Walk in Him

*tie in walk in a manner worthy ch 1

*Therefore higher?

Significant transition

Imperative to indicative

First exhortation

Imperative - What is true / doctrine

Indicative - What to do / duty

Pauls pattern - Truth before application

“as you were taught”

Truth precedes obedience

Heart of the letter

All further instruction is based on this

Therefore,

Because of what was said, - the doctrinal reality

Because Christ is the preeminent one who is supreme over all creation

Because Christ has reconciled us, an alienated people who were hostile and evil

Because of the revealed mystery of Christ revealed

Because of the fact that all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ

Because all of this is true, therefore do this..we

and the do this, is specifically, to walk in him

Exhortation is to walk in him

Could read “therefore… walk in him”

But there is a modifier here

As you received Christ Jesus the Lord

‘as you received’

received - teaching that they learned

Galatians 1:9 “As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”

Apostolic vs human tradition

Christ Jesus the Lord

Only time in NT that all three of these titles are listed in this order

2 important realities we see in this title

Messiah

Master

Obj: “digging too deep”

Scholars believe this is perhaps an early confession of the Church

Romans 10:9 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

1 Corinthians 12:3 “Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.”

Messiah - Christ

Christ isn’t last name it’s messiah

Matthew 16:15–17 “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”

Messiah - deliverer, anointed one, savior

Gen 3 seed of the woman promised

Genesis 3:15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.””

Prophet

Deuteronomy 18:15–18 ““The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.”

Priest

Psalm 110:4 “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.””

King

2 Samuel 7:12–16 “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ””

Paul is saying first, that Jesus is that messiah, he is the Christ. He is the long anticipated serpent crushing, anointed king, suffering servant who Israel has been waiting for… and as Pastor brent showed us last week, he came to save not only the jew but also the gentile.

This Jesus is that messiah, he is the better prophet who has brought Gods word to his people and issued in a better covenant, he is a better priest to intercede for his people, and he is the king from the line of david whos throne is established forever

Not in setting up an earthly kingdom or even providing physical healing or freedom but rather spiritual. The spiritual reality that we have been saved from the wrath of God, that we were dead in our sins and have been healed and made alive, that we were slaves to sin but he suffered that we might become righteous.

Suffering servant text

This Jesus is the Christ, he is our savior

Master - Lord

The next title Paul lays out for us is Lord.

Lord can mean a variety of things such as sir, owner, or master.

Although it is those things here, it is even more.

Paul is alluding to Lord in the same way the OT does YHWY

BDAG Lex definition - “one who exercises supernatural authority, control, or power over others…”

There is teaching out there today that says “Jesus can be your savior but he doesn’t have to be your Lord”

That is foreign to the Bible

Philippians 2:9–11 “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

1 John 2:6 “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

Do you know that Jesus can be savior precisely because he is Lord?

Because he has all authority

Because he has defeated sin & death & the devil

Ask yourself the question, is Jesus lord of my life?

Does Jesus call the shots?

Jesus did not die on a cross for you to remain Lord of your own life

He died to save you to himself. He died to cleanse you and purify you. He died to reconcile you to himself to spend all of eternity in his presence. He died to purchase you for himself. He is Lord

Paul says, as you received that, the truth of Christ and the glories of the gospel, continue to walk in that truth, in that faithfulness.

Guards against two ditches

Ditch of legalism

Colossians 2:20–23 “If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”

Ditch of Mysticism

Colossians 2:18–19 “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.”

“So walk in him”

Language of walking is common expression for how we live

Manner worthy

Colossians 1:9–10 “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, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;”

The way in which we walk in Him

Rooted

That our basis and foundation of who we are is entirely grounded in Christ

Our roots dig deep into the soil of Christ

We are a building that the foundation itself is Christ

There is a past tense and present reality

Past tense

Built up

“perfect tense”

It’s a present ongoing reality

We are rooted and grounded in Christ but we are continually growing in him as well.

Established

perfect tense

Legal

strengthen, guarantee

There is a strengenthing & establishing that happens as you continue to walk in him

Hoover dam 1931

Passive voice

God has given us gospel roots and laid us on the foundation of Christ and continues to build us up, establishing us in the faith

Colossians 2:19 “and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.”

Specific areas in which we walk

Thoughts

Words

Actions

Affections Feelings

Thoughts

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.”

Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

Colossians 3:10 “and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”

Words

Colossians 3:8 “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.”

Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

Actions

Colossians 3:5 “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Feelings

Colossians 3:12 “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,”

Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

Obs.

Our Christian walk is grounded on these realities

Union with Christ

I believe Paul shows us this to demonstrate that he isn’t looking simply for imitation of Christ. To walk in Christ is not to check the boxes, not to do the things, not to walk as he walks, but first and foremost to be in union with him.

We are in Christ

Christ is in Us

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

We are like Christ

Imitators

1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”

We are with Christ

Fellowship

Matthew 28:20 “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

Knowledge of Christ

“Receive”

“Taught”

Knowledge of his will so you can walk

Treasures of wisdom & knowledge

New self is renewed after the image of its creator

Colossians 3:10 “and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”

Gratitude for Christ

We get to be righteous

We are righteous

So let us walk in him