SermonIndex Audio Sermons
SermonIndex - Promoting Revival to this Generation
Give To SermonIndex
Discussion Forum : Articles and Sermons : The Root of the Righteous - A. W. Tozer

Print Thread (PDF)

PosterThread
AbideinHim
Member



Joined: 2006/11/26
Posts: 5185
Louisiana

 The Root of the Righteous - A. W. Tozer

The Root of the Righteous
A.W. Tozer - 1955


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.

This appears In our attitude toward certain great Christian souls whose names are honored among the churches, as, for instance, Augustine and Bernard in earlier times, or Luther and Wesley in times more recent. Today we write the biographies of such as these and celebrate their fruit, but the tendency is to ignore the root out of which the fruit sprang. "The root of the righteous yieldeth fruit," said the wise man in the Proverbs, Our fathers looked well to the root of the tree and were willing to wait with patience for the fruit to appear. We demand the fruit immediately even though the root may be weak and knobby or missing altogether. Impatient Christians today explain away the simple beliefs of the saints of other days and smile off their serious-minded approach to God and sacred things. They were victims of their own limited religious outlook, but great and sturdy souls withal who managed to achieve a satisfying spiritual experience and do a lot of good in the world in spite of their handicaps. So we'll imitate their fruit with-out accepting their theology or inconveniencing our-selves too greatly by adopting their all-or- nothing attitude toward religion.

So we say (or more likely think without saying), and every voice of wisdom, every datum of religious experience, every law of nature tells us how wrong we are. The bough that breaks off from the tree in a storm may bloom briefly and give to the unthinking passerby the impression that it is a healthy and fruitful branch, but its tender blossoms will soon perish and the bough itself wither and die. There is no lasting life apart from the root.

Much that passes for Christianity today is the brief bright effort of the severed branch to bring forth its fruit in its season. But the deep laws of life are against it. Preoccupation with appearances and a corresponding neglect of the out-of-sight root of the true spiritual life are prophetic signs which go un-heeded. Immediate "results" are all that matter, quick proofs of present success without a thought of next week or next year. Religious pragmatism is running wild among the orthodox. Truth is whatever works.

If it gets results it is good. There is but one test for the religious leader: success. Everything is forgiven him except failure.

A tree can weather almost any storm if its root is sound, but when the fig tree which our Lord cursed "dried up from the roots" it immediately "withered away." A church that is soundly rooted cannot be destroyed, but nothing can save a church whose root is dried up. No stimulation, no advertising campaigns, no gifts of money and no beautiful edifice can bring back life to the rootless tree.

With a happy disregard for consistency of metaphor the Apostle Paul exhorts us to look to our sources. "Rooted and grounded in love," he says in what is obviously a confusion of figure; and again he urges his readers to be "rooted and built up in him," which envisages the Christian both as a tree to be well rooted and as a temple to rise on a solid foundation.

The whole Bible and all the great saints of the past join to tell us the same thing. "Take nothing for granted," they say to us. "Go back to the grass roots. Open your hearts and search the Scriptures. Bear your cross, follow your Lord and pay no heed to the passing religious vogue. The masses are always wrong. In every generation the number of the righteous is small. Be sure you are among them."


"A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved."


_________________
Mike

 2014/3/26 8:26Profile
wombat1
Member



Joined: 2010/12/1
Posts: 69
Melbourne

 Re: The Root of the Righteous - A. W. Tozer

The time off decision is with us now, we dont need to look at Zyria to see the end game is in sight. Agreeing with Tozer is vood but of no benefit if our actions and lifestyle do t change. There are hundreds of thousands of Christians in America alone that are bound in sin and see no wars out. Pornograpby adultery drugs booze gambling theft and what about pride rebellion greed and the miriad of sins not so easily see ?

I am not talking about sin that we repent from a sin of which they no longer have a hold but sins that are a lifestyle or an ongoing bondage, chains that cannot be broken.

my darling wife is known to say "it is the annointing that breaks the yolk. Get some trusted friends who have an active prayer life and ask for prayer bring it into the light the demon that holds the chains so tight will run because they hate the light. But it must be a decision to contiue to resistand to entef a new lifestyle with the grace of God. It took me months of constantly confessing and bringing my situation to the light that it eventualy lost its hold.

I refused to believe I was not worthy to be amongst believers as I was bringing my problem to the throwrn. It is only when you say or agree with current teaching that sin is ok, dont be religiuos they say. If you are in a fellowship teaching this run as if your eternal future was in danger because it is.They do not stand on the word of God because they love their unrighteousness.

Come clean you willa solutely love it ei g cfe atef bo age is harx to explain but gojng cromwintef to sping is a good analogy for me


_________________
Oskar Abley

 2014/3/26 11:52Profile









 Re:

Quote:
Come clean you willa solutely love it ei g cfe atef bo age is harx to explain but gojng cromwintef to sping is a good analogy for me.



I absolutely agree and don't forget you have to deal with the ground that you gave the enemy before the Lord can deliver you. Recognize where you gave ground and repent.

 2014/3/26 12:36
proudpapa
Member



Joined: 2012/5/13
Posts: 2936


 Re: The Root of the Righteous - A. W. Tozer

RE:/// The masses are always wrong. In every generation the number of the righteous is small. Be sure you are among them."///

very true

 2014/3/26 13:45Profile





©2002-2024 SermonIndex.net
Promoting Revival to this Generation.
Privacy Policy