Of David. A psalm.
1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.
3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God his Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
he is the King of glory.
Selah
My Understanding: The psalm begins by letting the reader know that God is absolutely sovereign over all the earth and over all the people on the earth. He owns it all. He is the creator-God. He is in control of all things. So, we never have to fear the future or what is going to happen to us if our lives are in his hands through genuine faith in Jesus Christ, and as lived out in our daily lives and our relationship with him.
The psalmist expounds on this idea of the need of being in a right relationship with God/Jesus Christ in order for us to be in fellowship with our Lord, for us to come to him for aid in times of need, and for us to receive vindication (exoneration; pardon; forgiveness) from our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. And, this belief is supported by Jesus Christ’s teachings, by the teachings of the apostles, and by the whole of the New Testament.
The psalmist said that if we want to come before God in fellowship, in prayer, and in communion with him, seeking his face, his guidance and his direction for our lives, we need to have clean hands and a pure heart, and we need to not lift up our souls to any idols or swear by what is false.
Vindication from God
It is through the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross for our sins, that we are able to enter into such a relationship with Jesus Christ (with God). And, when we enter into that relationship with him, through faith, he cleanses us of all sin, he forgives us, and he pardons us so that we don’t have to face the ultimate penalty of sin, i.e. eternity and eternal punishment in hell. He frees us because of what Jesus Christ did for us in dying on the cross for our sins, so that through the blood of Jesus we are able to enter into fellowship with our Lord, and we may “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb. 4:16 NIV ’84).
When we come to Jesus Christ in genuine faith, by God’s grace, and through repentance (turning from sin) and obedience to Christ and to his commands - which is the working of the Holy Spirit of God in our hearts and lives, as we cooperate with that work - we are given clean hands and a pure heart with which to serve our Lord Jesus in faithful service to him. As a result of that working of grace of the Spirit of God in our hearts, our faith in Jesus Christ should thus be evidenced by our walk, producing fruit in keeping with repentance. It is by God’s grace and through the working of the Holy Spirit within us, though, that we are able to walk in faith and obedience to Jesus Christ, and to produce such fruit in keeping with repentance. We cannot do this in our own flesh. This is a God-thing!
Yet, while we live on this earth, and while we are still in these fleshly bodies, we will still be vulnerable to temptation to sin, yet Jesus Christ is there to keep us from falling and to provide a way out from under giving into temptation if we will listen to him and obey him. If we choose to go our own way, instead of listening to and obeying the Lord, and if we hold that sin in our hearts and do not come to repentance, it will break our fellowship with the Lord and it will hinder our prayers from being answered. We must remain in Christ through faithful obedience and through not living in sinful rebellion against God and his commands, if we want God to hear us, and if we want him to answer us in our times of need (see John 15).
Mighty in Battle
If we want the King of glory, Jesus Christ, to enter into our circumstances and to answer us in times of need, we need to lift up our heads in prayer, and call on him in confession of sin, so that the gates of our hearts will be open to receive from the Lord Jesus what he has for us. He is mighty in battle, and he will come to our aid if we open our hearts wide to him through humble surrender and obedience to his commands to live holy lives pleasing to him. Then, we can be strong in the grace of Christ, and we can win the battle against the enemy of our souls, because Jesus Christ already won, and he has given us the victory, too, when we choose to daily put on his full armor with which to fight off our enemy, Satan:
• The belt of truth buckled around your waist (arming ourselves with the truth)
• The breastplate of righteousness in place (being in a right relationship with God)
• Feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace
• The shield of faith, with which to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one
• The helmet of salvation (to protect our minds from Satan’s accusations)
• The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (fight lies with truth of word)
• Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests
• Be alert (watchful; discerning), and always keep on praying for all the saints
To My Beloved / An Original Work / November 14, 2011
Based off I Pet. 5:6-9; Eph. 6:10-20; Jms. 4:4-10
Be strong in the grace of Christ, and
Put on His full armor in your fight
Against the enemy of your souls,
And resist him with all your might.
Take up the shield of your faith within you.
Salvation’s helmet – you put it on.
Put on the belt of truth,
And walk in the Spirit,
And you’ll not be ashamed.
Love your Lord Jesus; call His Name.
Call on your Lord and Savior, Jesus, and
Make Him Lord and King of your hearts.
Obey all of His teachings He has given
To you to follow in all His ways.
Repent of your sins. Return to your God.
Follow Him where’er He leads you now.
Humble yourselves in full
Surrender to His will
For your lives today.
Bow before Him, and humbly pray.
Be strong in the grace of Christ, and
Obey your Lord in ev’rything, always
Keeping His teachings in your hearts near you.
Walk with Christ in ev’ry way.
Resist the devil. He will flee from you.
Draw near to God, and He’ll be near you.
Wash your hands you sinners
And double minded.
Weep and wail o’er sin.
With Christ, your new lives begin.
http://youtu.be/PLMZdBxhE3I
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