As disci\u00adples of Jesus, we have a mis\u00adsi\u00adon to bring the gos\u00adpel to other peo\u00adp\u00adle. Jesus wants to reach and con\u00adquer hearts. Now how can this work? In the New Tes\u00adta\u00adment, Jesus says that if we have love for one ano\u00adther, ever\u00adyo\u00adne will reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse Jesus in us.
\nIn the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment, the con\u00adquest of Jeri\u00adcho gives us an exam\u00adp\u00adle of how the \u00abcon\u00adquest\u00bb of hearts can hap\u00adpen through \u00abobe\u00addient behaviour\u00bb.<\/p>\n
\u00ab<\/span>By this ever\u00adyo\u00adne will know that you are my disci\u00adples, if you love one ano\u00adther\u00bb (John 13:34 LUT<\/span>). \tCir\u00adcumcis\u00adi\u00adon: \u00abThe LORD<\/span> said to Joshua: \u201aTake flint kni\u00adves and cir\u00adcumcise the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes again\u2019\u00bb (Joshua 5:2 NLB<\/span>). Cir\u00adcumcis\u00adi\u00adon sym\u00adbo\u00adli\u00adses the rem\u00adoval of ever\u00ady\u00adthing that hin\u00adders fruitful\u00adness. Cir\u00adcumcis\u00adi\u00adon was per\u00adfor\u00admed with stone kni\u00adves. For us, \u00abcir\u00adcumcis\u00adi\u00adon\u00bb refers to the cir\u00adcumcis\u00adi\u00adon of our hearts, wher\u00adeby ever\u00ady\u00adthing that hin\u00adders us from fol\u00adlo\u00adwing Christ is remo\u00adved. The Word of God shows us what we must renoun\u00adce in our hearts. Anyo\u00adne who wis\u00adhes to win hearts must be pre\u00adpared to lis\u00adten to the Word of God.<\/p>\n \tPas\u00adso\u00adver: \u00abWhilst the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes were cam\u00adped at Gil\u00adgal in the plain of Jeri\u00adcho, they cele\u00adbra\u00adted the Pas\u00adso\u00adver on the evening of the 14th day of the first month\u00bb (Joshua 5:10 NLB<\/span>). Let us remem\u00adber that we stand on the foun\u00adda\u00adti\u00adon of Jesus Christ\u2019s for\u00adgi\u00adve\u00adness and redemp\u00adti\u00adon. And that his sacri\u00adfice has set us free. We are free to fol\u00adlow him!<\/p>\n \tFood from the land: \u00abOn the day after the Pas\u00adso\u00adver, they ate unlea\u00adve\u00adned bread and roas\u00adted grain which they had har\u00adve\u00ads\u00adted in the new land. From that day onwards, the\u00adre was no more man\u00adna, and the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes were alre\u00ada\u00addy fee\u00adding on the fruits of Cana\u00adan that very year\u00bb (Joshua 5:11\u201312 NLB<\/span>). The peo\u00adp\u00adle had been pro\u00admi\u00adsed milk, honey and so on in the Pro\u00admi\u00adsed Land. Now they were to sus\u00adtain them\u00adsel\u00adves from that land as well. Christ lives at the right hand of God. He is pre\u00adsent in our lives through his Spi\u00adrit. Now we too are to live out of his pre\u00adsence and power.<\/p>\n \tThe sacred is whe\u00adre\u00adver God is: \u00abThe com\u00adman\u00adder of the Lord\u2019s army repli\u00aded, \u201aTake off your san\u00addals, for the place whe\u00adre you are stan\u00adding is holy ground.\u2018 So Joshua did as he was told\u00bb (Joshua 5:15 NLB<\/span>). Reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00ading the aut\u00adho\u00adri\u00adty of Jesus Christ as the Lord of my life.<\/p>\n Part 2: The conquest \tThe order of batt\u00adle: First, the appro\u00adxi\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly 600,000 sol\u00addiers are to march ahead, fol\u00adlo\u00adwed by seven priests blo\u00adwing their trumpets, fol\u00adlo\u00adwed by the Ark of the Coven\u00adant, fol\u00adlo\u00adwed by the rest of the peo\u00adp\u00adle (appro\u00adxi\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly 2 mil\u00adli\u00adon people) What did that mean for the inha\u00adbi\u00adtants of Jeri\u00adcho at the time? They knew that God\u2019s peo\u00adp\u00adle had alre\u00ada\u00addy defea\u00adted all the nati\u00adons on the other side of the Jor\u00addan. Now a mass of peo\u00adp\u00adle sur\u00adroun\u00added Jeri\u00adcho over a width of about 500\u20111000 met\u00adres around the enti\u00adre city. They only see peo\u00adp\u00adle wal\u00adking \u2013 with and wit\u00adhout swords with the Ark of the Coven\u00adant in the centre. \tThe war\u00adri\u00adors \u2013 or tho\u00adse with the sword \u2013 are tho\u00adse of us who pass on God\u2019s word. Jesus says: \u00abBy this ever\u00adyo\u00adne will know that you are my disci\u00adples, if you love one ano\u00adther\u00bb (John 13:34; LUT<\/span>) Who is the tar\u00adget group of love meant here?<\/p>\n Befo\u00adre Isra\u00adel mar\u00adched around Jeri\u00adcho, the peo\u00adp\u00adle were pre\u00adpared four\u00adfold. What does this mean for us in prac\u00adti\u00adcal terms?<\/p>\n \tCircumcision? \tWhat do peo\u00adp\u00adle out\u00adside see when they see our \u00abchan\u00adge\u00bb? Can they reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse that Jesus lives in you? If so \u2013 by what?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As disci\u00adples of Jesus, we have been com\u00admis\u00adsio\u00adned to bring the Gos\u00adpel to others. Jesus wants to reach and win over hearts. So how can this be done? In the New Tes\u00adta\u00adment, Jesus says that if we love one ano\u00adther, ever\u00adyo\u00adne will reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse Jesus in us. In the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment, the con\u00adquest of Jeri\u00adcho gives us an exam\u00adp\u00adle of how, through \u00abobe\u00addient living\u00bb, the\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":8083,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[95],"wpfc_sermon_series":[98],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-harry-graf","wpfc_sermon_series-folge-du-mir-nach","wpfc-sermon-single","post-8073","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nEver\u00adyo\u00adne \u2013 that means all of us. If we want to show peo\u00adp\u00adle as effec\u00adtively as pos\u00adsi\u00adble who Jesus is, we can do so by allo\u00adwing Jesus\u00ab love to work among\u00adst us. Sur\u00adpri\u00adsin\u00adgly, it is not our words that draw the most atten\u00adti\u00adon to Jesus, but the way we live out love. We can say many things \u2013 but a life of love can only be lived with \u00bbJesus insi\u00adde\u2019 \u2013 Jesus within us.
\nHere, too, we find an extre\u00adme\u00adly vivid exam\u00adp\u00adle in the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment, among the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel: the con\u00adquest of Jericho
\nWhat does Jeri\u00adcho stand for? Jeri\u00adcho is one of the oldest cities in the world. At the time of our histo\u00adry, it was for\u00adti\u00adfied with two rings of walls. The outer wall was 8 met\u00adres high and 2 met\u00adres wide. The inner wall was 3.5 met\u00adres wide. Jeri\u00adcho was con\u00adside\u00adred impregnable. The name Jeri\u00adcho was deri\u00adved from the moon god \u00abJerich\u00bb, whom the inha\u00adbi\u00adtants wor\u00adship\u00adped. Jeri\u00adcho is thus an image of the heart of a per\u00adson who has tur\u00adned away from God. Jeri\u00adcho also means \u00abplace of fra\u00adgrance\u00bb. It is a place whe\u00adre what is in the heart beco\u00admes visi\u00adble. A fra\u00adgrance of love or the stench of selfishness.
\nHow can such a for\u00adti\u00adfied city be con\u00adque\u00adr\u00aded? How can a heart be con\u00adque\u00adr\u00aded so that it opens up and the God of love can move in?
\nPart 1: The preparation<\/p>\n
\nThe con\u00adquest of the city is descri\u00adbed in Joshua 6 and can be sum\u00adma\u00adri\u00adsed as follows:<\/p>\n
\n\tThis crowd is to para\u00adde around the city once every 6 days: In silence.
\n\tOn the seventh day, the crowd is to march around the city seven times. When the priests blow their horns at the end, all the peo\u00adp\u00adle will rai\u00adse a war cry. Then the walls will collapse.<\/p>\n
\nPart 3: What does this mean for us?<\/p>\n
\n\tAt the cent\u00adre is the Ark of the Coven\u00adant \u2013 Jesus Christ.
\n\tThen comes the rest of the peo\u00adp\u00adle. The walk of all Chris\u00adti\u00adans is seen. Ever\u00adyo\u00adne has the task of being a wit\u00adness to hearts.
\n\tYou walk around the city once every 6 days: We are to be a tes\u00adtim\u00ado\u00adny during the working week.
\n\tThey walk around the city 7 times on the 7th day. We are to be even more of a tes\u00adtim\u00ado\u00adny on Sunday.
\n\tThe chan\u00adge is silent until the last moment: for a tes\u00adtim\u00ado\u00adny, actions are more important than words.
\n\tWhen the trumpet of the priests sounds, the peo\u00adp\u00adle should rai\u00adse a war cry. We meet in the church \u2013 then we should go out and pass on what Christ puts on our hearts.
\n\tThen the walls of the hearts that have resis\u00adted God will open.<\/p>\n
\nThought back to us in the New Tes\u00adta\u00adment. What should our beha\u00adviour show, what should point to Christ? If we have love for one ano\u00adther, if we seek the good for one ano\u00adther, if we are invol\u00adved and com\u00admit\u00adted to one ano\u00adther. We can only do this if Christ lives in us.
\nIf we love one ano\u00adther, this is pro\u00adof that Christ tru\u00adly lives within us. What does your beha\u00adviour and mine reve\u00adal? \u00abBy this ever\u00adyo\u00adne will know that you are my disci\u00adples, if you love one ano\u00adther\u00bb (John 13:34 LUT<\/span>)
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nBible text: John 13:34<\/p>\n
\nHow does love work?<\/p>\n
\n\tPas\u00adso\u00adver meal?
\n\tFee\u00adding on the pro\u00admi\u00adsed land?
\n\tReco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00ading that you are stan\u00adding on holy ground?<\/p>\n