Rooted In Truth

This episode of All In with Pastor Jordan Easley has been made possible by the generous support of viewers like you. Welcome to All In with Pastor Jordan Easley. Today's message is about to begin, and we invite you to prepare your heart and mind to hear an inspiring message from God's Word. We hope and pray for God to speak to you today as you seek to live your life all in for Jesus Christ. And now from First Baptist Church in Cleveland, Tennessee, here's Pastor Jordan Easley. Well, it's great to have so many people here today as we celebrate this special occasion. I also wanna say a very special word of welcome to those of you who are in overflow right now. You're watching this in the loft, and just another blessing to see our church filled with people that are leaning into God's Word. Also, would you just join me in thanking our worship team for leading us this morning as they do every single week, but just incredible. Well, let's dive in today, okay? I heard a story about one of the largest and oldest oak trees in America. This tree was located in Florida, and it was massive. It was a beautiful tree, a tree that tourists knew about. They would even stop, and they would take pictures of this tree when they were in the neighborhood. To everybody who passed by, this tree was a picture of strength, and it was a picture of health.

But on one stormy night, the rains fell, and the winds picked up, and that next morning, people woke up to a shocking sight. That massive, well-known oak tree had fallen. But you know what they discovered? They discovered it wasn't the storm that took it down. It wasn't the lightning that had struck it, or the winds that had pulled it from the ground. When they examined the tree, they discovered the real reason that it fell. It was because the core of that tree was completely hollow. Termites had been eating it from the inside out for years, and no one had a clue. Outwardly, it looked very healthy, but inwardly, it was decaying. It didn't collapse because it was messed up on the outside. It collapsed because of what had already taken place on the inside. Today, we're gonna be continuing our series called Rooted. Rooted from the series from the book of Colossians. And as we read this letter today, it's very clear that Paul knew the same thing that happened to that tree could happen in the church, and the same thing that happened in that church, or could potentially happen in that church, could also happen in our church. And so I believe the Holy Spirit included this passage of Scripture because he knew that we needed to be aware of some things happening in our life, happening in our fellowship, and happening in our culture. You see, outwardly, a church can look strong.

Outwardly, a church can appear to be great. Christians can sound spiritual, or even appear to be devoted. But if the roots are rotten and the core is corrupt, the tree is in trouble. Today, we're gonna see Paul write this letter to the Colossians in the church in Colossae. And we're gonna be unpacking God's word in Colossians chapter two, beginning in verse six. If you have a copy of God's word, I wanna invite you to join me as we walk through this text. But this is what Paul is gonna tell the church. Don't be uprooted, but be rooted in the truth. This is our primary statement of the day. Don't be uprooted, be rooted in the truth. And that's what we're gonna read from God's word today. You know, before we dive into the text, I wanna give you a little bit of context. You know, I think it's important that we understand the who, the where, and the why of this letter. Remember, Paul was the one that was writing this letter, and he was in prison in Rome when he penned the words on the paper. This was all taking place around the year 60 AD, possibly 61 AD, but he was under house arrest. He had been charged and arrested, and was in chains for preaching the gospel. So that was kind of the setting in which this took place. And remember, Paul never actually had been to the city of Colossae.

He wasn't the one that planted this church. So he's writing to people that he had never really met in person. See, the Colossian church was a fellowship that was likely founded by a man named Epaphras. A man who had heard the gospel during Paul's missionary journeys while he was in Ephesus. So Epaphras heard the gospel in Ephesus, gave his life to Jesus, and then he took Christianity there in the first century back to his hometown, a place called Colossae. Colossae was a small city. It's now in modern day Turkey. Some of you have even been there before. It wasn't a major political or religious center at all, but it was a diverse melting pot of a lot of different people. A melting pot of Greek philosophy, a melting pot of Roman customs and Jewish law, and even Eastern mysticism. In that city, and even in that church, there were a lot of different things that people were talking about, and backgrounds in which people came from. This church had a strong start. You can imagine the gospel taking Epaphras to this city, and you can imagine the Christians on fire for Jesus. But now the church started to shift a little bit, and it was under threat. So Epaphras visited Paul while he was in prison

with a serious concern, and he told Paul, hey, false teaching is starting to creep into the church. Deceptive philosophies, and man-made traditions, and religious legalism, and mystical experiences. He said they're all mixing together, and these things are starting to confuse believers. This wasn't just bad theology. This was a spiritual crisis. So Paul picks up his pen, and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he writes this letter to protect the roots of the church. And that message that he brought to the church in that day is the same message I believe that God has for our church in this day. And here it is, are you ready? Being rooted in the truth protects us from spiritual deception and false religion. You say, Jordan, why is it important that I'm rooted in Christ, and rooted in the truth of who he is? This is why, because it's gonna protect your mind, and protect your heart from spiritual deception, and false religion. Today, I'm gonna share with you three primary points from Paul on how you can stay rooted in the truth. Are you ready for it? Say amen. Amen. All right, here we go. The first thing Paul's gonna tell us is this.

We must remain grounded in Christ. Remain grounded in the person of Jesus Christ. In verse six, he told them, so then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, time out. How many of you have received Christ Jesus as your Lord? Okay, a lot of us have. So he's talking to people who are saved. Check it out. As you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him. In him. Being rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude. So right here, Paul begins with a reminder. He's talking to people who had accepted Jesus, received Jesus, and he tells them this. Stay rooted in the same Jesus you received. Stay rooted in the same Jesus you received. In other words, you didn't start your journey with the Lord with human wisdom. So don't try to finish it with human traditions. He's saying, you didn't come to Christ because of all the rules and the rituals. So don't drift into dead religion and religious practices. And let me give you some Greek insight here in the word rooted. You see that word rooted? Circle it in your Bible.

That's the Greek word rezo, and it's written in the perfect tense. The perfect tense. And what that means is, it's referring to something that was completed in the past, but also has ongoing results in the present. I'm gonna say that again. It's referring to something that was completed in the past, but has ongoing results even today. In other words, he was saying, you were rooted in Christ on the day you were saved. So think about your day of salvation. He said, your roots were established on that day. You were rooted in the person of Jesus Christ, but that root is still producing growth even today. It continues to grow. The roots you established in Christ are roots that continue to grow and to be encouraged in the faith. Have you ever seen on a sidewalk or a driveway, those little weeds that pop up every once in a while? I hate those weeds. Do you guys do your own yard? I do my yard, and these things pop up every single time I do the yard. They're in the sidewalks, they're in the driveway, and you gotta go around and you gotta spray every single one of them. I hate these things because they are tough, they're resilient, they're really hard to kill.

Have you ever wondered how those types of weeds are able to push through the obstacles and survive so well? It's not because the stems are so tough. It's not because the leaves are so strong. It's because most of the time, these plants, they have something going on under the surface that you're fully unaware of. So you ask the question, how are these types of weeds able to bust through concrete, able to bust through the asphalt and survive and live? And the truth is, the roots of these tiny plants are always growing. They're underneath the surface, and they're always searching for water and space and nutrients. So as the roots are expanding, they exert something called. Root pressure, I learned this this week. Root pressure, a mechanical force strong enough to bust through even the toughest surface. You get this today? The roots of this tiny plant are what give it the power to break through. And Jesus said the same thing is true for you. If you're in Christ, you were given roots in that decision to follow the Lord. But those roots didn't stop growing on that day, they began growing on that day. And those roots continue to grow as you pursue the Lord. Now compare that to a giant oak tree

that was planted in shallow soil. It looks sturdy on the outside, but when the drought comes in or when the storms roll in, what happens? That whole thing topples over. Not because the storm was so strong, but because the roots didn't grow deep enough to keep it firmly planted. You get the difference here? You say, Jordan, what does this have to do with my life? Or my life in Christ? Here's what we can learn about our roots today. You ready? Your roots are never neutral. Your roots are never neutral. They're always searching or they're always shrinking. And whether you realize it or not, what you're connected to is either gonna make you stronger or it's gonna set you up to fall. Hey, Christian, I'm talking to you today. If your roots aren't in Christ, your fruit won't be ripe. If your roots aren't in Christ, if there is anything else, your fruit won't be ripe. It doesn't matter how pretty the leaves are in your life if your root system is shallow or sick. You might sing loud, you might serve hard, you might even quote scripture today. But if you're not abiding in Christ, the Bible tells us that you will eventually wither. Notice in this verse, Paul doesn't tell believers

you should add to Christ. What does he say? He said, you should continue to live in him. Look at that verse, continue to live in him. And that's the key. When a person is saved, the Bible says, you no longer live, but Christ lives in you. Is that true or not? You say, well, I think that's true. No, it is true. The Bible says if you're in Christ, you no longer live, but Christ lives in you. That means you have the person of God and the power of God living within the person that you call you, and that God is alive in you and God is alive through you, and he is the root of everything. And the Bible says he should be the priority of everything in your life. Hey, let me ask you a personal question. Is Jesus the priority in your life? Yes or no? You say yes, some of you say no, some of you, 90% of you said nothing, which tells me that this is a question worth contemplating. Hey, the way I see it, there are two types of believers in every single church. There are believers that say, I love Jesus, but the truth is, they see Jesus as an accessory in their life and not the priority of their life.

Jesus is an accessory, he's not the priority. Ladies, when I say the word accessory, you probably understand what that means more than the guys. And the reason is, you wear a lot of accessories. Ladies, can I get an amen from somebody? Come on, y'all awake today? You wear them, you got earrings, you wear scarves, you wear hair clips, you wear jewelry, you carry purses, you carry clutches, and some of y'all are blown away that I know what a clutch is. Can I get an amen? But here's one thing I know about accessories. Are you ready? When you're getting dressed in the morning, if you remember to put on your accessories, or if you remember to bring your accessories with you when you leave the house, that's a good thing. But if you leave the house and you forget to put on your accessories, if you forget to bring them with you, it's not the end of the world. If you go to the grocery store without your earrings, it's not the end of the world, why? Because earrings are just an accessory. But on the other hand, if you go to that same grocery store without pants, that's a problem, right? Because when you're getting dressed, pants are not an accessory, pants are a priority. You see the difference right now?

Listen, as long as Jesus is an accessory in your life and not the priority in your life, your spiritual life will always suffer. Your spiritual life will always suffer, why? Because Jesus is the root of everything. The Bible says he's the one that gives you life. Therefore, Paul is reminding us today. He said, continue to live in him, believer. You started a relationship with the Lord, now continue to be in Christ, being rooted and built up in who he is. Hey, let me ask you a personal question today. Right now in your life, do you see Jesus as an accessory? That makes your life better or are you able to say that he truly is the priority of your life? Because here's what God's Word tells us Jesus shouldn't be a priority in your life Jesus should be the priority of your life and those two things are completely different Here's what Paul said right out of the chute He said Christian remain grounded in Christ remain grounded in the person of Jesus Christ be rooted in him The second thing he's going to tell us is this that we must resist deceptive philosophy resist deceptive Philosophy keep going verse 8 Paul says be careful that no one takes you captive Through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition Based on the elements of the world rather than Christ Paul says you're living in a world right now that has a lot of stuff out there and The world is trying to convince you of a lot of things The world's trying to tell you this is truth and that is truth But the truth is Jesus Christ is the truth that you should pursue

And so he's saying in a world that is deceptive understand that your life should be directed at the person of Jesus Christ and nothing else You know when the Secret Service was established in America The purpose of this agency wasn't just to protect the president It was also established to prevent counterfeit currency in our country I heard a story the other day about a young man who approached a Secret Service agent and that young man said hey How do you learn how to spot a counterfeit dollar bill? Do you study all the different fakes that are out there and the Secret Service agent smiled at that young man and said son? No, that's not what we do at all. We don't waste time memorizing all the fakes We just study the real thing intensely We examine every single line and every single fiber and every single watermark on that Genuine dollar bill and that way when a fake crosses our desk We know instantly Something ain't right Hey that same principle should be applied to your life as a believer today. It should be applied to your faith You don't need to master every single false doctrine that's out there You don't need to master every single trending ideology or spiritual fad You just need to know the real Jesus so well that when you're presented with anything less than Jesus or anything other than Jesus it Immediately feels off. Amen Hey a good fake always looks authentic to the person who hasn't experienced the real thing a Good fake always looks real to the person who's never experienced the real and right here Paul warns the church And he says church beware because there's a lot of fakes out there He told the church do not be misled do not be kidnapped by clever sounding lies In fact, look at verse 8. He said be careful that no one takes you Captive that phrase takes you captive in the Greek It literally means to be carried off like a prisoner of war And that's the picture that Paul is painting in this text He's talking to people like us and he's saying hey be careful Because if you're not the lies in this culture can distort the reality of your mind The lies in this culture can cause confusion in your heart, even if you're already a Christian. He's talking to us

And he's saying these people in the world. The devil in this world is doing everything he can to cause confusion in your heart He's saying these things can sneak in quietly and they they disguise themselves as wisdom and before you know it You've been taken prisoner by a lie at that point. You're no longer walking in freedom You're now chained to human opinions and you're trapped by trendy ideologies and you're bound by beliefs that sound super spiritual But are totally empty at the end of the day, you know, there are a lot of people in America who are wearing a cross But they're living in a cage There are people that you know people that you love people that claim to be a Christian But they've been taken off the rails why because they believe the lies of the devil Listen, you can be a churchgoer today and still be a spiritual hostage if you allow deception to take hold of your heart You say well what exactly is Deception. Here's how Paul would answer that question He says it's philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition and worldly principles He said here. Here's the deceit. You ready? It's beliefs that the world has that don't agree with the Bible It's traditions that the world keeps that have nothing to do with the faith It's philosophies that are out there that are intended to pull you away from Jesus Jesus and not point you to Jesus. It's not that all philosophy is bad, but any belief system that elevates human logic above God's revelation is absolutely dangerous. Hey, culture has a lot of these, by the way. Culture, the culture we live in right now, it has a voice that says every single day, hey, just follow your truth and you'll be okay. You've heard that. Hey, what's true for you is the truth you should follow. Okay, guess what? That's garbage. The Bible never said that you have a truth and you have a truth.

The Bible says that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and nobody comes to the Father except through him. May I tell you something? Truth has a name, and his name is Jesus. So Paul says remain grounded in him, remain grounded in Christ, and resist the deceptive philosophies of this world that are meant to take you off track. The third thing he's gonna say is this. We should also reject legalistic religion. Get this today. Reject legalistic religion. Now, when I say the word legalism, I wanna make sure that we're thinking about the same thing. Do you understand what that means? I'm not talking about obeying God out of love and reverence. That's called holiness, right? But legalism, on the other hand, is something completely different. It's when we try to earn God's love by keeping rules that he never required. That's legalism. Or when we try to maintain our salvation through performance instead of grace. That's legalism. That's deception. And in verse 16, that's what Paul is gonna warn the church about.

Read that with me. He says, therefore, don't let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of what was to come. The substance is Christ. So apparently, in that day, there were false teachers saying, hey, if you really wanna be spiritual, then you need to follow all these rules and all these regulations and you gotta get all these things right. They're saying you need to follow all the Jewish laws. You need to observe the Sabbath and you need to keep the food laws and you need to get circumcised. In other words, they're saying Jesus is really good, but Jesus himself is not enough. It's Jesus plus all this other stuff and that's how you get right with God. But man, that culture was saying that loud and clear and Paul right here shuts that down and he says, those things were a shadow, but Jesus is the substance. Do you see the difference? So right here, he's asking the church, why would you chase shadows when you were built by God to chase the sun? Just chase Jesus.

And don't forget about these things. Don't disregard these things, but chase him, not legalism. Listen, legalism is religion without relationship. It's without relationship. It looks holy on the outside, but it's hollow on the inside. It's hollow. It's trying to impress God with rituals when he's already atoned for your sin and offered you a real relationship through his son. Listen, I heard a story the other day about a little boy who brought home his report card and he presented this report card to his father, straight A's, a perfect report card. And as you can imagine in this scene, when the father reaches down and grabs that paper, he looks at the report card, then he looks at his boy and he says, son, I am so proud of you. But the next semester, it was report card time once again. And this time, the young man brings home his report card, presents it to his father, and on that report card, straight A's and one B. This time, his hands were trembling as he handed over this paper. And yet his father, once again, he takes the paper, he looks at it, and then he looks at his son and says, son, I am still so proud of you.

With tears welled up in the little boy's eyes. And he said, dad, I didn't earn it this time. How could you say that? And his father in that moment knelt down so he could get eye to eye with his boy. And he said, son, you never earned it. I was proud of you because you're my son, not because of your grades. You see, y'all, that's a picture of grace. That's grace. But legalism says this, it says, God only loves me when I'm perfect. Legalism is living like God's love is contingent on your last performance review. And it's not. God loves you just the way you are right now, period. God's love isn't contingent on a paycheck. It's contingent on a promise and Jesus said, I love you and I will never stop loving you. See, Jesus already fulfilled every requirement on your behalf for God to love you. Now, does God love your sin? Absolutely not. Does God love you enough to tell you to repent from your sin? Absolutely. He loves you enough to pursue you in the midst of your sin because he wants to save you from your sin. Listen, you don't keep the law to be accepted. If you know Christ, you're already accepted.

There are a lot of people who look at salvation, they look at spiritual lives from an incorrect perspective. We believe if we do certain things or if we give certain gifts or we follow certain rules, then God is going to bless us and love us in far greater ways. You know what I call that? It's a transactional faith, transactional. Like every other transaction in this world, it's kind of like saying, if I do this for God, then God is gonna do this for me. If I go to church, if I read my Bible, if I tithe 10%, then God is gonna bless me and he's gonna answer my prayers and do the things I want him to do in far greater ways. That's a transactional faith and it's a transactional belief. But here's what the Bible says. God didn't call us into a transactional faith, he called us to a transformational faith. Do you see the difference? You see, it's not a transaction like I do this for God and he does this for me. God transforms me from the inside out and because I'm transformed and pursuing the Lord, then I'm gonna do those things naturally out of the overflow of my heart. I serve not because I'm trying to earn something from God, I serve because my heart's been changed by God.

I give not to get something back from God, I give because Christ gave himself for me. Do you see the difference here? Listen, Romans 12, two says this, don't be conformed to this age, but be transformed, how? By the renewing of my mind. So when God changes our heart, he changes our mind and when our minds are changed, our lives are changed and now we live a different life because of what Christ has done in us and what he's doing through us. Listen, I have a lot of problems with a transactional faith. There are a lot of people that live that way and believe that way, but let me just say, I've got a lot of problems with it. Number one, it reduces grace to a formula. Think about that. A transactional faith reduces grace to a formula. Another reason is because it turns worship into a bargaining chip. When we live with this transactional faith and this transactional belief, we come to this place for a completely different reason. We raise our hands for a completely different reason. It turns our worship into a bargaining chip. But the third reason is because it views God as a cosmic vending machine and not a loving father. Listen, God is not your genie in a bottle. He is your savior and your Lord

and he loves you right where you are and he wants your worship to be authentic and the only way that's gonna happen is if you are transformed by the God who created you and the God who loves you. Listen, if someone ever tells you that it's Jesus plus anything equals salvation, run from that guy. Because it's not. It's not Jesus plus something. It's Jesus plus nothing. He alone is the fullness of God. He alone is the head over all authority. He alone is enough. Jesus is enough, amen? And that's what Paul told the church. He said, reject legalistic religion. Hey, let me summarize what Paul was telling the church in that day. He's saying, don't get distracted by all the smoke and mirrors. Don't get distracted by all that stuff. The power to overcome sin doesn't come from visions. It comes from victory and that victory has already been sealed and secured by Jesus on the cross. Let me ask you, are you rooted in him today? Can you honestly say that your life is rooted in the person of Jesus Christ or are your roots right now tangled in traditions or emotions or cultural trends?

Remember, a plant can look healthy and still die if it's rooted in poisonous soil. What are your roots planted in today? Some of you may be wondering why your spiritual life feels so dry. Maybe it's not what's on the surface. Maybe it really is in the soil. Maybe your root system needs to go deeper in the person of Jesus Christ today. Hey, what does that look like for your life? When the winds start to blow and the rain picks up, man, are you sturdy and still standing because of what Christ has done in your life and through your life? Or on the flip side, when the winds pick up and the rain start to blow, are you toppling over because your faith is in a. a transactional model and not a transformational model. Listen, Jesus can change your life. And when Jesus changes your life and your roots are firmly planted in him, that's what allows you to stand tall when things get pretty shaky. You know, during World War II, a brave Christian woman named Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsy were arrested. They were hiding Jews in their home. And so as a result of their arrest, they were sent to one of the most horrific Nazi concentration camps in the entire war.

This is a place of death and starvation and suffering. And they recalled all the horrific things that they witnessed while they were in there. But you know what? In that dark, desperate place, something astonishing happened. Betsy and Corrie began leading secret Bible studies in the barracks. And these two women, they're surrounded by filth and they're surrounded by fleas and yet they found joy in the peace of Christ in the midst of a horrible situation. You know, one night Corrie asked her sister, she said, hey, how can you have peace in a place like this? And you know what Betsy said? She said, there is no pit so deep that God's love is not still deeper. Hey, even in a concentration camp, her faith broke through and blossomed. Why? Because their roots weren't in their surroundings, their roots were in their Savior. Hey, let me ask you, what are your roots in today? Because the Bible says you too can be rooted in truth. And my prayer is that if you've never placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you've never put the root system of your soul in the healthy soil that God provides, that today would be the day of salvation in your life. Church, before we leave this place, my prayer is that every single one of us

could have this declaration, that no matter the pressures I experience, no matter the lies that I'm told, no matter the trials that I walk through, my life will always be rooted in Christ. Hey, that's my prayer for all of us, that our roots may grow deep in the truth of the gospel. Hey, let me say it again, don't be uprooted, be rooted in the truth. Be rooted in the truth. And if you've never had that planting moment in the person of Jesus, my prayer is that you do that right now. Would you bow your heads and close your eyes? Listen, I may be speaking to someone right now that feels toppled over every time the wind blows, because you've never planted your faith in Jesus Christ, you've never surrendered all to King Jesus, allowed him to forgive your sins and make you the person he created you to be. If you've never done that, I wanna invite you to pray right now and give your life to Christ. He'll change you from the inside out if you're willing to take this step of faith and give him your life. Would you pray this right now and say, Jesus, I wanna be saved. I wanna be rooted in you. So Lord, in the best way I know how,

I turn away from my sin and I turn to you, asking you to be my personal savior and my personal Lord. Lord, I wanna be the man of God or the woman of God that you created me to be. So Lord, save me and make me new. Give me the courage to live for you and follow you all the days of my life. And thank you, God, for meeting me at my point of need and doing in my life what only you can do. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen and amen. As a pastor, the best advice I can give you for your daily walk with Jesus is to start each day in the word. While this may seem obvious, many people struggle to find the time to pause for just a few moments every single morning and to spend time with the Lord. I wanna help you find the right balance to start your day by offering easy to read daily inspiration through the all in daily devotional email. Each daily devotion includes a passage of scripture and some food for thought commentary that can be read very quickly. These few minutes can help center your mind on Jesus and prepare you to face the day's challenges. You can subscribe right now by scanning the QR code on the screen or by visiting our website at goallin.tv. I pray these devotionals bless and encourage you. And thank you once again for tuning in.

And I look forward to seeing you next time on this station for a new episode of All In next week. Until then, may you stay strong in your faith with Jesus and continue to go all in with him. Hey, we never wanna end our broadcast without giving you the opportunity to know Jesus as your personal Lord and savior. If you'd like to make the decision to trust Jesus and wanna know more about what it looks like to follow Jesus, get in touch with me right now. Follow the instructions at the bottom of the screen so that. We can pray for you and also put information in your hands right away. Today, we celebrate your decision and look forward to being a part of your personal journey of going all in with Jesus Christ. This episode of All In with Pastor Jordan Easley has been made possible by the generous support of viewers like you. We hope today's message encourages you as you strive to live your life fully committed to Jesus Christ.