Russellville Christian Center

Flourishing Mark Evants Notes, Sunday, 10/13/24   Jer.17:5-8: Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs [heb turns aside] from the Lord. 6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

• Lays out one of the strongest CONTRAST / COMPARISON life principles in scripture
• It’s the tale of the cursed man VS the blessed man

IN A WORD:  HE FLOURISHES because of Who He is connected to:

• Flourish: (def.) Grow or develop in a vigorous way
• Grow luxuriantly
• Biblical context of this word is Shaloam…a flourishing that encompases every facet of life and even the community and nation because of the covenant connection

Psalm 112:1-9: Praise^[a] the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who delights greatly in His commandments. ² His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. ³ Wealth and riches will be in his house, And his righteousness ^[b]endures forever.  ⁴ Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. ⁵ A good man deals graciously and lends; He will guide his affairs with discretion. ⁶ Surely he will never be shaken; The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. ⁷ He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. ⁸ His heart is established; He will not be afraid, Until he sees his desire upon his enemies. ⁹ He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever; His ^[c]horn will be exalted with honor.

• HE WILL FLOURISH!

  Psalm 92:12ff: The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. [2 of the big image symbols – or BILLBOARDS – of flourishing used in OT]  ¹³ Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God. ¹⁴ They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be ^[c]fresh and ^[d]flourishing, [Full of oil or sap, lit. fat]  ¹⁵ To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

• Flourish (HEB) = To flower, blossom, break forth, spread out; enter into a state of prosperity
• To increase in wealth, favor and honor
• To grow vigorously and exuberantly, enlarge and expand
• To become extremely successful

  One Thing God Knows: Your FLOURISHING is not attached to the things you have in life…they can’t give you joy and fulfillments…FLOURISHING has to do with WHO YOU ARE ATTACHED TO!     JC said it like this…SEEK 1^st the KOG and all these other things will be ADDED TO YOU.   Land flowing with milk and honey…nonstop supply

• 2 Sam. 5:10: So David went on and became great and the Lord of hosts was with him. [notice Lord of hosts…God of angel armies]

  Psalm 72:5: ^[b]They shall fear You As long as the sun and moon endure, Throughout all generations. ⁶ He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, Like showers that water the earth. ⁷ In His days the righteous shall flourish, And abundance of peace, Until the moon is no more.   Declare This Out Loud by Faith: My life is flourishing. My family is flourishing. My health is flourishing. My business is flourishing. My finances are flourishing. My church is flourishing. I am increasing in wealth, favor and honor. I am growing vigorously and exuberantly. I am enlarging, expanding and becoming extremely successful. I flourish. I prosper. I thrive in tough times.