[0:00] If you could turn with me back please to Colossians chapter 2. And I'd like to focus this evening on the verses from verse 6 down to, I think, about verse 10.
[0:27] 6 through to verse 10. And we'll limit our thoughts to that section, although we read a larger section. I know some of you here, I don't know a lot of you here, and most of you don't know me, but I have a wife and I have three girls.
[0:51] Anna is 12 and Grace is 10 and Lois is 7. And they're a great blessing. And yet people have been saying to me for years, you need to get a boy.
[1:03] You've got three girls, but when's the boy coming? And I've been dismissing that comment for a long time. But in the last couple of weeks things have changed and we now have a new addition in the family.
[1:16] He is a boy. His name is Shoros. And he's a little dog, which I don't think is what the congregation had in mind, but that's what they got. He's a wee dog. He's about 11 weeks old now.
[1:29] A little grey bottoch of a thing. And he's starting to know his name now. His name is Shoros. Now, how did he get his name? Well, we gave him his name.
[1:41] He didn't have a conference with us. We didn't have a discussion about it. We looked at him and we decided he was a Shoros. And so we gave him the name. He received the name. And now he's starting to recognize and respond to that name.
[1:55] Now, we're in this passage tonight. This is Paul's letter to the Colossians. And the Colossians were those who were Christians.
[2:07] They were in Christ. And we see that in this letter. We see that in virtually every letter that Paul pens. He wrote this one when he was in prison in Rome. And he writes to those whom he hadn't met.
[2:20] Face to face. But he recognized them as those who were brothers and sisters in Christ. They were Christians.
[2:33] That was their new name. They were Colossians. But they were Christians. And they received that new name and that new status when they received Christ.
[2:45] And that's the first point for this evening. So we look at the Colossians. We recognize them as those who had received Christ. We see that in verse 6.
[3:00] And the Apostle Paul says, Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus. One of my daughters was telling me it's only about 80 odd days till Christmas.
[3:13] It's the second time I've heard it this week. And when Christmas comes, just as birthdays comes, you know, we give gifts and we receive gifts. And so often when we're thinking about the gospel.
[3:30] We read of how Jesus and his grace is offered to us as a gift. That the love, the salvation, the forgiveness of sins that I desperately need and that you desperately need.
[3:46] The eternal life that we were made for. The grace of God that we crave. It's God's gift to us. We don't work for it.
[3:58] We don't purchase it. We don't buy it. But it's offered to us in Christ. The gospel is an offer.
[4:11] And it's an offer to which the Colossians had responded. And so many places we could go in scripture and we reread of the gospel and the grace of Christ as an offer.
[4:23] John 3.16, probably the most famous verse in all of scripture. Even those who don't come to church will be able to memorize and speak of this verse.
[4:34] For God so loved the world that he gave his only son the offer. That whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
[4:53] Romans 6.23, another example. For the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
[5:10] The gift, the offer. Ephesians 2.8. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this not from yourselves.
[5:25] It is the gift of God. Now the Colossians, the small group of people, this little church that had come into being.
[5:41] They were Christians because they had received Christ Jesus. And the question for you and I this evening, if it's not so obvious, is have you received Christ Jesus?
[6:02] It's possible for us to sit in pews for weeks and months and years and decades. And to accumulate knowledge. And to know our Bibles.
[6:16] And to be well acquainted with the marks of religion. And yet, we need to receive by faith Christ Jesus.
[6:33] God's word to us is a word that speaks to us of Jesus. And his grace. His forgiveness.
[6:43] His forgiveness. The eternal life that we are able to receive in him. But we need to receive it. We need to receive him. So that very direct and obvious question is, have we done that?
[7:01] If I was to ask you tonight, on the way out at the door. Tell me about when you received Christ Jesus. You know, could you and I speak about that?
[7:13] Have we received the salvation? Have we received the forgiveness? Have we received the eternal life that is offered to us in Christ?
[7:24] Are we Christians? And if not, will we receive him today? Because if we can hear this and understand.
[7:40] If you and I look in our own hearts. And we see that we are sinners. And if we look to the cross. And we see how Jesus suffered and died for sinners.
[7:55] And we are being shown enough. To have the offer of the gospel extended to us. And the salvation that we need comes when we respond by receiving Christ Jesus.
[8:11] The Colossians were those who received Christ Jesus. The second point here. Is the Colossians were those who revered Christ.
[8:23] They received Christ. But they revered Christ. Sometimes when we are offered a gift. Probably more so these days. We get gifts electronically.
[8:34] We get gifts in these wee cards that we see at the tills at shops. And there's qualifications. And instructions as to how we receive these gifts.
[8:46] And how we can benefit from. How we can use these gifts. If you get given an Amazon or an iTunes gift card. You can't go off into Tesco's and ask for 10 pounds of potatoes with it.
[8:57] There's qualifications. There's instructions on how we benefit from this. And how we can actually accept and use this gift. So how did the Colossians receive Jesus?
[9:11] Well again in verse 6. As we just step through this verse. They received him as Lord. Therefore says Paul. As you received Christ Jesus.
[9:21] The Lord. They received him as Lord. As the one who was exalted. And in the light of all that Paul has already said.
[9:34] If we even glance back a few verses. To receive Christ reverently. As Lord. And as Master. And as God. Is the only fitting way.
[9:46] To receive him. If we ask the question. Who is Jesus? We have the answer there. In verses 15. And following of chapter 1.
[9:58] Again let's read these verses. As we get a picture. Of the supremacy of Christ. Who is Jesus? Well. He is the image. Of the invisible God.
[10:08] The firstborn of all creation. For by him. All things were created. In heaven. And on earth. Visible. And invisible. Whether thrones. Or dominions.
[10:20] Or rulers. Or authorities. All things were created. Through him. And for him. And he is before all things. And in him. All things hold together. And he is the head of the body.
[10:31] Of the church. He is the beginning. The firstborn from the dead. That in everything. He might be preeminent. He might have the supremacy. So the Colossians.
[10:46] They received Christ in this way. They received him as Lord. They revered him. As Lord. The Lord.
[10:57] And what. They were called to do. And what they did. In Colossae. Is what we must do.
[11:10] In Garibald. In a culture today. That. Is increasingly. Over familiar.
[11:24] And. Very often. Not in awe. Of the God. That we should bow before. We are given this.
[11:38] Exhortation. This. Reminder. This. Instruction. As to how. We receive. Christ. We receive him.
[11:51] Reverently. As Lord. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Is not our equal. We don't get to call him.
[12:03] Onto. Our team. And ask him to fit in. With our lifestyle. Jesus. Is not our servant. Who does our bidding. As we click our fingers.
[12:17] Jesus. Is not. Our consultant. Advisor. Whom we. Call in. When we have a difficult decision. To make. And then dismiss. When we are past. Jesus.
[12:29] Is not our. Our life coach. Who just gives us. That crucial direction. When we're at a crossroads. He's our Lord. He is the Lord.
[12:42] Of all. He is the one. Who is to be revered. He is the one. Who is to reign. Supreme. Over our lives.
[12:56] And we can only receive him. If we are willing. To give him that place. He will not come. In saving power. Into a life.
[13:10] When there is no. Willingness. To revere him. As Lord. I was speaking. To someone. Some weeks back. Who was in. Various degrees.
[13:23] Of difficulty. With. With various things. And who. Had a clear. Desire. To receive. The Lord's help. And when I was speaking.
[13:34] With him. About. These things. He. He was somewhat. Indignant. That he didn't seem. To have the Lord's help. Because after all. He says. I'm a Christian. I said.
[13:46] Why. Why do you think. You're a Christian. He says. Because I. Believe. That the Bible. Is. True. I said. Well. That's a good start.
[13:58] I said. Do you believe. That you're a sinner. He said. I believe that. I said. Well. That's good too. I said. You believe. That Jesus.
[14:10] Is able. To save you. From your sin. I believe that. Have you asked Jesus. To save you. From your sin. He says. I've done that. And I said.
[14:20] And have you given him. Your life. Have you said to him. Have you bowed. Before him. And said. Take my life. Be my Lord. Take over the management.
[14:30] Of everything. I give you everything. Be my master. And he hesitated.
[14:41] And he said. No. No. I. I haven't gone that far. Not ready to go that far. I want a savior.
[14:52] I want a helper. But I don't really want a Lord. The thing is. Until. We revere Christ as Lord.
[15:04] We can't receive him. As savior. So the application. That follows here. Is. Is. Straightforward. Have we received Christ.
[15:16] As. Lord. We may see our sin. We may desire salvation. We may even ask for it.
[15:28] Lord. But we need. To be willing. To revere Christ. As Lord. To give him. Our lives.
[15:41] And when we do that. That becomes obvious. Because our lives change. Now when a shop comes under new management. You see that almost instantly.
[15:54] You see it on the shelves. You see it in the manner that you're greeted. You see it in the shop window. You can see. This shop is under new management. There's a change. Those who follow football.
[16:06] When a football team comes under. A new management. You see that in the way they play. You see it in the. In the style that they adopt. There's a. There's a change in the tactics.
[16:16] And the way they approach a game. And for the Colossians. For those who had received. Christ Jesus. As Lord. There would be a change in their lives. Because they were now.
[16:28] Under new management. They were under the Lordship. Of Christ Jesus. So they. They needed to learn now. How to live in him. How to walk. In a way that was.
[16:40] Appropriate. You know. If I go back to the wee dog. Shawus. He's 11. 12 weeks old. Or something like that. And. We've brought him into the family.
[16:53] But we're now trying to teach him. How to live as part of the family. We're trying to teach him. What is an appropriate time. In the morning to get up. And what is not an appropriate time. In the morning to get up.
[17:04] We're trying to teach him. Which areas of the house. Are in bounds. And which area. Of the house. Is out of bounds. We're trying to teach him. Where to do the toilet. What to chew. And what not to chew.
[17:16] You know. If he's going to live. As part of the family circle. He needs to know. How to live. And Paul is doing the same here. With the. The Colossians.
[17:27] He's telling those. Who are being brought. Into the family of Christ. How to live. And there to live. Is those who are rooted. In Christ. It's the third point.
[17:40] First point. The Colossians. Were those who received. Christ Jesus. Second point. The Colossians. Were those who. Revered Christ Jesus. Third point. The Colossians.
[17:51] Were those. Who were rooted. In Christ Jesus. And we see that. In the second half. Of verse 6. Into verse 7. Therefore. As you received. Christ Jesus. So walk.
[18:01] In him. Rooted. And built up. In him. And established. In the faith. Just as you were taught. Abounding. In thanksgiving. We had Alistair MacLeod.
[18:13] From Smithton. With us. In Harris. A few weeks back. For the communion. And he shared his testimony. At the. After church fellowship. And he explained a little. About how he became a Christian.
[18:25] And then I said to him. Can you tell me. Just a wee bit. Just about. The Christian life. At present. It's good to hear. How you became a Christian. But. You know. If somebody asks you.
[18:35] In the street. Tell me what it's like. To be a Christian today. How would you respond? And the way he responded. Was. By majoring on the fact.
[18:47] That. To be a Christian. To be a Christian. To be in relationship. With God. And every strong relationship. Said Alistair. Needs communication. So. If our relationship.
[18:58] With God. Is going to be strong. And steady. We need to speak. To him in prayer. And we need to. To listen to him. As we're. In the Bible. And that's.
[19:10] In essence. What it means. To be rooted. And built up. In. Him. We are strengthened. In the faith.
[19:21] We are rooted. In Christ. As we are taught. About that faith. As we are taught. About. This Jesus. And this.
[19:31] Teaching comes. As we open our Bibles. And as the Holy Spirit. Opens. Our eyes. And our ears. And our hearts. So that we will. See and hear. And receive more.
[19:43] And more. Of the grace of Jesus. Until our. Our lives are so touched. By that grace. And so overflowing. With that grace. And that thankfulness. That everybody sees.
[19:58] Now that's something. Of the essence. Of what Paul's. Getting at here. We're seeing. Those who are in Christ. They've received. The grace of Christ. But as they're rooted. As they're built up. In him.
[20:09] They're so amazed. By that grace. That their lives. Are more and more. Overflowing. With thankfulness. As they grasp. The magnitude. Of who Jesus is. And his supremacy.
[20:20] And what he's done. For them. In the gospel. Probably. The best.
[20:32] Commentary. On what it looks like. To be. To be rooted. And built up. In Christ. Is finding that. In that little chorus. That the children sing.
[20:44] In Sunday school. Our children do anyway. They sing. That chorus. That speaks about. Being a Christian. Read your Bible. Pray every day.
[20:57] And you'll grow. Grow. Grow. Grow. Grow. And the more we grow. As we're in the word.
[21:08] And we're in prayer. The more the grace of Christ. Bubbles up from. Within us. And spills out from us.
[21:22] And makes us sing. As the Getty hymn goes. My heart is filled with thankfulness. To him who bore my pain. Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace.
[21:34] And gave me life again. Who crushed my curse of sinfulness. And clothed me with his light. And wrote his law of righteousness. With power upon my heart.
[21:45] The more we're in the Bible. The more we're in prayer. The more we're seeing. And taking hold of the grace of Christ. The more thankful we are.
[21:57] The deeper our roots go. The sterrier we become. So if you and I. Are Christians.
[22:07] Who hope to. To continue to live in him. As it's put in this chapter. If we are those who. Who desire to put down. Deep roots.
[22:19] If we are those who. Who hope to become. Spiritually mature. If we are those who. Who hope to be filled with that. Attractive. Winsome.
[22:29] Thankfulness. We need to keep on. Coming to Jesus. Day by day by day. We need to keep on.
[22:41] Learning of Jesus. We need to keep on. Learning from Jesus. Matthew 11.
[22:54] Verses 28. And 29. The words of Christ. Come to me. All you who are weary. And burdened.
[23:05] And I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. And learn. And learn. From. Me. You know.
[23:16] That's. Not just a call for the lost. Although we so often put it that way. It's also a call for the Christian.
[23:28] Who needs day by day by day. To be rooted. In Christ. The Colossians were those who Paul exhorts.
[23:40] To be rooted. In Christ. They were those who revered Christ. They were those. Who received Christ. They were those. Fourthly. Who were called to resist false teaching.
[23:53] Verse. Verse. Eight. See to it. That no one takes you captive. By philosophy. And empty deceit. According to human tradition. According to the.
[24:04] Elemental spirits. Of the world. And not. According. To Christ. They were to resist. False teaching. I haven't really got time. To go into this.
[24:14] But in. In Colossae. As. These young Christians. Were. Were developing. It's not surprising. That the devil was in there. He was outside of the church.
[24:26] And he was inside of the church. And was seeking to attack them. From various angles. With various. Different strands. Of false teaching. And Paul is. Calling them.
[24:37] To resist that false teaching. One of the commentators. Speaking about these verses. Paul Tripp. I think it was. He tells the story. About.
[24:47] Being at. Shopping center. At Christmas time. With his son. Who was seven years old. And they were walking around. Various shops. And they got to a Christmas display.
[24:58] And there was a big Christmas tree. And there was all the presents. Around it. And the lights. And the glitter. And the wee boy. Was mesmerized by this. And there was this. Huge big present. Massive big box.
[25:10] Beautifully wrapped. You know. In pride of position. And when his son. Saw the box. He turns to his. His dad. And he says. I want that for Christmas. Christmas. His dad says to him.
[25:24] No you don't. He says. I do dad. I want that for Christmas. That big box. With the ribbon. And all the stuff. That's the very thing. That I want for Christmas.
[25:35] And he. His dad turns to him. And he says. No son. You don't. The son looks at him. And he says. His dad. Why don't I want that. For Christmas.
[25:47] He says. Because it's empty. That's just a big. Empty box. With some shiny paper. And a ribbon on the top. It's a hollow box.
[26:00] It'll do nothing. But disappoint you. You don't want that. And Paul. Is saying here. As God inspires him. The strength. And the joy.
[26:11] And the life. And the spiritual. Satisfaction. And maturity. That we need. It comes. As Jesus.
[26:22] Teaches us. It comes. As we are. As we are rooted. In Christ. As we are. In his word. As we are in prayer. But he says. There are false teachers.
[26:35] And they will come at you. And they'll all be. Wrapped up. With shiny. Attractive garb. And they'll come. With all their. Slick talk. And they may seem.
[26:49] Very plausible. And they may be. Somewhat attractive. But their teaching. Is hollow. It's false. And it's deceptive.
[27:01] And that's what was happening. In Colossae. There were. There were. Various brands. Of false teachers. Some. Were Jewish. Religious. False teachers. Some.
[27:12] Were pagan. Some. Some. Some. Were. Gnostics. And they were coming at. These young Christians. And they were. They were saying to those.
[27:22] Who were in Christ. You know. You need more than Jesus. You need to listen to our teachings. You need some top up teachings.
[27:33] You need to some. Some of our philosophies. To chew over. You need to listen to the hidden truths. That we can. Unlock for you. And Paul says to the Colossians. Resist it.
[27:46] All that stuff. Resist it. It's false teaching. It's empty. It's hollow. And the word says to us.
[27:57] Through. Paul. And this letter. This evening. Which is as fresh today. As it was. When it was written. You know. There is stuff going to come at you. You're going to.
[28:09] Watch interviews. And you're going to read blogs. And you're going to. Encounter very. Intelligent professors. You may. Even hear. Ministers. Who will come at you.
[28:19] With their apparently. Compelling. Philosophies. And traditions. And principles. But if anyone. Pulls you. In the direction. Of this world.
[28:32] Rather than. In the direction. Of Christ. Resist them. Why? Because none.
[28:45] But Christ. Can satisfy. He is the way. And he is the truth. And he is the life. And no one.
[28:58] Comes to the father. Except through him. So we are to receive him. We are to.
[29:09] Revere him. As lord. We are to. Resist the false. Teachings. Of anyone. Who attempts to. Entice us. In any way.
[29:20] Away from him. Now was that easy. For the Colossians. In the culture. That they were in. It wasn't. God. And they suffered.
[29:32] Because of this. Is this something. That is easy for us. In our culture. In our day. No. It is not always. The world.
[29:43] And the flesh. And the devil. Will all. Seek to stop. The continuation. Of our living. In him. So it can be tough. But we need to remember. If we are in Christ.
[29:56] We have resources. That are. Unlimited. That is the final point. It is just a word. We have resources.
[30:07] That. Are. Unlimited. In the evening services. In Harris. We have been looking. Over past. Months now. At Joshua. And.
[30:18] We see God's people. Israel. And they are continuing. Towards the promised land. And they enter. The promised land. And they do so. Because God was with them.
[30:29] They couldn't do it on their own. The odds of them. Going in their own strength. Were. Impossible. But because God was with them.
[30:42] Because God promised. That he would never leave them. Or forsake them. They had the courage. And they had the strength. To continue. And the Colossian Christians.
[30:57] They were called. To follow. Christ. With their lives. They were called. To continue to live. In. Him. Continue to walk.
[31:09] In that. In that way. Of the gospel. And it wouldn't always be easy. And they would. Encounter opposition.
[31:22] And they would have those. Who were. Seeking to. Distract them. And confuse them. There was a whole series. Of landmines.
[31:33] Along the. The spiritual path. For them. But Paul reminds them here. You're not on your own. You have Christ.
[31:48] Verse 9. For all. The fullness. Of the deity. Lives in bodily form. In Christ. All the fullness. Of the deity.
[31:58] Lives in bodily form. And you have been given. Fullness in Christ. Who is head over. Every power. And authority. In the ESV. It says. For in him. The whole fullness. Of deity.
[32:09] Dwells bodily. And you have been filled. In him. Who is the head. Of all rule. And authority. And what immense.
[32:20] Encouragement. That must have given. The Colossians. In AD 60. And I hope. And pray. That gives. Immense encouragement. To you and I.
[32:31] This evening. To know. That the one. Who is. The head. Of every power. And every.
[32:42] Authority. God himself. In the power. Of the Holy Spirit. He is with us.
[32:55] And he is for us. And he even lives in us. That's his promise. He doesn't leave us.
[33:07] Short. On resources. He doesn't save us. And then leave us. To fend for ourselves. He saves us. In order to sanctify us. He takes hold of us. He never lets us go.
[33:22] He's with us. He has given us. Himself. They were in Christ. Christ was in them.
[33:36] Christ is in us. If we are Christians. 2 Peter 1.3. Says. His divine power. Has given us.
[33:48] Everything we need. For life. Love. And godliness. So let that encourage us.
[34:02] And let us. As we finish. In his strength. Through. His power. Keep on. Keeping on. So that we.
[34:15] Who have. Received. Christ Jesus. May continue. To live. In him. May God.
[34:26] Enable us. To do so. Let's pray.