"ROOTED”
- Jer. 17: 7,8 -
"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit."
I’ll always say that the Holy Ghost works in me differently that all else as well He should. Evidence being this Happy New Year message to you; His creation. Simply we must begin the new year rooted in Him. Why wouldn’t you??? In Him…powerful. Him in you…powerful. Keys to the life of an overcomer you in Him and Him in you, I would say, how about you??? We will this message talk about trusting in God in your life as 2003 begins.
The prophet Jeremiah in chapter 17 verse 5 and 6 says,”Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. God says you’ll be cursed if you trust in man, if you make mankind your source of strength, and that your heart has changed owners. He says, you’ll be a wasteland and be a barren wasteland to others, useless, worthless, no life to give. But a God of love and concern follows in verses 7 through 9 with, “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it”??? Pretty self explanatory wouldn’t you say??? Trust in Him. You’ll be set when the heat comes in your life. You’ll always be green having life, looking like you have life. Fruit bearing at all times. And in verse 9 the “ROOT” cause of the curse or the blessing…YOUR HEART!!!
What does it mean Biblically to be “ROOTED”??? I’ve picked a couple of verses so we can learn…then apply. (Eph. 3:17) “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love”. In the Greek rooted means: to cause to strike root, to strengthen with roots, to render firm, to fix, establish, cause a person or a thing to be thoroughly grounded. And grounded means: to lay the foundation (resting on and in Christ), to found, to make stable, establish. Here in Ephesians we are to be rooted in love, God’s love. And to be so rooted that you won’t forget or take lightly His love for you and the one’s you are to touch for Him. (Col. 2:7) Rooted and built up (To finish the structure of which the foundation has already been laid, to give constant increase in Christian knowledge and in a life conformed thereto).in him, and established (to make firm, establish, confirm, make sure) in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving”. Being rooted in Him here in Colossians. Having your roots deep in Him. Nourished, taught, and loved by Him…That’s our Great God…amen.
Let’s now look a little more at “trust”. When you trust in man you use your head. When you trust in the Lord you use your heart…amen & amen. Let’s look at the word ‘trust”. To have confidence in. To place your security with. To be safe with. How is it that we put so much trust in others??? It’s because that’s what we see. We though as a child of God; “Walk by faith and not by sight” (II Cor. 5:7). We, as I’ve said before activate God by our faith. “For without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Heb. 11:6). "You Can Trust Him. (gleaned from S.M. Lockridge) He’s the one who made us. It is He who made us and not we ourselves. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. No means of measure can define His limitless love, and no farseeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply. I’m telling you today you can trust Him. No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing. He’s enduringly strong, and He’s entirely sincere. He’s eternally steadfast, and He’s immortally graceful. He’s empirically, powerfully, and impartially merciful. He’s the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world. He’s God’s Son. He’s the sinner’s Savior. He’s the centerpiece of civilization. I’m trying to tell you, Church, you can trust Him. "He does not have to call for help, and you can’t confuse Him. He doesn’t need you, and He doesn’t need me. He stands alone in the solitude of Himself. He’s august, and He’s unique. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He’s supreme. He’s preeminent. He’s the loftiest idea in literature. He’s highest personality in philosophy. He’s the supreme problem of higher criticism. He’s the fundamental doctrine of truthology. He’s the cardinal necessity of the spiritual religion. He’s the miracle of the age, He’s the superlative of everything good that you can call Him. I’m trying to tell you can trust Him. "He can satisfy all your needs, and He can do it simultaneously. He supplies strength for the weak, and He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He’s sympathizes and He sees, He guards and He guides. He heals the sick, He cleansed the leper. He forgives sinners. He discharges debtors. He delivers the captives. He defends the people. He blesses the young. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent. He beautifies the meek. I’m trying to tell you, Church, you can trust Him. He’s the key to knowledge. He’s the wellspring of wisdom. He’s the doorway of deliverance. He’s the path of peace. He’s the roadway of righteousness. He’s the highway of holiness. He’s the gateway to glory. You can trust Him. "He’s the master of the mighty. He’s the capturer of conquerors. He’s the head of heroes. He’s the leader of legislators. He’s the overseer of the overcomers. He’s the Governor of the governors. He’s the Prince of princes. He’s the King of kings. He’s the Lord of lords. You can trust him. "His office is manifold. His promise is sure. His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy. His burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you. He’s indescribable because He’s incomprehensible. He’s irresistible because He’s invincible. You can’t get Him off your hands. You can’t get off your mind. You can’t outlive Him, and you can’t live without Him. Pilate couldn’t stand it when he found out that he couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him, and the witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree, and Herod couldn’t kill Him. And death couldn’t handle Him, and thank God, the grave couldn’t hold Him. There was nobody before Him. There’ll be nobody after Him. He has no predecessor. He’ll have no successor. You can’t impeach Him, and He’s not going to resign. You can trust Him." "He’s the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end. The first and the last. He’s all things. He’s the giver of life. He’s the joy out of every sorrow. He’s the light of every darkness. He’s the peace that passes all understanding. He’s the giver of every good and perfect gift. You can trust Him. There’s no God before Him. There’ll be none after Him. He is the first. He is the last. He is preeminent. There is no other God."
(Prov. 3:5-6) “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths”. Disasters strike and tragedies happen in our lives (tornadoes might take what’s above the ground, but can’t touch or affect the roots). Life can indeed be hard. Life can be uncertain. Life is beyond our control. In times like this, life is beyond our understanding. We are left with raw emotions and tough questions. Answers are beyond us as we grapple with the question of why. Nothing and I mean nothing that we go through in life is beyond God. The truth is that we can and must rely on God in every situation in life. Times that just don’t make any sense in human terms; we need to trust in God. The more senseless life becomes the greater our need to trust in God. Trust God with all of your heart. We must hold nothing back and surrender to Him all that we are, all that we have, all that we may become because without the presence and guidance of God we will go nowhere.
One of the most difficult things to do in this present period of time (the me, myself, and I generation) is to relinquish our control to someone else and depend totally on that person to lead and guide us. Trust is found in our unswerving belief that the God of Heaven will indeed work on our behalf to bring His perfect will for our lives into being. Far too often in life we become completely focused on the trials and difficulties of life and we lose our focus on Christ. When Peter walked on the water with Jesus he was doing well until he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the waves. The same is true of us today. God can get us through the most impossible situations but we must keep our focus and trust on Him. How can we ever expect to find help and healing when we are still focused on our difficulties and not our deliverer? The Word of God let’s us know that we need to trust Him. Here are four reasons (“C’s”) why we should trust him.
He’s Conscious- This means He’s aware. The word of God say’s in (Matt 6:8) that our Heavenly Father knows what things we have need of even before we ask Him. Isn’t it good to know that we have a God that is omniscient or all knowing? That’s the first reason why you should trust Him, because He already knows everything about you.
He’s Concerned- (1 Peter 5:7) says cast, which means to throw, your cares, anxieties and worries on Him because He cares about you. Yes He cares about you! Whatever concerns you concerns Him. So whenever you’re faced with problems, situations and obstacles that seem insurmountable just throw them on Him, He can handle them.
He’s Consistent- This means He’s faithful and you can also count on Him and trust Him to do exactly what He say’s He will do every single time, even if others let you down and or found to be unreliable God will never let you down, you can always rely on Him. (I Cor 1:9) say’s that God is faithful. So even we are unfaithful to God, God remains faithful to us.
He’s Capable- (Eph 3:20) say’s that God is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all that we could ask or think according to the power that He works in us. This would suggest to us that nothing is too hard for God. Even if He chooses not to grant our request, He’s still capable of supplying our every need.
When a person surrenders everything, places everything they know, love, and trust on the line and at the mercy of God. When a person willingly trusts God with their very life – not trying to control it in any way themselves. Then God marvels at and rewards their faith. The kind of faith that can move mountains.
Why do people resist surrendering themselves to Christ??? For many, the reason they give is that they don’t really trust God to handle their lives to their suiting. They’re afraid of the outcome – God will make me do something I don’t really want to do…A young lady stood talking to an evangelist on the subject of consecration, of giving herself wholly to God. She said, "I dare not give myself wholly to the Lord, for fear He will send me out to China as a missionary." He replied, "If some cold, snowy morning a little bird should come, half-frozen, pecking at your window, and it lets you take it in and feed it, thereby putting itself entirely in your power, what would you do??? Would you grip it in your hand and crush it??? Or would you give it shelter, warmth, food and care???" You know what you would do. And therefore we know what our Heavenly Father will do…He’ll do nothing but good for us…amen. I have to believe and am sure you’ll agree, there are many Christians who are not experiencing the abundant life Jesus talked about in (John 10:10) because their faith is still based on who they are rather than on who Jesus Christ is, who God is, who the Holy Spirit is. Oh yes, they believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour but they still don’t trust Him with their life. Take Rahab in your Bible in the Book of Joshua. She had heard that the Lord was good to His people. This “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” gave her faith to trust in God. Faith enough to act on her faith…you know the rest of the story. Look at these other Bible heroes who trusted because they were “ROOTED”. Moses trusted God to deliver the Israelites at the Red Sea. Joseph trusted God while he languished in the Pharaoh’s prison. David trusted God for a victory when he was facing down Goliath. Jonah trusted God to answer his prayer in the belly of the whale. Peter and John trusted God as they stood before the Sanhedrin and gave their defense of the Christian faith. Jesus disciples: Jesus was calling the disciples to trust God through any and every circumstance of life. He was about to be crucified and they would be scattered. Jesus was telling them to trust even when they did not understand because God was still at work. Are you hearing then believing/trusting the Word that you better be hearing??? If you do not place your trust in God, there is no access to His power, His mercy or His love. When trials arise and we go through difficulty; it is then that we must place our trust in God. Without trust in God there is no comfort, no peace, no strength and no relief.
A fitting poem by A.B. Simpson: Once my hands were always trying; Trying hard to do my best;
Now my heart is sweetly trusting, And my soul is all at rest.
Once my brain was always planning, And my heart, with cares oppressed;
Now I trust the Lord to lead me, And my life is all at rest.
Once my life was full of effort, Now ’tis full of joy and zest;
Since I took His yoke upon me, Jesus gives to me His rest.
Friend, my challenge for you today, right now, in the year 2003…How is your root system??? Are you planted where God wants you??? Are you being watered by the Word??? Are your roots deep enough??? Are you satisfied with were you are in God??? It’s time to trust Him like never before, rely on His Spirit to use you like never before, to depend on Him, not you or others. Make your New Years Resolution to be more “ROOTED” in Him more than ever. To not slack up in your prayer life, your Bible study, your fellowship with other believers. To be the woman or man of God the Lord wants you to be. To be down right serious with the things of God. To pursue your destiny IN JESUS NAME…AMEN.
Right now do a report card on yourself. You know where you are, where you need to be. Be honest with yourself…and God, that’s what he wants…you to be “ROOTED”. And when you are “ROOTED”, you are trusting…amen and amen.
In closing let us pray for you my friend. Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading c42day, right now. Lord, let this message penetrate their hearts and realize that you have a plan a destiny for their life. Challenge them by you’re Spirit. Give them faith to believe in who they are in YOU. It’s my and I know your desire Lord that they have been challenged to change their life. For sure they have been challenged2Bchanged. In Jesus Name...Amen
If you want to know more about Him go to our "are you challenged2Bchanged" (ru/c2bc) page for help. Or at least e-mail us (ministry@c2bc.org), we so much want to hear from you. We would love to hear your response.
God Bless,
Mike & Carole Walker
