Sermon Tone Analysis

Pre-Intro

We’ve been looking at Colossians when I’ve had to opportunity to preach.

The last time we looked at Colossians together in February, we looked at the end of chapter 1, into the beginning of Chapter 2.

We saw that Christ is Supreme in the growth of the Church - we saw the burden that Paul had for the Gospel to spread, and for the maturity of believers.

We’ll see more of Paul’s burden today, and we’ll see - in keeping with the theme of the Supremacy of Christ - we’ll see the Supremacy of Christ in our Union with Him.

We will look at

I invite you to turn to Colossians 2 with me - we will be reading the first 15 verses, but our focus this morning will be on Verses 6 and 7:

Col 2:1-15

[PRAY]

Introduction

Our Desire:

What is your biggest spiritual desire?

What do you pursue spiritually?

If you are a Christian, what drives your walk with Christ?

What do you pray for and labor towards?

Hopefully its something God commands us and encourages us to seek: The salvation of your kids?

A Spouse? Maybe something more global like worldwide missions, or local like the growth of the church?

Or maybe something more tactile?

Some new doctrine, or idea that you can debate on Facebook?

Maybe the right passage of scripture that you can use to convince someone that their position is incorrect.

Some Christians seek after the supernatural - maybe you are trying to hear the voice of God outside of Scripture - or looking for a sign from God.

Maybe you wouldn’t call yourself a Christian, but would consider yourself Spiritual: maybe you just want to do enough good things, so that the guilt you feel goes away, or “connect with the energy of the universe”

MAYBE you aren’t spiritual at all - you aren’t anything - maybe you’re a “NONE” - you know under religious affiliation you might enter N-O-N-E.

But even then you have a spiritual desire - a desire to be unaffiliated with anything spiritual.

My point is - we all have varying spiritual desires - and they often show up in the things that we put our efforts into and prioritize in our spiritual life.

Paul’s Desire: Maturity and Stability of Christians

If you were to ask the Apostle Paul what he wanted - what drove him to do all that he did, he’d tell you to look at Colossians 1 and 2. In Chapter 1 verses 28 and 29 he says Col 1:28-29 “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”

In Chapter 2, the verses we just read he says he wants their hearts to be encouraged; he wants the church to be knit together in love.

He wants them to reach all the riches of full assurance, and understanding, and knowledge of Christ.

He goes on in verse 4 to say that he says all of these things - SO THAT NO ONE WOULD DELUDE THEM WITH PLAUSIBLE ARGUMENTS.

Paul is very concerned that the Christian that has heard the gospel, received it, professed it, and shared it COULD go on to be deluded by false teachers.

We warns against it here in verse 4, and again in verse 8: Col 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.”

So again, if you were to ask the Apostle Paul what he wanted for the church in Colossae, and for the church in Hazleton, his response would be the same - spiritual maturity and stability of believers - people growing more and more into the image of Christ.

In between these two passages: Verse 4 - “I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments”, and verse 8 - “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit”, we have today’s text: verses 6 and 7

The Holy spirit, through the apostle Paul, placed this passage between these two verses as the KEYSTONE for avoiding false teachers and their teaching.

Paul knows there are false teachers out and about - he confronts them and their teaching throughout his epistles in the New Testament.

But he does it with good theology - with truth.

He uses theology and truth about God to strengthen and equip the saints.

If you were to diagram or outline this entire passage your have an essential argument that goes:

V4: Warning: I don’t want anyone to derail your maturity with arguments that on the surface seem plausible.

Vs 6,7: Exhortation: Therefore, since I want you to stay on track, WALK in CHRIST the SAME WAY you received him - remain ROOTED in Christ and GROW in him

V8: Warning: Be on the lookout for people that will take you off of track - and tell you that you need something besides Christ to truly grow

Vs9-15: Theological Foundation for all of the above: You are united to Christ already by God the Father - inseparably united with Christ

The exhortation we will look at today is given with the intention of keeping the Christian from the theological errors and mysticism promoted all around - and to focus our eyes on Christ, and Christ alone for our maturity.

Paul’s desire is their maturity - his approach is simple.

Stay the course - Live your life OUT OF your union with Christ - WALK in the same you that you received Christ.

Live the Christian life out of your union with Christ

Paul’s exhortation is straightforward: As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.

At least it seems simple at first glance - The same way that you received Christ, so continue to live that way, in Him.

Whatever occured when you received Christ, whatever happened when you understood the Gospel, and came to faith, and received Christ - that’s the same way a Christian should continue.

What happened then, should continue today in the Christian’s walk.

When Paul says “you received Christ” he’s saying more than just: “You received TEACHING about Christ” or “Tradition about Christ” - that’s true - they did receive teaching about Christ from Epaphras.

But Paul clearly makes Christ the personal subject here: “you received the person of Christ”.

Paul even makes that point in verse 27 of Chapter 1: Col 1:27 “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

You received Christ by Grace through faith

You received Christ because of his death on the Cross

You received Christ because the father united you to him

The Father united us to Christ

At the end of our passage we read, we see the Father working redemption THROUGH the son:

The Father made us alive together with Christ.

The Father nailed our record of debt to the cross along side Christ.

He triumphed over the rulers and authorities IN CHRIST.

The father chose us, and orchestrated our redemption.

The Son purchased our redemption with his Blood, and sealed it in his resurrection, The Spirit draws and strengthens the chosen, working faith in those that Christ has purchased.

We’ve received Christ as a GIFT - not just an example of what a good man is, or an example of what unjust suffering looks like.

It’s not cosmic child abuse - Christ laid down his life for his sheep.

For the Joy set before him, he endured the Cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

If you are a Christian, you are more than a Christ Follower; you are united with the Son, you have received him by faith, and he lives in you, and you live in him, and you are forever united to him.

Jumping ahead to Col 3:1-4

We’ve been raised with Christ, and when Christ, WHO IS OUR LIFE appears, then WE will appear with him in glory.

And in Eph 2:6 Paul says that God“...raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”

There is a this new connection to Christ the believers have - our lives are so closely tied to his, that they’ve been purposefully inseparable.

So walk in him:

So when Paul says “so WALK IN HIM” he saying more than just: “Live a good life”, or “Be a good Christian” - he’s saying: “WALK, Live, and BEHAVE OUT OF THE UNION you have with Christ”

Notice carefully, Paul isn’t saying “Walk this way because God has done so much for you” - He has done so much, and Paul says in Titus that the Grace of God appeared, TEACHING us to renounce ungodliness.

Here Paul is saying to this Church - Walk IN the person of Christ that you received.

Live out your life Col 2:7 “rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

Walk as people who have been united, WELDED, married to Christ - and continue in it.

In Chapter 1 Paul uses very similar language:

Colossians 1:9–12 (ESV)

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; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Paul’s desire, and prayer for this church is that they grow spiritually, so that they can WALK in a manner worthy of the Lord: bearing fruit, increasing in knowledge, being strengthened with God’s mighty power, and giving thanks to the Father - and it’s the Father that has qualified.

The Father has united us to Christ - our strength comes from Him.

We walk in Him - bearing fruit, increasing in knowledge, and being strengthened BY our union with him.

Paul uses four participles to describe what walking in Christ entails: Rooted, Built Up, Established in the faith, and Abound in thankfulness.

Colossians 2:6–7 (ESV)

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.

Rooted

When something is rooted to the ground, it grows roots within the ground.

It’s stability and resilience is affected by how well it is rooted.

Sometimes the roots are small and thin, like on a tumbleweed.

And sometimes it is massive, and seemingly unmoveable, like a giant oak tree.

Have you seen a large tree uprooted?

Its not just the root that come up - the surrounding dirt, rocks, and grass come up with it.

A tree blown over takes the ground with it because it is so “rooted” or united to the ground it is in.

I leaves a massive hole in the ground because it has grown into, rooted into the ground around it/

It takes all nourishment from the ground it is rooted in - Paul probably has both concepts in mind when he says “rooted in him” - Securely united, and nourished.

Sarah and I were watching a documentary about archeologists investigating a lost fort and encampment.

Even though this place hasn’t been active for 150 years, they knew there was a mass grave there, and they wanted to properly bury those that had been killed.