Transcription
Open your Bibles with me to Psalm number 1. Psalm number 1, verse 3.
"He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season. Whose leaf also shall not wither. And whatsoever he does shall prosper."
Thank you. You may be seated.
The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of our God shall stand forever. I want to talk a minute about what is that tree doing here? What is that tree doing here?
The book of Psalms is made up of the music of the Hebrew people. It is a book of hymns. Every shifting mood of human emotion is captured in the Psalms. Someone says, but the Psalms play on every keyboard of human emotion, capable of moving us from deep sorrow to great joy. The Psalms speak of anger, laughter, joy, peace. Every emotion is captured in the music of the Hebrew people.
The people of God in that day and in this day are a musical people. You can't marshal an army without music. You cannot move large masses of people without music. That's why people go to concerts. They enjoy music. The Hebrew people were a musical people. They took their music with them in their feasts and their festivals. Everywhere they went, they brought with them the sound of their music.
I don't I don't listen to music much because I don't understand a whole lot of it. And people my age can help me testify that music is not what music used to be. Uh, I I don't get much of the lyrics. I don't understand a whole lot of what they're saying because I'm not from the rap generation. I don't understand that genre of music and and for those of you who appreciate it, God bless you. But but give me Gladys Knight and the Pips. Uh, Frankie Beverly and uh, the Temptations. Uh, Earth, Wind & Fire and Lionel Richie. Uh, Aretha Franklin and of course, my pastor, B.B. King.
"I've been downhearted woman ever since the day we met. Cuz life with you ain't nothing but the blues. How blue can we get? I bought you a brand new Ford and you said I want a Cadillac. I bought you a $10 dinner and you said it was just a snack. I let you live in my penthouse and you said it was a shack. I gave you seven children and now you want to give them back."
That's my kind of music. One of the ways that you know that you've been saved, the Bible says you have melody in your heart unto the Lord. Even though you can't carry a tune in a bucket, you still want to sing about God's goodness.
In Psalm number one, David uses a figure of speech, a simile or a metaphor. I never could quite make the difference between the difference between a metaphor and a simile. Uh, some of you grammarians in here will correct me after the worship is over. But a simile or metaphor, whichever one it is, uh, he he he makes us to understand that as Christians, as children of God, we are like a tree.
Uh, I love the book of Psalms. Uh, I've memorized some of those Psalms. And and if you want to have a strong prayer life, uh, you ought to commit some of the Psalms to memory. "Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord. And in that law doth he meditate both day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish."
"O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth. When I consider the heavens, the works of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man that thou would even visit him, thou has made him a little lower than the angels and have crowned him with glory and honor. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth."
People who don't even go to church know this song. "The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yeah. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup is running over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
"The earth is the Lord's. The fullness thereof. The world and they that dwell therein for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend unto the hill of the Lord or who shall stand in the holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity and or sworn deceitfully, but he shall receive blessings from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Lift up your head. O ye gates and be lifted up ye everlasting doors and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this king of glory? The Lord strong and mighty. The Lord mighty in the battle. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and they fell."
"Have mercy on me, oh God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercy, blot out all my transgressions. Create in me a clean heart and renew within me the right spirit."
"Lord, thou has been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth or ever thou has formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord, he is God and it is he that has made us and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving. Enter into his courts with praise. Be thankful unto him and bless his name. For the Lord is good. For the Lord is good. For the Lord is good. His mercy is everlasting. His truth endures."
"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help. My help comes from the Lord. He made the heavens and the earth. He will not suffer even my foot to be moved. Behold, he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is my keeper. The Lord is the shade upon my right hand. The sun shall not smite me by day nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve my soul. He shall keep me from all evil. He'll preserve my going out and my coming in from this time forth and even forevermore."
"Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornful. Because if you walk with them you're going to start acting like them. If you stand with them you're going to start thinking like them. And if you sit with them you start belonging to them. But his delight is in the law of the Lord. And in that law does he meditate day and night. Here it is. And he shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water that brings forth fruit in its season. Its leaf also shall not wither. And whatever he does, whatever she does, whatever you put your hands on, God will make it prosper."
Walk with me around the text. What is this tree doing here? A tree symbolizes vitality. It's a living thing. A tree is a living thing. It It symbolizes vitality by its very presence. You know whether or not a tree is dead or alive by how it looks. If If it's alive, it has vitality. A dead witness only comes from dead people. A boring sermon only comes from a boring preacher. But a living witness comes from a living testimony. If you are alive, invigorated by the Holy Spirit, you can't help but show signs of vitality. You ought to check your pulse this morning. Because if the music hasn't moved you, if the prayers haven't made you bow your head, nothing I'll say in this sermon is going to do anything for you. Because you ought to have something you before you get in here. I don't come to church to get happy. When I think about all God has done for me, how many doors God has opened for me, how many prayers God has answered for me, sometime in my house I just start hollering. I wish I had a shouter in here. I wish I had a witness in here who can help me testify. The people look at you when you are at the traffic light and they think you talking to somebody. You're talking to the Lord. You're giving God glory for what he's already done. And then you're asking God to do something that he hadn't done yet. And if he doesn't do it ever, you still going to shout.
A tree is known by the fruit it bears. I'm I'm not trying to I'm not trying to inspect your fruit this morning. God has not sent me to be a fruit inspector. But I just noticed that if you're alive, you ought to be lively. I I I've said this to you over the years and I really mean this. You have my permission. If you're sitting in a section that's dry and they're mad and all frowned up. They don't sing when everybody else sings and and they scooting over 'cause they don't want to be sitting next to you. You got my permission to find you a lively section. Not the crazy section. The liveliest section. Where folk who have been set on fire by the spirit of God because they know if it had not been and the only folk who can shout about God's goodness is folk who've been delivered from their sin. And they are being delivered from their sin.
Not only is a tree known for vitality, but that same verse, verse three, talks about a tree having stability. Stability. If you are Christian, you are rooted and grounded. Now, brothers and sisters, hear me. It's a tree planted. It's a tree planted. Let me say it again for emphasis. It's a tree planted. It didn't just spring up. It's planted. That's why some folk can't stay with nothing. 'Cause they just sprung up. They they can't stay with an idea. They can't stay with a dream. They can't stay with a vision because they just sprung up. But when you're planted, nobody can pull you away from what it is you know is your assignment. If you've been called to preach, that's all you want to do is preach. If you've been called to teach, that's all you want to do is teach because you're rooted and grounded.
I talked with one of my friends from from junior high school. We've been knowing each other for years. And she asked what I was doing and I told her that what I'm doing here at New Life Growth. She said, "You're still doing that?" And after I said some things that I would need your forgiveness for, I said, "What in the devil do you mean? Am I still doing that? What else am I going to do? I can't teach in the classroom. I can't fix cars. I can't be a Marine. All I know is to do what I'm rooted and grounded in."
The two great events in your life and mine is the day you were born and the day you find out why. And some people live an entire life and never find out why. Never know their place. Never know what their destiny or their purpose is. They're searching for it. They live to be 78 and were dead at 47. Because they've not been rooted. They've not been grounded. They are they are unstable as the wind. They're at this place one week and that place one week. Trying to figure it out this week and then trying to figure it out that week. When are you going to figure it out? When is life going to start to make sense to you? When are you going to get settled and realize that by this time you should have figured it out? And if you haven't figured it out, let me spell it for you. J E S U S. For those of you who got trouble with that, it's Jesus. That's what makes life. He is who makes life make sense. And once Christ becomes the center of your life and you make him first, all these other things are added unto you.
The tree didn't just spring up. God planted it. Not only is there vitality and stability, but that tree has fertility. And it shall be like a tree planted, not springing up, planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in season. Ah, brothers and sisters, there's nothing more beautiful than a life that's coming of age in season. You've been working on this all your life. And your season has finally come. And when season meets purpose, you can do anything. It's It's no longer work. It's a pleasure to get up in the morning. It It's no longer a chore. It's no longer a drag. You no longer hate Mondays. You love to get up out of the bed because you are operating in your season.
Brothers and sisters, I'm trying to hurry 'cause I got to get to Galveston to preach for my boy for his for his installation. But I got this last word and I'm through. It's vitality, it's stability, it's fertility, but I've been trying to get to this last one. It's prosperity. "His leaf also shall not wither. Here it is. And whatever he does shall prosper." I'm not talking about naming and claiming. I'm not talking about the prosperity gospel of of wealth and health. And all you've got to do is name it and it could be done. And and if you have enough faith, you can heal anybody. If that were the truth, I would go to my nephew's house right now and put my hands on it and get him up out of that bed. But that's not the gospel. If if name it and claim it were true, I would empty MD Anderson and St. Luke and Methodist and and Baylor and every hospital and nursing home. I would even get my nephew out of jail. I would go to the jail and just name it and get all my people out of there and some of your people, too. But that's not the gospel.
Prosperity means when I walk in God's will, certain things got to happen. Uh, I just learned this this week. I got a member here that I need to that I need to pay for this sermon. I just learned this this week. That that a tree grows gravitropic and phototropic. I didn't know that. I got a tree in the back in the back of my house that I watch every day. I go upstairs just to watch that tree. Uh, it just a few weeks ago there was no leaves on it anywhere. It was dead and lifeless, it seemed. But now that tree is just as green and lush and the leaves are everywhere and look like it looked the last time I saw it last spring. Because it has grown gravitropic and phototropic. Can I help you with that 'cause I had to get that information. I didn't know it until I got this information myself.
A tree grows as far down as it grows up. A tree grows gravitropic, meaning it has to go down because of gravity. And a tree grows phototropic because what you see on top of the ground means something happened under the ground. Somebody help me preach it. For it to grow gravitropic, the ground got to be dark, damp, and because of dirt, the tree has to go through resistance. The root system cannot be all that it ought to be unless it's damp and dark and there's some resistance. The root system can't be all that it ought to be unless it's damp and dark and meets some resistance. The root system got to grow where it's dark and damp and resistance. Now, what you see on top of the ground is because something happened underneath the ground. And you over here shouting about somebody's fruit. You need to look at their root. I got beautiful fruit 'cause I got some strong root. It had to be dark. It had to be damp. It had to meet some resistance. You ain't going to ever be all the tree God wants you to be till it get dark in your life. You run into some damp spots and you meet some resistance. You're trying to get this stuff easy and you think it just comes naturally. No, you got to go through something to get some fruit. I wish I had some fruit-bearing trees in here this morning who can help me testify that you see what's on top of the ground but you don't know what I went through to get to where I am. You don't know how deep my roots are. You You You You don't know how much resistance I met in my family. How much resistance I met from people who said they were friends of mine. Have I got a witness here? You don't know how strong my root system is. You You You don't know who my grandmother was. You don't know I had a praying mother and father. You don't know that my old pastor instilled the gospel in me. I'm a strong man. I'm a strong woman because I have a strong root system. That's why I can't be carried away by every wind of doctrine. That's why when I get mad, I don't leave my church. I just stay there and fight right through it because I ain't got no confidence in a man. My confidence is in Christ. I don't have no belief in Reverend Anderson. I believe in Jesus Christ. And as long as he's preaching the gospel, that's all I care about. That other nonsense he's talking about that get on my nerve, but I'm going back Sunday 'cause I want to hear him say one Friday he died. But rather early Sunday morning he got up from the grave with all power in his hand.
Reverend, what is that tree doing here? There's several trees in the Bible that I want to look at before I stop this morning. There's a tree in the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve ate some forbidden fruit. And you and I were plunged in sin. But then God said, "I've got to put them out of this garden because if they eat of the tree of life, they will live forever in their sins." So God put an angel at the entrance of the garden to guard the entrance to the tree of life so that Adam and Eve would not go back and eat from that tree to live forever in their sins. They could not go back that way, so God provided another way.
There's a tree on a hill called Calvary. I wish I had time to finish all of this. Pastor Ralph West and I were playing golf at Carlton Woods one year, and we were in the middle of the fairway. And it was my shot, and I shot, and my ball went straight down the fairway. Ralph hit his shot, and his shot got stuck in a tree, but it fell down in the middle of the fairway. Ralph said, "Thank you, Jesus. That tree saved me. I could have gone out of bounds, but that tree saved me. I could have lost some yardage, but that tree saved me. Thank God that one Friday a tree saved me." He died. Didn't he die? But Sunday morning, he got up from the grave. And here's why he got up from the grave, 'cause there's another tree that I'm trying to get to one of these days. I'm not talking about the tree of the forbidden fruit. I'm not talking about a tree in the Garden of Eden. I'm not talking about that tree on Calvary's hill, but there is another tree situated by the river of life. And on that tree are 12 manner of fruit, and the fruit grow every month, and the leaves on the tree are good for the healing of the nation. But until I get to that tree, I'mma be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. That's why I shout so much. God planted me. That's why I praise His name so much because God's been good to me. Is there anybody here who knows you're rooted and grounded? Is there anybody here got some fruit growing this morning? If the Lord been good to you and you're not ashamed to testify, if the Lord opened the door for you and you don't care who you're sitting by, if the Lord showed you your purpose and you don't mind being a witness, why don't you just tap somebody? Tell them I'm like a tree planted by the rivers of water and I'm bringing forth fruit in my season and my leaf is not withering. How you know it's not withering? You're still looking good in your 60s. You're still strutting in your 70s. You're still exercising in your 80s. You're still in your right mind. You still got health and strength. Tell God thank you. Thank you. Thank you for all you've done for me. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for your mercy. I know He's all right.
"He walks with me. He talks with me. He tells me I am his own." I got fruit this morning. I've got fruit this morning. My leaf is not withering. My life has purpose because He died for me. He rose for me. And one day...