Firmly Rooted in Christ
Col. 2: 6-7
NASV - "Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude."
Introduction:
1. There are people who are rooted in the area of business. Like Brother Ceasar who became the owner of Goodwill Gents Saloon. If you want your hair cut, you go to Goodwill Gents Saloon. Brother Ceasar I will charge you with that commercial.
2. Some were rooted in the area of sports. Like Manny Pacquiao who became the only boxer that to win the eight division world championship.
3. Some were rooted in the area of politics. Pres. Benigno Aquino 3rd could say that he is rooted in Politics. His father was a Former Senator of the Philippines, his mother was a Former President and he is now the President who brought economic changes in the country. Once considered a sick man of Asia, but now a “ Rising Tiger of Asia” in term of economic growth.
4. Some are rooted In the field of medicine. It can be said of doctors of “Oasis Hospital that was established in 1960 by the American missionary couple Drs. Pat and Marian Kennedy.”
5.Some in the area of ministry like Pastor Joel Marquez, who had been here in Al Ain for more than a decade.
My children and my only wife can also say that I am rooted in the ministry for I had been herein the Emirates for 25 years now. I had the privilege of meeting even the pastor who started this church. It was Pastor Elmer Tandayo. I met Bro. Terry Baja the former Chairman of the Board. So probably my family could say that I am rooted in the ministry.
But the question is – Am I rooted in Christ? Or as the Theme states, “ Firmly Rooted in Christ.”
How to be firmly rooted in Christ? “Firmly Rooted In Him.”
Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV) 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
To be firmly rooted in Christ…
l. We must have a Relationship with Him.
v 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, Receiving Christ as Lord of your life is the beginning of life in Christ.
Think for a moment about how you received Christ as your Savior. Someone shared with you (or you read) the story of Christ’s death for your sins and that He rose from the dead. As you heard the message, your heart was illuminated and you asked Jesus to be your Lord. Romans 10:9-10 That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. If you have not done that why don’t you tell Jesus to forgive you of your sin and ask Him to come into your heart. Receive Him as your Savior and Lord. For in Him there is …
a. Salvation
b. Security
c. Spiritual growth.
A. An exhortation concerning the Christian life.
Look first at verse 6. Notice this phrase: “Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”
In other words, Paul is summoning us to live a lifestyle worthy of the Lord. The term “walk” refers to living. It is a metaphor for living life. Paul is saying as you have received Him as Lord, so live in Him, or walk in Him. He is calling believers to live a life which is consistent to what they have professed. If we say that we have received Jesus Christ, then show it by the way we live.
Notice the very words that he uses to describe Jesus, to give us instructions about what it means to live in Him or walk in Him. He calls Him, “Christ Jesus the Lord.” “Christ” the Messiah, the One who has come to save His people. “Jesus” whose very name reminds us that God the Savior has come to rescue His people from sin. As “Lord” which reminds us that Jesus is not merely a good man, He is not merely an example, and He is not merely a Savior; but He is a Savior because He is Lord, He is God, He is the ruler of His people. “As you have received Christ Jesus as Lord” and that is the basic baptismal vow of the early church — Jesus is Lord. “As you have received Him as Lord, so walk in Him.” Live in a way which is consistent with what you first said when you came to Christ.
Illustration: There was a man who hired somebody to record all of the life of Hudson Taylor especially the negative side. The man hired kept on following Hudson Taylor daily to record everything with him and after 3 months this guy became a Christian.
To be like Christ is to be a Christian and to be a Christian is to be like Christ. By William Penn
A person can’t walk aright until Christ has been accepted in the heart. The reception of Christ in the heart precedes holy living … the outer life demonstrates the inner life. The ability to walk right is the result of Christ in the Christian: Rom. 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walks not after the flesh , but after the Spirit. Last part of the verse does not say IF they walk… Receiving Jesus automatically produces a righteous walk.
Bible Scholars who are authorities on Greek tell us that the wording here is used in the topical sense. The ideas set forth are stability and growth, rooted in Jesus- establish, immoveable, stable and growing. Since believers are rooted in Him there is no possibility of eradication of life.
In the introduction I said Manny is rooted.
a. Manny Pacquiao last Dec.8 was uprooted in the area of sports, when he was knocked out cold in the sixth round of the bout against Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico in Las Vegas.
b. Probably you thought that you are significant in the company you are working with. But you were probably uprooted from your company when new Manager came and said your service is no longer needed. The company will no longer renew your visa.
But in Christ there is no possibility of being uprooted.
Our lives in Him will not be eradicated.
In Him we live and have our being.
To destroy the life of a Christian it would be necessary for the devil to destroy Him in whom we are rooted.
Christ is the central figure in the Bible, the author of Christianity. Remove Christ in CHRISTIANITY AND NOTHING WILL BE LEFT. IF A PERSON WANTS TO DESTROY CHRISTIANITY.
A. He can not destroy it by destroying a Pastor.
Illustration: When Pastor Bibiolata was murdered his two sons said, “ They killed our dad two of us will become pastors to replace our dad.”
B. He can not destroy it by destroying the christians. The places where christians are killed are the places where christian churches are flourishing.
The blood of the Martyrs became a testimony for Christ.----- Policarp.
C. Satan thought that through death he destroyed Him. But Christ destroyed him that had the power of death, that is the devil.
Illustration: A man who took time teaching the idiot and during the conference asked him,” Jock, do you have a soul?” He thought it was the best time for him to prove his success in teaching the idiot.
But Jock said, “ No, I don’t have a soul.” Thinking that probably Jock misunderstood him, so he asked again, “ Jock, do you have a soul?” Again Jock said, “ No, I don’t have a soul.” He was so disappointed because after spending most of his time to teach this guy, he did not progress in his spiritual life. Jock continued to explain, “ once I had a soul, but I lost it and Jesus Christ found it. Now my soul is in Him.”
In Him….there is....
a. Salvation
b. Safety
c. Security
In scripture we have 3 basic levels of faith. 1 John 2: 12-14 uses the analogy of physical human development.
a. The first level of development is as children, children “I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father.”
i. Now the Greek word he uses is literally translated “babies.” We begin as an infant in the faith. What is the first thing a child recognizes? His parents.
ii. A brand-new Christian realizes that he is a child of God—and nothing more. Spiritual children do not have the word of God abiding in them strongly—
iii. They know only the basics. Consequently, they can be “blown here and there by every wind of teaching” (Ephesians 4:14).
In John 15 we read, I am the vine you are the branches.
Every believer is connected to the vine. The life of the branch comes from the vine. In Him we have life ( We are saved) Out of Christ we have no life ( we are lost).
Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV) 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
The term rooted indicates a previews transaction, and the statement built up in Him signifies a present condition in the life of the believer.
All the believers are rooted (past tense) but we are to grow in grace to become strong in the Lord.
Illustration:
Billy and Ruth Graham were driving through a long stretch of road construction and encountered numerous slowdowns, detours, and stops along the way. Finally they reached the end of the construction, and smooth pavement stretched out before them. This sign caught Ruth’s attention: "End of construction. Thanks for your patience." She commented that those words would be a fitting inscription on her tombstone someday. As a matter of fact, those words fit all of us as believers, because in this life we are "under construction. When we accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we begin the lifelong process of spiritual growth called sanctification.
Sanctification is a word meaning to become more like Christ.
b. The second level of development is as young adult, teenager or young men. This level is strong in the word of God and understands it but the challenge is in applying it.
c. The last level of spiritual development is as an adult. It’s one thing to know that you belong to the family of God and to know the word of God, but it’s another thing to know God intimately. Spiritual fathers not only know the Bible, but they also deeply know the God who wrote it.
Spiritual growth progresses from knowing you are a Christian to knowing God personally.
No matter where we are: a child in the faith, a teenager or young man or an adult, God calls us to spiritual maturity. Spiritual growth is essential to the life of a christian, just as physical growth is essential to the life of a child. If you are not growing you are dying. God’s command to us is,
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. 2 Peter 3:18
Some Bible commentators believe that Paul uses the mixes of metaphors. Having been rooted is the agricultural metaphor that refers to a tree. Being built up is a structural metaphor that refers to a building. This passage is dealing with our life in Christ. Our life in Christ must grow into maturity. I should say that if there is a metaphor that is found in these 2 verses. It is the metaphor of a tree. A tree that is planted by the Lord is rooted and built up, and become established. But a building will not be rooted and built up. It deteriorates by the passing of time. It becomes weaker and weaker. Unlike the tree that is planted by the Lord it becomes bigger and bigger and stronger and stronger as time passes by. Psalm 1:3
Today, I want to talk to you about the process of growth.
First, SPIRITUAL GROWTH is PLANNED.
A single middle aged man went on a Caribbean cruise. On the first day out he noticed an attractive woman about his age who smiled at him in a friendly way as he passed her on the deck. That night he managed to get seated at the same table with her for dinner. As the conversation developed, he commented that he had seen her on the deck that day and he had appreciated her friendly smile. When she heard, this she smiled and commented, "Well, the reason I smiled was that when I saw you I was immediately struck by your strong resemblance to my third husband." At this he perked up his ears and said, "Oh, how many times have you been married?" She looked down at her plate, smiled demurely, and answered, "Twice." Now that is a woman who has a plan! Spiritual growth is planned and intentional. You must make a choice to grow. To make the long story short, she ended up marrying the guy.
2nd. Spiritual Growth is a process.
Growth is not instant – it’s incremental. We know that children grow through developmental stages. They learn to breathe first. Then they learn to eat, then to walk and finally to talk. No child has ever taken those out of order. They are developmental steps. Likewise, the Christian has certain development steps too. You’ve got to learn to breathe, then eat, then walk and then talk. They always come in a certain order. There are no short cuts to maturity.
Rick Warren writes, “The development of Christ-like character cannot be rushed. Spiritual growth, like physical growth, it takes time. When you try to ripen fruit quickly, it loses its flavor. In America, tomatoes are usually picked unripened so they won’t bruise during shipping to the stores. Then, before they are sold, these green tomatoes are sprayed with CO2 gas to turn them red instantly. Gassed tomatoes are edible, but they are no match to the flavor of a vine-ripened tomato that is allowed to mature slowly.” It takes a lifetime for us to grow to maturity.
In addition, we don’t grow spiritually the same way. 1.Some people grow best by listening. 2.Others grow by reading. 3. Others grow by talking while still others learn by doing. You need to discover how you learn best.
3rd Spiritual Growth is Personal
Since Spiritual Growth is personal- you are responsible for your own spiritual growth.
1. Don’t entrust completely to the church the responsibility for our own spiritual growth.
A. The church must offer the programs, the teaching and ministries which feed people, but do something for your own growth.
2. Don’t completely entrust to church’s leaders the responsibility for our own spiritual growth.
3. The church and the leaders feed you, so that you may grow to feed yourself and others.
4th Spiritual growth is practical.
We grow by developing good habits. One of the goals of this church is to help you develop good spiritual habits. They include among others prayer, personal Bible study, devotions, meditations, attending church services, and tithing. Don’t think that you will grow spiritually without getting involved in spiritual activities.
Our text for today can be summarized in 3 points. In Christ we are:
1.Grounded.
2. Growing- And those who are ground are growing.
3. Grateful- And those who are grounded and growing are grateful christians. Christians who are ungrateful do not appreciate God’s goodness to him.
a.Salvation
b.Security- Nothing can separate us from Him.
c.Spiritual blessings- He blessed us with lots of blessings.
In his commentary on Colossians, William Barclay cites the teaching of Epictetus, who though not a Christian, was a great moral teacher and captures the essence of the intent of this passage. He wrote, “What else can I, a lame old man, do but sing hymns to God? If I were a nightingale, I would be singing as a nightingale; if a swan, as a swan. But as it is, I am a rational being. Therefore I must be singing hymns of praise to God. This is my task; I do it, and will not desert this post…” Epictetus, Discourses 1.16.21)
A Complaining Christian is not a good testimony for Christ.
A grateful Christian is being blessed by God not only spiritually but also materially.
Illustration: In 1978 to 1983 I had the privilege to minister in a poor Baptist Church in Palawan, Philippines. Though the church members were poor, they had a big heart for the minister of God. They supplied my food during my 5 year stay in Palawan. When they had a harvest such as rice, fruits, vegetables, fish and many more, they would send something for me. I was grateful to God that He brought me to that church. Every time that I came home to the parsonage with foods on my dining table and didn’t know where they came from ( When those events happened) I would search who gave the supplies so that I could thank the giver. Believe me, they enjoyed my spirit of gratitude to every provision that encouraged them to supply my needs.( I thank God for my parents who taught me to be thankful for every provision). When I left the church after 5 years of ministry, There were no dried eye seen during the farewell service. Why? Because people love someone who is grateful.
A grateful christian is blessed by God in many ways.
The person who is grounded in Christ and had grown spiritually is always grateful to God in many ways. An Ungrateful christian is a questionable Christian.
"Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude."
As Christians we must not be grateful only but we must be overflowing with gratefulness.
Gratefulness is expected from someone who is firmly rooted in Christ.
I am not claiming originality on this sermon. Some ideas are from Sermon Central. Just read this sermon and learn to make your own.
