For I want you to know how greatly I am struggling for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me in person. I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery  — Christ.  In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable.

Colossians 2:1‭-‬4

Truth – something that corresponds to fact or reality

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Experiencing truth..

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About CHRISTIANS (1-2a)

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They have a common…

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Battle

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“…how greatly I am struggling for you…”

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For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.  For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. Ephesians 6:12‭-‬13

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Bond

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“…be encouraged and joined together in love…”

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About CHRIST (2b-4)

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Experience truth by…

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A growing knowledge of Jesus

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“…all the riches…”

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“… of complete understanding…”

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“…have the knowledge of God’s mystery  — Christ…”

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A guarded knowledge of Jesus

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“…so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable…”

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TRUTH

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Relative truth

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Absolute truth

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Notice they were…

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INSPIRING to those CALLED by our Lord

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After this, he left Athens and went to Corinth,  where he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul came to them, and since they were of the same occupation, tentmakers by trade, he stayed with them and worked. – Acts 18:1‭-‬3

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Notice their…

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Encouragement to Paul

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He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks. – Acts 18:4

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Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus,  who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches. – Romans 16:3‭-‬4

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Explaining to Apollos

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He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately about Jesus, although he knew only John’s baptism.  He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately. – Acts 18:25‭-‬26

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INVESTED to the CAUSES of our Lord

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They were…

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Serving

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Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus… – Romans 16:3

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Sacrificing

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who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches. – Romans 16:4

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What are you willing to do for the cause of Christ?

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IMPORTANT to the CHURCH

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They were…

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Found building the church

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Found a blessing to the church

if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.  Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for his body, that is, the church. I have become its servant, according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me.

Colossians 1:23‭-‬29

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Jesus demands…

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Our LOYALTY

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if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it. – Colossians 1:23

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Demands…

*

A decided loyalty

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if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith…

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A deepening loyalty

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…grounded and steadfast…

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Ephesians 2:20

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1 Corinthians 3:11

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1 Corinthians 15:58

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1 Corinthians 7:37

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Hebrews 3:14

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A determined loyalty

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…are not shifted away…

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2 Peter 3:17

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A declaring loyalty

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…the hope of the gospel that you heard…

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Our LIFE

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Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for his body, that is, the church. I have become its servant, according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me. – Colossians 1:24‭-‬29

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Demands…

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A crucified life

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A church life

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Colossians 1:25

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A ministry of serving

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A mystery of showing

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A message of sharing

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A mission of surrendering

At Rephidim, Amalek came and fought against Israel. Moses said to Joshua, “Select some men for us and go fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with God’s staff in my hand.”  Joshua did as Moses had told him, and fought against Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. While Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, but whenever he put his hand down, Amalek prevailed.  When Moses’s hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat down on it. Then Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his army with the sword.

Exodus 17:8‭-‬13

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Guys like Hur are…

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INVALUABLE

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INVOLVED

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INVISIBLE

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INVESTED

Benaiah son of Jehoiada was the son of a brave man from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. Benaiah killed two sons of Ariel of Moab, and he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. He also killed an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall. Even though the Egyptian had a spear in his hand like a weaver’s beam, Benaiah went down to him with a club, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and then killed him with his own spear. These were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who had a reputation among the three warriors. He was the most honored of the Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

1 Chronicles 11:22‭-‬25

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Notice the…

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FOES that Benaiah faced

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He faced a foe that was…

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Tough

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“…two lionlike men of Moab…” – KJV

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Terrifying

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“… he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion…”

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Tall

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“He also killed an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall.”

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FIGHT that Benaiah fought

*

The fight’s

* Circumstances

* He was…

*

Outnumbered

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Outmatched

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Outrageous

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Conditions

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“…on a snowy day…”

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FAME that Benaiah found

*

Notice the…

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Reputation of his father

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“…was a VALIANT man.”

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Reward of his king

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“… David set him over his Guard…”

Now a Jew named Apollos, a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was competent in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately about Jesus, although he knew only John’s baptism.  He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately.  When he wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers and sisters wrote to the disciples to welcome him. After he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.  For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.

Acts 18:24‭-‬28

Fervent – to be hot, to boil over

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Apollos was a fervent…

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STUDENT

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“…an eloquent man who was competent in the use of the Scriptures…”

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He was a…

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Great student

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Growing student

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SERVANT

*

“He began to speak boldly in the synagogue.”

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Apollos served with…

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Devotion

*

Delight

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SPEAKER

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“…he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.”

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Apollos…

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 Publicly proclaimed Jesus

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Personally presented Jesus

and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.  Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds expressed in your evil actions. But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him  —

Colossians 1:20‭-‬22

Notice the…

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MEANS of our reconciliation

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The means by which sinners are made right, brought into favor with God

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Means is about…

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God’s plan

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God’s problem

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God is holy and just

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God’s picture

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MEASURE of our reconciliation

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Seen in the…

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Realms of God’s measure

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Heaven

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Earth

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Hell (under the Earth)

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 Rebels of God’s measure

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It begins in our mind

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In our morals

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MEANING of our reconciliation

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Means our…

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Filthiness is reconciled

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Faults are reconciled

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Facts are reconciled

Jeremiah 31:34

Hebrews 8:12

Hebrews 10:17

Romans 8:33

During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land. A man left Bethlehem in Judah with his wife and two sons to stay in the territory of Moab for a while. The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife’s name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They entered the fields of Moab and settled there. Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, and she was left with her two sons. Her sons took Moabite women as their wives: one was named Orpah and the second was named Ruth. After they lived in Moab about ten years, both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two children and without her husband.

Ruth 1:1‭-‬5

Elimelech – my God is King

 

Notice the…

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 CONDITIONS

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Bethlehem-Judah (Ephratah)…

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A place of…

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Blessings

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Ephratah – fruitfulness

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Bethlehem – house of bread

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Judah – praise

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Barrenness

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CHOICE

*

Endure

*

Escape

*

Embrace

*

Notice…

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The location was unholy

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The association was unholy

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CONSEQUENCES

*

Notice…

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The death in that home

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Mahlon – sick

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Chilion – wasting away

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The defeat of that home