Disci\u00adple\u00adship hap\u00adpens in the encoun\u00adter with Jesus Christ. But dif\u00adfe\u00adrent peo\u00adp\u00adle react dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly. Based on the bibli\u00adcal sto\u00adry of the four men who brought their para\u00adly\u00adsed fri\u00adend, we encoun\u00adter three types. They all encoun\u00adter Jesus dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly. The givers know exact\u00adly what is going on. They are pre\u00adsent, but with a cri\u00adti\u00adcal eye. The trus\u00adting ones show their faith in action. They are firm\u00adly con\u00advin\u00adced that Jesus Christ can help, and so they bring the nee\u00addy per\u00adson to him. The nee\u00addy are in a hope\u00adl\u00adess situa\u00adti\u00adon. They need Jesus so that they can be hea\u00adled and made whole.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s ser\u00advice is all about the teens\u00bb bles\u00adsing. So they also gave me a few ide\u00adas on what I could preach about. The\u00adse ran\u00adged from humi\u00adli\u00adty, trust and living in love to the so-cal\u00adled armour of God and the ques\u00adti\u00adon \u00abWhat if I don\u2019t feel Jesus Christ at the moment?\u00bb. I cho\u00adse a sto\u00adry that I think has a lot to do with trust and the ques\u00adti\u00adon \u00abWhat if I don\u2019t feel anything\/am too weak at the moment\/can\u2019t\u00bb. The Life\u00adgroup con\u00adsists of two parts. One is deal\u00ading with issues of faith and the other is focus\u00adsing on cul\u00adti\u00advat\u00ading rela\u00adti\u00adonships with peo\u00adp\u00adle of the same age. It is a won\u00adderful sto\u00adry whe\u00adre faith and rela\u00adti\u00adonships bet\u00adween fri\u00adends come tog\u00ade\u00adther. This sto\u00adry has a lot to do with the year\u2019s the\u00adme of disci\u00adple\u00adship. It seems to be so important that it is men\u00adtio\u00adned in three of the four gos\u00adpels. To start the ser\u00admon, let\u2019s read the first three ver\u00adses tog\u00ade\u00adther. \u00abOne day some Pha\u00adri\u00adsees and scri\u00adbes were sit\u00adting with Jesus as he taught. The men had come from the vil\u00adla\u00adges all over Gali\u00adlee and Judea and even from Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem. And the Lord\u2019s heal\u00ading power went out from Jesus. A few men car\u00adri\u00aded a para\u00adly\u00adsed man on a mat. They tried to get through the crowd to Jesus, but were unsuc\u00adcessful. Final\u00adly they went up on the roof, took away a few tiles and lowe\u00adred the sick man on the mat into the midst of the crowd, right at Jesus\u00bb feet\u00bb (Luke 5:17\u201319 NLB<\/span>). \tWhe\u00adre would you cate\u00adgo\u00adri\u00adse yours\u00adelf? Which ten\u00adden\u00adcy do you have the most? The giving, the trus\u00adting or the needy? Disci\u00adple\u00adship hap\u00adpens in the encoun\u00adter with Jesus Christ. But dif\u00adfe\u00adrent peo\u00adp\u00adle react dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly. Based on the bibli\u00adcal sto\u00adry of the four men who brought their para\u00adly\u00adsed fri\u00adend, we encoun\u00adter three types. They all encoun\u00adter Jesus dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly. The givers know exact\u00adly what is going on. They are pre\u00adsent, but with a cri\u00adti\u00adcal eye. The trus\u00adting ones show their\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":7865,"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":["wpfc_preacher-cedric-bruegger","wpfc_sermon_series-folge-du-mir-nach","wpfc-sermon-single","post-7858","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nThree basic types
\nIn this sto\u00adry, we encoun\u00adter three peo\u00adp\u00adle, or rather groups of peo\u00adp\u00adle. I descri\u00adbe them some\u00adwhat bold\u00adly as \u00abthe givers\u00bb, \u00abthe trus\u00adting\u00bb and \u00abthe nee\u00addy\u00bb. We want to go through this sto\u00adry with the\u00adse three. I think that all three types are repre\u00adsen\u00adted here in this ser\u00advice today.
\nThe\u00adre are the gran\u00adtors. The\u00adse are the Pha\u00adri\u00adsees and scri\u00adbes in this sto\u00adry. They know their way around and know what needs to be done and said. Their goal is to keep the com\u00admandments of God. They heard about Jesus and what he did and the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre came tog\u00ade\u00adther. They tra\u00advel\u00adled from far and wide to check whe\u00adther what this Jesus said was also in their inte\u00adrest. Their basic atti\u00adtu\u00adde is cha\u00adrac\u00adte\u00adri\u00adsed by \u00abWe know the way\u00bb. They allow Jesus to preach in their pre\u00adsence, but not to them. They are a pic\u00adtu\u00adre of peo\u00adp\u00adle who are detached. They are pre\u00adsent, but absent in terms of reception.
\nWe also encoun\u00adter tho\u00adse who trust. We know from the Gos\u00adpel of Mark that the\u00adre are four men. We do not know whe\u00adther they had met Jesus befo\u00adre or whe\u00adther they had only heard about him. They had a fri\u00adend with them. I assu\u00adme that it was dif\u00adfi\u00adcult and arduous to bring this man to Jesus. When they final\u00adly rea\u00adched the house, it was crow\u00added and the\u00adre was no way through. But their trust in Jesus was still huge. He was their only help for their fri\u00adend. So they got up on the roof and star\u00adted to cover it. A few years ago, I went on a stu\u00addy trip to Isra\u00adel. The\u00adre we were shown how hou\u00adses were built back then. Buil\u00adding a roof was labour-inten\u00adsi\u00adve work. The men cer\u00adtain\u00adly knew this. Nevert\u00adhel\u00adess, they were deep\u00adly con\u00advin\u00adced that they now had to come to Jesus with the para\u00adly\u00adsed man. I assu\u00adme that it was their fri\u00adend, other\u00adwi\u00adse they would pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly not have taken this upon them\u00adsel\u00adves. They accept\u00aded the risk of being trea\u00adted with hosti\u00adli\u00adty or wha\u00adte\u00adver. Their trust was shown in their actions. Tho\u00adse who trust are a pic\u00adtu\u00adre of peo\u00adp\u00adle who are on the way to Jesus Christ. In their trust in God, they over\u00adco\u00adme various hurdles.
\nFinal\u00adly, the\u00adre is the nee\u00addy per\u00adson. He was para\u00adly\u00adsed. In the ori\u00adgi\u00adnal Greek text, he is descri\u00adbed as a \u00abman who was para\u00adly\u00adsed\u00bb. The trans\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon para\u00adly\u00adsed is the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre cor\u00adrect. But the\u00adre is much more to this descrip\u00adti\u00adon. For the word used for man also refers to the sin\u00adful natu\u00adre. Sin is a trans\u00adgres\u00adsi\u00adon that is con\u00adtra\u00adry to God\u2019s will. In other words, it could be said that this was \u00aba man who lived con\u00adtra\u00adry to God\u2019s will, who was para\u00adly\u00adsed\u00bb. We do not know why he was sick. He is the pas\u00adsi\u00adve one in this sto\u00adry. We will see that this man will walk a path from paralysed\/in con\u00adtra\u00addic\u00adtion to God, to healing\/freedom. The nee\u00addy man is an image for peo\u00adp\u00adle who have not yet come into cont\u00adact with Jesus.
\nEncoun\u00adter with Jesus
\nAll three have an encoun\u00adter with Jesus. The reac\u00adtion of them, but also of Jesus Christ, is very ins\u00adtruc\u00adti\u00adve and shows a lot about the\u00adse guys. After the men put the para\u00adly\u00adsed man down, the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing hap\u00adpen\u00aded: \u00abWhen Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, \u00abSon, your sins are for\u00adgi\u00adven\u00bb \u00bb (Luke 5:20 NLB<\/span>). Jesus did two things. He saw the men\u2019s faith. But how did he show it? It was not lip ser\u00advice. The men\u2019s faith was shown by the fact that they trus\u00adted so firm\u00adly in Jesus Christ\u2019s abili\u00adty to help that they over\u00adca\u00adme all obs\u00adta\u00adcles. On the other hand, Jesus saw the need the man was in. This was two\u00adfold. On the one hand, he was para\u00adly\u00adsed. On the other hand, the\u00adre were things that stood bet\u00adween him and God. This includes the ana\u00adlog\u00adous descrip\u00adti\u00adon \u00aba man who lived in con\u00adtra\u00addic\u00adtion to God\u2019s will, who was para\u00adly\u00adsed\u00bb. Here is an exci\u00adting part of this sto\u00adry. Jesus for\u00adga\u00adve the man not becau\u00adse of his faith, but becau\u00adse of the faith of the four men. \u00abHelp each other with your dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties and pro\u00adblems, and you will ful\u00adfil the law we have from Christ\u00bb (Gala\u00adti\u00adans 6:2 NLB<\/span>). They hel\u00adped him with his dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties and pro\u00adblems in the sen\u00adse that they brought him to Jesus. Faith is a rea\u00adli\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon, appr\u00adoval but also a trust in divi\u00adne truths. The men trus\u00adted in pro\u00admi\u00adses of what the pro\u00admi\u00adsed Saviour would one day do. \u00abHe will not break the brui\u00adsed reed or extin\u00adgu\u00adish the smould\u00ade\u00adring wick. He will bring truthful jus\u00adti\u00adce to light\u00bb (Isai\u00adah 42:3 NLB<\/span>).
\nMixed reactions
\nTwo reac\u00adtions to Jesus\u00bb words and actions can be seen in the sto\u00adry. Tho\u00adse who gran\u00adted him were furious. \u00ab \u00abWho does this man think he is?\u00bb said the Pha\u00adri\u00adsees and the scri\u00adbes to each other. \u00abThis is blas\u00adphe\u00admy! Who but God can for\u00adgi\u00adve sins?\u00bb \u00bb (Luke 5:21 NLB<\/span>). They accu\u00adsed Jesus of the worst kind of slan\u00adder. But they also made a true state\u00adment: God alo\u00adne can for\u00adgi\u00adve sins! But they had such a pre\u00adcon\u00adcei\u00adved idea that they did not reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse Jesus. They were outra\u00adged by this state\u00adment and so Jesus con\u00adfron\u00adted them with the ques\u00adti\u00adon of what was easier. To say your sins are for\u00adgi\u00adven or to get up and walk. So Jesus con\u00adtin\u00adued \u00ab \u00abI will pro\u00adve to you that the Son of Man has aut\u00adho\u00adri\u00adty on earth to for\u00adgi\u00adve sins. And he tur\u00adned to the para\u00adly\u00adsed man and said, \u00abGet up, take your mat and go home\u00bb \u00bb (Luke 5:24 NLB<\/span>). Jesus did exact\u00adly what the Pha\u00adri\u00adsees and tea\u00adchers of the law indi\u00adrect\u00adly attri\u00adbu\u00adted only to God, name\u00adly heal peo\u00adp\u00adle. Nevert\u00adhel\u00adess, they could not belie\u00adve in Jesus Christ, even though he demons\u00adtra\u00adted his dei\u00adty by doing so. They were too prejudiced.
\nWe know not\u00adhing about the reac\u00adtion of the men, but all the more about the reac\u00adtion of the para\u00adly\u00adsed man. What did the man do after Jesus had spo\u00adken to him? \u00abThen the man jum\u00adped to his feet in front of ever\u00adyo\u00adne, picked up his mat and went home, prai\u00adsing God with all his heart\u00bb (Luke 5:25 NLB<\/span>). After the para\u00adly\u00adsed man encoun\u00adte\u00adred God and was hea\u00adled, he began to prai\u00adse God. The Pha\u00adri\u00adsees feared that Jesus was blas\u00adphe\u00adming God with his state\u00adment. But the exact oppo\u00adsi\u00adte hap\u00adpen\u00aded. The para\u00adly\u00adsed man prai\u00adsed God and all tho\u00adse pre\u00adsent were bes\u00adi\u00adde them\u00adsel\u00adves with awe and prai\u00adsed God.
\nThe path of succession
\nNow I come back to you teen\u00adagers. The obli\u00adga\u00adto\u00adry part of the Life\u00adgroup ends here. You are reli\u00adgious\u00adly matu\u00adre. This means that you are allo\u00adwed to deci\u00adde for your\u00adsel\u00adves what and how you belie\u00adve. If you choo\u00adse the path of disci\u00adple\u00adship, the\u00adre may be moments when you are not able to trust God your\u00adsel\u00adves. But this sto\u00adry shows the importance of com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty. The men trus\u00adted Jesus and he hea\u00adled their fri\u00adend. Com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty is important and a good sup\u00adport in times of doubt, ill\u00adness and suf\u00adfe\u00adring. Other peo\u00adp\u00adle can come to Jesus with me, even if I may not be able to belie\u00adve at the moment. This also rai\u00adses the ques\u00adti\u00adon, \u00abWhat if I don\u2019t feel Jesus Christ at the moment?\u00bb My tip: Grab your fri\u00adends, or it would be even bet\u00adter if your fri\u00adends grab\u00adbed you in such a situa\u00adti\u00adon and came to Jesus with you. But be careful, the fri\u00adends did\u00adn\u2019t heal the para\u00adly\u00adsed man or for\u00adgi\u00adve him his sins, they brought him to Jesus. They did not bind him to them\u00adsel\u00adves, but to Jesus. I hope that you have found just such fri\u00adend\u00adships in the Life\u00adgroup. Fri\u00adend\u00adships that car\u00adry you through even in dif\u00adfi\u00adcult times.
\nDuring my pre\u00adpa\u00adra\u00adti\u00adons today, I was tempt\u00aded to ask which path you would choo\u00adse. But this is the wrong ques\u00adti\u00adon. Becau\u00adse it\u2019s not about deci\u00adding whe\u00adther I want to be a giver, trus\u00adting or nee\u00addy per\u00adson. Rather, it is about whe\u00adther I am rea\u00addy to come into God\u2019s pre\u00adsence and trust him. It can hap\u00adpen that I fall into the posi\u00adti\u00adon of the giver from time to time. Name\u00adly, that I am con\u00advin\u00adced that I know exact\u00adly how things are going. I would like to be able to take on the posi\u00adti\u00adon of the one who trusts for the most part. I want to do some\u00adthing with con\u00adfi\u00addence, even though I don\u2019t yet know the exact result. But per\u00adhaps I am also in the posi\u00adti\u00adon of the nee\u00addy from time to time. How good it is when I am embedded in a net\u00adwork of fri\u00adends who sup\u00adport me. As a church, we want to be just such a net\u00adwork. This is an invi\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon to you to sup\u00adport and be sup\u00adport\u00aded. As a rule, we can\u00adnot deci\u00adde which posi\u00adti\u00adon we want to take. But we can make basic assump\u00adti\u00adons. I would like to name three open\u00adnes\u00adses. The open\u00adness to let Jesus show me new things again and again. The open\u00adness to dare to do things with trust in Jesus. The open\u00adness to admit my own ina\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty and to place mys\u00adelf in the pre\u00adsence of Jesus.
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nRead the Bible text: Luke 5:17\u201326<\/p>\n
\n\tHow could you beco\u00adme even more of a per\u00adson who trusts God?
\n\tWhat does ver\u00adse 20 trig\u00adger in you? \u00abWhen Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, \u00abSon, your sins are for\u00adgi\u00adven\u00bb \u00bb (Luke 5:20 NLB<\/span>).
\n\tHow do you prac\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly help other fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus with their dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties and pro\u00adblems? What could you do?
\n\tHow do you respond to the three open\u00adnes\u00adses? The open\u00adness to let Jesus show me new things again and again. The open\u00adness to dare to do things with trust in Jesus. The open\u00adness to admit my own ina\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty and to place mys\u00adelf in the pre\u00adsence of Jesus.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"