Rooted in Christ

Sermon Passage: Colossians 2:6-7
Sermon Title: Rooted in Christ
Sermon By: Pastor Kevin
Sermon Outline:​
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1. Don’t neglect your personal relationship with God (“walk in him”; participation)
   1. Reject false humility, worshipless self-denial, sacrificing our faith for others’ (self-inflicting martyrdom of our faith)
      1. Called to learn “according to Christ” and remain steadfast, not forfeit (martyr our faith); false teachings of the world
         1. Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
            1. Cannot give up learning and seeking God’s mysteries
      2. Called to “walk in Him”
         1. Yet paradoxical in nature to be “ROOTED and BUILT up in Him and ESTABLISHED in the faith”
         2. When we are united and rooted in Christ, we are liberated to follow
            1. Colossians 2:9-10 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
   2. True self-denial is wicked and sinful
      1. We are called to deny our sinful desires and take up our cross daily (Matthew 10:38; 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; Luke 14:27)
      2. False humility; do not ignore and deny the Spirit for yourself for the sake of others’ faith, you will be ineffective (without our hope and source of strength)
         1. Missions exists because worship doesn’t, but how flawed is our understanding if we aren’t worshiping
2. Not called to be self-centered
   1. Loving and serving God and His people is not only a command, but should come from being rooted in Christ
   2. Loving God will and should inspire love for others, as our joy in Christ will overflow in desiring others to enjoy Christ
      1. If love stays to yourself, it is not love and you don’t understand love
   3. Learn to break boundaries
      1. Christian hermits are an impossible paradox
         1. We are not living to just be Christian and to get to heaven in our perfect worship alone
         2. Matthew 25:40 And then the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
      2. We are called to love, even/especially those that are most difficult
         1. 1 John 4:20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
            1. Love here is from the Greek: Agape, same as John 3:16
3. There is no such thing as a comfortable Christian life, but we are comforted in Christ
   1. 2 Corinthians 8:2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part
      1. Paul speaking of the churches in Macedonia that were facing hardship and meeting each other’s needs
   2. Lies/excuses:
      1. We can have our comfort in our money and resources because “God provided the resources”
         1. Comfort should not be in the gifts, but the giver (not circumstantial)
         2. If you are trying too hard to justify your comforts, think about your love for comfort
      2. I don’t support the church leaders and trust them with finances so it is wrong for me to enable them and to give tithes
         1. Era of tithes is over as it was connected to the Mosaic covenant
            1. Yet, we are called to give generously and support those in ministry (Matthew 10:10, Luke 10:7, 1 Corinthians 9:6-14, 1 Timothy 5:17-18)
            2. Churches have small budgets, EM churches rarely tithe and barely scrape by
         2. You ought to learn how to trust the supremacy of Christ
         3. If you believe that the leaders are wicked, you ought to leave lest you “follow the blind”
      3. We aren’t in a financial position to give; there are too many bills, maybe when we have more money or stability
         1. More bills and expenses will arise, so we do not give out of our riches
         2. Mark 12:43-44 “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
            1. If we believe it is easier to give up everything if we have nothing, why do we covet everything?
   3. Truth
      1. Only comfort is from Christ
      2. Untouchable/unshakable because of the hope in Christ
      3. John 16:32-33 “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”