Check Your Water Source!
A Journey Through Psalms • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 5 viewsThis sermon explores Psalm 1 as the gateway to the entire Book of Psalms, declaring that your spiritual fruitfulness is directly connected to your source of nourishment. Using the imagery of a tree planted by rivers of water, this message challenges believers to examine what they are drinking from—what counsel, what company, what content is feeding their soul—and to make the intentional choice to be rooted in God's Word as the only source of lasting life.
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Transcript
Bible Passage
Bible Passage
Blessed is the man
That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor standeth in the way of sinners,
Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord;
And in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
His leaf also shall not wither;
And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so:
But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous:
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
In April of 2014, the city of Flint, Michigan made a decision.
They switched their water source.
They moved from the clean, treated water of Lake Huron— to the Flint River.
It was supposed to save money.
It was supposed to be a smart decision.
But here's what happened.
The water coming out of those faucets started to change color.
It started to smell different.
It started to taste wrong.
And before long, children were getting sick.
Lead (LED) was leaching into the bloodstream of an entire city.
Hair was falling out.
Skin was breaking out.
Minds were being affected.
And the whole time—the officials kept saying, "The water is fine."
But the water was NOT fine!
The source was contaminated!
And when the source is bad—
everything it touches becomes poisoned!
(Pause)
Now, here's what I need you to hear today.
That's not just a story about a city in Michigan.
That's a sermon about somebody's spiritual life!
Some of you are wondering why your joy is gone.
Some of you are wondering why your peace dried up.
Some of you are wondering why your praise feels empty.
And you keep trying to fix the fruit—
but you have never examined the SOURCE!
You keep trying to change the outcome—without changing the INPUT!
And God sent me today to tell you—
Check your water source!
Because you are only as fruitful as your water supply!
We need to Stop drinking from polluted streams—and wondering why your fruit is bitter!
CONTEXT — Why Psalm 1 Matters
CONTEXT — Why Psalm 1 Matters
Psalm 1 is not just another psalm.
It is the GATEWAY to the entire book!
Biblical scholars tell us this psalm serves as the introduction to the whole Psalter.
It is the front door.
It is the foundation.
Before you get to worship—you start here.
Before you get to praise—you pass through here.
Before you get to David's victories and cries—
God says, "Let me teach you how to LIVE first!"
And in six short verses—
God gives us the blueprint for the blessed life.
Not the easy life.
Not the pain-free life.
But the BLESSED life.
The fruitful life.
The rooted life.
The life that doesn't crumble when the wind blows!
And it all starts with one simple truth:
What you feed on determines what you become!
MOVEMENT 1 — The Downward Drift (v. 1) “- First You Walk, Then You Stand, Then You Sit"
MOVEMENT 1 — The Downward Drift (v. 1) “- First You Walk, Then You Stand, Then You Sit"
Look at verse 1 again.
Blessed is the man
That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor standeth in the way of sinners,
Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
"Nor STANDS in the way of sinners…"
"Nor SITS in the seat of the scornful."
Church, did you catch that?
There's a progression here!
It doesn't start with sitting.
It starts with walking.
You were just passing through.
You were just going along.
You were just listening—casually.
Then you stopped.
You stood there.
Now you were lingering.
Now you were curious.
Now you were comfortable.
And before you knew it—
you sat down!
You made yourself at home in a place that was never meant to be your address!
Three things:
Walk.
Stand.
Sit.
That's the downward drift of compromise!
Nobody wakes up one morning and says, "I think I'll ruin my life today."
No!
It happens gradually!
It starts with bad counsel.
It starts with wrong company.
It starts with the wrong voice in your ear.
You were just listening to one conversation.
You were just scrolling through one page.
You were just entertaining one thought.
And slowly—
your convictions started to shift.
Your standards started to bend.
Your sensitivity to God's voice started to fade.
Why?
Because you were drinking from the wrong stream!
Some of us need to do an audit of our influences TODAY!
Who are you walking with?
Where are you standing?
What seat have you made comfortable?
Because the Psalmist says—
BLESSED is the one who does NOT do this!
Your blessing is connected to your boundaries!
Your fruitfulness is connected to your FILTER!
Not everything that flows—flows clean!
Not everything that sounds good—IS good!
Not every stream that glitters is giving you life!
Check your water source!
MOVEMENT 2 — The Delight That Changes Everything (v. 2) - You Become What You Meditate On"
MOVEMENT 2 — The Delight That Changes Everything (v. 2) - You Become What You Meditate On"
Now watch this.
Verse 2 gives us the counter.
The alternative.
The antidote.
Psalm 1:2
But his delight is in the law of the Lord;
And in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Here is the pivot point of the whole psalm!
The blessed man doesn't just AVOID bad water— he CHOOSES the right source!
And the right source is the Word of the Living God!
Notice—it says his DELIGHT is in the law of the Lord.
Not his duty.
Not his obligation.
Not his religious routine.
His DELIGHT!
Which means this person has tasted something!
They have found something in God's Word that satisfies!
They have discovered a well that never runs dry!
And they don't just read it on Sabbath morning.
They meditate on it DAY and NIGHT!
Now what does meditate mean?
That Hebrew word for meditate carries the idea of murmuring.
Speaking it under your breath.
Turning it over in your mind.
Chewing on it like bread.
It means the Word is not just ON your shelf—
it's IN your system!
It's not just a book you own—
it's the bread that sustains you!
Church, let me tell you something.
In a world that is FLOODING you with information—
you have to be intentional about what you ABSORB!
Social media is a stream.
The news is a stream.
The opinions of men are a stream.
Culture is a stream.
And if you are drinking all of THAT more than you drink the Word—
don't be shocked when you feel dry!
Don't be shocked when your faith is weak!
Don't be shocked when you can't stand under pressure!
You've been hydrating from the wrong supply!
But when you delight in God's Word—
when you meditate on it morning and night—
when it becomes your first meal and your last conversation—
something starts to happen in you!
Your roots go deeper.
Your faith gets stronger.
Your discernment gets sharper.
Your peace holds steady.
Why?
Because you changed your source!
Check your water source!
MOVEMENT 3 — The Tree That Cannot Be Moved (v. 3) - “Planted by Design, Fruitful on Purpose"
MOVEMENT 3 — The Tree That Cannot Be Moved (v. 3) - “Planted by Design, Fruitful on Purpose"
Now here's where it gets good.
Verse 3 says
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
His leaf also shall not wither;
And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Church, allow me to unpack this.
The word "planted" in the Hebrew is the word shatal.
And scholars tell us it doesn't just mean planted.
It means TRANSPLANTED!
Which means this tree was not always by the water!
This tree used to be somewhere else!
This tree used to be in dry ground!
This tree used to be in a place where nothing could grow!
But GOD—
in His grace—
reached down and MOVED that tree!
He uprooted it from barrenness—
and placed it by the rivers!
Can I preach this thing?
That's YOUR testimony tonight!
You didn't always have good water!
You didn't always have the Word feeding your soul!
You used to drink from broken cisterns!
You used to drink from the world's opinion!
You used to drink from bitterness and pain!
But God reached into your wilderness—
and TRANSPLANTED you by His rivers!
He moved you from death to life!
He moved you from dry ground to living water!
He moved you from confusion to clarity!
That's grace!
You didn't plant yourself—
HE planted you!
You didn't choose the water—
HE placed you BY it!
(Building now)
And look at what happens to a tree that stays by the water!
It brings forth fruit in its SEASON!
Not on YOUR schedule!
Not on YOUR timeline!
In its SEASON!
Some of you are frustrated because you haven't seen fruit yet.
But God says—it's not your season YET!
Stay planted!
Stay connected to the source!
Stay rooted in the Word!
Because when your season comes—
and it IS coming—
you won't just have a little fruit!
You'll have fruit that LASTS!
You'll have fruit that FEEDS others!
You'll have fruit that brings God GLORY!
And notice—the leaf does NOT wither!
Even in the dry seasons—
even when it feels like nothing is happening—
there is still LIFE in you!
There is still GREEN on you!
There is still evidence that something is flowing beneath the surface!
Why?
Because the WATER never stopped!
The source never dried up!
God's Word keeps feeding you even when you can't feel it!
Check your water source—and stay connected to it!
MOVEMENT 4 — The Contrast You Cannot Ignore (vv. 4–5) - “Rooted Trees vs. Restless Chaff"
MOVEMENT 4 — The Contrast You Cannot Ignore (vv. 4–5) - “Rooted Trees vs. Restless Chaff"
Now, the Psalmist gives us a contrast.
And it's a stark one.
In Verse 4 it says:
The ungodly are not so:
But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Here's a tree—rooted, fruitful, unmovable, green in every season.
And here's chaff—weightless, worthless, driven by every wind!
Understand tonight that Chaff is the outer husk of grain.
It's the part that has no substance.
It looks like something from a distance—
but up close, it's empty!
It has no root.
It has no weight.
It has no anchor.
And when the wind blows—it's GONE!
Church, this is what happens when you have no water source!
This is what happens when you are not connected to the Word!
You look alive—
but you have no substance.
You look established—
but you have no roots.
You look impressive—
but when the wind of trouble blows—
you scatter!
When the storm of life comes—
you fall apart!
When pressure hits—
you crumble!
Because you were never PLANTED!
You were just sitting on top of the ground!
You were just going through the motions!
You had religion but no ROOTS!
You had church attendance but no CONNECTION to the source!
And I'm here to tell somebody today—
stop being chaff and become a TREE!
Stop being moved by every wind of opinion!
Stop being driven by every trend and every voice!
Get PLANTED in the Word!
Get ROOTED in prayer!
Get CONNECTED to the Living Water of Jesus Christ!
Because chaff doesn't survive the judgment.
Chaff doesn't survive the testing.
Chaff doesn't endure the fire!
But the tree?
The tree stands!
The tree produces!
The tree outlasts the storm!
Check your water source!
MOVEMENT 5 — The Lord Knows Your Way (v. 6) “- Known, Watched, and Kept"
MOVEMENT 5 — The Lord Knows Your Way (v. 6) “- Known, Watched, and Kept"
Now here's how the psalm ends.
For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous:
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
The Hebrew word for "knows" here is yada.
And it doesn't just mean intellectual knowledge.
It means intimate, ongoing, personal awareness.
God KNOWS your path!
He is watching over you!
He is keeping you!
He sees every step you take!
He sees every quiet morning you spend in His Word—when nobody is clapping.
He sees every time you choose His counsel over the world's voice—when nobody is watching.
He sees every season you stayed planted—when everything in you wanted to uproot.
And He says—I KNOW your way!
I see your faithfulness!
I see your roots going deeper!
I see your fruit forming!
And I am watching over you!
Can I tell you what this means?
It means you are not invisible!
It means your obedience is not in vain!
It means your quiet devotion is NOTICED by heaven!
The world might overlook you.
People might not celebrate you.
But the Lord knows the way of the righteous!
And if GOD knows you—
you don't need the world to validate you!
If GOD is watching your path—
you don't need man's approval to confirm you!
Stay planted!
Stay rooted!
Stay connected to the source!
Because the God who planted you—
is the same God who watches over you!
Check your water source—God knows where you're drinking from!
Closing “- The Source That Never Runs Dry!"
Closing “- The Source That Never Runs Dry!"
Now church—as I close—
I need you to hear me clearly.
(Slow, deliberate)
You have a choice today.
Two paths.
Two options.
Two destinies.
You can drink from the streams of this world—
or you can drink from the rivers of God!
You can be chaff—
or you can be a tree!
You can be blown by every wind—
or you can be planted by living water!
(Building)
And I came to tell somebody today—
it's time to CHANGE YOUR SOURCE!
It's time to stop drinking from broken cisterns!
It's time to stop feeding on fear, gossip, and negativity!
It's time to stop letting the world be your well!
And it's time—
time to open your Bible again!
It's time to get back to the river!
It's time to get back to the water that gives LIFE!
(Rising)
Because I don't know about you—
but I've tasted polluted water—
and I'm done with it!
I've tasted bitterness—
and I don't want it anymore!
I've tasted empty religion—
and it left me dry!
But when I got back to the Word—
Something started flowing again!
My joy came back!
My strength came back!
My praise came back!
My faith came back!
My peace came back!
Because I got back to the RIGHT SOURCE!
(Full whoop now)
Can I tell you what happens when you drink from the right stream?
When you drink from HIS river—your leaves don't wither!
When you drink from HIS river—your fruit keeps coming!
When you drink from HIS river—your roots go deep!
When you drink from HIS river—the wind can blow but you won't move!
When you drink from HIS river—the drought can come but you stay green!
When you drink from HIS river—the enemy can try you but you STAND!
(Rhythmic, climactic)
Can I Tell you today, I’m planted!
I'm planted by the water!
I'm rooted by the river!
My source is not my money—
my source is not my job—
my source is not my status—
MY SOURCE IS THE WORD OF THE LIVING GOD!
And as long as I stay connected—
I shall NOT be moved!
As long as I stay planted—
I shall NOT wither!
As long as I drink from HIS river—
I will bring forth fruit!
In my season!
In His timing!
For His glory!
(Final declaration, slow and powerful)
So let me ask you one more time, church.
Where are you drinking?
What's feeding your soul?
What's nourishing your spirit?
Because your fruit is only as good as your water supply!
Check your water source!
Check your water source!
CHECK YOUR WATER SOURCE!
Final Closing Declaration:
"I am a tree transplanted by grace, planted by rivers of living water—and everything connected to me shall LIVE!"
