On our first Lord’s Day assembling in our new church location.

# Introduction

Sometime around 700 BC Sennacherib, the King of Assyria, and his army was swallowing up nations like locusts in a plague. King Sennacherib didn't even bother traveling to the land of Judah, he sent a representative by the title Rabshakeh. The Rabshakeh talked smack against the men defending the wall in Jerusalem, using their language and the name of Yahweh and their terms of devoted to destruction. The Rabshakeh said the Assyrians were doing God’s will in conquering the Judeans (2 Kings 18:28-38).

A while later the Assyrians sent a threat letter to Hezekiah, the King of Judah (2 Kings 19:8-13). Hezekiah took the letter to the house of the LORD and prayed to the LORD for help (19:14-19). The Assyrians were a genuine threat (see verses 16-18 in particular). Then the LORD responded through the prophet Isaiah, and Isaiah replied with a word about the Assyrians and for those in Judah. Read 2 Kings 19:20-37.


# Rooted for Fruit

Hear again our primary text for this morning:

> And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD will do this. (2 Kings 19:30–31. ESV)

This is one of my favorite phrases in the Old Testament: **take root downward and bear fruit upward**. The only other use of the complete phrase is in Isaiah 37:31, and Isaiah 37 is the retelling of this same story of Hezekiah.

In context, root and fruit has to do with food supply. Various threats had been having effect for a couple years, depleting resources and making planting inconsistent. The LORD said that there would be enough growing of itself for them to survive, but then in the third year they would be safe to work their fields again and He would cause their cultivated crops to blossom.

But also in context the rootedness and fruitfulness refer not just to the food but to the *assembly*. The people were agricultural, but the agricultural analogy referred to the people. The Lord was going to plant His people in the land. He would give them a home.

What doctrine can we learn from this? This passage is *not* a promise that TEC would be able to purchase our own property. But while we are not in 2 Kings, the God of Hezekiah and Isaiah is our God.

What we learn from 2 Kings 18-19 is that the only two options are to trust in men or to trust in God. Stated differently:

> “There are only two principles that carry within themselves a characteristic world, an entirely distinctive world: eternal election and humanism.” (Abraham Kuyper, _Rooted & Grounded_)

Also note that those who trust in men and the plans of men, albeit unwillingly, are merely fulfilling God's plan. The Lord is sovereign. “Our God is in the heavens; He does all the He pleases” (Psalm 115:3). He works for His name and because He loves His people. He purposes for enemies to have temporary success upward and then fall downward, and great is their fall (for different examples see Matthew 7:27 and Revelation 18:2). For the Lord’s own, He gives them root downward and then fruit upward, and great is their fruitfulness (for the principle see Matthew 13:8; John 14:12, 15:16).


# The Zeal of the Lord

There are only three places in the Bible where the phrase "the zeal of the Lord" occurs. Two of them are in this repeated promise to cause His people to take root downward and bear fruit upward. The other place is in Isaiah 9:7:

> Of the increase of his government and of peace
> there will be no end,
> on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
> to establish it and to uphold it
> with justice and with righteousness
> from this time forth and forevermore.
> The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
> (Isaiah 9:7 ESV)

Jesus is the child born, the son given (Isaiah 9:6). He Lord of all, and this is our confession (Romans 10:9). It continues to color all we do.

The **zeal of the LORD** refers to His fierce energy and commitment. Christians are careful when it comes to God's passions, His emotions. We do not want to make it sound as though He is moody or tossed about in His feelings like we often are. And yet, He reveals Himself to us as one committed and indefatigably on point in steadfast love for His people and in jealousy for the glory of His name.

This zeal is described in other terms as well, for example, in 2 Kings 19:34 the LORD says that He will protect His people “for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”

The Lord, Yahweh, chose a people for Himself and chose a place for them and chose to make them fruitful. This is what the zeal of the Lord will do.


# Not Brittle or Blown About

The opening of Psalms continues the imagery of roots and fruit. Those who meditate on the law of the Lord will be like trees planted by streams of living water, whose leaves are green and who bear fruit in season (Psalm 1:3-4). The unrighteous are like chaff, the brown and brittle and blown about little disconnected pieces (Psalm 1:4).

The Lord's assembly are the righteous, the church is filled with the word of Christ and singing to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (Colossians 3:16). In doing so we are united to Him, abiding in Christ, able to bear much fruit.

In the world there is the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). There are the righteous and the unrighteous. There is the church vs. chaff. There is no question as to who thrives.

According to the sovereign grace of God, the zeal of the Lord will do this. Brittle, brown, blown about, or blessed and embedded and blossoming.


# Making a Point

So the church is God's statement.

> To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 3:8–10, ESV)

In His wisdom He has made an assembly to proclaim His excellencies (1 Peter 2:9-10). We are obviously not the church in its entirety, we are a church in a specific locality, yet we are part of His display of His zeal and wisdom.


# All Over the Place

> In days to come Jacob shall take root,
> Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots
> and fill the whole world with fruit.
> (Isaiah 27:6, ESV)

This is eschatological, and while not yet complete it is already expanding.

Are you familiar with aspen trees? One tree sends its roots out and they start popping up all over the place. What appears to be a new little tree is actually from the main system.


# A Building for the Body

We did not *need* our own building for rooting and fruiting to happen; the blossoming of our church body has already been being blessed by the Lord. And also, what an additional blessing to be able to have a place of our own.

What are we doing to do with it? This is a *tool*, not a trinket for our collection. This is a trampoline, not an easy chair. This is a launch pad, we are the rocket.

In one sense, the building represents us, and there is work to do. In another sense, the building helps us to represent the Lord. We want it to be fit, and we want it to be used up on His behalf.


# Rejoice, and again, rejoice!

Of the things that I don't want to miss today, it is rejoicing in the work and zeal and wisdom of the Lord. (See Philippians 4:4)

This place on this day is an answer to many prayers. It is not necessarily what we thought the answer would look like, and as usual, it is different-but-better in a lot of ways.


# Conclusion

It will take a while to get used to calling this place the "church," and of course, the *assembly* is the church more than the building. The point is, it is the church's church, the body’s building. Our previous landlords have been used by God to bless us, and now this owned space is a blessing for us.

This is the sheath, you are the sword. This is the sky, you are the sun, the light of Marysville, the light of the world. Our worship is the fire, you are the refined gold.

Let it be said in Marysville, the Lord has done great things for us, and let us be glad in Him as He causes us to take root downward and bear fruit upward.

----------

## Charge

You are rooted and grounded in love (Ephesians 3:17), so be fruitful and multiply your joy. This is only possible with the Lord’s blessing, and He promises blessing for those who fear Him (it’s wise), love Him (it’s the great command), and delight in His Word (it’s the way to good success, Joshua 1:8).

## Benediction:

> The LORD bless you and keep you;
> the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
> the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
> (Numbers 6:24–26, ESV)