Deeply Rooted In Jesus Series

October 01, 2022

When Paul was converted that day on the road to Damascus, his passion changed. He went from a denier of Jesus to his strongest and most outspoken advocate.

For Paul, it was more than just speaking the truth about Jesus. The deepest desire of his heart was for those under his spiritual care to have Jesus in their hearts and to know and love God - to be planted and deeply rooted in the truth and to understand the breath, length, height and depth of Christ’s love from them.

Notice his words to the churches in Ephesus and Colossae:

• Ephesians 3:14-21 - For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

• Colossians 2:6–7 - Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, live in him, 7 firmly rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding with thankfulness.

More than anything else, this is what I want for you – to KNOW Jesus. To be rooted and grounded IN Him. To tap into the spiritual strength you have been promised.

If we are not rooted in Christ, then nothing else matters, nothing else will work.

Picture a Christmas tree.

Millions of people buy Christmas trees every year.

We cut them off from their source of life, put them in our living rooms and hang a variety of festive ornaments on them.

While the tree sits in the living room - and if we water it – it will continue to hold onto its green foliage, looking beautiful.

You’d never know, just by looking at it, that it is not planted and deeply rooted – that it is, in fact, dying.

Only when it is discarded, brown and withered, in the street do we realize it was disconnected from it’s source of life.

It is the same way with Christians. We may appear to be connected – because, unfortunately, appearance is often more highly valued than an actual transformational relationship with Jesus.

We look green and we might even smell nice. We do all the things “good” Christians are supposed to do. But, under all the faux externals, something is missing – our roots are shallow and sickly.

We have not studied and immersed ourselves in Jesus because it’s just easier for the preacher to tell us what we need to know. But that also means it’s easier for us to be deceived and derailed.

A flashy “con-man” tells us something that sounds right – but isn’t – and because we don’t know the difference, we are deceived.

An unexpected and strong wind blows into our lives – cancer, loss of a job, etc. – and we fall over.

Or we just slowly shrivel and wither and turn brown inside until we drift silently away.

If we ignore our roots and think they’ll just grow strong without any effort on our part we will wither and die – it will only be a matter of time.

I don’t want you to be disconnected.

I don’t want you to be deceived.

I don’t want you to be blown down by the hurricane winds of life.

I don’t want you to silently wither away.

I want you to be planted and deeply rooted in Jesus.

It may be easier to just listen to the preacher or read a verse or 2 every night before bed, but that will not help you with your deepest need – to KNOW that Jesus loves you, died to save you, has promised to walk beside you and is coming back to get you.

The most important thing we can do in our Christian walk is develop strong and healthy roots and plant them deep in the transformational love of Jesus.

It doesn’t mean life will always be easy. The Deceiver will still try to deceive and the wind and rain will come, but you will stand strong in your faith because you are rooted and grounded in the knowledge and love of the One who gave His life for you.