Walk by Faith

Introduction

Recap Series

Paul is praying for the Colossians to grow in their faith and knowledge of Jesus

the creator, sustainer and redeemer of the world

Paul has been called to this work by God and struggles in prayer for them

Today - Walk by Faith

Those who walk by sight walk alone. Walking by sight is just this—“I believe in myself,” whereas walking by faith is, “I believe in God.”

Charles Spurgeon

I am wondering if we know what it means to walk by faith

for some it is an extra spiritual life

some think it means they do not have to do anything and trust that God will take care of it

For today, walk by faith means living out what you believe in Christ

living out the gospel

Colossians 2:6–15 CSB

6 So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, 7 being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude. 8 Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ. 9 For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, 10 and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 11 You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, 12 when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. 14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

Prayer

We have all that we need in Christ to satisfy Christ. We are not asked to add to our salvation.

Walking As a Believer in Christ

This week in TeamKID, we talked about the Israelites crossing the Jordan into the promise land

the priests had to take the arc and step into the flooded Jordan river in order for the miracle to come

Colossians 2:6–7 CSB

6 So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, 7 being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.

Walk in the same way that you came to believe

How did you come to believe

Maybe you heard the gospel at an event, from a parent, or maybe a preacher on Sunday morning finally made sense

regardless of the circumstances it comes down to this

the creator is the redeemer

came by faith, not by works

v7 is gives the definition of walking by faith

be firmly established in faith in Christ

deep roots, firm foundation

Lack of foundation will result in falling away

Colossians 1:23 “if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.”

sermon on the mount, the fool builds his house on the sand….

the waves came down and the floods came up (so dense we had to sing it in the chorus multiple times)

the test… living with overflowing gratitude

when we are falling apart, we blame God

why weren’t you stopping the storm

when we survive the wind and waves you have nothing else to say but thank you

you are not looking at the foundation and thinking how great you are

I know I am only standing because Christ has held me up

Wisdom for the Believer in Christ

the temptation is to make everything too spiritual

to look for direction from every little thing

different ways that people try to get direction from God

my coffee had Jesus’ face in it, and I was facing north when I noticed

To search for wisdom apart from Christ means not simply foolhardiness but utter insanity.

John Calvin (French Reformer)

Colossians 2:8–10 CSB

8 Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ. 9 For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, 10 and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

chasing wisdom is not sinful

philosophy = love or pursuit of wisdom

a lot of places claim to have wisdom, but are fools gold, they are empty

All wisdom is found in Christ

All the wisdom of the world is childish foolishness in comparison with the acknowledgment of Christ. Martin Luther

Martin Luther (Founder of the German Reformation)

because all the fullness of God dwells in him

Colossians 1:15–16 CSB

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him.

John 1:1–3 CSB

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.

Genesis 1:1 CSB

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

We do not need to look anywhere else but to Christ for all the wisdom that we need in life

not assign Jesus to what we want to happen

not grab a verse and change the meaning to what we want it to be

we are filled with wisdom when we are connected to the body, connected to the head

made complete

we do not always feel complete, but you have all you need

we do not have to chase down new philosophy

we do not need more Christ, we have in him everything we need, we are complete

Welcoming the Believer in Christ

Imagine a grand party where the host has set out the finest spread of food and a beautiful cake. Everyone is invited, but some guests hesitate to come in, thinking they aren't worthy. Our God is like that host, standing by the door with a warm smile, saying, 'Come in! You are welcomed here, no matter where you've been.' Just like in the parable of the Prodigal Son, He rejoices when we decide to return to Him, creating a feast in our honor!

Christianity is to see because of what Jesus Christ has done, God welcomes us, God embraces us, and God pours into our life with his own power and glory.

Timothy Keller

How you came to faith

what is your testimony

Colossians 2:11–15 CSB

11 You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, 12 when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. 14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

You were circumcised in the flesh (not in physical body) when you were baptized by faith

that is that your fleshly worldly desires have to be cut off

we try and play with them, handle them

look at the language… circumcise, cut off the flesh

Romans 8:5–7 CSB

5 For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit. 6 Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so.

listen to how Paul tells the Romans our life is when we live by the flesh

death… hostile toward God

so we do not play with fleshly things in attempt to be less hostile, less dead

Galatians 5:24 CSB

24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

We kill that part of our life

some of us have been playing with sin for too long

we need to kill it

crucify it

Explain what baptism is

not a separate, more of God type thing

illustration of what we believe…

Christ died and was buried

Christ resurrected

You were spiritually dead and are now alive

Our sin has been nailed to the cross

We come to the presence of God. We have access to his presence. There is no more veil. The angel’s sword of flame has been doused with the blood of Christ, and God welcomes us into his presence.

R. C. Sproul

Christ has disarmed all who would have a claim on us

Memory Verse

Colossians 2:14 CSB

14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

Discussion Questions

What does it mean to be rooted and built up in Christ?

How can we grow in gratitude in our daily lives?

In what ways can we guard ourselves against philosophy and deceit that lead us away from Christ?

What does the 'circumcision not done with hands' refer to, and why is it significant in our faith?

How can understanding that we are made complete in Christ impact our self-esteem and daily decisions?

How does the fullness of God dwell in Christ as mentioned in Colossians 2:9, and what implications does this have for our understanding of Christ's authority?

What does it mean to be buried with Christ in baptism, and how does this relate to our new life in Him?

How can we support one another in our faith journeys to prevent falling away from the hope of the gospel?