KEY TEXT
Isaiah 37:30-32 (RSV)
V30- “And this shall be the sign for you: this year eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs of the same; then in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
V31- And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward;
V32- for out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
In the Bible, Jesus condemns the fig tree that has a lot of leaves but no fruits.
A fig tree that has a lot of leaves but no fruits is a church that has many performances but no fruits.
We must be careful that E-tab does not become a church that focuses on activities but bear no fruit of salvation, transformation and inner spiritual growth.
Here in our Key text, the Lord was speaking to Hezekiah and promised him a glorious sign of the 3 years. His intent was to remove all concern and uneasiness regarding the frightful results of Sennecherib’s invasion. During the year there had been no sowing or harvesting because of the enemy. This could easily lead to famine or at least great scarcity of food. Now, however, they would not have to suffer famine for God would provide enough food through what came up wild for two years. For the first year, God promised that they would have enough of what had grown by itself without sowing. Even the second year the destroyed fields would not yield a normal harvest; in that year too, they would have to make do with what the Lord caused to grow of itself. But in the third year after the invasion, everything would be done as usual. This would be a symbol of growth for Judah even though the nation appeared as dead as the farm crops.
God also gave Isaiah 37:30-32 – the glorious sign of the 3 years to our church in year 2012.
We are in the third year which is NOW (2015). In this third year, according to the prophecy, Evangel Tabernacle shall…………….
• Sow and reap (verse 30)
• Plant vineyard and eat of its fruits (verse 30)
• Take root downward and bear fruit upward (verse 31)
• Spread out (verse 32)
As a church, the first two prophecies for the 3rd year have already come to pass during the first half of the 3rd year.
In October 2014, we did the Community Penetration to 7 Barangays. The 7 regions sowed their time and love to the community and today, our 3rd service has grown from 30 t0 150 parents; TKC (Sunday school) has grown from 200 to 400 and our Tzone (Young teens) has also grown from 80 to 150. Literally our leaders and workers from this church sowed and reaped.
In May 2014, we replanted our vineyards and today we have 9 daughter churches in Antique, Miagao and Kalibo.
But today the focus is on the prophecy for the second half of the 3rd year and this prophecy is for the individual member of this church. And that is every one of us for year 2015 will take root downward again and bear fruit upward. And we will also spread out in the near future.
This morning, I would like to share a message that will launch the THEME for year 2015 for our church – ROOTS DOWNWARD, FRUITS UPWARD
(1) TAKE ROOT DOWNWARD
For the last 3 years, we have seen our congregation as a whole shaken by the invasion of the enemies.
Some left because of doubts.
But for the remnant, those of you who are still remaining with us here at Evangel Tabernacle, God promises that you will take root downwards again.
What does that mean – to take roots downward?
• Deeply rooted in the DEEP SPRING
Ezekiel 31:2-11 (NLT) –“To whom would you compare your greatness? You are like mighty Assyria, which was once like a cedar of Lebanon, with beautiful branches that cast deep forest shade and with its top high among the clouds. Deep spring watered it and helped it to grow tall and luxuriant. The water flowed around it like a river, streaming to all the trees nearby. This great tree towered high, higher than all the other trees around it. It prospered and grew long thick branches because of all the water at its roots. The birds nested in its branches, and in its shade all the wild animals gave birth……. It was strong and beautiful, with wide-spreading branches, for ITS ROOTS WENT DEEP into abundant water, No other cedar in the garden of God could rival it. No cypress had branches to equal it; no plane tree had boughs to compare. No tree in the garden of God came close to it in beauty. Because I made this tree so beautiful, and gave it such magnificent foliage, it was the envy of all the other trees of Eden, the garden of God.
Here God uses a cedar tree to describe the majesty and beauty of Egypt when it was at the peak of its power. And we can draw some insights from it about the importance of being deeply rooted in the deep spring.
This tree was able to grow tall and luxuriant due to the DEEP SPRINGS THAT WATERED IT.
Application: We will be able to grow tall and luxuriant due to the deep spring that waters our inner spirit. The DEEP SPRING here refers to the HOLY SPIRIT and His deep flow and anointing upon our lives.
This spring water flowed around it like a river, streaming all the trees nearby.
Application: This spring of the Holy Spirit will not only flow around our church but it will stream to all the churches and people [trees] nearby.
It was able to tower higher than any other trees around it and it prospered because of ALL THE WATER AT ITS ROOT.
Application: We can only be able to tower higher than any other churches around us and prosper only because of ALL THE DIFFERENT GIFTINGS OF HOLY SPIRIT [ALL THE WATER] AT OUR ROOTS. As a church, we must embrace and practice all the 9 gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11. Not just speaking in tongues but all the 9 gifts involving prophecy, healing, miracle, faith, word of knowledge, word of wisdom, discernment and the gift of interpretation.
Birds nested in its branches and all wild animals gave birth in its shade.
Application: When we have become a tall and luxuriant church, then we will able to let many different types of people nest in our ministries and people who used to be wild and unregenerated will be saved and they will reproduce spiritual children under our ministry.
No other cedar could rival it. No other trees like the plane or cypress tree had branches to equal it or bough to compare with it.
Application: God wants to make our church to be a distinctive one – that many churches can see the difference in us from them.
No other tree in the Garden of Eden could compare to its beauty because it was God who gave it the beauty and such magnificent foliage.
Application: If one day our church becomes great in our beauty, we must recognize that it is God who gives us the beauty and such magnificent foliage.
It was the envy of many other trees and I believe we will become the envy of many other churches one day.
These are what will happen to a tree that has deep roots.
And these are also what will happen to us if our roots go deep downward for the hidden spring.
Ezekiel 17:5-7 (NLT)- He also took a seedling from the land and planted it in fertile soil. He placed it beside a BROAD RIVER, where it could grow like a willow tree. It TOOK ROOT THERE and grew into a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned up toward the eagle and ITS ROOTS GREW DOWN INTO THE GROUND. It produced strong branches and put out shoots.
Ezekiel tells another story of a seedling that was planted in the fertile soil and in this case this seedling is Israel.
Israel was likened to a seedling that was planted in fertile soil beside a BROAD RIVER.
The BROAD RIVER here symbolizes ABUNDANT WATERS. It implies about the ABUNDANT ANOINTING AND REFRESHING WORKS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Because of the ABUNDANT WATERS, the seedling TOOK ROOT AND GREW.
The word TOOK ROOT means SPROUTED.
Not only it SPROUTED, but it GREW. It grew like a willow tree and became a LOW SPREADING VINE.
Application: God has sent BROAD RIVER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT into this church. Numerous outpouring and anointing of the Holy Spirit had been released upon you through the camp, the worship, the prophetic activation class. The Holy Spirit is flowing very broadly and abundantly in this church. And you are planted in this fertile environment of the Holy Spirit. Your job is to continue to be hungry and search out for this water so that you can TAKE ROOT OR SPROUT. You can never sprout apart from water. You are not called to be a cactus but a willow tree and a vine tree. A willow tree grows the best beside abundant waters. But God wants you to become a LOW SPREADING VINE. From the vine, comes the wine. God wants you to become a vine that spreads the JOY OF THE GOSPEL to others. And you must be a LOW SPREADING VINE – low enough for people to touch and take shade. We are not to become a church that is so high and lifted up, so arrogant and so untouchable. We not only must be NEAR ENOUGH FOR PEOPLE TO TOUCH (NET) but also LOW ENOUGH FOR PEOPLE TO TOUCH (LET) AND TAKE SHELTER.
• Deeply rooted in the WORD OF GOD
Psalms 1:2-3 (NLT)- But they delight in the law of the LORD, MEDITATING ON IT DAY AND NIGHT. They are like trees planted along the river bank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
We have a tendency to admire the outward but fail to recognize the hidden secret source of that outward success. When we see a beautiful acacia trees with its majestic spread of branches, we admire it but seldom do we bother to recognize that its beauty is a result of its deeply rooted system of nutrition. Every beautiful and majestic tree has a well-supplied root system of water. Its roots spread out in all direction to suck up all the water it can find. Most of the abundant waters are found in very deep ground and not shallow soil. A solid tree has that ability to dig its roots so deep into the depths of the soil to find that hidden source of water.
Application: We too must have that deeply rooted system of finding the Word of God to water our inner soul. We love to admire anointed preacher but we fail to recognize that he is successful today because he has a deeply rooted inner system of MEDITATING ON THE WORD OF GOD. He has a secret life of searching for the rhemas of God daily. He knows how to delight in the Word of God and on the word of God he meditates on it day and night. The deep roots of a tree secretly absorb all the nutrients of the water and send all the benefits upward. When we ingest food, we don’t see the digestive system working but it is. Similarly, we must be deeply rooted in our inner and secret life of meditating on the word of God. Chew on the scripture day and night and then we shall be liken to a tree planted by streams of water; like a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month.
This is a year when God wants all of us to be deeply rooted in the Word. Start your devotion now. Make it your New Year resolution to meditate on the word. Make it your goal to finish reading the whole bible by end of year 2015. Follow the bible reading guide. Keep a journal of your devo. Write down all the hidden truths that God has revealed to you as you dig deep into the Word of God in your secret and quiet time.
• Deeply rooted in the FAITH OF GOD
Jude 20 (RSV)- But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit.
Make it your goal this year to build up your most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit and by listening to the preaching of the word of God (Romans 10:17- So faith comes from what is heard and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ.)
In whatever meets you for this year, determine not to allow any “distrust to make you waver concerning the promise of God.” But like Abraham, ask God to “make you strong in your faith as you give glory to God, fully convinced that God is able to do what he has promised to you.” (Romans 4:20-21)
• Deeply rooted in the LOVE OF GOD
Ephesians 3:16-18 (RSV)-that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being ROOTED and GROUNDED in LOVE, may have power to comprehend (NIV: grasp) with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the LOVE OF CHRIST which surpasses knowledge, that you ay be filled with all the FULLNESS OF GOD.
When we are deeply rooted in the broad and abundant waters of the Holy Spirit flowing around and inside us, we will be able to be ROOTED AND GROUNDED in the love of Christ.
By being “rooted”, we will then be able to understand the magnitude of God’s love.
“ROOTED” brings to mind the stable image of trees.
“GROUNDED” brings to mind the solid foundation of a building.
Paul prayed that this foundation of love will give all believers POWER…TO COMPREHEND/GRASP the fullness of God.
“GRASP” indicates reaching out for a goal and holding onto it.
We reach out to attain this understanding TOGETHER WITH ALL SIANTS.
No single believer can assimilate the mystery, the wisdom or the riches of Christ by himself or herself. IT TAKES ALL BELIEVERS.
That is why for year 2015, we want all of you to join the Essential cell so that together with other believers, you can grasp the love of God.
Your love of God will be so deeply rooted that you will not easily wither when the sun of persecution comes up.
Matthew 13:20-21 (RSV)- As for what on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet HE HAS NO ROOT IN HIMSELF, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.
A believer, who has no roots in himself, withers away; falls away from Christ and from this church when tribulation or persecution comes.
But God prophesies to this church that my people will not have shallow roots like this believer in Matthew 13:20-21. Rather my people will be deeply rooted in the love of Christ. I believe through the new revamped cell group system, many of you will be able to comprehend and grasp the love of God together with other believers. You will not allow anyone or anything to uproot you from the love of Christ or even from this church.
God promises me that for this third year, He will make Evangel Tabernacle to be like “IMMOVABLE tent [KJV: tabernacle], whose stakes will never be plucked up, nor will any of its cords be broken.” (Isaiah 33:20)
God will make all of us so deeply rooted in His love that we will become AN IMMOVABLE PEOPLE (1 Corinthians 15:58). God will make us a people who will not let tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril or sword separate us from the LOVE OF CHRIST (Romans 8:35).
E.g. I am so blessed by the immovability of Verona. If ever we need to emulate someone who has an immovable commitment to Christ’s love, it is her. Verona was brought to our church by Sarah who is now in UK. Since then, I witness her hunger for the spiritual things of God. She serves God out of season and in season. With her demanding job, she refuses to be moved in her commitment to God. When she was pregnant, she refused to be deterred by it and still came to the stage to song lead and even taught in the Rzone. Now she has a baby with no yaya, she still attends all services despite the inconveniences. This is an example of immovability. Why? Because she refuses to be separated from the love of God by inconvenient circumstance.
That will be the kind of people God will be making out of you – you love God in season and out of season. You serve Him when you are high or low.
(2) BEAR FRUIT UPWARD
With you taking root downward, we shall then be able to bear fruits upward.
Please notice the sequence.
Isaiah 37:31 places the sequence of taking root downward first and THEN comes the bearing fruit upward.
Many of us want the fruits first. We want the outward success first but we refuse to work in our hidden life. We want the outward glamour of the stage but we don’t want to work on our hidden roots.
Take root downward first and the fruit will come naturally.
We don’t have to squirm for fruits if we are taking roots downwards. Fruits will be a natural outcome of our deep roots.
We don’t have to worry about the growth of our business or our church. Success will come when we work on our inner spiritual lives first.
What are the fruits that will grow upward?
• FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Galatians 5:22- But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.
God will cause us to bear fruit of Christian CHARACTER.
• FRUIT OF THE MINISTRY
Ezekiel 36:37-38 (NLT) – “This is what the Sovereign LORD says, I am ready to hear Israel’s prayers and to increase their numbers like a flock. They will be as numerous as the sacred flocks that fill Jerusalem’s streets at the time of her festivals. The ruined cities will be crowded with people once more, and everyone will know that I am the LORD.”
God will increase the numbers of our ministry like a flock and we will be as numerous as the time of special festivals like Easter or Christmas.
• FRUIT OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST.
Isaiah 27:6 (Amp)- In the days and generations to come Jacob shall take root; Israel shall blossom and send forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit [of the knowledge of the true God]
We shall take root and we shall blossom and send forth shoots to all the communities surrounding us as well as foreign mission and we will fill the world with FRUIT OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUE GOD.
The gospel will spread by you in an expansive way.
• FRUIT OF SUCCESS AND PROSPERITY
Ezekiel 36:8-11 (NLT)- But the mountains of Israel will produce heavy crops of fruit for my people –for they will be coming home again soon. See, I care about you, and I will pay attention to you. Your ground will be plowed and your crops planted. I WILL GREATLY INCREASE THE POPULATION OF ISRAEL, and the ruined cities will be rebuilt and filled with people. I will increase not only the people, but also your animals. O mountains of Israel, I will bring people to live on you once again. I WILL MAKE YOU EVEN MORE PROSPEROUS THAN YOU WERE BEFORE. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
God will make us even more prosperous than we were before. Whatever our career is – in the case of Israel it was agriculture and husbandry – there will be fruitfulness and success. Whatever our “ruined cities” are – whatever our ruined dreams are, God will help us to rebuild it and repopulate it again. For us – our ruined cities were our ruined church planting ministry. God prophesies here that He will help us to rebuild all the ruined towns like Barbaza or Kalibo and all these daughter churches will be filled with people too.
Now notice that words – bear fruit UPWARD.
The direction and blessing for our Church is UPWARD – progressive.
Also the word “Upward” implies – VISIBIBILITY.
The fruit that God will bless us with, will be VISIBLE FOR ALL TO SEE and they will then recognize that it is God who has been caring for us and paying attention to us. Glory be to God.
CONCLUSION
V31- And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward;
V32- for out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
We are all the surviving remnant of the invasion. God says to all of us as the surviving remnant – we shall AGAIN take root downward and again bear fruit upward. And we shall spread out soon in all direction – local and foreign mission. The passionate commitment or the zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this in all of you.
Leaders and workers – let’s discard the old ways of focusing on fruits instead of roots.
In all departments of this church for year 2015, we will uphold this goal of raising up kids, youth and adults with roots downwards and fruits upwards. Let’s not be the church that we were for the last 26 years of always focusing on the external but not the internal; on competitiveness and not on comaderie; on leaves but no fruits.
Let us be more deeply rooted in the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, our Faith in God and love of God.
Then shall we see how these deep roots will cause us to bear fruit upwards – fruit of the Holy Spirit, fruit of ministry, fruit of the knowledge of Christ and fruit of success and prosperity.
The fruit bearing comes after the roots go downward for the abundant water. We can only become tall and luxuriant due to the deep spring [Holy Spirit and the Word] that waters us. We can only prosper because of all the water [all the giftings of the Holy Spirit] at our roots.
Let’s be that church with deep roots and luscious fruits.
END OF SERMON
PREACHED AT ETAB ON 4 Jan 2015 1st English sv
