Colossians 2:6-15 A Real Walkabout – Walking daily revealing Christ is Preeminent in your life (2)

Walkabout refers to a rite of passage during which male Australian Aborigines would undergo a journey during adolescence and live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months.

In this practice they would trace the paths, or "songlines", that their ancestors took, and imitate, in a fashion, their heroic deeds.

And sometimes in the midst of life, these Aborigines would take a break from life for a walkabout to reroot themselves.

A commercial for Australian tourism.

Kind of a powerful message. Life gets so full and stressful. Relationships get a drift. Life goes in circles. Then a call to a walkabout ‘ a journey to retrace who you are. To live heroic deeds. To gain perspective. To find a foundation that impacts life.

The commercial says do it by vacationing in Australia.

Paul would have a slightly different slant. He would not encourage us to vacation and be refreshed. Or to visit Australia.

He would encourage us to find our walkabout or refreshment in the midst of life itself. He would say begin your walkabout in Christ. Here we find a connection to who we are.

Then he would say walkabout daily in a way that reveals who you truly are in Christ.

Walkabout daily with proper perspective in Christ.

Walkabout daily in a Christ-centered foundation that impacts your living.

Live a walkabout in Christ. Then walkabout in a manner that reveals Christ is preeminent in your life.

Let’s explore Colossians 2:6-7 A Real Walkabout – Walking daily revealing Christ is Preeminent in your life

I. A real walkabout: Walking in Christ

A. A faith response to Christ

((ESV) Colossians 2 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. A life process – walk – day to day – a marathon – a journey

2. Faith based - Christ empowered - Responsive

3. Expectation of change

B. Rootedin Him

((ESV) Colossians 2 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. Like a tree

1,000 yr old skeleton in roots of a blown down tree

Massive old oaks in England – rooted deeply – Pando (aspen tree clone – 108 acres – colony 1,000 yrs old. Indiv die, but body continues

Foundation / Stable

2. Drawing nourishment (Ps 1)

C. Builtup in Him

((ESV) Colossians 2 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. Built like a building upon Him

2. Building life upon Him – thousands of little pieces

House in Death Valley made of bottles. Shipping containers, Pallets, Tires (earthships), earth, strawbales

3. Depending upon him (vine and branches)

4. Obeying / investing time, energy in Him

5. Everything not built upon Him is loss (1 Cor 3:10-15)

D. Unwaveringin Him

((ESV) Colossians 2 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. Established – legal term – legally valid and assured / authenticated

Guarantee of its validity – signature at auction / painting

2. Living out what you have been taught with assurance that it is valid

3. Growing in confidence / faith

E. Deep satisfaction in Him

((ESV) Colossians 2 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. Appreciate what you have keeps you from desiring something else

2. Live overflowing with gratitude - what you have been given / not what you might not have

II. A real walkabout: Contrast to false philosophies of life

A. Humanconcepts

((ESV) Colossians 2 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.

1. Don’t replace Christ with a human system – even one that has some basis in truth

Don’t be hauled off as a captive slave

Philosophy Humanism is just another system

2. Self / some sense of self oriented love

3. Its false knowledge / a trick

4. Systems enslave / Systems are empty

B. Compared to Christ who is the fullness of God

((ESV) Colossians 2 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.

1. No longer talking about human stuff

Focus is in the right place

2. In Him one finds full truth revealed

In Him one finds a relationship with the true God

3. In Him one is truly filled

In Him we find the true guide / the true authority / the one to truly obey

III. A real walkabout: A transformed foundation

A. Diedto the old ways

((ESV) Colossians 2 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.

1. Died to the old life, the old ways, the old punishment

No more real power over you – only an assumed power

2. Given a new, different life

Why would we not celebrate it in baptism – here is the picture – so associated with salvation that it is used as a salvation symbol

B. Made aliveto walk in Him

((ESV) Colossians 2 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him,

1. Made alive

Exist in a new way – in Him

2. Is energized in a brand new way

C. The debt of sin cancelled

((ESV) Colossians 2 13 … 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.

1. Forgiven

Debt cancelled - blotted out – erased – marked with an x to cancel a debt

2. Set aside the judgment on us – carried it away

Paid on the cross – nailed to the cross – can’t be retrieved for other payment

D. The old mastersdefeated

((ESV) Colossians 2 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

1. No longer can harm us - disarmed

Cannot stand openly against us – publically shown to be powerless

2. Reverses the public shame of the cross by the cross

The victory over them has been achieved - full triumph – lead in victory parade – it is all over

Walkabout with Christ – make Him preeminent