- Home
- Speakers
- John Wesley
- Where Are Your Roots?
John Wesley
John Wesley (1703 - 1791). English Anglican clergyman, evangelist, and co-founder of Methodism, born in Epworth, Lincolnshire, to a rector’s family. Educated at Oxford, where he earned an M.A. in 1727, he was ordained in 1728 and led the Holy Club with brother Charles, emphasizing disciplined faith. After a failed mission to Georgia (1735-1737), he experienced a transformative conversion in 1738 at Aldersgate, London, feeling his “heart strangely warmed.” Wesley preached over 40,000 sermons, often outdoors, sparking the 18th-century Evangelical Revival, and traveled 250,000 miles on horseback across Britain and Ireland. He authored 400 works, including A Plain Account of Christian Perfection (1777), and edited The Christian’s Pattern. Founding Methodist societies, he trained 650 preachers and ordained ministers for America, influencing millions. Married to Mary Vazeille in 1751, their childless union strained, but his brother’s hymns enriched worship. A tireless advocate for the poor, he opened dispensaries and schools, and his 1787 sermon against slavery stirred abolitionism. Despite tensions with the Church of England, he never left it, shaping global Protestantism. His maxim, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can,” inspired generations to active faith. Wesley’s journals and letters, still widely read, reveal a legacy of practical holiness and social reform
Download
Sermon Summary
John Wesley emphasizes the importance of being rooted in God, drawing from Isaiah's message to the king of Judah about the blessings that come from turning back to the Lord. He highlights three key aspects: a solid foundation, divine provision, and the ability to do good for others. Wesley uses the metaphor of fruit-bearing trees to illustrate how our spiritual nourishment affects our lives and the lives of those around us. He encourages listeners to reflect on what they are rooted in and to seek strength from Jesus' teachings. Ultimately, he invites everyone to partake in the goodness of God and experience transformation through faith.
Scriptures
Where Are Your Roots?
Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above. 2 Kings 19:30 These are wonderfully gracious words spoken by the Lord through the prophet Isaiah to the king of Judah during one of that wayward nation’s returns to the Lord. It reminds us of our Lord’s deep desire to bless His people when they turn back towards Him and look to Him. Commenting on this verse in his “Notes on the Old Testament” John Wesley suggests three things: firstly, such a people will be well and solidly foundationed; secondly, they will be provided for; and thirdly, they will then do good to others. These words are for you and for me as well. Are these three things desires of your heart? Outside my study window there is an evergreen lemon tree and a little way behind it a very similar looking lime tree. I’m not always sure which is which until I taste the fruit. Folk in my office often comment on the trees and ask for some fruit which I gladly offer but I always feel obliged to tell them that the trees straddle the septic tank and French drain which have serviced the home for the last twenty five years……….and sometimes the request for fruit is subsequently forgotten. People today, more than ever before, want to know what has gone into the food they eat because they believe it can affect them. What are you “rooted” in? Where do you look for nourishment? What is the source of your strength? Jesus claims that the Sermon on the Mount is a rock solid foundation for your life. Spend some time committing yourself to turning back to His way, feeding off His teaching and looking forward to the possibility of new fruit in your life. Come, and partake the gospel feast, Be saved from sin, in Jesus rest O taste the goodness of your God And eat his flesh, and drink his blood. (2)
- Bio
- Summary
- Transcript
- Download
John Wesley (1703 - 1791). English Anglican clergyman, evangelist, and co-founder of Methodism, born in Epworth, Lincolnshire, to a rector’s family. Educated at Oxford, where he earned an M.A. in 1727, he was ordained in 1728 and led the Holy Club with brother Charles, emphasizing disciplined faith. After a failed mission to Georgia (1735-1737), he experienced a transformative conversion in 1738 at Aldersgate, London, feeling his “heart strangely warmed.” Wesley preached over 40,000 sermons, often outdoors, sparking the 18th-century Evangelical Revival, and traveled 250,000 miles on horseback across Britain and Ireland. He authored 400 works, including A Plain Account of Christian Perfection (1777), and edited The Christian’s Pattern. Founding Methodist societies, he trained 650 preachers and ordained ministers for America, influencing millions. Married to Mary Vazeille in 1751, their childless union strained, but his brother’s hymns enriched worship. A tireless advocate for the poor, he opened dispensaries and schools, and his 1787 sermon against slavery stirred abolitionism. Despite tensions with the Church of England, he never left it, shaping global Protestantism. His maxim, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can,” inspired generations to active faith. Wesley’s journals and letters, still widely read, reveal a legacy of practical holiness and social reform