The Bible paints a simple and wondrous picture. Those who dig themselves down deep into the Lord will stand tall in his strength. Those who immerse themselves in the Lord will stand in the strength and the fullness of God.
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Full audio version of this sermon. 2009-06-14 Rooted Faith – Draw Up – Ken Castor
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That’s why in Colossians 2:6-7 it says, “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. (Don’t fake it. Don’t pretend. Don’t stand on your own. Don’t try to prove your own ability. It’s not a job interview! Don’t get dressed up on the outside but fail to put that effort and energy into your commitment to God. Be faithful. If you’ve accepted Jesus into your life as your Lord, then live like it inside and out. How do you do that? Well, it says…) Let your roots grow down deep into him and DRAW UP nourishment from him so that you will stand strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving.”
So last week I drew this diagram for you: We begin with CHRIST, who is the Source of everything we need. For in him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). As we live in Christ, as we have accepted him into our lives and as we live in faithfulness to him, then we root ourselves into the most powerful and most secure and most amazing Source of life possible. As we GROW DOWN into him, we get rooted into his inexhaustibly awesome power and love. Instead of giving in to all the pressure of our society to grow up and grow up fast through society-pressure, or shortcuts or steroid philosophies, we are to grow down into Christ and find our secure footing in him. And so as we let our roots grow down, we are then able to DRAW UP nourishment from him. Another way of saying this is that as we root into Christ, then we are built up by everything he does for us and gives to us. In this verse, it is not our purpose to grow up and to get established and to become self-sustained and to make a name for ourselves. No, in this verse, it is our aim to grow down and to get grounded in Christ and to become God-sustained and to make his name known. This sort of living results in a life of enduring enrichment in everything that God has to offer— and he has a lot to offer! And so as we draw up everything we need to live according to God’s desires and plans for us, then we can’t help but to naturally flourish and GO OUT into the world sharing the wonders of what God does. As we dwell in Christ, he dwells in us and we draw up from him his Spirit and the fullness of all of his characteristics and motivations and that fills us up and compels us to overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done. This is the model of the life of true faith in Christ. This is spiritual formation.
This is the way God intends for us to truly live. As Colossians 1:27 says, this is the secret to life: That Christ lives in you and this is the assurance that you will share in his glory! So no matter what you are experiencing in your life, whether it is a season of calm, of excitement, or of storm, you can share in the joy and security and source of life that is found in no one or nothing other than Christ.
