INTRODUCTION
• Expectations. Life is full of them
• As we live our lives, we come to church and when we come to church we hear a lot about walking the walk, or making sure that our walk matches our talk.
• What do we mean when we say this?
• We are saying that since we who have been immersed into Christ have made a commitment to Jesus that we should take care to make sure that the way we live our lives reflects the commitment we made to Jesus when we voluntarily gave our lives to Him.
• To walk in Him means we live our lives in such a way that we regulate our conduct in accordance with what Jesus wants us to do. It is about daily conduct and attitudes. It is living in harmony with Jesus!
• That sounds really reasonable does it?
• O.K. let us all go out and do that right now!
• Why do we have so much trouble as we try to live for Jesus? Do you find it a struggle to live up to the commitment you made to Jesus when you gave your life to Him?
• SLIDE #1
• Today I hope I can help you to understand what we must do in order to be able to have a “Walk That Matches The Talk.”
• One of the things I believe we fail to recognize when it comes to living for Jesus is the fact that it involves a process.
• There is a process by which we learn to live for Jesus as we grow in Him. If we try to skip parts of the process, we will have a very difficult time living the kind of life that we want and that God wants for us to enjoy.
• Today we are going to be in Colossians 2:6-7 as we look at how we can have a “Walk That Matches The Talk.”
• SLIDE #2
• READ Colossians 2:6-7
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
A walk that matches the talk begins with:
I. BEING ROOTED IN CHRIST
• Paul uses several metaphors in these two short verses to try to convey what God wants from us. We have spoken about the word “walk” already.
• The second metaphor that is used is that of being rooted like a plant. (USE A PLANT IF POSSIBLE)
• The word “rooted” is an agricultural term. It is also used in such a way as to tell us that the “rooting” a present state from a past action.
• This rooting takes place when we give our lives to Christ.
• We are to be rooted in Christ. Just as plants draw nourishment from the soil through their roots, so the believers should draw life-giving strength from Christ.
• This plant will die unless it has something in which its roots can dig into and draw nourishment and stability from.
• There are too many of us that are trying to live like we are not rooted, or we are rooted but we refuse the nourishment Christ offers us.
• In the parable of the sower Jesus talks about spreading the seeds of the gospel to people and He said that some of them would fall away from the word when times got tough because they had no root.
• SLIDE #4
• Matthew 13:5 - 6 (NASB) 5“Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6“But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
• Being rooted in Jesus means that we are allowing our root system to grow deep into Christ. We are connected to Jesus and we are drawing constant nourishment from Him.
• Our live is derived from inward contact with Jesus. The foundation of our character is build from our relationship with Him.
• One of the reasons we struggle so much with living for Jesus is the fact that we do not allow ourselves to be rooted in Him.
• How long do you think this plant will live without being rooted into the ground?
• If you want to successfully live for Jesus, then make sure you are feeding on the Word of God and that you are surrounding yourself with His Word though books, and other media.
• SLIDE #5
A walk that matches the talk progresses to:
II. BEING BUILT UP IN CHRIST
• Once we are rooted in Christ we then move to being built up.
• The word translated “built up” is an architectural term that speaks of the process of putting up a building.
• The building up is a continual process, we are to never stop being built up in Christ.
• We have to resist the temptation of thinking that once we are rotted in Christ when we are immersed into Him that we will just grow because of time.
• Being built up is what the Christian life is about. When we come to Christ, we are like a building that needed to be demolished. Once the old building is demolished, it is time to be built up in Him and by Him.
• One of the reasons we struggle with living for Him is the fact that we are once again not being built up in Him. Many of us are empty lots of rubble. Some of us try to take the rubble of our old life and try to build ourselves up with the old material by doing the same things, going to the same places, feeding our minds with the same material, and spending time with the same people.
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that we are a new creation in Christ.
• SLIDE #6
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB) 17Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
• As we walk in Christ, we are in the process of being built up to be like Christ.
• SLIDE #7
• Ephesians 2:20 (NASB) 20having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
• Once again, the way we are built up is by spending time in God’s Word, by spending time in prayer.
• Sometimes I feel like a broken record, but I cannot overstate the importance that God’s Word plays in your life.
• SLIDE #8
• Acts 20:32 (NASB) 32“And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
• SLIDE #9
• We are being built up for a purpose.
• 1 Peter 2:5 (NASB) 5you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
• SLIDE #10
A walk that matches the talk progresses to:
III. HAVING AN ESTABLISHED FAITH IN CHRIST
• We move from an agricultural term (rooted) to an architectural term (built up) to a legal term (established).
• The term “established” is a legal term that deals with the guarantee of a contract. If you have a contract, you can be sure that you will receive with it stated in the contract.
• I reserved some rooms for our State tournament in Pekin. I did this a few months ago and I had a contract from the hotel stating our agreement.
• I had a parent call me the other day a bit frazzled because she was told she could not get a room. I called to motel and told them I had a contract, so they honored their commitment to me.
• As we are being built up in Christ, we start to realize that God actually delivers on His promises, both positive and negative.
• If our faith is weak, we will never be able to withstand the difficulties in life because we will not trust God.
• SLIDE #11
• James 1:5 - 8 (NASB) 5But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
• SLIDE #12
• 2 Corinthians 1:21 - 22 (GWT) 21God establishes us, together with you, in a relationship with Christ. He has also anointed us. 22In addition, he has put his seal of ownership on us and has given us the Spirit as his guarantee.
• Being established is a process. We must continually strengthen our faith so that we can have FULL trust in God. God promises eternal life with Him for those who are His and faithful until death!
• SLIDE #13
A walk that matches the talk ends up:
IV. LIVING WITH AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE TOWARD CHRIST
• Overflowing with gratitude is the appropriate response to being rooted, built, and established in Christ.
• When we are truly grateful to someone, being with them, working for them and with them is not a burden.
• I get such a charge out of seeing people who love Jesus so much, who appreciate their salvation so much that you when you see them serve God, you can see the joy at which they serve.
• Gratitude is a continual active response to what God has done for us.
• SLIDE #14
• Hebrews 13:15 (GWT) 15Through Jesus we should always bring God a sacrifice of praise, that is, words that acknowledge him.
• John MacArthur Jr states the following concerning gratitude:
• Praise completes the circle in which the blessings that flow to us from God return to Him in the form of our praise and adoration. By taking in the truth of the Word, believers get a strong mind. By living out those truths, they receive full assurance that Christ is who He claimed to be. Assured of that, they can appropriate the riches that are His legacy to believers, and walk in Him. As they walk in Him, they will grow in Him and become established in their faith. As a result, they will give praise to God.
CONCLUSION
• You can have the life that God wants you to have. You can have the life in Christ you desire to have also.
• You will not grow and mature be accident; it takes time, prayer and allowing God to work in your life.
• Many times we struggle in part because we do not do our part and we do not allow God to do His part.
• Do not cheat yourself out of a wonderfully rewarding life in Christ. Make sure you are rooted in Him, built up in Him. Let that establish your faith and live for Jesus with gratefulness!
