Rooted and Grounded
After being born again, our spiritual roots are to be in God Himself (Acts 17:28-29)
“for in Him, we live, and move and have our being; as certain also of your own
poets have said, for we are also His offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the
offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like to gold, or silver or
stone, graven by art and man’s device”.
Jesus taught concerning the sower and He warned that they that are not rooted
will fall for offenses (Matthew 13:3-6) “and He spoke many things to them in
parables, saying, behold, a sower went forth to sow. And when he sowed some
seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up. Some fell
upon stony places, where they had not much earth; and immediately they sprung
up, because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up, they were
scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away”.
And in Matthew 13:20-21 it says “but he that received the seed into stony places,
the same is he that hears the word, and immediately with joy receives it. Yet has
he not root in himself, but endures for a while; for when tribulation and persecution
arises because of the word, by and by he is offended”.
Jesus says in John 15:1-5 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman.
Every branch in Me that bears not fruit, He takes away; and every branch that
bears fruit, He purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now you are clean
through the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you,
except you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches, he that abides in
Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without Me you can do
nothing”.
David proclaims in Psalms 57:7 “my heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; it will
sing and give praise. Even after being confronted with his sin, he prayed in
Psalms 51:10-12 “create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit
within me. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit
from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation; and uphold me with Your free
spirit”.
Psalms 1:1-3 says “blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the
ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But
his delight is in the law of the Lord Yahweh, and in His law does he meditate day
and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings
forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does
shall prosper”. Also in Jeremiah 17:7-8 God says “blessed is the man that trusts
in the Lord Yahweh, and whose hope the Lord Yahweh is. For he shall be as a
tree planted by the waters, and that spreads out her roots by the river, and shall
not see when heat comes, but he leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in
the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit”.
Proverbs 12:3,12 says “a man shall not be established by wickedness; but the
root of the righteous shall not be moved. The wicked desires the net of evil men,
but the root of the righteous yields fruit”.
Just as the apostle Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus (Ephesians 3:16-19)
“that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened
with might by His Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by
faith,; that you, being rooted and grounded in love. May be able to comprehend
with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height. And to know
the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the
fullness of God”. We too should pray for others.
The thing that we are to be rooted and grounded in is love (Colossians 1:21-23)
“and you, that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now has He reconciled. In the body of His flesh through death, to
present you holy, and un-blameable and un-reproveable in His sight. If you
continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope
of the gospel, which you have heard, and which was preached to every creature
which is under heaven; whereof, I Paul am made a minister”.
God has equipped us with His love (Romans 5:1-5) “therefore being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we
have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the
glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; knowing that
tribulation works patience. And patience, experience; and experience, hope. And
hope makes not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts
by the Holy Spirit which is given to us”.
Paul said I do what I do because His love constrains me (II Corinthians 5:14).
Jesus does tell us that love is the key (Matthew 22:37-40) He was asked which is
the great commandment in the law? And He answered “you shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is
the first and great commandment. And the second is like to it, you shall love your
neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the
prophets”.
I Corinthians chapter 13, which is the love chapter; shows us that all things work
by love (I Corinthians 13:1-8) says “though I speak with the tongues of men and of
angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all
knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and
have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not; love vaunts not itself, is not puffed
up. Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked,
thinks no evil. Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. Bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails, but
whether there be prophecies, they shall fail, whether there be tongues, they shall
cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away”.
Colossians 2:4-8 says “and this I say, less any man should beguile you with
enticing words. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit,
joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As
you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk you in Him. Rooted
and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught,
abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware less any man spoil you through
philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the
world, and not after Christ”.
We are told “to be steadfast and un-moveable and give thanks to God, which give
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be
you steadfast, un-moveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch
as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (I Corinthians 15:57-58).
The writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 3:12-14 “take heed, brethren, less there
be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. But
exhort one another daily, while it is today; less any of you be hardened through
the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the
beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end”. The word of God is to be our
anchor (Hebrews 6:19) “which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure
and steadfast, and which enters into that inside the veil”.
Peter shows us how to maintain our hope and steadfastness (II Peter 1:1-10)
“Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have
obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our
Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge
of God, and of Jesus our Lord. According as His divine power has given to us all
things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has
called us to glory and virtue. Whereby are given to us exceeding great and
precious promises; that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this,
giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; ad to virtue knowledge. And to
knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness.
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love. For if these
things be in you, and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacks these things
is blind, and cannot see afar off, and has forgotten that he was purged from his
old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and
election sure, for if you do these things, you shall never fall”.
Peter warns in II Peter 3:17-18 “you therefore, beloved, seeing you know these
things before, beware less you also, being led away with the error of the wicked,
fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever, Amen”.
Let us therefore, plant the word of God in our hearts, that we may be rooted and
grounded, steadfast and un-moveable in the faith.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: December 3, 2010
After being born again, our spiritual roots are to be in God Himself (Acts 17:28-29)
“for in Him, we live, and move and have our being; as certain also of your own
poets have said, for we are also His offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the
offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like to gold, or silver or
stone, graven by art and man’s device”.
Jesus taught concerning the sower and He warned that they that are not rooted
will fall for offenses (Matthew 13:3-6) “and He spoke many things to them in
parables, saying, behold, a sower went forth to sow. And when he sowed some
seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up. Some fell
upon stony places, where they had not much earth; and immediately they sprung
up, because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up, they were
scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away”.
And in Matthew 13:20-21 it says “but he that received the seed into stony places,
the same is he that hears the word, and immediately with joy receives it. Yet has
he not root in himself, but endures for a while; for when tribulation and persecution
arises because of the word, by and by he is offended”.
Jesus says in John 15:1-5 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman.
Every branch in Me that bears not fruit, He takes away; and every branch that
bears fruit, He purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now you are clean
through the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you,
except you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches, he that abides in
Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without Me you can do
nothing”.
David proclaims in Psalms 57:7 “my heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; it will
sing and give praise. Even after being confronted with his sin, he prayed in
Psalms 51:10-12 “create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit
within me. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit
from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation; and uphold me with Your free
spirit”.
Psalms 1:1-3 says “blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the
ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But
his delight is in the law of the Lord Yahweh, and in His law does he meditate day
and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings
forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does
shall prosper”. Also in Jeremiah 17:7-8 God says “blessed is the man that trusts
in the Lord Yahweh, and whose hope the Lord Yahweh is. For he shall be as a
tree planted by the waters, and that spreads out her roots by the river, and shall
not see when heat comes, but he leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in
the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit”.
Proverbs 12:3,12 says “a man shall not be established by wickedness; but the
root of the righteous shall not be moved. The wicked desires the net of evil men,
but the root of the righteous yields fruit”.
Just as the apostle Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus (Ephesians 3:16-19)
“that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened
with might by His Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by
faith,; that you, being rooted and grounded in love. May be able to comprehend
with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height. And to know
the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the
fullness of God”. We too should pray for others.
The thing that we are to be rooted and grounded in is love (Colossians 1:21-23)
“and you, that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now has He reconciled. In the body of His flesh through death, to
present you holy, and un-blameable and un-reproveable in His sight. If you
continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope
of the gospel, which you have heard, and which was preached to every creature
which is under heaven; whereof, I Paul am made a minister”.
God has equipped us with His love (Romans 5:1-5) “therefore being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we
have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the
glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; knowing that
tribulation works patience. And patience, experience; and experience, hope. And
hope makes not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts
by the Holy Spirit which is given to us”.
Paul said I do what I do because His love constrains me (II Corinthians 5:14).
Jesus does tell us that love is the key (Matthew 22:37-40) He was asked which is
the great commandment in the law? And He answered “you shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is
the first and great commandment. And the second is like to it, you shall love your
neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the
prophets”.
I Corinthians chapter 13, which is the love chapter; shows us that all things work
by love (I Corinthians 13:1-8) says “though I speak with the tongues of men and of
angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all
knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and
have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not; love vaunts not itself, is not puffed
up. Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked,
thinks no evil. Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. Bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails, but
whether there be prophecies, they shall fail, whether there be tongues, they shall
cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away”.
Colossians 2:4-8 says “and this I say, less any man should beguile you with
enticing words. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit,
joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As
you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk you in Him. Rooted
and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught,
abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware less any man spoil you through
philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the
world, and not after Christ”.
We are told “to be steadfast and un-moveable and give thanks to God, which give
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be
you steadfast, un-moveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch
as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (I Corinthians 15:57-58).
The writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 3:12-14 “take heed, brethren, less there
be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. But
exhort one another daily, while it is today; less any of you be hardened through
the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the
beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end”. The word of God is to be our
anchor (Hebrews 6:19) “which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure
and steadfast, and which enters into that inside the veil”.
Peter shows us how to maintain our hope and steadfastness (II Peter 1:1-10)
“Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have
obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our
Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge
of God, and of Jesus our Lord. According as His divine power has given to us all
things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has
called us to glory and virtue. Whereby are given to us exceeding great and
precious promises; that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this,
giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; ad to virtue knowledge. And to
knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness.
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love. For if these
things be in you, and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacks these things
is blind, and cannot see afar off, and has forgotten that he was purged from his
old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and
election sure, for if you do these things, you shall never fall”.
Peter warns in II Peter 3:17-18 “you therefore, beloved, seeing you know these
things before, beware less you also, being led away with the error of the wicked,
fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever, Amen”.
Let us therefore, plant the word of God in our hearts, that we may be rooted and
grounded, steadfast and un-moveable in the faith.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: December 3, 2010
