Not by Sight E-Book

Jon Bloom

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 175

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Trusting Jesus is hard. It requires following the unseen into an unknown, and believing Jesus's words over and against the threats we see or the fears we feel. Through the imaginative retelling of 35 Bible stories, Not by Sight gives us glimpses of what it means to walk by faith and counsel for how to trust God's promises more than our perceptions and to find rest in the faithfulness of God.

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“Vivid, nourishing sketches of Bible characters learning to live with their sometimes startling Lord.”

J. I. Packer, Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology, Regent College

“To live by faith is no small thing. Jon Bloom’s Not by Sight provides brief readings—one per day would be ideal—to help us rethink our lives in the light of Christ’s faithfulness. The audacity of this book is that it simply but thoughtfully takes Christ at his word. How rare, how powerful.”

Ray Ortlund, Pastor to Pastors, Immanuel Church, Nashville

“Spurgeon said, ‘My books are my tools.’ And the book you hold in your hands is one wise match for the journey. Bloom’s stories and insights ignite—ignite fire in bones, and ignite the old and best paths, and ignite glimpses of God’s glory that make us want to run this walk of faith!”

Ann Voskamp, author, New York Times best seller, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

“Jon Bloom is a Christ-centered, God-worshiping, kingdom-oriented guy. And since not all writers are, those are good reasons to read this book! But it’s more than that. Jon is a gifted writer of something we need more of—truth-telling nonfiction that’s full of imagination. For years I have read Jon’s Desiring God blogs and pondered them, saving some of them to quote from in future books. I love how Jon repeatedly takes me back to Scripture. God says his words won’t return to him empty without accomplishing his purpose. He never says that about our words. That’s why Not by Sight will endure beyond this world—it is infused with the life-giving Word of God that will never die.”

Randy Alcorn, Founder and Director, Eternal Perspective Ministries

“Not by Sight creatively and winsomely invites readers into the realities of the Gospel accounts, enabling us to hear the rocks of the adulterous woman’s accusers fall to the ground, feel the tingle of health rushing through the leper’s body, see the panic in Peter’s eyes as he begins to sink, smell the fragrance that has been poured on Jesus’s feet, and taste the fish Jesus serves to the disciples for breakfast.”

Nancy Guthrie, Bible teacher; author, Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament series

“Forgetfulness and familiarity. Faith is often plagued by these twin faults. We easily forget what we know about who God is and what he’s done for us in Jesus Christ. When we turn to Scripture for help, our familiarity dulls the wonder in the splendid story of God’s mercy to mere men. We need to be reminded of the old stories of Scripture, that they might irrigate our parched souls and ignite our faith. In Not by Sight, my friend Jon Bloom shatters our familiarity with the Bible by helping us see afresh how the drama of Scripture unfolds in the gritty reality of human experience and how those stores are infused with grace as they fit into the greatest story: God’s plan to save sinners by his Son. Do you need to be reminded of what you already know? Do you need to be shaken from your familiarity? Jon’s fresh tellings of the old tales will help you recover surprise and delight in the stories of Scripture.”

C. J. Mahaney, Senior Pastor, Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville

“There is nothing quite like the gritty, grace-filled stories of Scripture to awaken our hearts to the all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ. And there is hardly anyone I know more gifted or capable of bringing them to life and making poignant, and often painful, application of them than my good friend, Jon Bloom. This is a wonderfully insightful, powerfully edifying, and above all Christ-exalting book that I cannot recommend too highly.”

Sam Storms, Senior Pastor, Bridgeway Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

“Do you, like me, feel the futility of straining to get hope from the things you can see? Using the voices of those who have gone before us, Jon Bloom describes the better way—walking by faith with Jesus, our blessed hope. Not by Sight takes you on a walk through the cloud of witnesses whose testimony of God’s always sufficient grace echoes through the ages. I’m grateful for this meditation on the precious promise of God’s provision to enable us to put one foot in front of the other by faith.”

Gloria Furman, author, Glimpses of Grace

“What happens when we humbly and expectantly meditate on the stories of the Scriptures while wearing the lens of the gospel? Ask Jon Bloom, or better still, buy his new book, Not by Sight, and discover for yourself. This treasury of short devotionals is the nourishing fruit of a man smitten with Jesus and hungry for grace—a brother whose words make the gospel beautiful and believable, to believers and nonbelievers alike. This is a book you’re going to want to give to a whole lot of friends, no matter where they are in their faith story.”

Scotty Smith, Pastor Emeritus, Christ Community Church, Franklin, Tennessee; author, The Reign of Grace; Restoring Broken Things; and Everyday Prayers: 365 Days to a Gospel-Centered Faith

“There are probably only two books I’ve read with a depth of discipleship untouched by the church at large in America. Not by Sight by Jon Bloom is one of those. More than once, I found myself unable to continue reading as tears filled my eyes, my heart being so deeply moved and encouraged by Jon’s soothing words about the surprising but always trustworthy ways of God. More Christians need to understand these truths if they are to walk firmly into every good work God has prepared for them. If you read only one book this year, I strongly recommend it be this one.”

Matt Brown, Evangelist; author; Founder, Think Eternity

Not by Sight: A Fresh Look at Old Stories of Walking by Faith

Copyright © 2013 by Desiring God

Published by Crossway 1300 Crescent Street Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Josh Dennis

Cover image: Shutterstock and iStock

First printing 2013

Printed in the United States of America

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. 2011 Text Edition. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-3593-2 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-3594-9 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-3595-6 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-3596-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bloom, Jon, 1965–

Not by sight : a fresh look at old stories of walking by faith / Jon Bloom ; foreword by John Piper.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4335-3593-2 (tp)

1. Trust in God—Christianity—Biblical teaching. 2. Bible stories. I. Title.

BV4637.B56       2013

2012033798

242'.5—dc23

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

To Pam My precious partner in believing God’s 

“precious and very great promises” (2 Pet. 1:4). 

Thank you for helping me more than 

anyone else to believe in Jesus, 

and for praying more than 

anyone else for this little book.

CONTENTS

Foreword by John Piper

A Word to the Reader

Gratitude 

“Where Is Your Faith?”

James Zebedee and Fear

“Neither Do I Condemn You”

The Adulteress and Guilt

She Still Had to Go Home

The Adulteress and Sin’s Consequences

Doubt in the Darkness

John the Baptist and Doubt

Dismembering an Idol

Zacchaeus and Idolatry

Why Are You Disappointed?

Joseph Barsabbas and Disappointment

Can You Bear Uncertainty?

Would-Be-Disciple and Provision

“I Will Never Believe”

Thomas and Skepticism

The Night the Angel Didn’t Come

James Zebedee and Death

Facing a Painful Decision

Joseph the Carpenter and Guidance

Stables of Desperation Are the Birthplaces of God’s Grace

Joseph the Carpenter and Trust

(Un)Planned Detours

Joseph the Carpenter and Guidance

“Do Not Be Afraid”

Jehoshaphat and Fear

What Love for God Looks Like

Simon the Pharisee and Worship

When a Rock Sunk Slowly

Peter and Faith

Faith That Makes Jesus Marvel

The Centurion and Faith

Are You Content with Weaknesses?

Paul and Humility

Ask!

The Leper and Provision

“Do You Believe This?”

Martha and Death

When You Aren’t Sure What to Do Next

Peter and Waiting

Jesus Chooses and Uses Failures

Peter and Restoration

When a Rebuke Became a Reward

Zechariah and Unbelief

Hope for Our Beloved Unbelievers

Jesus’s Siblings and Evangelism

Success Can Be Perilous

King David and Selfishness

More Than Enough

Philip and Provision

God’s Purposes Can Be Opposite of Our Perceptions

The Man Born Blind and Suffering

The Eyes Jesus Opened First

Cleopas and Disillusionment

“What I Am Doing You Do Not Understand Now”

Peter and Sanctification

Staying Faithful When Things Get Worse

Joseph and Perseverance

Serve in the Shadow God Places You

Andrew and Humility

The Day of Your Deliverance Is Decreed

Disabled Woman and Suffering

Has Jesus Been Worth It?

Paul and Christian Hedonism

Powerful, Pragmatic Pawn of Providence

Pontius Pilate and Governing Authorities

“Follow Me”

Levi and Grace

When Following Jesus Means Going Home

The Gadarene and Appointment

FOREWORD

JOHN PIPER

WITH THE APOSTLE JOHN I say, I am writing these things to you so that my joy may be complete (1 John 1:4). My joy. Yes, yours too. But that’s not my point yet.

To write on behalf of Jon Bloom and his book is a joy. So indulge me for a moment, if you are willing.

First, I love Jon Bloom. I want to praise the man. He is worthy of your attention.

Jon is a man of worship. He lives under the sovereign grace of God with a happy sense of submission and praise. In fact, he is a worship leader at his church.

Jon is a lover of the gospel of Jesus. He is manifestly glad that his sins are forgiven because of Christ, and his works are the fruit of his justification, not the root.

Jon is humble and ready to confess his sin and heal relationships.

Jon is strong in the Scriptures. He has a backbone and is not easily duped.

Jon is a man of vision—a vision for his life and family, and a vision for Desiring God. He has overseen this ministry since the beginning with far-seeing dreams.

Jon is reliable. I would trust him with my life. Indeed, I have trusted him with the ministry—which is a huge part of my life.

Jon is wise. Though he is a generation younger than I am, I would turn to him before most older men. There is a gift of wisdom. Jon has it. He is my counselor.

Not surprisingly, then, this book is also worthy of your attention. All that Jon is as a person is poured out here. And his gifts.

Jon is creative. These meditations are not your ordinary exposition. These are stories. Really good stories. They are rooted in what the Bible says. The creative additions never go beyond what really could have happened. The truths that Jon sees for our lives are based not on what might have been but on what was. The might-have-beens give added flesh to the bones of truth. They are touchable.

Jon is persuaded that if you know the truth, the truth will make you free. And truths about the greatness of Christ are the best ones for freeing us from unbelief. And to be freed from unbelief is to be freed from fear and greed and pride and anger and lust and despair and a hundred other permutations of life-ruining sins.

New Christians or old Christians, what we need in order to walk by faith and not by sight is glimpses. I know that sounds contradictory. We need sight not to walk by sight? But it’s not contradictory, because the sight we need is not a sight of what the day holds, but a sight of who holds the day.

And even that sight happens by looking through the window of the word. Which means we see with our ears. Yes, it sounds strange. But listen: “The Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord” (1 Sam. 3:21). So we “look” through the window of the word with our ears, and what we hear is a sight of God!

If that makes no sense to you, here’s a suggestion. Pick a chapter in this book whose title looks relevant for you. Listen as you read. Look through what you hear. And see if Jesus does not show himself to you in such a way that you trust him more.

That is what Jon Bloom desires. That is what we both are praying for—your joy of faith. So yes, I wrote this for my joy. And mine will be full if I hear that my happy commendations and Jon’s beautiful narrations awaken in you the gladness of walking by faith, Not by Sight.

John Piper Founder and Teacher, Desiring God Chancellor, Bethlehem College and Seminary

“These are written so that you may believe

that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,

and that by believing you

may have life in his name.”

John 20:31

A WORD TO THE READER

WHAT DOES JESUS REALLYwant from you? So much needs to be said.1But boiled down to one sentence it’s this: “Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1). That’s why when the apostle John wrote his gospel, he used some form of the word “believe” eighty-five times in twenty-one chapters. What he remembered Jesus emphasizing in his teaching and preaching wasbelieving.

Whether or not you believe in Jesus is the most important issue of your life because “whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). You see, “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Heb. 11:6).

But believing in Jesus is very difficult. It’s difficult because “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19), and he works with all his might to blind "the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4). And he is constantly trying to lead believers astray (Matt. 24:24).

Because of this, it is crucial that followers of Jesus learn to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). In other words, we must learn to trust God’s promises more than we trust our perceptions. This theme is woven through the Bible from beginning to end.

The purpose of this little book is to imaginatively reflect on the real experiences of real people in the Bible in order to help you grasp and live what it means to “trust in the Lord with all your heart, and . . . not lean on your own understanding” (Prov. 3:5). Its goal is to help you believe in Jesus while living in a very confusing and painful world.

Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:29). My prayer is that God will use this book to encourage you in the most important work you will ever do in your life.

______________

1I highly recommend John Piper’s book, What Jesus Demands from the World (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2006).

GRATITUDE

IT IS A GIFT beyond comprehension to be married to Pamela, who has walked with me by faith in Jesus since we fell in love as teenagers. No other mortal understands as deeply how desperately meaningful 2 Corinthians 5:7 is to me. And none has helped me more to live it. Pam, “thank you” is packed with the ineffable, and this little book is dedicated to you.

John Piper has been a pastor, teacher, mentor, father, and dear friend to me for over twenty years, and his influence on me is pervasive and unequaled. John, our long partnership at Desiring God is and always will be among the highest privileges of my life. Writing the foreword for this book was one more kindness added to the myriad I have received from you.

This book exists in large part because of the encouragement and help of my incredible colleagues (past and present) at DG, especially John Knight, Carol Steinbach, Bryan DeWire, Joe Scheumann, and Andrea Froehlich who proofed and improved these meditations when they were written as monthly devotionals for DG’s supporters. And because Justin Taylor and the Crossway team were willing to get behind it. My gratitude for you all runs deeper than I can express.

But Jesus, my deepest thanks is reserved for you. Since I first trusted you when I was young, you have never broken a single promise, but have faithfully led me in paths of righteousness (Ps. 23:3), the kind that can only be walked by faith (2 Cor. 5:7). Following you on these paths with your Word as my lamp (Ps. 119:105) has been harder than I ever imagined and the sweetest thing I’ve ever known. In fact, the sweetest things have come from the hardest, darkest, most painful parts of the journey. The sweet and the bitter both make me long for the day when the sight of faith will finally give way to the sight of your face (1 Cor. 13:12). I hope it’s soon.

And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid.

LUKE 8:24–25

1

“WHERE IS YOUR FAITH?”

JAMES ZEBEDEE AND FEAR

Luke 8:22–25

THE SEA WAS QUIET now. And there was just breeze enough to push the boat along.

The disciples were quiet too. Andrew was steering. He had taken over for Peter, who sat wrapped in a cloak, exhausted and lost in thought. He had been soaked to the skin. A few others were bailing out the remaining water.

Jesus was sleeping again.

James leaned on the bow gunwale watching reflections dance on gentle waves.

James knew this sea. He and John had spent most of their lives on or in it. His father was a fisherman. So were most of his male kin and friends. His memory flashed the faces of some of them who had drowned in unpredictable Galilean windstorms like the one that had pummeled them barely a half hour ago.

A seasoned boatman, James was not alarmed easily. But he knew a man-eater when he saw it. This storm had opened its mouth to swallow them all into the abyss.

Terror had been in John’s eyes when he grabbed James and yelled, “We have to tell the Master!” They stumbled to the stern. How Jesus had remained sleeping while the furious surf tossed the boat around was itself a wonder. They woke him screaming, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” (v. 24).

James would never forget the way Jesus looked at him. His eyes were at once potent and tranquil. No trace of fear. Laying aside the blanket, Jesus rose to full height on the rear deck. James, fearing Jesus was about to be pitched overboard, reached to grab him just as Jesus shouted, “Peace! Be still!” (Mark 4:39).

No sooner had those words left his mouth and the wind was completely gone! The sudden hush of the howling was otherworldly. The waves immediately began to abate. Each disciple stood where he was, looking dumbfounded at the water and sky and each other.

Jesus’s gaze lingered for a moment on the steep hills along the western shore. Then he looked around at the Twelve and said, “Where is your faith?” (v. 25).

He had looked right at James when he said “faith.”

Now, as James leaned on the bow, he turned Jesus’s question over and over in his mind.

“Where is your faith?" When Jesus first said it, James felt its intended rebuke. Didn’t he trust God? He thought he had. But the storm proved that all the confidence he felt when the pressure was off was fair-weather faith. The Galilean westerlies had swept it away. He felt chastened and humbled.