Pastor Tom Hilpert

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Remember, our goal in this study is not really to examine the gospel of John verse by verse – the real thing we are getting at is John’s main point throughout – that is, we are trying to get to know Jesus better, and trying to walk with him daily in a closer and more consistent way. So with that in mind, we’ll pass over the “walking on water incident” and begin this time with the conversation that Jesus had with the people the day after he fed them in the wilderness.

The folks who had been there when Jesus fed the five thousand were much impressed. A number of them spent most of the next morning looking for him, until they found him near the town of Capernaum. But Jesus greets them with an observation that cuts right to the heart of the matter:

“I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. (John 6:26-27. NLT)

 

 The Bread of Life [23:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When Jesus took the 5,000 out into the wilderness and then fed them, it was like he was hanging a big sign around his neck saying, “God is here.”

There’s a lesson for his disciples too.  Sometimes, he takes his followers to a place of need and then just kind of watches to see what they’ll do.  Listen to the podcast to find out more!

 

 Standard Podcast [24:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Jesus healed a man who had been crippled for 38 years.  He said to him, “get up, pick up your mat and walk.”  What the Pharisees saw was not a miracle of God, but a man violating their made-up rules about the Sabbath.  In John 5:16-30, Jesus responds to them.

 

 Jesus vs. Religion [20:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Jesus was inviting his disciples to take part in his work – to bring new people into his kingdom.  I believe Jesus is inviting us to do so also.  The time for “harvest” is here and now. Now is the time to tell your friends, co-workers, neighborsand family about Jesus and his ability to quench our soul-thirst. Now is the time to invite them to church. Now is the time to get serious about God’s work in this world. It isn’t four months from now. We aren’t supposed to wait until we get a building, or until after little league is over, or for when things calm down at work. You see, sometimes we keep waiting for the “perfect time” to talk to someone about our faith or to invite them to church.  Somehow it never seems to come. For the disciples, it must have seemed crazy. Imagine their thoughts: “You want to start telling people who you are, and you want to start right now, when we are just passing through the area, and you want to start with an immoral Samaritan woman?”
Yes.

 

 Standard Podcast [24:54m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again. In other words, you can pay your bills, but you’ll have more to pay next month. You can get comfortable, but soon you’ll be uncomfortable again. You can have your “highs” but you’ll come down again sooner or later. What he is really saying is this: This life doesn’t offer any permanent satisfaction.

Listen to the podcast for the whole sermon, or download the written version at www.newjoyfellowship.com

 

 Standard Podcast [27:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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I think sometimes we are like that woman. We are just going about life, taking care of business, doing our stuff. If only we knew who is right there in front of us. If only we knew how gracious God is. Don’t feel badly if this is you, but honestly, I think most people aren’t looking for Jesus on Tuesday morning at eleven o’ clock. We’re just doing our thing, getting water, printing reports, unloading the truck, whatever it is we do. But that isn’t life. The woman wanted water – ordinary water. Jesus wanted to give her living water – life. The regular stuff is just an imitation of the life-giving stuff. We can look at her, knowing who she’s dealing with and say — “Don’t be so stupid! Why are you going on about Jews and Samaritans and men and women? Look who’s there in front you.”

I say to you — “Look who’s there in front of you.” Why are we going on about stocks and gas prices and elections? That is not life. Now, I can guarantee you, when it was all over, the woman still eventually had to come back and get water out of the well. But I also guarantee that after being with Jesus, she viewed that task differently. That was just stuff she had to do. She had learned who was standing in front of her in the middle of the daily grind.

listen for the whole sermon…

 

 Jesus #10 If only we knew [24:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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I think this is one of the keys to joy – stop making yourself the central figure in your life. Stop making another person the central figure in your life. The way to joy is to allow Jesus to the be protagonist in your life’s story. Let him be the main character. Let him be the one that the story of your life is about. I think it is much easier to sustain joy when your life is not about you, and it isn’t about your kids or spouse or any other human being either. Joy surprises us when we let Jesus be the the main character in our life’s story. Think of it this way: it can be hard to be joyful at a friend’s wedding if you are mainly thinking about yourself. After all someone else is the center of attention. But when you accept that your place is not at the center of attention, and if you are thinking about your friend and the joy that is in her life at the moment, you find it easy to rejoice, and the whole wedding can be wonderful experience, even though you are neither the bride nor the groom.

 

 Standard Podcast [28:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

John 3:16 is one of the best known verses in the whole bible.  But do we know the verses around it, and how they explain it?  Listen to the podcast for more.

 

 Standard Podcast [27:58m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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As I’ve thought about it this week, I realized one of the best ways to explain being born again is to describe how it worked for someone I know.  Listen to podcast for more.

 

 Standard Podcast [25:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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I don’t know if John does this deliberately, but both the making of water into wine, and the next thing he records about Jesus, tend to be things that surprise us modern Christians. They surprise me, anyway, and I think I’m not alone. It’s easy to get comfortable with our own — often limited – conception of what Jesus is like. I’m certain there are many people, who, if they were completely honest, would say, “Jesus would never make wine for a party!” There are probably just as many who would say, “Jesus never would use force to chase good businessmen out of their place of work.” And yet, that is exactly what Jesus did, recorded in John 2:13-25.

 

 Standard Podcast [25:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download