Colossians 2:6-7

Colossians chapter 2 and verses 6 and 7 As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him rooted and built up in him and established in the faith as you have been taught abounding therein with Thanksgiving May God bless to us the reading of his holy and sacred word this morning. Certain of the Roman Catholic priest and Luther’s Day recognized the need for reformation in the Catholic Church. And they admitted that he made some valid points, but they didn’t like Luther. Because he was a renegade monk to them who spoke rather rudely. Erasmus could be endured, but that Luther made such a noise about it that he was despised. Teaching is often judged by the messenger rather than the message itself. The prejudice that people have regarding the messenger may indeed affect how they receive the message. Someone says, I don’t like him or her. Maybe he’s too plain or maybe he’s too unexciting. The question really is this. What does it matter? Whether you like him or not. Is what he’s saying, the truth or not? And if he is telling you the truth, you ought to believe it. Here we have, of course, Paul and Epaphrus who are the two people that are focused on in this particular. particular book of the Closions. Paul was often criticized because his weak bodily appearance is contemptible speech. Epaphrus could have been looked down upon because he was not an apostle. He was just an average, ordinary minister of the gospel. False teachers come along. They could speak well. They used enticing words of men’s wisdom, persuasive in what they say. and claiming all kinds of credentials, and they could sway people away from the gospel of Christ, which was the danger that he has mentioned in verses four and five that we have previously studied. Judaizers often would point out their better qualifications and religious background, that they’re certainly better than Paul, and they’re better than Apophrus. However, whatever you put, they’re better. personally think of the messenger. The most important thing is the message that is presented. A skilled speaker may be able to be gall you, but what good does it do you if his words are all lies? And are not the truth. Therefore, Paul urges you not to be moved away from the faith of Christ. Cling to Christ. So verse 6 begins with this idea that you need to cling to Christ. As you have therefore received Christ, Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him. It speaks first of your receiving of Christ. This refers to what happened when you received the gospel. You received Christ. Now, we have to be careful in our day and age because of the contemporary Christian jargon that we have, that we don’t read into this something wrong. Paul is not thinking about, well, a person opened their heart and, you know, allowed Christ to come in as if man were in control of salvation. The word received here is almost a technical term for receiving a teaching or doctrine that has been preached or proclaimed to them. it is receiving the message about Christ. In John 112, we read as many as received him to them gave you the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in his name. So they’re receiving him is the same as believing on Christ. It’s a matter of receiving something that’s been passed down or delivered to you. If you read the gospel account in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, he talks about the gospel there and verses one to five and he mentions the fact that they have received it from Paul, who of course has received it from Christ. And so the idea here is echoed in verse 7 when he mentions here as you have been taught. You receive Christ as you have been taught. You receive the message or the gospel concerning Christ. that’s what he’s been declaring in chapter 1. This whole thing that he has gone over about Christ and the message of salvation in Christ is what they have received. This gospel is to be received with great reverence. It is to be believed, and when it is believed, Christ, of course, is received. When true doctrine is taught, but it leads you to Christ. Human doctrine leads you to all kinds of works and other actions and activities. True doctrine always leads you to Christ. You’ll notice that the true doctrine here, the gospel message, demands that you receive the whole Christ. Notice how he words this here. He talks about, receive Christ Jesus, the Lord. The word Christ means anointed one. This is the Father’s anointed one. We think about the Lord. offices of Christ. We think of someone anointed. Prophets, priests, and kings were anointed. Christ is the anointed one. In this capacity. He is the chosen and sent messenger of the covenant. He is the mediator between God and man. As the prophet of God, as the high priest of his people, and certainly as the king overall, he is to be received in that capacity. You were to receive him as Savior. The word Jesus, remember from his birth, he was given to be given this name. Thou shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. It means the Savior. He’s the Savior. Justification before God is solely through faith in Christ. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. So he is the Savior of sinners. And you are to receive him as Lord. Is Jesus. Christ, your master, is he the one you are committed to obeying? Are you subject to him as you would be to a king? Or his command your desires? You can never truly receive Christ unless you have received him as the Lord, Jesus Christ. And so we should recognize this. Now, this observation I would note here, this idea, as you have been taught, only pertains the sound doctrine. It’s not just anything you’ve been taught. We don’t want to stretch Paul’s words beyond his intentions here. For somebody could teach you something false. It’s not just that you just receive whatever the church teaches you. You are only under obligation to believe a message which corresponds to what Paul has taught you. In other words, what he has received of Christ, the message of God. You know, when the Roman Catholic Church teaches, you have to believe it’s doctrine. Whatever the church teaches, the problem is that many times they differ from what Paul teaches. They teach purgatory. You pay for your own sins. You get a pardon by your own merits in that regard. Praying to Mary. There’s another mediator besides Jesus Christ. The Bible doesn’t. allow for that. Paul never taught that. The Immaculate conception of merit. My friends, there’s only one virgin birth. And it was Jesus Christ’s virgin birth. The Mass, as another crucifixion to Christ, but the book of Hebrews tells us he died once and for all. Justification. The Roman Catholic Church would teach you it’s by faith and works. We know that justification, according to Scripture, is by faith alone. And so receiving the Roman Catholic gospel is like trying to get figs from thorns or grapes from a bramble bush. It’s not going to benefit your soul. Because it’s contrary to what is taught in Scripture. So we talk about, as you’ve been taught, we’re talking about scripture. As the Word of God has been taught you. So we should accept no other substance. substitutions or alterations to it. Embrace what was delivered by Paul concerning Jesus Christ. Now, he says, you’re receiving, he spoke of your receiving Christ, and then he says you’re walking in Christ. You’ve received them. Now you’ve got to continue. You’ve got to walk in the Christ that you’ve received here. You must continue in the faith you have received. The receiving, let us put it as the beginning of your Christian life. but the walking is the continuation here of the Christian life. Walking implies a continuation, a perseverance, if you would, in the same faith as you began the Christian life. You must continue to walk in the truth day by day through your earthly life. We’re not to be like the Galatians who were soon removed from him that called them to another gospel. Jesus Christ doesn’t change. The gospel is said to be an everlasting gospel. It doesn’t change. Therefore, you have to be on your guard against any other doctrine or faith being substituted for the message of the true gospel. So God says, this is the way walk you in it. This is how you began your Christian life. Don’t get off that railroad track. Don’t get off that path that you’ve been on. Jesus Christ is to be your sole hope for heaven and never move an inch from that. hang on to Christ, knowing that no one comes onto the father but by him. During her childhood, there was a little girl four years old who spoke about the fact that she was too young to ride a horse on her own, and a pony fit for a four-year-old was too small to keep up with the other horses that they were riding her brothers and sisters. So when the family went horseback riding, she said, I had to sit on the back riding. of my father’s horse and grab onto his belt loop and just hang on back there behind him. And away they would go. And she said I would bounce up and down on the saddle and go side to side, but as long as I clung on to my dad, I knew I was okay. And they would go riding. She was safe. In a sense, Paul was saying to you must cling to Christ. Never let go. You’re going to go through this. life, they’re going to be ups and doubts. There’s going to be pressures. They’re going to be conflicts. They’re going to be temptations. There’s going to be confusion in this life. But the one thing we have to do is we have to continue to cling to Christ and continue to walk in the faith in which we began. So you must continue in the faith you’ve received. Walk in Christ. Now, friends, you must not love novelty and variety. in the Athenians, we’re always anxious to hear something new. I’m afraid there are many people who are religious people. They’re always wanting something new. And certainly, the minister ought to bring things new and old of the scriptures to benefit us. Certainly, that’s true. But the best, the most wholesome doctrines relating to Jesus Christ and the gospel should not become wearisome to you. You know, some grow tired of hearing about Jesus Christ’s person and work and having itching ears. They long for something new and they seek out teachers with some type of novel doctrines. And when Israel was traveling through the wilderness, God provided manna for them to eat. What food was better? What was more tasty? What was more nourishing? They called it angels’ food. And it was the bread of heaven. And nevertheless, the wretched Israelites, so it became discontented with it. Loathing God’s daily provision, they wanted the fish and the fruits from Egypt that they missed. They said in Numbers 11, 6, our soul has dried away. There’s nothing at all besides this manna before our eyes. Now, friends, this history lesson is a good lesson for us to learn when it comes to reference to Christ. in the gospel. Jesus Christ is the true bread. He has come down from heaven. He is the true manna, as he tells us in John chapter 6. This is the wilderness of the world, and he is the bread. He who eats of Christ finds eternal life and spiritual nourishment. The doctrine concerning Christ is what feeds the soul. It is a daily provision for the soul. And we find nourishment from it. However, there’s a danger if we would grow weary of that which provides us the nourishment and have a desire and appetite for something else. Paul foretold of the people’s discontentment with the truth in 2 Timothy 4. After their own lust, shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, and they shall turn their ears from the truth and be turned unto favors. they’d rather believe a lie than to listen to the truth. Look at the churches today that no longer preach Christ and have abandoned the gospel. They’re satisfied with religious ceremonies and traditions and doctrines of men and they provide Christian entertainment and Jesus Christ in a sense is despised and rejected by them because he’s not preached. They don’t have time for Christ. Are you someone who sees the beauty in Christ? that you should desire them. Or do you love the true bread? Are you weary of the gospel? Do you crave novelty? My friend, you need to cling to Christ. That’s the message here. Secondly, how you should cling to Christ? He takes up in verse 7. He says, rooted and built up in him, established in the faith, as you’ve been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. You need firmly, of faith here. The first picture that he gives us here is that of a tree because he talks about being rooted in Christ. A tree stands for something that’s fixed that resists the violence of strong winds because it has put forth good and deep roots that hold it in place. A tree’s root system is deep and extensive and it locks and it locks it to the earth. It’s not easily plucked up. I remember when I once was told my father, he wanted to get rid of a wild cherry tree that was in the yard, and I had to cut it down. It was a pretty big tree at the time, and so I’m digging around the tree, and I’m cutting these roots, and there are so many roots, and I’m cutting, and I’m cutting, and I’m cutting, and I’m pushing and pushing, and I can’t get the tree. That thing had tons of roots, and then it had a tap root, which I finally had. had to find, went straight down. And I couldn’t push that tree over. Even when I cut all the roots all the way around it, I had to get that tap root or it would not go over. It took me several days of digging and cutting and chopping. And finally, I got that tree down and got it chopped up. That’s the way we’re to be. We’re to be rooted in Christ here. Now, believers are sometimes compared to trees, called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord. in Isaiah 61.3. So the grip which faith has on Christ is to be likened to that of a tree that’s rooted deep into the ground. See, you must be rooted in Christ. Your whole heart embracing the Savior, you abide in Him. You draw close to Him. You draw your nourishment from him. Fruitfulness and grace from him. Your affections and your thoughts are to be fixed upon Christ. Christ. You know, false teachers and persecution, and the things of this world may blow upon you, but they cannot uproot you if you’re rooted in Christ. You’re held fast by the Lord. Examine yourself. Are you rooted in Christ? Is your heart fixed upon him? Now, the second picture he gives us here is that of a building, because he talks about. being built up in here. Now, all well-constructed buildings have a foundation. They pour this cement slab upon which they are built. And the house that has built up several layers, but it’s built upon this slab to keep it from shifting the ground underneath and then causing the house to tilt or crumble. Now, believers are compared to houses and even temples. in scripture. And the Bible says other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now Christ is the sure and only foundation of which you must be laid. If you’re going to be safe and secure, if your house is not going to crumble, it has to be built solidly upon Christ. The Bible says if we don’t build upon Christ and his teachings, we’re building on sand. And remember, remember what we read about in Matthew 7, the one who built on sand had his house, has his house completely collapsed when the storm came along. So whatever religious life you may have, the key factor is what lies underneath. I can’t see your heart. Only you can see your heart. Down underneath the house is where the foundation is. You don’t always see the foundation. You don’t always see the foundation. You look on the outside, you may not see the foundation. It may down into the earth. But your heart is where things really are to be examined. What are you really resting on when it comes to salvation? It must be upon Christ. Now, the plain explanation of the metaphors here of being rooted and built up in him is this phrase established in the faith. Now we probably would say established, established today, but to be established in the faith. The idea is to be established in the doctrines concerning Christ as person has worked the gospel. Paul wants you to be settled and grounded in your beliefs concerning Christ so that these doctrines are so fixed in your mind that you will not be moved away from them. Otherwise, we will be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine and every wind of doctrine and every false teaching that someone may devise. So we need a firmness of faith here. Like a tree’s root system, like a foundation for a building, that is what is pitching. Now you need to abound in faith with Thanksgiving. Abound in the faith, he says, here, with thanksgiving. Established in the faith, with abounding therein with Thanksgiving. Are you abounding in your knowledge of the faith of Christ? The word abounding here in the Greek means exceeding measure. Something that is above the ordinary to excel in this faith that we have. You remember early on in Christ’s ministry, he borrowed Peter’s boat in order to teach the crowds. He got into the boat and he was offshore a little bit and people would gather on shore and listen to what he taught. And after he was done teaching, he said to Peter to launch out in the deep and cast out your net, Peter said, Lord, you know, we’ve been fishing all night and we didn’t catch anything. By the your word, I’ll let down the net. And so he lets down the net. And all of a sudden they capture so many fish that the net begins to break. So he calls his partner. to come out, and they have a ship and they come out and they brought this big haul of fish onto both boats and the scripture says there were so many fish that the boats, both of them began to sink. The weight of the fish were so many. This is the type of abundance that we’re talking about, exceeding abundance here. We need this regarding our knowledge of Christ that we go beyond and above the ordinary. That our life’s passion as Christians should be there know more about the Savior. Think a moment about this. Your knowledge of the doctrine of Christ needs to excel. Why is it today that Christians are satisfied with just a little knowledge about Christ as their Lord and Savior? Why is it that our society and people in it have so much knowledge about the Steelers and the pirates and the penguins and the sports teams, but so little in comparison to Christ. Why so much knowledge about politics, about cars, about houses, about world events, about fashion, but so small an amount about the one we claim to be our Savior, Jesus Christ. This really is shameful, isn’t it? Isn’t it disgraceful? Why is there such a lack of interest about the person and work of Christ? Doesn’t this verse call for a greater meditation and study? about the person of Jesus Christ. We should be thinking about the Old Testament prophecies and how they relate to Christ. We should be thinking about the types of Christ that we find the Old Testament like Melchizedek or like David, or perhaps those things we see in the law that reflect Christ’s work. What about the pre-incarnate appearances of Christ to Abraham and to Isaiah? What about the mysterious union of Christ? human nature and his divine nature. That ought to be something that we ought to be desire us to look into. The miracles of Christ. The ministry of Christ, the study as teachings, the second coming of Christ should interest us. The present reign of Christ should interest us. The death and resurrection of Christ should be of great interest to us. The way of salvation in Christ by substitutionary death and his perfect life should be of great interest to us. Are we not commanded to grow in the knowledge of Christ? As 2. Peter 318 tells us. So we should apply ourselves to the study of scriptures and learn of him, for they speak of him. So are you abounding in your knowledge of the faith of Christ? Do you have a thankful heart which moves you to abound in your knowledge of the faith of Christ? With Thanksgiving, he says here. I read a story in California about a small boy accidentally fell down in an abandoned mine shaft. And his playmate ran for help, and before long workers were moving in by the score. They brought all this heavy machinery in because they had to sort of dig a sideways tunnel like into this area so they could get this boy out. Finally, after two days and two nights of digging, the rest of operation was complete. The little boy was rescued. Appeared to be an excellent condition. Went to the hospital. Stayed overnight. It was released. As his mother said, he was very dirty and very hungry. But he was all right. After they sent him home, in a couple of days, he persuaded his father. He wanted to go back and see where he had fallen into the mine shaft. And so they went back, and the little boy was shocked. When he saw this whole mountain of earth, that had been moved just to dig him out, just to save him his life. And he looked at his dad and he said, Daddy, do you mean they did all this just for me? He said, yeah, they had to move all that dirt just to get you out of there. You can imagine how appreciative that little boy was that they took the effort to do that and to save his life. My friends, if we ought to be thinking about the pit from which we’ve been dug. What Christ has done to get us out. How he has reached down to save us. And with grateful hearts, we ought to desire to know more about this Christ that has saved us. We should admire the abundance of benefits that we have in the gospel and all the things that are given to us by our Savior. This true faith should be thankful to God for his unspefewed. speakable gift of his son. My friend, you you are to eagerly learn more and more about the one who rescued you from sin and Satan and eternal death. We ought to be thankful enough to do that, shouldn’t we? Well, many people didn’t like Martin Luther, because he was a bit rough around the edges. He boldly proclaimed and stood for the truth. He wasn’t very diplomatic in his efforts. However, what is important is not the messenger, but the message that is proclaimed. Is it the truth? You may not have the best preacher in the world. You may not have the most eloquent speaker in the world. Yet what is important is the truth that he proclaims? Is he proclaiming a message that comes from God’s word? That’s what’s important. You need to cling to Christ. Receive him, walk in him. And you should cling to Christ by firmness of faith and abound in that faith with Thanksgiving. That’s what he says. Well, let us