Rooted in Christ-Vogel

Colossians 2:6–7 “Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and being built up in Him, and having been established in your faith—just as you were instructed—and abounding with thanksgiving.”

This morning we sang a belief that Christians have:

That our lives are in the hand of God.

That He holds our every moment.

That He iis our solid Rock in times of instability and chaos.

That He calls us His child.

But that is only true if we have asked Him to take our lives.

If we turn away from our sins to walk according to His ways.

If we willingly surrender control of our lives to Him.

I pray that you have done that.

If not, I would love to pray with you to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior before we leave this place.

But if you HAVE, as our text says, “received Christ,” are you walking in relationship with Him?

I pray He is more than an “accessory” to your life — that He is rather your be all, end all.

I don’t know what your experience was, but when I came to Jesus 52 years ago, He absolutely changed my life!

What an impact He has had!

So Walk

I am here this morning because:

Someone shared Jesus with me.

So, let us be witnesses for Jesus

Be willing to share. If someone shared with us, shouldn’t we share with others?

I experienced the powerful love of Jesus.

Romans 5:8 (LSB) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

I was in desperate need of a Savior and against all reason Jesus died for me — He died for you.

Having experienced that love — we extend love to others.

1 John 4:19 (LSB) We love, because He first loved us.

I have experienced the salvation of Jesus because I was willing to humble myself.

I had to come to a place where I was willing to acknowwledge to myself and others: “I am NOT God.”

God is calling me — us — to continue to walk in Humility — that we would stay humble towards God and others.

That we would put others above ourselves.

Philippians 2:3–5 (LSB) doing nothing from selfish ambition or vain glory, but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourselves, 4 not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this way of thinking in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

Grace - showing grace

Faith - walk, believing that God WILL do what He said He will do

In the Power of the Holy Spirit manifesting the FRUIT of the Spirit listed in

that says: Gal 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Surrender — our initial surrender must turn into a LIFE of surrender to the plans, purposes and will of God.

Holiness — Jesus calls us to turn our back on the ways of this world and to walk closer and closer to Him in holiness

We must walk as says:

Col 2:7 “having been firmly rooted and being built up in Him, and having been established in your faith—just as you were instructed—and abounding with thanksgiving.”

So let us be firmly rooted in Him

Firmly rooted in His Love, His Grace, in the Holy Spirit, in holiness

Allowing nothing to shake us loose from our relationship with Him..

Let the winds blow, the rains beat against us, the lightning strike, the earth quake, the fires burn — none of this matters as we hold FIRMLY to Him, IN Him.

Let us be built up in Him.

Having our foundation on Him and not shifting sand.

Jesus said in: Matthew 7:24–27 (LSB) “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 “And the rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew and fell against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 “And everyone hearing these words of Mine and not doing them, may be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

Firm in the faith we have been taught by the Word:

Faith like a mustard seed that grows into a huge tree.

Faith like the Kingdom of God in us that Jesus talked about in:

Mark 4:31–32 (LSB) “It [the Kingdom or our faith] is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smallest of all the seeds that are upon the soil, 32 yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes largest of all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR can NEST UNDER ITS SHADE.”

Finally, let us walk in the way we received Jesus:

In joy and thanksgiving.