"The Flourishing Life"

I had the honor of preaching at New Life on January 1, 2012. I chose Psalm 1 as my text for a discussion on how we can flourish in Christ. I have included the 43-minute video of the sermon along with some of the main points below.

 

"The Flourishing Life" from Glenn Packiam on Vimeo.

Psalm 1 (NIV, 2011)
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Background
- Answers the question of why the righteous flourish
- The next section of psalms raise the question of why the wicked flourish
- This first psalm is the last word on flourishing: It may look  like the wicked are flourshing, but ultimately, the righteous will truly flourish. 

Psalm 1 sets the tone for the whole book of Psalms by providing a look at two lives:
1. The life of the Faithful who flourish, and
2. The life of the Faithless who perish. 

So, how do we flourish?

We flourish when...

• ...we are in community with the faithful
• ...we are in conversation with the Scripture 

How does "flourishing" happen at New Life Church?
- The easy answer may be to think we need another program or event or system. But when you're in a broken place, you don't want a system or a program or an event "caring" for you; you want the people of God with the Word of God surrounding you.
- It is not our role, as the pastors and staff of this church, to meet all the needs; it is our calling to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.
- Part of how we do that is by creating the environments where you can find the "nutrients" for growth: community and the Scriptures
- In a few weeks, you'll see the newly reformatted www.newlifegroups.com, with three "layers" of groups, including "Five Foundational Groups" in "Layer 1" where any person can start attending and any new leader can start leading.

Reflection:

1. Who are you "walking in step" with? What are the voices and images and influences that surround you? 
2. How can you begin to surround yourself with people who are wise and faithful? What small steps can you take toward forming that kind of community?
3. What would it look like for you to read the Bible "in conversation" with others? Is there a time when you and your family or friends can read large portions of the Bible out loud to each other?
4. Would you consider praying a psalm a day as way of shaping the language of your prayer?