UNFADING LEAVES

PSALMS 1:1

A. "HIS LEAVES ALSO SHALL NOT WITHER"
  1. The leaf is the thing of the springtime:
    1. It is the first thing that comes
    2. It marks the return of the sap in the tree
  2. But how soon it loses its freshness:
    1. When the sap leaves the tree
    2. It fades - it dies B. ALLOW ME TO MAKE A FEW OBSERVATIONS ABOUT CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE BASED UPON OUR TEXT
  3. What makes the leaves of the tree to come forth and reveal their great beauty:
    1. The sap coming into the tree - drawn by the roots
    2. The moisture in the soil awakened by the warming of the earth
  4. This illustrates the life of the man of God:
    1. Who is attached to the law of the Lord and meditates in it day and night - Josh. 1:7-8
    2. The great moral truths of the divine law penetrate the nature of that man which is in essence the divine nature - 2 Pet. 1:3-8
    3. That gives him great moral stamina that defies all adversities and remains healthy - Is. 48:18; Examples: what was it that made Abraham so prosperous and the father of all the faithful? It was his attachment to God's law - Gen. 26:5; what was true of Abraham was true of those martyrs who loved not their own lives but willingly suffered and died for the word of God - Heb. 11:36-40
  5. Fading leaves are an indication:
    1. Of a spiritual lack of vitality
    2. It may be harboring certain sins in our life which breaks the connection with the source of life - Is. 59:1-3
    3. Or it may be an indication of neglected study of the word of God or prayer
    4. Remove the water from the tree and the leaves will begin to wilt and fade
    5. How vital it is that we keep a close connection with the water of life - John 15:1-9
    6. Fading Christians are undernourished, they lack the life-giving word of life in their soul - Jer. 15:16 C. UNFADING LEAVES
  6. Teach a timely lesson to God's children:
    1. It is a healthy sign of spiritual vitality - Examples: the church at Smyrna - Rev. 2:8-11; then we have the church in Philadelphia, another example of spiritual vitality - Rev. 3:8-13
    2. Where that sign of health and vitality is missing the Christian is suffering from a spiritual deficiency - Rev. 3:14-17; 1-6
  7. Unfading leaves reveals further:
    1. The power of the word of truth - by which the spiritual life is sustained - Heb. 4:12
    2. The influence of God's law in the heart of the believer - Is. 48:18
    3. This is because the life of God is in the word of God - 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Jer. 23:29
  8. Unfading leaves are still a further indication:
    1. Of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and his complete control of our lives - Gal. 5:16,18
    2. "By their fruits shall ye know them" - Matt. 7:16-20; Gal. 5:22-25
    3. Worldliness - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life have no room in the life that is the temple of the Holy Spirit - I Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19-20
  9. This is the purpose of comparing the unfading leaves with the man in whose heart is the law of his God:
    1. As the health of the tree is indicated by the unfading leaves because the tree is planted by the rivers of water - Ps. 1:1-3
    2. So the spiritual freshness and vigor is a clear indication of the intimate and close connection of the man to the fountain of living water - Ps. 36:9; Jer. 2:13
    3. Just as the leaves of the tree fade and die when their connection is broken with the rivers of water
    4. So Christians fade and die spiritually when the connection with Jesus Christ is broken - John 15:1-8


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