What determines your spiritual life expectancy? How long will you bear fruit for Christ? In this opening message to the “Planted” series, Pastor Josh White draws from Psalm 1 and Jeremiah 17 to show that where we are planted — what we surround ourselves with and what we hope in — determines whether we flourish or wither. Using the picture of a healthy tree, this sermon challenges both individuals and the church to examine their roots.
Where You Are Planted Matters
Pastor Josh opened with a personal story: he has been living with CML (chronic myeloid leukemia) since his diagnosis several years ago. Thanks to advanced drug therapy, his life expectancy today is just as long as anyone else’s — something he is deeply grateful for. He takes four pills a day, a routine that requires him to wake at 3 a.m. every morning. These powerful drugs cost $5,000 per week supply. But here’s the critical point: if he doesn’t take them, the leukemia will eventually win. His choice to take the pills is a matter of life and death.
That reality led to a pointed question for everyone in the room: What is your life expectancy? Not just the biological answer, but the spiritual one — what are you expecting from life? What are you expecting out of life?
The average American male lives about 74.8 years; females average 80.2. But as everyone knows, no one truly knows how long they have. We could be perfectly healthy and be in a car accident tomorrow. There is a 100% mortality rate for human beings. Every one of us will breathe our final breath in these bodies at some point.
But here’s the better question: What are you expecting from life? The Bible is filled with answers about our life expectancy — both the quality and the quantity of our existence. All human beings will live forever in some form. The choices we make right now determine where we will spend eternity and the quality of our life in these bodies between now and then.
The “Planted” Series: Roots, Trunk, Branches, Fruit
Today marks the beginning of a new sermon series called Planted. Every fall, Pastor Josh does a series on church life, mission, and values. Last year it was “The Four Chairs.” This year, it’s trees. Using the analogy of a tree — the roots, the trunk, the branches, and the fruit (leaves) — each message will apply to both individuals and the church as a whole.
As Grace Bible Church of Phoenix, you had planned months ago to move to two services in October 2024. With Pastor Brent and Katie moving to South Carolina, that plan was put on hold. Rather than pushing forward with expansion, this fall is an opportunity to be rooted and planted — to make sure the base of the tree is strong before trying to produce more fruit. The church’s decision to pause was not a step back; it was wisdom.
Every fall series should accomplish one goal above all others: to help us evaluate where we are spiritually and where we need to grow. This series will do that through the picture of a healthy, fruit-bearing tree.
The Two Main Texts: Psalm 1 and Jeremiah 17
The sermon is grounded in two primary passages. The first is Psalm 1:
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.”
— Psalm 1:1-5
The second text is Jeremiah 17:5-8:
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.’ Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes; for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
— Jeremiah 17:5-8
Both passages contrast two kinds of people: those planted in the counsel of the world, and those planted by streams of water — the truth of God’s Word. Wherever a tree is planted determines its health and strength. The same is true spiritually.
Pastor Josh shared a personal example: he and his family planted two fruit trees in their backyard in April 2000. Unfortunately, they planted them at the wrong time of year and in poor soil. The trees did not survive. The soil matters. The timing matters. The environment matters.
Point One: Soil Matters
The first main point is this: soil matters. By “soil,” Pastor Josh means our surroundings — the people and the thoughts we allow to influence us. Psalm 1:1 describes three environments that most people plant themselves in, all of which lead to death and an unproductive life:
- The counsel of the wicked — the advice and worldview of people who reject God
- The way of sinners — living in patterns of deliberate disobedience
- The seat of scoffers — sitting with those who mock truth and righteousness
These are three descriptions of soil that leads to death. And in our culture today, these environments are everywhere.
As a church, GBC Phoenix has a clear value statement on Bible teaching and preaching. It says:
“We approach the Bible as of first importance. What we do, what we believe, and what we teach comes from the authority of God’s Word. The Bible is central in all we do. It takes precedence over church tradition, a shifting culture, and especially our own opinions.”
— GBC Phoenix Value Statement on Bible Teaching
That last sentence is crucial: God’s Word takes precedence over shifting culture. And culture is always shifting. Romans 1 describes what happens when people ignore God’s existence and fail to acknowledge Him as Creator:
“Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”
— Romans 1:22-23
Romans 1:28 continues:
“Since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness, gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.”
— Romans 1:28-31
This was written over 2,000 years ago, and it sounds exactly like much of today’s culture. When people ignore God, it leads to a debased mind and a society doing what ought not to be done.
Pastor Josh illustrated this with Matthew 16. When Peter rebuked Jesus for saying He must go to Jerusalem and be crucified, Jesus turned and said: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Peter was thinking like the world — he wanted Jesus to be king right now, not suffering and dying. But Jesus knew He had to pay the perfect sacrifice for sins before He could become King.
How do we make sure we’re planted in the right soil? By being very careful what we allow into our minds: the music we listen to and whether we pay attention to the lyrics, the social media we consume and its effect on our thinking, the movies we watch and the ideas we accept, and especially ideas that sound fair and right on the surface but contradict God’s Word.
Ephesians 4:13-15 describes what happens when we are planted in God’s truth and grow up in it:
“[We are] to attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried away by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness, and deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
— Ephesians 4:13-15
Healthy soil produces healthy growth — in trees and in the body of Christ. But Ephesians 4:17-18 describes the alternative:
“[You must] no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.”
— Ephesians 4:17-18
Where are you planted? Soil matters — choose the right soil, God’s Word.
Point Two: Water Matters
The second main point is this: water matters. In this context, “water” represents our source of hope. Just as a tree’s deepest desire is its next drink of water, Christians must continually ask: where is my source of Hope? Who will fulfill my hopes?
Jeremiah 17:5-8 contrasts two sources of hope. The first is trusting in man — ourselves, other people, human effort. The second is trusting in the Lord — God Himself as the source of our hope.
When we hope in man — when our hope is in ourselves, in other people, in our circumstances — we are living according to the flesh. We are looking to created things to provide what only the Creator can provide. But when we look to God for our hope, we are living by the Spirit, and the Spirit fulfills our deepest needs and fills us with hope that does not disappoint.
Romans 8:5-8 explains the difference:
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”
— Romans 8:5-6
When our life is focused on me and what I need to satisfy myself, we will constantly be running after one thing and then another, tossed to and fro. But God has put His Spirit within us to fill us with knowledge of His will and to guard our hearts and minds with the things we hope for.
Colossians 3:1-3 gives the practical application:
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
— Colossians 3:1-3
God’s Word gives us a hope that will not disappoint us. We go from one disappointment to the next when we look to the world, but when we are planted in good soil and get our hope from God, we will not be put to shame.
First Peter 1:13 says:
“Prepare your minds for action, and be sober-minded; set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
— 1 Peter 1:13
Our faith is the soil. Our hope is the water. Both matter enormously. We must choose to plant ourselves in good soil and choose to put our hope in God who will fulfill all of His promises.
Point Three: Jesus Christ Matters Most
But there is a third and most important point: Jesus Christ matters. The soil and the water are both pointing to the Person of Jesus Christ. He is the answer to the deepest question of life expectancy.
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
— Acts 4:12
Jesus said in John 14:6:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
— John 14:6
Our shifting culture hates the word exclusive. People say that is narrow-minded. But when Jesus says He is the only way, He is not being hateful — He is being loving. He is telling us the single most important truth we need to know: it is only through Jesus that we can have forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life.
And while salvation is exclusive to Jesus Christ alone, the door is wide open for everyone. John 3:16-17 says:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
— John 3:16-17
This is where we are planted as a church: in God’s Word, living through the Spirit, lifting up and promoting Jesus Christ. But as an individual, each person must answer the question personally: Where are you planted? What is your life based on?
Some here today may realize they are planted in their own hope, their own desires, and the ideas and thoughts of this world. If you have not placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you are at risk of spending eternity away from God.
Romans 10:9-10 tells us exactly how to be saved:
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
— Romans 10:9-10
If you have never prayed that prayer, you can make that decision right now. You can say to God: “Dear God, I believe You sent Jesus to die on the cross for my sins, and I believe You raised Him from the dead. Right now I put my faith in Jesus Christ alone as my Lord and Savior.”
That is salvation. That is what this series is pointing to. And next week, we will look at the trunk of the tree — the importance of strong fellowship with other believers — as we continue to grow together in being planted and rooted in Christ.
Scripture References
- Psalm 1:1-5 — The blessed man planted by streams of water
- Jeremiah 17:5-8 — Cursed is the man who trusts in man; blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord
- Romans 1:18-31 — The consequences of rejecting God and suppressing truth
- Romans 8:5-6 — Living according to the flesh vs. the Spirit
- Matthew 16:21-27 — Peter rebukes Jesus; Jesus rebukes Peter for setting his mind on the things of man
- Ephesians 4:13-18 — Growing up into Christ; no longer tossed by waves of doctrine
- Colossians 3:1-3 — Set your minds on things above, not on earth
- 1 Peter 1:13-25 — Prepare your minds for action; set your hope fully on grace
- Acts 4:12 — Salvation is in no one else but Jesus Christ
- John 14:6 — Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life
- John 3:16-17 — God so loved the world that He gave His only Son
- Romans 10:9-10 — Confess with your mouth and believe in your heart