mdpittman05, Author at regeneratis

From East to West: MT e13

There is not a thanksgiving celebrated that at some point in the day I do not think of my oldest sister. Many decades ago, when I was about 4, our family was getting ready for the Thanksgiving Day traditional meal: turkey.

My sister was cutting the pieces of the turkey with an electric knife and somehow cut the end off one of her fingers. Of course, panic ensues and quick action to wrap the injury and off to the emergency room.

They were able to stitch the injury and in due time normal use of that digit was restored (except she never regained the ability to feel in the end of that finger.)

Through all these years, I can only remember once that we even talked about this incident. Every year, I think of this at least one time through this day.

What is the lesson for us?

Be careful with this electric knife today
Psalm 103 speaks of God’s great love and compassion for His people. It says, He does not deal with us according to our sins.

Then it makes 2 comparisons:

As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love towards those who fear him
As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our sins from us.

Why did it say east from west and not north from south? I have an idea: when you begin from the south pole and start going north you eventually reach the north pole. If you keep traveling, you will at that point stop going north and begin to go south.

But if you start in London and go to NYC you are going east from the west. If you were to continue traveling, even if you make it all the way back to London you will still be going west.

It means, your sins are forever removed. They are cut from you. Not attached to you. The thing they were able to do with my sisters finger all those years ago cannot be done to the believer.

For this we who are in Christ are to be the MOST thankful. Happy Thanksgiving (be careful Y’all) SDG

Wrestling with God & Sanctification

In Genesis 32, Jacob has a very interesting encounter that could even be labeled mysterious. Jacob, all alone, is met by a man and they began to wrestle. It says that they wrestled all night until the breaking of the new day.

I wrestled in high school, and I recall the first day of wrestling practice. The coach paired each boy with someone close to the same size and each of us was given a small area and were told at the sound of the whistle we were to wrestle.

What I recall distinctly is how quickly fatigue set in. We were to wrestle for three minutes, but after like 50 seconds, it felt like it had been an hour. We were winded and tired and weak. I can’t imagine Jacob wrestling ALL night long. Jacob must have been a man of incredible strength.

This is a passage in which MUCH time could be spent. Some day these deeper truths will be addressed but for the couple minutes we have together today the focus will narrow on sanctification (the process through which we become holy) and suffering.

In this passage it states that Jacob was wrestling with God. This fact is confirmed in Hosea 12. This presents a problem because God tells Moses that earthly man cannot see God and live. Because of the wording in this passage, it appears that this is a Christophany, the appearance of Christ in the O.T.

Three things happened to Jacob in that wrestling match:

His name was changed to Israel (He strives with God)
He obtained a limp because in this wrestling match Jacob’s hip was touched by his opponent and was put out of joint. Jacob limped away from the match.
Because of this limp, he was forever changed. All Jacob’s natural powers were crippled, and every future step would be a reminder of God’s divine grace.

Here is a lesson for you and me. Sometimes our growth in holiness (sanctification) comes from something which is causing suffering. In this day, we are so quick to want to escape pain. We get a slight headache, and we immediately want ibuprofen. There is no sin in taking ibuprofen – this is only an example of what we do in other areas of life in that we want to end suffering immediately.

It is quite possible the suffering we want to end is being used by God to bring about more holiness in us and more dependence upon Him.

I have wrestled with God (figuratively speaking) for years, trying to get my own way. Desiring that suffering needs to end or that area of suffering is unjust. All the while missing that maybe God is working through suffering to produce change and holiness.

S.D.G.

The Sunday Message Hebrews 1

How Has God Loved Us?

This week we begin a new sermon series on Hebrews. For those who desire to see how the entire Bible fits together, this is a study for you.

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ²but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. ³He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

⁵For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son,
today I have begotten you”?

Or again,

“I will be to him a father,
and he shall be to me a son”?

⁶And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,

“Let all God’s angels worship him.”

⁷Of the angels he says,

“He makes his angels winds,
and his ministers a flame of fire.”

⁸But of the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
⁹You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”

¹⁰And,

“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands;
¹¹they will perish, but you remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment,
¹²like a robe you will roll them up,
    like a garment they will be changed.^[a]
But you are the same,
    and your years will have no end.”

¹³And to which of the angels has he ever said,

“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?

¹⁴Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Hebrews 1, English Standard Version

Two Front Door Houses: MT episode 11

One of the many advantages of growing up in the mid-west is the various farmhouses that remain in use. Some of these houses are well over 100 years old. They are not the mansion plantation houses in the south, but they are still beautiful in their own humble way.

One thing easily noticed is that many of these old farmhouses have two front doors. They are separated by just five to ten feet. Both doors look identical, same height, same width and even the same door.

The reason for two front entrance doors lies in that one is the formal entrance for when company visits and the other is more casual, for the family only.

I can imagine the formal entrance is kept more tidy and spotless. The floors are most likely not messy, and everything is placed in its correct spot.

The casual side, however, may not be messy but for certain the effort placed on the formal side is not on the casual side.

Think of this in terms of your relationship to Jesus. Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ.”

Last Thursday our discussion was around sanctification. It is the process we are 1. Instantly sanctified at new birth and 2. Progressively sanctified as we live. We are always working towards being more like Jesus, He becomes greater, we become less.

This passage here in Philippians is also passage on sanctification. For those who are saved, it is only because God began that good work. Ezekiel 36:25-27 clearly states it is a work done by God alone.

But for those who are saved, those who have had this good work done in them, you now can work to holiness. How? Because God is at work in you, and He will keep working in you until completion.

The problem for many, and I will speak personally here, sometimes there are 2 entrance doors. One that I wanted Jesus to see, more formal, more together and then the real me. I can’t fool Jesus. In reality, there is ONLY one door to me. Jonah is not the only one who has loved God and tried to hide.

Monday, we will start here and add some thoughts, but for the weekend be challenged with this: what comes to mind when pondering how you can be more holy? That is your starting point to pray and ask the Father, “Help me to grow and be more holy.”

SDG

Eleven Days: MT episode 10

Earlier today I came across a stirring sentence in Dt. 1:2. So that you may be aware of the context, let me explain that this is the beginning of Moses giving the law a second time. Why is he giving it a second time?

The Hebrew people had been wandering in the desert for 40 years. The reason they had been wandering is their lack of faith. After the Lord had, by His own power, miraculously delivered them from Egypt in a very mighty way, they failed to believe that He could do that again.

So, they wandered in the desert. They went from here to there and ultimately just went in circles.

So, chapter 1 verse 1 says that they are now about to enter Canaan, then verse two adds this detail, “It is 11 days’ journey from Mt. Horeb to Kadesh-barnea.”

At first reading this I laughed and then sighed because I saw myself in it. This was a reality check passage. They spent 40 years making an 11-day journey.

I began to think about my own life.

Seriously, think about this. In a few moments I will be done speaking and I encourage you to meditate on this question: in your life have there been any 11-day journeys that took or is taking 40 years?

Now, please understand that I am not talking about a literal 40 years. In my case it was close to that. It is not a negative for me to ponder my own faithlessness, but rather a joyful reality that a great burden has been lifted. There is a realization that I can do ALL things through Christ, who gives me strength.

I encourage you to look at your life. Consider how God has delivered you. And then ponder in what ways are you being faithless? In what ways is this faithlessness making an 11-day journey much longer? This will serve as a starting point of prayer that you become less, and Christ becomes more.

SDG

Duck Sanctification: MT episode 9

There was an artist who lived in Virginia whose name was Herbert G. Phipps. Part of his art was sculpting and his work was exquisite.

Someone asked him once how he made such beautiful sculptures. He said, “It’s easy. If I am trying to sculpt a duck out of a piece of wood, I look at the wood and I remove all the parts that do not look like a duck.”

Oh if it were that easy, right?

In our last visit together, we considered how as believers we are perfect. It does not come by our personal performance but our perfection is being in Christ and his perfection becomes our perfection.

But there is this thing called sanctification.

What is sanctification? It is being set aside for holy use. For the believer it both instant and ongoing.

1 Corinthians 6 shows that sanctification is instant in that as soon as you are a believer, you are sanctified and justified.

It is also an ongoing thing and this truth is all through Scripture but specifically in Hebrews 10:14 it says Christ has perfected us for all time and we are being sanctified.

What does this mean? Like Herbert Phipps, we are being shaped. Shaped into the image of Christ. Becoming like Him. As we grow in Christ, the things that do not look like Christ are removed. We work this out as God works in us.

So, yes, on our own we are not perfect, but we are both perfect and being perfected.

S.D.G

Addition by Subtraction: MT episode 8

I have a question for you. What does success look like? Does it look like better cars, better house or better clothes? Better friends?

There was a television comedy in the 1980’s about a hard-working middle class family in NYC that had made it. Through their hard work, they had become wealthy and, in this wealth, moved to a better part of town and in a much better home. The theme song, as the show opened went, “we are moving on up, to the east side, in a deluxe apartment in the sky” and concluded with, “we finally got a piece of the pie”

There is nothing wrong with improving your station in life. A better place to live or even being able to hire people to clean your house is a blessing from God and not morally wrong in anyway. It can even be argued this would fall under common grace in that God provides this blessing to all regardless if they believe or not.

But rarely do we see success as “emptying”, going backwards or DEMOTING. But this is what the believer is called to do because it is what Jesus did.

Philippians 2, “Have this mind,” means think like this. View life this way. “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ. That although he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to hold on to but made himself nothing.” (GR: Kenosis – to empty)

This passage is on the incarnation of Christ and it is a very rich section of Scripture. Too much for just 2 to 3 minutes. Maybe we will revisit this in December during Advent.

Today, the focus is on serving. The writer of Philippians here is not ONLY documenting that God became man but is giving us an example of how we are to replicate it. Simply stated, being humble. Serving. Have this MIND in you. Think this way.

While it is not wrong for a believer to improve their lot and enjoy blessings God gives, it is worth noting that we should always serve and have the heart of serving. Because Jesus did.

SDG

No Regrets? MT episode 7

Years ago, a statement made by a pastor one Sunday morning really stood out. He said, “To the guests here, we are not a gathering of a people who have it all together. We do not live perfectly. This is the point for why we gather. To praise the one who did live perfect and through Him we are made perfect.”

This is often missed by both, those who are Christians and those who are not. It is quite easy for those who are outside the faith, to look at those in the faith, and accuse them of hypocrisy. Because we are not perfect. We sin, and Scripture confirms this very thing.

The New Testament writer Paul said, “The grace of our Lord overflowed for me with faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” 1 Tim 1:14-15

I have felt those words. Some say, “I have no regrets.” This is not me. There are actions in my past that I hate. There are things that I have done that I despise and at times still weep over them when they come to mind. Paul’s words that he was the chief of sinners were only true because I had not yet been born.

Then there is that beautiful phrase, but Christ! There is a gracious, patient and merciful love in Christ which cannot be described by words.

For you those of us who are in the faith, we are perfect. Not by our doing but because we are IN CHRIST. It is your position in Christ. He is the source of your perfection. And He is worthy of our praise.

Until Next time SDG

John Denver is Calling: MT episode 6

John Denver was one music artist my sister greatly enjoyed. Our family was acquainted with someone who was in the radio business. While John was in town for a performance, this man had arranged for John to make a phone call and chat with my sister.

John Denver called, but no one was home. This was before affordable answering machines or voice mail. We only found out about the call when after some time had passed the family friend asked how the conversation had gone. That is when we realized the call had been missed.

On a few occasions through the years I have pondered this lost conversation. What would have been said? How nervous would my sister have been talking to John Denver? No one will ever know, because the conversation did not happen.

Deuteronomy 5:32 Moses warns the Hebrew people, do not turn to the right or the left of God’s word.

The key ingredient to this is knowing God’s word. The only way to know what God’s word is, is to allow God to conversate with us. He does this through Scripture.

God’s word is the only word I have encountered that I can’t read it enough. Why? Because I can read it 10 times and the 11^th I will see something I missed before. Nothing else is like this. You can never wear out God’s word. Never! You will always learn. I can’t emphasize this enough.

So I say to you, God is calling you. There is no voice mail. There is no answering machine. He wants to talk to you. Please do not let it be a conversation that you miss.

Soli, Deo Gloria

Race Horse Blinders MT episode 5

Race horses are given blinders that keep them focused. They are attached to the bridle and cover the sides of their eyes. This keeps them looking straight ahead. They can’t look to the right and they can’t look to the left – the blinders keep them focused so they can run the best race. No distractions

In Deuteronomy 5 we find that Moses is giving the ten commandments a second time. That what that word Deuteronomy means, a repetition of the law. Why is Moses giving it again? Well, God’s people have been wandering for 40 years in the wilderness (desert). It had been 40 years since the first giving of the Law.

After giving this law We find in verse 32 these words “You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.”

At every waking moment of the day, there are hundreds of things competing for my attention. People, things, devices, thoughts, ads,

I find that you and me are surrounded by countless things that want our attention. I need a blinder. Something to keep me looking straight forward. What is meant by that? Think of these two things: too much and too far.

The implication here isn’t that we read and pray and listen to sermons every moment you are awake. Even Jesus did not do this. It is when we spend TOO MUCH time away and rarely or never pray. Also rarely or never read. Or, as a believer rarely attend church.

The other side of this is when we have gone too far. The temptations have turned into defeats and we go too far.

This is where blinders are good. This is the teaching of Moses, don’t turn to the right and don’t turn to the left – keep focused.

We will return to this passage on Monday and ponder it further, so please come back. Until then: Soli Deo Gloria