Opening illustration: There was once a farmer who went to town to purchase seeds for his farm. As he was returning home one of the squash seeds he had purchased fell from his pocket onto the ground. It happened that within a few feet was another seed of a different type. The place where the two seeds lay was rather fertile, and miraculously they took root. After about a week the squash seed showed signs of growth. The second seed showed none. After two weeks the squash began to sprout leaves. The second seed showed none. After seven weeks the squash began to show fruit. The second seed still showed no progress. Four more weeks came and gone. The squash plant reached the end of its life bearing much fruit in that time, but the other seed finally began to slowly grow. Many years later the squash was all but forgotten, but the other tiny seed, an acorn, had grown into a mighty oak tree. Many people want their faith to be like the squash. They want to experience it all right now … rather than be rooted for life.
Let us turn to Colossians 2 and see what Paul proposes for us to be rooted in Jesus.
Introduction: Churches had taken root in Colosse, Laodicea (4:16), and probably Hierapolis (4:13). Paul had not visited the Lycus Valley when he wrote this epistle (1:4; 2:1), but he had learned of the spread of the gospel there through Epaphras (1:8) and probably others.
The only information available to help us reconstruct the heresy threatening the church comes from indirect allusions and the emphases in this epistle. We conclude that the false teachers were not giving the person and work of Christ proper interpretation or emphasis. They were distorting and minimizing these doctrines. Therefore, Paul’s thrust to the church in Colosse was to remain firmly rooted in Christ.
Three purposes emerge from the contents of this epistle. Paul wanted to express his personal interest in this church, which he had evidently not visited. He wrote to warn the Colossians …
• First, of the danger of returning to their former beliefs and practices.
• Secondly, he also refuted the false teaching that was threatening this congregation. The outstanding Christian doctrine that this letter deals with is Christology.
• Thirdly, Paul's great purpose was to set forth the absolute supremacy and sole sufficiency of Jesus Christ.
The church today desperately needs the message of Colossians. We live in a day when religious toleration is interpreted to mean 'one religion is just as good as another.'
What does being ROOTED in JESUS do?
1. Strengthens our Steadfast Faith in Christ (vs. 1 & 5):
Greek, “the firm (or ‘solid’) foundation.” As “order” expresses the outward aspect of the Church; so “steadfastness” expresses the inner basis on which their Church rested. The Greek literally implies not an abstract quality, but the thing in the concrete; thus their “faith” here is the solid thing which constituted the basis of their Church.
Our faith is Christ is not a leap in the dark as philosophers like to claim in their own ignorance. Our faith is firmly rooted and built securely upon the truth of Jesus Christ and His promises. As we walk in Him, the bonds of faith continue to increase and strengthen so that we remain firm even when we encounter the trials that test our faith that James 1:2-4 tells us will come. In fact, that same passage tells us that such testing will result in even greater maturity for the one that walks in Christ.
The analogy Jesus gives at the end of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:24-27 explaining the difference between the wise man and the foolish man give us additional insight into God’s establishing us in faith. The contrast in the analogy is between a house built on the sand of hearing, but ignoring Jesus’ words, and a house built on the rock of hearing and heeding Jesus’ words. The storms of life come against both houses, but the house on the rock remains firm while the house on the sand collapses. The only difference presented in the two houses is the foundation.
The life lived apart from Christ collapses because the storms of life undermine it. They also have faith in the things they believe, but the difficulties of life prove what they believe is false resulting in either desperation or despondency. A life lived based on following Jesus is tested but remains standing because the foundation is solid. Every test of our faith increases our confidence that what Jesus said is true and that He keeps His promises. Those who walk in Christ are strengthened in their faith.
2. Assists our Walk in Christ (vs. 2 & 6):
Paul uses the metaphor in an instructive and encouraging manner in many places too. In Romans 6:4 he describes our identification with Jesus in baptism and that "we also should walk in newness of life." In 2 Corinthians 5:7 he calls on believers to "walk by faith, not by sight," and in Galatians 5:25 to "walk by the Spirit." Paul calls on believers to "walk in a manner worthy" of the Lord, of God, and of their calling (Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; Ephesians 4:4). In Ephesians 5:2 he commands us to "walk in love, just as Christ also loved you."
In Ephesians 2:10 he explains the practical result of being saved by grace, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Then in Philippians 3:17 he instructs, "Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us." 1 Thessalonians 4:1 he exhorts them to "walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you may excel still more."
Because we have received Christ, we are to live in a manner that reflects the reality that Jesus is our Lord. Our actions, attitudes and motivations should be guided by the Spirit of God who indwells us so that people should be able to see Jesus living through us. Walking in Christ is the practical expression of being crucified with Christ and no longer living for yourself but Christ living through you (Galatians 2:20). It is not something that occurs instantly as much as we might like that, but something that begins at a point in time and improves the longer we do it. Walking in Christ is the result of being transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we are living and holy sacrifices acceptable to God (Romans 12:1-2). Walking in Christ is the logical and normal result of believing Jesus is the Messiah and receiving Him as your Lord and savior.
3. Builds us up in Godly Wisdom & Knowledge (vs. 3 & 7):
It is common to compare anything valuable with “treasures” of silver or gold. The idea here is that in reference to the wisdom and knowledge needful for us, Christ is what abundant treasures are in reference to the supply of our wants. The knowledge which is requisite to guide us in the way to life. Christ is able to instruct us in all that it is desirable for us to know, so that it is not necessary for us to apply to philosophy, or to the teachings of human beings. Thinking that the source of true spiritual wisdom is somewhere other than in Christ can produce terrible disorder in the Christian life. "Knowledge" is genuine understanding, and "wisdom" is genuine truth (cf. 1:9).
The treasures relate particularly to wisdom and knowledge. The appears in the Greek text before treasures, before wisdom, and before knowledge, which indicates that Paul means the sum total of all the treasures that exist, the sum total of all the wisdom that exists, and the sum total of all the knowledge that exists. The fact that all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ implies that there are no hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge found anywhere else. This statement directly contradicts the thinking and teaching of the Gnostics in Colosse and implies that one may attain wisdom and knowledge only by seeking them in Christ rather than in Gnosticism. One wonders why even today people keep looking at false philosophies, false teachings, and false revelations for wisdom and knowledge, almost anywhere other than in Christ where all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.
Christ is referred to as the wisdom of God in I Corinthians 1:23-24 “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Christ is the personification of wisdom.”
4. Alerts and Guards us from Deception (vs. 4 & 8):
The reason why Paul told the believers at Colosse and Laodicea that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ and nowhere else is because, as Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message, he didn’t ‘want anyone leading (them) off on some wild-goose chase, after other so-called mysteries, or “the Secret”. They must not allow themselves to be deceived.
Sin entered into the world after Eve allowed herself to be deceived (see Gen. 3). Had she checked Satan’s words against the word given by God (Genesis 2:16-17) and held to that, then she would not have succumbed to temptation. If all Christians were to examine carefully what they read in books or hear – even from pulpits – and check it against the infallible Scriptures, then error would have little freedom to circulate.
Those who taught these dangerous things among the Colossian Christians were very persuasive. The lure of “hidden” and “deep” wisdom and knowledge can be both strong and deceptive. Paul did not say that they had already been deceived, but he clearly saw the danger and warned them about it. It might sound simple, but deceivers are deceivers. They won’t announce their false doctrine as false doctrine, and it will often be similar enough to the truth to be dangerous.
Illustration:
(i) A horrific reminder of our inability to discern truth is the German church in the 1930's. Christians followed Hitler because he quoted the Bible and talked about Jesus eventually leading the Nazis to kill millions of Jews because their forefathers killed Jesus. When I think about the maturity of a congregation, I ask myself whether the people would be able to detect someone who knows how to use the religious language but is really an enemy of the gospel of Christ.
(ii) Here are just a few of the popular beliefs in our current culture that threaten to infiltrate the church:
a) Universalism - the belief that all people will be saved or that all ways lead to God and eternal life.
b) The Prosperity Gospel - the belief that God's primary concern is for believers to be healthy and wealthy.
c) The New Age Movement - a belief system of Eastern influence that emphasizes universal tolerance and doing what feels good.
d) Legalism - the improper use of the law described in Scripture to try to attain or maintain salvation.
e) Hyper-grace - the overreaction to legalism, resulting in abuse of God's grace. Believers find themselves drawn to the modern hyper-grace movement because they are looking for freedom not just from legalism, but also from God's standards.
f) The Emerging Church - a movement that claims to be Christian but employs culturally sensitive methods to make the gospel more palatable to a postmodern culture.
5. Makes us Complete (only in) Christ (vs. 9 & 10):
There means that there is nothing lacking, and you do not need to be seeking anything else in addition to what you already have in Christ. There is no second blessing you should be seeking. However, you should be growing and maturing in your Christian lives through the study of the Scriptures and their application to your life.
In him is in the Lord Jesus Christ and means within the person of the Lord Jesus. The fact that believers are complete in Christ indicates that there is no additional blessing to be found anywhere other than what they have already found in connection with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Believers look forward to the redemption of the body, which is also their glorification, when their old sin natures will be forever removed and they will be made perfectly Christ-like. The redemption of the body or the glorification of believers is guaranteed and automatic for every saved person, and this will take place as a result of their integral connection to Christ.
The fact that believers are in a state of being complete in Christ indicates that there is nothing of a higher spiritual blessing to be found anywhere else including, but not limited to, this false Gnostic philosophy found in Colosse.
Closing illustration: The Japanese introduced a tree to the world that is called a Bonsai tree. It is measured in inches instead of feet as other trees are measured. It is not allowed to reach anywhere near its full growth potential but instead grows in a stunted miniature form. The reason for it growing in stunted form is that when it first stuck its head out of the ground as a sapling, the owner pulled it out of the soil and tied off its main tap root and some of its branch feeder roots and then replanted it. By doing this, its grower deliberately stunted its growth by limiting the roots ability to spread out and grow deep and take in enough of the soils nutrients for a normal growth. What was done to the Bonsai tree by its owner is what Satan has purposed to do to the believer, if he can. He is going to try to tie off our tap root of prayer. He wants to limit our receiving in prayer what God supplies for our spiritual growth.
