Root of Righteousness
Proverbs 12:3
12/9/05
A man is not established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous cannot be moved.
Proverbs 12:12 - The wicked covet the catch of evil men, but the root of the righteous yields fruit.
Root - The part of a plant buried in and gaining nourishment through the ground. Seed that fails to take root pictures those whose commitment to Christ is not firm enough to withstand trouble or persecution.
Righteousness - In biblical usage righteousness is rooted in covenants and relationships. For biblical authors, righteousness is the fulfillment of the terms of a covenant between God and humanity or between humans in the full range of human relationships.
1. We must be buried into the soil of God’s word
Buried – It’s more then partly covered.
a. Mark 4:15 – 17 = Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them. But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.
Three levels of God’s soil
Upper level of soil – Initial experience
Shallow level of soil – Some commitment
Being buried or rooted in the good deep soil of God – Prepared for the storm and is producing fruit.
The storms are coming! Where are our roots?
Luke 21:25-27 = And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
2. Working through the clay
a. Before any great victory there will be a wall to climb.
i. Noah had to go through a flood.
ii. Joseph had to concur the pit.
iii. David had to fight the giant.
iv. Job had to deal with losses and sickness.
v. Jesus had to suffer the cross.
I Corinthians 4:12 - And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;
II Corinthians 4:17 - For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
3. The results of your work
Psalms 92:12-13 -
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Facts about the tree
Ø They grow best in deep soil on slopes facing the sea. The trees require a lot of light and about 40 inches of rain a year.
Ø The cedars can grow 80 feet (20 m) tall and spread out from 30-50 feet (9-15 m). They grow very slowly. The oldest tree is more than 1000 years old.
