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Series: Deeply Rooted
Lesson: The Blessing of Righteous Roots
Proverbs 12:3 & 12 and Hebrews 12:15-17
A. W. Tozer began his book The Root of the Righteous with these words:
“One marked difference between the faith of our fathers as conceived by the fathers and the same faith as understood and lived by their children is that the fathers were concerned with the root of the matter, while their present-day descendants seem concerned only with the fruit.”
How do you see this evidenced today?
Bad roots produce bad fruit; righteous roots produce righteous fruit.
Read Proverbs 12:3 & 12
Four principles for righteous roots
Principle #1: Wickedness always produces instability
Practicing sin causes one to be unstable.
How have you witnessed sin producing instability?
Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 15:33-34
Why is being sober minded important?
Look at James 1:8 and 4:8
What’s the difference between being sober minded and double minded?
Principle #2: Righteous roots produce stability (Read Proverbs 12:3)
How have you experienced stability in your life as a result of right relationship with God?
“...Jesus is the root of the righteous, and we are called to build our lives on the foundation of who he is, what he has done, and what he is doing in and through us.” Tim Kight
What does it mean to you to have Jesus as your righteous root?
Principle #3: The wicked always desire what others have (Read Proverbs 3:12)
Covetousness is a sure sign that one does not have righteous roots.
What does it mean to be covetous?
Examine Psalms 37:1 NASB
What does this verse teach us about coveting what the wicked have?
Principle #4: Righteous roots produce fruit (Proverbs 3:12)
"but the root of the righteous bears fruit.”
Read NASB 18-7:17 Matthew What does this say about bearing fruit?
4 Characteristics of lasting fruit based on John 15:5 & 16:
1. It’s spiritual
2. It honors God
3. It advances God’s kingdom
4. It reproduces