of bibli\u00adcal sto\u00adries or whe\u00adre they are found in the Bible. In adult edu\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon, the\u00adre is a prin\u00adci\u00adple that can also be unders\u00adtood spi\u00adri\u00adtual\u00adly: \u00abLear\u00adning as an adult also means unlear\u00adning again and again.\u00bb In other words, lea\u00adving old pat\u00adterns behind and brea\u00adking them. Lear\u00adning has more to do with expe\u00adri\u00adence, action and rea\u00adli\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon than cogni\u00adti\u00adve know\u00adledge, and this is no dif\u00adfe\u00adrent when it comes to fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Jesus. Becau\u00adse what was right 20 years ago may alre\u00ada\u00addy be wrong or out\u00adda\u00adted today (child\u00adhood eating at the table\u2026)
\nBeing a Chris\u00adti\u00adan does not live from my memo\u00adry or past expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces, as important as the\u00adse can always be. Living faith needs cur\u00adrent expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces that Jesus can still work today bey\u00adond asking and under\u00adstan\u00adding and wants to chan\u00adge me and my beha\u00adviour. \u00abNow to him who is able to do excee\u00addin\u00adgly abun\u00addant\u00adly abo\u00adve all that we ask or under\u00adstand, accor\u00adding to the power that works in us, to him be glo\u00adry in the church and in Christ Jesus\u00bb (Ephe\u00adsi\u00adans 3:20). Have you ever thought about what that means? This over\u00adwhel\u00adming expe\u00adri\u00adence of the mira\u00adcle of the fish makes Simon fall to his kne\u00ades befo\u00adre Jesus and wor\u00adship. At this moment, Simon reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00ads\u00ades that Jesus is the Lamb, the incar\u00adna\u00adte Son of God. And again some\u00adthing para\u00addo\u00adxi\u00adcal hap\u00adpens. Simon says: Go away from me Jesus, for I am a sin\u00adful man. We don\u2019t fit tog\u00ade\u00adther at all. I don\u2019t deser\u00adve this and I\u2019m not wort\u00adhy of what is hap\u00adpe\u00adning to me here. But Jesus dis\u00adagrees, he for\u00admu\u00adla\u00adtes the unthinkable and chal\u00adlenges Simon to get used to some\u00adthing else by invi\u00adting him any\u00adway and asking him to fol\u00adlow him. Jesus even goes one step fur\u00adther and later gives this man kne\u00ade\u00adling on the river\u00adbank a new name. Pat\u00adterns are bro\u00adken here too, becau\u00adse Simon will later be cal\u00adled Peter. Through this lear\u00adning expe\u00adri\u00adence, Simon reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00ads\u00ades who Jesus is and can later beco\u00adme a sta\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adsing rock through this confession.
\nAgain and again we read in the New Tes\u00adta\u00adment that pat\u00adtern brea\u00adking is part of faith. At least 5 times in the epist\u00adles it says that we are to put off the old man tog\u00ade\u00adther with his old habits.
\nBecau\u00adse the habits we have lear\u00adnt, our human natu\u00adre, do not take us any fur\u00adther \u2013 do not bring us clo\u00adser to God. The grea\u00adtest chan\u00adge in faith, the most rethinkable thing for us humans and the most powerful pat\u00adtern-brea\u00adking hap\u00adpens in the cru\u00adci\u00adfi\u00adxi\u00adon and bap\u00adtism. Here ever\u00ady\u00adthing is tur\u00adned upsi\u00adde down and tur\u00adned for the bet\u00adter. In bap\u00adtism, the chan\u00adge from old to new takes place. From death to life and from sin to grace. On the cross, the unthinkable hap\u00adpen\u00aded, that we are adopted into God\u2019s holy fami\u00adly, that we are cal\u00adled sons and daugh\u00adters of God and can call Jesus Christ our brot\u00adher. This pat\u00adtern break is unthinkable for non-belie\u00advers. But in and through bap\u00adtism, we con\u00adfirm that the Spi\u00adrit of the Holy God lives in us and that, through his power, we are no lon\u00adger bound by the things that seem to want to keep us stuck in life and keep us the same.
\nThe\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, I belie\u00adve it is wort\u00adhwhile, like Peter, to dare to do \u00abcoun\u00adter-intui\u00adti\u00adve things\u00bb with Jesus and to cast the nets during the day. Later, on ano\u00adther occa\u00adsi\u00adon, Peter got out of the boat in the midd\u00adle of the lake to meet Jesus on the water. Some think this is cra\u00adzy! But all tho\u00adse who sat in the boat and just wat\u00adched missed this expe\u00adri\u00adence of Jesus car\u00adry\u00ading and hol\u00adding even on the water. In my opi\u00adni\u00adon, it pays off to rethink what is per\u00adhaps unthinkable for us and to trust Jesus with more than we have expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced so far. We give Jesus the grea\u00adtest honour if we do not limit him with our limi\u00adt\u00aded know\u00adledge and our expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces. Becau\u00adse our pre\u00advious per\u00adso\u00adnal wealth of expe\u00adri\u00adence does not have to be the limit of our future hori\u00adzon of expe\u00adri\u00adence. I belie\u00adve that Jesus always wants to sur\u00adpri\u00adse us when we make our life-boat available to him as a stage, as Simon did.
\nThink about what your pat\u00adterns are that unneces\u00ads\u00ada\u00adri\u00adly limit your life. Whe\u00adre do they come from? What sen\u00adse do they make for you today? And if no pat\u00adterns come to mind, then have the cou\u00adra\u00adge to honest\u00adly ask ano\u00adther per\u00adson which pat\u00adterns you can still chan\u00adge with Jesus. Becau\u00adse what is writ\u00adten in 2 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 5:17 appli\u00ades: \u00abWhoe\u00adver lives with Jesus Christ beco\u00admes a new per\u00adson. He is no lon\u00adger the same, becau\u00adse his old life (habits\/patterns) is over. The new has begun\u00bb (2 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 5:17). For most peo\u00adp\u00adle, this trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon does not hap\u00adpen over\u00adnight, but is a lifel\u00adong lear\u00adning pro\u00adcess. Until one day in eter\u00adni\u00adty we will be the way God hims\u00adelf inten\u00added us to be from the very beginning.
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nRead the Bible text: Luke 5:1\u201311<\/p>\n
\tWhat pat\u00adterns do you see in your life?
\n\tWhich of the pat\u00adterns are hel\u00adpful and which are a hindrance?
\n\tWhat peo\u00adp\u00adle come to mind that you can approach about your patterns?
\n\tWhe\u00adre has Jesus alre\u00ada\u00addy bro\u00adken through your hori\u00adzon of expe\u00adri\u00adence so that you have been surprised?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Many things that you may con\u00adsider unthinkable in life are also rethinkable in God\u2019s rea\u00adli\u00adty. Your pre\u00advious wealth of expe\u00adri\u00adence does not have to remain the limit of your future pos\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties! With Jesus, exis\u00adting pat\u00adterns of life are bro\u00adken and so you are con\u00adstant\u00adly con\u00adfron\u00adted with the unthinkable. Lord, give us a heart for your word and also a word for\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":7354,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[66],"wpfc_sermon_series":[90],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-christian-seitz","wpfc_sermon_series-heilig-heilig-heilig","wpfc-sermon-single","post-7339","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t