How Can You Be Blessed?

Psalm 1:1-6

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.
2 But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
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; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4 ¶ The ungodly [are] not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

As we look at this beautiful portion of the Bible we can discern many important lessons. The Word of God is infinite in its beauty and wisdom. We can always learn from any part of the Scriptures, even when it is a passage that we have read and studied many times. What we will expound in this message are a few simple points. There will be nothing new or startling, but that is Ecclesiastes 1:9 The thing that hath been, it [is that] which shall be; and that which is done [is] that which shall be done: and [there is] no new [thing] under the sun. When someone finds a new thing in the Bible, my advice is to run and hold tight to your money! When we returned to the U.S. after being in Mexico for language school for a year, a book titled 88 reasons Jesus will return in 1988 had been published and someone asked me about it. My answer was that none of the reasons came from the Bible because Jesus said: Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. We don’t need something new from the Bible, we need to relearn and obey what we have been taught for many years already. With that introduction we will consider:

I. The choice that faces us. Most of the decisions that we make are inconsequential, such as what we will have for Sunday dinner or perhaps which restaurant we will go to. I’m reminded of a restaurant called It Don’t Matter, so when someone is asked which place to eat and the stock answer of it doesn’t matter, the answer is clear! The most important decisions of our life are binary, that is we must decide between two options. In verse one of this Psalm we see a choice that one must make. We will either:
A. WALK with God – what does this mean? Well consider Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed? We must be in agreement with God. If we are to be in agreement with God, we must be changed, because God doesn’t and will not change. Malachi 3:6 For I [am] the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. God is not going to change so it is our responsibility to change to agree with God and His Word. We have to change our ideas about:

1. Sin – Sinful man will always make excuses for his sin or will try to deflect blame on to others. Adam in the Garden of Eden tried to blame Eve and even implied that God was at fault because He had give Eve to Adam for a wife. Eve then attempted to shift the blame to the serpent If we are to repent of our sin, we must own the sin. We must allow the Holy Spirit to show us our sin. He will do this by the use of the Word of God. Paul tells us in Romans 7:12-13 12 Wherefore the law [is] holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. 13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. To be saved we had to recognize our sinfulness, confess and repent of our sins. As born-agin believers we must recognize that sin is sin. We want to treat our sin as small and insignificant but all sin is an offense against God. When we see the reality of sin as being exceeding sinful then we can deal with it as it merits.
2. Self – We like to think of ourselves as being the center of the universe, that we are something special. The truth is that we are special to our Creator, but He is to be the center of our world. John the Baptist said in John 3:30 He must increase, but I [must] decrease. His will, His desire, His thoughts, He must grow each day in our hearts if we are to be blessed. If we allow the flesh (the self) to rule we can only expect to end life with an empty heart and a misspent life. Jesus said that The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly. John 10:10. Life comes from the Lord, to have life in abundance it is necessary to receive it from God. John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: Jesus is not only the source of life, He is life, without Him one only has a perishable physical life that is of short duration and without eternal meaning.
   B. WALK in the Flesh – The Scriptures are clear about the fruit of the flesh and it’s not a pretty picture. Galatians 5:19-21 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. This life produces:
3. Death Romans 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. The death here is much more than the physical death that all men face. It is describeed in Revelation 20:14-15 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
   15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Satan, the god of this world has deceived many with the lie that the ‘good life’ involves sin in its manifold forms, see the list of examples in Galatians chapter 5. The Devil makes it look so appealing but the fruit of it is very bitter. How many die alone, frightened and rueing a wasted life? 2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
4. Destruction – Drug use, including alcohol, sexual sins, greed, hate, envy and may other sins have wrought the destruction of lives and families for all of time. It is a sight thing to see a man or woman of talent and ability brought low by the addiction to whatever substance they have chosen. They are truly enslaved by the desires of the flesh. It not only destroys their lives but the corrosive effects reach out to family, friends and community. The most serious destruction is that the person that God created to fellowship with Him has destroyed that possibility by his or her rebellion.
5. Disgrace – People are ashamed of their sin, this is the reason that most evil is done under the cover of darkness. Places that are safe in the daytime can be a very dangerous place at night. The conscience that God has placed in all men gives testimony of the shame of sin. The world can see it, even if it takes some time for it to manifest itself. You see healthy, beautiful young folk in the ad for beer, but in a few years you would see the beer belly and perhaps the bloated belly that comes from cirrhosis of the liver from alcohol abuse It is not a pretty sight.
   II. The COURSE – Sin is a progressive disease, that is, it gets worse until life ends or until it is addressed. Sin is a disease of the soul. People often try to treat the symptoms without dealing with the true disease. The problem is not that someone is a drug addict, a thief, child molester or whatever. The problem is sin. Paul tells us of his own experience, which is that of all men. Romans 7:23-24 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? His cry of desperation reflects the futility of trying to treat symptoms without dealing with the true disease. One who suffers from tuberculosis is not helped by merely treating the cough, the disease must be eliminated or the patient will die. The same is true for a sinner, he may stop drinking or stealing, but if his sin is not dealt with death, eternal death will be the result. Also in many if not most cases it has been my experience and the experience of many whom I have talked with that the cease of the symptoms of sin is only temporary. With the understanding that the end of sin is eternal death. This death is much more than the physical death that awaits us all. We find it described in Revelation 20:11-15 11 ¶ And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. We will look at the course of sin that we see in verse one of our passage. Experience and observation will show us that just as people grow and change through various stages of life so does the sin which drives so much of the world. Think of:
   A. WALKING in the counsel of the ungodly. It is a sad fact that our young people often learn from many ungodly sources. They are taught by the popular culture (movies, music etc) to reject that which is pure and holy and embrace that which is perverse and evil. The more wicked and perverse a person is, the more honors and praise it seems is heaped on them. Again we read in Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed? the company that we keep has a great influence on us. It influences our ideas and values and then our actions. If we walk with the world we agree with the world. Our walk is our way of life, the places we go, the tv and movies we watch, the music we listen to, the conversations we have, in other words our walk is our life. Think about how you spend your time, it will tell you a lot about your walk.
   B. STANDING in the way indicates that the association has advanced from friendship to now it is more intimate companionship. While walking in the counsel might be seen as friendship with sinners, considering their ideas and learning from them. Standing in the way of sinners I think is a picture of one who, due to the influence of the world, now the association is more intimate. The situation has gone from friendship to participation with the sinners. Lot is a good illustration of this. Genesis 13:12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched [his] tent toward Sodom. Then we see Genesis 19:1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing [them] rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; He is sitting in the gate of the city, this means that he has joined himself with those of the city and has acquired a position of importance. He has become one of them! the transition was nearly complete. We see then that the next step is:
   C. SITTING in the Seat of the Scornful – The word translated scornful carries the meaning of arrogant, boastful and scornful. This perfectly describes so many of our present generation.. They boast of their wisdom, accomplishment and self-sufficiency. They think they have no need of God nor are they subject to any law but that of their own making, and then exempt themselves from their own law so they can follow their basest impulses. I’m afraid that our present society is filled with this type of person.
   III. What do youCHERISH – We see the man who is blessed. He:
   A. CHERISHES the Word of God. He realizes that the most precious thing in our possession is the Word of God. He loves and treasures the Word more than his own life. It is by that Word that we learn of the precious things that can be ours by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of these things are:
6. The Love of our Creator. So many in our world are merely going through life waiting for something that will make their lives meaningful. Some seek only oblivion. They seek this in dissipation and debauchery. They know not how to love nor how to receive love. Most of what the world calls love is simple animal lust and if this is what love is then the animals of the field are as capable of love as any person is. True love is not an emotion that is beyond our control. It is an act of one’s will, an act that is a decision to do the best for the object of one’s love regardless of the cost. Jesus sacrifice on the Cross is the supreme example of true love. We will not go into the different Greek words translated love in the New Testament, it is enough to say John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. When there was nothing lovely in us Jesus loved us and gave Himself to save us from our sins. We learn this in greater depth as we love and study His Word.
7. The Salvation that is our in Jesus Christ. Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. We learn of our guilt for sin by the Word of God, we learn of the penalty for sin by the Word of God and we learn of salvation by the Word of God. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The things that the world counts as precious shall all be burned up someday. Have you ever considered that gold which the world seeks with such fervor is nothing more than paving material and it’s of greater purity than has ever been seen on Earth Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
8. The Wonder Future that awaits the saved.1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. We cannot imagine neither the wonders of Heaven nor the horrors of Hell, but those who are in Christ Jesus can say along with Paul: 2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
   B. CONTEMPLATES the Word. The Word of God should be:
9. Read – In our fast paced world the sad truth is most Christians find it more and more difficult to make time for simply reading their Bibles. I mean to read it with attention. It is very common for people to read the words of a chapter and after reading every word not to have understood a single thought contained in the chapter. We are trained to multitask, but the Word should have our full attention when we are reading it.
10. Study it – It is not the job of the pastor or teacher only to read and study the Word of God. We are so blessed to have so may resources to help us understand the Bible. When we come to a word that we are familiar with, a dictionary should be used. When we encounter customs or ceremonies that we don’t understand we should seek out help, perhaps from our pastor or a trusted teacher, but we have access to many books that are of great help. But in any case a concordance should be used to help find verses that can shed light on the subject at hand. The best commentary on the Bible is the Bible itself.
11. Obey it – It seems so simple, but it’s the simple truth that reading and knowing the Bible is of little use if we don’t obey. We learn by the Scripture that among other things, this list is by no means complete but will serve to illustrate, we are to:
    a. Be baptized in a scriptural manner
    b.Pray
    c. Attend church
    d. Tithe
    e. Witness
    f. Seek the will of God for our lives
    IV. The CARE of the Lord – We see that our safety and our very lives are in the hands of God and He cares for us. Any success we have is a gift from God to be used for His honor and His glory. The place we live, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, our health, everything we have and everything we are is because God has given us it.

May God Bless You

Mike Scott, Pastor
Faith Baptist Church