Baptism Sunday

How to Walk in Christ
Colossians 2:6-7 Nov 25, 2018
Baptism/Membership/Thanksgiving Weekend
I. Introduction:
A. This weekend brings a few things together at MVC and the passage we will look
at brings all of these together. Our new life in Jesus is pictured by baptism, our
walk with God seen in membership and thanksgiving in today’s message
1. Turn to Colossians 2:6-7
B. Colossians was written to warn them about some false teaching that was seeking
to influence them away from Jesus being enough for their salvation and walk!
Instead, they said you need Jesus plus some special spiritual knowledge or Jesus
plus a legalistic walk.
1. We too today are threatened by false teaching that has well-constructed
arguments that sound very plausible and convincing that seek to pull us away
from Jesus being enough.
2. Watch for all of this as I read v1-10a
• This morning I want to focus upon verses 6-7 that teach us how to walk with Jesus in
spiritually dangerous times
II. Colossians 2:6-7
A. Let me start by laying out the structure of these two verses.
1. It is much like the great commission we recently learned – the command to
make disciples followed by three participles that tell us we do that by going,
baptizing and teaching.
2. This passage starts with a command in v6 – Walk with Jesus and is followed
by four participles in v7 that teach us how to walk with Jesus!
B. The command is in v6. Read
1. The command is based upon this salvation experience. Since you received
Jesus now walk in Him.
2. Simply - you started with Jesus do not let these well-formed, convincing and
plausible arguments turn you away from walking with Jesus. Keep locked in
on Jesus and do not turn to the right or to the left.
C. Well how do you do that? The four participles tell us how to do that.
1. A little Greek here will help
a) Let me tell you that the first three participles are in the passive voice
which means that we are acted upon, the recipients of some action.
“Bill is hitting me – I am the one being hit”
b) The last one is in the active voice, which means that I am the one doing
the action. “I am hitting Bill (bang)– I am doing the hitting”
2. Let’s look at the three passive ones. The first is having been (past tense)
rooted in Him – Read 7a
a) God has already placed believers in Jesus
b) Roots are that part of a plat or tree that absorbs the nutrition it needs to
grow and be healthy from the ground around it.
c) We have been firmly rooted in Jesus and we get our spiritual nutrition
from Him.
3. The second is in the (present tense) now you are being built up in Him –
Read v7b.
a) Remember Philippians 1:6 – He who began a good work in you will
complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.
b) God and His grace are at work in me building me up in Christ
4. The third means by which we walk in Jesus is being established in the faith.
Read v7c-d.
a) Simply he is saying here we grow firmer and stronger in our faith as the
Word of God instructs us.
b) God is using His word in your life to strengthen you and make you even
firmer in Christ
5. Since we are the recipients of these three means of walking in Jesus, does that
mean passivity on my part? – I think not.
a) I cannot create my own suntan.
b) But what I can do is go out where the sun is shining and expose myself
to it and the sun does the work of creating the tan on me. The sun
produces the rays and I am the recipient of them that impacts my skin.
c) So I believe my part is:
(1) Since I am already rooted in Jesus I need to depend upon Jesus for
everything I already have and need from Him.
(2) And I am built up in Jesus as I depend upon God and His grace to
be at work in my heart
(3) And I am established and made stronger as I avail myself to the
Word of God, which works in me to transform me. Thus the value
of church, devotions and small groups
• Now this fourth way we learn to walk with Jesus …
III. Gratitude
A. Listen as I read this. Read v7e gratitude! Not just gratitude but overflowing with
gratitude. Gratitude should exist in abundance, there is so much gratitude in you
that there is plenty of leftovers just like the meal from Thursday.
B. It refers to the an ongoing and habitual inner attitude of being thankful to God! It
is a heart that is constantly grateful to God
1. Thanksgiving is not just a day or a weekend but rather should be our daily
practice for the rest of our lives.
C. Why is practice of gratitude added to this list of major things God has done for
us? Simple – gratitude and thanksgiving are somethings you do to someone who
does something for you, you do not thank yourself for what you do! An attitude
of gratitude means that I am constantly depending upon and receiving everything
I need for life from God. I am locked in on Him
D. Remember I said that the final means by which we walk with Jesus is the one that
is in the active voice – that means we take action. Thus cultivating a grateful
heart is a spiritual practice and discipline that we should intentionally build into
our lives!
• Let me help jump start this practice for you
IV. Application
A. First, do an honest evaluation of your heart. If you are not constantly grateful
then you fall short of what God wants in your life and what you need to not be
drawn away from Jesus. You need to be honest with God and tell Him that is
where you are. Clean out the old dead ungrateful heart with confession.
B. Since you are rooted in Him and being build up in Him then depend upon Jesus to
send into your now clean and empty heart a spirit of gratitude (through that root
system)
C. Let Him establish you and transform you by His word by doing a study of God’s
Word regarding giving thanks and thankfulness!
D. Begin to practice thanksgiving in everything 1 Thessalonians 5:18
1. Not just the good things but the hard and bad things that touch your life with
the knowledge that God is using them in my life ultimately to produce good
things
2. Begin to list in a notebook the things God has done for you in your life.
Count your blessings, name them one by one, count your blessings and see
what God has done!
3. List on a daily basis the things He has done for you that day – all the way
from someone gave you a word of encouragement or wisdom to you woke up
this morning.
E. Meditate this week on this statement “Everything outside of hell is God’s grace”
When you realize how true this is you cannot help but be grateful to God for
everything!