Rooted by Walking

"Rooted by Walking" Colossians 1:1-14 January 30, 2021 Ryan Fregoso In our culture there are many people who are spiritual and many that are religious. To take it a step further, some also believe in Jesus, at least to some degree. These people are those who believe have a "Jesus Plus" philosophy. This, however, is not new. This is a problem today, and it was a problem in Paul's day with the early church. We are starting a new series we've called "Rooted." In this series we will be studying the book of Colossians. You can find this book between Philippians and 1 Thessalonians. As you will see in the opening verses, this letter is written by Paul to this church. We will see later that Paul never visited Colossae, but instead heard of this church through its pastor, Epaphras. This church was likely founded after Paul's third missionary journey through Ephesus, as recorded in Acts 19-20. The city of Colossae was a small town situated between Laodicea and Hierapolis, in fact, chapter four tells us that this letter was also sent to Laodicea. This letter is a companion letter of Philemon and Ephesians. In contrast to the letter to the Ephesian churches, which focused on the Body of Christ, the Church, this letter focuses on the Head of the Church, Jesus. Paul wrote to this church to encourage them and to point them back to Christ, as the final authority over God's church from false teachings. Warren Wiersbe put it this way: "All kinds of philosophies mingled in this cosmopolitan area, and religious hucksters abounded. There was a large Jewish colony in Colossae, and there was also a constant influx of new ideas and doctrines from the East. It was fertile ground for religious speculation and heresies!" He adds: "This false teaching was a deceptive combination of many things: Jewish legalism, Oriental philosophy, pagan astrology, mysticism, asceticism, and even a touch of Christianity" You see, one of the dangers we see here in Colossae is that they believed in Christ, but they also added to Christ because of the culture around them. In this letter, there are a number of themes, but Pastor Pat and I landed on this idea of "Rooted." This concept comes to us from Colossians 2:6-7 which reads: 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. In the literal sense, something that is deeply rooted is fixed in one position; immobile; unable to move. For a person, this would mean that they have deeply rooted convictions or feelings, they believe or feel something extremely strongly and are unlikely to change. A friend of mine recently posted some pictures of the aftermath of a storm in Claremont, CA. While I recognize these may be hard to see, but the trees all over the city or complex these pictures were taken from, were completely uprooted. They were not strong enough to completely withstand the wind and the storm. This can easily happen to Christians in today's world. What we hope to accomplish in this series is to encourage you to be deeply rooted and able to withstand the winds and storms in your lives and to grow in your relationship with the Lord. With this background in mind, let's read this opening section of Colossians, beginning in verse 1 of chapter 1: 1 PAUL, AN APOSTLE OF CHRIST JESUS BY THE WILL OF GOD, AND TIMOTHY OUR BROTHER, 2 TO THE SAINTS AND FAITHFUL BROTHERS IN CHRIST AT COLOSSAE: GRACE TO YOU AND PEACE FROM GOD OUR FATHER. 3 WE ALWAYS THANK GOD, THE FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, WHEN WE PRAY FOR YOU, 4 SINCE WE HEARD OF YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS AND OF THE LOVE THAT YOU HAVE FOR ALL THE SAINTS, 5 BECAUSE OF THE HOPE LAID UP FOR YOU IN HEAVEN. OF THIS YOU HAVE HEARD BEFORE IN THE WORD OF THE TRUTH, THE GOSPEL, 6 WHICH HAS COME TO YOU, AS INDEED IN THE WHOLE WORLD IT IS BEARING FRUIT AND INCREASING-AS IT ALSO DOES AMONG YOU, SINCE THE DAY YOU HEARD IT AND UNDERSTOOD THE GRACE OF GOD IN TRUTH, 7 JUST AS YOU LEARNED IT FROM EPAPHRAS OUR BELOVED FELLOW SERVANT. HE IS A FAITHFUL MINISTER OF CHRIST ON YOUR BEHALF 8 AND HAS MADE KNOWN TO US YOUR LOVE IN THE SPIRIT. 9 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, 10 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; 11 BEING STRENGTHENED WITH ALL POWER, ACCORDING TO HIS GLORIOUS MIGHT, FOR ALL ENDURANCE AND PATIENCE WITH JOY; 12 GIVING THANKS TO THE FATHER, WHO HAS QUALIFIED YOU TO SHARE IN THE INHERITANCE OF THE SAINTS IN LIGHT. 13 HE HAS DELIVERED US FROM THE DOMAIN OF DARKNESS AND TRANSFERRED US TO THE KINGDOM OF HIS BELOVED SON, 14 IN WHOM WE HAVE REDEMPTION, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. Here is the main idea I want to unpack this morning: Being rooted in Christ produces Christians who walk in a manner worthy of Christ so that they can bear fruit. I just finished reading a book this week from Francis Chan, called "Letters to the Church." In the fifth chapter, he writes this: "If everyone who graduated from Harvard ended up working at a Jack in the Box, who in their right mind would spend the fortune required to send their kids there? Harvard is supposed to produce professionals ready to compete for high level positions. In the same way, Paul expected the Church to produce courageous, hardworking saints, who are unfazed by false teachings and able to resist temptation." Chan's primary point here is that the Church is meant to not merely exist, but to produce. The picture we have from verses 3-8 is that Paul (while in prison, as this is one of the so-called prison epistles) was visited by Epaphras. In this report, Paul learns that this young church is thriving. One of the things we spoke about on Monday morning was that this section in Colossians is a good measuring stick for a so-called successful church. Notice what Paul was celebrating from the report: 1. Their faith in Christ. 2. The love for all the saints. 3. Future hope of heaven. 4. Hearing of the Word. 5. The Word was bearing fruit and increasing. Sounds like they were doing well, doesn't it? Well, they were, but as previously mentioned, they were also being led astray from the truth by false teaching. We will get into some of these specifics as we continue in this series. What we want to focus on this morning is this walk that Paul addresses here is verse 10. 10 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; This should be the goal for the Christian. Wiersbe again said this: "In the Christian life, knowledge and obedience go together. There is no separation between learning and living." A Christian who is rooted in Christ, applies what they learn in all areas of their lives. We will use this verse, and the contents from this section to answer the question: HOW TO WALK IN A MANNER WORTHY OF CHRIST I want to confess something. I'm not a huge fan of walking, particularly when simply walking for exercise. Hear me out for a moment. For me, walking should take you to a destination. When I walk around the neighborhood for 30 minutes, I simply end up where I started, but now I've added sore knees and some heavy breathing. I'm sure all of us have heard that walking along side of Jesus is a journey. It absolutely is. We experience hills and valleys. We experience droughts and storms. But when we experience these with Jesus, we can trust that He will get us to our final destination, despite the difficulties along the way. This passage teaches us that we are to walk in a manner worthy of Christ. So, how do we do that? The very first thing we must recognize is that we are to ... 1. Make the Word of God primary in your life. a. Look again at verses 5-6: 5 BECAUSE OF THE HOPE LAID UP FOR YOU IN HEAVEN. OF THIS YOU HAVE HEARD BEFORE IN THE WORD OF THE TRUTH, THE GOSPEL, 6 WHICH HAS COME TO YOU, AS INDEED IN THE WHOLE WORLD IT IS BEARING FRUIT AND INCREASING-AS IT ALSO DOES AMONG YOU, SINCE THE DAY YOU HEARD IT AND UNDERSTOOD THE GRACE OF GOD IN TRUTH, b. Paul contends that the Word of God is primary in making disciples. c. Secondarily, we see in verse 7 that Epaphras taught the Word of God well. i. How does one know if the Word is being taught well? It first means that they must know the Word of God. ii. Knowing the Word of God allows us to know God. iii. A few minutes ago, I quoted Wiersbe who stated that learning is a part of the Christian's walk. iv. Knowing God is not like knowing who is on the roster of your favorite sports team or the cast of your favorite TV show. v. To know God, we have our full faith in Him. This is accomplished through the careful study of His Word, through fellowship, and through prayer. vi. Recall, the church in Colossae was facing false teachers who taught "Jesus plus." When one is rooted in the foundation of the Scriptures, we will have discernment to know the truth from lies. vii. Knowing Him helps us to walk worthy of Christ. 2. Live a life of prayer and thanksgiving. a. Notice how Paul's attitude was rooted in prayer and thanksgiving. Not just here in this letter, but in all his letters, we see his attitude of prayer. His attitude wasn't just as he pinned his letters, but it was always (see verse 3). b. Prayer and thanksgiving produce an attitude of joy. 3. Pray for strength. a. We will see here in just a moment what kind of strength is needed and what that strength produces. It is important to note that the Lord is the source of this strength. b. This is the same strength that David prayed to open Psalm 27: THE LORD IS MY LIGHT AND MY SALVATION; WHOM SHALL I FEAR? THE LORD IS THE STRONGHOLD OF MY LIFE; OF WHOM SHALL I BE AFRAID? c. The word stronghold can also be translated "refuge." d. When the source of our strength is the Lord, we can confidently ... 4. Pray and receive endurance and patience with joy. a. If you've been with us at all this year, you know we just finished a series on "Dangerous Prayers." Now, talk about a dangerous prayer! b. Patience is a dangerous prayer. This may lead to waiting. It may lead to difficulties. i. However, when you avoid praying for patience, you are not remembering how patient the Lord has been with you and me. He waited 17 years for me, and maybe even longer for some of you. ii. I love what we read in 2 Peter 3:9 THE LORD IS NOT SLOW TO FULFILL HIS PROMISE AS SOME COUNT SLOWNESS, BUT IS PATIENT TOWARD YOU, NOT WISHING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH, BUT THAT ALL SHOULD REACH REPENTANCE. iii. God is patiently waiting for our response. c. Endurance alludes to perseverance under extreme pressure. d. This word is also used to describe the finishing and completion of something. e. When we have endurance, patience and joy, we remain on task, rooted in Jesus. 5. Bear fruit. a. Look at the words of Jesus in John 15:8. Here, Jesus speaks of the importance of bearing fruit. It reads this way: BY THIS MY FATHER IS GLORIFIED, THAT YOU BEAR MUCH FRUIT AND SO PROVE TO BE MY DISCIPLES. b. You see, Jesus states here that bearing fruit is a proof of our faith. c. I also want to acknowledge that "bearing fruit" is a very Churchy phrase. I found this helpful definition: "Bearing fruit is a phrase used to describe the outward actions that result from the inward condition of a person's heart." The bible teaches that there is good fruit and bad fruit, so in the context of our passage today, we are speaking of course about good fruit. As we draw to a close, I want to speak to another group of people here. Maybe you have noticed that we've talked a lot about Christians. How the Christian is to be rooted in Jesus, so that they can walk in a manner worthy of Christ so they can bear fruit. While this is essential, what about those who are not Christians? I don't want you to think that there is not a message for you here as well. First, let's read again the final verses of this section: 12 GIVING THANKS TO THE FATHER, WHO HAS QUALIFIED YOU TO SHARE IN THE INHERITANCE OF THE SAINTS IN LIGHT. 13 HE HAS DELIVERED US FROM THE DOMAIN OF DARKNESS AND TRANSFERRED US TO THE KINGDOM OF HIS BELOVED SON, 14 IN WHOM WE HAVE REDEMPTION, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. These verses remind Christians why we are to be thankful. For those who are not Christians, I hope that you can see that living for and in Christ is much better than living without. I love the idea painted here of being qualified. William MacDonald says this about being qualified: "When God saves someone, He instantly bestows on that person fitness for heaven. That fitness is Christ. Nothing can improve on that. Not even a long life of obedience and service here on earth makes a person more fit for heaven than he was the day he was saved. Our title to glory is found in His blood." Apart from Christ, we are unqualified. We are not worthy to be in the presence of God, because He demands holiness. Verse 14 reminds us that as Christians, we are forgiven, and therefore qualified. Pastor David Guzik tells us that, "the word translated forgiveness is the ancient Greek word aphesis, most literally rendered 'a sending away.' Our sin and guilt is sent away because of what Jesus did on the cross for us." Isn't that neat? God has sent away our sins, for those who are under Christ. Earlier, I quoted Francis Chan. He dedicated an entire chapter to living and suffering in Christ. A very powerful chapter. He told a story of a church leader in China and illustrated that one of his pillars for the church was to embrace suffering. Yet another dangerous prayer. But he also went on to speak these words: "we need to take time to dwell and meditate on the impossibility of the cross. The almighty, all-knowing, all powerful God who spoke the universe into being sent His Son to die a criminal's death so we can be with Him forever." Later, Chan reminds us that following Jesus may mean that, "we lose everything - your reputation, comforts, possessions - and count that all a bunch of trash, because it's all worthless compared with knowing Christ." I've had a lot of jobs over the past 20 years. I can recall one job that just caused me so much anxiety and stress. I remember coming home one day, and I was in a bad place. There were two things that got me out of that funk. One, my wife coming along side me and reminding me that I needed to surrender to God. Then, two, me surrendering to God in that very moment. I cried. I prayed. I worshiped. All in my so-called suffering. Even though the presence of my wife was what I needed in the moment, only the presence of the Lord allowed me to wholly recover. That's what living under Christ can produce. Maybe today, you don't feel like you're "doing enough." Maybe you don't know where to start. Maybe you need to make a decision today to follow Christ. Start with prayer. Start with thanksgiving. Start with walking along side Jesus. Let's pray. 2