Colossians 2:4-7
"Now this I say lest anyone should decieve you with persuasive words. For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As you therefore have recieved Christ Jesus The Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught abounding in it with thanksgiving"
Vs 4-6 –
Paul says that he is rejoicing with us in spirit about our good discipline and faith in Christ. Looking at your life today are you at that place in your life where Paul is up in heaven with Christ, with the Saints rejoicing over you discipline and stability?
What Paul is talking about here is your spiritual progress. You either go forward or gradually slip backward. As a Christian if your not making spiritual progress we are an open target for the enemy.
Why do we need progress>
1. Satan is deceptive – he wants to lead believers astray he does so by using deceptive words.
John 8:44 tells us that ‘satan is a liar’
What are a few examples of the words Satan is using in your life, or in your families lives to keep you from spiritual progress?
(example: I am tired this morning I don’t want to go to church, I don’t feel like going to Sunday School, I don’t like youth group, I feel bad, This is my only day off, I have laundry piles I don’t have time to study or read the word, I cant commit to that bible study right now I just have too much going on)
By Satans lies, he leads believers into the wrong path, we have to exercise spiritual discernment and continually push ourselves into the word, so that we are able to grow in our knowledge of spiritual truth.
In verse 6, Paul uses the word ‘THEREFORE” this word is reiterating that they, the Colossians, are already saved. If you are not a born again believer, this is not applicable to you.
“SO WALK IN HIM” the word “, walk” is a continuous moving action, He is referring to your daily conduct, he is saying continue to believe the truth about Christ. If you don’t know The Truth, how can you apply it in your daily lives? That’s why studying, being taught or receiving the truth is essential. Scripture doesnt say, Now you have recieved in Him sit in Him, standstill in Him...
To walk in him, is to live in union with Him, to maintain a lifestyle patterned after His.
Apostle John writes in 1 John 2:6 “ the one who says abides in Him, oughtt himself to walk in the Same manner as He walked”
---do you find yourself doing this today? In your
Relationships are you patterning yourself as Christ would?
WWJD- ‘ What would Jesus do” became a common phrase used
A lot of people had the bracelets, and then it was almost like a
Trend, it died off.. the trend itself, of the bracelet migh have faded - but that is exactly what Paul and John are
Saying, in every situation we encounter we should think to
Ourselves, what would Jesus do?
Verse 7- ‘HAVING BEEN FIRMLY ROOTED’ having been, this is a completed action, built up established in continued growth. Our rooting came at salvation our roots are planted in Christ, we draw our nourishment from Him. Your roots have to continue to grow so that our plant bearing fruit.
Think of it as a plant, upon salvation, our seed is planted in God, through and on Jesus Christ. This plant has to have all the essential elements, food water sunlight in order to grow. In the growth cycle its not just the plant above the ground that grows, the roots continue to grow and become more stable. As this seeding grows it sprouts before it grown bigger and bigger and able to produce and bear fruit, it requires constant care constant work in order for this to happen. That is where Paul is saying being built up..working toward this growth for stability.
So here you are planted a seed and the into a sprout, how are you going to hold up in the big storm they are predicting? Your roots are shallow, its going to be a bad one…..
‘BEING BUILT UP’ or established in,
Read 2 Peter 1:5-9
Lets look at the characteristics of our growing or stability:
1. Moral excellence
2. Knowledge
3. Self control
4. Perserverance
5. Godliness
6. Brotherly love
7. Kindness
All of these qualities should be ever increasing,growing as we ‘ the plant’ grown. Our lives are in the building process so we can be fruitful for the kingdom and strong for the Body of Christ.
So Paul is saying, you have been saved, you are estabilished in our faith and growing in Christ, in obiediance to how we have been told.. we are to be greatful more than greatful we are to be overflowing.
--- your pouring a glass full of water once it is ‘full’ it begins to pour over, spill out, overflow – we are suppose to be this way grateful for what The Lord has done for us. So often we find ourselves living in the negative aspects of our lives, what is all going wrong, what all we need to do and that becomes our focus. There is not one single born again person that doesn’t have something to be greatful for. If nothing else, that this situation in our life is temporary and is not going to last forever, that even though you don’t deserve your forgiven.
From verses 6-7, Lets look at it not only from the standpoint of ourselves, but our those around us as well.
Think about a new born baby, everybody is so excited and celebrating, they have showers and are just so happy for this beautiful miracle, this birth, and its life changing and its so wonderful to have that baby and watch it grow, everybody comes and visit offers all elements of advice.
What if that baby isn’t growing like it should, maybe not eating well, sickness.. again it brings that family together and you all try to do anything in your power to help that baby grow.
Being born again in Christ, it’s a new birth we see others coming to Christ and are just overjoyed and celebrating for them…but them what? What if that new Christian isn’t growing? What do we do?
Usually, nothing. Sit by and allow them to be where they are.
Jesus made the illustration about the farmer throwing out seeds,
1st – the seeds were thrown on the road
2nd the seeds were thrown in stones
3rd they were thrown in the thorns
4th they were thrown into good soil
Those first seeds thrown out in the road, just blew around, the second in the stones had really shallow roots, the 3rd thrown in the thorns they were choked out because they had no nourishment
And the fourth in the soil, they were able to flourish. In those first three, we had a root problem, these seeds weren’t able to get enough nourishment.
We have to have deep roots to withhold storms in our lives.
If we as Christians have a ‘root problem’ we need to work on some rebuilding.
Upon salvation our old foundation is ripped away, and Jesus becomes our new foundation, a clean slate, what we are going to build on.
1) We have to rebuild our minds:
Romans 12:2 tells us not to be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good acceptable and perfect”
IF we are building on things of the world, its not going to work! We have to place our focus on what God has in store to avoid collapse in our life.
2) We need to rebuild our attitude
Phillipians 2:5 “ Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Jesus Christ”
-Jesus was humble. He could have done anything and it would be yet, he came as one of us was crucified, stoned, and buried yet he humbled himself. HE reached out to people.
We have got to be humble put aside our pride and arrogance.
3) Rebuild our actions:
1 Peter 2:12 “Keep your behavior excellent amoung the gentiles so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation”
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