Episode Transcript
All right, let's take God's precious word in Proverbs 11 28 the tile the message tonight is falling or flourishing falling or flourishing Not too long ago we learned that God gave us richly all things to enjoy that was a liberating message and I I heard Several people comment on that on how they they needed to hear that and everything God made is good.
It's Tob Man, I love that word So as long as we don't use it in an evil way we should enjoy the wonderful things that God created for us and That are made by those things or from those things that God created for us God created cotton But it's the things made from cotton that we enjoy God created metal and cows and rubber and dinosaurs but it's the Automobiles that are made from the rubber and the fuel made from the dinosaurs And I'm sorry the automobiles made from the metal and the tires made from the rubber and the fuel made from the dinosaurs and the Leather seats if you like leather made from the cows that We enjoy and it takes money to obtain those things So we can enjoy those things God gave us richly all things to enjoy but there's a difference between enjoying something and trusting in it Which is what we looked at last time.
We're gonna look at a little bit more tonight, but in greater detail My wife enjoys chocolate cake God made all things richly to enjoy and she loves rich chocolate cake, but she doesn't trust in it Right and trust in it And in the same way we enjoy the pleasures that come from the wealth that God has given us But we should never put our trust in that wealth and Let me rephrase it just a little bit.
We should never put our trust in any earthly thing so when we're looking at wealth here, it is the things of this world and So the Bible says if you'll look now in your text he that trust us So let's just meditate on this here a little bit the Greek word that's translated trust us here It means to hastily seek refuge to hastily seek refuge so not just Take refuge in Not just depend on something but to to hastily seek it and If you want to understand what this means then just think of a squirrel you think of a squirrel eating Acrons in a neighborhood and a cat or a dog comes nearby and gets close to that squirrel the squirrels will look up Run up a tree Hang out that tree till they pass by and come back down keep eating acorns If you try to get too close to the squirrel just to say hello and the squirrel doesn't know you Squirrels gonna run up that tree as well It's it's going to hastily seek refuge it may not stay in the tree for long But running up that tree is instinctive to that squirrel stays close to it then So when you're thinking about trusting something tonight as far as this verse is concerned This hasty trusting then think about how that squirrel runs up that tree And remember you won't see a squirrel in a grassy field Where the cows are if there's no tree Why because a squirrel is not going to get too far away from a tree.
There's gonna be a tree somewhere nearby There's gonna be something that squirrel can shimmy up and in if there's not he just not gonna get that far from it But God's not talking about a squirrel and a tree tonight.
He's talking about a man and his riches The Bible says he that trusteth look down your text in his riches The Hebrew root word that's translated riches here comes from It has the idea of accumulating Accumulating so if you're thinking of riches being the things of this world and you're just Accumulating the things of this world whether it's dollars that represent goods and services of this world or whether it's gold or silver or or real estate or Whatever you accumulate.
I know that when I used to investigate scrap metal Integrations and I regulated those in that industry That was their wealth and I talked to one man in Kemp one day.
He said all of my savings is in metal And he pointed to it.
He said it's all my savings.
He has right there.
It's sitting there in his yard.
Is that metal and When he gets ready to convert it into currency, he takes it and sells it Turns it into currency other than that.
He saves up metal and that's his savings account And it's just a thing of this world just stuff that you accumulate And So squirrels they hastily run to their trees and men hastily run to their riches they don't want to get too far away from them a Squirrel can ate acorns in a neighborhood in peace for one reason He knows the trees close by and he's got a plan Anything happens go up the tree the squirrel is too small to trust in its size and strength.
So it trust in the tree instead The squirrel has that plan in mind and you have to have a plan and the squirrels plan is to is to Anything scares me I run up the tree and people are the same way when it comes to riches they don't want to get too far from their wealth and They're able to live in peace because they have a plan and that plan is to run to their wealth in time of trouble to run to their wealth for pleasure to run to their wealth for satisfaction for their identity For their peace of mind for their joy It's found in the stuff that they accumulate Here on earth and don't misunderstand what the Bible is saying tonight.
God wants us to save money for troubled times God has given us all things richly to enjoy but there's a difference between our duty and our trust It's our duty to exercise personal responsibility Everybody who's able to work should faithfully work and save a portion of what they earned But we must never trust in what we earn we must trust in the God who gave us the job and who gave us the strength to go out and Get that income which God provides one of my neighbors He had a absolutely beautiful Mature pecantri in his front yard.
I would love to have a couple of those in my front yard and I came home the other day from work and he had cut it down.
Oh Oh absolutely gorgeous pecantri and Pecans are expensive in the store and he's got there and gather them up for free And he cut it down This this act this evening When we pulled out to go to church Another tree had been cut down his front yard now.
He has none And there's no doubt in my mind that for many years many squirrels had trusted in those trees for food for lodging and for safety and now they're gone and Riches can go just as fast for people Proverbs 23 verse 5 Proverbs 23 verse 5 Says wilt thou set that eyes upon that which is not Are you gonna put your eyes on something that's not even there he says for riches certainly Make themselves wings They fly away as an eagle toward heaven Now he's not saying that your riches go to heaven Where God dwells He's saying just like a bird will take off in front of you and just watch that bird fly away and get smaller and smaller - we'll finally we're finally disappears into the sky.
That's what can happen to your riches Go that quick The the closer I get to The Social Security age and all and And the closer anybody gets to that to getting older you think about retirement You think about do I have enough that will last?
Am I able to to live off of what I have?
And we should but you know I had I lost quite a bit of quite a bit of my retirement several years ago and at no fault of mom, but I lost it and And I'd worked many many years for it But you know what I did when I learned that I lost it I Stepped outside a building that I was in when I learned I Kind of looked up toward the sky, and I said Lord You are my retirement You are my retirement So the responsibility was there for me to work and earn and save But the confidence can't be in the savings I've learned this firsthand, and I bet all of you out there who have some time under your belt have learned the same The only thing that sure in this world is Jesus That's it.
I Talked to a man at work today and Mother of his child this man looks like he's in his late 20s.
She just passed away and You know a lot of spouses they always depending on their their husbands or their wives or someone and then they're gone and And the breadwinners gone And you just can't trust in the things of this world because the things of this this world's broken everything in this world is broken and The only thing that sure in this world is Jesus I've lost a lot of stuff that was dear to me in life a lot of you have to But you know what I've never lost the Lord And so you learn as you lose things to put your trust in him That's what job had to learn you put your trust in the Lord you have to Don't put your trust in the things of this world.
What's better to trust in the tree or in the God who made the tree?
What's better to trust in the riches of this world or the God who made the world?
I'd rather trust in the God who made the world.
Here's the kingdom truth for you tonight It is better to trust in the Creator than in the creation Catch yourself sometimes and ask yourself Okay, I have a duty to save I have a duty to earn I have a duty to prepare but am I trusting in The Creator or in the his creation?
He sustains us by his creation, but you know what at the end of the day His grace is what's sufficient for us and his strength is made perfect in our weakness And I sometimes I believe God puts the wings on the riches just to teach us that When those riches make wings and fly away like an eagle as we're watching them fly away Watching them go off toward the heaven To remember to keep our eyes there because the God who made the eagle Is the God who can supply us what we need?
Not only can earthly riches be lost but earthly riches can only supply certain things This week one of the postman you've seen him.
He was a black postman short and you've seen him in some of the Photos that we've taken when we ship books overseas His name is Antoine and He shipped a lot of stuff overseas for us there at the Athens post office and I walked in about a month ago and To ship something off and there was Antoine and he was skinny And looked like he was just melting away, and he looked so weak I Said Antoine you've lost a lot of weight was it on purpose.
He said no it's not on purpose And so I went out to my vehicle, and I got a knowing I'm saved book I brought it in I gave it to I didn't go who was in there I felt I may never see that man again.
I gave him that knowing.
I'm saved book I told him I was gonna pray for him He thanked me and he Tammy found out when she went to post office to mail off some books This week that he passed away Sunday And riches couldn't help him All the federal benefits or whatever kind of benefits they have now the post office they couldn't help him that good insurance couldn't help him Last night.
I was speaking to a woman who was seeking the truth about God the one I was telling you about who was in the Mormon Mormon Church and and Like a lot of people she realizes and I've found this with people lately They're washing the world and they're realizing man the world's changing and We need something that doesn't change anymore We need something we can put our feet on because this world is shaky and the people are sensing it and She realizes that she needs to prepare for the eternity.
So she's seeking the truth and Riches can't prepare you for eternity Because riches don't go with you when you die You can put a ring on someone's finger.
You can put Necklaces on them.
You can dress them up and bury them in that casket, but they don't go with that soul They stay right there in that dirt Truth Can save your soul Riches cannot truth Can set you free the things of this world cannot truth can give you eternal life But but the things of this world are no use to you after you die They stay here and we move on so he that trusts in his riches look back in your text shall fall in That word in the Hebrew literally means shall fail Shall fail they're gonna be cut off They're but dust people are but dust and they're not going to be able to stand when it comes time for them to die Riches will not prop you up when it comes time to die The things of this world will not prop you up when it comes your time to die People are sinners and Riches will not allow them to be able to stand before God in the day of judgment God accepts no bribes God accepts no cash Payment the Bible says we're not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ That is the only payment God would accept because it is the only payment that could fully satisfy all the demands of God's Holy law that all the commands were kept and all the penalties were paid that was Performed by Jesus and nobody else no other man on earth could ever do it has ever done it will ever do it So the things this world won't help in the day of judgment pay people who without Christ are gonna Fall by the the sword of God's judgment and the graves gonna overcome them On the other hand Luke back in your text, but but the righteous But the righteous now the righteous are those who trust in God rather than trust in riches.
That's the righteous The Bible says we're saved by faith.
We have the righteousness which is of God by faith The Apostle Paul says that's the righteous And unlike those who trust in riches and fall those who trust in God those who trust in Jesus Christ His son who back in your text shall flourish Shall flourish this gets exciting here The Hebrew word Translative flourish here.
It means to break forth as a bud.
I like going out in the springtime and looking at my trees and You can see we're Right on that on that that branch you can see where they the little leaves Little blossoms start to come out.
You can see them budding that that's what it means.
They'll flourish They start to come out as a as a bud does on a branch Which is why it goes on to say and reiterates it they shall flourish how as a branch Now one has the idea of budding out on that branch Okay, and so the righteous do that the righteous bud out like a blossom like a leaf on a branch But they they not only flourish like that, but they do so as a branch now Here's the difference one has the idea of the blossoming out The other has the idea of what makes it blossom out In the genesis of Jesus or creation of Christ used to have it in a while Maybe I will this time.
Maybe I won't But I used to go out here that Sunday morning and I'd clip a branch off one of these Green shrubs and I would take in there and I'd show them Just alive or is it dead?
Well, you may call some live roses that you buy in the store with answers are cut off They're dead Just like people they're dead because they've been cut off from God They've been cut off from their source of life when Adam and Eve sin in the Garden of Eden God said in the day you eat them you'll surely die.
They were cut off from God and Man is born cut off from God, which is why he has to be born again.
And when man is born again he's reunited to God and So the righteous flourish they bud out they blossom Like like like the blossom on a branch, but they do so The way a branch blossoms out in the way a branch blossoms out is that that branch is connected To a vine or if it's a tree that branch is connected to a a stem It's connected to the the tree And that's the only way it blossoms out And so when I would take that branch next door I'd say look how pretty and green it is and I just lay it up in the next week.
We come back Had a little green still in it, but not as much And over the weeks it turned brown the leaves turned crispy and dried up and it's because it's cut off from its source of life And so any branch that's cut off from its source of life it can't flourish It's impossible to flourish and God is talking here about one thing with the righteous and that is through the gospel The righteous are reunited to God the righteous are put back in a communion with God in a relationship with God to where God Sustains that branch by his grace by his mercy and now the branch Bears the life of that tree or of that vine The the branch has no life in itself But when it's in that tree It shares the life of that tree and the tree sends its life out to that branch Riches can buy you flowers The riches can't make you bloom That's the thing about the grace of God The grace of God gives you life from the inside and makes you flourish on the outside Doesn't put leaves on you it puts life in you Which then flourishes through you when we trust in God's Word his truth Is in our hearts and then it buds out in our lives the the branch abiding as Jesus said Biden me in my word of Biden you and He says that the branch Cannot bear fruit of itself except abide in the vine and no more can ye except you abide in me Earthly riches came from the same earth that we came from they can't bear spiritual fruit our root is in the riches Of the of the grace of Jesus Christ, that's what our roots in So what we're looking at here when you're when you're looking at a At a branch and you're looking at our relationship with the tree or with a vine there's there's a Rule a law when it comes to vegetation and that is every plant has to be This is gonna come as a shock to you planted somewhere.
I Don't call them plants because they're green they call them plants because they have to be stuck in the ground And to be stuck in dirt That's where their root goes and that's the reason that we're able to Flourish as a branch is because we have a root that sends life to us In our root is in God's mercy You know the Bible talks about our seed and the Bible talks about the good seed and it It the the the plant that didn't survive was the one that didn't have any root in the ground Well, a believer has root Not in the ground of this earth That's that's riches.
The believer has root in God has root in the gospel specifically So our roots in God's mercy in God's grace And we're sustained with a perfect and unending supply of God's goodness in our leaf will never wither Write this down in your note or your margin psalm 92 psalm 92 verses 12 through 14 And we're gonna learn more about how we flourish as a branch Psalm 92 12 through 14 will look now in verse 12 the righteous shall flourish We've already learned that in Proverbs, right?
like the palm tree Now palm trees have branches This is the same thing that Solomon's saying but we're gonna learn more about what Solomon's saying by looking at the scriptures He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon There we go, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon now Palm trees Cedar trees the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon palm trees and cedar trees in Lebanon Listen, if you have the trees here in East Texas, you can understand why they flourish But these trees flourishing in the Middle East where it's dry and everything Man, you know why they flourish because they have roots that go down deep Into the water that they seek out and that water supplies what they need and In the same way the righteous we live in a very dry land in this godless world Now we're in this world, but we're not of this world So we're in this world.
So when you look at the believers, they're they're the palm trees.
They're the cedar trees So you may see a believer budding out branching out flourishing in their faith in Christ But what you see planted in this world doesn't have its root in this world has its root in the gospel and Because it has its root in the gospel.
It's able to flourish in this world In spite of this world not by what the world supplies not by the dry sand of the desert, but by the water underneath And we're not flourished by this world.
This world does not give me joy This world makes me frustrated.
This world reminds me that it is not my home.
You ever feel that way It's insane sometimes when you look at what all is going on But while I'm in this world not being sustained by this world I have roots that go down deeper than this earth and because I am rooted and grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ and Because you are rooted and ground in the gospel of Jesus Christ We as believers have to seek out that living water That only comes from Jesus from which we drink and we never thirst again And we have to learn to let that grace sustain us and if we learn to do that We will not just survive in this world.
We will thrive in this world.
We will flourish in this world Verse 13 look now if you would Those that be planted watch this now every plant has to be planted somewhere That's the only way that the branch can flourish and here's how it works Those that be planted in a pot in a garden in a backyard a front yard Those know those would be planted look in the house of the Lord whoo Shall flourish in the courts of God So the believer to flourish as a branch Means they are planted in the house of the Lord Now what is the house of the Lord?
It's not the church house It is the house of the Lord that he built That had a holy place and a most holy place That had courtyards just like is talking about here And an offense around it had courts around it and so You have in the house of the Lord what you have a mercy seat?
You have showbread You have candlesticks Which means you have light to light your way you have bread to satisfy your hunger you have incense Which means you have prayer and access to the grace and throne room of God Which you have mercy from God because the mercy seat is there you have the presence of God dwelling with you Jesus said I shall be I am With you I shall be in you Talk about the mediator speaking a third person however, that's what he's saying So we have the presence of God we have the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the outside in that court Those who are planted in the house of the Lord means they had their roots deep down into that priestly system into the sacrificial system and to the gospel system which Sustains every one of us as believers in Christ Man I tell you what if you're planted in the house of Lord you will flourish in the courts of our God The key to living in this world and keeping your sanity is To keep your roots in the house of the Lord That's why the devil wants you out of the church because every time you don't notice this now be honest with me If you haven't noticed you say brother Richard, you don't know what you're talking about.
Have you noticed that every time you come to church?
You get confronted with God's Word You get taught God's Word you get reminded about God's Word you get reminded about the gospel We pray in Jesus name Yes, that's why the devil wants to keep you out of the church That's why the devil wants to keep you out of out out of the fellowship of God's people He wants to keep you away from the scriptures In our minds each and every day we have to be planted in the house of the Lord and If your roots are in the house of the Lord, I don't care if you're in the desert I don't care if you're in the swamp in Washington DC It doesn't matter where my trunk is it matters where my root is and if my root is in the house of the Lord that I'm gonna flourish in the courts of my God Look here now if you would verse 14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age They shall be fat in flourishing You know what that means if you're an old saint And you have your roots in the house of the Lord you'll still flourish The two church members I got chill bumps thinking about it the two church members That God used to Supply students to the next Genesis of Jesus class who are seeking truth are over 70 years of age How about that I was talking to a man the other day brother Bob Cole He's almost blind completely blind Retired preacher It hadn't talked to him in years and he remembered me back when I was a young highway patrolman Then a new believer And when I called him he was so happy He said honey, you'll never guess who I'm talking to you remember that young highway patrolman at 25 years ago more He said brother Richard I prayed for you I Prayed that God would bless you mightily I Said brother Bob he has He has And you know what I think I think every time we have a Genesis to Jesus class I think every time someone writes in for help on the website and every time by the grace of God I get to take another loaf or another fish out of the basket Jesus has and hand them out to somebody I think God is answering brother Bob's prayer in a lot of other people's prayer And I think more fruit is just abounding and abounding to their account And here he is almost 90 years old Fat and fruitful Fat and fruitful Talked to a 90 something.
I think he's 94 year old man the other day that I knew from a previous church I used to pastor And you know what he does He gets on the phone he can't get up and walk around anymore.
He's so arthritic.
He's on his back all the time now But he reads his Bible all day long and prays And he gets on the phone.
He calls people to see if they have any Bible questions he can answer That's cool You got any Bible questions you need answered 90 something years old That man's fat and flourishing Why is he fat and flourishing?
Why at 90 something years old when he was talking to me flat on his back and he can't get up and walk around Can't go to the grocery store.
I don't know if he can even take himself to the bathroom anymore Why could I not get him to quit praising God the whole time?
He was on the phone with that man was so excited not about me.
He's excited I couldn't get him to quit talking about the Lord why his roots were planted in the house of God So here he is fat and flourishing in his old age Physically I can't do what I used to do But spiritually I'm still young and flourishing And planted in Jesus by God's grace.
I want to I want to dine the saddle I Want to dine the harness as one old preacher used to say that I went to church with He wants to have God's yoke put on him and just die with it on him Doesn't want to quit working for Jesus until he quits working period But I want to bring forth fruit in old age and you know We have some young folks in here, but our church has a lot of old people and the devil will lie to you and The devil will tell you well your time's up man.
Your time may just be beginning You don't know that's not what God's Word says They shall still Bring forth fruit in old age They shall be fat and flourishing Just keep your roots planted in the house of the Lord David said one thing about desired and That will I seek after that?
I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life did David mean That he wanted to get up in the morning stretch in the castle And go walk over there and say good morning to the Levites and the priests and go Go inside the temple over there and just sit down there in the temple all day long all the days of his life That's not what David meant.
That wasn't the house that David was talking about dwelling in he was talking about dwelling in in what that house represents The presence of God and the peace of God that comes the sacrifice God provided the bread of God that's Jesus Christ his son that Sains is the light of God that directs our path from that candlestick David said I want to dwell there all the days of my life and By doing that we will flourish Unto the end Unto the end Keep your roots deep Christian in the gospel The world is going to get drier the Sun is going to get hotter, but in as it does Jesus word is going to get sweeter and wetter and better and better to us And you and I will be flourishing like never before No matter how rotten this world gets The truth of Christ will live on and supply and sustain us and to light our hearts Father we thank you Lord for everything you've done for us.
We thank you father for the house of the Lord We thank you father for showing us what the house of the Lord is We thank you father for showing us Lord that to bear fruit and flourish We need to be a branch and to be a branch We need to be connected to something whose roots is down in the gospel and we are connected to Jesus To whom the gospel was given an eternity past Oh Lord, let us abide in him Let our hearts and minds dwell in the life-giving truth of the gospel that Sustains us that provokes us to righteousness that Provokes us to love you to love the brethren and to serve you father until you come for us And Lord I pray father for each and every person here both young and old that you'll let us flourish like a branch God asked it in Jesus wonderful name and I pray for those men I mentioned tonight and Everyone else who's prayed for me and I pray we will flourish as a branch in the house of our Lord in Jesus Wonderful name.
Amen.
Oh We got a poem We got a poem turn me on.
Thank you.
Yeah, and I think I have a tune to go with it Oh, I'll give it a try On your riches.
Do you lean trusting in your many works does the money that you make blind you to the fall that lurks To the dollar will you run yet forsake the one who gave when the riches take their wings?
Will you trust them yet to save?
So upon creations King you must trust and hope and rest for the righteousness He giveth gold and silver cannot best If you'll flourish as a branch then be righteous through his son And you'll find in him the riches in the crown of life you've won Thank you.
I like that Maybe maybe the quartet can sing that yet.
