Good morning children of the God the most- high King.
I am super excited to be here and count this as a great opportunity to share the word God with us.
We have a new topic and a sub-topic for the month of August. It is a special topic aimed at talking to something that already exists so today we are talking to ourselves as children of the highest King.
Luckly, all of us seated here have come to know our Lord Jesus and have accepted Him as our personal saviour.
If you are here with a less qualification, please note that this message is not for you. However, there say when a child is disciplined, a slave listens and learns so it is an opportunity for you to also learn.
If you are such a person here, please note that this is a zero intention to downgrade or look down on you but every intention to upgrade and remind you to take your rightful place which the devil for a long time have or tried to steal from you. He is constantly deceiving us that we are less than the true children, but this is not true.
We are all children of the highest King seated in His royal majesty and expecting us to conduct ourselves as His children.
There is a minimum conduct expected of children of a royal family, in dressing, hair cut, speech, where there go, what they eat and so on. This is important and anything less puts a question on your status as a true child of the King.
My Mum is a princess, so I know this. She has taken this into her Christian life and would always remind me that you can’t do less than this as a child of God.
Mothers, please teach your sons the minimum conduct and treatment expected of child of God towards a woman and they will grow to be good husbands and I think the same thing for our young ladies too.
Many times or sometimes, the conduct of some of us here makes one wonder if there are Christians at all. The leadership can confirm this, very disturbing stories and behaviours which can be very challenging to handle especially when the couple do not see their wrong. The minimum expected of us is to recognize we have gone below the required standard and say I am sorry and ready to come back to the road but sometimes this is not so. May God give us another opportunity to talk about this specifically but now, let’s go back to today’s message and listen to what the Lord says in His word.
Today’s text- Colossians 2: 6-7 is carefully selected to align with the topic and also the current situation in the church and the country but the entire letter of Paul to the church in Colossae is important.
The Letter to the Colossians, written by Apostle Paul, likely during his imprisonment (around AD 60-62), addresses a church in the city of Colossae. This church, possibly founded by Epaphras, was facing a form of false teaching that undermined the supremacy of Christ. Paul’s letter serves to correct this error and encourage the believers in their faith.
The letter identifies Paul as the author, and it’s generally accepted that he wrote it during his imprisonment, likely in Rome. This aligns with the timeframe of other prison epistles like Ephesians and Philemon.
Colossae was a city in the Roman province of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), known for its diverse population and blend of religious and philosophical ideas. The church in Colossae was likely established by Epaphras, who had been influenced by Paul’s ministry in Ephesus.
The letter addresses a specific false teaching that was taking root in the Colossian church. While the exact nature of this heresy is debated, it appears to have involved a devaluation of Christ’s role and a focus on other practices and beliefs, possibly including elements of Jewish legalism and Gnostic-like ideas. This teaching minimized Christ’s supremacy and undermined the believers’ identity “in Christ”.
The main purpose of the letter to Colossians was to:
- Counter the false teaching and reaffirm the sole supremacy and sufficiency of Christ.
- Encourage the believers in their faith and to grow in Christian maturity.
- Explain the implications of being “in Christ” and how that should shape their lives.
The letter emphasizes:
- Christ’s pre-eminence over all creation and all powers.
- The unity of believers with Christ and their shared authority and power.
- The importance of living a life that reflects their identity in Christ.
- The need to resist false teachings and pursue holiness.
- The power of prayer and the importance of spiritual growth
This message is coming to us at such an important time in our national and spiritual lives where things are quite difficult.
Wrong teachings creeping into the Church, persecution of the church is at a height.
There are storms of life both economic and spiritual that will or have come to your life to test the very foundation of your life. It takes the kind of roots you have for you to stand or fall in the face of adversity.
How are we conducting ourselves in offices God has assigned us as His ambassadors, in our businesses and indeed every aspect of our lives including relationships with neighbours, in public places etc?
Consider this as we listen to what the Lord says in his word and then we’ll come to him in prayer.
There are storms coming in your life that will test the very foundation of who you are. Winds of adversity will blow against you with such force that everything you thought was secure will be shaken. Trials will come that will challenge your faith so deeply that you’ll question everything you believe. Circumstances will arise that will threaten to uproot you from your place of stability and send you tumbling into despair.
But what the enemy doesn’t want you to know is that God has designed you to be unshakable. He has created you to be unmovable. He has called you to be a tree planted by rivers of water that brings forth fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.
The key to this supernatural stability isn’t found in your circumstances, your strength, or your abilities. It’s found in the depth of your spiritual roots.
Today, I want to show you how one powerful verse from Colossians chapter 2 contains the secret to developing unshakable spiritual roots that will keep you standing when everything around you is falling apart.
Colossians 2:7 says, “Rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
This verse gives us a picture of what spiritual maturity looks like. It’s not just about knowing Bible verses or attending church services. It’s about being rooted and built up in Christ.
I come from a farming background so I understand what is important to the life of a plant or tree.
Roots are important to plants for support and nourishment just as spiritual roots are to the life of a Christian.
We shall quickly look at 2 types of roots and the growth thereafter.
- Shallow roots
- Deep roots
- Growth and fruitfulness with thanksgiving
Heathy roots
Roots
Deep Roots
Visible effects of shallow roots
When Paul says we should be rooted in Christ, he’s talking about developing a deep intimate connection with Jesus that goes far below the surface. This isn’t about casual Christianity or weekend faith. This is about sinking your spiritual roots so deep into Christ that you draw your life, your strength, your identity, and your purpose from him
alone. But Paul doesn’t stop with just being rooted. He says we should also be built up in him. You have to build upon a foundation that already exists.
First you get rooted in Christ. Then you continue to build your life upon that foundation. You don’t just plant yourself in good soil and stay there. You continue to grow, to develop, to strengthen your connection with Jesus.
The result of being rooted and built up in Christ is that you become strengthened in the faith. This isn’t just intellectual strength or emotional resilience. This is supernatural strength that comes from being connected to the source of all power.
When your roots are deep in Christ, you can access his strength in your weakness, his peace in your chaos, his joy in your sorrow, and his hope in your darkest moments. I’ve learned that spiritual roots don’t develop overnight. They grow slowly, quietly, unseen beneath the surface. Most people want instant spiritual maturity.
They want to pray one prayer and become unshakable.
They want to read one Bible verse and become unmovable. Yes, one verse can change your perspective, and one prayer can shift your heart. But developing the kind of deep spiritual roots that can withstand life’s fiercest storms requires consistent cultivation over time.
A tree doesn’t send its roots deeper just once and then stop. Every day those roots are searching for water, for nutrients, for stability. In the same way, your spiritual roots need daily nourishment from God’s word, daily connection through prayer, and daily surrender to his will.
The problem with many Christians today is that they have wide roots, but not deep roots. They know a lot about Christianity, but they don’t know Christ intimately. They can quote Bible verses, but they haven’t let those verses transform their hearts. They can talk about faith, but they haven’t learned to walk by faith when everything seems to be falling apart.
Wide roots are good for gathering information, but deep roots are essential for surviving storms.
When the winds of adversity blow, it’s not what you know about God that will keep you standing. It’s how deeply you are connected to God that will determine whether you stand or fall.
Deep roots are developed in the quiet moments when no one is watching.
They grow when you choose to spend time with God. They strengthen when you choose to trust God’s promises instead of your feelings.
They deepen when you choose to obey God’s word even when it’s difficult or doesn’t make sense.
It is very personal at this point. The next person does not need to align with you if they choose to be different. What is important is your alignment with God.
– Abraham in Genesis 22 choose to obey God and offered his only son Isaac even without informing his wife Serah or any other person. It was a personal decision borne out of his conviction, deep rooted in his believe and relationship with God.
In Job 2:9-13, Job rebuked his wife after she suggested he should curse God and die. His three friend(Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) did not understand, accusing him of self-righteousness.
People around you may not understand but they don’t have to if that is the only way you can align with God’s will.
The beautiful thing about deep spiritual roots is that they not only keep you stable, but they also provide nourishment for others. When you are deeply rooted in Christ, you become a source of strength, encouragement, and hope for everyone around you.
Your stability gives others encouragement to trust God.
Your peace in the storm shows others that God is faithful.
Your joy in difficult circumstances demonstrates that God’s love is real and powerful.
But you need to understand that the enemy is constantly trying to attack your roots.
He knows that if he can damage your connection with Christ, he can make you unstable and ineffective.
He sends circumstances designed to make you doubt God’s love.
He whispers lies meant to make you question God’s faithfulness.
He creates situations that tempt you to trust in yourself instead of trusting in God.
This is why Paul emphasizes being strengthened in the faith as you were
taught. Your roots need to be grounded not just in experience, but in truth.
Not just in feelings, but in facts.
Not just in what you hope is true, but in what God has revealed to be true in
His word.
When you are rooted and built up in Christ, strengthened in the faith, you naturally overflow with thankfulness.
And this is exactly what Paul concludes with “and overflowing with thankfulness”.
A thankful heart is the evidence of deep roots. When you can praise God in the
storm, it shows that your joy doesn’t depend on your circumstances.
When you can thank God in the valley, it reveals that your hope is anchored in something deeper than your current situation. When you can worship God in the wilderness, it demonstrates that your relationship with him is stronger than your temporary struggles.
We will soon be praying as we conclude on this point.
In John 12:3-8, Mary of Bethany, sister to Martha and Lazarus, is described as anointing Jesus’s feet with expensive perfume. This act, occurred at a dinner in Bethany, six days before the Passover. She poured the perfume, on his feet and wiped them with her hair, filling the house with its fragrance. This act is often interpreted as a demonstration of her love and devotion to Jesus, while Judas Iscariot criticized it as wasteful, revealing his hypocrisy.
This is only possible when one is deep rooted in Christ and have a personal connection with Him.
What is delaying you from giving thanks to God for the goodness in your live?
PRAYER
Now, let’s come before our faithful father in prayer, asking him to develop deep, unshakable roots in our spiritual lives.
Heavenly Father, I come to you today with a deep hunger for spiritual stability and growth. I recognize that my life has been shaken too many times by circumstances that should not have moved me if my roots were deep in you. I confess that I have often built my faith on shifting sand instead of the solid rock of your truth. I have allowed my emotions to dictate my faith instead of allowing your word to govern my heart.
Lord, I ask you to help me develop deep spiritual roots that go far beyond surface level Christianity. I don’t want a faith that only works when life is easy. I don’t want a relationship with you that crumbles when storms come.
I want to be rooted and built up in Christ so deeply that nothing can separate me from your love or shake my confidence in your goodness.
Father, I surrender my shallow approach to spiritual growth. I confess that I have sometimes wanted instant maturity without the process of development. I have desired the fruit without tending to the roots.
I have expected strength without putting in the work of daily connection with you. Forgive me for treating my relationship with you as something casual instead of the most important priority in my life. I ask you to create in me a hunger for your word that goes beyond duty or obligation.
Let me thirst for your truth the way a tree’s roots search for water.
Help me to meditate on your promises not just when I feel like it, but consistently, daily, persistently.
Let your word take root in my heart so deeply that it becomes my automatic response to every situation I face.
Lord, develop in me roots of trust that run deeper than my understanding. I confess that I have sometimes doubted your goodness when circumstances were difficult. I have wondered about your faithfulness when your timing didn’t match my expectations. Help me to trust you, not because I understand your ways, but because I know your character.
Let my roots of trust go so deep that they reach the bedrock of your unchanging nature.
Develop in me roots of love that connect me intimately to your heart.
I don’t want to just know about your love.
I want to experience it so deeply that it transforms the way I see myself, the way I treat others, and the way I respond to life’s challenges.
Let your love be the soil in which my spiritual life grows.
Let it nourish every aspect of my character and every dimension of my faith.
Develop in me roots of obedience that make following you my natural response.
I confess that I have sometimes struggled with surrender, wanting to maintain control over areas of my life that I should have given to you long ago. Help me to develop such deep roots of submission to your will, that obeying you becomes as natural as breathing. Let my roots of obedience run so deep that even when your commands are difficult, I choose your way because I trust your heart.
Father, I ask you to strengthen my faith through your word. Let the truth of scripture sink deep into my soul, creating unshakable convictions about who you are and what you have promised.
When the enemy whispers lies about your character, let the roots of your truth rise up to defend my heart. When circumstances suggest that you are not in control, let the deep knowledge of your sovereignty steady my soul.
Develop in me roots of peace that reach down to the unshakable foundation of
your presence. In a world filled with anxiety and fear, let me be anchored in the peace that passes all understanding.
When storms rage around me, let the deep roots of your peace keep me calm and centered.
Help me to be a source of stability for others who are being tossed by the winds of worry and fear.
I ask for roots of hope that go deeper than my circumstances.
Let my hope be anchored not in what I can see, but in what you have promised.
When everything around me seems to be falling apart, let the deep roots of hope in your faithfulness keep me looking forward with expectation.
Help me to remember that my current struggles are temporary, but your promises are eternal.
Lord, develop in me roots of worship that make praising you my natural response to both blessings and challenges. I want to be so deeply connected to your goodness that
thanksgiving overflows from my heart regardless of my circumstances.
Let gratitude become my default setting because I am rooted in the understanding of how much you have done for me.
Father, I ask you to protect these developing roots from the attacks of the enemy. I know that he wants to damage my connection with you because he understands that deep roots make me dangerous to his kingdom. Guard my heart and mind through your word and your spirit. Alert me to his schemes and give me the wisdom to resist his attempts to uproot me from your love.
Help me to be patient with the process of root development.
I know that the strongest trees are those that have weathered many storms because each storm forces their roots to go deeper. When trials come, help me to see them as
opportunities for my roots to grow stronger rather than as threats to my faith. Let me embrace the process of spiritual growth even when it’s uncomfortable or challenging.
I thank you, Lord, that you are faithful to complete the good work you have begun
in me. I thank you that as I seek to develop deep roots in you, you are working to establish me in your love, your truth, and your purposes.
I trust that these roots will not only keep me standing in the storms of life but will also produce fruit that brings glory to your name. I commit to doing my part in this process.
I will spend time in your word daily, allowing your truth to sink deep into my heart.
I will seek you in prayer consistently, maintaining my connection with you throughout each day.
I will obey your promptings even when it’s difficult, trusting that your ways are always best.
In Jesus’ powerful name, I pray. Amen.