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-- SUNDAY'S NOTES --

Colossians 2:6-7

6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Daniel 1:1-2

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah

The Lord gave Nebuchadnezzar victory???

Messes with my theology. Ever feel like God is giving all the victory to your enemies?

When we are rooted in him, we can trust God to strategically use bad situations to bring about profound good.

He did it here, He’ll do it for you.

Daniel 1:3-5

4 “Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,” he said. “Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.” 5 The king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service.

Daniel 1:6-7

6 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah. 7 The chief of staff renamed them with these Babylonian names:

Daniel (God is my judge) → Belteshazzar (Bel favors him)

Hananiah (gracious is Yahweh) → Shadrach (Ishtar)

Mishael (who is like Elohim) → Meshach (Marduk)

Azariah (he hears Yahweh) → Abednego (Nego)

-iah, yah for Yahweh. -el for Elohim. Mesopotamian Gods Marduk, Ishtar, Nego

First thing they did: they changed their names.

Some names given to us, the Church:

Dove (So and Psa)

God’s building (1Co 3:9)

God’s heritage (1Pe 5:3)

Pillar of truth - 1Ti 3:15

Free (Gal 4:26)

Righteous (Heb 12)

Faithful (Heb 13)

Peace and mercy-givers (Gal)

Being rooted into our name/title… We have these names from God. We need to lean into them by the way we live day-to-day.

To be rooted in God means to know, believe, and live out our God-given identity.

Daniel 1:8-10

9 Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel.

“Both respect and affection” - this is what we call favor.

Pray for us, for favor

When we are rooted in Christ, his life flowing in us bears the fruits of respect and favor.

Daniel 1:12-16

12 “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. 13 “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” 14 The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.

15 At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. 16 So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.

“So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine” that was given to everyone else.

If we’re going to stand for Jesus through the winds and storms of life, we must be deeply rooted in Him.

We won’t stand for long if we don’t have deep roots.

The deeper our roots, the more solid we will stand.

Colossians 2:6-7

6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Coming back to this - “Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught”

We might have to wait on a miracle but we don’t have to wait to be free.

When we are deeply rooted, our loyalty to God is not determined by our circumstances.

Colossians 2:8

8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.

Closing, altar invitation for those who want to be set free from “empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense”

Babylon: Your paycheck is enough.

Jesus: I am enough.

Babylon: This is too hard. You should give up.

Jesus: You can do all things when your roots draw strength from me.

Babylon: Your identity is in…

Jesus: Your identity is in me. God loved you so much that He sent me to die for you.

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