Tag: Jonathan Hill

Believe! (John 6:25-71)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Wow.  Lots to unpack here and think through in the gospel of John.  First note that Jesus says that God is working… Rather “this is the work of God” (John 6:29).  In my mind this is a throw back to the whole Healing on the Sabbath Day debacle. There Jesus said, “My father is working until now, and I am working” (John 5:17). This was his justification for working on the Sabbath… That though God had rested the 7th day, was still at work.  Here Jesus proclaims that the work of God is for people to believe whom he sent… (hint: that’s Jesus).

Then in John 6:40 there is the throw back again to John 3 where Jesus talks about being lifted up like the serpent in the wilderness.  Only here not the emphasis is on the looking… or belief.  In John 3 the emphasis was that Jesus would be lifted up, here the emphasis is that now those who look on Him and believe will have eternal life!

But wait there is more.  Jesus says that he is the bread from heaven.  He is the true manna from God.  Manna was the miracle bread that God provided for Israel while they wandered in the dessert.  God provided by sending bread down each day.  Here Jesus is saying that He is the true bread of life.  That once someone has gone to him, they don’t need any more.  He is enough.  He satisfies.

Enter now the context of feeding the 5000 earlier in this chapter.  Jesus proclaims that his body and his blood will be offered for the benefit of the world. He will indeed multiply the benefit of his death, burial and resurection to all those who would call on Him.

Application: Jesus is the true bread of Heaven.  You will never be content in this life if you continually feast on the things that do not satisfy.  Are you looking to Jesus today to fill you and sustain you?

Father,

I thank you for your kindness to me in drawing me to faith and repentance in Christ.  This indeed is truly a better gift than I could have ever imagined.  You are my daily bread.  You are what sustains me in good times and in bad.

Morning: Psalm 108

Mid-Day: Psalm 56

Evening: Psalm 8

Who Get’s the Glory? (Meditations on John 5)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Just a side note before we get started.  I’ve been blessed beyond measure for the last few weeks of my life have been revolutionary in terms of my walk with God and my understanding of His Word.  Familiar passages have taken on new meaning as I have been digging deeper.

John 5 is rich with meaning.  God has blessed me with more than I will ever be able to share here, but here are a few highlights that I hope are a blessing to you…

Who Get’s the Glory (John 5:44).  The folks mentioned in this chapter were busy keeping rules.  They were rule keepers.  They gave each other props for figuring out how to do things by keeping all the rules and a few extra traditions along the way.  They were in the business of giving each other glory.

Basketball hadn’t been invented yet and so I guess they were glad to become fan’s of different guys who could parse the scriptures and teach diligently.  But these guys were missing it.  Jesus was standing in their midst and they were worried about the rules (some of which they made up). They didn’t want to share their “glory.” They didn’t want to give him credibility.  They said he was breaking the Law…coincidentally the Law pointed right to him.

You see that’s the big deal.  That’s the big hairy monster in the room that no one wants to talk about.  The scriptures (Old and New Testament) reveal Jesus.  Yet how many times do we examine passages or hear sermons preached that share the “moral of the story” like they were just fables. The truth is that the scriptures are true and they point to Jesus.

The story of Jesus walking on Water and Peter coming out to meet Jesus… is actually about Jesus… It isn’t about having faith to step out of the boat… It’s about the savior that can walk on water and who will come to us in our deepest storms and even when our faith fails will stick out his arm to save us… The first way leaves people with a “moral” a principle if you will on how to live… “Have faith”… the second way points us to Glorifying God.  To be fair these statements are two sides of the same coin, but one way says it was my faith that kept me afloat… the other way says it was Jesus who kept me a float even when my faith was sinking.  In the first order I get the glory for faith (or shame for no faith). In the second order Jesus get’s the glory (and he should… the story is about how he saved Peter)…. You see you’ll never really have the faith to get out of the boat until you trust the one who has come to you in the middle of the storm.

The story of Daniel isn’t about picking your friends wisely or even how to live godly in an ungodly world.  The story of Daniel is ultimately about Jesus.  One way to preach Daniel is to talk about standing up to peer pressure and how we should all take a stand like Daniel did.  But the Story of Daniel is really about Serving the King of Kings.  You see you will never have the courage to stand before an earthly king and defy his edicts if you do not have a relationship with the king of kings.

one way of interpreting the scriptures says that you should “live better” and you should, but this ultimately just leads to a form of legalism.  The second way seeks out Christ at every turn and provokes our hearts to praise and worship.  By coming to a place of worship we relinquish our grasp on the things that would stop us from fully worshiping God.  In essence… We have faith to step out of the boat and we have boldness to defy a king… but only after we have come to a place of worship.

Jesus says here in this chapter that these men who were so excited about seeing the “moral of the story” would one day be judged by the “moral of the story” and be found wanting… The stories were never really about the moral as much as they were about Jesus.  These men were too busy looking for the moral that they missed Jesus.

Father,

Save us from staring at your scripture and missing the obvious truth about you.  We beg that We would see Jesus at every turn in your word.  Where our eyes are week, bring us teachers to strengthen our sight so that we might see you.  Give us grace to grow in knowledge of you.

Morning: Psalm 105

Mid-Day: Psalm 53

Evening: Psalm 5

“Radical Together” by David Platt (A Review)

On By pastorjonathanIn booksLeave a comment

Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God by David Platt is a much better book than his first book Radical.  You can catch my opinion of Radical Here.  Dr. Platt has matured as a writer.  He presents a much more solid case in this book for calling churches to reform and addresses questions that the first book raised.

Overall, I’m a huge fan of the book, but more importantly the message that He is proclaiming to the American Church.  I really appreciate his sincerity and honesty in addressing pastors and lay leaders in this book.  My initial concerns withe the first book have been set at ease though not tempered completely.

I still need to see a clearer line of reasoning behind his correlation between poverty in India and comfortableness of  churches (14-15).  He either needs to point out that radical poverty exists in these places because Christians have been actively exploiting the poor. Like when the purchase of sugar supported slavery because the sugar was purchased from plantations run on slave labor.  Or he needs to make a case for how social justice is connected to the gospel.  To do neither makes the comparison an unfair accusation.  Either the church causes the exploitation of these people, or it is God’s clear call for the church to relieve suffering. It would have been worth another chapter to see him make this clear.  Timothy Keller does an excellent job of making the second point in his book, Generous Justice.

I highly recommend Radical Together to anyone interested in examining the pieces of the gospel that Westerners tend to ignore.  I think you will find the book highly motivating and challenging.he retail price of Radical Together is $14.99 (Paperback), and is available around the web in places like Amazon.com for $9.09. I gave it four stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their Blogging for Books Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

My Food is to do the will of Him who Sent Me (John 4:34)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

The disciples see themselves as providers for Jesus, they don’t get that ultimately He is the one who is going to provide for them.  They imagine that someone else has brought a party tray by and fed the master.  Perhaps they become indignant. It was their job to go into town and buy lunch.

Jesus lets them wrestle with the issue long enough and then fills them in on what he really means when he says, “I have food that you don’t know about.”  They need to know that they ultimately do not provide for Jesus, but that Jesus provides for the whole world.  They need to see what really drives their master, beyond human appetite.  Beyond the desire to have a full stomach, Jesus desires to obey they father.  This is worship.

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. (John 4:34, ESV)

He challenges his disciples to see past hungry stomachs and see hungry souls, to look beyond the physical reality of a hungry tummy to see that true worship is a heart rightly submitted to God.  What fuels Jesus?  The disciples must learn here that food is for the body, but worship is for the soul.  Jesus is seeing past the physical into the spiritual.  If the disciples are ever to be like him they must come to a place where they desire God’s will to be done more than they desire their daily bread.  Indeed later Jesus will teach them to pray to the father and before daily bread comes the request that God’s will would be done.

Now like the Samaritan woman before them, he presses his disciples to see all the people coming out of the city.  See them with spiritual eyes.  They walked into the city to get food, never once did it cross their minds to see the great spiritual need, but now they see it as the whole city comes out to the well.

Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” (John 4:35-42, ESV)

It was a common saying in the day of Jesus to say, “there are four months till harvest.” It was a way of saying, “relax,” don’t worry, don’t be in such a hurry, there isn’t anything you can do right now.  Our modern saying is something like this, “Good things come to those who wait.”  Here Jesus is saying the opposite.  He is saying, “look!  You didn’t plant anything and now there is a harvest field.”  You didn’t tell anybody in the city about me and now the whole city is coming out to meet me.

Application: You will never be able to serve God fully until you realize what Christ has done for you.  Only in the power of Christ can we see the world around us the way that He sees it.

Father,

Thank you for the cross and all that Jesus did to purchase me from my sin.  I ask that you will give me eyes today to see people the way that you see them.

Morning: Psalm 104

Mid-Day: Psalm 52

Night: Psalm 4

“Jolt” By Phil Cooke (A Review)

On By pastorjonathanIn booksLeave a comment

Jolt!: Get the Jump on a World That’s Constantly Changing by Phil Cooke is an exciting read.  The book is basically a list of 25 “jolts” or things that a person needs to do in order to be successful in the Western business world and in life (of course this all largely depends on your definition of success).   The chapters are generally small and very readable in a ten to fifteen minute coffee break and range anywhere from three to ten pages in length.

Initially I thought the book was a bit cheesy and I wish the author would have picked a different name. Even though I knew what Phil was talking about I couldn’t shake this image from my mind the whole time.  Never the less the book did prove to be very useful to me and I dog-eared several pages to come back to and review later.

Many of the thoughts aren’t that revolutionary, but they are strong reminders of some basic life strategies.  Phil does an excellent job of continuing to point to the things that really matter.  In the end I came to really enjoy and appreciate the book.

Over all its a great read with a great cover design and if you can ignore images of gum with a high caffeine content that goes by the same name you will have a great time reading it as well. The retail price of Jolt is $22.99 (hardcover), and is available around the web in places likeAmazon.com for $15.02.  I gave it four stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson as part of the BookSneeze program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

As Moses Lifted Up the Serpent (John 3:14)

On By pastorjonathanIn Devotional1 Comment

A little background: In Numbers 21:1-9 the people of Israel sinned against God by grumbling about their deliverance. God sent serpents upon the people and many people were bitten and died.  The people cried out to God in repentance and God told Moses to create a bronze serpent and put it in the middle of camp.  Everyone who looked upon the serpent would be healed of their bite.

In Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus he tells Nicodemus that just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must he be lifted up.  In other words.  We all have a sin problem and only those who look to Jesus will be healed.

In the midst of this passage Jesus reminds Nicodemus the he hasn’t come to condemn the world, but to save it.  Just like those who looked at the snake were healed of their bite, so to, those who look to Jesus in faith will be delivered from the consaquences of their sin.

Jesus is the True and better Moses.  Where Moses obeyed God and constructed a serpent for the healing of his people, even more Jesus offered his own body and took in the flesh the penalty that was due you and I so that we might free from the debt of sin and have life in Him.

Application:  You will never be able to deal with the sin in your life until you look to the one who bore your sin on the cross.

Father,

Thank you for the atoning work of Christ on the cross for my sin.  Thank you that he paid the price for my sins so that I can look to him by faith and be delivered from your wrath.  Thank you for my salvation and the great price that was paid.  I am walking in your freedom today.

Morning: Psalm 103

Mid-Day: Psalm 51

Evening: Psalm 3

If You want to be a Leader, you need to be a reader: how I find time to read two books a week.

On By pastorjonathanIn booksLeave a comment

I set out to read 100 books by the end of the year.  You can check my progress here.  Some people have come to ask… Where I find the time to read.

The short answer is while everyone else is watching TV… I’m reading.  Actually most of the time that I’m watching TV, I’m also reading a book.  I picked up the habit while in college and I was assigned 30 pages of reading every night for a literature class.  No one ever told me that it was strange to read all the assigned reading and so I read and I also watched TV with my roommates.  Somewhere along the way, I actually became decent at being able to navigate two narratives at once.

I also take a 15 minute lunch break 2 or 3 days a week depending on my schedule and read a chapter in a book while I eat the soup that I have brought with me to work. I’ve found that this is a great way to add 45 minutes to my work day (Normally I’d take an hour out to meet someone) and get in 15 minutes of reading.  I also read while doing other activities that require a minimal amount of response like cooking and brushing my teeth.  When all is said and done I get in about 1 to 2 hours reading each day. Most of it at night after I have put the kids to bed.

Bottom line.  If I spent as many hours reading as the average person spends watching television each year I would be able to read well over 100 books. Sometimes it is all about perspective and time management.  On occasion I’ve been criticized for reading too much. Yet, not many people would think much of me spending 2-4 hours a night watching television or cruising the internet.  What matters more to you?  The complete season of CSI or NCIS or the half dozen books you could read while one of these shows is on this season? Since I’ve never found anything of lasting value from watching episodes of CSI* I choose to have the TV on in the background and read about 50 -100 pages of a good book.

What Sign Do You Show Us for Doing These Things? (John 2:18)

On By pastorjonathanIn Devotional2 Comments

Read all of John 2 to grasp the context.

Do you get it?  Do you see the logic?  The reason behind the question?  Jesus flips tables.  He takes a whip and clears the Temple.  The people around start asking for a sign.

They get it.  They realize that here is a man who has no position or title to give him authority in the Temple, yet he is acting out like he has authority in that sphere.  He is acting like a prophet.  They know their history.

Moses performed miracles when he approached Pharoah. Elijah called fire down from heaven.  They want to know if Jesus is a prophet, possibly even the messiah.  If he is, they reason, he should show them a sign.

Jesus doesn’t play any parlor tricks here.  He has already changed water into wine back at Canna of Galilee.  He could easily do something here, but instead he points to the temple they are in and says, destroy this temple and in 3 days I’ll build it back.  They thought he was talking about a building.  He was talking about his body.

They had perverted worship by bringing money making schemes into the Temple.  Their offerings were an offense to God, but they would offend God further by putting Christ to death.  But that would not be the end of it.  The ultimate sign that He would give is that he would rise from the dead.  Worship would no longer center around an earthly temple made by human hands, but would center of Jesus Christ.  (There is a great depth and richness to this passage, but not enough time to go through it all here).

Also note 2 things. 1. The disciples immediately recall Psalm 69:9 in reference to Jesus’ actions here (John 2:17). 2. When Jesus is raised from the dead the disciples remember this event and it causes them to believe the scripture (John 2:22).  Remember the New Testament hadn’t been written yet.  The scripture that the disciples  believe is the Old Testament in reference to Jesus as the Messiah.

Application: Jesus is the True and Better temple that was destroyed and ressurected so that we might also be raised from the dead and enjoy eternal life with God. Thank God today for all Christ has done for you and live in free worship of Him by how you live.

Father,

I thank you for the work of Christ on the cross and his ressurection for my benefit that I might enjoy the pleasure of knowing you.  I rejoice that your word is singularly focused on the message of the gospel.  I ask for grace to walk worthy of Christ in thefreedom that you have given me.

Morning: Psalm 69

Mid-Day: Psalm 3

Evening: Psalm 102

Jesus is the True Jacob’s Ladder (John 1:51)

On By pastorjonathanIn Devotional4 Comments

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:47-51)

Here it is again.  Do you see it?  The story of Babel (Genesis 11) and the story of Bethel, where Jacob saw a ladder coming from Heaven (Genesis 28)  and we are still in the first chapter of John.  Babel reveals our inability to reach God.  Bethel reveals that God is reaching down to us.  Jesus promises here that He is the ladder.  He is the one that bridges the gap between God and Men.  No one sees God apart from the way that God has made.  Do you see it.

Application: You will never reach God. You will never please God. You will never even see God apart from going through Jesus Christ. Jesus has come to rescue us and restore us to a right relationship with God.  The message of Heaven is simply this… Emmanuel God with us!

Father,

Today I am provoked to praise.  Glory to Jesus Christ for what He has done so that I might know you.  He is indeed the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Guard my heart from being tempted to think that I stand or fall before based on anything to do with me.  It’s all about you.

Morning: Psalm 50

Mid-Day: Psalm 101

Evening : Psalm 2

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“He Has Made Him Known” (John 1:18)

On By pastorjonathanIn Devotional1 Comment

What great news! This indeed is the gospel.  God has not left us without a way to know Him.  We do not have to blindly search our world for evidence of God.  We are not left alone in our depraved and fallen nature, cursed to wander through life aimlessly.  God has come to our rescue.  He has made Himself known.

What a marvelous plan.  God has not demanded that we be able to ascend to heaven.  We could never reach up to God by our merit or deeds… God has reached down to us.  You see this was the mistake at Babel (Genesis 11).  Man by his own devices was trying to reach unto the heavens.  He was trying to regain admission to the kingdom of God through force.

You see, that is why Jacob’s ladder was so important (Genesis 28).  It was a symbol, a promise that though man could not reach God, God could still reach down to men.  He spoke to Jacob there and made a promise.  A promise that was also made to his father, Abraham.  A promise that included the message that through Jacob’s offspring all the families of the earth would be blessed.

This is the picture.  Man can not reach up to God, but God will reach down to man.  The rift, the separation of people that was caused at the tower of Babel would not ultimately last.  There is still hope for all the families of the earth.  There is one who stands in the line of Jacob who has come to bring us to God.  There is one who has come to gather together people from every tongue, tribe and nation (Revelation 5:9).  There is one who has made God known to us.  His name is Jesus.

Father,

Our only hope is in Jesus Christ.  He is indeed the way the Truth and the Life.  I ask today that I would walk in Him.  Thank you for working in my life.  Thank you for saving me.  Changing me. Cleansing me.  Making me a new person in Jesus Christ.  I want the world to know you .  Give me grace to share your gospel with others today.

Morning: Psalm 100

Mid-Day: Philippians 4:4-8

Night: Psalm 1