Good Roots, Good Life
Preaching Notes
Psalm 1
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
His delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
Not so are the wicked!
They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
I. The Tenacity of the Honeysuckle Vine
Honeysuckle invasion in backyard hedge
Volunteered to clean it out
Two days became 6 weeks
The vine was already regrowing at beginning
Provide personal experience to relate to Bible Stories
The vine and the branches – John 15
The parable of the sower – Luke 8
First significant botany lesson
Life of plants is in their roots
II. First Day with my New English Bible
Decided to read through the Psalms
Early 70’s – Hippies still in vogue
Motto – Peace, love, and happiness”
Constitution’s The pursuit of happiness
First line in NEB caught me heart and mind
Happy is the man …
I wanted to be happy
It was American and cool
Second verse
His delight is the word of the Lord
He meditates on it day and night
I can do that as a reader and thinker
Told me I would be happy if I did this
Did not tell me what happiness was
Always a multitude of definitions to happiness
Hippies – drop out, drop acid
Society – conform to the world
Dad – hard work and loyalty
III. Happiness Defined in Psalm 1:3
He is like a tree, planted by streams of water
yielding his fruit in season
It’s leaf never fades
He prospers in all he does
This image exploded in my mind
Grew up along the banks of the St. John’s River
Massive oak trees lines the river
Gnarly branches swooping to the ground
Reaching to the sky
A Habitat of Life
Provisions and protection
Hundreds of years old
Jacksonville’s The Treaty Oak
These trees were survivors
Floods, drought, hurricanes, tornados, pests
The lived and began more beautiful and productive with age
This was the happiness I wanted
This is the happiness God wants you to have
To have a purposeful, fruitful, sustaining life
Which provides life to you and others
A life which endures
IV. Botany and Bible coming together
Life is hard
Roots are source of renewal and restoration
When difficulties arise
When life is cut-off
Imagery of Book of Isaiah
God’s people displaced by brutal kings and their sins
Imagery of Exile – Isaiah 2
People rejected God
God has a charge against them
==> Cedars of Lebanon and Oaks of Bashan being cut-off
Imagery of Hope – 11
From the stump of Jesse shall come a shoot (vs 1)
The root of Jesse shall be a signal for all the people (vs 11)
The new life to anticipate – Isaiah 55
Trees of the field shall cap their hands
Promise of God – Isaiah 61
You will become oaks of righteousness
V. People ask me why Children’s Ministry is so important
Our ministry to them roots them in God’s love and Word
John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world
Romans 1:16 – The gospel is the power of salvation
Romans 10:17 – Faith comes by hearing
Children are tender plants
We either root them well or do not root them at all
Psalm 1:4 provides a contrast to 1:3
They are blown away by the wind
They do not stand in the judgement
We either root them early and provide them a good life
Or we leave them without roots, to blow in the wind
Study on Psychology Today magazine in 1980’s
Children rooted in faith at a young age are healthier and have a better life
As parents we have major responsibility to fulfill
In precious little time, which flies
Infant becomes a toddler
Child becomes a teen
The teen becomes an adult
What seeds are you sowing in their lives
What investments are you making in their future
Only one seed, one investment
Secures their happiness
Secures their living
Secures their endurance
Rooting your children in God’s love and word
Is the best investment you can make in their lives
Yet so many Christian parents invest in other things
Falsely believing there will be time later to invest in God
Event the atheist reject this way of thinking
For the church and Christian parents
Our biggest investment should ALWAYS be in children and youth
Bread Crumbs - Devotions for Life 