Everyone has a Rooted Faith, but not everyone is Rooted in Christ

Everyone Has a Rooted Faith.

Does it shock you to hear me say that?

We’re so used to thinking about faith as something that you’ve either have or don’t have.

To hear me say, “Everyone has a rooted faith” sounds ridiculous.

“Wait a minute, Ryan. I know some people ...”

Before I explain what I mean. Let me ask you another question.

What is faith?

If we went around the room this morning, I bet we’d hear many different answers to that question.

“Well, faith, you know. Faith is one of those things that, you know, as Christians, you know you just gotta have faith.”

I believe that’s called a word salad!

Christians, whether intentionally or unintentionally, have shrouded the word ‘faith’ in darkness.

Everyone has faith and everyone lives by that faith.

Let me give you two examples of faith that people have and live by.

First, the belief that the sun will rise tomorrow.

Because you believe that the sun will rise tomorrow, you’ll go home today and prepare to go to work or school tomorrow.

Second, the belief that in five years, the stock market will be higher than it is today.

Because you believe that the stock market will go up in five years, you’ll put money in the stock market today.

Both beliefs impact the way you live your life.

The point I’m making right now is this: Instead of faith being something that is hard to explain, it’s actually quite simple.

Faith is a starting point belief.

Everyone has certain beliefs, and those beliefs impact the way in which we live our lives.

I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time not believing that the sun will rise tomorrow.

That belief is rooted deep inside of me.

Some people believe that money will make them happy.

“If I can just earn this much money, then everything will be perfect.”

That belief is rooted deep inside of them which then impacts how they live their lives every day.

The important point is to know that these beliefs are where faith starts.

I can’t prove to you that the sun will rise tomorrow, but I’m going to live my life like it is.

That’s faith. Faith is a starting point belief in your life.

Everyone has starting point beliefs that they build their lives upon, whether it’s a belief in money, careers, titles, desires.

The deeper these beliefs are rooted in your life, the stronger your faith becomes in those things.

You begin to build your life upon them.

The important question is will the things that I believed in still stand in the end?

Welcome

Excitement and Encouragement!

I’m excited to be here this morning!

I want to encourage you because of your faith in Jesus Christ!

It’s your faith in Him that has led you here this morning!

I’ve Been Praying for You This Week!

That God would prepare your heart and mind to receive his word this morning

and that the roots of your faith would grow during this time together, the rest of this week, and throughout the next seven weeks.

Focus For The Next Seven Weeks

Socrates said, “The unexamined life isn’t worth living.”

The apostle Paul picked up on that same idea when he encouraged us to examine ourselves.

You examine yourself by asking the question - Who am I?

We’re asking that same question as a church - Who are we?

We’re doing this because we want to get clear on our vision, mission, and our core values.

What are the things that we’re striving for?

How are we going to get there?

And what sorts of things are we going to emphasize together as a body of believers.

We’re spending the next seven weeks discussing our vision, mission, and core values.

Focus For Today - Vision

The vision is what we’re aiming for; what we’re dreaming about.

The vision of Rooted Faith is to see every person rooted in Christ and growing in faith.

Did we just make that up, or does that vision come from somewhere in the Bible?

That’s a great question. Let’s open the bible together to the book of Colossians 2:6-7.

Colossians Text

Colossae was an ancient city in modern-day Turkey that was tremendously wealthy and populous.

The ruins of the city date back to 17th century BC, which is right about the time the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt.

The city had two claims to fame: purple-dyed wool and natural hot springs filled with mineral water which people from all over world visited because the waters were believed to heal people.

Colossians 2:6–7 “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.”

I began this morning by telling you that everyone has a Rooted Faith.

Let me build on that idea.

Everyone has a Rooted Faith, but not everyone is Rooted in Christ.

Everyone has faith which means we can relate to anybody in a deep and meaningful way.

But what distinguishes Christians is where we put our faith.

We’re the ones who put our faith in Christ!

What is a Rooted Faith in Christ?

Grace ignites Gratitude. Gratitude fuels Obedience.

Grace.

Passive.

Paul says, “you received Christ Jesus”.

You know the written word of God is just as much about what it doesn’t say as it is about what it does say.

The Bible does not say, “You picked Christ or earned Christ” or had any sort of active role.

Instead, it says, you received Christ; he was given to you by the generosity and love of the Triune God.

Past Tense.

Paul doesn’t say, “you will receive”, future tense but he says, “you received”, past tense.

This has already been done. It’s accomplished.

The Grace of God.

The grace of God includes what has already been done for us, not because we’re deserving of anything but because of the generosity and love of God.

Grace ignites Gratitude!

Gratitude.

Paul says, “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.”

Result/Because of/Response

A piece of wood does not spontaneously catch fire.

A piece of wood catches fire because of something else: lightning, match, a lighter.

The burning piece of wood is a result, response to, because of something else.

Gratitude is just like this. We’re not grateful for no reason.

Instead, we are grateful because of something else.

Our gratitude is a result of something, response to something, because of what God has done for us.

Produces a Change just like burning wood

The cool thing is that when grace ignites gratitude in our lives, it produces a change in us.

Grace ignites Gratitude. Gratitude fuels Obedience.

Obedience.

Paul says, “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.”

Metaphors (John 14)

What’s going on here?! Walk in him; be rooted in him; be built up in him, be established in the faith.

These are metaphors: pictures that teach us a deeper truth.

Listen to the words of Jesus while speaking to his disciples just hours before he was crucified.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (Jn 14:15).

“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he is it who loves me” (Jn 14:21).

“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him/her and make our home with him/her” (Jn 14:23).

“Abide in me and you will bear much fruit” (Jn 15:5).

“Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love” (Jn 15:10).

Direct Connection with Something Missing

Notice how Jesus makes a direct connection between our Love for him and our obedience to what he has asked us to do - he says your love for me will be seen in your obedience to my commands.

But what shocks me is that nowhere does he mention the word salvation.

I expect him to make a direct connection between my salvation and my obedience to what he has asked me to do.

I have lived this way for so long!

But Jesus doesn’t make that connection.

That’s because salvation isn’t part of the obedience, salvation is part of the grace.

It is by grace that we have been saved.

Grace for what God has done ignites Gratitude in our hearts.

Gratitude in our hearts fuels our Obedience to what he has asked us to do.

Same Message in Exodus.

Turn in your bibles to Exodus 20.

Exodus is the second book of the Bible.

It tells the story about the Israelite people in Egypt, Moses, and how God miraculously rescued them from slavery.

Maybe as many as 1.5 million people walking in the wilderness, hearing from God at the foot of a massive mountain.

We’re going to jump into the middle the story.

We’re going to put ourselves in their shoes right now and stand with them at the foot of this mountain. IMAGINE...

You’ve been a slave all your life, forced to work 18 hour days, seven days a week, for 40 years!

You have only rags to wear, little food, no way to defend or protect yourself or your loved ones.

You and your ancestors have been slaves to your masters for hundreds of years.

You live a miserable life, you will die a miserable life, and so will your children.

But now you’re standing outside of Egypt staring up at a massive mountain where you hear this thundering voice say, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2).

Grace.

You’re standing at the foot of this mountain and hear God say this to you!

You had no hope, no prayer.

What comes to mind?

Grace. God acted first.

He came down and pulled you out of slavery.

Not because of anything you’ve done, or because you deserved it but because of who he is and his love for you.

Grace is an igniter. What else comes to mind.

Gratitude.

You’ve spent your entire life as a slave, and now you’re free for the first time in your life.

Notice what God does next.

Look at verse 3.

He gives you a list of commands, instructions for life.

Obedience.

God says I’ve saved you by grace, now worship me this way.

Return the love by keeping me number 1, and remember that my image is in your character, not stones or bones, when you use my name think about what it means, and take a day each week to rest, reflecting on the completeness of my creation.

And oh, by the way, I’m the one who designed you.

My instructions aren’t meant to make you slaves; they’re intended to keep you free from slavery.

Build your life on them.

Jesus shared the same message.

A Rooted Faith in Christ begins with the belief that God has saved me by grace.

Forgive me God for failing to understand this good news!

Jesus Christ died in your place for your sins on the cross.

The good news is not just that Jesus died for your sins, the good news is that salvation has nothing to do with you!

The only thing for you to do is to live your life in grateful obedience because of what has been done for you.

Here’s the Difference Between Rooted Faith and Rooted Faith in Christ.

Illustration

Here we’ve built two lives.

Do these two lives look identical? Yes!

They are the same size, the same shape, the same height.

Each life has done equally well: cars, houses, careers.

Okay, let’s put a little bit of pressure into the lives we’ve made.

No problem. Pressure doesn’t always immediately expose the problems in life.

Now let’s throw a storm into these lives.

Didn’t work out so well.

Questions

Did we build these lives differently?

Was one life taller or stronger?

Did one life try harder?

The difference was what these were built on.

The storm didn’t destroy this life; it revealed what this life was rooted in.

Truth

Everyone has a Rooted Faith.

Everyone builds their life upon a foundation.

But only a foundation built upon Christ will last.

You’re the ones building your lives on Christ!

Here’s How You Live with a Rooted Faith in Christ.

It’s pretty simple.

Jesus said it earlier.

He said keep my word in your heart. Let my words sit in your heart and when you do this my words will come out in your actions.

I want to encourage you this morning to keep going to his word.

Learn what he says, know what he says.

Drink what he says, eat what he says.

Hide what he says in the bottom of your heart so that every action you take comes from that foundation.

Here’s What You Must Be on Guard Against.

#1 Playing in the sand.

One thing that I’ve noticed about myself is that when things seem to be going well, when the sun shines, I tend to play in the sand.

I think that the foundation in my life is strong enough that a little sand in my life won’t cause a problem.

Did you ever have that conversation with yourself.

You’ve spent the past month reading the bible, looking at something on the internet won’t hurt you that much.

You almost always tell the truth, lying a little bit on your taxes isn’t going to hurt anyone.

You must be on guard for the temptation to play in the sand because it will destroy your foundation and here’s the Enemy’s goal in your life.

#2 Being An Island.

The Enemy wants you to play in the sand to make you an island unto yourself.

He wants you all alone out there in the middle of the ocean with no help and no support.

The Enemy wants to isolate you to neutralize you to conquer you.

The way he does that is he tempts you to build your life on the wrong foundation which will break apart your relationships with one another and with God, leaving you all alone.

Communion

The truth is that we get caught playing in the sand and we sometimes isolate ourselves from God because of our actions which is why we must be reminded to come back, to keep building our lives on the foundation of Christ which is what we testified to through the waters of baptism.

So graciously, Jesus gave us a great reminder of who we are and who we belong to.

I want to invite you to take out your bread and cup. Hold it in your hands for just a moment while I pray.

Prayer

Father God, we’ve heard your word and how we’ve bowed our heads which is a reflection of our hearts before you. We bow our hearts before you now to acknowledge that we bring sand into our lives to build with, sometimes we isolate ourselves from you because we are ashamed. We ask for your forgiveness. With gratefulness we receive your forgiveness. And with joy we remember that salvation doesn’t depend on us but only upon our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Bless this bread and juice as we remember his sacrifice for us, and let it be a blessing, a new beginning for all those who take it in faith.

Elements

On the night before he was crucified, Jesus took bread, he gave thanks, and then broke the bread saying, “This bread represents my body which is broken for you.

When you break this bread, remember me and what I have done for you.” Let’s take this bread together.

On that same night, Jesus took a cup of wine saying, “This cup represents the new covenant in my blood. When you drink this cup, remember what I have done for you.” Let’s drink this cup together.

Here’s Why This Vision Matters.

Every person rooted in Christ and growing in Faith.

Live Oaks

My family vacations in the summer in North Myrtle Beach.

In South Carolina they have Live Oak Trees.

I would consider moving to South Carolina just for the Live Oak Trees. Live Oak Trees are special for a couple of reasons.

Let me tell you a story about Live Oak Trees.

Hurricane Katrina

St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans is one of the most iconic streets in the USA.

It’s lined with mansions. It’s the business district. It’s part of the Mardis Gras parade route.

Let me take you back to St. Charles Avenue in 2005, just before Hurricane Katrina.

St. Charles Avenue is lined with huge Live Oak Trees.

Live Oak Trees that have been around for hundreds of years!

There were over 700 Live Oak Trees on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans in 2005.

Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans like an unstoppable freight train and with a force that destroyed everything.

Destruction

Approximately 150,000 homes were completely destroyed.

70% of all buildings in New Orleans were completely destroyed, leveled.

There were 126 schools in New Orleans; 110 were completely destroyed.

St. Charles Avenue, the same street lined with Live Oak Trees, saw some of the fiercest winds and biggest storm surges!

Since all the buildings and homes on St. Charles Avenue were destroyed you would think that all the Live Oak Trees were also destroyed.

There were 700 Live Oak Trees before hurricane Katrina and there were 700 Live Oak Trees after hurricane Katrina.

Illustration

Engineers wanted to know why. They discovered three things.

First, Live Oak Trees dig very deep roots in the ground.

Second, Live Oak Trees weave their roots together with other Live Oak Trees.

Third, Live Oak Trees wrap their roots around large rocks underground.

What the Engineers discovered is that no Live Oak Tree stood alone through the storm; instead, the trees stood together as a community because they had dug a deep and wide foundation.

Reflections

As I get older, I’m becoming more aware of how much we depend on one another.

I can’t do anything in my house without the help of someone else.

Electricity comes from people working to produce power.

Clean water comes from a well that someone else dug or a water treatment facility.

Heat comes from oil, propane, or natural gas that someone else drilled for.

The groceries on my shelf were put in the grocery store by someone else, which were driven there by some truck driver, loaded by someone into the truck, from the farmer’s field where they grew.

Final Truth

We depend on one another.

We need one another.

Whether someone is a Christian or not, we are in community with them.

We are not a community unto ourselves.

And just like those live oak trees, our quality of life depends on their quality of life.

We believe that the best thing to do is to anchor ourselves to the rock which is Christ, which means we must teach them how to do the same thing, to see them rooted in Christ and growing in faith.

Because this is Rooted Faith.