We'll turn your Bibles to the book of Colossians. The song that we just sang is a perfect introduction to what I was hoping to say today. 

Well, I'm always thankful to have a Thanksgiving Day, and I'm always thankful for our nation to have a Thanksgiving Day. I know the Founding Fathers would be pleased. I'm not sure about our present fathers, but I know the Founding Fathers would be very pleased for us to pause as a nation and give thanks to God. 

But for us, every day is Thanksgiving Day, because we know what it means that our thanksgiving is to God. And the thanksgiving to God is for what he has given to us, both day by day and also eternally, and for who he is. That's really more praise than thanksgiving, but we know that every day we are especially thankful for the Lord. 

And I want to turn to Colossians. and explain why we are thankful to the God, especially with reference to our salvation. Colossians speaks of the preeminence of Christ. The Apostle Paul is writing to the Colossian believers to encourage them that their salvation is complete in Christ. There's nothing more to be added. It's complete in Him. 

So I'm not going to go through the whole of this text, but I want to jump around a little bit. But look at verse 27. He speaks of the mystery. And the mystery is Christ in you. Christ in you, the hope of glory. And that theme is carried through the rest of the book. Christ in you, the hope of glory. What is your hope of glory? It is Christ in you. And Christ in you is complete. And so he's making that argument. 

But I want to jump to verses 6 and 7. Let me give the little bit of the ending of verse 5. He speaks, for though I am absent in flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and steadfastness, the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. the steadfastness of your faith. So we are complete in Christ and our faith is to be steadfast. It's to be continually abiding in Christ. 

And I want to give you verses six and seven. Because six and seven end with thanksgiving. And verses six and seven explain why it ends in thanksgiving. And I'm going to be a little technical with you today, but you can handle it. Chapter 2. Chapter 2, verses 6 and 7. 

The first verse is speaking in the active voice. It's telling you what has happened to you and what you are to do. active voice. An active voice means you are to do something. It's you are doing something. As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. You received Him. That's speaking of your experience in coming to Christ. And when you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, you not only received Him, but He abides in you. There is a receiving of Him, and He is in you. Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

So it's not only just believing and receiving Him in faith, it's receiving Him spiritually. And He is in you. So those are all. Active thing that's active and then he gives a command so walk But he doesn't just say so walk He says walk in him So he's gonna explain how it is that we walk in him now here's the interesting part you come to verse 7 and All of these words except for the last one. All of these words are passive the passive voice that means something is happening to you and So let me look at these words, these four words that are happening to you.

As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him. The passive voice is often accompanied with the word be, be something. It's not do something, it's be something. So the first word is in the perfect tense, which means rooted in the past and continuing to be rooted. Rooted in the past, when you first believed in Jesus Christ, you were like a plant rooted in Christ. And we know to be rooted means that's where you derive your life. If a plant is unrooted, is pulled out of the ground, it dies. But it lives because it derives from the water and the minerals and everything that the dirt supplies. And you are rooted in Christ Jesus when you first believe.

And, the tense of this means, and you are continually being rooted in him. This is what we speak of as a divine passive. It's what God is doing. God rooted you in Christ. And when He rooted you in Christ, He continues to root you in Christ. So that means your dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ, your knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's always continuing to grow, more and more of Christ, because that is the one, He is the one that you derive your life from.

And then built up, that's also, so it should be, having been rooted and being rooted and being built up. Now, the built up is a little bit of a different word than the rooted you had expected to say, and grow up. Because if you're rooted, you grow. But God wants us to understand that that growing part of us is a construction. It's more, it's like the metaphor changes to a building, or building a house, building a temple. But the point of that is, it is God who builds you up in Christ. He's the builder. He's the rooter. He is the one who builds you up. Builds you up in what way? Builds you up so that in your life you are more and more, like the word of God, more and more like Christ. That's what God is doing in you. 

And established in the faith. Again, that could be said, and being established in the faith. The faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The faith that you are learning more and more about. As you have been taught as you, and that's just referring to the past. I always hope when I look at something like this that it maybe is the pastors and the teachers from whom you have been taught. But I think it's a reference here to the spirit of God who teaches. Because this is all about what God is doing in you so that you can walk in him. If he doesn't do all of these passives, And you can remember this, just remember the rooted, built up, established, and taught are all passive voice. It's all what God is doing in you so that you can walk. If he does not do this, you cannot walk in life. The Christian life would be impossible. So the God who saves us is the God, it's Christ in you, the hope of glory. What is my hope of glory? Well, it is Christ. and all that he accomplishes in us. I'm so glad we can speak of the salvation that we have in Jesus Christ, that he died on the cross to save us from our sins. He died on the cross to save you from your sins, and then to indwell you, and to root you in Jesus Christ, and to build you up in Jesus Christ, and to establish you in the faith, and to, as you've been taught,

 Now look at the last word, abounding. You're back into this now. I mean, you're in it because this is active. You are to abound in thanksgiving. It's really super abounding in it. And some of the translations have super abounding in him. But that's why we're thankful. We're not just thankful because we're thankful that we got a ticket and we're going to heaven. We don't just get a ticket. We get Christ. And we're rooted in Him. We're built up in Him. We're established in the faith. We've been taught. And so we come and we say, thank you, God, for all that you've done.

Let me jump down a little bit. Because he's going to talk about, in the rest of this chapter, about things that people are doing otherwise than Christ, maybe to add to the salvation. He says there's nothing.

Now look at verses, I think, verses 9 and 10, sort of sum up the reality of all that is in Christ. For in Him, in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. In Him is the fullness of God. You can't get any more of God than you get in Christ. And you are complete in Him. You are complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power. That's a wonderful thing.

Here is God Almighty and we are rooted in Him and built up in Him and established in the faith as we've been taught, and abounding in thanksgiving. Why? Because we are in God, and God is in us. And because we are complete. What can you add to your faith? Nothing. How about if I am a good person? I say, well, be a good person. But be a good person because of what Christ is doing in you. It doesn't add to your salvation. You can't add to Christ. The fullness of Godhead is in Him. So you're rooted in the one who has the fullness of the Godhead in Him. And we are in Him. And we are complete in Him.

So when it goes down and says, well, are you going to add philosophy? And the answer is no, you're not going to add philosophy. Are you going to add good works? Well, there will be good works, but they don't add to your salvation. They don't add a single thing to your salvation. You're complete in Him. And that's why you have all these passives.

Now you think, well, does that mean the Christian life is all to be passive? Well, turn over to chapter 3, because chapter 3 then speaks of this pursuit. If then you were raised with Christ, By the way, that's passive. If you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above. That's active. You seek those things which are above where Christ is. Don't go quickly over those two words because those are two verbs. Where Christ is. Is seating, he's sitting at the right hand of God. Apostle Paul loves the imagery of Christ sitting at the right hand of God. And he also loves, from Ephesians and this passage as well, that we are seated in him.

Now, this is really wonderful, too wonderful for us to think about. But if we could open up the ceiling, Don't worry, David. We're not going to actually do that. But if we could open up the ceiling, open up the roof, and gaze into heaven, I don't know all that we would see, but I know that we would see Christ seated. And if you looked very carefully in Christ seated, as a believer in Jesus Christ, you would see you. Say, wait. I'm standing right here. I'm right here. We are seated with him. That's a spiritual relationship. We've been baptized into the body of Christ so that when he died, we died. And when he was raised from the dead, we are raised. That's what it talks about here in this passage.

But if you look carefully, you can see you there. And why is that significant? Well, because you know where you're going. Because I'm here right now, and I'm walking in the Christian life, and this is difficult. But every once in a while, you need to take that glimpse, and you need to look at the right hand. There is Jesus Christ sitted. Sitted. I keep saying sitted. Sitting. Sitting at the right hand of God. He's sitting because the work is complete. There's nothing more for him to do. It's complete. And there you are in him. Don't think and say, well, I hope I will be in him. You are in him. There's a sense in which you have a split personality. You're partially here. You're partially there. Spiritually, you're there. Spiritually, you're here.

He said, this is difficult for me to think about. I said, well, think about it, because it's a wonderful truth. When he sat down, it's complete. It's complete in him. That's why he sat down. Is he worried about me getting there? Well, he probably should. But he's not worried about me. I'm already seated in him. That's wonderful truth. It's encouraging, and it's the reason why we as a people give thanks to God. Thank you, God, for not only saving me at the cross, but for saving me in my life with all that you do in me and all that you're accomplishing in me because you've already I'm already complete in you.

And notice this first verse where it says, seek those things and set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Those are actions that you are to do. Seek the things which are above. Why? Because that's really where we are. Seek the things which are above. He's going to talk about it. And here's it's going to give you a promise. Verses 3 and 4 is a promise. For you died. When did you die? You died when Christ died. When he died, you died. And your life has been hidden in Christ, and it continues to be hidden in Christ. That's the action of this word. It's the perfect tense. You've been, is hidden, which means something in the past that continues right up to the present, right? It just keeps going. So you've been hidden with Christ in God. And then get this when Christ, who is our life, appears. And that's in the passive when he be appearing. Then you will be appearing with him in glory. Then you will be this is a promise when Christ, who is our life, appears.

And I used to look at this verse and I used to think about, we are going to be glorified. This is a wondrous thing. When Jesus Christ comes, the believers in Jesus Christ are going to be sanctified and glorified. And we're going to rise up in the air right through the ceiling. Don't need to take it apart. We're going to go right through the ceiling. We're going to enter into the presence of the Lord and we're going to see Jesus Christ. And I used to think that that was sort of the fullness of that, but when it says in this passage, when Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. And I don't know whether the appearing is when we rise up to meet the Lord in the air. That's when the spiritual part of us that is there is going to appear with him. So we see what has always been complete in Him, that we are complete in Him. And now we are completed in Him. He brings us into the fullness of that complete in Him. That's wonderful to think about, that here comes Christ.

It's amazing, I think, of seeing Jesus Christ and seeing His face. And then when you see the body of Christ, the whole of it, You say, I think that's me. He's coming with me. I always think he's coming with my mom and dad. It's a comforting thought to think that they're in glory and their bodies are here upon the ground. And he will bring them. But he's going to bring you, too, because you're in him. And really, the reality of who you are is that reality, not this one. That's an amazing thing to think about, too, because we look and we look at life and we say, well, this is my life. Here I am. I say, no, I think as a Christian, that is your life. What does it say? Christ in you, the hope of glory. Christ in you, the hope of glory. When Christ appears, then you will appear in glory. It's complete in Him.

This does not make us passive. There's all kinds of active things that we are to do. We are to seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not things on the earth. Calling us to live from that perspective, not this perspective. This is amazing truth.

So when you look at this passage and look at the preeminence of Jesus Christ, we are complete in Him. If there's anything to be thankful for, it's to be thankful for the fact that we are complete in Him, now complete in Him. That's wonderful truth. That's why we as Christians, we carry the water of thanksgiving to God because we really know why we should be thankful to God and all the reasons that we should be thankful to God for all that he accomplishes in us.

We couldn't walk a day in the Christian life without him accomplishing what he accomplishes in us. And so we say, glory be to God. Glory be to God for saving us at the cross. Glory be to God for calling us to salvation. Glory be to God for walking with us through justification, sanctification, and ultimately the hope of glory. That's where we're headed. And it's as sure as certain as Christ sitting at the right hand of God. Because there you are. Glory be to God.

May God help us to be thankful to Him. We don't know really as much as we should be thankful to Him. But He's accomplishing a great work in us and bringing us to glory. In fact, He's already brought us to glory. It's a wonderful truth.

Well, let's bow in prayer.

Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for all that You accomplish in our hearts and lives. We know that without your great work in us and through us, that it would be all for naught. But you are accomplishing a great work. And you have already made us to be complete in Christ. So we don't turn to philosophy, and we don't turn to good works, and we don't turn to anything that we might think would add to the completion that we already have in Christ.

Lord, help us to be focused on Christ alone. Help us to rest in Him. Help us to depend upon Him. Help us to grow in our faith in Him. And Lord, help us to walk in faithfulness to you and faithfulness in Christ. So we ask your blessing to be upon us. We're thankful to you for all that you do and all that you've accomplished. And we pray that you will continue to work and we pray for your great glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.