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Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Intro:
We move into the next couple of verses here in Colossians and I believe Paul is wrapping up this heart-felt open in this letter to the Colossians. This first chapter plus is just rich with this emotional outpouring from Paul to the Colossians, whom he has never met. Paul has such a great love for the body of Christ that he goes to great lengths to make sure they are cared for spiritually.
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,
For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face,
This Godly, pastoral care and compassion flows through the first chapter plus and begins a shift in 2:2 by restating his reasoning for the letter and spirit-led outpouring
that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Paul wants them to be encouraged. Keep pressing on into the love and knowledge of Christ. That is where life’s value is. Then verse 4 and 5 he foreshadows again the future crux of his theological teachings. This grounding in Christ will keep you from being led astray by fancy sounding theology and you know what, I am with you. We can stand firm in Christ when we go to school or work or sport or dates or hangouts with friends because we are connected by the Spirit to each other and ultimately to Christ. It’s easy to make good choices and be firm in your faith around like-minded people. It’s much harder when alone…but the beauty of being apart of the body is that you are never alone.
So we get to verses 6 and 7 now and Paul makes the shift to the theological teaching, giving them resources to combat these false teachings that are sprouting up but before he dives into that he pauses to implore the Colossians to remember their savior and the faith they have contended for to this point.
Paul has three main progressions in this transition statement:
Continue in Christ
Continue in Faith
Continue in Thanks
Continue in Christ v. 2:6a
“Therefore” calls back all of the previous writing..in light of all the Gospel talk, the Preeminence of Christ, etc. etc. now we have this..
“as you received Christ Jesus the Lord” - this receiving is passive, the knowledge that was given to them through the Spirit by the teachings of Epaphras. So What continue in the this knowledge that we have provided you.
“Christ Jesus the Lord” - That is, the same Lord we read about in 1:15-20..that is the Christ we are talking about..not some deluded Christ you may have been taught.
“so walk in him” - other versions use “continue”..I like that better. I think it better grasps what Paul wants to communicate to the Colossians. Emphasis again added by inclusion of in Him…in Christ.
Continue in Christ as he is our Creator, Savior, and Sustainer.
Continue in Faith v. 2:7a
“rooted and built up” - two different analogies to draw a similar picture.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
“Established” - Other translations say Strengthened.
Is anyone in here able to easily knock over and oak tree? I doubt it. The root system for a mature oak tree can run laterally from the base of the tree as far as 90 feet.. that is a strong tree.
“In the Faith, just as you were taught” - notice Paul does not say in “your” faith as he does in v. 5…he says in THE FAITH. He is again calling their attention back to the teaching they have been taught by Epaphras and the other faithful teachers.
Melick Jr. points out “the church was commended for it’s growing strength in Christian truth.”
Continue in the Faith that is trusting in Christ as Lord: creator, savior, and sustainer.
Continue in Thanks v. 2:7b
“abounding in thanksgiving” - when studying this verse I had this image of a cup overflowing with water.
Paul is saying that is what he has heard and what the fruit of this church is…an attitude of gratitude.
This is a characteristic we need to display better as a Christian Community. We are way too selfish, self-centered, ungrateful, and entitled…I believe it stems from a lack of depth in our relationship with Christ.
We should be so thankful for what Christ has done in our lives that it can’t help but to pour out of us in humility and gratitude.
We don’t really get that until we understand the Gospel, until we understand v. 21, 22, 23 of chapter 1.
Thankfulness is a key fruit for those who have been changed by the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion:
As Paul concludes his transition from a heart-felt urging to trust in Christ, Lord of all. I want to end with a heart-felt urging to you, my prayer as you grow in your faith you take seriously the commitment you have made to follow Christ. All across the world people die for their faith, we have the freedom to freely and openly worship and share the good news. Let us not take it for granted.