Be Like A Tree

Recently I spoke about Palm Tree Christians. 
(Did you know that in the Bible there are 42 different kinds of trees that are used as a symbol of Christian life?)  

Can you imagine living in a community where there weren't any trees?  In storms there would be little protection and there certainly wouldn't be much beauty.  Trees are a blessing!  They provide protection and thankfully they provide beauty.
Can you also imagine what a community would be like if there weren't any Christian men and women or  Christian young people (young saplings)?

                                                                       

Scripture:  (King James Version) 
Psalm 1:1-3
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

How can you be like a tree?

The Roots
The roots of a tree must be firmly planted and deeply rooted.
Once planted and rooted, the roots need nourishment (the Word of God), stability and they must be unseen. (unseen power of the Holy Spirit.)

The Trunk
The trunk of the tree is the avenue or channel through which the sap, water and minerals are carried to the branches.  The Holy Spirit works through channels.  Our lives are to be channels.

The trunk has to grow in diameter to support spreading branches.
We are to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.  Palm trees for example, grow from the inside-out.  Our hearts have to be devoted to God before we can manifest the Glory of God.

The trunk of the tree is also useful after it is cut down.  Not only is our life supposed to influence others while we are alive but our life is also to be an influence after we are gone.  What kind of testimony will you leave behind?

The Branches
Branches of a tree provide shade - protection and comfort.
These three elements of the branches on a tree speak about our influence and a life that is reaching out to others.
Branches on a tree also give out oxygen.

Oxygen speaks of life.                                                                    
A productive life produces fruit.  Galatians 5: 22-23
*Love  *Longsuffering  *Faith  *Joy  **Gentleness  *Meekness  *Peace  *Goodness  *Temperance



A powerful story goes......

 

                                                                       
"The boy flung himself down under a tree.  A bitter, angry scowl was on his face and dark despair in his heart.  He'd give up!  No use trying!  Never did have a good chance, and now.......  Almost unconsciously he reached for the blossom which had brushed his cheek.  He saw the lovely symmetry of the petals, fashioned in green and gold.  Gradually the scowl gave way to a smile.  He breathed deeply and the fragrance of the flower dispelled his black despair.  He realized the beauty of the spring day and the big tree seemed to give him companionship.  His eyes traveled up the sturdy trunk and then he saw a scar left by a broken limb.
"If you can take it, old storm-broken tree, I guess I can too," he said.  He arose to his feet and stood with hand on the tree and eyes turned up to where leaves and blossoms grew in spite of its loss.  His faith returned, and he whispered, "Like a tree!  Lord, help me to be like a tree."  The boy went on his way like a man who faces life, rejoicing in the strength to bear disappointments and to overcome obstacles."

But God

Scripture:  Acts 13:29-31
"And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him they took him down from the tree and laid him in a sepulchre.  But God raised him from the dead:  And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people."

Introduction -
 God has always looked out for His own and delivered His people who put their trust in Him!

1 - They crucified our Lord.....But God.   (He was raised up)

Because he rose we shall also rise.....Hallelujah!

2 - Daniel was put into the lions den.....But God.
3 - Joseph was sold into slavery.....But God.
4 - Elijah was hungry.....But God.  (sent ravens)
5 - The Jericho walls seemed impregnable to man.....But God.
6 - Goliath made his boast against God's people.....But God.
7 - The children of Israel trapped between the sea and Pharaoh.....But God.
8 - False prophets tried to pray down fire.....But God.
9 - The three Hebrew children were cast into the fiery furnace.....But God.
10-Moses waited 40 years on the backside of the desert.....But God.  (burning bush)
11-Hezekiah was sick unto death.....But God.  (God heard his prayer)
12-Abraham and Sarah were old.....But God.  (God gave a son as He promised)
13-King Herod was going to kill the Christ child.....But God.
14-The disciples were told to stop praising the Lord.....But God.
15-Peter was put in prison.....But God.
16-The winds, the waves and the storm threatened the disciples.....But God.
17-Paul was out in a ship in the storm.....But God.
18-A viper latched onto Paul's hand.....But God.
19-Paul and Silas were in jail.....But God.  (they had a song in the night)
20-A woman was taken in adultery.....But God.
21-Paul persecuted the church and watched while saints were murdered.....But God.
22-Many now preaching are gamblers, thieves, adulteress, liars, drunkard's.....But God.

I was lost and bound for hell.....But God.
I have been sick many times.....But God.
I got hungry for more of God, though had no talent.....But God.

Since then I have learned

it is not by might nor by power BUT by my spirit saith the Lord.

You may be lost.....But God.


You may be sick.....But God.


You may lack power.....But God.


You may be in need.....But God.


Your troubles - your circumstances - your sickness - your sins
may seem big.....But God. 

 God knows how to deliver and set you free.

Spiritual Winds

Scripture:  (King James Version)
Proverbs 30:4
"Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath establish all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?"
God gathereth the winds in His fists.
Psalm 135:7
"He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries."
God bringeth the wind out of His treasuries.

                                                                 

There is no doubt in my mind as to who is in charge of the weather.

No man can foretell the wind or what direction it will come out of.  The wind is a mysterious force! Jesus said in St. John 3:8, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."
But, let me tell you - the wind doesn't blow at random.  As our scriptures above indicate, there is One who controls the winds.

The Bible has much to say about the wind.  #1- the stormy, devastating, east winds (Psalm 48:7
 Isaiah 27:8)   #2 - the cold, bitter, north winds (Job 37:9-10)   #3 - the warm, gentle, south winds
(Job 37:17/ Psalm 78:26) and  #4 - the refreshing, restoring, west wind.(Exodus 10:19)

Today I will be talking to you about Spiritual Winds.

We all love those soft, warm, pleasant winds - especially in life; when things are running smooth, everyone compliments you, blesses you.  Those are the times you feel like leaping over a wall, taking a run - because you know you've got the devil on the run.... your "Glory Train" is going down the mountain.  Don't you just love those pleasant winds when everyone is in unity, in one accord and loving one another?

But, wait a minute.  Regardless of which wind blows, it comforts us to know that God holds the winds in His fists and He bringeth them out of His treasuries.  He is in full control of the winds.  They accomplish His purpose and He know what is best for us.  Romans 8:28 says "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Many times when winds are contrary we feel and think that the devil is going to destroy us for sure.  Be reminded of our scriptures previously mentioned and know with confidence that the devil does not control Heaven's Weather Bureau.  Child of God, if you are experiencing a nor'easter situation in your life - Hold On!   Trust the One who holds the winds in His fists.  He will send a south wind before long.  He is just working something out in your life for your good and His glory.  Winds of trial, trouble and tests will surely come to us.  Thank God for His winds of deliverance!

                                                                       
We are told that cold winds make trees more hardy and that during the winter winds the roots of the trees go down deeper to rich soil and water.  Come Spring this makes the trees foliage more beautiful and fruitful.  This is true in our spiritual journey.  When we are deeply rooted we are made stronger, and our lives are more fruitful.
Song of Solomon 4:16 - "Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out.  Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits."

God is in control of the wind.  He is in control of your life.

Carry A Little Honey

Genesis 43:11  (King James Version)
"And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almond:"

                                               

There was a famine in Canaan.  Hunger was gripping the land.  It became necessary to make another trip to Egypt, where there was corn.  If you are familiar with this story you will know that Joseph was in Egypt and had Benjamin to come on the next trip.  Old man Jacob was very hesitant in allowing Benjamin to go.  But, when he saw there was no other way out, he surrendered and spoke the words of our text above.  Jacob in submitting to Benjamin was going went back to his old tricks; trying to win favor by giving gifts as he did with Esau years ago.  Some of the old schemer personality was left in Jacob.


But, here I would like to depart from the context and have you note 4 words in the scripture text...
"Carry a little honey."   Honey speaks of sweetness.  You have all heard the saying, "A little honey goes a long way."  Friends, much damage is done to our personal testimony , the church of God and the message of the Gospel, by our ugly spirit and our sharp words.  How wise it would be if we would carry a little honey!

                                                 


When tension is high in your life and you are going through a valley it is easy to be tempted with impatience.  We often lose our temper, our sense of humor or we are tempted to become bitter, sour and sharp .  We need to carry a little honey!


When others wrong you, persecute you, treat you wrongly and  misunderstand you...  carry a little honey!


When the responsibilities of life are heavy, it's duties weigh you down;  don't be tempted to brush folks aside and not give them your time.  Be a friend.  Carry a little honey!


If you hold an important position at your place of employment, or if you have a lot of authority - don't let the temptation to be haughty and proud take over.  Carry a little honey!


When other people don't quite meet your standards, your desires or your wishes...carry a little honey!  Don't forget that other people fail and have short comings just like you do.

"A little honey goes a long way!"

It is our responsibility as born again believers to introduce the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others .  We are to bring others into the Kingdom of God.  In doing so, we need to encourage one another. Our world already has enough sourness and bitterness. 

 Let's give of the sweetness of God. 

 Let's show and demonstrate love -  having a sweet spirit.  

Let's carry a little honey!  

Spiritual Thirst

Scripture:  John 7:37
"In the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink."

I will use the last part of this verse for the text for my message - Spiritual Thirst.
Thirst can be a terrible thing if you are unable to quench that thirst.  The result is death.  This is true both physically and spiritually.  But, Jesus said if any man thirst for spiritual satisfaction, there is a place to quench that thirst.  Jesus is the place.  You need not die...come unto Him and drink and you shall live.  You shall live abundantly and out of your inner most being...out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water.  

There are a few things I would like to share with you about THIRST.  We will take what is true naturally and apply it to the spiritual.
**Thirst is an instinct.
If it were not, the human race would not exist.  As soon as a baby is born it begins to thirst.  It has an instinct of suck.  The instinct is automatically there.  As new born babes thirst for their Mother, so the soul of man thirst for it's maker...and can never truly be satisfied without Him.  Spiritual thirst is an instinct.  In Psalm 42:1,  David said, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God."  Later, in Psalm 63:1, "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirtieth for thee, my flesh length for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;"  Actually, everyone is thirsting for something that will satisfy the deep longing of their soul.  That satisfaction cannot be found in ourselves or in the world or in the things of the world.  Jesus is the only fountain of true satisfaction.  He said, "Come unto me......"(Matthew 11:28)

In our scripture text -  **Jesus is speaking about a thirst that is intense.
A profound spiritual craving - a craving for the spirit of God.  In this modernistic, materialistic, permissive and perilous age - how much do we really crave the things of the spirit of God; the spirit of the living God?  In the natural there is a condition called dehydration.  It is an abnormal pathological condition due to deficiency of water.  Without the water of the spirit we become spiritually dry - spiritually dehydrated - parched and shriveled in our souls.  Oh how we need to drink of the springs of living water!  Oh how we need to continually come to Jesus and drink....to experience those rivers of living water from deep within.

Then, Jesus makes it clear that ...**thirst is individual.
"If any man thirst let him come unto me."  The spiritual life and spiritual fullness is a private affair.  It is as private as a drink.  No one can drink for us.  We have to do that ourselves.
Jesus tells us that if we want spiritual fullness and spiritual power - the condition is thirst.  We must drink. We appropriate His supply by drinking.  Matthew 5:6 tells us, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."  Believe - Accept - Receive.  Yielding to and partaking of the spirit of God.  It is up to us individually.  If we crave for the spirit we can have of His fullness.  His supply is limitless - measureless and inexhaustible!  He promises that you will receive.

If we are to cause the world around us to thirst for spiritual things, our family, our friends, neighbors and our children...if we want them to crave for the things of God we must be full and overflowing ourselves.  We can create a thirst in others around us.  Jesus told us in Matthew 5:13, "Ye are the salt of the earth:..."
Salt creates thirst.  I wonder, are we craving things of God and are so salty and full of Him that other people around us are watching and saying, "I want what they have?"

                                                                   

Jesus talked about a thirst that is **Instinctive
                                                             **Intensive
                                                                       **Individual

Palm Tree Christians

Psalm 92:12-15  (King James Version)
"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.  They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; To shed that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is n unrighteousness in him."

The Palm Tree indicates the presence of water.  It is always green and lively.  In Exodus 15:27, Moses said he came to Elim where there were 3 score and 10 palm trees and found 12 wells of water.  ("And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and three-score and then palm tree: and they encamped there by the waters."  John 4:14, Jesus said, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."  A couple chapters over in John 7:37-38 Jesus again talking says, ".....If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."  A Palm Tree Christian is a spiritual Christian, one who is alive and springing up with the living water!

The Palm Tree grows upright.  Jeremiah says of God's people in Jeremiah 10:5, "The are upright as the palm tree......"  Our lives are to be upright in all things.  Please note verse 15 of our text in Psalm 92..."To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him."
Notice the first part of verse 12 again, "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree:........." and then in verse 14, "They shall still bring forth fruit......"
Palm Trees flourish- sometimes in unlikely places -  because their roots go down deep.  Did you know that they only grow as tall as their roots grown deep?  As Palm Tree Christians we are spiritually tall because our roots go deep in the Word of God.  Today - as a Christian, are rooted and grounded deep in the Word of God?

The Palm Tree develops from the inside out.  Most trees grow by adding to outward girth.  There is a saying I have always appreciated that says - "As the inner man grows, the outward man glows."  Christians mature from the inside out.  Palm Tree Christians are individuals that have a heart solely devoted to God.

The Palm Tree has more uses than any other tree.  I read one time that the Palm Tree had about 400 uses....(and I certainly won't go into all that right now).  But, as Palm Tree Christians, under the shade of our "palms of influence," the world in which we live can find comfort, help and rest.  We are useful!

The Palm Branch is a symbol of praise and victory.  We are victorious in Christ.  The green Palm Branch also speaks of everlasting life.  Palm Tree Christians live a victorious life, a life of praise and worship.

You may notice while observing the growth of trees they have a marked overspread of foliage.....umbrella like...reaching out for the earth.  The Palm Tree, however, reaches upward like a living arrow.  It is as if it were looking up to the throne of God.  To me this suggests Prayer.  Palm Tree Christians should be vigilant in their prayer life.

To be a Palm Tree Christian we can only remain:

*spiritually strong*

*upright*

*well developed*

*useful*

*victorious*

as we constantly look upward to the throne of God.

You Are The Salt Of The Earth

Matthew 5:13
"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, where-with shall it be salted?  it is thence-forth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot or men."

Jesus was saying this to His church - His followers.  He was speaking to them about the type of life they ought to live and the kind of people they ought to be.

In ancient times people connected salt with purity.  It is a fact that salt comes from the two purest things...the sun and the sea.  The Jews salted their sacrifices before offering them to God.  If the church - God's people are going to be the salt of the earth they must be pure.  In His Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:8, Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."  The people of God must be pure.  Pure in deed - pure in word and pure in thought.  We cannot help clean up the world and make an impact unless we are ourselves clean.  "Ye are the salt of the earth" is not only a description of the church, but it is a description by implication of the world.  The world is corrupt, impure and unclean.  Without the salt - the church - God's people, the world would completely rot away.

The people in Jesus day were quick to learn that salt had great power to preserve from corruption.  Did you know that salt is the oldest preservative in the world?  If we are to be the salt of the earth we must be a preservative.  We must preserve the truth; everything good and wholesome.  We must have high ideals, morals and Christ-like principles.  God's people must take our stand against evil and its influences in our current day.  We must take a stand against all that is damnable to the souls of men, wrong doing in every level of government - County, State and Federal.  We must be pure and use our power to preserve purity.

Another thing the people of Jesus day knew about salt was that it was useful.  Of course, we know that to be true in our day as well.  If the church - God's people are to be the salt of the earth it must be useful.  Former President John F. Kennedy was famous for saying, "Ask not what can my country do for me but what can you do for my country."  The church of God has two types of members.  One who thinks in terms of what can the church do for me.  (If every member felt this way we'd be in a bad way.)  The other type of member thinks in terms of what can I do for my church and if there is a job to be done this member is always right on the job.  We need more members like that!  We need members of the body that help make the world see their need for Christ.

Salt gives flavor to things.  Food cooked without salt is dull, flat and tasteless.  There are many people who feel that Christianity take the flavor out of life.  They say we can't do this and we can't do that.  But, the reality is that the Christian is the life, the flavor and soul of society.  Our lives should radiate with the joy of the Lord and the peace of the Lord.  We should radiate faith and encouragement.
Love should be overflowing within our existence and add such a flavor that the world would hunger and thirst after what we have.