Discipleship is like a tree

James Pavlic

Tree Spirituality • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

Psalm 1

Disciples

Tree

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A healthy, maturing disciple is like a tree

Notes

Transcript

Introduction

Destination without direction

When was the last time you got in a car, knowing your destination, but you started driving without a plan or clue how to get there? You haven’t? Why not? Let’s think about the possible outcomes.

1. We don’t get to where we want to go.

2. We get lost.

2. We run out of gas.

4. We get there late.

5. We get lucky and go the right way.

There may be other possible outcomes, but the problem is that none of them can guarantee we get to our destination unless we know how to get there. Anybody here think that this is a good way to do life?

No destination or direction

Yet, many of us live the Christian life this way. And sometimes even worse. At least in our car trip analogy, they knew where they were going. But often all we know is that we are supposed to be going on a trip, but we don’t even know where the trip will lead us.

This is the way it is for many Christians. They know we are supposed to be disciples, and yet many don’t even have a working definition of what a disciple is. If I asked you to tell me what a healthy disciple is, could you do it? What would you say a disciple does? And how do you do it?

Knowing where we are going

So, my question for us is, how can we even begin our journey if we don’t know where we are headed? The answer is quite simple…we can’t. Therefore, throughout the next 19 weeks we are going to make sure we know what a healthy, maturing disciple is and how to be one. We will map out the path of discipleship in very clear, practical ways.

So, what is a disciple? Before we answer that question, let’s talk about the background to , the passage we are going to cover today to help us see the picture of a healthy, mature disciple.

Background

The anatomy of all parts of the soul

Of the Psalms, John Calvin says they are, “’An Anatomy of all the Parts of the Soul;’ for there is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror.” He says that they, “…draw, each of us to the examination of himself in particular, in order that none of the many troubles to which we are subject, and of the many vices with which we do a lot of, may remain hidden." And so, through the psalms we learn to pray, for here we see our desperate need and the great and many promises of God.

Two paths set forth: life or death

Psalm one is a fitting preface to the whole book of psalms. It begins by setting forth two ways: one way leading to true happiness and ultimate fulfillment; the other way leading to sure, eventual and eternal ruin.

Jesus talked about these two ways (the wide and the narrow) in his sermon on the Mount in . In this psalm we see the wide way in the picture of a wicked man, a lover of self. The narrow way is pictured in the wise man, a lover of Christ. It ultimately asks us a question. Which one of these two pictures do we fit into?

If we want a blessed life, psalm one gives us guidance and direction. It shows us what a healthy disciple of Jesus looks like.

Exposition

Happiness comes from Yahweh’s Word

Instead of following sinners we follow Jesus (v. 1)

This psalm starts out with the word blessed as an exclamation, “Oh how blessed is the man…” The word blessed points to the idea that the one who doesn’t take the path of wickedness is supremely happy.

Isn’t happiness what we are all searching for? We try to ﬁnd it in our leisure, sports, families, work, and anything else. So, if there was an answer of how to get it, shouldn’t we sit up in our seats and listen closely? Well, the Psalmist tells us the secret to happiness.

And it isn’t simply doing everything we want. In fact, this kind of path is shown as a path away from true blessedness. First, they walk in the counsel of the careless and ungodly who forget God. The evil is practical, not habitual. Next, they are habituated to evil and stand in the way of open sinners who willfully violate God’s commands. Finally, they become teachers and tempters of others. They want everybody to sin like they do. But the psalmist tells us that this is a fast road to emptiness and frustration and ultimately judgment will come for them.

Delighting in Yahweh’s Word brings permanence

Instead of being blown away we stand firm in Jesus (v. 2)

Yet the righteous is not described in terms of his associations, rather he is described in terms of one who “delights in the law of the Lord”, and “meditates day and night” on it. The happy man follows Yahweh’s law or in the Hebrew, Torah.

David says the Torah of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul () and he delights in it. What does it mean to delight in the Torah of the Lord? What is it? When David wrote this psalm and others, he understood the law, Torah as a way of life, God’s way of life, the way to be fully human, to be fully alive. So, what then is it to us? It is all of Scripture, God’s word. It is the whole Bible which is the revelation of Jesus Christ. What David delighted in wasn’t simply something to study like history or painting that we do because we enjoy it. No, the Bible is the place where we come to know God through Christ. We delight in knowing God through Christ, the word of God ().

We meditate and delight in knowing and meeting God both day and night. The word meditate can refer to the sound of a lion over its prey. Imagine the way a lion devours its prey. Imagine a meal that is so delicious that you never want it to end, you try to get every bit. Meditation is like chewing on and devouring God’s word and then thinking about it as you walk along the way. It is absorbing and feasting on it and making it a part of us ().

The purpose of meditation is very important. It is not to demonstrate intellectual superiority. The fool hears Jesus’ words and fails to put them into practice. The wise man hears the Jesus’ words and puts them into practice. We hear the word and make them part of our lives.

What is the difference between the two ways? The wicked man loves sin. The righteous man loves God. The wicked man loves the ways of sin and chases after it. The righteous man loves God and follows God, pouring over God’s word because that is where Jesus is revealed.

When you think of following God and living right do you think of rewards? The psalmist isn’t talking like this, he is talking about “blessedness”. Not as reward, but as the result of simply living it.

There are two results shown in two pictures: the first is a fruitful, flourishing tree; the second is chaff during harvest time.

Instead of being in judgment we abide in Jesus (v. 3)

And so, in our introduction to our Tree Spirituality series, we are going to look at the life of a disciple as one that is like a tree, a tree planted in the right place, producing the right fruit at the right time.

The righteous man is like a tree. But this tree has been planted strategically, by streams of water in order that it might survive and thrive. This is a great picture of what it looks like to follow Jesus. We are like a tree rooted in good soil. We are like a tree that is solid and growing slowly but surely. It is rooted and stable. It’s not like a crazy race to grow and produce fruit. The truly righteous man is like a tree that grows and changes slowly, gradually, but its growth is long-lasting.

The person who delights in God and in his law gets spiritual nourishment from Christ. Just like a tree soaks in the water from a stream. The land could be dry, the wind could be hot, but the tree is next to the stream and its roots draw nourishment from it. Thus, it will prosper and yield fruit. Those who delight in the Word of God, Christ, do not wither, but yield the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

They have a root system that is connected to streams of living water. They are rooted and solid. Why? Because they are rooted in the love and grace of knowing they are loved by the Father through Jesus Christ. So that when the winds of life come and blow, we remain.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus described what life should be like in the kingdom (). A kingdom-minded person is like a house that is built on a solid foundation, the work of Christ and the love of the Father. A worldly-minded person is like a house that is built on sand. When the storms of life come, or the God’s judgment, the kingdom-minded person will survive, their life, their house will survive. But, the worldly-minded person, their life, their house will be destroyed.

Jesus then, after telling this parable, says that whoever hears his words and puts them into practice is wise. They are those who have built their foundation on the rock, Christ. They are the ones who are true disciples and are like trees. They will be healthy disciples that have the roots to sustain the storms of life that will keep us from falling.

Despising Yahweh’s Word brings impermanence

Those without Christ are counted as worthless (v. 4)

The wicked person is not even close to rooted. They are like the worthless outer shells of grain that are scattered or burned at harvest time. Just like chaff, their lives are futile, empty, and worthless. They will one day face inevitable judgment.

The wicked can’t see this because they are listening to the world who is shouting the opposite of what God teaches. The world says that to be religious is foolishness. Religious people never have any fun or accomplish anything. If you want to get somewhere, follow the fast track of sin, if you see what you want, go after it and take it.

And while it may be true that religious people never have any fun or have no joy, it is not true that disciples of Jesus don’t. Because we don’t follow a religion, we follow Jesus, we are disciples.

Those without Christ will be judged and kept apart from God and true happiness (vv. 5-6)

The ultimate destiny of the righteous and the wicked is described in the last verse. The way of wickedness will ultimately lead to death. But, the way of the righteous is the way of Jesus Christ. It is the way that is true, and it leads to life ().

The perfect man pictured in this psalm is Jesus Christ. Jesus was really the only one who was like this. The man described here never existed apart from one man, the Lord, Jesus Christ.

The bottom line of all we have said is this, we must delight in what God has given to us. This delight begins when we realize that God has given us Jesus Christ. Our Savior was nailed to a tree so that we could be like a tree. We can thrive as we follow and live for him and abide in him.

Discipleship defined

So, what is a disciple? Quite simply, a disciple is a follower of Christ. So, what does a healthy disciple look like?

Jesus talked about this a lot. In the Gospels (, , and ) we see that discipleship is directional, not destinational. In other words, being a disciple of Christ is not about simply learning something in a class, e.g. Christianity 101, but rather, it is about pursuing or following Jesus. It is about giving him first place in everything, going where he goes, listening to what he says, doing what he does, and teaching others to do the same.

So, if this is the way that Jesus defines discipleship, then how do we follow him and do it in a healthy way? gave us a good picture of a healthy disciple. It showed us that a healthy disciple looks like a tree. A healthy disciple delights in Christ and is deeply rooted in their union with Christ, so they are unmoved by the storms of life. It is like being planted by streams of living water, Christ. And it is like having healthy leaves that produce the right fruit at just the right time.

Application

What do we learn from all this?

Exalt and treasure Christ because of our union with him

First, we should exalt and treasure Jesus Christ, because he truly was the happy and blessed man. He was the right man, the perfect man, who did all that was required, and lived in devotion to God. His life was a fruitful tree that is still bearing fruit, even your and my souls, and the souls of countless others. We as believers are in Him, and His Spirit is in us, this means that we not only are partakers of Him, but we have His power in is.

The ramiﬁcations of this are that we are to put off our old way of living. We are to live and strive, because of our love, to be like our Savior both in our external actions and our internal desires. We are to delight in Christ, meditate on Christ, and because of our union with him, we will experience his blessings and joy. As we meditate on him, we will be drawn more into his love, and this love will make the things of this world go strangely dim.

Exalt and treasure Christ because we have living water

Second, we should exalt and treasure Jesus Christ, because we were cursed, because we ran with sin, and sat in sin, and our judgement was sure, yet, Jesus took our punishment and gave us his perfection. And now, we can enjoy the blessings of being planted by the water, as a tree. We are planted by/in the living waters, even Jesus Christ. And one day, we will partake of the tree of life, and be face to face with him. speaks of the river of living water that ﬂows from the throne of God, and Christ. This water brings life everywhere it goes, and the same source of this water lives in you, even Christ's Spirit. If this water brings life to all it touches, are you bringing life to all you touch?

Proclaim the message of Christ to others

Third, we should proclaim this message of hope and excitement to those who are running and sitting in their sin. Their hope is empty, their end is sure, and they desperately need our beautiful Savior. We should have pity for them, for their lives are empty, their hope is on things that rust, that the moth will eat, their barns can be taken in a moment, and so they are people who desperately need a Savior and need to live their lives so they can have meaning and purpose. How could ones who have such a great gift, not share it with others, when the very testimony of the one who saved us was that he came to search and save the lost. If the essence of the Savior's work was a rescue mission, then why wouldn't our lives bear out this exact same testimony?

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