It is very unusual for me, as those who have been with us awhile are probably very aware, for me to ever attempt to preach a sermon that ties in to whatever holiday that happens to coincide with our Sunday service. Today might be the exception. If you read in the KJV or the NKJV, then you will notice that at the end of verse 7, Paul says we are to be overflowing with thanksgiving. So for those of you who expected a message today on Thanksgiving, then that reference is going to be as close as I am going to get to that topic. And by way of exposition on that subject, I will defer to the NASB translation of that word, which is gratitude. So thanksgiving involves gratitude.
I think it’s horrendous that Thanksgiving in America has become so far removed from what it really is supposed to signify. Our children in school today are taught that the purpose of Thanksgiving is to thank the Indians for teaching the Pilgrims how to plant and survive during the first year of their colony. And at most dinner tables this week across America, the extent of thanksgiving is that there may be a time when they go around the table and say what they are thankful for. Not to whom they are thankful, but what they are thankful for.
And that’s a good indication of the problem with our idea of Thanksgiving. It is centered on things rather than on who. It’s thankfulness that we have what we want, rather than gratitude for what God has done in our hearts. Our gratitude is too often defined by our material riches, rather than our spiritual riches.
Thanksgiving was commemorated by the Pilgrims and by many as a religious holiday for many years afterwards, but it was President Lincoln who designated it as a national holiday in 1863, which during his subsequent speech said, “I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” I reference that just to make the point that Thanksgiving is a time when we are supposed to give thanks to God.
Now thanksgiving in context with the verses we are looking at today as used in vs 7, does not in any way reference a national holiday. Not that a national holiday is a bad thing, it’s just not what is being talked about here. What I think Paul is referring to is an attitude of gratitude for our salvation. Gratitude, or overflowing with gratitude, should be the appropriate response of our salvation. “We love, because He first loved us.” We respond in gratitude by serving the Lord, and being obedient to the Lord, because of His grace towards us, and because of the life which He gave us.
It’s obvious that our gratitude is to be towards God for our salvation by the context of verse 6, which precedes the admonition for thanksgiving, by saying, “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk in Him.” Receiving Christ is salvation. As John 1:12 states; “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, [even] to those who believe in His name.”
Notice that John equates receiving to believing. And back in our text, actually in vs 5, Paul equates receiving as faith in Christ. And we know that faith is the means of justification, and justification is the beginning of our salvation. Ephesians 2:8,9; “For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.”
We all know that verse so well, many of us by heart. But it’s important to also know the next verse, Eph. 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” That illustrates for us what Paul is saying here in Colossians 2:6. “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”
The emphasis in both cases is that salvation is evidenced by your walk. In other words, justification produces a new birth, which results in a new life. And this new life is spoken of as a walk. So that we walk by faith and not by sight. We walk in newness of life. We walk in the good works of God.
The point that Paul is emphasizing here is that justification is not the destination. It’s the beginning, it’s new birth. The destination of our salvation is glorification, when we are completed, perfected with a new body and a new spirit in the presence of God. And the path which leads from justification to glorification is sanctification. Sanctification is our walk.
Another frequently used analogy of our salvation is that of the word of God which is compared to a seed, which finds root in us, that’s the believing unto salvation part, then God causes it to grow, springing up into new life, and the life brings forth fruit. But Jesus said in a parable of the fruit tree, that the tree that does not bear fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Jesus said in Matt. 7:19-20 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.” So salvation is not just indicative of believing, but growing and bearing fruit.
That analogy of a tree is one that Paul employs here in Colossians 2. He speaks of the need to be rooted in your faith. Vs 7, “having been firmly rooted [and now] being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, [and] overflowing with gratitude.”
I’m not sure if Paul is mixing metaphors here or if the translators are, but there seems to be in my version at least a transition of metaphors from a tree to a house, “being firmly rooted and being built up and established.” But if we were to look at it from the perspective of a tree, then it would indicate that there needs to be deep roots if the tree is going to grow up and become mature, to be able to stand, and then to bear fruit.
But if you looked at it from the perspective of a building, it would seem the emphasis is on a firm foundation, from which a temple is built, and established, from which emanates an overflowing of gratitude to God. And that gratitude we have already indicated results in doing the works of God.
In either illustration, our faith then must be firmly rooted, grounded, a strong foundation from which to build, to grow, to bear fruit. So what is this foundation of our faith comprised of? Well, the text makes it clear that it is Christ. In vs 2 it’s “the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Christ is the truth of God. He is the manifestation of God. He is the salvation of God, the Savior of the world. He is Lord God. Faith is believing in the gospel of Christ; who He is and what He came to do, what He accomplished, and what He has promised He will do.
Paul says in vs 5, he was “rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.” There it is again, this emphasis on a stable foundation of who Christ is and what He has accomplished and what He will accomplish. Christ has accomplished our salvation and He will one day accomplish our glorification when He comes again as the returning King to claim His kingdom. This knowledge, this faith in Christ is the foundation for our life. This knowledge and faith in Christ is the root system that produces growth and maturity and fruit in our lives.
And notice that Paul brings all the fullness of Christ to bear in His name and titles given in vs6. “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” Christ is the Greek word for Messiah. So Christ as a title encompasses the full doctrine of the Messiah. The Messiah is foretold way back in the Garden of Eden, as the one who will come from the seed of the woman who will crush the head of the serpent. He was the One promised to be the seed of Abraham by whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed. He is the Anointed One promised by the prophets who would be a great light to the nations, and to whom all people would come. The Messiah is the Savior of the world, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. I don’t have the time this morning to expound the doctrine of the Messiah in all it’s fullness.
But a summary of it is revealed in Isaiah 9:6-7 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of [His] government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”
That prophecy includes another title which Paul gives us here in Col. 2vs 6, which is the Lord. Christ Jesus the Lord. The Lord is a reference to His kingdom, to the Prince of Peace. There will be no end to His government. He will sit on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and uphold it with justice and righteousness fro then on and forevermore. The Lord Jesus is king over all the universe and it is an eternal kingdom that has no end.
Paul said in Romans 10:9, “that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” Our salvation is not only faith in Jesus as our Savior, but confession of Jesus as our Lord. We bow to His authority over our lives. He is our Government. He is our King. He is our Sovereign, and we bow our will to Him, we live our lives for Him, we serve Him as our King.
Now that constitutes a firmly rooted faith, rooted “in true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” This is the start of our salvation, the start of our new life. Knowing Him. Knowing Christ. That’s what it means to believe in Christ.
Notice something else that is important in vs 7. “having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed. “ I want to emphasize that phrase “just as you were instructed.” Just as you were taught. The foundation of our faith, our walk in faith, and the produce of faith, all are contingent upon the instruction in our faith. That’s why it’s so important to preach the gospel. That’s why it’s so important to preach Christ. Not to preach a social gospel, or a prosperity gospel, or a philosophical and psychological gospel. But to preach the pure word of God, unmixed, unfiltered, not watered down. Because the deeper our roots go, the greater our fruit grows.
Not long ago I decided to dig a pond and I planned to make a little fountain and raise some koi fish. It will be easy, they said. It will be fun, they said. Little did I realize when I started digging that I had planned the pond too close to a large tree in my back yard. I think I ended up cutting roots more than I dug dirt.
Sometime later I was explaining how difficult that whole process was to a lady in the church, and she told me that the root system of a tree mirrored the scope of the branches in the tree. So if I wanted to see how extensive the roots were, I only had to look up and see how expansive the branches were. I had never heard that before. But I think that is sort of what Paul is indicating here. As our roots go down deep in our faith, our branches grow up and out resulting in an abundant life of fruitfulness.
Notice that this instruction that we are given results in our faith being established. Established means to make sure, to confirm. It means to prove it’s truth. Being established then indicates giving heed to instruction, which informs our faith, assures us of our faith, and confirms our faith. Faith is not just wishful thinking. Faith is not wanting something to be true and so you just imagine it is possible, and hold onto it, and somehow if you believe it enough it will come true. No, faith is believing in the promises of God. So when we preach, we preach not some fanciful imaginative thing that we want to believe will come true, but we preach the truth of God, the word of God, and very importantly, the promises of God. Our faith is founded on the promises of God. And so it’s important that we preach and teach the promises of God. And as Peter said, the promises of God are written down for us that they may be a more sure word.
2Peter 1:19 “[So] we have the prophetic word [made] more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.” Paul warns against unfounded promises in vs 18 which we will get to next week, but I reference now as a contrast to the sure promises of God. Vs 18 “Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on [visions] he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind.”
So as a counterpoint to the sound instruction that informs and confirms our faith, Paul gives a necessary caution. He cautions against false promises, empty promises, man made wisdom, which may have the appearance of spirituality, but it lacks substance because it is not founded on the truth of God’s word, but it’s founded on man’s philosophy and the devil’s lies. If our lives depend upon our faith being true, then it’s paramount that we are discerning as to what is true, what is promised by God, and what is not true, or what is promised by man.
So Paul waves a cautionary flag in vs 8 “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”
Jesus told a parable about wheat and tares which illustrate this principle. Matt. 13:24-30 says, “Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' The slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?' But he said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”'"
Now there is a lot in that parable which I cannot take the time to expound upon this morning, but one thing that should be clear is the importance of bearing fruit. The wheat is the fruit of the good seed which was sown in the field. Jesus said in another parable that the seed was the word of God, and I see no reason not to exegete that here as well.
But what I want you to notice is that He said the enemy came into the field and sowed takes among the wheat while his men were sleeping. The tares looked like wheat. His men were not able to discern the wheat from the tares until it came time to reap, which is when the fruit comes to it’s fullness.
So if the good seed is the word of God, and the seed of the tares is sown by the enemy, then it stands to reason that the seed of the tares is what Paul refers to in Colossians 2 as man’s philosophy and empty deception. Empty deception is another way of saying empty promises.
Notice that Paul warns about being taken captive by one who teaches this false doctrine. Satan’s goal is to capture as many people as he can by his lies and deception. Promising them freedom but they end up being captured and enslaved. Peter speaks of this type of false teacher in 2Peter 2:18-19 “For speaking out arrogant [words] of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”
So our fruitfulness can be eliminated by false teaching if we succumb to it. In fact, false teaching can even provide a false salvation. It looks like the real thing, just like the tares looked like wheat, but the evidence is in the fruit. So a foundation must be founded on the truth, otherwise, it is a false foundation, and the entire structure is threatened with ruin. I’m not a builder, but from what I know of it if you are off on your foundation, then the whole house will be off, and in fact nothing will work as it should and the structure can end up being condemned.
I’m afraid that is the devil’s strategy in the church. To mislead, deceive on the basis of empty deception, empty promises that do not give the freedom that they promised, but instead leave you enslaved to a corrupted, false doctrine.
Notice Paul says their false doctrine is “according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” When I hear that phrase, “according to the tradition of men” I cannot help but think of the Roman Catholic church. The Catholic church claims on a lot of the same truth that we believe. But they have added traditions of men in such a way that it overshadows the truth, it conceals the truth, and as a result many people in it may be sincere, they may be zealous, they may be very religious, and yet still be totally lost.
And unfortunately it can happen in evangelical churches as well. It’s possible to water down the gospel and add to the gospel a lot of things that sound good, and are what we want to hear, what we want to believe, and yet miss the mark of saving faith. It’s important that as Paul says, our faith is according to Christ. According to His word. According to His gospel.
And the gospel of Christ is simply this; that every man and woman is a sinner, and condemned to eternal death as a result of their sin. But Christ Jesus the Lord came to save sinners, by offering Himself as our substitute in death, that by faith in HIs atoning work we might be justified and given the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and who is coming again to take His people to be with Him forever in His Kingdom of righteousness.
If you believe that gospel, if you receive that gospel, if you have believed in Jesus as your Savior, and confess Him as your Lord, your King, then so walk in Him, walk in His righteousness, walk in obedience to Him, walk in His teaching, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. Walk in Him. Bear the fruit of righteousness in gratitude as your response for what He has done for you.
Hebrews 12:28-29 says, “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.” Let us close in prayer.
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