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[0:00] Paul writes to Timothy in part he says about how Paul writes to Timothy how Timothy should! be a good minister of Jesus Christ and he uses the word nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine a question for you today have you had your recommended daily intake you know every time I have breakfast well just about every time I grab the wheat beaks there and you know in that moment of of munching away I sometimes look at the packet and it says the recommended daily intake recommended daily intake of thiamine and riboflavin or b1 and b2 or whatever it might be and you see how or when you when you buy something off the shelf you see it's all got a recommended daily intake how much of the recommended daily nourishment you can gain from that product and today we're talking about a nourishment we're talking about a recommended daily intake of the word of god of being nourished of having nourishment of having the nutrition of the word of god to be nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine are you fit spiritually how do you stay fit spiritually spiritually by having the recommended daily intake of the word of god the words of faith of sound bible doctrine and many are lacking in that spiritual nutrition i know there's some folk that make a habit of telling me and i'm blessed to hear them say it of how they read something about in the word of god it could have been in their daily devotion as some make a practice of that or as they study the word of god at home as they read it as they dig deep into that they receive something from the word into their life and it encourages my heart to think that people are reading the word of god at home now it could be that we miss that we miss that don't just come as it were to get a top up once a week when you come to church because it's not enough it's not enough brothers and sisters take it and read it day by day with every opportunity that you can and it's great to see some folk they're like a walking bible because they have the word getting into their heart into their mind into their spirit that they can quote it because it's part of them it's become part of their life now we see this here in psalm 1 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

[4:00] ! blessed is the man blessed is the one who can take the word make it live in their heart have you taken a good hard look at your leaves lately what colour are your leaves today are they green or are they brown dry dead I know we've got a tree in our front garden and my wife bless her she she doesn't nag me but she she never nagged me but she she encourages me to trim the tree from time to time and this tree in our front garden has got these branches that are dying and you can only see it when it's the summer time when everything is oh you know spring's high everything is green and and Julie got me to climb this tree in my front garden with a saw and she pointed to the she pointed to the branches with a broomstick and said that one's dead it's got no leaves and I had to get there and saw that that branch off because it was dead had no life in it had no leaves and you know some of them were falling off because they were brittle and dry they had lost their greenness their freshness their life they had gone dead and dry how is your leaves today how are your leaves

[5:26] Christian brother Christian sister how is your fruit fellow Christian today how is it with you are you like the one spoken of here in verse 3 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 his fruit his leaf shall not wither it's important that we learn how to be a growing Christian how to be a growing Christian are you planted by the rivers of water planted by the rivers I know and my wife doesn't know this that I blessed her last night because when she wasn't watching she was so busy with all the hard work she was doing on the computer at home and I just went outside and I watered the garden watered the garden but she didn't have to nag me to get me to do it because I could see that the grass was all dry it was very dry and and yet that one watering of the garden was not enough because it had been dry for so long it still looks dry we've got to get out there regularly maybe we'll take turns my wife and I to water that grass to get the green back to get the freshness back and it's like that with our Christian life it's like that with your Christian life brother your Christian life sister that you need to do it regularly it's got to be a regular time of receiving that that water for the grass to grow it's a grass to remain green for the tree leaves to stay green and it's like that too with your life with your Christian life with your Christian life don't neglect the salvation don't neglect your Christian life that freshness that God wants to breathe into you and think about it along this line as we see in this psalm one of the ways to stay green one of the ways to stay fresh is fellowship fellowship is how to stay fresh it's how to stay green it's about who you walk with who you talk with who you sit with it's fellowship that's being talked about here the verse in psalm one it talks about the congregation of the righteous we want to be there we want to be where there's a congregating where there's an assembling where there's a gathering where there's a getting together of the righteous and I read this humorous account of a preacher a late preacher he was an army veteran he was invited to speak at a church in the US this man called

[8:12] Jimmy Mitchell Jimmy Mitchell he'd just come over I understand from Vietnam and just seen battle over there face to face and this man Mitchell first he refused to speak he didn't really want to speak because he had some strong feelings he didn't want to tread on too many toes perhaps I don't know but the preacher insisted that he share something from the word of God and the man Mitchell he said he would do that but only if they sang onward Christian soldiers before he got up to speak and they did that the audience sang onward Christian soldiers marching as to war with the cross of Jesus going on before that lovely song and as soon as the congregation settled down into their seats after the singing of that stirring hymn Mitchell started with this he said you have been singing like a mighty army moves the church of God maybe that happened once but the trouble now is that just about 10 million men know exactly how an army moves and it doesn't move the way you folks at this church do or do not suppose the army accepted the same lame excuses many of you think are good enough to serve as an alibi for the neglect of your duty in attending the services and work of your church imagine if you can reveling 7am squads on the parade ground the sergeant barks out count fours one two three no number four where's private smith oh pipes up a voice by the vacant place smith was too sleepy to get up this morning he was up late last night and needed his sleep he said to tell you he would be with you in spirit well remember me to him says the sergeant count fours one two three no number four where's private brown oh puts in another champ he's out playing golf he has only one day a week for recreation and you know how important that is sure sure says the sergeant cheerfully hope he has a good game one two three where's robinson robinson explained a buddy is sorry not to greet you in person but he's entertaining guests today so of course he couldn't come besides he was at drill last week thank you says the sergeant tell him he's welcome any time he's able to drop in honestly now says the late preacher did any conversation like that ever happen in the army don't make me laugh if any

[11:22] GI tried to pull that stuff every week he'd get 20 days in the guardhouse yet you hear stuff like that every week in church they say it with a straight face too like a mighty army why if this church really moved like a mighty army a lot of you would be court marshalled you know it's true isn't it fellowship fellowship it's basic it's basic it's elementary it's basic basic training when there's opportunity for fellowship don't miss it don't miss it you know there's opportunities for fellowship that are missed and it's sad it's sad when that happens I can't wait when Sunday is over I can't wait till Wednesday I can't wait it's a fellowship it's basic we're planted we're planted by the rivers of water the rivers of living water it's where we can get nourishment nourishment do you hunger and thirst for righteousness you will be filled you will be filled don't miss the opportunity where the word is preached and taught don't miss it fellowship in your home with your brothers and sisters there's times when you can't make the meeting

[12:48] I know that but fellowship one with another if you can't make the meeting fellowship with your brothers and sisters with your family who love the Lord take the word of God open it together read it together be blessed by it be nourished by it do you hunger and thirst for it that's the point hunger and thirst for it he says for righteousness and you will be filled God's truth it's nourishment it's nourishment now some of you are looking well nourished today well nourished some of you maybe are not so sure brothers and sisters nourishment nourished up in the words of faith and sound doctrine God's truth it's nourishment for your soul for your spiritual life for your inner life how is your appetite today have you had your recommended daily intake but don't wait till Sunday for it day by day take the word meditate in it day and night day and night that's what the man of someone did and got blessed for amen that's what you need to do brother you need to do sister i urge you to have that appetite refired in you revitalized in you to as it were a 1 p.

[14:06] 2 where there's an intense desire a craving a searching for that pure spiritual milk of the word of god fellowship is how to stay green and fresh have leaves that are green have fruit that blossoms and grows and gives to others and secondly the word the word of life is a very nourishment not just in fellowship but in digging deep into the word verse 2 his delight his delight is in the word of god his delight is in the law of the lord and in his law does he meditate day and night day and night it's life in the word life in the word no it's one thing joy smiles has got right life in the word the name of her program that's about it but brothers sisters life is in the word it's in the word it's right here in your hands life god's life the word of life the word of god it's living it's alive it's sharp it's quick it's powerful it's active it's a powerful living are you planted by the rivers of water now our local council has a campaign water water taking out their teeth because they're so decayed they're not drinking water and brothers sisters especially

[16:00] I'm told tap water is good because it's got the fluoride which is good for your teeth and there's different arguments about that but brothers sisters water is good for you it's basic it's essential are you planted by the rivers of water water it's essential for life on this planet all creatures require water to live in fact the human body is just about three quarters water three quarters of you sitting here today is water and the human body it uses water for digestion for circulation for respiration for temperature control for waste removal and many more functions water is very important for life and while one cannot live without food for three weeks one cannot live more than three days without water what is your spiritual condition have you got the water water of life as newborn babes it says in 1 peter 2 verse 2 desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby if so be you have tasted that the lord is gracious the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby have you checked your leaves lately you're looking a bit like my tree in my front yard maybe he needs a bit more water maybe he needs a bit more nourishment maybe your spiritual life is lacking because you don't have enough of the water of the word of God it talks about the water of the word in Ephesians 5 that he might sanctify and cleanse his church by the washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious church without spot or wrinkle or any such thing that it should be holy and without blemish brothers and sisters

[17:50] Christ loved the church he gave himself for it he wants us to be washed by the water of the word and that means a washing that happens over and over a refreshing that gets refreshed it's like a watering of the garden regularly we left our garden for two or three weeks without water water and it's just a lot of dry looking bits of grass there dead grass but the water's got to be applied again maybe that's your spiritual life today the water needs to be applied again the washing of water by the word it's a washing it's a refreshing it's a life giving effect feed on it draw deep from it take a good drink take a good drink part your thirst soak your soul in the word of God Deuteronomy 8 it says man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God and it's out of as it says in Deuteronomy 8 verse 3 that proceedeth out of the mouth of the

[18:59] Lord doth man live every word that proceedeth and this was a verse that our Lord quoted to say to himself and friends today there's different ways that you can feed your soul I know there's different materials for example one is our daily bread it's just one tool of different kinds of devotionals you can use just to get in the habit of opening the pages of scripture get in the habit of that and daily feed yourself thinking now of yourself personally where are you at spiritually we're talking about check your leaves out check your fruits out have you found the source of life the source of life where is this life found I'm speaking to Christians really this morning maybe you're not a Christian yet he that hath the son hath life he that hath not the son of God hath not life 1 John 5 verse 12 it's Christ Christ is the source of life and for us as Christians it says we draw closer to him he draws closer to us in him we live and move and have our being

[20:09] Paul quoted in Acts 17 28 it's the very life of God as our Lord says to us in Isaiah 44 he prophesies that I will pour out my spirit he says I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground I will pour water upon him that is thirsty let's be thirsty for more of him today let's be thirsty and he says he that believeth on me John 7 as the scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water he spoke of the Holy Spirit bringeth forth his fruit in his season his leaf also shall not wither God wants you to be a fruitful Christian a fruitful Christian and that means for all of us the life that we live the quality the characteristics you could see it referring to souls one as it says that our

[21:12] Lord told his disciples in John 15 he's ordained you he says to them ordained you that you should bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain he wants your life to bring forth fruit he wants you to be a fruitful Christian fruitful in your home life your work and school your day by day life with those about you are you showing the fruit of the Spirit of God have you been growing any fruit lately if not why not it could be that you're lacking in that daily nourishment that nutrition of the Word of God that daily saturating of your soul that flowing of the vine of the life into the branches of that shaping and pruning that he does of that word that's applied friends just to close verse 25 it says as cold waters to a thirsty soul so is good news from a far country and there's good news today for every soul and this cold water for the thirsty soul today is found in fellowship is found in the word is found in the

[22:28]  Holy Spirit in Christ in you let us pray heavenly father we praise you for your word that it is truth and life help us lord to develop that daily habit that regular time of fellowship with you and with one another lord that we might grow that we might be fresh and fruitful and our leaves might be green that our fruit might be fertile and productive and abundant that we might live that abundant life that you've called us to live to bear