Week Five | "Rooted" | "All That Matters"

Lesson 5—Rooted

Colossians 2:4-15

I. The Stability of Your Faith (vv. 4-5)

Stability: steadfast, secure, strength, solid, firm, immovable.

II. Walk in Him (vv. 6-7)

Look back at Colossians 1:10

“True conversion implies the right of Christ to rule, and therefore to determine the shape and character of what in His eyes is worthy and consistent living” (The Message of Colossians and Philemon, Dick Lucas, Logos).

A. Rooted

Redwoods – “They have appropriately large root systems, however, often extending 100 feet (30 meters) and intertwining with the roots of other redwoods, according to the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Baby redwoods often sprout at their parents' base, latching onto their roots for nutrients. For this reason, they often grow in circular clusters sometimes called fairy rings” (https://www.livescience.com/39461- sequoias-redwood-trees.html).

We are created for community – for family, the family of God.

B. Built Up in Christ

Apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).

C. Established in Your Faith

We must walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

D. Overflowing with Gratitude

Gratitude is proof of the root.

“A thankful believer is not easily led away from Christ. A discontented, grumbling, whiny believer, however, will be easy prey for false teachers who are more than willing to offer ‘just what you’ve been missing’” (Max Anders, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians, Logos).

III. Do Not Be Deceived or Taken Captive (vv.8-10)

A. The Philosophy and Traditions of Men

Jesus was steadfast. He went to the cross. He was taunted and told to save Himself. But He could not save Himself and save us. Just as we cannot save ourselves and live for Christ. Jesus told those who followed Him – “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).

Most of these philosophies and arguments appeal to the sin-filled and self-centered ego of man. These arguments make sense to the logical mind because God’s ways are not man’s ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).

B. Elementary Principles of the World

“All power structures, ancient or modern, whether political, economic or racial, have the potential to become rivals to Christ, beckoning His followers to submit themselves to them in order to find a fuller security. The invitation is as blasphemous as it is unnecessary. Christ brooks no rivals. His people need no-one but Him” (N.T. Wright, Colossians and Philemon: An Introduction and Commentary, Logos).

IV. Spiritual Circumcision (vv. 11-12)

Romans 2:29; 6:2-11

In physical circumcision the flesh is cut away. In spiritual circumcision, the fleshy heart is removed, and we are given a new heart. Paige Brown last week in her message from 1 Samuel on Saul – used the analogy of a heart transplant. When an organ transplant takes place there is always the risk of rejection. Sometimes it is acute rejection. In others there is chronic rejection. That is the category in which many believers find themselves.

Acute Rejection –
“The most common type of heart transplant rejection is called acute cellular rejection. This happens when your T-cells (part of your immune system) attack the cells of your new heart. It happens most often in the first 3 to 6 months after transplant.”

Chronic Rejection -
“Heart transplant rejection can also be long-term (chronic). Coronary artery vasculopathy is a form of chronic rejection. It affects the coronary arteries. These supply the heart muscle with oxygen and nutrients. In coronary artery vasculopathy, the inner lining of the blood vessel thickens. This can lead to less blood going to the heart muscle” (https://www.cedars-sinai.org/health-library/diseases-and-conditions/h/heart-transplant- rejection.html).

“It is this overlap of the two ‘ages’ of Jewish expectation that brings about the characteristic paradoxes and tensions of Paul’s view of the Christian life. At one moment he must emphasize, as here, that believers already partake in the life and power of Christ’s resurrection. At another (e.g. Colossians 3:5–11; Romans 8:12–15) he must stress the consequent obligation to ‘put to death’ all that still remains of the old sinful life” (N.T. Wright, Colossians and Philemon: An Introduction and Commentary, Logos).

V. Christ Has Triumphed (vv. 13-15)

Galatians 3:13

Christ took our sins and gave us His righteousness – (2 Corinthians 5:21). He canceled our debt and made a public display of our enemy.

“The phrase triumphing over them alludes metaphorically to the practice of Roman generals following a conquest. In the days before the modern news media, the most spectacular method of announcing a far-off victory to people at home was to march in triumph through the city, displaying the booty taken from conquered peoples, and leading a host of bedraggled prisoners through the streets as a public spectacle” (N.T. Wright, Colossians, and Philemon: An Introduction and Commentary, Logos).