PUT ON THE NEW MAN---------COLOSSIANS 3: 1 - 14

PUT ON THE NEW MAN

COLOSSIANS 3: 1 - 14

1) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God.

2) Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

3) For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

4) When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory

5) Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

6) For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 

7) In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

8) But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

9) Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

10) And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him: 

image found on internet by friend

11) Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

12) Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

 

13) Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any:  even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

14) And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

COMMENTARY

1) When we give our lives to Christ and He takes our sin upon Himself (salvation), it is no longer our lives that we live, but Christ's. He was crucified for our sins and He rose on the third day.  So, He is risen.  He is now at the right hand of God the Father.

2) Since He is risen, we, also, are risen.  This is no longer our home, but Heaven is our home.  We are but passing through this world to our home.  Therefore, the things of this world are of no value to us.

5) We are to mortify:  put to death, restrain, subdue, subjugate, our mortal bodies concerning these unclean activities and grow our spiritual selves in Christ. 

6,7) For disobedient people will face the wrath of God for these things, which we, too, were guilty of before our salvation.

8, 9) These behaviors have no place in the Kingdom of God, to which we belong.

10,11) And this is key to being transformed:  "renewed in knowledge" which comes from studying The Word of God, the Holy Bible.  When we study His Word, we grow in His likeness, no matter your background.

12-14) These are the "fruit of the spirit", which reveals your citizenship in the Kingdom of God.

Wouldn't you love to have your citizenship in Heaven?  It comes with a relationship with Jesus and a cancellation of your debt.  Click here for more information:     https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.

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PSALM 20----VICTORY OVER OUR ENEMIES

 PSALM 20

VICTORY OVER OUR ENEMIES

1) The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the Name of the God of Jacob defend thee;

2) Sent thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;

3) Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.

4) Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.

5) We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the Name of our God we will set up our banners:  the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.

6) Now know I that the LORD saves His anointed; He will hear him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand.

7) Some trust in chariots, and some in horses:  but we will remember the Name of the LORD our God.

8) They are brought down and fallen:  but we are risen, and stand upright.

9) Save, LORD:  let The King hear us when we call.     King James Version (KJV) Public Domain modified by me

COMMENTARY

   I am working with commentary from Matthew Henry, David Guzik, and Charles H. Spurgeon to study this Psalm.  I don't normally focus my prayers on myself but I see that Matthew Henry encourages us to, and to tell others what to ask God for when we ask others to pray for us.  I did do this recently.  I had an entire battalion of prayer warriors say they would pray for me.

1) King David was about to engage Israel into battle.  The citizens came to pray for his success.  This is actually putting it mildly, because the language in this Psalm is intense.  The people were earnestly praying for him, as we see God's Name repeated but in different forms:  the LORD, God With Us; the Name of the God of Jacob (which is Israel).

2) The people asked for help to be sent A) from the sanctuary (where the Ark of the Covenant is and where God sits and the center of Israel's worship); and B) strength out of Zion, referring to the hills of Jerusalem, which speaks of spiritual strength/to strengthen his soul.

3) The offering here is a "gratitude offering".  I am always saying thank you to my LORD but this is the first time I have seen mention of a "gratitude offering".  The burnt sacrifice is what King David would have offered before battle.   "Selah" is believed to be a "reflective pause" so we can reflect on the words just spoken.

4) When Christians are living in God's will, this is an easy prayer for them.  As we grow in faith, God's  will becomes our will.  He is to be on the throne of our lives and we are to serve His purpose.

5) We fly His banner in defiance of our enemies and in faith of His victory.  In God we trust; we have confidence in His victory.  

6) God will hear from on high the prayers of the people; and with His mighty right hand, will save him.

7) We live by faith and not by sight.  We don't put our trust in chariots and horses, but in the God Who created all things.  We are His children; and He takes care of us.  If we have not, it is because we ask not.

8) Our enemies fall but we are victorious in the LORD.

9) This is a declaration of victory, even before the battle has begun.

How do you feel about this Psalm?  Do you have a saving relationship with the God of Creation?  Click here for more information:   https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.

If this post has been a blessing to you, please pray that God uses our efforts to reach those who are seeking to know Him better, to grow their relationship with Him.  You are encouraged to leave us a comment to let us know how we are doing.  We love to hear from you.

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NAMES OF GOD-----JEHOVAH NISSI

 NAMES OF GOD-----JEHOVAH NISSI

THE LORD IS MY BANNER

photo courtesy of Church Partner

   Our Scripture comes from Exodus 17: 1-16, the story of how Israel complained about God not giving them what they wanted when they wanted it rather than being grateful for His care of them and giving Him the glory of bringing them out of Egypt and now taking them to the blessing He has in store for them.  As we read and study, let us find ourselves in these passages that we might grow in our relationship with Him.

1) And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim:  and there was no water for the people to drink.    

2) Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink.  And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me?  wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?

  Moses had been tested and found true to God, so when the Israelites complained about him, they were complaining against God, Himself.

3) And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?   (to kill us, our posterity, and our wealth)

4) And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people?  they be almost ready to stone me.

5) And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.

6) Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.  And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

7) And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?

   This has got to be the question of the ages:  Is the LORD among us or not?  Is He with us?  Is He for us?  

8) Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

9) And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek:  to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.

10) So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek:  and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

11) And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed:  and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

12) But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 

photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org   public domain

13) And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

14) And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua:  for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.

15) And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:  

16) For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

COMMENTARY

1-3) This is a recurring human condition:  we face insurmountable odds and feel that surely we shall die; there is no hope.  They blamed Moses and God for their predicament.  I have found that when I am facing situations that are out of my control, I ask God what would He have me do.  He is just to direct my path and has never let me down.

4-7) Moses did what the congregation should have done:  he took the matter to the LORD.  He had Moses lead the lead everybody out to a rock in Horeb.  The LORD said He would stand before him on the rock and Moses was to strike it with the staff he used to part the waters when coming out of Egypt.  He would produce water to come out of the rock.

8, 9) In Deuteronomy 25: 17, 18, we read about the unprovoked attack on this Israelites by Amalek:  

17) Remember what Amalek did to y'all when you came out of Egypt; 

18) How he came upon you and killed those who were straggling behind, those that were feeble, when you were faint and weary; and he didn't fear God.

19) Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God gives you rest from all or your enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God gives you for an inheritance to possess it,  you are to blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.  You shall not forget it.   

                  my translation of the King James Version   (KJV)   Public Domain

So, Amalek was the first to go to war with Israel.  He was unprovoked.  He was after the spoils, which were probably carried in the back of the caravan.  He attacked the weak, women, children, and the sick.  The thing here, is, that Israel had never fought a war.  God had fought for them, so they didn't know how.

10-12) Moses sent Joshua with men to fight Amalek, while Moses, his brother Aaron, and his brother-in-law, Hur went to the mountain to pray for deliverance.  He prayed with his arms uplifted to the heavens, holding the staff, which was God's "banner", as it was His battle.  While his arms were uplifted, the army in the valley prevailed; when they drooped, the Amalekites prevailed.  So, when his arms grew heavy, Aaron and Hur sat him down and they kept his arms up, one on each side of him, until the sun went down.

13-17) Joshua won the battle in the valley; and Moses et. al. won the battle on the mountain.....the LORD won the battle and was given the glory with an altar unto THE LORD IS MY BANNER  (Jehovah Nissi).  The LORD has promised to battle the Amalekites until they are wiped out.  Some say the Amalekites are symbolic of  "the flesh", our human nature, which makes war against the spirit.

How about you?  Do you have a relationship with Jehovah Nissi?  Do you live your life under His banner?  Click here to begin your journey, which is through His Son, Jesus Christ:   https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html

If this post is a blessing to you, please pray for us that God uses us for His glory.  We would love to hear from you, so you are welcome to drop us a line in the comments.  Also, if you were blessed by this post, please share it on your favorite social media for your friends to be blessed, also.  Thank you.