Be Rooted in Christ
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning, here we are the last Sunday of June and already, just like that the first half of this year is gone.
Two questions I want to ask you?
IN these past 6 months, How did you live for Jesus and impact the world, How did you model Christ-likness?
Those questions are important my friends...
I think it is important to look back and evaluate our life in Jesus, look back and understand the good we did but be honest with ourselves and say, I failed here or there and make adjustments, change something to correct where you need improvements.
Why?
Because we are called to be like Him in all things…
So in hoping to achieve that goal, I want us to look at why it is important to be in Christ, not just walking but rooted in Him and just how we achieve it or work toward that goal for our life.
So this morning we will look at at few different Scriptures, but will serve as our main point.
So lets take our Bibles and lets look at , verses 6-7
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
So with these two verses I want to challenge you to remember a few things...
First off....
So with these two verses I want to challenge you to first off remember
1. Remember your Commitment to Christ.
1. Remember your Commitment to Christ.
So with these two verses I want to challenge you to first off remember
Consider this....
Every child of God, is defined by a moment in time when they received Jesus as their Savior. That moment when you asked Jesus to save you and forgive you of your sins.
Our salvation, conversion....
That point in time is the moment that everything changed for you… I know it did for me.
And Paul here in our text points them back to that point and time and tells them, just as that happened, here is your next step...
Look back at the text again,
Look back at the text again,
Verse 6...
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
So from this right here, I want to remind you of the two most important things in your life. The moment you asked Jesus to be your Savior and how you lived afterwards.
The moment you asked Jesus to be your Savior and how you lived afterwards.
Now please do not misunderstand me… There are many important points in life that are special, marriage, the birth of children, all sorts of special occasions, these are great.
But Honestly for the Christian, our salvation is the greatest moment in time. It is the time that we truly passed from life unto death. We cannot forget or diminish that event in any way.
Listen to what Paul says here… he uses the word “receive.” This verb receiving or accepting, is one that moves beyond believing in a person, but it involves a commitment to the teachings about Jesus Christ as passed down by the Apostles.
This teaching is much much more than just human tradition or the words of false teachers, it is Truth, because it involves Jesus, the Son of the living God.
Remember Jesus himself told us that He was the way, the truth and the life. John 14:6
And it is this truth about Jesus that has compelled us to live differently.
So as we have received His truth, then use it to empower our walk, our ability to live and move in Him. This point is the second thought of our verse..
Look again at
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
There is a definite push here, this one truth leads to the other action… As you believe and as you committed your ways to Jesus. so be empowered to walk in him.
That word “walk” means to live and behave in a certain manner…
Let me tell you a story, I see a lot of people in the hospital, and at times people are not always good patients, they struggle with following the doctors orders and I am the one who is always reminding people, ‘be good and listen”. Do they always do it… No.
But you see they have the ability too, the doctors and nurses have told them what they need to do … all they have to do is obey, behave themselves...
They are to put what they know into practice continually.....
Now the child of God has the opportunity to take this changed life, take what you have learned and put it into practice, walk in Him. So day by day we are to walk in His ways each day as we go about this life.
And we are to take Jesus into every situation, every moment and allow him to direct you, your thoughts, words and deeds.
Remember your commitment to Christ in all things and live for Him in all you do...
But how can we do this, how is it made possible ....
Paul goes on to say for us to be rooted and built up in Him
2. Be Rooted and Built Up....
2. Be Rooted and Built Up....
This term, rooted is one we can learn a lot from, just the word itself gives us images of what our life is to be, when we are in Him.
When you think of rooted, you think of a plant, a flower or a tree.. each of these have roots. roots are that part of the seed that extend down into the earth to accomplish several things for the plant that extends above the ground.
So lets go back to our text...
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Verse 7 tells us of the next point of our journey, as we walk in Jesus… we are to be rooted Paul says… so lets consider this for a moment.
So lets do a little experiment....
Pretend with me that you are a good ole oak tree for a few moments. You are standing upright and strong because you have sent your roots down into the earth.
And it is those roots that give you all your nutrients, they sustain you, refresh you no matter the conditions above ground, hot or cold, calm or storms blowing fiercly… the roots are what God has given you to hold you safely each day.
So the call from the apostle Paul is for you to be rooted and built up.
The word “rooted” means to be established, and fixed in the ground. you are called to lay a sure foundation for the days ahead, but remember your source, our foundation is built upon the great work of Jesus and the apostles. They began the word and we continue it in Him… not ourself.
says
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
So let me ask you to consider what Jesus spoke to in the parable of the sower, remember some of those plants, the roots were unable to take hold and as such they did not last, they would die quickly.
So let me ask you to consider what Jesus spoke to in the parable of the sower, remember some of those plants, the roots were unable to take hold and as such they did not last, they would die quickly.
Listen to Matthew chapter 13, verse 6.
6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.
So let me ask you to consider what Jesus spoke to in the parable of the sower, remember some of those plants, the roots were unable to take hold and as such they did not last, they would die quickly.
Roots were important.... but what of the others
The one whose roots took hold, they flourished completely.
8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
There is nothing more important than you to be rooted in your faith.
Now how can you be rooted:
I want to invite you to spend time praying… praying is hard, we are fearful we don’t have the right formula or know what to say.. speak your heart in front of your heavenly Father
1. I want to invite you to spend time praying… praying is hard, we are fearful we don’t have the right formula or know what to say.. speak your heart in front of your heavenly Father
Remember when we have difficultly praying, the Holy Spirit will pray for us, sharing what is inside of us that we cannot get out…
Pray
2. I want to invite you to read and study the word of God. The Bible is the complete source of all that we need in this life, it is our instruction book.
The Bible has the joy of telling us everything we need right here and right now about our heavenly Father. The creator, sustainer and yes Savior of the world.
The bible will also tell you how to live through this journey of life. It speaks to every and all situations. pay attention to it.
3. Journal it… I am not asking you to keep a diary… no. But as you spend each day in prayer, as you spend each day writing down what God says to you as you in prayer, in Bible study and in our worship services.
Writing it down allows us to find the joy of going back and looking over what God is saying to us, it helps us not only remember but gives us time to reflect and think
3.
4. Never let the word of God depart from you.... The word of God is so important, it cannot leave us. Think of , God is encouraging Joshua as they prepare to enter the promised land. but God also reminds him of what must take place…
6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Man, verse 8 says it all. The Word of God cannot depart form your mouth, why? it is the source of all life, the truth of God himself and it must be upon our mind and heart all the time.
My friends these 4 steps will bless us as we seek to be rooted in the Lord in every area of our life..
Now, lets move on...
Now carry what Paul says a step further, he says not only rooted, but we must be built up as well.
The Greek here has the overwhelming push to build something , but to build it upon what has already been laid… as I said further, we do not build upon us and our works, but upon Jesus.
;20 says
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
Why has Paul stressed these to points, that we are first to be rooted and then built up?
You can only live and find the life Jesus has prepared for you if you remain in Him. Like , if you abide in Him and he in You, then you will bear much fruit,
There you are established and sure in your faith.
So let me ask you.. are you growing in your faith day by day that you are sending your roots into the ground, and then growing externally and flourishing like a huge, beautiful oak tree.
That is the challenge set before you....
Now lets wrap all this up… where does it end and have its purpose here.
Here is my last thought for you today...
3. Hold Fast to What you were Taught and Abound in Thanksgiving
3. Hold Fast to What you were Taught and Abound in Thanksgiving
If there are two things we can wrap all of what we have considered this morning I would tell you this …
Remember always that you were taught. and be thankful in all things.
Go back to our text one more time...
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
For the church at Colossae, Paul wants to remind them that (Ef a Friz) Epaphras, has faithfully conveyed the word of truth to them.
You see he is the pastor of the church, in fact we know that he was a disciple of Paul, from the time when Paul was ministering and working in Ephesus.
He carries the message of Jesus to the city and plants a church there. And faithfully, Epaphras has taught the truth of Jesus to the people, seeing them come to faith in Christ and teaching them to walk in Jesus.
So Paul tells them, you cannot forget the truth that was taught to you. What you have believed, what has lead to your established and firm foundation. do not depart from it.
3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
;
What you have learned, hold fast to it , never loose sight to those valuable truths.
But don't forget as well, be thankful for it all....
Think with me for a moment about God’s gift to your life, how salvation and the other blessings of Jesus have changed you, helped you, literally blessed you.
Isn't it wonderful....
Be thankful for it.
So think about this my friends,
What can you tell the Lord right now you are thankful for?
I am so incredibly thankful for my salvation and the calling God has placed in my life. How wonderful… and to think God would use me. How wonderful my friends..
And then consider the other things of life, family, friends, jobs, and so forth… Are you thankful for all of this?
Then stop and say thank you Lord for all your blessings!
But also teaching them to give thanks to God for every aspect of life.
1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Can you do this today and in all things?
Let me stop and ask you a question right now, if you are struggling to be thankful, what is happening to hurts you that much and how will move past it.
Start by asking God to help you lay it down and find His peace.
And if you are thankful, express that to Him right now, let your mouth confess what is in your heart.
One more time.. remember your commitment in Christ, Be rooted and built up in him, always abounding in thanksgiving.
lets pray
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
10 And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’ ”
12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, 13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, 15 until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
16 And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses! 18 Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”
6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”
10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.