Paul calls the church in Colossae to “keep going.” Colossians 2:6–7 ties continuation to conversion: “Just as you accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, you must continue to follow him.” The text makes “Lord” the qualifier for how the walk goes on. The image sounds like a treadmill. As long as the steps keep coming, forward progress holds. Stop, and the pull of the world, the flesh, and the demonic takes the feet backward. So the call refuses neutral. Either the life moves forward in Christ or drifts.
The cross and the throne make the picture plain. The cross names Jesus as Savior, because the work is finished, the debt is paid. The throne names Jesus as Lord, because a person must decide, again and again, to take up a cross and bow. If Jesus functions only as Savior, the life has put itself on the throne. That is why the call sounds like this: dethrone self, re-enthrone him, and bow where the heart loves to sit. He belongs there by nature and by achievement. By nature, the throne is for the King of kings, the alpha and omega, Emmanuel. By achievement, the Father has highly exalted him and crowned him with glory and honor after he tasted death.
Hebrews 4:16 does not invite a person to the cross but to the throne. The cross provided mercy for sins. The throne dispenses grace to help in time of need. That means lordship shows up in real-time decisions, often in restraint. Sometimes silence is the way a mouth yields to the throne. Self-deity is powerless, because the self is finite and fallible; prayer itself reveals who is actually on the seat.
Idolatry hides in plain sight. It is not just statues. It is the worship of comfort, image, children, jobs, houses, yards, letters, and teams. What gets the best energy and earliest arrival tells on the heart. Second Kings 17 exposes the trick: “Although they worshiped the Lord, they also worshiped their idols.” The problem is not only putting a rival over God but placing anything beside him as his equal. God has no rivals and shares his throne with none. So the Abbott and Costello question still stands: who is on first? In the beginning, God. The Big Chair in Southeast is a picture. Sitting in it looks foolish and proves dangerous. Only ignorance or arrogance climbs up there and stays. The call is simple and urgent. Get out of his seat. Keep going with Jesus as Lord, and roots will run deep, faith will grow strong, and thankfulness will overflow.
Key Takeaways
- 1. Keep going, there is no neutral [02:21] Continuation is not optional, because drift is real. The heart is always being pulled by the world, the flesh, and the demonic, so stopping equals sliding. The walk must stay in motion to stay aligned. Faithfulness feels like steady steps on a moving belt. [02:21]
- 2. Dethrone self, enthrone Jesus daily [06:13] The cross makes Jesus Savior once for all, but the throne names him Lord by repeated surrender. Daily decisions to take up a cross and bow keep the heart out of the big chair. If Jesus is only Savior, the self becomes lord, and that arrangement always collapses under pressure. [06:13]
- 3. Grace comes only from the throne [10:32] Mercy for sin flows from the cross, but enabling strength shows up at the throne. Hebrews 4 says help arrives where Jesus rules, not where the self sits. If the life occupies the seat, it must draw power from its own limits, which is why exhaustion and cynicism multiply. [10:32]
- 4. Idolatry usually sits beside God [20:30] Second Kings 17 exposes a double life, worshiping the Lord and the idols. The rival often is not above God but beside him, made equal by attention, energy, and sacrifice. Audit the calendar, the wallet, and the early mornings to see who actually receives worship. [20:30]
- 5. Deep roots overflow in gratitude [01:12] Colossians ties strong faith to a thankful spillover. Gratitude is not a mood but a sign that roots have found living water. When thanks dries up, the life may be feeding on anxieties and idols rather than abiding in Christ. [01:12]
Youtube Chapters
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [01:12] - Thankfulness as the overflow sign
- [02:21] - Keep going, no neutral ground
- [03:38] - “Just as you accepted him” qualifier
- [04:09] - Cross and throne illustration
- [06:13] - Dethrone self, re-enthrone Jesus
- [07:39] - Exalted name and earned lordship
- [08:59] - Situational submission and holy silence
- [10:32] - Mercy and grace at the throne
- [15:15] - The danger of subtle idolatry
- [16:34] - What has your best energy
- [20:30] - Worshiping God and idols together
- [22:38] - God shares his throne with none
- [24:23] - The Big Chair warning
- [24:53] - Ignorance and arrogance on the throne
