Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Bible Study / Summer Psalms

Psalm 1 06/03/01

Intro: Today we begin a new sermon series. For the summer we will look at a different Psalm each week. Why the Psalms? Listen. From an issue of Discipleship Journal we read...
    'Anatoli Shcharansky, a dissident Soviet Jew, kissed his wife goodbye as she left Russia for freedom in Israel.  His parting words to her were, "I'll see you soon in Jerusalem." But Anatoli was detained and finally imprisoned.  Their reunion in Jerusalem would not only be postponed, it might never occur.  During long years in Russian prisons and work camps Anatoli was stripped of his personal belongings.  His only possession was a miniature copy of the Psalms.  Once during his imprisonment, his refusal to release the book to the authorities cost him 130 days in solitary confinement. Finally, twelve years after parting with his wife, he was offered freedom.  In February 1986, as the world watched, Shcharansky was allowed to walk away from Russian guards toward those who would take him to Jerusalem.  But in the final moments of captivity, the guards tried again to confiscate the Psalms book.  Anatoli threw himself face down in the snow and refused to walk on to freedom without it.  Those words had kept him alive during imprisonment.  He would not go on to freedom without them.'

 That is the power of the Psalms.

Background
     You see, the Psalms relate to us the experiences of  the saints of the past. They tell of the emotional highs and lows associated with their walk as followers of the One True God. And we can identify with that today. In expressing the emotional side of the Spirit filled life the Book of Psalms is w/o peer.

     The Book of Psalms is also a part of what is called 'Wisdom Literature'. Wisdom literature contains practical counsel God has given to help us in our every day lives. Throughout the Psalms this practical counsel reveals a contrast between the wise or godly and the foolish or ungodly.

     The 6 verses of Psalm 1 set the tone and is a template for all 150 psalms. It is a psalm of instruction concerning the two ways of life: good and evil, blessing and cursing, life and death..the godly and the ungodly. The psalmist makes it very clear that each person who reads these words will be able to find themselves on one of these two ways.

Trans: What does the Psalmist say about the two ways of life? Open you Bible's to Psalm 1 where we will first see the way of the godly.

I. The way of the godly. (vs 1-3)
Read: Psalm 1:1

     Is there anyone here who doesn't want to live a life blessed by God? I didn't think so. The word  'blessed' here really means happy. In fact, the Hebrew grammar emphasizes the happy part. A literal translation might be 'O how exceedingly happy is the one who...'

     It is amazing that the thing we want most, to live a blessed and happy life is the very thing God wants us to have. God is not some cosmic killjoy who thinks up ways to make your life miserable...thats the job of a mother in law. Only kidding.

     But, since the Fall, God's blessings are showered upon those who are careful in the way they walk/live. It is important to come to grips with the fact that as Christian, there are some things we just can't do....and some things we must do,  if we hope to receive God's blessings and to be truly happy in life. First ...

    A. What not to do (vs 1)
 1. Does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.
     This means Christians are not to follow a course of action or a way of life that is offered by the wicked. The grammar is decisive. The one blessed is one who deliberately chooses, makes a conscious choice, not to follow the counsel or advice of the wicked. And we need to make that choice every day don't we?

     Wicked here does not mean rapist, axe murderer or terrorist. It comes from the Hebrew word for restless. It is one who simply does not have time for God and is disinterested in spiritual things. Does that fit the description of anyone you know anyone you are hanging out with?

Next, the one who is blessed...
 2. Does not stand in the path of sinners
     Stand means to stop. The idea being we stop to listen and we then become captivated by the lifestyle or way of the sinners. The word sinners is a bit worse than wicked. It refers to those who habitually sin. It connotes a movement toward establishing our own patterns of sinfulness.
    The one blessed by God and happy in life, does not adopt the lifestyle of those who live habitually in sin.

Finally, the one who is blessed...
 3. Does not sit in the seat of scoffers
     'Sit' is the Hebrew word meaning to dwell, remain or abide in. It emphasizes a  thoroughly settled state, comfortable, content with the world and it's anti God philosophy.
     'Scoffers' is a bad word in the Bible. It refers to those who openly rebel against God, who reject spiritual instruction and mock Godly people. They no longer hide or sneak around in their sin, they are openly defiant to God and ridicule Him and His ways.

     The one blessed by God and happy in life does not be counted with scorners.

Note: Did you notice the digression in this verse? People in sin will always go from bad to worse.
     At first they just walk in the counsel of the wicked, they listen and consider it, maybe even try it out now and again.
    Then, they stop walking and stand still. They get more interested in the ungodly lifestyle and begin to soak in the unhealthy rays of cynicism and irresponsibility. Their sin now becomes habitual .
    Till finally they take their seat among the scoffers. They become one of them. God mockers and totally disinterested in spiritual things.

ILL: G. Barns has done numerous surveys of Christians and he found that most evangelical Christians don't live any different than non Christians...perhaps you already knew that.

     Folks, the quickest way to become unhappy in life, the fastest way to lose your joy as a believer, the most certain way to miss out on the blessings of God,  is to begin to walk, stand and finally sit in the way of the ungodly. Now, I am not saying you shouldn't have friends who aren't believers. That is necessary if we are to be salt and light. But I am saying that we are not to think or live like them. Because their way is not our way.

     What is the Christian way? What do those who are blessed by God do?

    B. What to do (vs 2)
Read: Psalm 1:2
 1. Delight in the Law of the Lord
     What the Psalmist is saying is the one who is blessed takes joy in the Word of God. He does not see the Bible as a rigid set of restrictions that hamper or put a crimp in his style.

     Instead he sees the Word of God as that which brings great joy to his heart and is the source of true happiness in his life. He has found the joy associated with knowledge of and obedience to the Word of God in his life. He thrives on the living Word of God.

 2. Meditates on the Law of the Lord
    Jeremiah 15:16 ' Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.'

     That is the essence of meditation. It is reading, and ruminating on it. Thinking about it, chewing it and letting it settle on your palate, absorbing all the flavors. Then swallowing and making it a part of your very being.

Note: The church is not a social club nor is it a welfare organization. It is a spiritual body, a living organism, sustained and nurtured by living food which is the revealed Word of God. Everything in the life of the church and in our personal lives as Christians flows from and through God's Word.

    C. What will be the result  (vs 3)
Read: Psalm 1:3
 1. He will be planted like a tree
     Planted really is not a good translation.  Transplanted is better.  The idea is  Believers who abide in the Word of God will be taken out of the dessert of the worlds thinking and transplanted in soil that is fed by the river which is the Holy Spirit. the Word of God and the Spirit of God work together to give strength to the faithful believer in times of spiritual drought.

 2. He will yield fruit
     Not only will the faithful believer gain strength from the Holy Spirit when rooted in the Word of God, the Believer will yield fruit...Spiritual fruit coming from the Spirit of God flowing through them. Blessings from God will be in the form of spiritual fruit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control..

     Fruit is proof of the root. Where there is little or no fruit in the life of the Believer, it is usually an indication of shallow roots...a lack of depth in their passion for and obedience to the Word of God.  Too many Christians want the fruit w/o first establishing the root. It won't happen.

 3. He will not wither
     But where the root is deep, where the Believer is passionate about and obedient to the Word of God, there is not only fruit but endurance. You will not wither, fade or come up short. God promises to supply all your needs and bless you with endurance to run the race of life in Christ.

 4. He will prosper
     And you will prosper. The psalmist is not talking about material wealth  but spiritual prosperity. What you attempt for the Lord will be successful as you  are obedient to His Word and walk in His Spirit.

Trans: This is the way of the one who is exceedingly blessed by God. Isn't that wonderful? All that awaits the faithful Believer. But there is another way.

II. The way of the ungodly. (vs 4-5)
Read: Psalm 1:4
    A. What is it like (vs 4)
 1. It is not so
     Did you hear that? The wicked are not so. Brief and to the point. In fact the Psalmist doesn't really give us many details. He doesn't need to, He has said it all.

     This is what he is saying... Everything I said about blessings and fruit and strength and endurance and prosperity forget about it. They are not for the wicked, they are not for those who have little or no time for God in their lives. This is very strong language in the Hebrew.

 2. It is like chaff
    The Psalmist says let me give you an example... Instead of being like a tree firmly planted with deep roots and yielding fruit, the wicked, the ungodly are like chaff.  Do you know what chaff is? Let me help you visualize it. Chaff is the outer covering of grain. The grain is thrown into the air and the chaff because it is dry and brittle is blown away by the wind. It is then gathered and burned. The Psalmist is saying the ungodly, are like chaff: worthless, fruitless, weak, and will be destroyed. What a tragedy to spend your whole life on earth and end up with nothing of eternal value.

     The main idea the psalmist is making is that the way of the godly is nothing at all like the way of the ungodly. They have completely different sources for living, different purposes, different character and very different results.

   B. What are its results  (vs 5)
 1. The wicked will not stand in judgment
     This is not saying that they will not have to stand judgment before God. But that when they do, they won't have a leg to stand on. They will be w/o excuse and condemned by God.

 2. The wicked will not stand with the righteous
     The ungodly will not even be allowed to be in the same place as the godly who are blessed by God by being in His eternal, loving presence. They will not be allowed to stand with the righteous.

     This is not true here on earth. There are many who come to church, the assembly of the righteous and pass themselves off as Believers. But, it is not our responsibility to judge anothers salvation. Only God knows the heart and He will judge the hearts of all mankind.

 No matter how politically incorrect it may be to say this, it is still true. There will be...
III. A parting of the ways. (vs 6)
Read: Psalm 1:6a

    A. To life  (vs 6a)
     God knows the way of the righteous. For God to know means He is intimately concerned, in relationship with and watching over the way or life of those who are righteous, who are truly in Christ.  That is the greatest of all spiritual blessings...the eternal presence of God in the life of the Believer.

    But once again, not so with the ungodly.

    B. To death (vs 6b)
Read: Psalm 1:6b

     The way of the ungodly is death. The person who excluded God from his life, no matter what they may think, or what they may have done, is headed for certain destruction.

Num. 32:23 says you can be sure that your sin will find you out.

Ezek. 18:4 says the soul that sins shall die.

 The way of the ungodly is the way of death.

Conclusion
     Psalm 1 tells us that life is a journey of two ways...the wide way leading to destruction and the narrow way leading to life. The choice is yours, blessedness, fruitfulness, strength, endurance, prosperity and life or none of that and death.

     The sad truth is that the forces of our modern society, the belief systems and world view of unbelievers has replaced the priority of the Word of God in the lives of many professing Believer.   Too many professing believers are living unhappy lives, lives w/o experiencing the joys of the manifold blessings of God because they are either walking, standing or sitting with the ungodly and their ungodliness is rubbing off on them.

    Most Americans are familiar with the Robert Frosts poem 'The road not taken'.

     'Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference!'

     Has the road you have chosen to take truly made all the difference in your life with blessing, and fruit and endurance and happiness or is all this lacking?  We have been shown the way to blessedness...we have been shown the way to life.