Lis\u00adtening to God is a basic requi\u00adre\u00adment for a fol\u00adlower of Jesus Christ. But how do we lis\u00adten to God? Three good ways to hear God are pray\u00ader, Bible rea\u00adding and silence. The\u00adse alo\u00adne do not gua\u00adran\u00adtee that we hear God, but the\u00adre is a good chan\u00adce that I will per\u00adcei\u00adve, reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse and feel God\u2019s impul\u00adses for my life. In many cases, lis\u00adtening to God also means first of all say\u00ading yes to your own sto\u00adry, your own life with all its natu\u00adral limi\u00adta\u00adti\u00adons. Alt\u00adhough lis\u00adtening and doing belong tog\u00ade\u00adther, many things also begin with being befo\u00adre God, espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly being still befo\u00adre God.<\/p>\n
Befo\u00adre my wife and I got mar\u00adried, we lived in shared flats and the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre did\u00adn\u2019t have many house\u00adhold items of our own. That\u2019s why we deci\u00added to buy a Ther\u00admo\u00admix. We are abso\u00adlu\u00adte Ther\u00admo\u00admix enthu\u00adsi\u00adasts. Once you have a reci\u00adpe, ever\u00ady\u00adthing is clear from A to Z \u2013 I just have to stick to the ins\u00adtruc\u00adtions. It may sound a bit mono\u00adto\u00adno\u00adus, but I mana\u00adge to do things that I would\u00adn\u2019t other\u00adwi\u00adse be able to do. I just have to stick strict\u00adly to the ins\u00adtruc\u00adtions. How nice it would be if the life of faith of fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus work\u00aded like this. You just have to stick to the exact sequence of cer\u00adtain things: Rea\u00adding at least 5 ver\u00adses in the Bible per day, pray\u00ading three times for 1 \u00bd minu\u00adtes and then lis\u00adtening to God for ano\u00adther 4 minu\u00adtes. If I do this, then I will sure\u00adly hear God. But unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly this is not the case. \tDo you under\u00adstand the con\u00adnec\u00adtion bet\u00adween lis\u00adtening and doing? How do you lis\u00adten to God? Lis\u00adtening to God is a basic requi\u00adre\u00adment for a fol\u00adlower of Jesus Christ. But how do we lis\u00adten to God? Three good ways to hear God are pray\u00ader, Bible rea\u00adding and silence. They alo\u00adne do not gua\u00adran\u00adtee that we will hear God, but the\u00adre is a good chan\u00adce that I will per\u00adcei\u00adve, reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse and\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":7745,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[79],"wpfc_sermon_series":[98],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-cedric-bruegger","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-folge-du-mir-nach","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-7737","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"has-post-thumbnail","8":"hentry","11":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nI\u2019ve always loved coo\u00adking, but I\u2019ve given bak\u00ading a wide berth. But sin\u00adce I\u2019ve been mar\u00adried, I\u2019ve taken up bak\u00ading a litt\u00adle. In the pro\u00adcess, I have lear\u00adnt about a mira\u00adcle cure: bak\u00ading pow\u00adder. Bak\u00ading pow\u00adder is an inge\u00adnious ingre\u00addi\u00adent. It alo\u00adne does not gua\u00adran\u00adtee that things will turn out well, but the pro\u00adba\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty that the desi\u00adred effect will occur is all the grea\u00adter. Even if the desi\u00adre to hear God is gre\u00adat, we can\u00adnot make God available to us. But the\u00adre are a few bak\u00ading pow\u00adders of faith. If I fol\u00adlow the\u00adse, it is likely that I will hear God. I want to explo\u00adre three of them in more depth in today\u2019s ser\u00admon: Bible rea\u00adding, pray\u00ader and silence. The\u00adre is more, such as lis\u00adtening to a ser\u00admon, but today I am focus\u00adsing on the other three. This is not\u00adhing new, but per\u00adhaps I can give you a new impetus.
\nLis\u00adtening and doing belong together
\nThe title of the ser\u00admon is \u00abDisci\u00adple\u00adship means lis\u00adtening to God\u00bb. But is this the case? Is this the desi\u00adre of every fol\u00adlower? On the one hand, yes. It is often the case that we do not lis\u00adten to God even though we ask him. On the one hand, no. Some\u00adti\u00admes it would be clear what to do, but we find excu\u00adses and per\u00adhaps deli\u00adbera\u00adte\u00adly do not want to lis\u00adten to God. In last Sunday\u2019s ser\u00admon, we heard that lis\u00adten and obey are the same word in Greek. Disci\u00adple\u00adship also goes back to the same root word.
\nLis\u00adtening is a basic requi\u00adre\u00adment for a fol\u00adlower of Jesus Christ. \u00abDear fri\u00adends, be quick to lis\u00adten, but take your time befo\u00adre you speak or beco\u00adme angry\u00bb (James 1:19 NLB<\/span>). The fact that lis\u00adtening and doing belong tog\u00ade\u00adther is also shown a few ver\u00adses fur\u00adther on. \u00abBut it is not enough just to lis\u00adten to the mes\u00adsa\u00adge \u2013 you must also act on it! Other\u00adwi\u00adse you are only decei\u00adving your\u00adsel\u00adves\u00bb (James 1:22 NLB<\/span>). In today\u2019s ser\u00admon, I also want to try to bring tog\u00ade\u00adther lis\u00adtening and doing. Per\u00adhaps a litt\u00adle unu\u00adsu\u00adal, but I would like to invi\u00adte you to get invol\u00adved in this. Becau\u00adse a bak\u00ading pow\u00adder of lis\u00adtening to God is to read God\u2019s word and lis\u00adten to what it has to say to me. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, I would like to read aloud with you the Bible pas\u00adsa\u00adge shown. \u00abHap\u00adpy is the man who does not lis\u00adten to the advice of the wicked, who does not take the lives of sin\u00adners as an exam\u00adp\u00adle and does not asso\u00adcia\u00adte with mockers. He delights to do the will of the Lord and medi\u00adta\u00adtes on his law day and night. He is like a tree that takes root by the river\u00adbank and bears abun\u00addant fruit year after year. His lea\u00adves do not wither, and ever\u00ady\u00adthing he does suc\u00adceeds\u00bb (Psalm 1:1\u20133 NLB<\/span>). Now let\u2019s take a moment to think about what this Bible pas\u00adsa\u00adge has to say to me.
\nSay\u00ading yes to your own history
\nLis\u00adtening to God starts with get\u00adting a yes to your own sto\u00adry. This may be a spe\u00adci\u00adfic point, but I am con\u00advin\u00adced that it is a very important one. Becau\u00adse in fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Jesus Christ, ever\u00adyo\u00adne has dif\u00adfe\u00adrent requi\u00adre\u00adments. Disci\u00adple\u00adship is per\u00adso\u00adnal and encom\u00adpas\u00adses me as a who\u00adle per\u00adson. My who\u00adle being, my actions, my beha\u00adviour, in other words ever\u00ady\u00adthing that defi\u00adnes me, plays a part. While we like to empha\u00adsise our own histo\u00adry, our very own natu\u00adre and beha\u00adviour when it sets us apart from others in a posi\u00adti\u00adve way, we find it more dif\u00adfi\u00adcult when it sets us boun\u00adda\u00adries. Peter Scaz\u00adze\u00adro wri\u00adtes in his book \u00abemo\u00adtio\u00adnal\u00adly healt\u00adhy disci\u00adple\u00adship\u00bb about two types. We need to ask our\u00adsel\u00adves two ques\u00adti\u00adons: \u00abWhich boun\u00adda\u00adries do I need to accept, find a joyful yes to them and see them as God\u2019s invi\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon to trust him? Whe\u00adre does God ask me to cross boun\u00adda\u00adries in faith so that others can come to know him or I can beco\u00adme the per\u00adson he inten\u00added me to be?\u00bb (Peter Scaz\u00adze\u00adro). When I have reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded and inter\u00adna\u00adli\u00adsed the first, then I can pray along with the psal\u00admist full of con\u00advic\u00adtion and say: \u00abI thank you that you have made me so glo\u00adrious and excel\u00adlent! Your works are mar\u00advell\u00adous, I know it well\u00bb (Psalm 139:14 NLB<\/span>).
\nAsking God for his will does not neces\u00ads\u00ada\u00adri\u00adly mean that I want to lis\u00adten. It is par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar\u00adly chal\u00adlen\u00adging when some\u00adthing in my life con\u00adtra\u00addicts God\u2019s word. Then the\u00adre are two ways I can behave. First\u00adly, I can adopt an atti\u00adtu\u00adde of \u00abGod must lis\u00adten to me\u00bb. Then I con\u00adti\u00adnue to live as befo\u00adre becau\u00adse God has not yet cle\u00adar\u00adly shown me what is right. The other atti\u00adtu\u00adde is that of \u00abI lis\u00adten to God\u00bb. Then it may be that I make a decis\u00adi\u00adon against some\u00adthing with a hea\u00advy heart or I renoun\u00adce some\u00adthing \u2013 becau\u00adse I know that this is what God wants. Ano\u00adther bak\u00ading pow\u00adder that is hel\u00adpful in such situa\u00adtions is pray\u00ader. We want to reci\u00adte the dis\u00adplay\u00aded pray\u00ader tog\u00ade\u00adther and then the\u00adre is ano\u00adther short time of per\u00adso\u00adnal pray\u00ader in a quiet place. \u00abGod, grant me the sere\u00adni\u00adty to accept things that I can\u00adnot chan\u00adge, the cou\u00adra\u00adge to chan\u00adge things that I can chan\u00adge and the wis\u00addom to distin\u00adgu\u00adish one from the other\u00bb (Rein\u00adhold Niebuhr).
\nAs I said, lis\u00adtening to God also has a lot to do with my per\u00adso\u00adna\u00adli\u00adty. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, in addi\u00adti\u00adon to the three bak\u00ading pow\u00adders of faith, I would like to brief\u00adly share with you how I hear God. I have expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced this in many dif\u00adfe\u00adrent ways so far. One way God speaks to me is through open doors. I often pray to God, read the Bible and come befo\u00adre him but don\u2019t hear direct\u00adly what I should do. This is espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly the case with decis\u00adi\u00adons. That\u2019s why I fol\u00adlow the open door stra\u00adtegy the\u00adre. I bold\u00adly go for\u00adward in the know\u00adledge that the Holy Spi\u00adrit is in me and in trust and pray\u00ader until a door clo\u00adses or a new one opens. Ano\u00adther kind is a deep impul\u00adse within me that I know I have to fol\u00adlow. I have been dating women on and off for a few years, but not\u00adhing has come of it. I always won\u00adde\u00adred whe\u00adther Chris\u00adti\u00adan dating sites would be some\u00adthing \u2013 but I did\u00adn\u2019t think I was that despe\u00adra\u00adte yet. Until one day I woke up and just knew that I had to sign up. After almost a year, I final\u00adly met my wife that way. And the first date with her was the only time I had ever heard God speak cle\u00adar\u00adly. We went out for din\u00adner tog\u00ade\u00adther that evening and as we sat the\u00adre chat\u00adting, I heard a voice tel\u00adling me \u00abThat\u2019s your wife\u00bb. It took me a few more dates, but even\u00adtual\u00adly we got mar\u00adried and star\u00adted our fami\u00adly. Ano\u00adther way I hear God is through an inner promp\u00adting of the Holy Spi\u00adrit. I would like to expand on this in an oral history.
\nLis\u00adtening starts with being
\nLis\u00adtening to God is not easy, espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly when my cir\u00adcum\u00ads\u00adtances are any\u00adthing but pro\u00admi\u00adsing. Last Sun\u00adday we alre\u00ada\u00addy heard a ser\u00admon about Abra\u00adham as the pro\u00adto\u00adty\u00adpe of a fol\u00adlower. Today I would also like to look at this point using the life of Abra\u00adham and his wife Sarah. The sto\u00adry takes place at a time when both of them were still cal\u00adled Abram and Sarai. When Abram and Sarai set out from their fami\u00adli\u00adar land, they trus\u00adted God and the pro\u00admi\u00adse of a child of their own. \u00abA gre\u00adat nati\u00adon will des\u00adcend from you. I will bless you and you will be known throug\u00adhout the world. I will make you a bles\u00adsing to others\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 12:2 NLB<\/span>). But for a very long time, the two had no child\u00adren. Alt\u00adhough the pro\u00admi\u00adse was made to Abram seve\u00adral times (Gene\u00adsis 12:2; Gene\u00adsis 15:4ff). Abram recei\u00adved as clear a pro\u00admi\u00adse from God as we could wish for, yet he still had doubts. \u00abBut Abram repli\u00aded: \u00abO LORD<\/span> Almigh\u00adty, what will you give me if I am child\u00adless? Sin\u00adce you have given me no child\u00adren, my ste\u00adward Eli\u00adjah of Damas\u00adcus will inhe\u00adrit me. Then the LORD<\/span> said to him, \u00abNo, your ste\u00adward will not inhe\u00adrit you. You will have a son who will be your heir\u00bb \u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 15:3\u20134 NLB<\/span>). But Abram and Sarai could not bear to wait for God. So Abram fathe\u00adred a child hims\u00adelf with a slave girl (Gene\u00adsis 16). But this was not the son of the pro\u00admi\u00adse, so God again pro\u00admi\u00adses that he will have des\u00adcen\u00addants (Gene\u00adsis 17:19; Gene\u00adsis 18). On top of this, God makes ano\u00adther pro\u00admi\u00adse to Abram. He chan\u00adges his name from Abram, which means \u00abexal\u00adted father\u00bb, to Abra\u00adham, which means \u00abfather of many\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 17:1ff). Abra\u00adham was 75 when he left, at 99 he recei\u00adved the new name and at 100 he beca\u00adme a father. 25 years after the exodus and the first promise.
\nI am con\u00advin\u00adced that lis\u00adtening to God beg\u00adins with being befo\u00adre God. Doing fol\u00adlows from this, but not the other way round. Howe\u00adver, we are cha\u00adrac\u00adte\u00adri\u00adsed dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly today. We defi\u00adne our\u00adsel\u00adves more by doing than by being. But Abra\u00adham lived out of being, out of trus\u00adting God. \u00abAbram took this pro\u00admi\u00adse serious\u00adly. He put all his trust in the LORD<\/span>, and so he found God\u2019s appr\u00adoval\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 15:6 HFA<\/span>). Ano\u00adther bak\u00ading pow\u00adder of faith is the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre silence. It is being still befo\u00adre God, trus\u00adting that he knows what I need. This is how the psal\u00admist puts it \u00abOnly on God does my soul wait quiet\u00adly; from him comes my sal\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon\u00bb (Psalm 62:2 SLT<\/span>). So let\u2019s end this ser\u00admon not with music for once, but with silence. After three minu\u00adtes, I will end this silence with a pray\u00ader. Don\u2019t be alar\u00admed, the\u00adse three minu\u00adtes may seem very long to you. Try to be quiet befo\u00adre God and lis\u00adten to what is next for you after this sermon.
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nRead Bible texts: James 1:19; Psalm 139:14; Psalm 62:2<\/p>\n
\n\tRead through a Bible pas\u00adsa\u00adge tog\u00ade\u00adther. For exam\u00adp\u00adle, Psalm 1:1\u20133. After\u00adwards, first ask your\u00adsel\u00adves per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly what this Bible pas\u00adsa\u00adge means for each indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adal and what it says about disci\u00adple\u00adship. Then dis\u00adcuss this in the group.
\n\tDo you under\u00adstand the con\u00adnec\u00adtion bet\u00adween say\u00ading yes to your own sto\u00adry and lis\u00adtening to God? Do you say yes to your limits? Can you accept them as God\u2019s invi\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon to trust him? Pray the Sere\u00adni\u00adty Pray\u00ader tog\u00ade\u00adther \u00abGod, give me the sere\u00adni\u00adty to accept things I can\u00adnot chan\u00adge, the cou\u00adra\u00adge to chan\u00adge things I can, and the wis\u00addom to distin\u00adgu\u00adish one from the other\u00bb (Rein\u00adhold Nie\u00adbuhr). What is the\u00adre to accept? What needs to be changed?
\n\tWhat about silence in your rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God? What do you find most dif\u00adfi\u00adcult about being quiet? Try to be quiet tog\u00ade\u00adther as a group for a defi\u00adned time and lis\u00adten to God? What could help you not to be distracted?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"