Sermon Notes: Want to Flourish?

Want to Flourish? Delight in God’s Instructions!

Psalm 1

Introduction

1.     We all want to flourish, to grow and develop to our full potential; to enjoy life to its fullest. We want to thrive and not just survive. We want to prosper and not just get by.

2.     What are the conditions necessary for human flourishing? How are we to become people that develop our full human potential?

a.     A plant needs water, good soil, sun light, proper temperature, nutrients to flourish.

b.     Obviously, humans need sleep, exercise, rest, and nutrition as a starting point. But what makes humans unique from other creatures in creation is that these material provisions are not enough for our human flourishing. We need more.

3.     We are continuing our series What Does God Want and How Does He Get It?

a.     James 1.2-5: God wants us to be single-minded people who are fully devoted/faithful to Him. How does he get this? By giving us wisdom (when we ask for it in faith) that enables us to make faithful choices when our allegiance is being tested.

b.     Psalm 1: God wants humankind to flourish. How does He get this? By giving humankind his instructions (that we are to delight in and meditate upon) so that we can learn what we are made for and who we are to worship.

Analysis

1.     Blessed is the one…

a.     Blessed = happy (flourishing, thriving)

b.     What does a flourishing human NOT do?

                                                        i.     The Psalmist knows that our community shapes what we want, how we orient our lives, the choices we make, and thus the quality of our lives.

1.     Scoffer: Prov 21.24; 2 Pet 3.2-4

                                                       ii.     Flourishing people do not build roots in communities in which God is not at the center.

c.      What does a flourishing human do?

                                                        i.     Delight in God’s Law (instruction)

1.     A desire for God’s instructions is a gift of God; it is cultivated by the community in which we build roots

                                                       ii.     Meditate on it day and night

1.     What does it mean to meditate?

2.     Romans 12.2

2.     The result of meditating on God’s Law

a.     Steady stream of life; flourishing, bearing fruit in season

b.     Those who do not meditate on God’s law: chaff that the wind blows away; they will perish

Exhortation

1. Where are you laying down roots? Who is shaping your life? Where are you seeking counsel for living?

2. Scripture is not merely a “reliable guide”; it is not an extra you add on to a life already lived well; it is not an accessory. It is your very life! Without it you perish.

3. What does delighting in God’s Law look like?

            a. The example of George Mueller

            b. The Shema: Deuteronomy 6:4-9