Sermon Introduction
As believers, it’s easy to start strong in faith — full of zeal, joy, and gratitude when we first receive Christ. But as life unfolds, pressures mount, culture shifts, and philosophies evolve, our faith can subtly drift from a relationship with Christ to a routine about Christ.
That’s why Paul writes to the Colossians — and to us — not as new converts, but as people who need reminding:
“Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him.”
Transitional Bridge
Paul’s heart in the first five verses of this chapter beats like that of a pastor
- burdened,
- prayerful, and
- deeply invested in the spiritual stability of his people.
He’s been contending for them in prayer, longing for their hearts to be encouraged, their relationships united in love, and their minds rooted in the knowledge of Christ.
But beginning in verse six, Paul turns from pastoral concern to personal responsibility. He moves from saying “I’m fighting for your faith” to “Now you must walk in it.”
It’s as if Paul is saying:
“I’ve told you what I’m praying for—now I’m telling you how to live it out.”
Because if Christ truly is our foundation, our fullness, and our victory, then our response must be to walk in Him daily, stay rooted in Him firmly, and live out the freedom He already won for us.
Paul is saying, Don’t move away from what you started in.
- You began by trusting in Christ’s finished work — stay there.
- You were made complete in Him — stop looking for something more.
- You were buried and raised with Him — so live as one who is already free.
In a world that tells us we need more to be enough, Paul reminds us that everything we need for life and godliness is already found in Jesus.
So how should the believer respond to this truth?
- By remaining rooted — unshaken by new voices or modern philosophies that sound wise but weaken faith.
- By living thankfully — because gratitude is proof that you remember who your Source is.
- By walking freely — not under guilt, ritual, or performance, but in the finished work of Christ who canceled our debt.
- By living victoriously — because the powers of darkness have already been disarmed at the cross.
This isn’t just a theology lesson — it’s an invitation to walk in the reality you already have.
“The Christian life isn’t about chasing something new — it’s about growing deeper in what’s already true. Christ is not just the start of our faith — He is the whole foundation. And when you’re rooted in Him, you’re not just surviving the shaking… you’re standing in victory.”
Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles (doubt and fear). And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing oureyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Colossians 2:6–15 Rooted, Built Up, and Made Alive in Christ
Theme: Paul urges believers to remain rooted in Christ, warns against deceptive substitutes, and celebrates the victory and freedom found in Him.
Big Idea: Because believers are complete in Christ, they must walk in Him, not be swayed by worldly philosophies, and live out the freedom purchased at the cross.
I. Continue in the Same Christ You Received
Colossians 2:6–7 (NIV)
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Cross References (NIV, written out):
- John 15:4 – “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.”
- 1 Corinthians 3:11 – “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Why We Struggle: Many begin well in faith but lose focus when life becomes complex. We often want to “add something” to Christ to feel secure or spiritual.
Theological Summary: The same faith that saves is the faith that sustains. Rootedness in Christ brings both stability and growth. Gratitude keeps the heart soft and steady.
Know This: The Christian life begins and continues by staying anchored in the same Christ we first received.
II. Beware of Spiritual Substitutes
Colossians 2:8 (NIV)
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
Cross References:
- 2 Corinthians 10:5 – “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God…”
- Galatians 1:6–7 – “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel…”
Illustration: The Counterfeit Bill
If you talk to federal agents who work in the Treasury Department or Secret Service, they’ll tell you something interesting about how they’re trained to recognize counterfeit money. They don’t spend their days studying fake bills. They spend hours — sometimes years — handling the real ones.
They learn every texture, every thread, every watermark, every shade of ink, every detail of authentic currency — until the genuine becomes second nature.
So when a counterfeit shows up, they can spot it instantly — not because they know every form of deception, but because they know the truth so well that the false just feels off.
Connection to Colossians 2:8
That’s what Paul is teaching. He’s saying, “Don’t let anyone take you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy.” You don’t have to master every false teaching, every new idea, or every cultural trend that passes itself off as wisdom. You just need to know Christ so well that when something isn’t from Him — your spirit recognizes the difference immediately.
Modern Application
- You can’t stop false ideas from circulating.
- You can’t stop culture from dressing up lies to look enlightened.
- But you can root yourself so deeply in truth that nothing hollow can take you captive.
The best defense against deception is deep familiarity with the truth.
Why We Struggle: The world packages deception in appealing, intellectual, or “spiritual” language. It sounds wise but subtly dethrones Christ as central.
Theological Summary: False teaching is spiritual captivity disguised as enlightenment. The believer must guard against anything that replaces or adds to Christ.
Know This: Anything that sounds spiritual but makes Christ smaller is deception in disguise.
III. Christ’s Fullness Is Our Sufficiency
Colossians 2:9–10 (NIV)
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.
Note: We can go straight to the top
Cross References:
- John 1:14 – “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son…”
- Ephesians 1:22–23 – “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”
Why We Struggle: We live in a culture obsessed with “more” — more knowledge, more experience, more self-expression. But believers often forget that in Christ, they already have everything they need.
Theological Summary: Christ is not partly divine; He is fully God. Believers share in that completeness. There is no spiritual lack in those who are in Christ.
Know This: You don’t need to chase spiritual fullness — you already have it in Christ.
IV. Marked by Spiritual Circumcision
Colossians 2:11–12 (NIV)
In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Cross References:
- Romans 2:29 – “A person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit…”
- Romans 6:4 – “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead… we too may live a new life.”
Why We Struggle: We confuse outward rituals with inward transformation. It’s easier to perform acts of religion than to surrender the heart to Christ.
Theological Summary:The true mark of belonging to God is inward — a transformed heart through Christ’s death and resurrection. Baptism symbolizes what the Spirit has done within.
Know This:Salvation is not about ceremony — it’s about a changed heart made alive in Christ.
V. Made Alive and Set Free
Colossians 2:13–15 (NIV)
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken 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.
Cross References:
- Ephesians 2:4–5 – “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions…”
- Romans 8:1 – “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
- John 19:30 – “It is finished.”
Why We Struggle: Many believers still live under guilt, condemnation, or spiritual defeat — as if the record of sin wasn’t truly canceled.
Theological Summary: Through the cross, Christ forgave, canceled the debt, and conquered the powers of darkness. The cross was not defeat — it was divine triumph.
Know This: Your sin was nailed to the cross, and your victory is already secured.
Pivot to the Armor followed by:
Closing Observation
Observation: Spiritual Foundations in Shifting Times
We live in a time when many things once viewed as stable—institutions, moral norms, even personal identity—feel uncertain and shifting. People are losing trust, anxiety is rising, and many are searching for something to stand on.
In this backdrop, the message of Christ’s full victory (Colossians 2:15), and the injunction to be rooted and built up in Him (Colossians 2:6–7), is exactly what believers need. Not as a cultural fix, but as a spiritual anchor.
- Because Christ has already disarmed the powers, believers can face change, confusion, crisis — not with fear, but with steadiness.
- Because believers are called to be rooted in love (Colossians 2:2), the church can be a place of safe belongingamid a world of division.
- Because we are warned not to be taken captive by deceptive philosophies (Col. 2:8), we can navigate cultural noise withdiscernment, not mere reaction.
- Because our foundation is Christ, not ideology, not system, our faith neither depends on nor collapses with shifting social trends.
APPLICATION
HEAD (What to Believe):
- Christ is fully God and fully sufficient.
- Salvation is inward transformation, not external ritual.
- The cross canceled sin’s debt and disarmed the enemy.
HEART (What to Feel):
- Grateful that Christ’s work is complete.
- Secure in your identity in Him.
- Confident, not condemned.
HAND (What to Do):
- Stay rooted in Christ through daily relationship and community.
- Reject philosophies or teachings that add to the gospel.
- Live in the freedom of a forgiven, resurrected life.
Remember:
When the ground under your feet trembles, don’t fix your gaze only on the shaking — fix it on the Christ who stands unmoved.
