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Sermonette: Flourishing
#1846s
Ronny H. Graham
Given 15-Nov-25; 18 minutes
2025-11-15
summary: We must strive towards righteousness, especially when we realize that God has a special place for us in His plan. Because of this, we ought not have an inflated ego, nor should we allow ourselves to go to the opposite extreme and think of ourselves as worthless. Beginning in Psalm 92, we can compare the unique characteristics of the palm and cedar trees to righteous members of God's church. Like steadfast faith, the palm tree grows and form rings in a unique way that enables it to withstand winds from any direction. The cedar tree grows strong and withstands external threats, as well as internal rot as from coming from insects and molds, which our faith should also try to emulate. These lead to a proper attitude toward humility as we recognize what we mean to God but not let ourselves get arrogant and complete our function in the church—no matter where we are placed. We also should not "invite Satan to sit at our table" and think of ourselves as worthless but realize we have a special place in God's plan.
transcript:
While searching for my next subject, I was torn between trying to keep the euphoria going that we normally get from attending God's feast. To try and circumvent the letdown going back to the world and the things we have to deal with does. And I was trying to also looking for something to relate to Thanksgiving, now being A little under 2 weeks away. While first searching our hymnal and considering that the songs mentioned. Giving thanks to God, I of course found myself in the Book of Psalms, where the great majority of our songs come from. But instead of Thanksgiving, I now began to think on two trees. Now, most of you who came out of worldwide were probably immediately think of Herbert Armstrong and the two trees in the Garden of Eden that he spoke of quite often, practically every time he spoke. But these are two other trees. Now, they might be the same types of trees or even the same species, but these two trees we find in Psalm 92. You can go ahead and kern there, we will be there in a few minutes. Now, from an early age, I've always been fascinated by trees and how they being so heavy, can stand up straight without toppling over. One limb can weigh hundreds of pounds and a mature tree such as the oak we used to have out front of the church here, I'm sure weighed thousands, maybe even tons. Now, another thing that was quite fascinating was the different trees have different smells. Now as a child, I remember that each year my dad and my uncles would have to go out and cut firewood for both of my grandmothers. Which at the time this was their only source of heat in the winter. And if you were old enough to walk, you were certainly old enough to carry firewood and load the truck. I distinctly remember oakwood after the shavings would be piling up. From the chainsaw as it barreled through the wood smelled like watermelon, at least to me. After a fresh cut, I'd I'll always have to lift up a piece or two and get a nostril full of the fresh aroma. To this day I still love. The smell and can't help but take a good whiff of fat lighter when I'm cutting up kindling for our fireplace. I actually got a good smell before I left the house just so Allie would see it. Now, let's go to Psalm 92. And there we will try to glean something from the two trees mentioned here in Psalm 92, let's read verse 12 to 14. The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still still bear fruit in old age. They shall be fresh and flourishing. Now, the first one referenced here is the palm tree. And it says that the righteous shall flourish like a palm tree. The palm tree is most certainly an amazing creation of God. How many times after a hurricane such as the one that just came through Jamaica in October and the only thing standing in many cases are the palm trees. The verse says the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, and many have asked the question. Why are palm trees so strong, being able to stand in such tumultuous times. Well, their structure, as I found out, are like any other tree, unlike any other tree in their growth patterns. Most trees grow adding layers to the outside each year. As one year passes, one ring will grow, hence forming the rings that we can clearly see when we cut one. When the developers took our tree out here, I actually tried to count the rings and I come up with somewhere around 275 rings. I wonder how many or who had passed under that tree in the last 200 plus years. Now the palm tree, instead of putting on rings each year, it grows more like stranded wire. And what this does, it allows the tree to bend more easily than other trees when the wind blows. Their leaves are also shaped. In such a way that they turn when the wind blows, being shaped aerodynamically to allow the wind to flow through with less resistance than most other trees. Again comparing the root system to other trees, yet again we find the palm is also different. Their root system is spread out evenly around the circumference of the tree, unlike other trees that have several large roots with smaller ones in between. Making them somewhat weaker in certain areas when the wind comes from perhaps an unexpected direction. Now the metaphors continue. I, I have no clue as to how they can figure these things out, but it is believed that when the palm tree is under stress. It will actually push down like squatting to endure whatever is coming its way. But there is more It is also from the palm trees that we get coconuts and dates, of course, depending on the species. One last one, did you know also that palm oil is used in 75% of food production as well as being used for biodiesel. Can we say the palm tree was created perfect and it doesn't matter which way the wind blows, the palm tree can handle it and even flourish. It doesn't matter what comes the righteous way, they can handle it. While the righteous shall flourish like the palm, we also find that they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon, as the scripture says. Now what characteristics can we glean from the cedar? According to the Bible almanac, the most valuable and majestic trees in the Bible are the cedars of Lebanon. Growing to a height of 80 to 90 ft with long spreading branches reaching over 100 ft in width. The circumference as well on some of these trees is 30 to 40 ft and around. Again, if we compare that to the oak tree we used to have here, it was only 16 to 17 ft. Uh, the last time I measured it before they cut it down in circumference. It is believed that there are actually some of these trees still living from the time of Christ. I wonder what has all passed under those trees. We also know that David and Solomon lived in houses constructed of cedar, and it was used in the building of the temple. The cedar is also known for its strength and durability. I remember many of the farms we had passed on the way to my grandmother's house were lined with cedar fence post. That had been there for years and some of them are probably still there. It was used in ship building, being rot proof and repelling water. One of the main characteristics of the cedar is the aroma. That it puts out, which is part of the reason that insects are afraid of it or do not eat it. Now how many of us have come across a cedar chest and can't resist opening it to get a good smell of the fragrance tapped inside. I know I like it. I have a little cedar box on my, on my desk. It still has a little bit of smell left in it. Lastly, brethren, there are some ideas out there that these were indeed the two trees that were in the Garden of Eden. The palm tree being the one with the fruit that Adam and Eve partook of and the cedar being referred to as the tree of life. Now, of course, there is no way to prove this. But it does give us something to think about. I know that of all the trees I've cut down over the years, the stumps will decay and dissipate in just a few years, but the cedars do not. They will be there for years and years and years. Could the cedar be a symbol for eternity or indeed the tree of life? I do not know, brethren, but every time I study into a part of God's creation, Romans 1:20 comes into mind, where it says, paraphrasing that God's attributes and divine nature are clearly seen in what He has created. Now, keep that verse in mind as we try to learn from what we've seen in these two trees. Now I came across somewhat of a definition for flourishing. And what it means to flourish as we read in verse 12. The righteous shall flourish. 13 says, They shall flourish in the courts of our God. This can also be tied to Psalm 23, where we will, we, where it says we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. So they, the indications is that David wrote this song, Psalm 2. But I did not go into that. I, I did not look it up. Now, I will not quote it all, but this is a paraphrase, and I'm sorry, but I forgot to write down the source. To flourish means to experience spiritual vitality, security, and fruitfulness from being deeply rooted in God's presence in the courts of our God. The spiritual flourishing is referenced by what we can learn from considering what we see with trees being deeply rooted and holding fast in the place where God has planted them. This flourishing is sustained through a relationship with God and a commitment to His word, leading to growth, strength, and the ability to bear fruit in old age, no matter which way the wind blows. This fruit refers to the fruit of the spirit. I think we are all familiar with some of those. Which includes love, joy, peace, and other virtues demonstrating God's righteousness. Flourishing is not about worldly success, but about having a deep, sustained relationship with God, similar to a tree that's planted by the water, being firmly rooted and nourished by the soil of God's presence. That's the end of the quote. One who is called by God should flourish like a palm tree, being resilient through life's storms, bending without breaking, allowing the winds to pass through, staying strong, fresh, and fruitful, no matter the season, even in old age, as verse 14 says, and we are fast approaching, not y'all, me and Ellie. As we begin to wrap this up and make some sense of what we've been going through, I would like to touch on something Martin said or went through last week. Now this is not a word for word quote, but brethren, when we allow ourselves to reach the point of thinking that we are worthless. That we will never make it. We might be beginning to question God. Why do I always do I always feel miserable, poor, blind and naked. What am I, Lord, that you even think of me? God, why do not you just throw me overboard. Why can't you just let me go live in a cave? Or just let me wallow in this pile of ashes. We're not the first ones to have these feelings, brethren. Now, where do these thoughts come from? How many people, brethren, even allow, allow thoughts like this to consume them. Just a week or so ago, an NFL player seemingly on the top of the world took his own life. You know, the church is not immune to these. I remember a softball tournament we had years ago. I believe it was in Florence or Columbia, but there was a nice young man playing right field. And later that week, for whatever reason, he took his own life right there in the church. It was very disturbing. Nobody noticed. If we are wallowing in a pile of ashes of self-pity, Satan has us right where he wants us, and we begin to believe the lie that we are worthless. And began to doubt God. Now someone was nice enough to give me another book written about Psalms 23. But this book comes at the Psalm from a different angle than the last one that we went through. It focuses on the table being prepared in the presence of our enemies with the reality. If we believe this lie of worthlessness, we have indeed invited Satan to sit at our table. Now, I want to read a short paragraph from the book as we begin to close, quoting. If you are hearing, I'm not good enough, the enemy is at your table. Now we've got to be really careful about this lie. God calls us to be humble. And of a contrite heart. But it has been well said. Listen to this quote. Humility is not thinking less of yourself. Humility is thinking of yourself less. Let me repeat that. It's just a flip flop of phrases, but it makes all the difference. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, humility is thinking of yourself less. We easily get these confused, continuing the quote, thinking it honors God for us to think less of ourselves. Nothing could be further from the truth. That's selfishness, self-centeredness, self-pity, key word, self. We are made in the image of God. Now this staggering reality doesn't cause us to strut around and grow. It's all about me, persona, but neither does it leave us wallowing in the misery of I do not measure up to anything either. These two outcomes are where Satan wants to lead us either to an overinflated ego or to an underappreciated sense of just how significant and valuable we are to God. End quote. Somebody reminded me a few weeks ago, we are worth as much as sparrows, actually more than sparrows. That's the way the scripture goes. God does indeed have a sense of humor, but brethren, who takes care of the sparrows, who feeds them. Who clothes them? Who houses them, the millions of them, and we are worth much more than that. Now, as we close, let's go to back to Romans 1:20. Keep your finger in Psalms, we will come back to Psalm 139. Romans 1:20. One of my favorite verses. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and divine nature, so that they are without excuse. Now, I do not know how many times I've read this verse and thought about God's creation and how wonderful it is. Who created and planted the palm tree? Who created and planted the cedar tree? And what does he see when he looks at them? God sees what he has created in them, His divine nature. Are we not God's creation? Has not God planted us where He wants us in his house? And he wants to see us weathering the storms of life being deeply rooted in his courts. What else is he looking for, brethren? Now, let's go back to 139, Psalm 139 and verse 14, Psalm 39 and verse 14. I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well. Do we know that very well? Do we believe that we are fearfully and wonderfully made? Or do we believe the lie that we are worthless? So what else is God looking for? He's looking for his divine nature growing and flourishing in us. We should never allow ourselves to fall into this pit of despair. We have a lot to be thankful of.
RHG/aws+/
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