(Sue is Thornleigh's Church Pastor)

Jesus the Planter

 
Near the village of Edwinstowe in the heart of Sherwood Forest stands Major Oak. Major Oak, as you may know, is a huge oak tree approximately 16 metres in height, 3.5 metres in diameter, 23 tonnes in weight and 800-1000 years old. According to local folklore, Major Oak is where Robin Hood and his merry men found their shelter.

Another famous oak tree is Bartek Oak in Poland. Bartek Oak is only 625 years old but it out-heights and widths Major Oak in that it's approximately 30 metres tall and has a 13.5 metre waistline - a little wide for tree-hugging. Bartek Oak's crown spans 40 metres and it's under this tree that King Casimir III was pictured holding his court.

The next oak, The King Oak in Denmark, is estimated to be between 1,500 and 2,000 years old. It lives on an island I don't know how to pronounce (Sjaelland) and is thought to be the oldest living organism in northern Europe.

The oldest living oak in Lithuania is Stelmuze Oak which is believed to be 1,500 years old. Stelmuze Oak is approximately 23 metres tall, as much as 3.5 metres wide and spans 13 metres at its crown. (1)

Is it any wonder that the oak tree is considered to be one of the most magnificent and significant of all trees? Oak trees were rated higher than any other tree by the Romans, Greeks, Celts, Slavs and Germanic speaking people. They are written about in poetry, sung about in songs and are spiritual symbols for longevity, wisdom and strength. Oak trees, it is said, stand the test of time. (2)

During the Day Visible from Afar,
At Night Flirting with the Stars,
O'You Grand Oak Tree.

Your Mighty Stature Sought by All,
For Matters, Thousands, Big or Small.
O'You Magnificent Oak Tree.

Don't Mind the Lightening, Don't Mind the Thunder,
You Will Still be Standing as a Daunting Wonder.
O'You Royal Oak Tree.

You Have Been Here Long Before,
As You Will be Here, for Many More,
O'You Mighty Oak Tree. (3)

As I learnt about oak trees while preparing for this presentation, I have to say I came to a deeper appreciation for Isaiah 61:1-3 which is the passage we've explored the last three times I've preached here at Thornleigh Church. This morning I'd like to read this passage to you again but this time from the Amplified Bible.

"The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord [the year of His favour] and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, to grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion - to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit-that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified."

Oaks of righteousness. Lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God, that He may be glorified. As I think about this image, I can't help but contrast it with the ones that go before - the meek, poor and afflicted; the broken-hearted; the captives and those who are bound. These are the images we've explored during my last three sermons and it's been amazing to see how Jesus can transform them . . .

During the first sermon I preached in this series, I shared the story of Onesimus, a man who'd been a slave of Philemon but had stolen from him and run away. In the letter Paul wrote to Philemon, we learnt that Onesimus had become a Christian since coming into contact with Paul and Paul then wanted Philemon to receive him back, no longer as a slave but as a beloved brother. (Philemon) That's what's possible with Jesus the Good News and our willingness to forgive someone else!

During the second sermon I preached in this series, I shared the story of nine year old Jenny who desperately needed to be found but was more afraid of being exposed. When the war ended in Jenny's country and her parents sent Officer Joseph to find her, it took Jenny a long time to trust again but she did. And holding Officer Josef's hand she eventually walked out of the woods and towards home. That's what's possible with Jesus the Deliverer and our willingness to confess our sins both to God and others.

Finally, last week when I preached I shared the story of Bartimaeus, a blind beggar who sat on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho. One day when Bartimaeus realised it was Jesus who was walking past Him, he started shouting with the kind of desperation that you and I might also shout with if we too had been born blind. The very next image of Bartimaeus however, we find him shrieking with delight and dancing all over the place. (Mark 10:46-52) That's what possible with Jesus the Healer and our willingness to ask for help.

These images, these people, they represent us. They represent what's possible with Jesus but they are actually just the beginning. The planting of seeds. What's ultimately possible is for these seeds to grow into lofty, strong and magnificent oaks of righteousness. Oaks distinguished for uprightness, justice and right standing with God. Oaks that glorify God and  I want to play you another song to reflect on this morning and this song is sung by Shawn McDonald who is testifying about who and what makes mighty oaks of righteousness of possible . . .

Have you ever? - Shawn McDonald: Live in Seattle

Have you ever wanted to be someone else
Have you ever wanted just to be someone
Have you ever wanted to reach your dreams
Have you ever wanted life to be more than it seems
I have tasted of a love so wide
That it stops all my time
I have tasted of a love so deep
That it blows my mind

Have you ever wanted to reach up and touch the sky
Have you ever wanted to pack it up and say good-bye
Have you ever wanted someone to care
Have you ever wanted someone to be there

I have tasted of a love so wide
That it stops all my time
I have tasted of a love so deep
That it blows my mind

He is sweet, He is sweet
What you're looking for
Is my sweet, sweet Jesus
What you're looking for
Is my sweet Lord

Could he be right? Is it Jesus you're looking for? Is Jesus the answer to your resentment, fear or sickness? Could He enable you to forgive? Or deliver or heal you? Do you believe He could plant you as a Major Oak? A mighty oak of righteousness?!

If your answer is yes, I need to warn you that post-Creation, Major Oaks don't just appear. Just like any tree starts with a seed, when Jesus plants us as an oak of righteousness, He plants us as a seed and if we want to grow, we will need what all seeds need to grow - light, water and food. (4)

I guess it comes as no surprise then that it was Jesus who said, "I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness." (John 12:46) "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink." (John 7:37-38) "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry." (John 6:35) Come. Come. Can you Him say, "Come?" That's every day friends. Not just today. Every day coming to the source of light and water and food. Every day walking and talking with Jesus. Every day spending time in His Word. That's how we become mighty oaks of righteousness.

A second warning. This still won't prevent disease. Even with light and water and food, trees are still vulnerable to disease and unless we're living according to the Word we're reading, we too will be vulnerable. "Guard your heart more than anything else," Proverbs 4:23 says, "because the source of your life flows from it." "Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, that yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do they prosper." (Psalm 1:1-3) If we want to guard against disease, we're going to have to guard against sin. (5)

A final warning. There will still be storms. Even though we're planted by the One who stills storms, there will still be storms for the One who stills storms to still. Did you get that? What I'm saying is that as oaks of righteousness, we're still going to have to weather storms but how well we weather storms will simply be determined by where we put our trust.

"Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord. They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places in the wilderness, and in uninhabited salt land. Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:5-8)

Do you believe it? I can promise you, it's true! I definitely haven't arrived but I can testify that I'm a very different person today than I was ten years ago and that's because Jesus has become my Good News, my Deliverer, my Healer and my Planter. Jesus Christ is who is enabling me to be an evergreen, to not get anxious, to bear fruit.

I don't know if this has been your experience too or where you're up to today. Maybe you're a seed and you've realised you need to give your life to Jesus in order to become a Major Oak? Maybe you're a sapling and you've realised you need to spend time with the source of light and water and food every day? Maybe there's something coming between you and God and you've realised you need to repent, to ask for forgiveness? Or maybe there's something you simply need to trust God with?

No matter where you are on this journey, I want to encourage you to commit to taking the next step today and to do that I want to encourage you to take some time right now to pray with and for the person sitting next to you. If you're not sitting next to someone, where possible please pray with someone close to you. If appropriate, I also want to encourage you to share something that you would like your prayer partner to pray for today because I want us to leave this place having thoroughly prayed for each other and knowing that we have the encouragement and support of others on the same journey. Following that we will sing our final hymn and I will say the prayer of benediction . . .

References

(1) http://purpleslinky.com/trivia/history/famous-oak-trees-in-the-world/

(2) http://ezinearticles.com/?Key-Facts-about-the-Oak-Tree&id=313537

(3) An Oak Tree by Zalmai Roashan (verses 1, 2, 9 and 11)

(4) http://www.youversion.com/contributions/46378/trees-of-righteousness

(5) Ibid.

Home > Church Family > Sermon Summaries > 29 May 2010, Pr Sue Redman - Jesus the Planter

 
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