Walk in Him
Notes
Transcript
Several years ago, I recall seeing nonstop advertisements for a program called Masterclass, fairly self explanatory but the idea was that this program would get an expert in a field to, for a fee, teach the viewer everything they know about this field. So Martin Scorcese would teach all about film directing, Samuel L Jackson about acting, Steve Martin… not that one… all about comedy, Gordon Ramsey and Wolfgang Puck about cooking, Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman about movie scores… you get the point - experts, or supposed experts in their fields would communicate their expertise to others in the form of this program. These were a series of videos - so unlike an apprenticeship, or formal education, there is no face to face interaction. You may take all of these courses from one of these instructors and you may learn everything they know - or are willing to communicate - and they wouldn’t have the slightest clue who you are. And they really marketed this thing like crazy.
If the Apostle Paul were to have a masterclass, it would not be in tent making, or pharisaical traditions, but his Masterclass would be in Jesus and class one would be the book of Colossians.
But there is a few major differences:
If you were to enroll in one of these masterclasses, and you were to run into whichever instructor in the real world on the street. They quite possible would not have the slightest interest in your success from their class. Not to assume they are all rude, but you took a class that they produced that thousands of other people have possibly taken. There is no personal connection there. Where as someone who they instructed in person, there is some sort of personal connection there… well maybe.
With the apostle Paul, we see in this text that a lack of face to face connection. But that is not met with any sort of apathy, or indifference. Not only does Paul deeply care for these churches. He struggles and labors for them.
You can watch a Gordon Ramsey masterclass and still be unable to make grilled cheese… And if you’re a bad cook, some people might even expect that.
With Paul’s Masterclass, it is not merely information about Jesus, but it would would be part instruction and part practice. He teaches the reader who Jesus is, and then he expects them to live life in response to what he has taught.
Paul is not merely communicating information that they should know, but reporting information about a hobby, but instead instructing his audience about the Son of God, and he expects that this information will change their entire lives.
Paul’s love for them is not hindered by his inability to spend time with them. Sure he wasn’t emailing them, or chatting with them on the phone for hours on end - but his affections were driven by the reports he was given from his messengers, and because they were knit together by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And we know these deep affections that he has for the church because of the length by which he struggles for them.
And that is how Paul begins this section. He wants to make sure that they know all that he has endured for their sake.
1 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,
He contends, struggles, fights - for them.
But he also mentions another church here. The church in Laodicea.
The relationship between Laodicea and Colossae was pretty close. They were about 10 miles apart. This is why Paul at the end of this letter encourages the church to swap letters which the church in Laodicea.
Paul initially makes this comment to demonstrate how much he cares for both of these churches that he has not met. This should serve as a reminder for us that we cannot as church seek to do this on our own. Churches need shepherds to love and care for them to present them as mature - but those churches also need each other. We cannot view other like-minded churches as competition. Which also means that church’s cannot plan for their primary method of growth to be sheep stealing - nor should we exist by nitpicking each other to death.
He contends for them, struggles fights for them. He prays for them. They have not even seen him face to face. And yet Paul cares for them deeply.
Paul begins this section by convey that he has has had a great struggle for them. The struggle would be his ministry. His traveling, his imprisonment, his writing, his heartbreak.
But what is that struggle for? What is the goal of his struggling?
He has three goals for his striving, as he tells us in verse 2. That they might be:
1. Encouraged
2. knit together in love
3. To reach all the treasures of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery.
2 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,
Paul’s deepest desire for them is that they would be encouraged, brought together as body in love for one another, and to grow in Christ.
Is that how you view the identity of the church of Christ? Is this a place of encouragement?
Tease out what it means for a church to be encouraged.
Encouragement in the gospel, not discouragement to attendance size.
Are the members of the body of the church being knit together in love?
Being knit together in love
we should desire that each of us in our congregation would be drawn closer in love for one another. This language of being knit together is used one other time in the New Testament and it is later in this chapter - where Paul uses it with the metaphor of a body and being knit together and nourished by Christ our head.
And are we reaching for all the treasures of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of Christ?
I sure hope so.
And this final part is the biggest part of the things that Paul is striving for them for. As their growth in this area will lead to the others as well.
And what a model this is for us as the church. For me as pastor to aspire that this would be a community of encouragement, a community knit together in law, and aspiring to maturity in Christ.
But also a model for each of you - that we would have that goal and that mindset as well.
2 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, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Paul continues his statement to assert that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. The book of Proverbs tells us that the beginning of knowledge and wisdom is the fear of the Lord - and Paul is telling us that the entirety of knowledge and wisdom are caught up in Christ Jesus.
If you are in Christ you have revealed to you the very source of all wisdom and knowledge.
For Paul the most true thing is Jesus. And the gospels show us this as well, as Jesus in John 14:6 tells us that he is the truth.
For the Christian, everything we are told ought to be evaluated with how can this be reconciled with the truths of Christ? If all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ - then what is actually true must glorify him more.
Verses 1-3 are the preparation for what Paul will instruct them in verses 4-5. They will not be deluded by false teaching if they are encouraged, knit together in love, and reach the knowledge of Christ.
If they are satisfied to know Jesus, to proclaim Jesus, to make the word of God fully known - then they will not be deluded by other arguments. If you are satisfied in Christ, and you know that all treasures of knowledge and wisdom are caught up in Christ - this will protect you from conspiracy theories, false doctrines.
When you think of other religions - Jehovah’s Witness, Mormonism, Islam, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc. -
The fundamental difference is that they do not believe that Jesus is enough.
For each of those three, there is other wisdom necessary for salvation than Jesus. For JWs you need Jesus + the Watch Tower magazine.
For LDS, you need Jesus + The Book of Mormon, Jesus + Joseph Smith.
Muslims believe in Jesus, but they reject that Jesus is the source of all wisdom. He was a good prophet for them. But in Islam, you need Mohammed. Each of those other religions claim the Bible is corrupted - we would disagree, but rather look to the long historical support for the Bible - but for them Jesus is not enough and thus they chase after some sort of other knowledge.
And we have even seen the same sort of thing with Christian denominations that have wandered away from sound teaching. They got bored of Jesus, and failed to believe that Jesus was enough so they were deceived by what Paul calls plausible arguments.
Jesus as the source for all wisdom and knowledge demonstrates how we evaluate truth.
2:4 - Paul expects them to be able to hold their own against the false teachers. And this is because he has given them the foundation of all wisdom and knowledge.
Paul’s statement to them is “Don’t be deceived, don’t be deluded by plausible arguments” stay close to the head who is Christ. Stick with Jesus.
This letter is set up that they would know Christ, and that they would walk in him. And if they have those two things solidified in the Christian life - they will be protected from false teaching.
And as a reminder that’s what this letter is about. Paul is worried that they have Jesus wrong, and if they have Jesus wrong, they have everything wrong.
This is why theology cannot just be for the pastor. But the brother or sister in the pew must know and be satisfied in Jesus.
A key part of them being able to hold their own against false teachers is being satisfied in Jesus.
Study the Scripture, and grow in Christ so that you yourselves are not deceived. Do so that those around you are not deceived. My goal as a pastor is not to fill your heads
In the past weeks we have spoken of the importance of knowing proper theology, and knowing Jesus as well as knowing correct things about Jesus. When we hold to this things we will be prepared to hold our own against false teachers.
There’s a commonly used illustration by preachers, concerning counterfeit money. It’s so common that I fact checked it on Friday make sure it is true. When someone is learning the skills of currency counterfeit detection they study only the real currency. They learn the dollar inside and out. So that when a false bill comes across their hands they know almost immediately. It feels different, it looks different.
This should be the same for how well a Christian knows Christ, and the Scriptures. Aim to know your Bible so well, know Jesus so well, that when someone tells you something wrong you don’t have to say “let me think about that” but rather you can answer “That’s a counterfeit.”
5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
In verse 5, Paul again celebrates this church. He celebrates their stability in the faith, and their good order. As I pointed out a few weeks ago even though Paul is correcting them - he isn’t chastising them, but rather like a father corrects his son for success - Paul is correcting this church so that they might be presented as mature.
To return to the idea of the masterclass, the evidence of someone learning from a class is their ability to do what the class has taught them. Their actions demonstrate their knowledge, and the same thing is true with the Christian faith.
And Paul makes that connection between knowledge of Christ and action in verse 6 as he continues to that the Lord Jesus that you have received walk in him.
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Paul brings that all together with the charge to walk in him.
Paul in verses 6 and 7 uses three metaphors to instruct about Christian living.
And while doing so Paul continues to repeat the phrase in Christ. In this chapter, Paul uses the phrase “in him” 6 times, and “with him” three times. While several of those are contained in the text that we will look at next week. Paul’s goal is that the life of a Christ follow ought to have Christ as the center. And this is further demonstrated by these metaphors.
The first metaphor that he uses to to Walk in Christ.
The Second is to be Rooted in Christ.
And the Third is to be Established in Christ.
What does it mean to walk in Christ?
It’s an interesting phrase that Paul is using here because while it means walk it holds the aspect of the manner in which one lives their life. it is where we get the concept of Christian walk. Walk the walk.
This is simple idea that if you say that you are a Christian then you should act like one.
Following this Paul has stacking of two additional metaphors. Being rooted and built up and established. So he’s using the idea of a plant being rooted at the ground in the same manner we are rooted in Christ. It is not simply surface level, but as a plants roots grow deep into the ground so we are deeply rooted into Christ. A tree that has deep roots is stable. When harsh weather comes, or drought comes it will take a lot more for the tree to fall. And if you are deeply rooted into Christ it will be the same for you when hardship comes.
And the final metaphor he uses is that of a building.
He then moves to the idea of being built up and established - he’s furthering the idea with that of a building or a structure. Our foundation is Christ but also we are being built up in Christ. Our foundation is Christ, and we must continue to build upon that foundation. Paul wants us to have deep roots and strong structures.
Paul is calling the Colossians to remember this and to hold to it. We cannot get bored of Jesus.
So while on the one hand we have roots that are going down into the ground, and then we also have a building that is built up in Christ. So what is going on underneath and what is present in front of everyone all of it should be Christ.
Paul fights for them to be encouraged, knit together in love, and to grow in Christ, so that they might walk in Christ , be rooted in Christ, and established in Christ. His goal in this book of teaching them correct doctrine about Jesus is not isolated to their head knowledge, but rather he expects that the information in their brain would spread to the entirety of their body and influence every action of their lives.
In reading Paul’s letters you will get an education in who Jesus is. But Paul main concern is not creating Ph.D.s for Jesus - his main concern is that what you know will shape how you live. The Christian faith is not merely some intellectual ascent, or a series of letters after you name on your business card, or in your email, nor is it any sort of mere identifier - but it is a whole life devoted to being rooted, established and walking in a manner that glorifies Christ, whom you have received.
Application:
How can we ensure that we are a community that is encouraging? knit together in love? and growing in the knowledge of Christ?
If all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ - and that protects us from delusion - how can you grow in that understanding?
How can we maintain deep roots and strong structures?
If there are visitors or unbelievers share gospel.
If you’re here and you have no understanding of why we need to be rooted in Christ, or why we should be built up in Christ, or even if you think it is bold to claim that all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ then I would encourage you to join us this Friday and next Sunday as well, as our next two services will help to clear that up even more. However… Colossians… who Jesus is, what Jesus has done.
