Even though we often know what the right thing to do is, we fail again and again. In order to over\u00adco\u00adme and resist tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon in the\u00adse situa\u00adtions, we need to equip our\u00adsel\u00adves in pray\u00ader and deci\u00adde to put God\u2019s will abo\u00adve our own. We are depen\u00addent on the power of God to over\u00adco\u00adme and need His grace again and again.<\/p>\n
During my theo\u00adlo\u00adgi\u00adcal stu\u00addies, I had the pri\u00advi\u00adle\u00adge of gai\u00adning expe\u00adri\u00adence in prea\u00adching. It was the per\u00adfect lear\u00adning envi\u00adron\u00adment. The peo\u00adp\u00adle were gene\u00adral\u00adly well dis\u00adpo\u00adsed towards me and the\u00adre was always a very mana\u00adgeable num\u00adber of lis\u00adten\u00aders. While I was stan\u00adding at the front, I was able to look peo\u00adp\u00adle in the eye and got a favoura\u00adble smi\u00adle back from most of them. Not from all of them, becau\u00adse one or two of them clo\u00adsed their eyes from time to time during the ser\u00admon. One dear, elder\u00adly lady, let\u2019s call her R\u00f6s\u00adli, came to the ser\u00advice very faithful\u00adly in order to sleep through every ser\u00admon. After each ser\u00admon, I recei\u00adved feed\u00adback from our pas\u00adtor. So after one of the\u00adse ser\u00admons, I sat in the office with our pas\u00adtor for this feed\u00adback. To start with, the pas\u00adtor asked me for my self-assess\u00adment. I thought it did\u00adn\u2019t go bad\u00adly, it was fun as always. Bes\u00adi\u00addes, the peo\u00adp\u00adle must not have thought it was too bad eit\u00adher. Even R\u00f6s\u00adli had stay\u00aded awa\u00adke during the who\u00adle ser\u00admon. My pas\u00adtor loo\u00adked at me in ama\u00adze\u00adment and said that he had never pre\u00ada\u00adched with such aut\u00adho\u00adri\u00adty befo\u00adre. Well, who knows whe\u00adther R\u00f6s\u00adli had a good day or I actual\u00adly had a good sermon. \tIs the\u00adre some\u00adthing that came to your atten\u00adti\u00adon during the ser\u00admon or in the time after\u00adwards, an area of life whe\u00adre you keep fai\u00adling or whe\u00adre you dis\u00adre\u00adgard God\u2019s will or that chal\u00adlenges you and you want to address in prayer? Even though we often know what the right thing to do is, we fail again and again. In order to over\u00adco\u00adme and resist tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon in the\u00adse situa\u00adtions, we need to equip our\u00adsel\u00adves in pray\u00ader and deci\u00adde to put God\u2019s will abo\u00adve our own. We are depen\u00addent on the power of God to over\u00adco\u00adme and we always need\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7884,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[97],"wpfc_sermon_series":[98],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-cornelia-roth","wpfc_sermon_series-folge-du-mir-nach","wpfc-sermon-single","post-7876","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nStay awa\u00adke and pray
\nToday I want to look with you at a sto\u00adry from the life of Jesus that is actual\u00adly also about stay\u00ading awa\u00adke at the cru\u00adcial moment. It is a sto\u00adry that we can read about in three of the four Gos\u00adpels. It takes place short\u00adly befo\u00adre the arrest, con\u00addem\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon and cru\u00adci\u00adfi\u00adxi\u00adon of Jesus. Jesus announ\u00adces that one of his twel\u00adve disci\u00adples, one of his clo\u00adsest com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions, would betray him. This is fol\u00adlo\u00adwed by a con\u00adver\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon with Peter. Peter assu\u00adres Jesus that he will never betray him. But Jesus puts the bra\u00adkes on him. He pre\u00addicts that Peter will deny kno\u00adwing him three times befo\u00adre mor\u00adning. If we turn just one page in the Bible, we read that Jesus is pro\u00adved right. Peter knew what the right thing to do would have been, but he fai\u00adled. We know this from our own lives. We actual\u00adly know exact\u00adly what the right thing to do would be, but we fail and don\u2019t mana\u00adge to over\u00adco\u00adme. Again and again we miss the tar\u00adget and sin. May\u00adbe you\u2019\u00adre like me and some\u00adti\u00admes you think you\u2019\u00adre actual\u00adly living quite well. You stay away from the \u00abbig\u00bb sins and behave decent\u00adly. I would like to draw a small com\u00adpa\u00adri\u00adson here, as I belie\u00adve that when you are tra\u00advel\u00adling in faith, it can hap\u00adpen that at some point we see sin as brea\u00adking the rules and no lon\u00adger as miss\u00ading the mark. My hus\u00adband play\u00aded flo\u00ador\u00adball very well in his youth. For many years, he play\u00aded for a strong club with gre\u00adat ambi\u00adti\u00adons. To be allo\u00adwed to play the\u00adre, it was of cour\u00adse not enough for him to sim\u00adply stick to the rules of flo\u00ador\u00adball. He had to attend trai\u00adning ses\u00adsi\u00adons and also had to work on his fit\u00adness out\u00adside of them, even if no-one moni\u00adto\u00adred him. He prac\u00adti\u00adsed moves vol\u00adun\u00adt\u00ada\u00adri\u00adly at home and in trai\u00adning he had to do the drills that the coach had pre\u00adpared. During the game, he had to pay atten\u00adti\u00adon to his team mem\u00adbers and the coach\u2019s ins\u00adtruc\u00adtions so that they could win the games. He and his team-mates had to work tog\u00ade\u00adther to fol\u00adlow the stra\u00adtegy that the coach had laid down in advan\u00adce. What seems so logi\u00adcal in sport is some\u00adti\u00admes more dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to under\u00adstand in faith. It is about a holi\u00adstic life accor\u00adding to God\u2019s will and not about adhe\u00adring to cer\u00adtain rules. But now back to the sto\u00adry I actual\u00adly want to talk about today. We can read about it in Matthew 26:36\u201346. After the Pas\u00adso\u00adver meal and the afo\u00adre\u00admen\u00adtio\u00adned con\u00adver\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon with his disci\u00adples, Jesus goes to the Gar\u00adden of Geth\u00adse\u00adma\u00adne. The\u00adre he takes three of his disci\u00adples asi\u00adde so that they would stay awa\u00adke with him and pray for the time ahead. We read from ver\u00adse 39: \u00abJesus went a few steps fur\u00adther, pro\u00adstra\u00adted hims\u00adelf and pray\u00aded: \u00abMy Father, if it is pos\u00adsi\u00adble, let this cup pass from me and spa\u00adre me this suf\u00adfe\u00adring! But not what I want, but what you want shall be done. Then he came back to the three disci\u00adples and saw that they had fal\u00adlen asleep. He woke Peter and cal\u00adled out: \u00abCould you not keep awa\u00adke with me for a sin\u00adgle hour? Stay awa\u00adke and pray so that you can resist tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon\u00bb \u00bb (Matthew 26:39\u201341a HFA<\/span>). Jesus then with\u00addraws twice more and prays the same pray\u00ader a total of three times. Each time he finds the disci\u00adples asleep. After Jesus has pray\u00aded the third time \u00abnot what I will, but what you will, be done\u00bb, he wakes the three disci\u00adples. This is fol\u00adlo\u00adwed by Judas\u00bb betra\u00ady\u00adal and Jesus beg\u00adins his ordeal all the way to the cross. Jesus did not reti\u00adre to pray becau\u00adse he thought it would be nice to have a litt\u00adle pray\u00ader time with his clo\u00adsest fri\u00adends. I am con\u00advin\u00adced that this time of pray\u00ader was essen\u00adti\u00adal for what hap\u00adpen\u00aded after\u00adwards. Jesus was ful\u00adly God, but he was also ful\u00adly human and as such, just like each of us, he was also expo\u00adsed to tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon and forced to over\u00adco\u00adme. The fact that Jesus mana\u00adged to ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly put God\u2019s will abo\u00adve his own needs in ever\u00ady\u00adthing requi\u00adred his pre\u00advious decis\u00adi\u00adon. Jesus made this decis\u00adi\u00adon in pray\u00ader that night in Geth\u00adse\u00adma\u00adne. I would like to read the last part of the pas\u00adsa\u00adge again. Jesus hims\u00adelf explains the pur\u00adpo\u00adse of this pray\u00ader. \u00ab \u00abStay awa\u00adke and pray so that you can resist tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon\u00bb \u00bb (Matthew 26:41a, HFA<\/span>). This is the reason for Jesus\u00bb pray\u00ader, just as it should be the reason for the disci\u00adples to stay awa\u00adke and pray. In tho\u00adse hours in the gar\u00adden when Jesus pray\u00aded full of fear and des\u00adpair, he made the firm decis\u00adi\u00adon to sur\u00adren\u00adder to all the pain that was to come. The\u00adre on his kne\u00ades, he made the decis\u00adi\u00adon to put his Father\u2019s will abo\u00adve every human desi\u00adre. Jesus did not want to be humi\u00adlia\u00adted and exe\u00adcu\u00adted in the most pain\u00adful way. He sta\u00adtes so cle\u00adar\u00adly in his pray\u00ader that he deep\u00adly wis\u00adhed the\u00adre was ano\u00adther way. Jesus, our gre\u00adat role model in faith, also had to over\u00adco\u00adme. Jesus over\u00adca\u00adme not becau\u00adse, as the Son of God, he had super\u00adna\u00adtu\u00adral strength to over\u00adco\u00adme in chal\u00adlen\u00adging situa\u00adtions, but through his human devo\u00adti\u00adon in pray\u00ader. He too had to be equip\u00adped with the power of God in times of pray\u00ader. We don\u2019t know what would have hap\u00adpen\u00aded if Peter had stay\u00aded awa\u00adke to pray. Howe\u00adver, if we assu\u00adme that Jesus was serious and was right that they should pray to resist tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon, I think the logi\u00adcal con\u00adse\u00adquence would be that Peter would also have over\u00adco\u00adme and not denied kno\u00adwing Jesus. For me, this is a prin\u00adci\u00adple of disci\u00adple\u00adship. The\u00adre are always tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adons in our lives. Per\u00adhaps you know, as I do, that the\u00adre are cer\u00adtain tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adons that we give in to again and again. Even though we know what the right thing to do would be and even though we want so much to final\u00adly over\u00adco\u00adme this tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon once and for all. Disci\u00adple\u00adship also means over\u00adco\u00adming the\u00adse tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adons and living an incre\u00adasing\u00adly holy life. Howe\u00adver, we will not over\u00adco\u00adme in the situa\u00adti\u00adon its\u00adelf. Over\u00adco\u00adming hap\u00adpens through the decis\u00adi\u00adon in pray\u00ader to put God\u2019s will abo\u00adve our own will in the\u00adse are\u00adas of life. You will not over\u00adco\u00adme the tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon to go to bed with your part\u00adner befo\u00adre mar\u00adria\u00adge if you are at home alo\u00adne and wat\u00adching a gre\u00adat film tog\u00ade\u00adther. You don\u2019t over\u00adco\u00adme the tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon to speak bad\u00adly about others when someone comes to you and speaks bad\u00adly about someone else. Or even much more subt\u00adly: You don\u2019t over\u00adco\u00adme the tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon to only trust in your own abili\u00adty, your own pro\u00advi\u00adsi\u00adon and your own skills at the end of the month when you look at your bank balan\u00adce and think about what you want to do with your time and money. Wha\u00adte\u00adver the tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon in your life is, you over\u00adco\u00adme it in prayer.
\nNot under our own steam
\nFor when we begin to win the\u00adse vic\u00adto\u00adries in pray\u00ader, we reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse that we can\u00adnot over\u00adco\u00adme in our own strength. I have with\u00adheld the second half of ver\u00adse 41 from you until now. It says, \u00ab \u00abStay awa\u00adke and pray so that you can resist tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon. I know you want the best, but you can\u00adnot achie\u00adve it in your own strength\u00bb.\u00bb (Matthew 26:41b, HFA<\/span>). Espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly if you say you are not the type of per\u00adson to pray for hours on end. If you think it is not to your tas\u00adte to spend 15 minu\u00adtes tog\u00ade\u00adther in a small group in silence befo\u00adre God. If you say you\u2019\u00adre more of a wor\u00adship\u00adper, a prac\u00adti\u00adtio\u00adner or a giver. If you find it incre\u00addi\u00adbly dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to give your quiet time enough space in your ever\u00ady\u00adday life, that\u2019s exact\u00adly when I belie\u00adve Jesus is spea\u00adking to you so lovin\u00adg\u00adly this mor\u00adning: \u00abI know you want the best, but you can\u2019t do it in your own strength. He does\u00adn\u2019t need your pray\u00ader, you need it. I am very sor\u00adry to have to say this so cle\u00adar\u00adly: pray\u00ader is not pri\u00adma\u00adri\u00adly about your edi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon. Nor is it about whe\u00adther you enjoy it immense\u00adly or whe\u00adther it gives you some\u00adthing. Pray\u00ader is about reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00ading that you can\u2019t do it alo\u00adne. It\u2019s about con\u00adfes\u00adsing that God is able to do more in your life than you could ever achie\u00adve on your own. St Fran\u00adcis de Sales said: \u00abTake half an hour every day for pray\u00ader, unless you have a lot to do, then take an hour.\u00bb God can chan\u00adge more in your life through half an hour of honest pray\u00ader than you could ever do yours\u00adelf through all your efforts. If even Jesus nee\u00added to equip hims\u00adelf in pray\u00ader, how much more do we need it? Jesus could just as easi\u00adly have said that he should have slept to equip hims\u00adelf for the gruel\u00adling hours, but appar\u00adent\u00adly he knew that God is able to give more strength than a few hours of sleep. It may well cost us some\u00adthing to fall to our kne\u00ades and pray with deter\u00admi\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon. But what awaits us in return is pure free\u00addom. Free\u00addom from sin and the free\u00addom to know that chan\u00adge, that over\u00adco\u00adming, does not come from our own strength. It is the power of God that works in us through pray\u00ader befo\u00adre it works through us in tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon. I want to get into the habit of not fal\u00adling into self-con\u00addem\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon when I fall again and give in to tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon, becau\u00adse God does not con\u00addemn me for that eit\u00adher. Rather, I want to get down on my kne\u00ades and wrest\u00adle in pray\u00ader to resol\u00adve to fol\u00adlow God\u2019s will the next time the situa\u00adti\u00adon ari\u00adses and to resist tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon. After Peter has fai\u00adled, after he has denied kno\u00adwing Jesus three times, Jesus meets him full of grace. He res\u00adto\u00adres Peter\u2019s iden\u00adti\u00adty and gives him a new com\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adon to build the church of Jesus on him as the rock. I belie\u00adve Peter has lear\u00adnt his les\u00adson. On the night when Jesus was betray\u00aded, he did not have the strength to con\u00adfess Jesus. A few years later he mana\u00adged to over\u00adco\u00adme it. Peter dies a martyr\u2019s death. He stands by Jesus and is exe\u00adcu\u00adted as a con\u00adse\u00adquence. I know that does\u00adn\u2019t sound exact\u00adly desi\u00adra\u00adble, but I am sure that what he gai\u00adned from this out\u00adweig\u00adhed the pain he had to suffer.
\nCon\u00adfi\u00adde in someone
\nI think the sce\u00adne in the Gar\u00adden of Geth\u00adse\u00adma\u00adne and the events sur\u00adroun\u00adding it reve\u00adal the natu\u00adre of God as a loving Father. He pas\u00adsio\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly longs for us to obey his will becau\u00adse he wants to bring out the best in us. He knows, howe\u00adver, that we can\u00adnot do this in our own strength, which is why he gives us the tools to do it in his strength. And even if we still fail, he waits for us with open arms full of grace and lifts us up again. Today I would espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly like to encou\u00adra\u00adge you to make use of pray\u00ader during wor\u00adship time, after the ser\u00advice or during your next small group evening. When Jesus with\u00addraws to pray, we read the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing about him: \u00abHe took Peter and the two sons of Zebe\u00addee \u2013 James and John \u2013 with him. Jesus was over\u00adco\u00adme with fear and deep sad\u00adness, and he said to them: \u00abI am almost brea\u00adking under the bur\u00adden I have to bear. Stay here and watch with me\u00bb \u00bb (Matthew 26: 37\u201338, HFA<\/span>). As a tea\u00adcher, lea\u00adder and gre\u00adat role model, Jesus shows hims\u00adelf to his disci\u00adples in his own weak\u00adne\u00adss and vul\u00adnerabi\u00adli\u00adty. In doing so, he sets a sign once and for all that each of us, no mat\u00adter how strong we appear on the out\u00adside, is deep\u00adly nee\u00addy and requi\u00adres God\u2019s inter\u00adven\u00adti\u00adon and the sup\u00adport of others.
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nRead the pas\u00adsa\u00adge in Matthew 26, 36\u201346 together<\/p>\n
\n\tHow do you expe\u00adri\u00adence your per\u00adso\u00adnal pray\u00ader time? Do you find it easy to stay in pray\u00ader? What chal\u00adlenges do you expe\u00adri\u00adence (and how could you coun\u00adter\u00adact them)?
\n\tAre you gene\u00adral\u00adly hap\u00adpy with your life\u00adstyle and do you find it dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse are\u00adas for impro\u00adve\u00adment or, on the con\u00adtra\u00adry, do you find it dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to be gra\u00adcious with yours\u00adelf and not sink into self-doubt?
\n\tIn which are\u00adas of your life are you try\u00ading to achie\u00adve chan\u00adge through your own per\u00adfor\u00admance and efforts ins\u00adtead of trus\u00adting in the trans\u00adforming power of God?
\n\tDo you have someone you can con\u00adfi\u00adde in when you are at your wea\u00adk\u00adest and most vulnerable?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"