Colossians 2:1-8 "Rooted in the True Source"

Read Colossians 2:1-8.

"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." NIV

I'm teaching Biology 1 to my 14-year-old right now. We are studying Kingdom Plantae - or for you laymen, plants. :) Just this week we were discussing how water moves up the roots of a plant to the leaves. Scientists actually don't know for sure how this happens, but their theory -- the cohesion-tension theory -- is this. As the stomata (tiny pores) in the leaves open for photosynthesis to happen, the water in the leaves evaporates out of the pores. Since water molecules really want to stay together -- they have a really tight bond with one another -- as the water evaporates, the molecules below them rush upward to stay near the higher ones. Then the molecules below those rush up to stay with the ones above them. The follow-the-leader water molecules continue pulling water up into the xylem (a transportation pathway) in the roots through the stem out the petioles to the leaves until the stomata close for the night and evaporation stops. Pretty cool theory, huh. The trick is the root must be in wet soil to have a supply of water to draw from.

Verse six says that we are to be rooted in Christ Jesus. He is our "water/nutrient" supply. Without the water He provides, our leaves will wilt and if completely cut off from His supply, eventually die. We have to have his nourishment to continue to live spiritually. Water from any other source will seem to be helpful, but actually is doing nothing but starving us to death. You see, a plant receives all its water and nutrients from what the roots draw up from the soil. Water that has fallen directly onto the leaves does not feed the plant. Other beliefs and philosophies, even Christian traditions, cannot fill us up and grow us up spiritually. They will just sprinkle us with useless droplets. But the real power for our existence comes from Jesus Christ and Him alone. His power flows up from the depths of our being, keeping us standing straight and strong, growing and shining for His glory. Don't you just love how God's creation illustrates His character?

Further Thoughts:

1. What or whom do you have your roots planted in? Are you putting too much faith in the droplets on your leaves?
2. What does Scripture say about false prophets or listening to man over God?
3. How do we keep our roots firmly planted in Christ Jesus?

2 Peter 2:1-22 "If...."

Read 2 Peter 2:1-22.

"... the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment...."

Peter is warning the scattered believers about the false teachers that will be among them. He even promises them through his "if" passage that God will faithfully punish all those who are claiming to follow Christ, but clearly spitting in His face by their actions.

We see the same thing happening today. Sometimes it is as blatant as Peter portrays - "never stop sinning, seduce the unstable, greedy, love the wages of wickedness...." We have all known someone claiming to be a believer and then caught in a secret sin that becomes for most their downfall. At that point, they make a decision to repent and turn completely away from their sin, or they decide that this is the life they have chosen and will continue in it.

But I think the greater dangers in this society are the ones who draw believers away through subtler means. They call themselves believers; they seem to be living a life following God, but there are little differences. They will twist truth; make compromises; or simply be two-faced -- one person on Sunday and another throughout the week. These are the "believers" that destroy the name of Christianity and make it so much harder to reach out to those who don't yet believe. By living with their feet in both worlds - a sinner's world and a believer's world -- they destroy the integrity of Christianity. We'd already had a great deal of damage done through being called a Christian nation. We are not a Christian nation. We may have started out that way, but capitalism, greed, and complacency has moved us away from the truth of that title. I've seen hypocrisy so much around me that I rarely say I'm a Christian. I call myself a believer in Jesus Christ. 

Now we will always have believers in different stages of their growth in their walk with Jesus. So you will see sin in some people's life because they have not learned to surrender that area to Jesus yet. That is very different from what this passage is talking about. These are people as it speaks about in verse 20 that have walked away from the world, followed Christ, and then turned around and chose the ways of the world again. It makes me very sad and honestly, I can't understand why anyone would walk away from the Lord. Makes me wonder if they ever really looked to see who Jesus is. Did they take the time to really get to know the Father? Did they surrender their heart and desires to His will? I guess that is between them and God. But once I made a complete commitment to God, there was no going back -- ever. 

Further Thoughts:

1. Look at other passages on false teachers/hypocrites.
   
2. Compare and contrast this passage with the Matthew 23-24 passages regarding the Pharisees.
   
3. Are there false teachers you know around you? How can we know if they are false? Find passages that tell us how to recognize the false teachers. What are we supposed to do with them?
   

Matthew 7:15-23 "Beware"

Read Matthew 7:15-23.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” NIV

The Lord is really warning us about those who will try to lead us astray from the narrow gate. And there are many!!! We don’t usually find the enemy lurking in dark allies wearing red capes and horns. He’s the one with the appearance of good, using the name of “Christian,” but completely not living the way of the cross. We must be careful about who we follow. There are many leaders out there, but not all follow the same path or purpose. Just because they say they are working for God does not make it so. We must listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit within us for discernment and study God's Word to determine if someone is living truth or simply for their own self-promotion. Not always an easy task. I’ve known several “ministers of the gospel” who were only in the ministry for the advancement of themselves.

Jesus clearly states to watch for their fruit. See if the results of their work match their words. Sometimes they are very difficult to see so ask the Lord for discernment – He’s the only one who truly knows their hearts and their motives, the visible and the hidden. The works of any minister will not show perfectly every time. They may make mistakes or poor decisions at times, after all, they are still human. But we must watch for a consistent showing of their hearts that will prove their genuineness. Look for a heart humbled before the Father and set on advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ not out of their own ability, but because they are sinners saved by grace and desire to share it with others. They recognize their unworthiness, but their works show that they know where their worth comes from – Jesus Christ alone.

Further Thoughts:

1. For further study on “fruit,” read John 15:1-17.
2. Where else does God speak on false teachers? Read 2 Peter 2:1-22.
3. An interesting illustration in the Old Testament of literally deceiving by being a wolf in sheep's clothing would be the story of Jacob fooling Isaac for Esau's birthright. Read Genesis 27:1-40.
4. Judas is another example of professing devotion, but having a heart hardened only for his personal gain. See John 13:21-30, 18:1-6; Matthew 27:1-5.
5. What kind of accountability will ministers of the gospel face before the Father? See James 3:1.