Colossians 2:6-7 So, then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

You've got to love the way some things just happen. This past Tuesday, right after I got home from the hospital, I got to the office and just missed a message being given. I tried to grab the phone but the person was gone. Just a few minutes later and the person called back again and what an interesting conversation ensued. At least I thought so.
The person was from the newest of the churches in our area and they stated that they were working to unite all the churches in the area by having a Christian music festival in August of this year. Needless to say she wanted to know how we wanted to join in and participate.
I told her that I thought the idea was great, to unite the churches, but I said I thought she was going about it the wrong way. To unite based on music was not the proper way but rather if her church wanted to work on uniting then work at uniting based on God's Word. To pretend to unite, to pretend that we are all one in Jesus based on "gospel" music was a false way to unite. Rather let's study God's Word and what it says and become united based on complete agreement with the Word.
I went on to explain to her that she was asking the area churches to compromise what they believed. You are asking Lutherans to join in worship with some whose leader says we are not going to heaven, whose leader acts like he is over God himself and whose leader even adds another person to the God-head. You are asking us to unite with another group that denies original sin, the sacraments of the Lord and emphasizes works over and above grace. To join in a service of worship with you would mean I have to say all of those things are okay, that what the Bible says isn't all that important. In other words, you want me to compromise what we believe!
Her response was, "I am really saddened that you don't want to unite. We are just trying to follow the greatest commandment, "Love your neighbor." I told her she was again in error in two places here. First, the greatest commandment was not "Love your neighbor" but rather was "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with your mind." The second greatest command is "love your neighbor." I also told her she was wrong that I didn't want to unite. I said I'm all in favor of uniting but that unity must be based on God's Word and our agreement with God's Word. And when I told her that I was acting out of love for her as my neighbor by showing her how her premise was contrary to God's Word she said she found that interesting and would think more on it. That was the end of the conversation.
And then I get to the text that is before us! The text before us addresses just this issue as it speaks to us about our faith in Jesus. Remember our text is where Paul is writing to the Christians gathered at Colosse. These Christians were being challenged in their faith, beset by those whose ideas were not God's but rather the world's ideas. Let's consider our text under the theme: LIVING IN CHRIST. 1st. Rooted and Built Up. 2nd. Strengthened as Taught. 3rd. Overflowing with Thankfulness.
Living in Christ! That was the problem that confronted the Colossians. There were those teachers advocating a way of living that was contrary to what Jesus was all about. So here is a section where Paul is encouraging right living, encouraging Godly living as God would have it. What he says is of great importance.
Please note that the first verse of this section that we highlighted is really the lead sentence and everything is an expansion and further explanation of what is first said. Our first verse says, "So, then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Notice that Paul is concerned with teaching our "living in Christ." The word actually means "to walk, to conduct one's life." It is speaking of walking in the footsteps of Jesus, walking in the path he has laid out and not our own path and ways. Then notice that the next phrases are explaining how we are going to walk with Jesus.
Our first phrase says, "rooted and built up in Him." How wonderful these words are. The first word "rooted" is clearly speaking of becoming firmly rooted or fixed. It is addressing the need for a good and solid foundation, one that won't give way. What is great is the tense of this verb, the perfect tense. Rienecker/Rogers says, "The perfect tense points to the past completed action with continuing results or condition." We immediately think of Jesus as our foundation. He who doesn't shift or change but who is the very truth and the rock of life. The next verb says, "built up" and is in the present tense. It means to build upon, to grow and the tense shows that this action is to be continuous in our lives. Christians are not couch potatoes but rather are constantly growing and maturing in faith.
Please note that verse 8 is the further explanation of what Paul is driving at here. It says, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." There were ideas and ways of the world that were not in keeping with God's will and Word. We still have the same difficulty. For instance, the world wants us to unite as Christians, not based on God's Word but rather on external's and false premises. Let's get together because we want to love our neighbor. Let's get together and agree to disagree. Doctrine isn't important but to join forces to be loving, that's important. Such is the way of the world. Or we buy into the world's ideas on discipline and certain psychologies even though what they say and teach is contrary to God's Word. We cannot be rooted in Jesus, we cannot build ourselves up by following and believing more the world and its teachings rather than on Christ. These words are still so appropriate today.
The next phrase of our text says, "strengthened in the faith as you were taught." Strengthened means just that, to be more and more established, to grow stronger and firmer. Again in the present tense indicating that this action is to be continuous. We are to be strengthened "in the faith." Strengthened in the doctrines of Jesus, growing stronger in the truth of God as found in the Bible, as taught by Paul and the Apostles. This phrase is a compliment to what has already been said, and is meant to expand on what has been said.
This section is expanded on in verses 9-15. "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hand of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of our sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."
Isn't that awesome. Here we are reminded of what strengthens us. What strengthens us is Jesus. The fact that He is the holy and righteous God, the full God, equal to the Father, being the very likeness of the Father and having the full authority and power of God. Jesus has made us his children. All that stuff about circumcision is meant to speak of the spiritual gift of Jesus, how He has given us "fullness." We are fully forgiven. We are fully made the children of God and heirs of eternal life. We are given the victory of Jesus. We are promised eternal life, resurrection from the dead because Jesus has risen from the dead. All of this is ours because our God has through baptism filled us with Jesus. This is the faith that was taught and that is still taught in faithful churches everywhere. This is a faith that rests on Jesus and his redemption. A faith that believes in the power of God and that power is Jesus. This is the faith of the Apostles and the very message of the Bible. Clearly we are encouraged, "Don't let this faith go, but continue to grow and be strengthened in this gift of God.
As a result of all of this we "overflow with thankfulness." Thanksgiving results in "thanks living." We live our lives to Jesus and for Him. This means we stand on the foundation of Jesus, His holy Word and God's revealed will. This means we understand that our sins are forgiven in Jesus and that in that forgiveness we are made new creatures, made to be filled with good works and honor to God. That's what thanks living is. Living to the glory and honor of God. Chapter 3 is the section that expands on this thought. Verse 17 is a good summary verse, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
By the way, just to remind you, a good work is defined as "Whatever a believer does out of love and thankfulness to God according to God's Word." Out of love for God we follow his Word, not to obtain eternal life but rather because Jesus has already obtained it for us. Out of love for Jesus we hear and believe his Word, not because such actions earn us God's love but because we know that Jesus and what He did is the heart of God's love and that love is proclaimed in the Word. Out of love for the Word we are moved to overflow with thanksgiving. Our lives are simply filled with acts pleasing to God, pleasing because they are in keeping with his Word, pleasing because they honor Jesus as God and Lord, pleasing because in Jesus God the Father accepts our deeds as holy and perfect in his sight. This awesome message of Jesus and how he impacts our life, apart from the hollow and deceptive philosophies of the world, apart from the human traditions and basic principles of this world, is the greatest thing there is to know. It is the only measure of our lives that I believe has any merit or worth.
You want to talk about "living with Jesus" then talk about his truth and marvel, his deity and victory over the sin of this world. Talk about walking in His path because of His grace and mercy. We are privileged to be the children of God, heirs of eternal life but this is ours only in Christ Jesus and His Word. To follow the world is to hate Jesus. To cast aside the word, any part of it, is to hate Jesus. We live by faith in the Son of God. He is the measure of all that we are. May our God and Lord continue to guide us and help us in this truth! Amen.