A Sage: The Wisdom of Roots

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A Sage The Wisdom of Roots

• Reflections for Renewal Series 4Psalm 1

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HOW DOES THE SAGE DEPICT A BLESSED/HAPPY LIFE?

• 1 Blessed is the man
• 3 He is like a tree
• planted by streams of water
• that yields its fruit in its season,
• and its leaf does not wither.
• In all that he does, he prospers. (vs.1a, 3)
• Blessing 1 Fruitfulness
• yields its fruit in its season
• Blessing 2 Strength Vitality
• its leaf does not wither
• Blessing 3 Effectiveness
• in all that he does, he prospers

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WHAT IS THE SAGES INTENT IN CONTRASTING TWO
WAYS OF LIFE?

• He is like a tree planted by streams of water
  The wicked is
• not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives
  away. (v.3a, 4)
• The sages intent is to contrast two SHAPING
  INFLUENCES not two types of behaviors on the
  visible level wisdom of roots.

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TWO WAYS TWO SHAPING INFLUENCES

• The Righteous

• The Wicked

• His delight is in the law of the LORD.
• On his law he meditates day and night.
• He is like a tree planted by streams of water
• The LORD knows the way of the Righteous.

• Walks in the counsel of the wicked.
• Stands in the way of sinners.
• Sits in the seat of scoffers.
• Like chaff the wicked will perish.

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WHAT IS THE SAGES INTENT IN CONTRASTING TWO
WAYS OF LIFE?

• He is like a tree planted by streams of water
  The wicked is
• not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives
  away. (v.3a, 4)
• The sages intent is to contrast two SHAPING
  INFLUENCES not two types of people wisdom of
  roots.
• The source of vitality and strength is in the
  HIDDEN part of life.
• Hence, the most important part of a happy/blessed
  life is WHERE you are rooted.

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WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR US TO APPLY THE WISDOM OF
ROOTS IN THE NEW YEAR?

• 1) It requires us to stay away from DOWNHILL
  INFLUENCE of the ungodly way of life. (v.1)
• Blessed is the man
• who walks not in the counsel of the
  wicked,
• nor stands in the way of sinners
• nor sits in the seat of scoffers (v.1)
• THREE STAGES of downhill influence
• It starts with subscription WALK
• to the counsel of the wicked.
• It leads to participation STAND
• in the way of sinners.
• It ends with identification SIT
• with the seat of scoffers.

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WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR US TO APPLY THE WISDOM OF
ROOTS IN THE NEW YEAR?

• 2) It requires us to choose the godly influence
  by BEING DELIBERATELY ROOTED IN SCRIPTURE.
• 2but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
• and on his law he meditates day and night.
• 3He is like a tree planted by streams of water
• that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf
  does not wither.
• In all that he does, he prospers. (vs.2-3)
• THREE CHOICES in this deliberate process
• Choosing the right place for delight.
• his delight is in the LORD

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•  97 Oh how I love your law! 
• 103 How sweet are your words to my
  taste,    sweeter than honey to my
  mouth! 104 Through your precepts I get
  understanding    therefore I hate every false
  way. 
• Psalm 11997, 103-104
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WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR US TO APPLY THE WISDOM OF
ROOTS IN THE NEW YEAR?

• 2) It requires us to choose the godly influence
  by BEING DELIBERATELY ROOTED IN SCRIPTURE.
• 2but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
• and on his law he meditates day and night.
• 3He is like a tree planted by streams of water
• that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf
  does not wither.
• In all that he does, he prospers. (vs.2-3)
• THREE CHOICES in this deliberate process
• Choosing the right place for delight.
• his delight is in the LORD
• Enthusiastic commitment to Scripture.
• his delight is in the law of the LORD
• Deliberate disciplines to meditate on Scripture.
• on his law he meditates day and night

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• Holding the Word of God
• in your heart until it has affected
• every phase of your lifeThis is meditation.
• Andrew Murray
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WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR US TO APPLY THE WISDOM OF
ROOTS IN THE NEW YEAR?

• 3) It requires us to be relentlessly patient in
  CULTIVATING THE HIDDEN PART of life. (vs.4-6)
• 4The wicked are not so,
• but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
• 5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the
  judgment,
• nor sinners in the congregation of the
  righteous
• 6for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
• but the way of the wicked will perish.
  (vs.4-6)
• THREE REASONS for relentless patience
• Quick charms of the ungodly way of life are
  short-lived.
• It takes time to (1) be rooted, (2) to gain
  strength/vitality, and (3) to yield fruitto
  experience the impact of Scripture.
• The godly way is not popular in this worldbut
  GOD sees us and watches over our way even through
  our barren seasons.

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The Most Important Thing to Do Daily

• The point is this I saw more clearly than ever
  that the first great and primary business to
  which I ought to attend every day was to have my
  soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be
  concerned about was not, how much I might serve
  the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord but how I
  might get my soul into a happy state, and how my
  inner man might be nourished Now I saw, that the
  most important thing I had to do was to give
  myself to the reading of the Word of God and to
  meditation on it, so that in this way my heart
  might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved,
  instructed and that thus, while meditating, my
  heart might be brought into experiential
  communion with the Lord How different it is when
  the soul is refreshed and made happy early in the
  morning, from what it is when the service, the
  trials, and the temptations of the day come upon
  one without such spiritual preparation.
• - George Müller

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THREE PRACTICAL QUESTIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR 2012

• 1. Have I made a commitment to stay away from the
  downhill influence of the ungodly way? How will I
  renew it every day?
• 2. Where is my delight? What will I do to deepen
  my delight in God and His Word?
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• 3. What is my first step in cultivating the
  hidden part of my life with relentless patience
  in the new year 2012?

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• My Psalm 12 Decision
• But his delight is in the law of the
  LORD,    and on his law he meditates day and
  night. (Psalm 12)
• LORD, I resolve to take my delight in
• Your Word every day _at_____________,
• beginning with tomorrow _at___________!
• Your Child,
• _____________

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