When Eli\u00adsha was cal\u00adled to suc\u00adceed Eli\u00adjah, he sacri\u00adfi\u00adced his catt\u00adle and the teams that pro\u00advi\u00added inco\u00adme for his \u00abold life\u00bb. He tore down the bridge behind him and loo\u00adked ahead. A few hundred years later, Jesus would descri\u00adbe this very beha\u00adviour as a con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon for fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Jesus.<\/p>\n
Eli\u00adsa is ploug\u00adhing with twel\u00adve hit\u00adches. The light plough is gui\u00added with one hand. This one hand, usual\u00adly the left, must simul\u00adta\u00adneous\u00adly regu\u00adla\u00adte the ver\u00adti\u00adcal posi\u00adti\u00adon, its depth with pres\u00adsu\u00adre and lift it over rocks and stones in the way. Eli\u00adsa needs the other hand to dri\u00adve the catt\u00adle with the appro\u00adxi\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly 2 met\u00adre long dri\u00adving stick, which has an iron spike at the tip. At the same time, he has to keep an eye on the fur\u00adrow, loo\u00adking bet\u00adween the ani\u00admals. When Eli\u00adsa looks round, the new fur\u00adrow beco\u00admes croo\u00adked. In the midst of this focus\u00adsed atten\u00adti\u00adon, the gre\u00adat pro\u00adphet Eli\u00adjah comes and throws his man\u00adt\u00adle over him, cal\u00adling Eli\u00adsha from the midd\u00adle of his pro\u00adfes\u00adsio\u00adnal life to be his suc\u00adces\u00adsor as pro\u00adphet of Isra\u00adel. \u00abAnd he left the oxen and ran after Eli\u00adjah, say\u00ading, \u00abLet me kiss my father and mother, and I will fol\u00adlow you. He said to him, \u00abWell, turn back! Remem\u00adber what I have done to you!\u00bb (1 Kings 19:20 LUT<\/span>). Eli\u00adsha sacri\u00adfi\u00adced a team of his oxen. He then roas\u00adted the beef over the fire of yokes and orga\u00adnis\u00aded a fare\u00adwell feast. \tWhat does Jesus mean by \u00abput\u00adting your hand to the plough\u00bb? What does it mean to be trans\u00adfer\u00adred to the \u00abking\u00addom of the bel\u00adoved Son\u00bb? When Eli\u00adsha was cal\u00adled to suc\u00adceed Eli\u00adjah, he sacri\u00adfi\u00adced his catt\u00adle and the teams that pro\u00advi\u00added inco\u00adme for his \u00abold life\u00bb. He tore down the bridge behind him and loo\u00adked ahead. A few hundred years later, Jesus would descri\u00adbe this very beha\u00adviour as a con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon for fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Jesus. Eli\u00adsha is just with\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[98],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","wpfc_sermon_series-folge-du-mir-nach","wpfc-sermon-single","post-7765","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nJesus would refer to this sto\u00adry around 900 years later when he said: \u00abAnyo\u00adne who puts a hand to the plough and then looks back is not fit for the king\u00addom of God\u00bb (Luke 9:62 NLB<\/span>).
\nPut\u00adting your hand to the plough
\nJesus put\u00adting his hand to the plough is an image for the moment when a per\u00adson, cal\u00adled by God, enters into fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Jesus. Befo\u00adre start\u00ading a rela\u00adti\u00adonship with Jesus, the\u00adre is always a call from the hea\u00adven\u00adly Father (John 17:24; Matthew 11:27). Howe\u00adver, when a per\u00adson responds to this call, they expe\u00adri\u00adence the best pos\u00adsi\u00adble trans\u00adfer. \u00abFor he has res\u00adcued us from the power of dark\u00adness and trans\u00adfer\u00adred us into the king\u00addom of the bel\u00adoved Son. God has bought our free\u00addom with his blood and for\u00adgi\u00adven us all our tre\u00ads\u00adpas\u00adses\u00bb (Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 1:13f NLB<\/span>).
\nTho\u00adse who put their hand to the plough are expres\u00adsing that they are about to start work. It is true that fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Jesus can mean stre\u00adnuous labour throug\u00adhout. But \u2013 and this is abso\u00adlut\u00ade\u00adly cru\u00adcial \u2013 the basis in the king\u00addom of the bel\u00adoved Son is a dif\u00adfe\u00adrent one. The cul\u00adtu\u00adre of this king\u00addom is love. That is why Jesus prays: \u00abI have reve\u00ada\u00adled your name to them and will con\u00adti\u00adnue to reve\u00adal it. I am doing this so that your love for me may remain in them and I in them\u00bb (John 17:26 NLB<\/span>). Whoe\u00adver puts their hand to the plough is taken into the love rela\u00adti\u00adonship bet\u00adween Jesus and his Father. This divi\u00adne uncon\u00addi\u00adtio\u00adnal love is now the basis of disci\u00adple\u00adship and all work.
\nMar\u00adtin Lloyd Jones (1899\u20131981) was an important pre\u00ada\u00adcher in Lon\u00addon. He was side\u00adlined by a serious ill\u00adness. Peo\u00adp\u00adle asked him if it did\u00adn\u2019t bother him to be side\u00adlined like that. He loo\u00adked at them and said: \u00abDo not rejoice that evil spi\u00adrits obey you, but rejoice that your names are writ\u00adten down in hea\u00adven\u00bb (Luke 10:20 NLB<\/span>).
\nIn the Old Coven\u00adant, when the high priest ente\u00adred the Holy of Holies once a year, he wore two pre\u00adcious stones set in gold on the should\u00ader straps of his apron, on which the names of the twel\u00adve tri\u00adbes of Isra\u00adel were engra\u00adved (Exodus 28). The New Tes\u00adta\u00adment pres\u00adents Jesus as the high priest who is befo\u00adre the thro\u00adne of God. As soon as a per\u00adson puts his hand to the plough, his name is engra\u00adved on the heart of Jesus Christ and car\u00adri\u00aded befo\u00adre God. When the Father looks at this name, he sees abso\u00adlu\u00adte beau\u00adty. The eyes of the only per\u00adson who\u00adse opi\u00adni\u00adon counts in the enti\u00adre uni\u00adver\u00adse will find you more pre\u00adcious than all the jewels of our earth. Deu\u00adte\u00adro\u00adno\u00admy 7 descri\u00adbes how God did not choo\u00adse the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel becau\u00adse they were gre\u00adat or important, \u00abbut becau\u00adse he loves you [\u2026]\u00bb (Deu\u00adte\u00adro\u00adno\u00admy 7:8 NLB<\/span>). The reason for God\u2019s call is love. God loves you becau\u00adse he loves you.
\nOn this plat\u00adform, our hearts are encou\u00adra\u00adged to recipro\u00adca\u00adte this love. The\u00adre is not\u00adhing more beau\u00adtiful, not\u00adhing more rede\u00ademing than sim\u00adply being in love with our Saviour. It is the end of all self-righ\u00adteous\u00adness and the launch pad into a disci\u00adple\u00adship that is cha\u00adrac\u00adte\u00adri\u00adsed by God\u2019s grace. Befo\u00adre Jesus chal\u00adlen\u00adged Peter with the words \u00abFol\u00adlow me!\u00bb, He made sure that this was done on a foun\u00adda\u00adti\u00adon of love. Do you want to grow more into this love rela\u00adti\u00adonship? Focus on God\u2019s love for us humans until your heart, soul and mind are over\u00adflowing with love in return. \u00abWe want to love becau\u00adse he first loved us\u00bb (1 John 4:19 NLB<\/span>).
\nDon\u2019t look back
\n\u00abAnyo\u00adne who puts a hand to the plough and then looks back is not fit for the king\u00addom of God\u00bb (Luke 9:62 NLB<\/span>). This sen\u00adtence was pre\u00adce\u00added by an epi\u00adso\u00adde that reminds us very much of the sto\u00adry of Eli\u00adsha. Jesus chal\u00adlen\u00adged a man to fol\u00adlow Him. The ans\u00adwer: \u00abYes, Lord, I want to go with you, but first let me say good\u00adbye to my fami\u00adly\u00bb (Luke 9:61 NLB<\/span>). What Eli\u00adjah allo\u00adwed, Jesus does not. The\u00adre is no \u00abfirst\u00bb that is allo\u00adwed to come befo\u00adre Jesus. Eit\u00adher Jesus has the \u00abfirst\u00bb for hims\u00adelf or the\u00adre is no fol\u00adlo\u00adwing at all.
\nBecau\u00adse Jesus \u00abknew what was real\u00adly going on insi\u00adde peo\u00adp\u00adle\u00bb (John 2:24 NLB<\/span>), He refu\u00adsed to allow the man to go home to say good\u00adbye. Per\u00adhaps Jesus knew that this man would not be coming back. Eli\u00adjah remin\u00added Eli\u00adsha, \u00abRemem\u00adber what I have done to you.\u00bb In other words, he exhor\u00adted him to keep his cal\u00adling in mind and fol\u00adlow it. Eli\u00adsha then bur\u00adned the bridges to his pre\u00advious life. He sacri\u00adfi\u00adced his oxen, roas\u00adted the meat on the bur\u00adning yokes and orga\u00adnis\u00aded a fare\u00adwell din\u00adner. This ritu\u00adal hel\u00adped him to let go com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly and not look back.
\nIn fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Jesus, we are equal\u00adly chal\u00adlen\u00adged to burn our bridges to the past. Not\u00adhing should pre\u00advent us from loving Jesus \u00abwith all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind\u00bb (Matthew 22:37 NLB<\/span>) and fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Him. Per\u00adhaps the ban on say\u00ading good\u00adbye sounds anti-fami\u00adly. But it is not. Becau\u00adse when someone uncom\u00adpro\u00admi\u00adsin\u00adgly fol\u00adlows Jesus, tho\u00adse clo\u00adsest to them defi\u00adni\u00adte\u00adly bene\u00adfit the most.
\nA man sold his house to the buy\u00ader on the con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon that a sin\u00adgle nail next to the front door would remain in his pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adon. The buy\u00ader agreed and bought the house with the excep\u00adti\u00adon of this one nail. Full of joy, he made hims\u00adelf com\u00adfor\u00adta\u00adble in his new home. But one day, an old hat was han\u00adging on the nail, fol\u00adlo\u00adwed a short time later by a worn, shab\u00adby coat. He did\u00adn\u2019t like it at all. But becau\u00adse the nail was not his pro\u00adper\u00adty, he was not allo\u00adwed to take the items down. One day, when a dead ani\u00admal was han\u00adging on the nail, it beca\u00adme too much for the man and he moved out.
\nWhen someone puts their hand to the plough and is trans\u00adfer\u00adred to the realm of the bel\u00adoved son, all bridges to the power of dark\u00adness must be bro\u00adken. Stran\u00adge nails can be old pat\u00adterns in deal\u00ading with money or tax returns, in part\u00adner\u00adship or sexua\u00adli\u00adty, inap\u00adpro\u00adpria\u00adte exer\u00adcise of power, attach\u00adments to father or mother, unf\u00ador\u00adgi\u00adve\u00adness, attach\u00adments or occult objects, etc.
\nI recent\u00adly heard the sto\u00adry of a woman who left the room screa\u00adming loud\u00adly at a church event. Sub\u00adse\u00adquent con\u00adver\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adons reve\u00ada\u00adled that her father was invol\u00adved in occult prac\u00adti\u00adces. It tur\u00adned out that she still had old objects from her father in her household.
\nLet\u2019s do as Eli\u00adsha did and make a clean sweep of the past. We can dis\u00adpo\u00adse of the\u00adse nails on the cross of Jesus and then fol\u00adlow Jesus \u2013 wit\u00adhout any unneces\u00adsa\u00adry bag\u00adga\u00adge. Let\u2019s cast off the bur\u00addens of the past and look to the future.
\nSui\u00adta\u00adble for the king\u00addom of God
\nWhen ploug\u00adhing, the far\u00admer must look ahead with per\u00adse\u00adver\u00adance and con\u00adcen\u00adtra\u00adti\u00adon so that the fur\u00adrow is straight. Many straight, par\u00adal\u00adlel fur\u00adrows are the basis for a good har\u00adve\u00adst. Fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus are allo\u00adwed to work in the king\u00addom of God, to plough a fur\u00adrow or two in order to then wit\u00adness how the seed, which is God\u2019s word, sprouts and mira\u00adcu\u00adlous\u00adly multiplies.
\nTho\u00adse who have let go of their own past are able to look ahead with con\u00adcen\u00adtra\u00adti\u00adon. Paul calls it \u00abLook to what is abo\u00adve, not to what is on earth\u00bb (Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 3:2 LUT<\/span>). Our atten\u00adti\u00adon should be focus\u00adsed on God and his pos\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties and not on earth\u00adly tem\u00adpo\u00adrar\u00adi\u00adne\u00adss. The Greek. The Greek word for \u00abto seek\u00bb can be trans\u00adla\u00adted as \u00abto set one\u2019s mind on\u00bb, \u00abto think about\u00bb or \u00abto con\u00adcen\u00adtra\u00adte on the essen\u00adti\u00adals\u00bb. We then take part in the gre\u00adat pro\u00adject \u00abKing\u00addom of God\u00bb when we focus our sen\u00adses on the divi\u00adne, it is an exer\u00adcise of the mind. The only point of refe\u00adrence for a fol\u00adlower is Jesus Christ. \u00ab[\u2026] We want to run the race to the end for which we are desti\u00adned. We do this by kee\u00adping our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from begin\u00adning to end [\u2026]\u00bb (Hebrews 12:1f NLB<\/span>). This con\u00adstant focus on Jesus Christ makes us hum\u00adble and cou\u00adra\u00adge\u00adous at the same time. Tho\u00adse who are hum\u00adble know that they are depen\u00addent on God and not on them\u00adsel\u00adves. Cou\u00adra\u00adge grows in this dependence.
\nFol\u00adlo\u00adwing Jesus means per\u00adsis\u00adt\u00adent\u00adly focus\u00adsing on Jesus. How can this be achie\u00adved wit\u00adhout it being a stre\u00adnuous exer\u00adcise? The Eng\u00adlish poet Tho\u00admas Wat\u00adson wro\u00adte: \u00abThe first fruit of love is to think about God. He who is in love is always thin\u00adking of the other. Tho\u00adse who love God are enrap\u00adtu\u00adred and enrap\u00adtu\u00adred by thin\u00adking about him. The Lord is the tre\u00adasu\u00adre, and whe\u00adre the tre\u00adasu\u00adre is, the\u00adre is the heart.\u00bb
\nAnd again we end up with love. To deve\u00adlop and main\u00adtain such a life\u00adstyle requi\u00adres an over\u00adar\u00adching plan. This includes regu\u00adlar acti\u00advi\u00adties that nur\u00adtu\u00adre our inner being, such as soli\u00adtu\u00adde, silence, pray\u00ader, fas\u00adting, ser\u00advice, Bible stu\u00addy, fel\u00adlow\u00adship, etc.
\nThe gos\u00adpel of the Bible is an invi\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon to put your hand to the plough and ins\u00adtead of loo\u00adking back, look to Jesus. In doing so, you beco\u00adme part of the gre\u00adat king\u00addom of God pro\u00adject and your life takes on deep meaning.
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nRead Bible text: 1 Kings 19:19\u201321; Luke 9:57\u201362<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat role does love play in disci\u00adple\u00adship? How can our love for Jesus grow?
\n\tWhe\u00adre are peo\u00adp\u00adle in dan\u00adger of loo\u00adking back? Whe\u00adre are the dan\u00adgers in your per\u00adso\u00adnal life? Whe\u00adre does the past catch up with you from time to time?
\n\tWe should stri\u00adve for what is abo\u00adve. How does that work in practice?
\n\tWhe\u00adre has Jesus chal\u00adlen\u00adged you per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly today?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"