Mercy Hill Church of San Jose

Colossians: A Letter from Jail

As You Received Christ, So Walk in Him

Colossians 2:6-15

How many of you have ever watched the Antique Roadshow?  Interesting program.  I love the ones where you have someone who has had something in their home for years that they didn’t think was of any importance.  And then one day they decide to have someone look at it, only to find that it’s extremely rare, hundreds of years old, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Now the reason I mention that is because that’s exactly what’s happening with too many followers of Jesus.  If you have repented of your sins and put your trust in Jesus, then you have received something that’s of infinite value.  And that’s not an overstatement.  You have received something which can strengthen you in every weakness, comfort you in every sorrow, guide you in every decision, protect you from every harm, and fully satisfy your heart.  But too many followers of Jesus don’t realize what they have.

So what is it that we have?  What is it that we have received?  To answer this, let’s turn to Colossians chapter 2.  If you need a Bible, go ahead and raise your hand and one of the ushers will bring one to you.  Colossians 2 is on page 984 in the Bibles that we are passing out.

This letter was written by Paul the apostle as he was in prison in Rome.  And he wrote it to a church in the western Turkey city of Colossae, which was full of followers of Jesus he had never met.  And as you read this letter, you can see that Paul wants to make sure the Colossian believers – and all of us -- understand exactly what they have received.

So what is it that we have received?  Look at what Paul says in v.6 --

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,

Here Paul says that when we are saved, when we become Christians we receive Christ Jesus the Lord.  So think back to the time that you were saved.  You saw that there is a God, and that you were a sinner facing God’s judgment.  But you also saw that God sent Jesus to pay for your sins.  And you wanted to be forgiven by God, you wanted to come to know Jesus, so you repented of your sins and trusted your life fully to Jesus.  And the moment you did that – you were forgiven for all of your sins.  But that’s not all.

What Paul wants us to understand is that at that moment – God gave you Christ Jesus.  At that moment you received Christ Jesus the Lord.

Now don’t let that be a cliché.  Too often we talk about asking Jesus into our hearts, accepting Christ, receiving Christ – but it’s just words.  Don’t let it be just words.  Do you understand that you have received Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity?

That should just blow your mind.  I mean think about Jesus Christ – who as we saw in chapter one – is fully God.  Jesus Christ has always been, Jesus Christ created everything, Jesus Christ rules over everything, Jesus Christ is full of power and sovereignty and goodness.  That’s who Jesus is.

And when you repent of your sins and trust Jesus, Jesus doesn’t just forgive you (as amazing as that is); Jesus doesn’t just love you (as amazing as that is); Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, actually comes to live inside you.

Look at these Scriptures: here’s what Jesus said in John 15:4 –

"Abide in me, and I [will abide] in you.”

Here’s what Paul said in Galatians 2:20 –

I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

And here’s what Jesus says in Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

So when God saves you, He gives you Jesus.  Jesus Christ the Lord comes to live inside you.

Think about it like this.  What if I told you that the moment you trusted Jesus God sent an angel to live inside you.  You’d be interested, wouldn’t you?  You’d want to know – what’s the angel like?  What will the angel do?  That would be wonderful, wouldn’t it? 

But what God has done is infinitely more wonderful.  When you trusted Jesus God did not sent an angel to live inside you.  God sent Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, to come and live inside you.

Jesus – who has strength for every weakness, comfort for every sorrow, guidance for every decision, protection from every harm, and satisfaction for every longing – lives inside you.

So what does this mean for our lives?  Read all of v.6 --

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him…

Think about this.  Jesus Christ is living inside you.  Could he be any closer?  No.  So since you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, that means you can walk in him.  You can live your life in conscious relationship with Him.

So what does that actually mean?  Paul explains in v.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.

First, Paul says it means that we can be rooted in Him.  This is a powerful picture.  Each of us is like this plant here.  And what do plants need to survive and thrive?  They need to be rooted into something.  Plants cannot survive alone, they need soil which provides them water and nutrients.

And God created you to be just like a plant.  You cannot survive and thrive alone.  You need to be rooted into something to provide you with security and meaning and guidance and comfort and satisfaction.  Namely, God.

Our problem, though, is that our sinful hearts don’t want to be rooted into Jesus.  We want to be rooted into something that lets us call the shots, that lets us take the credit, that lets us be in control.  But that’s like a plant trying to survive and thrive by being rooted into a pot full of dry gravel – it’s just not going to work.

But because of God’s saving work in our hearts, through the Cross, we now want to be rooted into the soil we were created for – the soil of Jesus – rich, loamy, brown, moist soil.

So the way to walk in Jesus is to rely on Him, consciously sink your roots into Him, throughout the day.  First thing in the morning, you open up His Word and sink your roots into truth about Him.  Then you pray and sink your roots into His promises for your every concern. 

So when a fear arises, you sink your roots into His sovereignty, maybe with Isaiah 41:10 (“Fear not, for I am with you.”). 

When an insecurity crops up, you sink your roots into His love, maybe with Romans 8:31 (“If God is for us, who is against us?”). 

When a decision is needed, you sink your roots into His wisdom, and ask Him for help, relying on James 1:5 (“if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.”).

When a guilt hammers you, you sink your roots into His forgiveness, maybe with I John 1:9 (“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.”).

When a temptation attacks us, you sink your roots into His superior pleasure, maybe with Psalm 43:4 (“God [is] my exceeding joy.”).

And so forth.

See, you are a plant.  You will always be rooting yourself in something, and if it’s not consciously in Jesus, then it will be in a six-pack, or lust, or self-esteem, or impressing other people, or money, or whatever.  But only Jesus is rich, dark, loamy, damp soil that will enable you to survive and thrive.

And then, continuing in v.7, second, Paul says that as a result we will be built up in Him.  When you go through the day being rooted in Jesus, you will be built up in Him. 

When you face problems, you will be encouraged – in Him.

When you face temptations, you will resist – in Him.

When you face worries, you will be at peace – in Him.

When you face difficulties, you will be strong – in Him.

When you face suffering, you will endure – in Him.

Now think about this.  When you are rooted in a six-pack, or impressing other people, are you built up?  Are you left encouraged, strong, at peace?  No.  It’s only when you are rooted in Jesus that you are built up.

And then, continuing in v.7, third, Paul says that as a result we will be established in the faith, just as you were taught.  Here the emphasis is on the fact that in the apostolic teaching, in the writings of God’s Word, we have rock-solid, unchanging truth. 

So when you are rooted in Jesus, you are rooting yourself in a being who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Whether you are feeling spiritual or not, you are established, because Jesus is the same.  Whether circumstances are going well or not, whether people like you or not, you are established, because Jesus is the same.  So when you are rooted in Jesus, who is unchanging truth, you will be established in the faith.

And then, coming to the end of v.7, fourth, Paul says that as a result we will be abounding in thanksgiving.  Because you will always be seeing Jesus –

full of love for you,

rich in forgiveness towards you,

ultimately overcoming every sin in you,

bringing His grace to you in every trial,

supplying every need you have,

comforting every heartache you have,

conquering every difficulty you meet,

guiding every decision you face,

satisfying every longing with Himself.

And as a result you will be abounding in thanksgiving.  You will go through the day, thanking Jesus, praising Jesus, glorifying Jesus, worshiping Jesus.  Not in a shallow way.  Not without any grief or tears or sorrow.  No.  But all with abounding thanksgiving to Jesus.

But now Paul does not want us to be naïve.  Paul wants us to understand that when we start walking in Jesus, and being rooted in Jesus, we face danger.  So what danger do we face?  Look at what Paul says in v.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.

Now there are two words in v.8 that specially describe the danger.  One is the word “deceit.”  Think about it.  If you are taken captive by deceit – do you know it?  No.  That’s the danger – deception: being taken captive and not even knowing you are taken captive.

We can also see the danger in the phrase “elemental spirits of the world.”  That’s a reference to demonic powers.  So there are actual demonic powers seeking to take you captive, take you from Christ, with such deception that you don’t even know it.

Now this could involve anything from Mormonism to Churchianity to an Oprah-style of spirituality to just plain love of money or pornography or whatever.  

And just to show how real this is, how many of us know people who seem to have been taken captive so they are no longer walking with Jesus?  OK.  It’s a widespread danger.

So Paul wants us to understand that we face a deceptive, demonic danger.  But Paul tells us how to overcome this danger – in vv.9-15.  Every deceptive, demonic danger has one goal – to take you away from Jesus.  So the way to overcome this danger is to keep walking with Jesus – keep being rooted in Jesus.  And so Paul tells us what we have in Jesus, in order to keep us rooted in Jesus.

First, when you walk in Jesus you have access to all the fullness of God.  You can see this in v.9 --

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.

If there is a God, and there is, then there’s nothing more important than connecting with God, because God is infinitely more important than anything else.  And all the fullness of deity, all the fullness of God, dwells in Jesus.  So when you walk in Jesus you get all the fullness of God.

Second, when you walk in Jesus you are protected from all demonic powers.  You can see this in v.10 --

… and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

You can also see this in v.15 –

He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

There are demonic powers.  But through the Cross, Jesus has disarmed every one, has triumphed over every one, and so He rules sovereignly over every one.  So when you walk in Jesus, you are protected from all demonic powers.

Third, when you walk in Jesus you are being freed from sin’s dominion.  You can see this in vv.11-12 --

11         In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

12         having been buried with him in baptism,

My biggest enemy is sin.  Your biggest enemy is sin.  But the good news is that in Jesus we are freed from sin’s dominion.  Through Jesus God performs a spiritual circumcision on us, cutting out sin’s dominion.  And this is pictured in baptism, when we go under the water, which is a picture of dying to sin’s dominion. 

Fourth, when you walk in Jesus you are given spiritual life. Look at vv.12-13 --

12         having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

13         And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him,

In ourselves we will never have true spiritual life, where we love God for who He is, experience God in the person of Jesus.  But in and through Jesus, God gives us spiritual life – so we see God and feel the wonder of Jesus and love the Cross.  And this being raised up to new life is also pictured in baptism, when we are raised up out of the water.

Fifth, in Jesus all our trespasses are forgiven.  You can see that in vv.13-14 --

13b       having forgiven us all our trespasses,

14         by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Because of my sin, because of your sin, we each have received a record of guilt before God.  And there was nothing we could do to erase that record of guilt.  But through the Cross that record of guilt was canceled, as Jesus’ paid the penalty in our place.

So let this sink in.  This coming week, as you walk in Jesus, as you root yourself in Jesus,

you will have access to all the fullness of God,

you will be protected from all demonic powers,

you will be freed from sin’s dominion,

you will be made spiritually alive,

you will have all your trespasses forgiven.

As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him.  This coming week, and the rest of your life, walk in Him.

Sunday Morning Worship: 10:00am

Allen at Steinbeck Elementary School
820 Steinbeck Dr
San Jose, CA 95123

Ph. 408.997.9387

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