Colossians 2:16-23

Colossians Chapter 2:16-23

 

A1 Scripture

B1 Therefore do not let anyone judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or of a new moon or of Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ. Let no one rule against you, desiring to do so in false humility and in worship of the angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, in vain being puffed up by his carnal mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, supported and joined together by joints and ligaments, grows with the growth of God. If you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you submit to regulations— "Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch," which things are all for corruption with the using, according to the commands and teaching of men? These things indeed have a reputation of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and severity on the body, but are not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh. (Colossians 2:16-23, EMTV)

B2 So let no one make rules about what you eat or drink or about holy days or the New Moon Festival or the Sabbath. All such things are only a shadow of things in the future; the reality is Christ. Do not allow yourselves to be condemned by anyone who claims to be superior because of special visions and who insists on false humility and the worship of angels. For no reason at all, such people are all puffed up by their human way of thinking and have stopped holding on to Christ, who is the head of the body. Under Christ's control the whole body is nourished and held together by its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God wants it to grow. You have died with Christ and are set free from the ruling spirits of the universe. Why, then, do you live as though you belonged to this world? Why do you obey such rules as "Don't handle this," "Don't taste that," "Don't touch the other"? All these refer to things which become useless once they are used; they are only human rules and teachings. Of course such rules appear to be based on wisdom in their forced worship of angels, and false humility, and severe treatment of the body; but they have no real value in controlling physical passions. (Colossians 2:16-23, GNB92)

 

A2 Outline Standing against false judgment

B1 Do not let anyone judge you for

C1 What you eat

C2 What you drink

C3 What you celebrate (religious holidays)

C4 Not worshiping angels

C5 Not having visions

C6 Those who do judge you for these things are arrogant and are not holding to Christ.

B2 Do

C1 Know the Christ is the Head (the boss, the King) of the church

C2 Know that a true Christian has died with Christ from worldly views/beliefs

C3 Know that some rules are not required by Christ. "Do not handle, taste, or touch."

C4 Know that we do not follow the teaching/rules of humans.

D1 These appear to be wise and based on logic and wisdom.

D2 Examples

E1 A religion with made up rules.

E2 False humility

E3 False asceticism

D3 These have no effect on fleshly/worldly desires.

C5 Know that we do follow the teaching/rules of Jesus Christ.

 

A3 Notes

B1 Judge

C1 Is it right or wrong?

D1 God's rules are right. Murder is wrong.

D2 Any other rule might be wrong.

E1 Speed limits are not mentioned in the Scriptures, so speeding is breaking a government law. It is not a wrong law in God's eyes.

E2 Having a social security number. No Scripture or principle would say this is wrong.

C2 When to judge.

D1 A decision is necessary.

D2 Someone asks a question if something or someone is right or wrong.

C3 How to judge correctly

D1 Know the difference between Old Testament and New Testament

E1 Old Testament laws (all 613) are for a nation.

E2 New Testament laws (approximately 1,000) are for a people (the church)

D2 Right attitude

D3 Don't be a hypocrite.

"Judge not, lest you be judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with what measure you measure, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not notice the plank in your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother, 'Permit me to remove the speck from your eye'; and look, there is a plank in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's eye." (Matthew 7:1-5, EMTV)

D4 Ask good counsel by going to church first, secular law last.

Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to court before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you incompetent to judge even the smallest matters? Do you not know that we will judge angels? Let alone ordinary matters! If then you have ordinary lawsuits, do you appoint those who are disdained within the church to judge? I say this to your shame. So is there not among you a wise man, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brother and another? But brother goes to court against brother, and that before unbelievers! Actually then, it is already a defeat for you that you have lawsuits against one another. Why not rather accept wrong? Why not rather accept being defrauded? (1 Corinthians 6:1-7, EMTV)

D5 Judge truthfully. We are to consider all the facts and testimonies, sort out truth from error in these, and base all decisions on truth.

D6 No bias or favoritism ever!

B2 These regulations relating to food, drink, religious holidays/festivals, and worship activities mentioned here refer to Jewish ones, and these are not necessary for the Christian. All these things are shadows, pictures not the real principle itself (Colossians 2:16).

B3 False humility.

C1 This is the idea of a humility before angels rather than true humility before God.

C2 This is also the idea of an outward humility in lifestyle, food, actions, etc. A false humility based on self-denial.

B4 Things he has not seen

C1 Things which they think they have seen.

C2 They believe that they have seen real visions from God, but these visions are not from God.

C3 The Greek word for intruding has the idea of entering into something, in this case false visions and other spiritual experiences.

C4 It might also refer to entering the "mysteries" of spiritual worship. Those who have gained this secret knowledge think themselves for spiritual than those who follow the Bible alone. This is the idea of early Gnosticism.

B5 Worshiping angels.

C1 Religious observance of angels.

C2 Maybe because they thought God to be too high, too far removed, and too great to be concerned with humans, so they worship intermediaries--angels.

C3 Maybe like Roman Catholics pray to the saints and Mary to intercede for them, to help them, to pray for them.

C4 Maybe like charismatics who are in rapture with angels. They believe angels bring them messages and insights from God. Thus they don't worship them but hold them in such greatness and respect.

C5 Some feel this refers to people imitating how the angels worship God. They do not worship angels. They have obtained these methods, evidently, from visions and messages of angels (so called angels, that is).

B6 Puffed up

C1 Because of their experiences, visions, "superior" knowledge, they are proud. They believe they are the elite of God. They pity those who don't have this same level of the "deeper" spiritual life as they do.

C2 Pride of any sort is condemned.

D1 Being proud of God is not condemned.

D2 Being proud of myself, my superiority in spiritual matters is condemned.

D3 "Love is patient, love is kind; love does not envy; love does not boast, is not puffed up." (1 Corinthians 13:4)

D4 "To honor the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil ways and false words." (Proverbs 8:13)

D5 "If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself." (1 Timothy 6:3-5)

B7 Notice that it is the carnal mind that does this. The carnal mind is the mind that is natural, the self-thinking that we are all prone to.

B8 Holding fast. This is remaining dedicated to the doctrine that Jesus taught the Apostles and the Apostles to the people.

B9 The body refers to the whole church. The church is the sum of all true believers throughout all the times since the church began in the Book of Acts.

B10 Joined together, etc. refers to all the parts of the body. The parts of the body here refer to the different gifts of each Christian. "but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." (Ephesians 4:15-16)

B11 Growth of God is the growth that happens from God's strength and blessing. It involves the Bible is believing it, reading it, studying it, and living it. It also involves prayer--prayer for thanksgiving, praying for others, then praying for ourselves.

B12 Died with Christ refers to His bearing of our sins, dying, burial, then resurrection. It is a spiritual picture of the spiritual work done in us by God.

B13 Basic principles of the world

C1 Some consider these to be angels.

C2 Some consider these to be the basics of Jewish worship.

C3 Some consider these too similar to what is spoken of in "Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world." (Galatians 4:3).

C4 Some consider these to be the world's religious ideas.

C5 Some consider these to be related to astrology and the supposed effects it causes.

C6 The verse teaches that we have been delivered from the basic principles of the world, so I take it to be false religious ideas and practices. Now we do not long have artificial lists of right and wrong but only God's rules in the New Testament.

B14 The list of do's and don'ts

C1 The rules

D1 Do not handle

D2 Do not taste

D3 Do not touch

C2 The reasons

D1 The wisdom of men instead of the wisdom of God

D2 When people just look at these they think, wow these are so insightful, so truth. What they forget is to see what the Bible says. They only take the list because of the leader's charisma, heavy handedness, superficial logic, and manipulation.

E1 Self-imposed religion

F1 A self-made religion

F2 Instead of the religion given by revelation--the Scriptures

F3 A religion that makes a person feel most comfortable

E2 False humility

F1 Not real humility

F2 We have all seen religious characters who walk around in such a "holy" way--slow and somber, flat affect, hands in prayer. They are so serious and holy on the outside, but what is in their heart?

F3 Do things to their body as walk on coals, sleep on the floor, eat only bread and water, etc. to give appearance of being holy.

E3 Severity on the body

F1 Abstaining from things that God has not placed limits on.

F2 Some groups have religious rules regarding fasting or what type of food you are allowed to eat.

F3 "Do not be carried away by various and strange doctrines. For it is good for the heart to be established by grace, not by foods, by which those having walked were not profited." (Hebrews 13:9, EMTV)

 

 

Some Things about Families

There is much to say about families in Scripture. There are rules, examples, and blessings (and promised difficulties) listed. Here are a very few plus a link to 8 Habits of the Happiest Families.

Teach the Scriptures:

1. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you are resting and when you are working. (Deuteronomy 11:19, GNB92)
   
2. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. (Psalms 34:11-16, NKJV)
   
3. The living, the living man, he shall praise You, as I do this day; the father shall make known Your truth to the children. (Isaiah 38:19, NKJV)
   

Worship God together: "And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates. (Deuteronomy 16:14, NKJV)

Rules in the house: "…one ruling his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence; (for if one does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?)." (1 Timothy 3:4-5, EMTV)

Learn to forgive:

1. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as also God in Christ forgave us. (Ephesians 4:32, EMTV)
   
2. Forbearing one another and forgiving yourselves, if anyone should have a complaint against any; just as Christ forgave you, so you also do. (Colossians 3:13, EMTV)
   

The state of the family is very important. God designed it that way. The 8 points in the article are meaningful.

8 habits of the happiest families

By Megan Gladwell

Published March 4, 2015

 

Playing the Hypocrite

All of us sometimes play the hypocrite. We criticize someone when we ourselves are doing the same, or we allow for ourselves something that we would not allow for others.

In this article, "Catholics shouldn't sue one another: Cardinal Burke comments on Fr. Rosica's lawsuit against blogger, a certain priest, Father Thomas Rosica, has threatened to sue a Catholic Blogger, David Domet, because the blogger criticized him. Fr Rosica is "the English language press officer for the Vatican and founder of the Toronto-based Salt and Light Television network" according to this article. The blogger is a Roman Catholic and a part-time blogger on the Rorate Caeli blog. The criticisms deal with some statements from "Fr. Rosica of perceptions of departure from Catholic orthodoxy." Fr Rosica sent a letter threatening legal action against blogger David Domet "to remove nine separate items from his blog and apologize, but added that this would not necessarily remove the threat of the civil action."

A quote from the article explains it well.

"Though Rosica publicly defends the right to freedom of speech and press, he is attempting to silence the blogger who has criticized him," Austin Ruse, president of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, wrote for Breitbart.

Thus my use of the word "hypocrite."

Fr Rosica should take the words of the Apostle when he refers to Jesus seriously—"…who, being verbally abused, did not return verbal insults, when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously." (1 Peter 2:23, EMTV). One example of this reviling of the Lord Jesus being "And those passing by were blaspheming Him, shaking their heads and saying, "Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!" Likewise the chief priests also, mocking Him to each other with the scribes said, "He saved others; Himself He is not able to save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe." Even those who were crucified with Him were reviling Him." (Mark 15:29-32, EMTV).

It's time to take up the truth, face it, and repent. Even just thinking in a secular way Fr Rosica's response is not logical or reasonable. If he has a problem with the blogger's comments, he should address those points. Instead, Fr Rosica takes the approach of a bully to try and shut Mr. Domet up.

Another point is that we should not go to secular courts before we go to the brethren. "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to court before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you incompetent to judge even the smallest matters? Do you not know that we will judge angels? Let alone ordinary matters! If then you have ordinary lawsuits, do you appoint those who are disdained within the church to judge? I say this to your shame. So is there not among you a wise man, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brother and another? But brother goes to court against brother, and that before unbelievers! Actually then, it is already a defeat for you that you have lawsuits against one another. Why not rather accept wrong? Why not rather accept being defrauded? But you wrong and defraud, and these things to your own brothers!" (1 Corinthians 6:1-8, EMTV).

Cardinal Burke's interview is found here.

David Domet's blog is here.

A report on You Tube from "Church Militant TV is here.

According to Cyclopedia there are 4 types of hypocrites. There is 1 way to treat it.

Hypocrites have been divided into four sorts:

1. The worldly hypocrite, who makes a profession of religion, and pretends to be religious merely from worldly considerations (Mat 23:5);

2. The legal hypocrite, who relinquishes his vicious practices in order thereby to merit heaven, while at the same time he has no real love to God (Rom 10:3);

3. The evangelical hypocrite, whose religion is nothing more than a bare conviction of sin; who rejoices under the idea that Christ died for him, and yet has no desire to live a holy life (Mat 13:20; 2Pe 2:20);

4. The enthusiastic hypocrite, who has an imaginary sight of his sin and of Christ; talks of remarkable impulses and high feelings; and thinks himself very wise and good while he lives in the most scandalous practices (Mat 13:39; 2Co 11:14). — Robinson, Theol. Dictionary; Buck, Theol. Dictionary; Warner, System of Morality, 3, 323; Grove, Moral Philosophy, 2, 253; Gilfillan, Essays on Hypocrisy (1825); Ellis, Sef Deceiver discovered (1731); Edwards, Worls (see Index). (Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature by James Strong; John McClintock.

The best way to deal with our hypocrisy is found here when the Lord Jesus says, ""Judge not, lest you be judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with what measure you measure, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not notice the plank in your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother, 'Permit me to remove the speck from your eye'; and look, there is a plank in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's eye." (Matthew 7:1-5, EMTV).

The conviction that we are playing the hypocrite is from God. He may use others or open our understanding of what we have done. We must not then be proud but repent. Repentance is this case would be to tell the truth and apologize (confess our wrong).

I might mention about confession.

1. If only God knows, confess to God.
   
2. If only one or two know, confess to God and them.
   
3. If more or even the whole world knows, then confess to God and the whole world (a public confession).
   

Let us be wise.

Hell

What is hell and why is it talked about in the Bible?

A1 Terms

B1 Hades is the place of those who do not believe God. (Sheol is the Hebrew word).

C1 It is a place of torment. It is a holding cell in jail until the Judgment day.

C2 "…and in Hades, where he was in great pain, he looked up and saw Abraham, far away, with Lazarus at his side." (Luke 16:23, GNB92)

C3 "Death is the destiny of all the wicked, of all those who reject God." (Psalms 9:17, GNB92)

C4 "You snakes and children of snakes! How do you expect to escape from being condemned to hell?" (Matthew 23:33, GNB92)

C5 The direction is down.

D1 "And you, Capernaum, the one having been exalted to heaven, you will be brought down to Hades; because if the miracles which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained to this day." (Matthew 11:23)

D2 "For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matthew 12:40)

C6 It is not a permanent place for souls. "And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to their works." (Revelation 20:13)

B2 Abyss

C1 Literally it means "without bottom."

C2 It is the place of the evil dead, demons, and sorrows. It is essentially the same as Hades.

C3 "…or, 'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). (Romans 10:7, WPNT)

C4 "And he kept imploring Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss." (Luke 8:31, EMTV)

C5 "And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the Abyss and a huge chain on his hand. And he seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is a slanderer, even Satan, who deceives the whole inhabited earth, and bound him for a thousand years; he threw him into the Abyss and locked and sealed it over him so that he should not deceive the nations any more until the thousand years were finished. And after these years he must be loosed for a short time." (Revelation 20:1-3, WPNT)

B3 Tartarus

C1 A place for evil angels who went and remain there for their coming judgment.

C2 It is used once in the New Testament.

C3 "For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but rather confined them to Tartarus, and delivered them into chains of darkness, reserved for judgment." (2 Peter 2:4)

B4 Gehenna

C1 This is more or less the same as the Lake of Fire.

C2 It is a place of final judgment for those who did not obey the Gospel.

C3 "…but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 8:12)

C4 "…and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:42)

C5 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both the soul and the body in hell." (Matthew 10:28)

B5 Lake of Fire

C1 A place prepared for the everlasting abode of the devil, his angels, and those whose names are not found in the Lamb's Book of Life.

C2 "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where also the Beast and the False Prophet are. And they shall be tormented day and night forever and ever." (Revelation 20:10)

C3 "And if anyone was not found having been written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire." (Revelation 20:15)

A2 Questions

B1 Why would God send anyone to hell? I thought He is a "God of Love."

C1 Breaking God's law must be punished just like any law that are broken.

D1 "And now go, lead the people to where I spoke to you. Look, my angel will go before you, and on the day when I punish I will punish them for their sin." (Exodus 32:34)

D2 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

C2 God warns that the penalty is eternal. Some might think that the punishment is greater than the crime, but God warns all people.

D1 Those who have God's Law know what is right and wrong.

D2 Those who do not have God's Law know that murder, lying, stealing, etc. is wrong.

D3 So both are guilty.

D4 "The Gentiles do not have the Law of Moses; they sin and are lost apart from the Law. The Jews have the Law; they sin and are judged by the Law. For it is not by hearing the Law that people are put right with God, but by doing what the Law commands. The Gentiles do not have the Law; but whenever they do by instinct what the Law commands, they are their own law, even though they do not have the Law. Their conduct shows that what the Law commands is written in their hearts. Their consciences also show that this is true, since their thoughts sometimes accuse them and sometimes defend them. And so, according to the Good News I preach, this is how it will be on that Day when God through Jesus Christ will judge the secret thoughts of all." (Romans 2:12-16)

D5 "These, then, will be sent off to eternal punishment, but the righteous will go to eternal life." (Matthew 25:46, GNB92)

D6 "And these shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:46, EMTV)

B2 Why is hell forever? Doesn't eternity seem too long? They will repent once they are in hell, so then they should be let out and go to heaven.

C1 God warns all that hell is forever.

C2 Anybody in their right mind would not want to stay in hell. It would not be a true repentance, just a fake one to get out of punishment.

C3 We are saved by faith, but once we are dead then we know. It is then fact, not faith.

C4 Rebellion (not obeying God's rules) is very serious.

C5 God has provided a way. See Need God.

 

A3 Other's article/response

B1 http://www.gotquestions.org/eternity-hell-just.html

B2 http://www.gotquestions.org/hell-real-eternal.html

B3 http://pleaseconvinceme.com/2015/is-christianity-unduly-harsh/

Some Things to Think About Before You Marry

Some tips on finding a wife (husband)


 

The easiest marriage life is when people are friends with much in common. The more in common the easier it is. Looks have very little value, because you have to live with this person. The most beautiful person in existence may have a road kill personality. Marrying such a person would make life difficult.


 

How much melanin is in their skin is meaningless. It has no bearing on whom to marry. There are no races. We are all one race.


 

Culture may be different but is an opportunity to learn and appreciate others. It should have no bearing on marriage choice.


 

A spiritually born again person must not marry a non-born again person. A born again person should marry a born again person, and a non-born again person should marry a non-born again person. Confused? See here--Need God.


 

Beware of the psychopath! See article at the bottom.


 

A1 Similar

B1 Lifestyle

C1 This would include

D1 Dress

D2 Music

D3 Food

D4 Daily habits as bedtime, etc.

D5 Clean or sloppy house and/or personal habits

D6 Helps in house cleaning, etc. or not

D7 Partier or not

D8 Involved in politics or not

E1 Conservative

E2 Progressive

E3 Libertarian

E4 Communist, Marxist, Nazi

E5 Anarchist

D9 Environmental concerns

D10 Business ideas

E1 Capitalist

E2 Socialist

E3 Biblical (I don't agree with everything in these articles, but it does give us something to think about)

F1 Creating a Company Code of Ethics: Using the Bible as a Guide

F2 Biblical Best Practices: The Call for Christian Excellence

C2 A country lover or a city lover

D1 Country

E1 Animal smells

E2 Animal sounds

E3 Hunting, fishing, etc.

D2 City

E1 Neighbors

E2 Activities

E3 City sounds and smells

E4 What type of neighborhood

C3 Animals

D1 Inside animal status

D2 Outside animals

D3 Animal lover or not

B2 Personalities

C1 Introvert

C2 Extrovert

C3 Pet peeves

B3 Financially

C1 Work

C2 Bank accounts

C3 Investments

C4 Amount of time working

C5 Work related activities as parties, meetings, brand/business promotions, traveling

C6 High spender versus low spender

C7 Savings or spending

C8 Credit

C9 Wife/husband working while partner stays home

C10 Charity

B4 Spiritually

C1 Religion

D1 Serious or not

D2 Daily Bible reading and prayer or not

D3 Church attendance--regular or not

D4 Giving to charity or not

D5 Evangelizing or not

D6 Lots of church activities, some, or none

D7 What is modest and not modest

D8 What is the final authority

E1 Bible

E2 Theology book

E3 Religious leader

E4 Emotions

E5 Experiences (as dreams, visions, premonitions, etc.)

C2 Irreligious

C3 Doesn't care

B5 Emotionally

C1 Happy

C2 Melancholic

C3 Good listener or not

C4 Talker or more quiet

C5 Thoughtful or not

C6 Compassionate or not

C7 Sympathetic or not

C8 Helpful or not

C9 Needy or not

C10 Gentle or not

C11 Whinny or not

C12 Responsible or irresponsible

C13 What do they do when depressed

D1 Want to be alone

D2 Want to sleep

D3 Wants to yell

D4 Whinny and needy

D5 Big spender

D6 Big eater

C14 Mature or immature

C15 Not looking for a wife but a mama

C16 Self-control or not

C17 Gossiper or not

C18 Busybody or not

C19 Peaceable or not

C20 Humble or arrogant

C21 Appreciative or not

C22 Sensible or stupid

C23 Loves others or themselves (especially children and elders)

C24 Smiles or not

C25 Laughs or not

C26 Forgiving or not

C27 Joyful or not

B6 Marriage Life

C1 You are the one and only or looks around

C2 Flirts or not

C3 Views on sex life

D1 Gentle and caressing

D2 Fast and painful

D3 How often

D4 Birth control and abortion

C4 Who handles the money

C5 Romantic or not

C6 Eat out often, rarely, or never

C7 Where to eat out

D1 Expensive and formal

D2 Cheap and fast

D3 Grocery store

D4 Picnic

C8 Likes big gifts, small gifts, tokens, or none

C9 Enjoys your company a lot or rarely

C10 Looks and a person's weight mean a lot, little, or don't care

C11 Helps around the house or not

C12 Children or not

C13 How to discipline children

C14 How to educate the children

D1 Home school

D2 Public school

D3 Private school

D4 Tutor

D5 College important

E1 Child pays for most

E2 Parent pays for most

D6 Career choices important

E1 Professional

E2 Technical

E3 Labor

E4 Doesn't make any difference as long as they are productive, self-supporting, and happy in their career

C15 Vacations

D1 At home

D2 Elsewhere

E1 Expensive (as in a cruise)

E2 Less so (as in camping)

E3 Local or far away

C16 Retirement

D1 When

D2 Where

D3 What type of lifestyle

C17 Who is the boss in the family

D1 Wife or husband

D2 Both

D3 Neither (each does their own thing)

C18 Argues or not

C19 How they handle conflict (conflicting views)

C20 How they handle difficulties

C21 How they handle disappointments

C22 Their definition of love

D1 My way only

D2 1 Corinthians 13

C23 Boosts their spouses self-esteem or is critical and belittles them

C24 Critical, complaining spirit or not

C25 Wife is a nagger

C26 Concerned with spouse's emotional, physical, spiritual needs

 

A2 Some rules

B1 Husbands

C1 Be understanding of wife (1 Peter 3:7)

C2 Treat them respectfully (1 Peter 3:7) If not then God may not listen to your prayers.

C3 No adultery (Hebrews 13:4)

C4 Not to be harsh (Colossians 3:18-19)

C5 Not to remain a mama's boy and a responsibility to start own family and not live at home forever (Ephesians 5:31)

C6 Love wife likes he loves and treats himself (Ephesians 5:28)

C7 God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16)

C8 Practices the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

C9 Only one wife (1 Timothy 3:12)

C10 Live joyfully with your wife (Ecclesiastes 9:9)

C11 Have an enjoyable and gentle sex life (Proverbs 5:12-13)

C12 Teach children, especially truth about the Bible. (Deuteronomy 6:7, Psalm 78:5, Proverbs 22:6, Isaiah 38:19)

C13 Provide for family (2 Corinthians 12:14)

C14 To nurture children (Ephesians 6:4). Nurture has to do with correcting children and educating them.

C15 Try not to force your children to be angry (Colossians 3:21)

C16 Don't be an evil influence (1 Kings 22:52)

C17 Be a good influence (2 Chronicles 27:2)

B2 Wives

C1 Concentrate on inner beauty rather than outer beauty. (1 Peter 3:5)

C2 The final voice (authority) is the husband (1 Peter 3:5)

D1 Not a dictator

D2 Listens closely to wife's view

E1 Wife may have more common sense than husband (Judges 13:22-23)

E2 Wife may see things from a different angle. (Matthew 27:19)

E3 Wife may be gifted in that area while husband doesn't have a clue (for example wife is a physician and husband knows nothing about medical) (Daniel 5:10-12)

D3 Final voice as in any business, work, or government situation. Someone does have the final say.

C3 No adultery (Hebrews 13:4)

C4 Interested in helping younger women (Titus 2:4)

C5 Not to make fun of her husband (nor husband make fun of his wife)

C6 Practices the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

C7 Only one husband (1 Timothy 3:12)

C8 Have an enjoyable and gentle sex life (Proverbs 5:12-13)

C9 Teach children, especially truth about the Bible. (Deuteronomy 6:7, Proverbs 22:6, Isaiah 38:19)

C10 To nurture children (Ephesians 6:4)

C11 Don't be an evil influence (1 Kings 22:52, Matthew 14:8)

C12 Be a good influence (2 Timothy 1:5)

B3 Children

C1 Encourage others to follow God (Psalm 34:11)

C2 Praise God (Psalm 148:12)

C3 Be wise, not foolish (Proverbs 10:1)

C4 Listen to what your father and mother tell you (Proverbs 23:22)

C5 Remember your Creator (Ecclesiastes 12:1)

C6 Respect your parents and do not curse them. (Mark 7:10)

C7 Obey parents (Ephesians 6:1). This would obviously be for good things not evil. If your dad tells you to rob a bank, you must disobey.

C8 Be aware, willing, and help your elderly parents especially the widowed. (1 Timothy 2:4)

 

 

Avoiding the psychopath and the abuser.


 

Make sure before you marry that the person is NOT an abuser. They will appear and act charming only to control you. If you do not or will not of anything they want, they will truly hurt you. That hurt may be financially, emotionally, physically, verbally, or other. Avoid, run, do anything to get any from that person.


 

"DEAL BREAKERS: HOW TO AVOID MARRYING AN ABUSER"


 

I think there are almost always red flags waving high and clear, but very few young people are willing to acknowledge them when passions are waving higher. We've all experienced this either in our own lives or as we've observed the lives of other young people. It's all about the "here and now." The FEELINGS. The romance. The dream. The excitement. The longings fulfilled.

Nobody wants to be practical. How dull.

The hard, stone-cold fact is, if a young person refuses to look carefully at the other person from all the angles, taking time to observe objectively and get the input of other objective observers, the feelings, romance, dream, excitement, and fulfilled longings will all end in a shocking and abrupt ending at the altar.

And then there's the long "and they lived…horribly ever after."

I'm not talking about the normal transition from the amazing drama of the dating days to the daily grind. Everyone goes through that and GROWS through that. I'm talking about when you wake up and realize with horror that you are married to an abusive spouse.

How can you avoid this? An abuser doesn't introduce himself like this, "Hello – it's nice to meet you. I'd like to take you on a whirlwind romance, sweep you off your feet, marry you, and then abuse you until death do us part." Tweet This They follow in the footsteps of their father, the devil. They enter your world like an angel of light. A thing of beauty and wonder.

They are super-de-duper nice. Like Barney.

They worship the ground you walk on.

They are very religious. Think Ghandi.

They tell you that you COMPLETE them. (Watch out with that one.)

They do good deeds. Like Mother Theresa.

They are charming. Attractive. Kind. Thoughtful. Spiritual.

Often (not always) you will find them in or jockeying for leadership positions.

Often (not always) they are very confident.

Often (not always) they live generously.

This is where time is your ally. Take advantage of TIME in order to see what the potential mate is like under pressure. For example:

1. What happens when you give him negative feedback about something he has done?

An abusive person cannot accept negative feedback.

They will... Read the rest at the above link.

Colossians 2:6-15

Chapter 2:6-15

 

A1 Scripture

B1 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been rooted and built up in Him and being established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. See that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and in Him you have been made complete, who is the head of all principality and power. In whom you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by the putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried together with Him in baptism, in which also you were raised together through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, having blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and He has taken it out of the midst, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed principalities and powers, He mocked them in public, triumphing over them in it. (Colossians 2:6-15, EMTV)

B2 Since you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, live in union with him. Keep your roots deep in him, build your lives on him, and become stronger in your faith, as you were taught. And be filled with thanksgiving. See to it, then, that no one enslaves you by means of the worthless deceit of human wisdom, which comes from the teachings handed down by human beings and from the ruling spirits of the universe, and not from Christ. For the full content of divine nature lives in Christ, in his humanity, and you have been given full life in union with him. He is supreme over every spiritual ruler and authority. In union with Christ you were circumcised, not with the circumcision that is made by human beings, but with the circumcision made by Christ, which consists of being freed from the power of this sinful self. For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ through your faith in the active power of God, who raised him from death. You were at one time spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were Gentiles without the Law. But God has now brought you to life with Christ. God forgave us all our sins; he canceled the unfavorable record of our debts with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross. And on that cross Christ freed himself from the power of the spiritual rulers and authorities; he made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his victory procession. (Colossians 2:6-15, GNB92)

 

A2 Outline

B1 Received Christ

C1 Already

D1 Rooted

D2 Built up

D3 Established

D4 Abounding in it

D5 Thankful

C2 Now--walk

B2 Continue in Christ

C1 Don't be deceived by

D1 Philosophy

D2 Empty deception

D3 The traditions of men

D4 The basic principles of the world

C2 Be in Christ who

D1 Has all fullness of the Godhead bodily

D2 Makes us complete

D3 Head of

E1 All Principality

E2 All Power

D4 The circumciser of the heart

D5 His baptism

E1 We were buried with Him

E2 We were resurrected with Him

D6 He is the life giver

E1 We were dead

F1 Because of sins

F2 Because we were Gentiles without the Law

E2 We are now alive

F1 God forgave sins

F2 God canceled our record of sins

F3 God nailed it all to the Cross

D7 Christ defeated

E1 Spiritual rulers

E2 Spiritual authorities

E3 Christ mocked them

E4 Christ won the battle over them

 

A3 Notes

B1 A summary of the passage would be becoming a true, Bible believing Christian is only the start of the Christian walk. Now there are many things as doctrine and rules for a Christian life,

B2 Colossians 2:6

C1 Received Christ

D1 Believed God that they were NOT good and lawbreakers

D2 Believed God that they would be punished with hell forever

D3 Believed God that they could not do anything to receive forgiveness for these trespasses

D4 Believed God that Jesus is the only Savior

D5 Believed God that asking for and fully believing in the Lord Jesus would receive forgiveness

C2 The Lord

D1 Jesus is not just Messiah

D2 Jesus is not just a religious leader

D3 Jesus is not just a good, easy going friend

D4 Jesus is Messiah, Head of the Church, and King of our lives

D5 Jesus is the one to whom we submit to His rules

C3 Walk is living the daily Christian life

B3 Colossians 2:7

C1 Rooted

D1 Grounded in Messiah

D2 Secure in Messiah

D3 Nourished by Messiah

C2 Built up is the growth of the Christian. We do not grow ourselves but are feed by the Scriptures, blessed by prayer, encouraged and lead by the Holy Spirit.

C3 Established is settled and unmovable in faith and doctrine--both written and living.

C4 Faith is the Christian faith of doctrine and lifestyle

C5 Paul and the others taught the people these things. So it should be so today.

C6 Abounding is a growth spurt.

C7 Thanksgiving is recognizing the source of blessing and help even in difficult time.

B4 Colossians 2:8

C1 Captive is a loss of freedom. It is being enslaved by something. God gives up libertarian freedom, not exhaustive determinism. The idea also carries the idea of stealing something from a person.

C2 Philosophy

D1 The word is has the idea of using man's ideas through using science, logic and rhetoric.

D2 It is totalitarian science.

D3 It is the idea that science as all the answers.

D4 Using persuasive speech, false promises, lies in the name of science to control all people.

D5 It is science as being the highest knowledge.

D6 Thus the philosophers would be these wise priests of science who alone can enable a successful life.

D7 See this link. See this review.

C3 Empty deception is the lies and pervasive speech to convince people they are wrong and the so called philosophers are right.

D1 It is to lead the Christian astray. It is to lead us away from the libertarian freedom of the truth taught by Jesus Christ.

D2 The divide is clear. One will either follow the philosophy/science authority or the authority of God.

C4 The tradition of men. The idea of this type of philosophy and deception have been practiced for millennia.

C5 Basic principles of the world. The exact opposite of the basic principles of God.

B5 Colossians 2:9

C1 Godhead

D1 Godhood

D2 Everything that is God, is Jesus also with the idea of Jesus having a physical body.

D3 Jesus is fully God.

C2 Bodily

D1 Jesus is 100% man and 100% God.

D2 When someone saw Jesus, they saw God.

B5 Colossians 2:10

C1 We have been made complete

D1 Jesus is everything we need.

D2 "...but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:24, EMTV)

D3 Sin fractures us, separates us, affects us in many bad ways. Jesus heals all our spiritual illnesses.

D4 The Jews and Gentiles are no longer separate. They are now Christians--just one group. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's descendants, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29, EMTV)

C2 Head--the highest authority

C3 Principality and power

D1 Ranks of angelic beings.

D2 Ranks of human rules.

D3 Jesus is Lords of lords.

B6 Colossians 2:11

C1 Circumcision made without hands.

D1 The circumcision done by God on the evil, unregenerated heart.

D2 "...but he is a Jew that is one inwardly; and circumcision is of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not from men but from God." (Romans 2:29, EMTV)

D3 For we are the true circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh, (Philippians 3:3, EMTV)

C2 Christ performed this circumcision, not a human, Jewish priest or physician.

C3 Sin and its effects are now cut off and throw away.

D1 "...that you put off, concerning your former way of life, the old man which is being corrupted according to deceitful lusts." (Ephesians 4:22, EMTV)

D2 "...knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, so that the body of sin may be done away with, that we should no longer serve sin." (Romans 6:6, EMTV)

C4 "...in the circumcision of Christ." This refers to the fact that Jesus kept the Law perfectly.

B7 Colossians 2:12

C1 Baptism is an image, illustration, of burial and resurrection. Jesus did this literally; we do this to illustrate what He has done for us.

C2 All this is through faith. Faith is believing God. What God says is true and if we agree with Him, especially when we are wrong, it is faith. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." (Romans 4:3, EMTV)

B8 Colossians 2:13

C1 Dead in trespasses.

D1 Really dead. Because of sin we do not seek God. There is nothing in us that is good. We cannot seek God.

D2 Trespasses are breaking God's law.

C2 Uncircumcision of flesh

D1 There is nothing good in us or about us.

D2 We need someone to remove this load of sins.

C3 Alive together

D1 The same process.

D2 The rebirth.

D3 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name; (John 1:12, EMTV)

C4 Having forgiven us all trespasses

D1 Our sins are forgiven.

D2 We are justified.

D3 We are pardoned.

D4 The penalty was paid by Christ. The conditions and plan were from God. The opening of our heart and mind was of God. We only did not resist when God gave the command to repent.

D5 The atonement by Jesus shows that God's Law was righteous (Jesus did die). It also shows God's love for humans in that there is the provision for sin if the sinner meets the conditions.

D6 We are not sinless but forgiven. The penalty of God's law, hell, is now removed.

D7 No one deserves forgiveness. It is not a right. It is a free gift. It cost Jesus everything however.

D8 Faith, as God defines it, is the condition to be met.

B9 Colossians 2:14

C1 Blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us

D1 Blotted out means that it was overwritten. The original cannot be seen any more.

D2 The handwriting of ordinances was the miles long list of our sins.

D3 God did this out of love. Jesus choose to be the Passover Lamb for us.

C2 Nailed it

D1 When Jesus died, He paid the full penalty and punishment for sin.

D2 He did not go to hell and suffer there for our sins (some heretics teach this).

D3 This long list had written on it, in a sense, "Paid in full."

B10 Colossians 2:15

C1 Disarmed

D1 He freed Himself from the demonic and human authorities.

D2 He was a victor over these evil ones.

D3 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, (Hebrews 2:14, ESV2011)

C2 Mocked them

D1 They thought they had killed God, made Him a loser (He did not accomplish what He set out to do), and make Him look like a weak fool.

D2 He rose from the dead in triumph. He is victor over death or sin's penalty. He accomplished all that God wanted.

D3 This is the open shame. The smile of triumph and victory from the evil beings was turned upside down.

C3 Triumphing

D1 God never loses. Even when it seems like it, He turns it all around and is the Victor.

D2 He let them do it. They thought they did it. God used them and their openly evil actions, so show the complete loss of evil's war.

D3 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12, NKJV)

 

 

Welcome, Thou Victor in the strife,

Welcome from out the grave;

Today we triumph in Thy life

Around Thy empty grave;

Today we triumph in Thy life

Around Thy empty grave.

 

Our enemy is put to shame,

His short lived triumph o'er;

Our God is with us, we exclaim,

We fear our foe no more;

Our God is with us, we exclaim,

We fear our foe no more.

--Benjamin Schmolck