Rooted And Built Up In Christ

Colossians 2. In the first 7 verses, Paul says what he wants. Then, he says what he doesn’t want.

Paul has written this letter because he is concerned that the Colossian Christians might be taken captive by other philosophies and teachings that were swirling around. All of those teachings would cause the Colossians to lose their focus on Jesus. They are a trap. In chapter 1, he emphasised the centrality of Jesus. In this chapter he is going to raise the concerns – but first, what does he want?

The last verses in the previous chapter are clearly linked. What Paul wants, he wants with a passion. Listen to his conviction, his feeling. But listen also for what he really wants to see. And, remember, this is the word of God. This is not just what Paul wants; this is what God wants.

READ Colossians 1:28 – 2:3

In those verses, what does Paul want?

Paul’s life was dedicated to presenting everyone fully mature in Christ. That means bringing people into a relationship with Jesus and then growing them to spiritual maturity. To this end I strenuously contend.

Is that what we want as a church? Is it what you want? Fully mature in Christ.

2:1, I want you to know how hard I am contending for you.

Why does he want them to know that? He wants them to know that he cares about them, and he cares about their salvation and presenting them fully mature in Christ.

v.2, my goal is that you might be encouraged in heart and united in love. Encouraged in heart. He wants them to be strong, motivated, passionate, encouraged – having fresh courage.

United in love. He cares about them as individuals but he also cares about them as a church. He wants them to be bound together by love for one another.

Why are these things important? There is a high goal: so that you may have the full riches of complete understanding. They will grow in their understanding as they are encouraged and as they love one another – as they care for each other, as they share scriptures and stories of what God is doing in their lives, as they minister to each other using their spiritual gifts.

But wait! There is an even higher goal. Why does Paul want them to have complete understanding? In order that you may know the mystery of God, namely Christ.

His ultimate goal is that they may know Christ – know Him well, experience Him. Paul said that was his own personal ambition.

Philippians 3:10-11

I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Clearly, Paul (and the Colossians) already knew Christ. They had faith, hope and love. But Paul is talking about something much deeper here: knowing the power of His resurrection – living the new, resurrection life free from the power of sin; participating in His sufferings. Remember, in Colossians 1 Paul had talked about suffering for the sake of the church and the gospel? Really knowing Christ means sharing His sufferings. Becoming like Him in His death – having the love, the humility and the courage to die to self just like Jesus did. And, through all that, somehow attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Paul’s goal was people who know Jesus so well they have become like Jesus. Imagine if that was the mission statement of this church: people who know Jesus Christ so well they have become like Him.

You might have noticed that when he said he wanted them to know Christ, he added “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Maybe other groups were promising wisdom and knowledge. Do you know where real wisdom and knowledge are found? In Jesus.

OK, let’s move on. In vv.4-7, what else does Paul want? READ Colossians 2:4-7 (pause on this slide)

He wants them…

• To not be deceived by fine-sounding arguments

• To be disciplined and firm in their faith in Christ.

• To continue to live their lives in Christ Jesus.

• To be rooted and built up in Christ

• To be strong in the faith they had been taught.

All of those things are about being steadfast, persevering, rock-solid, strong, not deviating and not giving up. The danger was that, having started well, the Colossians were going to be seduced by these other teachings; that having started with Christ, they were going to abandon Him for something else. Look at the emphasis on Jesus in that vision that Paul has for them.

Rooted and built up in Christ. Their roots are to go down into Christ so that in Him they are rock-solid. But they are also to be built up in Christ. His vision for them is that they grow up strong and fruitful. Growing deeper; growing up.

And, he wants them to be overflowing with thankfulness. He wants them to be very aware of how much Jesus had done for them and to constantly acknowledge Him.

How would we summarise that? Paul wants mature Christians who love Jesus and are becoming like Jesus, bearing fruit for Jesus, unmovable and thankful.

Do we have that same passion to see people grow to maturity and fruitfulness? If we see people drifting out of church, drifting away from Jesus, does that alarm us? Paul fought hard to prevent that.

Paul has already mentioned fine-sounding arguments. In the remainder of the chapter, he lists four more threats, and he says what is wrong with each one. We will look at the threat and the answer.

Colossians 2:8

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

In our world, everybody has some sort of wisdom. For example:

• The main thing is that you are happy.

  • • Is it? Is that godly wisdom?

• Follow your heart. Your heart is your true guide.

  • • The Bible says that the heart is desperately wicked. It might be the very worst thing to follow.

These things are trotted out time after time as if they are true, but they are merely human wisdom or, worse, demonic deception. We can have human wisdom or the wisdom from Christ.

Paul counters it by saying, “Remember who Jesus is. You can choose the wisdom of the world if you like but remember who Jesus is and what he has done for you.”

I will read the next few verses but there will be just a summary on the screen. READ Colossians 2:9-15

Colossians 2:16

Therefore, do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

That sounds like Jewish legalism – lots of laws to be rigidly obeyed and, if you don’t, you sin.

Paul’s response is very brief: these are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality is found in Christ (v.17). The Colossians could put themselves under the Jewish Law again but that Law was simply pointing to Jesus. It is Jesus who is the reality. They would be opting for the shadow, not the reality.

READ Colossians 2:18-19.

Today, there are lots of people who claim to be spiritual. There are people who claim to be at one with the universe or, as Paul says, here, worshipping angels, or communing with the dead. Just for fun I asked for some AI art depicting being “very spiritual”. In some ways this is how the world sees being very spiritual? I also asked for “a spiritual guru meditating on top of a mountain”.

And, frankly, there are so-called Christians who claim extraordinary spiritual experiences. Of course, there are very genuine extraordinary spiritual experiences but not everything that people claim, is true. Sometimes it is fake; sometimes it is pride – “I’m more spiritual than you”. Some things appear very spiritual but they are not from Jesus.

Paul says they have lost contact with the head, Jesus, and it is Jesus who grows Christians. Which of those two pictures better illustrates real spirituality?

READ Colossians 2:20-23

If I punish myself with strict rules and self-inflicted pain and withdraw from contact with the world, I will be more spiritual and more holy; I will conquer my sinful self.

Paul again says this is merely human wisdom. It has the appearance of wisdom – that is what makes them deceptive – but these practices lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. They simply do not work! Discipline and will-power are not the way to overcome our sinfulness.

Do you know the truth of that? Have you tried really hard to overcome some sin – and then done it again?

Sin is not overcome by will-power. Sin is overcome by dying with Christ. That is a whole other topic but it illustrates what Paul was saying. Notice how everything on the right-hand side, comes back to Jesus Christ. In every one of these examples, Paul says the reality is Jesus.

• Hollow philosophies based on human (or demonic) traditions versus Christ’s wisdom.

• Rules that were merely a shadow of what was to come.

• Apparently really spiritual people who have, in fact, lost contact with Christ.

• Fighting our sinfulness with will-power as opposed to dying with Christ.

Laodicea was mentioned in v.1. Laodicea was a neighbouring town. Paul was contending hard for them too. It didn’t work! Do you remember what Jesus said about the church in Laodicea? He would spit them out of His mouth because they were neither hot nor cold; they were lukewarm. Paul did not want the Colossians to be similarly lukewarm. I’ll guarantee you know people who have come to faith in Jesus but are now lukewarm because they have been attracted by what the world teaches, not by what Jesus teaches. Do we care? This letter is written to us as well as the Colossians. God calls us to be rooted and built up in Christ – everything centred on Jesus Christ, our roots going down into Him, and us growing up in Him.

Rooted and built up where? In Christ!

1652