AM Colossians 1:24-2:23 All of Christ for All of life

[0:00] As we find it in Colossians chapter 1.! So we're going to take up a reading in Colossians chapter 1 verse 24 and read through into chapter 2.

[0:40] Let's hear the word of the Lord. Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake and in my flesh. I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is the church.

[0:54] Of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you to make the word of God fully known. The mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.

[1:10] To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery. Which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

[1:29] For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea.

[1:42] And for all who have not seen me face to face. That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love. To reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery.

[1:56] Which is Christ. In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.

[2:06] For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit. Rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.

[2:23] Rooted and built up in him. And established in the faith. Just as you were taught. Abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit.

[2:37] According to human tradition. According to the elemental spirits of the world. And not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.

[2:48] And you have been filled in him who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands. By putting off the body of the flesh.

[3:00] By the circumcision of Christ. 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.

[3:12] And you who were dead in your trespasses. And the uncircumcision of your flesh. God made alive together with him. Having forgiven us all our trespasses. By cancelling the record of debt that stood against us.

[3:25] With its legal demands. This he set aside nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities. And put them to open shame. By triumphing over them in him.

[3:38] Therefore let no one pass judgment on you. In questions of food and drink. Or with regard to a festival. Or a new moon. Or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come.

[3:49] But the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you. Insisting on asceticism. And worship of angels. Going on in detail about visions.

[4:02] Puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind. And not holding fast to the head. From whom the whole body. Nourished and knit together. Through its joints and ligaments.

[4:12] Grows with a growth that is from God. If with Christ you die to the elemental spirits of the world. Why as if you were still alive in the world.

[4:24] Do you submit to regulations. Do not handle. Do not taste. Do not touch. Referring to things that all perish. As they are used. According to the human precepts and teachings.

[4:36] These have indeed an appearance of wisdom. In promoting self made religion. And asceticism. And severity to the body. But they are of no value. In stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

[4:49] May God add his blessing to that. Reading of his word. So let's continue. Let's turn back to the word of God. To Colossians chapter 2.

[5:02] I want to think for a short time. This morning. About the words in. Colossians chapter 2. Verses 6 and 7. Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord.

[5:14] So walk in him. Rooted and built up in him. And established in the faith. Just as you were taught. Abounding in thanksgiving.

[5:26] Let's just bow in prayer before we turn to the word of God. Lord. Our gracious God. We are so conscious. That we are. We lack wisdom.

[5:37] And insight. Into your word. There are such riches. That we fail. Sometimes to mine. And. We pray that.

[5:48] Lord. As we turn to your word. Today. And. That you would open our. Our darkened minds. And. Give us receptive hearts. To. Receive what you are saying to us.

[6:00] And. That you would. Bless this word to us Lord. And that we would feed on it. In this coming week. Hear our prayers. In Jesus name. Amen.

[6:15] Now the book of. Colossians is a book about. Christian maturity. We saw that from. What we read. There in chapter one. Verse twenty.

[6:27] Eight. Him we proclaim. Warning everyone. And teaching everyone. With all wisdom. That we may present. Everyone mature. In Christ. Paul.

[6:37] Wrote. The letter. To the Colossians. To those who were seeking. To be mature. In Christ. It's a book. About Christian maturity. But some false teachers.

[6:50] Had come into the church. In Colossae. And they were teaching. A different kind. Of spiritual maturity. They were teaching. A spiritual maturity.

[7:01] That. Involved. Christ. Plus something else. It was the same sin. That the. People of God. Committed in the Old Testament.

[7:12] They wanted to worship. The living and true God. But they wanted to mingle. Their worship with idols. And so we have. Here in Colossae. We have. People who.

[7:24] Wanted to worship Christ. But they wanted to. Add something else in. It was Christ. Plus. And what.

[7:34] Paul was saying. In this letter. What Paul is saying. In this letter. Is that. Everything that we need. For spiritual maturity. Everything that we need. For the Christian life.

[7:46] Is contained. In Christ already. We don't need. Gimmicks. We don't need. Extras. We don't need. Extra regulations.

[7:57] We don't need. Extra spiritual experiences. What we need. Is Christ. And what. Paul. Does in chapter 1. Of. Colossians.

[8:10] Is that he. Reminds the Colossians. That Christ. Is supreme. And Christ. Is sufficient. In the gospel. And then.

[8:21] From chapter 2. Verse 6. For most of the rest. Of the book. Paul. Seeks to. Convince the Colossians. Is that Christ. Is supreme.

[8:32] And Christ. Is sufficient. In the Christian life. Everything that you. And I need. For the Christian life. Is to be found. In Christ. We don't need. Anything extra.

[8:43] We don't need. Extra spiritual experiences. We don't need. Visions of. Heavenly things. We don't need. Rules and regulations. We need more. Of Christ.

[8:55] If we are to be. Mature. In the Christian life. Now. We don't know. Exactly. What these false teachers. Were teaching. In Colossae. We read.

[9:08] Something. About it. Towards the end. Of chapter 2. It seems to be. That the. False teachers. Were. Seeking to bring back.

[9:19] Some of the Old Testament. Ceremonial regulations. Back into the church. It seems that. They were seeking. To mingle some of those. Regulations with. Perhaps some pagan. Thinking.

[9:31] And it was this mingling. Of. Old Testament. Teaching and paganism. That was. That. That somehow. They were trying to bring in. To the Colossian church. But in this book.

[9:47] As Paul seeks to encourage. The. Believers in Colossae. To grow in Christ. He doesn't say that they need. Extra things. They don't. He doesn't give them. Ten steps.

[9:57] To a better life. He doesn't give them. Some silver bullet. When all their problems. Will be over. What Paul says.

[10:08] As he says. Is receive Christ. Walk in him. Be rooted in him. Be built up. And established in him. And abound in thanksgiving. That's the advice.

[10:19] That. That Paul gives. To the Colossian church. Christ is supreme. And sufficient. In the gospel. And Christ is supreme. And sufficient. In the Christian life.

[10:30] The Colossian church. Seemed to doubt. That somehow. Christ was enough. And that's the same temptation. That we face today.

[10:40] Isn't it? Is Christ enough. For the challenges. Of life. Is Christ enough. For the challenges. Of parenting. Is Christ enough.

[10:51] For the challenges. Of married life. Is Christ. Enough. When we face tragedy. Is Christ enough. When we.

[11:02] Face terminal illness. Is Christ enough. When we feel lonely. Is Christ enough.

[11:12] When we face family breakdown. Or financial losses. Is Christ enough. That's the. That's the challenge. That the Colossian church faced. Is Christ enough.

[11:24] For daily life. Well the answer. That Paul gives. Is yes. Christ is enough. Christ is supreme. And sufficient. In the church.

[11:35] And Christ is supreme. And sufficient. In our daily lives. What we see. From the start. Of. Chapter 2. Verse 6. Is that. Paul starts to give out.

[11:47] These imperatives. He's been teaching. The sufficiency. And supremacy. Of Christ. And from. Chapter 2. Verse 6. Right through into. Chapter 4. He gives 29.

[11:58] Imperatives. And we're going to take. The first one today. Paul is saying. Don't be distracted. By false teachers. Don't be distracted.

[12:08] By shiny gimmicks. Focus on Christ. Focus on the sufficiency. That we have. In Christ. So what is Paul saying.

[12:19] In this verse. That's before us today. Well first of all. He talks about the foundation. Of this new life. In Christ. To receive him. And walk in him.

[12:30] And then he talks about. The progress of the Christian life. To be rooted. Built up. And established. And then thirdly. He talks about the fruit. Of this new life. Which is this. Overflowing.

[12:42] With thankfulness. That should be the fruit. Of the Christian life. And I just want to take. Those three things. This morning. One by one. So Paul first of all.

[12:52] Talks about the foundation. Of the Christian life. The foundation of the Christian life. Is union. With Christ.

[13:05] What was happening in Colossae. Is that. As we see in chapter 3. Is that. People were saying. Christian maturity. Is about. Having the victory over sin. How do we gain the victory over sin.

[13:17] And these false teachers. Were saying. Well. To gain the victory over sin. You need all these regulations. And you need to. You need to withdraw from the world. What they call asceticism.

[13:29] You need to. You need to. You need to. You need to. Withdraw from certain foods. And. You need to live a. A life. Withdrawing away from the world. That's how you conquer sin.

[13:42] And Paul is saying. No. He says. The way that you conquer sin. Is that you. You have faith. In the Lord Jesus Christ. The foundation. Of. Christian maturity.

[13:54] Is union. With Christ. You cannot have holiness. Without faith. You cannot have. Communion with God. In Christ.

[14:04] Unless you have union. With Christ. You cannot bear fruit. Unless you are united. To the vine. And we see this theme. Of union with Christ. Right throughout the book.

[14:15] Of Colossians. Paul says. Therefore. As you have. As you received. Christ Jesus. The Lord. He's reminding them.

[14:28] As he reminded them. In chapter one. Of the preeminence. Of Christ. Christ Jesus. The Lord. The Lord. And we see this. Reference to Christ Jesus.

[14:39] The Lord. Again and again. In Colossians. About ten times. He's saying. Christ Jesus. Is not a prophet. He's not a good man. He is the. He is the God.

[14:50] Of the Old Testament. He is Jehovah. That's what the Lord. Means. You must receive. The Lord. Jesus. Christ. Christ. You can't fight sin.

[15:03] You can't have victory. In the Christian life. You can't have maturity. In the Christian life. Until you know Christ. And you are united. To Christ. The first step.

[15:15] In Christian maturity is. Receiving Christ. By faith. Bowing before him. Worshipping him. Submitting to him. You can't walk with somebody.

[15:28] You can't follow somebody. Until you submit to them. And you are willing. To obey them. The foundation of Christianity.

[15:38] Is not a principle. It's not a set of regulations. It's relationship. With Christ. It's relationship. With the person. Of Christ. Salvation is not an abstract concept.

[15:53] It's a relationship. It's a union. With the Lord. Jesus Christ. Christ. So the foundation. Of Christian maturity. Is union with Christ. And also under this heading.

[16:04] It's communion with Christ. It's not just union with Christ. We're not just to receive Christ. But we're to walk. In him. We are to walk. In him. As you have received.

[16:17] Christ Jesus the Lord. We are to walk. In him. See the same gospel. That saves us. Also makes us holy. The gospel is sufficient.

[16:30] To make us holy. And to make us mature. What these false teachers. Were saying was. Well. The gospel starts with Christ. But then you. You go beyond Christ.

[16:42] Christ is like the kind of entrance exam. But then you go beyond Christ. To get to spiritual maturity. You need something. Other than Christ. But what Paul is saying is.

[16:55] He's saying is. Christ is everything you need. And Christian maturity. Is to walk in Christ. Is to continue walking. In Christ.

[17:08] We don't start with grace. And then continue in our own efforts. We start with grace. And we continue in grace. We see this theme of.

[17:19] Walking. Over in chapter 3. Verses. 5. And 5 to 7. Put to death therefore. What is earthly in you. Sexual immorality. Impurity.

[17:30] Passion. Evil desire. And covetousness. Which is idolatry. On account of these. The wrath of God is coming. In these. You too once walked. When you were living in them. The Colossian church.

[17:42] They once walked. In all these sins. But now. Paul is saying. Walk. Walk in Christ. What does it mean.

[17:53] To walk. With Christ. Well it takes us back to. Two Old Testament characters. Doesn't it? It takes us back to. Enoch.

[18:04] In Genesis chapter 5. And takes us back to Noah. In chapters. 6 and 7 of Genesis. Both of these men. Were told. Walked with God.

[18:15] What does it mean. To walk. With God. And with Christ. Well let's think about Noah. For a moment. God told him. To build a. Huge boat.

[18:26] Didn't he? In the. In the desert. Depending on. What your understanding is. Of scripture. That boat. Could have taken anything. From 50 to 120 years.

[18:38] To build. Imagine what it was like. Sawing that wood. And. Putting those nails. In that boat. Day after day. Month after month.

[18:50] Year after year. Imagine. Perhaps Noah's family. Saying. Why are we doing this? Imagine all the people. Around him. Mocking him. And jeering at him.

[19:01] Building this huge boat. That was. 150 meters long. But day by day. Noah. Walked with God. He walked in obedience. He followed the commands of God.

[19:13] He clung. To the promises. Of God. And that's what walking. With Christ means. We are to follow.

[19:24] We are to obey. We are to listen. We are to walk. In step. With Christ. Day by day. And just like Noah. Some of our days.

[19:36] On this earth. Will look very mundane. Just as Noah. Had to hammer those nails in. And saw that wood. That didn't seem very glamorous.

[19:48] But we are to walk. Step by step. With our saviour. If you go back. If you go back to Leviticus. Chapter 26. Verses 11 to 13.

[19:59] Talks about how the Lord. Walked amongst the children of Israel. He says. I will make my dwelling among you. And my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you.

[20:11] And will be your God. And you shall be my people. I am the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt. That you should not. Be their slaves.

[20:22] And I have broken the bars of your yoke. And you can walk. Upright. When the Lord walks amongst the children of Israel.

[20:33] When he tabernacles amongst them. There's a sense. There's the sense of closeness. Isn't there? And that's what it means when we walk with the Lord. There's a sense of closeness. We follow where the Lord goes.

[20:46] We walk at his pace. When the Lord walked amongst the children of Israel. It was a sign of love. And blessing.

[20:58] He walked with his people. God did not stand afar off. But he walked amongst them in love. And fellowship. And that's what it means to walk with the Lord. We're not to go off seeking.

[21:10] Strange experiences. We're not to follow after man made rules and regulations. We are to follow the Lord. Day by day. Step by step.

[21:25] Christian maturity doesn't come from walking beyond Christ. It comes from walking with Christ. And then thirdly under this first heading.

[21:38] We are to walk in dependence on Christ. Not just to walk with Christ. But we are to walk in dependence on Christ.

[21:50] Paul was reminding these Colossians that Christ is all that they needed. They needed to depend on Christ. Not on their own efforts.

[22:01] Not on these heavenly visions. They are to walk in dependence on Christ. Day by day. Christ isn't some sort of reference point.

[22:12] On a map. He is meant to be the foundation for the Christian. He is meant to be the anchor. He is meant to be our daily hope. How many Christians have been shipwrecked because they have not been dependent on Christ.

[22:30] They have relied on their own strength. We are to be dependent for our daily walk with Christ. So let's just summarize this first point.

[22:45] The foundation of the Christian life. Union with Christ. Walking with Christ. Dependence on Christ. The Christian life is simple.

[22:57] But it's not easy. It's about going deeper into Christ. It's about being united to him. And it's about walking step by step with him.

[23:10] The only way to live a victorious and mature Christian life is to be in Christ. And to daily walk with him. You see the false teachers said.

[23:23] The false teachers in Colossae said Christ is good. But he's not enough. And Paul says. And the book of Colossians says to us. Christ is both good and he is enough.

[23:36] For your daily walk. Christ is supreme. And Christ is sufficient. For all your daily needs. Paul says.

[23:52] Having received. So walk. You can't get victory over sin. Until you're united to Christ. And you're walking in him daily.

[24:04] So that's the foundation of the Christian life. But then secondly we move on to the progress of this new life in Christ. What is the progress that Paul talks about in this verse?

[24:16] He says. Rooted and built up in him and established in the faith. If we are to progress in the Christian life. We are to be rooted.

[24:28] And built up in him and established in the faith. Let's take those one by one. What does it mean to be rooted in Christ?

[24:45] That's why we sang Psalm 1. What does Psalm 1 tell us about the tree that is planted and rooted? Well how does a tree withstand storms?

[24:59] It withstands storms because of its deep roots. It's pulling nutrients and moisture out of the ground. So trees can survive weeks and months without rain.

[25:13] A tree is rooted and planted. So that it doesn't blow over in the storm. And so it is the Christian is rooted and planted in Christ.

[25:25] We're not rooted and planted in our feelings. We're not rooted and planted by the whims of this world. We're not planted by great spiritual experiences or rules and regulations.

[25:39] We are planted in the Lord Jesus Christ. In his supremacy and in his sufficiency. We are rooted and planted in Christ.

[25:52] Even when there is drought. When there is dryness in our Christian lives. When there is storms and afflictions. The Christian is rooted and planted in Christ.

[26:08] Think back to that Psalm 1. Where are the sinners? Where are the sinners? The unrighteous are standing with sinners.

[26:23] They are like the chaff which wind drives to and fro. They are walking in the counsel of the wicked. They are standing in the way of sinners. And they are sitting with scoffers.

[26:35] But the Christian is rooted and planted in the Lord Jesus Christ. They are not blown about by every new gimmick that comes along.

[26:50] By every new teaching. By every new church planting method. They are rooted and planted in the truth. They are rooted and planted in Christ.

[27:00] So much of the modern church is like a little kitten chasing a bauble. Around the Christmas tree. We are not to chase shiny little things as Christians.

[27:12] We are to be rooted and planted in the word of God. And in Christ. We need to hold fast our confession. J.C. Ryle said.

[27:22] The first want of our day is a return to the old. Simple and sharply cut doctrines of our fathers. And that is what we need in the church today. We need to be rooted and planted.

[27:36] In the faith of the word of God. Everything that we need for life and godliness. Is to be found in Christ. In the life giving streams of Christ.

[27:47] Christ. The vine cannot bear fruit. Unless it is attached to the vine. We are to be in Christ. As it says in John 15.

[27:58] So we are to be rooted. As we grow and mature in the Christian life. But then we are also. Under this heading. To be built up and established in Christ. We are to be built up and established.

[28:10] In the faith. You see how Paul. Changes the metaphor from. Agricultural. To architectural. We are to be a tree that is planted.

[28:22] But we are also then to be a building. That is built up. And what we have in Colossians. Is we have all sorts of imagery. Around the temple. It seems to be some.

[28:35] There seems to be some. Thinking that. The false teachers. Had. Some view of a. A spiritual. And a kind of mystical. Temple.

[28:46] That they were trying to get people. To enter into. And. Paul is using the. The imagery. Of the Old Testament temple. Temple. But what is the New Testament temple.

[28:59] The New Testament temple. Is the. Is the church of Christ. Church. Christ is the cornerstone. And we. As his people. Are the living stones. That are being built up. Into the church of Christ.

[29:10] First Peter 2. Verses 4 and 5. Says. As you come to him. A living stone. Rejected by men. But in the sight of God. Chosen and precious.

[29:20] You yourselves. Like living stones. Are being built up. As a spiritual house. To be a holy priesthood. To offer spiritual sacrifices. Acceptable to God. Through Jesus Christ.

[29:34] If we are to be built up. And established. In the Christian life. What do we need? We need the church. You're never going to be built up.

[29:45] At home. We need the church of Christ. How has Christ promised. That he will build his church. Very very simple methods.

[29:56] The preaching of the gospel. The administration of the sacraments. And the administration of. Pastoral care. And church discipline. That is how Christ.

[30:08] Has promised to build. His church. We cannot be built up. And established. Unless we are part. Of the local church. That is God's means.

[30:18] To build us up. To establish us. We are to be part. Of the body. Of Christ. He says. Rooted.

[30:31] And built up in him. And established. In the faith. Just as you were taught. We are to be taught. We are to sit under. The word of God. That is how we are to be built up. As Christians. And you see.

[30:43] When a church moves. The pulpit. To one side. That church is in terminal decline. We have seen that. Throughout history.

[30:54] Haven't we? When we move the pulpit. To one side. When we move the word of God. To one side. In the church. And we put whatever it is. In the centre. Whether it is a priest.

[31:05] At the altar. Whatever it might be. The word of God. Must remain central. For the church. To build up the saints. We as a church.

[31:18] Must know. And we must defend. What we believe. That is why it is so important. That we have a confession of faith. We don't believe one thing this year.

[31:28] And another thing the next year. We have a confession of faith. That expresses what we believe. That the Bible teaches. And we teach from one generation. To the next. So that we are building up the church.

[31:42] We are established. As the church. We are not moving from one doctrine. To the next. We are not moving from one wave. Of church planting idea. To the next.

[31:52] We are rooted. And established. In the truth. So let's just summarise quickly. Our second point. About growing. In Christ. We never move on from Christ.

[32:06] We grow deeper. Into Christ. Our roots go down. They spread further down. That is what. Maturity in the Christian life. Is about.

[32:17] Trees don't hop about. All over the place. They are rooted. And grounded. And what Paul is saying. Is that spiritual maturity. Is not chasing gimmicks. It's not chasing shiny things.

[32:28] It's about being rooted. And planted. And planted. And established. And being built up. In the faith. And this morning. If you want to know. What spiritual maturity is.

[32:40] You need to be rooted. And grounded. In the Lord. Jesus Christ. You need to dwell in Christ. You need to walk in him. You need to commit yourself. With other believers.

[32:50] To the church of Christ. That's what spiritual maturity. Looks like. Not hopping around. From church to church. Committing yourself. To a local body. Of believers. And all the ups and downs.

[33:02] Of the church. That is what. Christian maturity. Looks like. We need to see the church. As it really is. A hospital.

[33:13] For sinners. The church. Is not meant to be. A cruise ship. It's not meant to be. A charismatic. Preacher. Who has no faults. It's not meant to be.

[33:25] Perfect lives. It's a hospital. For sinners. And we are to commit ourselves. To the local church. We're to repent together. We're to live in fellowship.

[33:37] With each other. We're to sit under. The word of God. Together. It's not better methods.

[33:48] That we need. In the church. It's more of Christ. That we need. We need more of his love. In our lives. More of his love. In the church. We need to be rooted.

[34:01] And grounded. In the person. And work. Of Christ. Built up in his truth. And established. In his grace. That's what Paul says.

[34:12] In Ephesians. That you. Being rooted. And grounded. In love. May have strength. To comprehend. With all the saints. What is the breadth. And length. And height. And depth.

[34:22] And to know the love of Christ. That surpasses knowledge. That you may be filled. With all the fullness of God. It's more of Christ. We need in the church. It's more of his love.

[34:33] We need to understand. More of the height. And the depth. And the breadth. Of the love of Christ. That's what mature. Christian living. Looks like. True Christianity.

[34:45] Bears fruit. Wherever there is life. There must be fruit. And what Paul is saying is. In the Christian life. We must be rooted. Built up.

[34:57] And established. In the faith. And then thirdly. And lastly. We see that. Maturity in the Christian life. Bears fruit. In thanksgiving.

[35:10] The Christian is to overflow. With thanksgiving. Abounding in thanksgiving. What is the fruit.

[35:20] Of the Christian life. What is the fruit. Of Christian maturity. It is a life. Characterised. By thanksgiving. Our thanksgiving.

[35:32] Overflows. It breaks the banks. This word for thanksgiving. Is the word that we get. The word Eucharist from.

[35:44] Thanksgiving. Is to be our worship. We are to lavish. Thankfulness. On Christ. For what he has done for us. Our lives are to be.

[35:55] Characterised. By contentment. And thankfulness. Not grumbling. Not discontentment. The surest sign. The surest sign.

[36:06] That somebody has Christ. And that they have grace. Is a life. Characterised by thankfulness. Thankfulness.

[36:16] Is a mark. Of Christian maturity. True grace. Always flowers. Into gratitude. Future. Future. we shouldn't meet a Christian who is grumbling all the time, who is discontent.

[36:34] The proud heart demands more. The humble heart gives thanks for mercy undeserved. Thanksgiving keeps doctrine from becoming cold and duty from becoming drudgery.

[36:51] And as Christians we are to be thankful in all circumstances. It's not just when the sun is shining that we're thankful. We should be thankful in all circumstances. We are to abound in thanksgiving, not sparingly but overflowing.

[37:09] When we're thankful we are proving that it's Christ that is our treasure, not our circumstances. We're not just thankful in the good days, we're thankful in all circumstances because Christ is the cornerstone of our life.

[37:25] Thankfulness is one of the most powerful witnesses to the world.

[37:37] How can these people be thankful when they have nothing? How can these people be thankful in such difficult circumstances? It's a tremendous witness to a watching world.

[37:50] The world is always unhappy. They're always discontent. They're always grumbling. The Christian is thankful. The Christian overflows with gratitude.

[38:01] Thankfulness shows the world that the gospel not only saves but it also satisfies. We are satisfied in Christ.

[38:16] And thanksgiving turns doctrine into doxology. We read our Bibles and we worship because we are thankful for what Christ has done for us.

[38:28] So let's just conclude with a few summarising thoughts. We've seen this morning that the foundation of the new life in Christ is to receive him and to walk in him.

[38:49] We cannot fight sin with clever methods, with heavenly visions. We fight sin by receiving Christ and walking day by day.

[39:03] And we daily put off the old man and we daily put on the new man. We're told here in Colossians 3 and verse 5 to put to death.

[39:13] It's a violent act. We're to put to death the old man. We're to wage war against sin. We're to walk day by day in Christ.

[39:23] We're to kill the old self and to put on the new. The progress of the new life is to be rooted, built up and established.

[39:34] We can't do that without being part of the local body of Christ. We're to commit ourselves to the local church. We're to sit under the word of God. We're to come out as often as we possibly can.

[39:47] We're to submit ourselves to the authority of the church. That's how we are rooted, built up and established. And the fruit of this new life is abounding in thanksgiving.

[40:00] We overflow with thankfulness. That's a great sign of Christian maturity. We started out this morning asking the question, Is Christ supreme and sufficient in the gospel?

[40:16] And is Christ supreme and sufficient in the Christian life? And the answer in Colossians is, yes he is. He is supreme and he is sufficient for our day to day Christian walk.

[40:29] The foundation, the progress and the fruit of the Christian life is to be found in Christ.

[40:41] And Christ alone. Christ is enough for you when you wake up tomorrow morning. With all the challenges that you face in your life, Christ is enough.

[40:53] He is supreme and he is sufficient to face whatever challenge you have in the coming week. Christ is supreme and sufficient for you to kill sin and to live a mature Christian life for Christ.

[41:14] You don't need courses. You don't need visions. You don't need gimmicks. You need more of Christ. And where will you learn more of Christ? In the church.

[41:27] With these people. Week by week. Being built up in the faith. Colossians calls us to be rooted in Christ.

[41:39] Not to be chasing the latest novelty. You are to be rooted in Christ. Built up in him. And established in the faith. That's what Christian maturity looks like.

[41:51] Might not be very glamorous. But that's what we're called to. And we are to live with an overflowing thankfulness.

[42:03] Whatever our circumstances might be. That's to be the trait and the characteristic of you and I as Christians. These false teachers.

[42:17] They wanted to take people to some sort of heavenly realm. To some sort of third heaven. But what Paul says.

[42:27] He says is that. To live heavenly minded in this world is actually very very practical. That's why we see at the end of chapter 3.

[42:39] We see all this advice with regard to wives and husbands. And how we're to obey our employers and slaves and masters.

[42:52] Heavenly mindedness is actually about day to day practical living. Don't chase advanced spirituality like a magic feather.

[43:06] Be rooted and grounded in Christ and in his word. As Christians we are to rest in the finished work of Christ. It's not our efforts.

[43:19] Christ has done it all. He's paid it all on the cross. We are to follow him. We are to walk in him. We are to be rooted in him. Built up in the faith. And grounded.

[43:30] If you want to grow as a Christian this morning. It's not the latest new book that you need. It's not some guru with some new technique.

[43:45] If you want to grow as a Christian this morning. You need to turn to Jesus. You need to study the person and the work of Christ. You need to put off the old man.

[43:58] And you need to put on the new. You need to walk in step with Christ. Day by day. The great question that this passage.

[44:10] Asks us and asks you and me this morning is. Is Christ supreme and sufficient in your life? And is Christ supreme and sufficient in this church?

[44:23] Colossians says stop looking for something else. Jesus is enough. May God bless these thoughts. Let us pray. Our gracious God.

[44:35] We thank you for the clarity of your word. We thank you oh God for the clarity of Paul. As he writes to the church in Colossae. We thank you.

[44:46] And we thank you our gracious God. That Christ. That Paul was able to say that Christ was enough. Christ was all in all. And we thank you our gracious God. That we do not need to turn to anything else.

[44:58] But that Christ is all that we need. Christ is sufficient. And we pray our gracious God. That you would help us. To receive him.

[45:09] To walk in him. To be rooted. Built up and established in the faith. And to overflow with thankfulness. We pray for any oh Lord. Who do not know you as Lord and Saviour this morning.

[45:21] In this place. That you would open their eyes. And that they would see the beauty. And the glory of Christ. Christ. We thank you oh Lord. For your precious word to us. And we thank you for the all sufficiency of Christ.

[45:34] And we pray that you would. Help us in this coming week. With regard to everything that we do. To walk with him. Walk in him. To be rooted and grounded.

[45:46] In Christ. So hear our prayers. Our gracious God. And receive our thanks. In Jesus name. Amen. So let's close our.