Psalm 1
Blessed, 27 December 2015
28 12 15
Blessed
Psalm 1
Big Idea: Blessed is the person who knows the LORD.
Introduction
Good morning! Welcome to that odd, in-between Sunday. The gifts are opened, maybe you’ve spent time returning that ugly sweater or unwanted fruitcake (can you return a fruitcake?!). The decorations are ready for the attic. You might be thinking about using that gift card to buy a treadmill or join Planet Fitness. New Year’s Eve parties (including the biggest of all, right here at 7 PM!) and bowl games are right around the corner. Parents might be ready for school to resume, kids enjoy every moment of freedom.
We look back at Christmas and look forward to New Year’s.
We look back at 2015 and look forward to 2016.
We’re going Back to the Future!
It’s that odd, in-between Sunday!
Rather unexpectedly, the Psalms became a focal point during our Advent series. Advent itself is an odd, in-between time, looking back at baby Jesus and looking forward to the Return of the King.
As we near the end of 2015, we’re going to go to the beginning of the Psalms and look at Psalm 1 together.
Blessed…(Psalm 1:1a)
Do you want to be blessed? I often here people pray, “LORD, bless me” or “LORD, bless so-and-so.”
Have you been blessed in 2015?
God bless us all in 2016!
The word “blessed” or “asrey” in Hebrew means…blessed, happy, a heightened state of happiness and joy, implying very favorable circumstances, often resulting from the kind acts of God.
Like joy, blessings are not related to our circumstances. Blessings are not obtained by seeking them, but rather they are often a side benefit from choices we make…or don’t make. A wise man said that happiness is like a cat. Seek it and it will run from you. But go about your business steadily day by day and soon it comes and curls up at your feet. How true, although I’m not a big cat fan!
In biblical terms to be blessed meant to be rightly related to God so that your life was fulfilled and you experienced deep personal satisfaction. Who wants that?!
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, (Psalm 1:1)
Did you ever stop and think your actions are a factor in God’s blessing? It seems clear here. Note the contrast. Walk with the wicked or love the law, the Torah, God’s Word.
Notice this psalm begins with a negative. A person is blessed if they don’t walk, or stand or sit. That’s in interesting progression. In each instance evildoers are involved. We are not to walk with the wicked. That could be a casual interaction. We are not to stand with sinners. That could be a more involved conversation. We are not to sit with mockers, perhaps to avoid becoming like them.
You are your friends. Jim Rohn says it this way: “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.”
We need to invest our lives into those who don’t yet know Jesus, but we must guard ourselves from their influence. Like someone rescuing a drowning person, we must be careful to ensure we don’t get dragged down while we are attempting to serve others.
Often dangerous people look nice. Who’s going to come up to you and say, “I’m an unsafe person who will deceive and harm you?” Can you imagine a stranger approaching you wearing a “Let’s go to Hell together” t-shirt?! But this world is filled with wicked, proud-of-their-sin mockers. Notice I didn’t just say sinners since we’re all sinners. What’s your attitude toward your sin?
We are to be in the world but not of the world. This can be tricky.
The progression is walk, stand sit; think, behave, belong.
The psalm begins by telling us what not to do if we want to be blessed, but what should we do instead?
…but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. (Psalm 1:2)
Your delight determines your direction. Do you delight in the law of the LORD? Do you delight in the Bible? Do you delight in God?
Which is more popular, partying with pagans or going to a Bible study? Which is more fun? Which is the pathway to blessing?
I know I’m not supposed to say this, but sometimes I struggle to read the Bible. There are times I’d rather read blogs than the Bible. But no blog can offer the wisdom, inspiration, and transformation found in the living Word of God. And it is an exciting book. If you think it’s boring, you’ve either never read it or you have an ancient translation you don’t understand. In either case, we have free Bibles in modern English available for you at the Information Center in the lobby. Please take one…and read it! Or read it online (more about that later).
The other day I was talking with David Sankovich in the office and I said, “Did you know there’s a story in the Bible about someone speaking with the dead?” He knew. Did you? There’s accounts of donkeys talking, the dead raised, the earth swallowing up households, a woman driving a peg through a man’s temple, God serving frosted flakes to thousands—if not millions—of people…and that’s all before Revelation!
Do you want to be blessed? Get into the Word! Is your faith weak? Get into the Word!
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. (Romans 10:17)
You can read and listen to and study God’s Word, the holy scriptures, the Bible. Throughout history many have been unable to read. Most of us are able to read, but we can also listen to it as you are now, or online or via recording.
Much of Psalm 119—the longest chapter in the Bible—is devoted to God’s Word. Of course, it’s not enough to read or listen to the Bible, or even know it intellectually. We must obey it. We must do what it says. Why? Because Daddy knows best. God’s ways are higher than ours. Blessed is the one who delights in God’s Word.
…but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. (Psalm 1:2)
What is the object of your delight?
On Friday we saw children delighting in their Christmas gifts.
On Friday we saw adults delighting in their Christmas gifts!
Young lovers delight in…one another.
Sports fans delight in their teams, especially when they win.
The word for “meditate” means to digest thoroughly. I like that!
“Day and night’ means anytime, but it could also mean from the beginning of the day to its end.
Reading
Studying
Memorizing
LORD, help me to want to know You and Your Word! I want to want you!
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1:3)
I love this image for many reasons. First, I love water. I often feel closest to God when I’m near water…and ocean, a lake, a river, a stream…sometimes a drinking fountain will do!
I’m…uh…blessed to be able to see Swan Creek in my backyard during this time of year when the leaves have fallen. I could spend all day watching and listening to the current. Water is life. Our bodies are about 60% water. We obviously need it to live.
So do trees! Trees with access to water will grow and become fruitful.
A tree planted by a stream is usually stable. Its root system is often greater than the tree seen above the ground.
How do you know when a tree has good roots? When the storms come!
Have you ever noticed apple trees produce apples? Orange trees produce oranges.
As we delight in God, our lives will produce godliness.
As we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will bear the fruit of the Spirit:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Psalm 1 continues…
Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. (Psalm 1:4)
“Not so” the wicked. They are not like the righteous…at all!
Chaff is like peanut shells, waste. The wisdom of the wicked is waste. Garbage.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. (Psalm 1:5-6)
I used to think “stand in the judgment” meant to appear and be present at the judgment, to show up. It means “stand” as in “stand up, stand firm.” Without roots, trees will fall. Without righteousness, the wicked will not pass the judgment. The winds of judgment will blow them over like chaff.
The righteous will stand. The righteous will not blow down or be blown away. They will be like a strong, healthy tree with deep roots, surviving the windy storms and surviving God’s judgment.
The LORD knows the ways of the righteous, like a dad knows his children.
The wicked will eventually perish. It might not be today. Things might not seem fair now, but on Judgment Day God will have the final word.
Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Are you ready? Are your roots deep? Are you grounded in God’s Word or being sucked downstream by the current of the culture?
I pray we would be rooted in the Bible in 2016 (and every year!).
So What?
My first resolution for next year is to listen more…to God’s Word. Will you join me?
For the last several years I’ve done a Bible reading plan. I have done many different ones, but my favorite I’m about to finish this year and I can’t wait to do it again. It’s called One Story and it takes you through the key stories of the Bible in one year. The plan shows how the many stories of the Bible make up one interconnected story – God’s story. The plan calls for reading between one to three chapters of Scripture a day from three separate chapters (i.e. the main storyline and key cross references), six days per week. It’s not only the greatest hits of the Bible, it is beautifully constructed to link the Old and New Testaments in ways I’ve never seen before.
If you have YouVersion, it’s simply to access. Go to
https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/1395-ownit365-one-story-plan
If you visit http://ownit365.com/pick-a-plan/one-story/ you can not only access the plan, there’s also study guides and videos you can use on your own, with your family, or in your Sunday School or small group.
I’m not merely asking you to read the Bible next year. I’m inviting you to read it with me and the rest of us…together. If you miss some days, it’s not a problem. There’s power in reading the same passages. You’ll always have something to discuss when you get together.
I have a second resolution for next year: to talk more…with God.
Prayer is a beautiful gift. We have 24/7 access to the Creator of the universe!!! But it’s hard. Just as I’d sometimes rather read blogs than the Bible, sometimes I’d rather talk to my friends than to my heavenly Father.
We have been invited to join churches across Toledo in three exciting prayer intiatives:
a. Church Together 21 Day Corporate Fast, praying for our city January 1 through 21 while fasting from one meal each day…or whatever God may be leading you to give up during those three weeks (Facebook, TV, desserts, etc.).
b. 40 Day Prayer Journey with the same area churches beginning Sunday, January 3 and blanketing the seven key aspects of society.
c. Toledo Prays citywide prayer gathering on Thursday, January 7.
I believe Toledo’s best days are ahead and I believe First Alliance’s best days are ahead, but I believe they will only occur if we partner together with brothers and sisters of other churches at the foot of the cross, seeking the direction, protection, and power of Jesus Christ.
Begin the new year in God’s Word. You’ll be blessed. Read with us.
If you have not yet done so, I encourage you to sign up for one or more of the prayer initiatives. Begin the new year on your knees. Pray with us. You’ll never regret it!
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here. You can subscribe to the free FAC Focus e-newsletter here.
Psalm 1
Big Idea: Blessed is the person who knows the LORD.
Introduction
Good morning! Welcome to that odd, in-between Sunday. The gifts are opened, maybe you’ve spent time returning that ugly sweater or unwanted fruitcake (can you return a fruitcake?!). The decorations are ready for the attic. You might be thinking about using that gift card to buy a treadmill or join Planet Fitness. New Year’s Eve parties (including the biggest of all, right here at 7 PM!) and bowl games are right around the corner. Parents might be ready for school to resume, kids enjoy every moment of freedom.
We look back at Christmas and look forward to New Year’s.
We look back at 2015 and look forward to 2016.
We’re going Back to the Future!
It’s that odd, in-between Sunday!
Rather unexpectedly, the Psalms became a focal point during our Advent series. Advent itself is an odd, in-between time, looking back at baby Jesus and looking forward to the Return of the King.
As we near the end of 2015, we’re going to go to the beginning of the Psalms and look at Psalm 1 together.
Blessed…(Psalm 1:1a)
Do you want to be blessed? I often here people pray, “LORD, bless me” or “LORD, bless so-and-so.”
Have you been blessed in 2015?
God bless us all in 2016!
The word “blessed” or “asrey” in Hebrew means…blessed, happy, a heightened state of happiness and joy, implying very favorable circumstances, often resulting from the kind acts of God.
Like joy, blessings are not related to our circumstances. Blessings are not obtained by seeking them, but rather they are often a side benefit from choices we make…or don’t make. A wise man said that happiness is like a cat. Seek it and it will run from you. But go about your business steadily day by day and soon it comes and curls up at your feet. How true, although I’m not a big cat fan!
In biblical terms to be blessed meant to be rightly related to God so that your life was fulfilled and you experienced deep personal satisfaction. Who wants that?!
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, (Psalm 1:1)
Did you ever stop and think your actions are a factor in God’s blessing? It seems clear here. Note the contrast. Walk with the wicked or love the law, the Torah, God’s Word.
Notice this psalm begins with a negative. A person is blessed if they don’t walk, or stand or sit. That’s in interesting progression. In each instance evildoers are involved. We are not to walk with the wicked. That could be a casual interaction. We are not to stand with sinners. That could be a more involved conversation. We are not to sit with mockers, perhaps to avoid becoming like them.
You are your friends. Jim Rohn says it this way: “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.”
We need to invest our lives into those who don’t yet know Jesus, but we must guard ourselves from their influence. Like someone rescuing a drowning person, we must be careful to ensure we don’t get dragged down while we are attempting to serve others.
Often dangerous people look nice. Who’s going to come up to you and say, “I’m an unsafe person who will deceive and harm you?” Can you imagine a stranger approaching you wearing a “Let’s go to Hell together” t-shirt?! But this world is filled with wicked, proud-of-their-sin mockers. Notice I didn’t just say sinners since we’re all sinners. What’s your attitude toward your sin?
We are to be in the world but not of the world. This can be tricky.
The progression is walk, stand sit; think, behave, belong.
The psalm begins by telling us what not to do if we want to be blessed, but what should we do instead?
…but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. (Psalm 1:2)
Your delight determines your direction. Do you delight in the law of the LORD? Do you delight in the Bible? Do you delight in God?
Which is more popular, partying with pagans or going to a Bible study? Which is more fun? Which is the pathway to blessing?
I know I’m not supposed to say this, but sometimes I struggle to read the Bible. There are times I’d rather read blogs than the Bible. But no blog can offer the wisdom, inspiration, and transformation found in the living Word of God. And it is an exciting book. If you think it’s boring, you’ve either never read it or you have an ancient translation you don’t understand. In either case, we have free Bibles in modern English available for you at the Information Center in the lobby. Please take one…and read it! Or read it online (more about that later).
The other day I was talking with David Sankovich in the office and I said, “Did you know there’s a story in the Bible about someone speaking with the dead?” He knew. Did you? There’s accounts of donkeys talking, the dead raised, the earth swallowing up households, a woman driving a peg through a man’s temple, God serving frosted flakes to thousands—if not millions—of people…and that’s all before Revelation!
Do you want to be blessed? Get into the Word! Is your faith weak? Get into the Word!
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. (Romans 10:17)
You can read and listen to and study God’s Word, the holy scriptures, the Bible. Throughout history many have been unable to read. Most of us are able to read, but we can also listen to it as you are now, or online or via recording.
Much of Psalm 119—the longest chapter in the Bible—is devoted to God’s Word. Of course, it’s not enough to read or listen to the Bible, or even know it intellectually. We must obey it. We must do what it says. Why? Because Daddy knows best. God’s ways are higher than ours. Blessed is the one who delights in God’s Word.
…but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. (Psalm 1:2)
What is the object of your delight?
On Friday we saw children delighting in their Christmas gifts.
On Friday we saw adults delighting in their Christmas gifts!
Young lovers delight in…one another.
Sports fans delight in their teams, especially when they win.
The word for “meditate” means to digest thoroughly. I like that!
“Day and night’ means anytime, but it could also mean from the beginning of the day to its end.
Reading
Studying
Memorizing
LORD, help me to want to know You and Your Word! I want to want you!
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1:3)
I love this image for many reasons. First, I love water. I often feel closest to God when I’m near water…and ocean, a lake, a river, a stream…sometimes a drinking fountain will do!
I’m…uh…blessed to be able to see Swan Creek in my backyard during this time of year when the leaves have fallen. I could spend all day watching and listening to the current. Water is life. Our bodies are about 60% water. We obviously need it to live.
So do trees! Trees with access to water will grow and become fruitful.
A tree planted by a stream is usually stable. Its root system is often greater than the tree seen above the ground.
How do you know when a tree has good roots? When the storms come!
Have you ever noticed apple trees produce apples? Orange trees produce oranges.
As we delight in God, our lives will produce godliness.
As we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will bear the fruit of the Spirit:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Psalm 1 continues…
Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. (Psalm 1:4)
“Not so” the wicked. They are not like the righteous…at all!
Chaff is like peanut shells, waste. The wisdom of the wicked is waste. Garbage.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. (Psalm 1:5-6)
I used to think “stand in the judgment” meant to appear and be present at the judgment, to show up. It means “stand” as in “stand up, stand firm.” Without roots, trees will fall. Without righteousness, the wicked will not pass the judgment. The winds of judgment will blow them over like chaff.
The righteous will stand. The righteous will not blow down or be blown away. They will be like a strong, healthy tree with deep roots, surviving the windy storms and surviving God’s judgment.
The LORD knows the ways of the righteous, like a dad knows his children.
The wicked will eventually perish. It might not be today. Things might not seem fair now, but on Judgment Day God will have the final word.
Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Are you ready? Are your roots deep? Are you grounded in God’s Word or being sucked downstream by the current of the culture?
I pray we would be rooted in the Bible in 2016 (and every year!).
So What?
My first resolution for next year is to listen more…to God’s Word. Will you join me?
For the last several years I’ve done a Bible reading plan. I have done many different ones, but my favorite I’m about to finish this year and I can’t wait to do it again. It’s called One Story and it takes you through the key stories of the Bible in one year. The plan shows how the many stories of the Bible make up one interconnected story – God’s story. The plan calls for reading between one to three chapters of Scripture a day from three separate chapters (i.e. the main storyline and key cross references), six days per week. It’s not only the greatest hits of the Bible, it is beautifully constructed to link the Old and New Testaments in ways I’ve never seen before.
If you have YouVersion, it’s simply to access. Go to
https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/1395-ownit365-one-story-plan
If you visit http://ownit365.com/pick-a-plan/one-story/ you can not only access the plan, there’s also study guides and videos you can use on your own, with your family, or in your Sunday School or small group.
I’m not merely asking you to read the Bible next year. I’m inviting you to read it with me and the rest of us…together. If you miss some days, it’s not a problem. There’s power in reading the same passages. You’ll always have something to discuss when you get together.
I have a second resolution for next year: to talk more…with God.
Prayer is a beautiful gift. We have 24/7 access to the Creator of the universe!!! But it’s hard. Just as I’d sometimes rather read blogs than the Bible, sometimes I’d rather talk to my friends than to my heavenly Father.
We have been invited to join churches across Toledo in three exciting prayer intiatives:
a. Church Together 21 Day Corporate Fast, praying for our city January 1 through 21 while fasting from one meal each day…or whatever God may be leading you to give up during those three weeks (Facebook, TV, desserts, etc.).
b. 40 Day Prayer Journey with the same area churches beginning Sunday, January 3 and blanketing the seven key aspects of society.
c. Toledo Prays citywide prayer gathering on Thursday, January 7.
I believe Toledo’s best days are ahead and I believe First Alliance’s best days are ahead, but I believe they will only occur if we partner together with brothers and sisters of other churches at the foot of the cross, seeking the direction, protection, and power of Jesus Christ.
Begin the new year in God’s Word. You’ll be blessed. Read with us.
If you have not yet done so, I encourage you to sign up for one or more of the prayer initiatives. Begin the new year on your knees. Pray with us. You’ll never regret it!
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here. You can subscribe to the free FAC Focus e-newsletter here.