Rooted In Faith

SERMONWEEK 2

Rooted: Back To Church: Week 2

Rooted In Faith

Scripture: Colossians 2:6-7 // John 15:5-8 // Hebrews 10:24-25

PRAYER

Colossians 2:6–8 (NLT) And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. 8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.

For the past few weeks I have been emphasizing what this scripture reveals to us:

That we need to be rooted in Christ

Our lives built on Him as a foundation

Following Jesus

Being thankful and full of joy.

Looking at verse 8 realizing the dangers of:

The “empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world…”

If these deceptions were around in the first Century, there are even more of them in the 21st Century.

And if we are NOT rooted in and founded upon Jesus, we can easily be deceived.

I really like how Eugene Peterson’s Bible translation says it:

Colossians 2:6–10 (MSG) My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live Him. 7 You’re deeply rooted in Him. You’re well constructed upon Him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving. 8 Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that’s not the way of Christ. 9 Everything of God gets expressed in [Jesus] , so you can see and hear Him clearly. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without Him. 10 When you come to Him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.

The Message really emphasizes “living in Jesus.”

He says: “School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it!”

And we have so many opportunities to live out our faith in Jesus.

On this Missions Sunday, I thank you for your generosity towards seeing the Gospel go to the whole world and ask you to begin thinking and praying about what you can do to increase your support of missions in 2024.

On November 4 we will have a missions emphasis service followed by a fellowship.

During that service we will ask you to consider filling out a Faith Pledge card that tells what God is putting in your heart to do for missions in 2024.

Think about what you can do as you read Hassana and Saratou’s stories in Worldview.

If their stories don’t bring tears to your eyes, you need to ask God to thaw your heart.

How can we look at our own children, running, playing, laughing, dribbling food and drink every where and NOT think about all those things being denied to children like those we read about in Africa?

How can our hearts not be broken with the things that break the heart of God?

How can we not give?

How can we not “live Jesus” beyond the borders of our country?

Like Abraham of old have we not been blessed to BE a blessing?

As I prayed this morning, let us “store up riches in heaven.”

So many opportunities to live out our faith in Jesus.

A faith that says that all human life — even life in the womb is precious.

I don’t think anyone with a child.

Anyone that has seen and especially held Violet, can or would want to imagine a world without these precious children.

And yet millions of pregnant women are being deceived by people and the devil to abort their child.

TODAY you can live Jesus by being a part of Life Chain.

From 2-3 PM go to the Park & Ride beside McDonald’s, sign in, pick up a sign, and then stand beside Hwy. 515 and pray.

Pray specifically for people as they go by.

Pray that they will believe that life is precious — that they will stand up for life.

Pray specifically for kids that drive by, staring at you and wondering what you are doing — that they grow up believing life, the life of the unborn, is precious. That they will NOT become part of the abortion industry.

Pray specifically for child-bearing-age women who drive by.

Pray specifically for young men who drive by.

Pray specifically for our incredibly dysfunctional law-making group called Congress.

So GO to the Life Chain today.

Live out your faith in Jesus.

Live out your faith by volunteering at Stonehenge.

We have been invited to tell people about Jesus.

Rooted in Jesus

We do all this because we have faith in Jesus.

A faith that has been tested and tried.

Like the people prophesied in:

Zechariah 13:9 (LSB) “And I will bring the third part through the fire And refine them as silver is refined And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ And they will say, ‘Yahweh is my God.’”

Those tests have caused us to put our roots down deep in Jesus.

The Apostle Paul wrote to BELIEVERS in Colosse.

He was writing to those who had repented, turned their back on sin.

He was writing to those who had made the decision to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ as their Lord.

I know not everyone in the room or viewing this video call themselves Christ followers.

To make Jesus our Lord simply means we follow His teachings and let Him reign in our day-to-day lives.

How we treat our spouses is no longer dictated by feelings; it is dictated by Jesus.

How we spend our free time is no longer subject to what we want, but it is determined by what Jesus wants for us.

How we live our lives is surrendered to Jesus.

Paul believed accepting Jesus as Lord was the most important decision someone could make.

It is the centerpiece of New Testament writing because it is the key to living a full life in Christ.

Making Jesus your Lord is a decision you make in your heart that plays out in every aspect of life.

Faith is the proper response to an awareness of the sin, mistakes, and brokenness in your life.

Paul instructed the people in the early church of Colossae to double down on their decision to love Jesus and submit to His leadership in their lives.

Their faith in Him had given them deep roots that strengthened them for anything they faced in life.

The same is true for us this morning.

Faith in Jesus develops deep roots of hope, purpose, confidence, freedom, and joy.

Roots of Faith Grow in Fellowship

And not just growing stronger in our faith

But growing even stronger as we grow together.

Hebrews 10:24–25 (LSB) And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

I like something I saw on Instagram yesterday. You will notice I also put it on our digital signage in the Connect and Foyer:

Incite others

God intended for us to grow in our faith together.

Jesus established the “ecclesia”, the Greek word for church.

When we think of the giant sequoia trees in California, we must always remember:

This NOT about individual trees.

A site called treesandwoods.com says:

Sequoia root systems can interconnect with neighboring trees. This process is known as “root grafting,” and it occurs when the shallow roots of adjacent trees come into contact with each other and fuse.

The primary benefit of root grafting is that it allows the trees to share resources such as water and nutrients. This can be especially important in areas where the soil is nutrient-poor or the climate is dry, as it allows the trees to support each other and grow more efficiently.

The roots … also spread out widely, … intertwining with the roots of other nearby trees, which can help provide additional stability in high winds or heavy rain.

So, are we not only individually rooted, but are we rooted together in Jesus?

Supporting one another.

Sharing what Christ has given us with one another and watching it increase.

The little boy’s lunch of 2 fish and 5 small loaves of barley bread mentioned in John 6:9 only became more when he was willing to give it to Jesus so it cold be shared with the crowd of hungry people.

The most beautiful thing happens when a fellowship of believers regularly gather to see their faith in God play out daily.

It is in relationships that our roots grow deep because of the investment and encouragement that comes from being a part of the church.

The writer of the book of Hebrews knew the importance and power of the people of God.

He encouraged his listeners to not grow weary of gathering together.

Too many are!

Instead, we are to spur one another on.

Only used twice in the NT, the Greek word behind this phrase “spur, provoke, stir up, motivate” literally means “to stimulate or irritate with jabs or cuts so that someone must respond.”

The author used strong language to communicate how vital being in fellowship is to our faith.

When we are on our own, we easily lose passion for Jesus and serving Him.

When we look one another in the eye and hear stories of other people’s amazing faith, we find it is contagious.

Gathering together as believers is a catalyst for good works and life change.

Abide in Jesus

Not long before Jesus was crucified and buried in the tomb, He spoke words of encouragement to His followers.

He knew that remaining committed to their roots of faith was the only hope they would have of impacting the world.

That being together with Him was essential.

The same is true for us as the church today.

Again, consider The Message translation:

John 15:5 (MSG) [Jesus says] “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing.

Jesus’s metaphor applies to us today as well.

He is the vine of our lives.

We must be careful to stay connected to Jesus by:

Submitting to His leadership,

spending intentional time in prayer,

studying the Word,

and surrounding ourselves with people who foster an environment of spiritual growth.

This is why the church is so vital to our daily lives.

It is in community and fellowship that we maintain a close relationship with God.

What good is a vineyard with a single grapevine?

A healthy vineyard is full of vines with healthy branches and lots of grapes.

When we open ourselves to the love and grace of God through our trust in Him, it empowers us to serve with compassion, grace, love, joy, mercy, and kindness.

Without deep roots of faith and a constant connection to the source of love, we cannot produce spiritual fruit that is a blessing to the world.

We will have everything necessary when we are connected to the Source of love and life.

Our deep roots of faith will have far reaching effects.

For our guests today, heere or online, I want you to know you are welcome unconditionally.

You don't have to dress a certain way, act a certain way, or give up anything to be here.

Did you know that, when Jesus was on earth, some of His closest followers had checkered pasts?

They were prostitutes, tax collectors, and simple fishermen.

Jesus offered hope and salvation to people of different races and backgrounds.

He loved the sick, the lonely, and the marginalized.

You matter to God, and you matter to us.

We hope you will see our church as a refuge in the wilderness, an anchor in the storm, a place to belong that provides hope, help, and encouragement for whatever you are going through.

And we hope you will join us again.

Do you need better roots?

I call us all to prioritize not only being rooted in Jesus, built on Him as individuals...

But doing it all together.

As the worship team comes, let’s reflect on the words of this message.

Is Jesus our Savior and Lord?

Have we experienced His forgiveness from sin?

If you do know Jesus, are you living Him out in the world?

Are you sharing Him?

Are you sharing Him with others in the church?

ALTAR

Pray

“O God, all of us are in need of Your love and grace.

Thank you for welcoming us into fellowship with one another and yourself.

Give us deep roots, Lord, that we might experience a full life and bless those we come in contact with through our faith in You.

Make us a wonderful expression of Your love to others as we gather together in the church.

Forgive us when we fall short, and empower us to make an impact.

Amen.”