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Be Being Filled: MT episode 16

My wife Tina really loves Christmas.  She does a terrific job decorating the house for each holiday, but Christmas gets the most attention.

This year a new tree was delivered in early October.  I happened to come into the room where she had opened the box and began putting it together.  I laughed.  She heard me and then began to make an excuse, “I had to see if all the parts were there.”

We both laughed together, and I said, “keep it up.  Let’s make a Halloween Tree out of it.”  (This might drive the fundamentalist Baptists crazy right?)  But up went the purple and orange lights and various items were hung around the tree. 

Then it was Thanksgiving.  (My fav. Holiday) But I suggested let’s keep it up all year around.  It can be a Valentine’s Day tree; it can be a St. Patty’s tree. It can be the fourth of July tree.  I loved my idea.  I don’t think we will be doing it though.

Ephesians 5:18 Scripture says, be filled with the Holy Spirit.  It is not a command, but it is an encouragement.  For the sake of time, I will refer to earlier episodes (Here are links to those episodes 1, 2, 3) where we looked at sanctification (both a onetime AND ongoing event).  This is an instance of both present and ongoing sanctification.

You can’t tell in the English; this is where the original language helps.  The word and the verb tense – we do not have an English equivalent.  The literal reading is, “Be, being filled with the Spirit.” 

Be filled, present AND being filled, ongoing.  The Spirit’s presence in our lives in what leads us to more holiness (Ezekiel 36:25-27).  For believers, the Spirit is always in us.

This time of year, our culture remembers Christ’s birth.  It is a date that Scripture does not supply, but I have no problem celebrating it.  It is the Apostle Paul who gives us this freedom.

But there is a lot of similarity of Tina’s year around Christmas tree and Ephesians 5:18. The important part of Christmas is not WHEN Jesus was born but THAT Jesus was born.  Even more important is that Jesus is born in you (2 Corinthians 13:5).  The constant state of Christ be, being in us.  Each day of the year. 

S-D-G

The Sunday Message: Hebrews 2:1-4

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. English Standard Version

The Sunday Message Hebrews 1:3-14

 3 He 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, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

5 For 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”?

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

“Let all God’s angels worship him.”

7 Of the angels he says,

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

8 But of the Son he says,

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

10 And,

“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands;
11 they will perish, but you remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment,
12 like 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.”

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

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

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

The Great Exchange: MT episode 14

Little over a year ago while driving down the interstate there was a suitcase on the side of the road. It had sat there for over a week, and I just had to investigate.

One of the very few treasures that made me chuckle was these gloves. These gloves made me go back in time, all the way back to college. We had intramural football. My buddies and I were average, maybe a little below average football player.

I knew what I needed to be great was a pair of gloves. Yes, these would make me much better. The cheapest I could find were around $70 which is way too much on a college budget. So, I kissed intramural football greatness goodbye.

That is the thought that made me laugh at myself. The gloves, NOW FREE, would have made no difference in my ability to catch the ball (unless I lathered on some stick ‘em). My best with the gloves is horrible.

Those gloves on the hands of Jerry Rice? Now you are talking. That would be perfect. It is not the gloves that make the receiver, it is the receiver who makes the gloves. I would need Jerry Rice hands, arms, legs and the gloves to be better. This is the exchange I need- his for mine. This is unrealistic and silly to consider.

How does this relate to Jesus? One of my favorite New Testament passages in 2 Corinthians 5:21. Martin Luther called this passage, “The Great Exchange.” Why?

“For our sake, God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

For the believer an exchange took place. Christ is my righteousness. Christ is in my place. Christ took my sorrow and shame (and there was and is plenty of it) and gave me His perfect righteousness. This is the exchange. realistic change. Christ in my place. I will take that all day!

S.D.G.

The Sunday Message Hebrews 1:1-4

Lessons from Prince Harry

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but 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. 3 He 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, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Hebrews 1:1-4, English Standard Version

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?

  1. Be careful with this electric knife today
  2. 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:

  1. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love towards those who fear him
  2. 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:

  1. His name was changed to Israel (He strives with God)
  2. 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.
  3. 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, 2 but 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. 3 He 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, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

5 For 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”?

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

“Let all God’s angels worship him.”

7 Of the angels he says,

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

8 But of the Son he says,

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

10 And,

“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands;
11 they will perish, but you remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment,
12 like 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.”

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

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

14 Are 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