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. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”

Introduction:

(This sermon began by reciting our church’s memory verses which were  Isaiah 64.4, Psalm 125:1-2,  Deuteronomy 7:9, Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Proverbs 3:5-7, Matthew 10:28, 1 Timothy 2:5, John 1:12-13, 1 John 1:8-9, Romans 8:1, Titus 3:3-7, 1 Peter 1:3-5, Romans 11:33-36, Romans 12:1-2, Colossians 3:1-3, 1 John 2:15-17, Matthew 10:28, Psalm 62:5-8, James 1:2-5, James 1:12, Philippians 2:5-13, Philippians 1:6, and Psalm 1:5-6) There are 2 reasons why I began this sermon by reciting this our fighter verses from last year.  First is my own testimony with these verses this past year. These verses have nourished my soul many times. The second is fueled by the first as I hope that reminding you of the Word which you have hidden in your hearts this past year will motivate you to press on in 2017. The second The Word of God is sweet beloved and as we saw a couple of weeks ago at the end of 2 Timothy 3, it is “able to make you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus…breathed out by God…profitable for teaching…for correction, and for training in righteousness” so that you “may be complete, equipped for every good work.”   The elders of Sovereign Hope Church have determined to dedicate the first sermon preached in each new year to be an exhortation toward more commitment to the Word and Prayer so that, as a church, we will be equipped for every good work. For the rest of our time, I want focus our attention on Psalm 1, examine its truths together, and share with you the impact it has made on my faith. This past year my eyes were opened to see the beauty of this Psalm in all of it’s splendor. And as I set it in my heart, I found that it lit a fire in my belly causing my delight in the word and prayer to be strengthened the more I meditated on it.  My prayer has been that as we slow down to consider the opening to the great prayer book of the Bible, it will do the same for you.  The title of this sermon is “Blessings of proper delight” and there are two primary observations from our text, How to become a blessed man and what true blessing looks like.  Look with me at the opening of Psalm 1.

“Blessed is the man..”

The Psalm opens with the most enticing statement.  The Hebrew word is ‘ehsher and it means ‘ “happy” in the rich, full sense of happiness” With this statement the psalm draws us in with our ears perked.  This is what we all desire right?  True happiness. Of this opening Charles Spurgeon comments, “The word translated “blessed” is a very expressive one. The original word is plural, and it is a controverted matter whether it is an adjective or a substantive. Hence we may learn the multiplicity of the blessings which shall rest upon the man whom God hath justified, and the perfection and greatness of the blessedness he shall enjoy. We might read it, “Oh, the blessednesses!” and we may well regard it (as Ainsworth does) as a joyful acclamation of the gracious man’s felicity.” Intense happiness is set before us, beloved, and we are given the answer on how to become this kind of blessed/happy man.  

How to become a blessed man (verses 1-2):

The psalm reveals this in verses 1 and 2  by providing two objectives that lead to this blessedness. First, flee from the influence and pursuits of the wicked.  “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.”  The man who wants to be exceedingly blessed does not walk in wicked counsel.  He does not heed their advice and go where they say pleasure is.  He does not stand with sinners, settling his steps of life in their direction.  And he does not sit in the seat of scoffers, mocking the grace and discipline of word of the Lord. Notice the progression of sin. Sin is so deceptive. At first it is only heeding counsel. “Pursue your pleasure…God wants you to be happy.”  Then, as the their counsel entices us towards sin, it becomes more habitual and we start make decisions that are no different than the way of the world.  Until the point in which we are fully comfortable sitting in our sin and subtly (often inadvertently) scoffing at the word of God.  Blessed is the man who never begins to walk in their counsel, who avoids standing in their way and refuses to sit and scoff. The first objective is what the blessed man does not do and is familiar to us.   The second objective is often the one I believe we miss. Notice the transition of verse 2, “But..”  What does the blessed man do? “But his delight is in the law of the Lord.” The goal is not just, don’t follow the path of the wicked, follow the path of God.  It is much more.  Delight is the goal, not mere conformity. We won’t become the blessed man by simply buckling down, reading the word, and avoiding sin. We need something more. Because the Word reveals it is not that we struggle to know what we ought to do but that we struggle to delight in what we ought to delight in. In other words, we do not have a head issue, we have a heart issue. And what this Psalm declares is that blessings abound, not simply with proper action, but with proper delight.  We need to delight in God.  Notice that the Psalm says, “his delight is in the law of the Lord.” The blessed man delights in the law because it is the word of God.  Listen to the words of the english puritan Jeremiah Burroughs, “First, when you come to hear the Word, if you would sanctify God’s name, you must possess your souls with what it is you are going to hear, that what you are going to hear is the Word of God…” Let the words of Psalm 1 sink into your heart, “Blessed is the man who…delights is in the law of the Lord.”   Now, you may be thinking, “Oh great! Now it is not just my actions that I need to correct but it is my heart. How can I possibly do that?!” The immediate answer is You can’t. But the wonderfully freeing news is you can’t, but God has and will do it.  Do you remember the words of 1 Peter 3-5 that we memorized last year?  According to the great mercy of God, “He has caused us to be born again to a living hope…”  If you are in Christ, He has given you new affections. If you have trusted in the goodness and loving kindness of God, revealed in Jesus Christ, God has and will give you proper delight.  Yes, we “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” because “God is at work within us.”  So, how do we encourage our hearts to delight in God and His word? I believe the answer is before us in this Psalm. Look again at the end of verse 2, “on His law he meditates day and night.” We encourage our hearts to delight in God by connecting to the means of grace that God has provided. That is what the end of verse 2 is telling us, meditating on the Word day and night is the key to delight. I am confident that our delight will grow as we go beyond simply reading the word and seek to meditate on the word in every waking hour. Before we think on how to do this, I think is important to first examine the motivation provided by Psalm 1. This brings is to our second observation

What true blessing looks like (verses 3-6):

Psalm 1 provides us with 3 blessings of proper delight.   First, “he will be like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in it’s season.”  The analogy is clear and it is definitely not lost on us here in the valley. We know what a difference being planted by streams of water would be and how important water is to the life of a fruit tree. A tree planted by streams of water has an unyielding supply of water flowing to the roots.  And, because of this, when it comes time for the harvest, it yields a bountiful crop. There is never a bad year, never a small crop, just fruit ready to eat in season.  I believe fruit here points to 2 aspects of the Christian life.  

1. The fruit of the Spirit. In Galatians 5:22-23, the word says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” When teaching this Psalm, Charles Spurgeon writes, “the man who delights in God’s Word, being taught by it, bringeth forth patience in the time of suffering, faith in the day of trial, and holy joy in the hour of prosperity.”Do you want to yield the fruit of the Spirit in various season of life? Delight in God and meditate on His word day and night.  
2. Fruit nourishes those who eat of the tree. We all know people who we long to be around because they nourish our souls. Their spirit is refreshing. Do you desire to be that kind of person? Do you want to be someone ready to bear the fruit of the Gospel and encourage those around you? Delight in God and meditate on His word day and night.

Notice with me that the Psalm is not speaking of fruit that we force to produce in times of need, it is fruit that is ready and available in season. Delight in God and meditate on His word day and night and you will be planted by streams of grace, streams of faith, streams of joy, peace, and steadfast love. And you will yield fruit in season, both for yourself and others.   The second blessing is in the middle of verse 3 “it’s leaf will not wither”. Not only will he bear fruit in season but he will not wither under scorching heat of the fiery trials of life.  When trials come he will remain steadfast.  How did Paul, Peter, John, Stephen, David, or Daniel remain steadfast under the intense trials of their lives? Their delight was in the law of the Lord and on it they meditated day and night.  Oh beloved, read of the saints of old and how they persevered and what will you find?  They were saturated with the Word. So, they stood the test and received the crown. Do you want to be prepare for suffering like them?  Do you want to remain steadfast?  Delight in God and meditate on His word and your “leaf will not wither”.    The final blessing is found at the end of verse 3, “in all he does he prospers.” I think  we should be careful here to first reorient our thoughts biblically before clinging to this blessing because when we think of prospering, we tend to only think of material things on earth.  When we think of prospering, we think of our jobs, or families, or love life.  We think of our wealth and toys.  Our health and comforts. Pause for a moment and think on the list of saints I mentioned (Paul, Peter, John, Stephen, David, and Daniel).  What do you remember of their lives? Pursued by evil men, False Imprisonment, shipwrecks, crucifixion upside down, beheading, stoning, and being thrown to the lions. Certainly, there are ways in which the Lord prospers us in this life and promises to do so. But the primary way in which I think this Psalm is speaking of prospering is in eternal glory.  Why do I say that?  Look at the contrast of the wicked in verses 4-6. “The wicked are not so.” They are not blessed and prosperous. Even though we see many wicked people who have everything we deem as prosperous, the Word says they are not so. When this Psalm ponders true happiness & prosperity, it’s sight is set on the value of eternal glory. Look again at verses 4-6 again “The wicked are not so but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the of judgement nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.For the Lord knows the way of the righteous. But the way of the wicked will perish.” On the final day of judgement, when deeds are exposed, the prosperity of the wicked will vanish and they will be in eternal anguish outside of the congregation of the righteous. But righteous are known by the Lord, will stand in the day of judgment and receive the glory given to the saints forever and ever. Oh Beloved, do you see the blessings of proper delight? You may commit your ways to him this year and still lose your job, a family member may pass, or persecutions and sufferings may come.  Your finances may tighten or health deteriorate.  You may see the wicked around you prosper more than you.  But know that you will be blessed if you delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on His word day and night. You will yield fruit in season, your leaf will not wither, and you will prosper for all eternity.    

Practical Tools:

We have seen How to become the blessed man and What true blessings look like, now let’s answer what meditation is? The word “meditation” in Hebrew literally means to mutter or speak. When this is done to ourselves, we call it meditation or musing. So meditating on the Word of God day and night, at it’s most basic meaning, is speaking the Word of God to yourself all day long.  Charles Spurgeon puts it this way, “The blessed man…takes a text and carries it with him all day long; and in the night-watches, when sleep forsakes his eyelids, he museth upon the Word of God.”  I had the privilege of taking Donald Whitney’s course on “Spiritual Disciplines”  and reading his book this past summer and he has also been very helpful for me here.  He writes, “The kind of meditation encouraged in the Bible differs from other kinds of meditation in several ways. While some advocate a kind of meditation in which you do your best to empty your mind, Christian meditation involves filling your mind with God and His truth. For some, meditation is an attempt to achieve complete passivity, but biblical meditation requires constructive mental activity.” He goes on to say, “let’s define meditation as deep thinking of the truths and spiritual realities reveal in Scripture or upon life from a scriptural perspective, for the purposes of understanding, application, and prayer.” One of the reasons I loved his class and book so much is that he gives 17 simple, tangible ways to meditate on the word, even if you have little time to sit down and read. As we conclude, I want to give you 3 ways I meditate on the word day and night.

1. Read the Word with Purpose. Read the bible to yourself outloud as though you were reading it to others and could not provide any explanation. One of the most profoundly impactful assignments that I was required to complete in my undergraduate studies was to prepare and read Romans 9:1-12 outloud to the class.  The assignment was simple, read the scripture as though it was being spoken by Paul and relay the meaning through emphasizing the right words and sentiments. Ever since then, some of the sweetest time I have in the word are when I simply slow down to read the word properly outloud to myself. Listen to the difference this would make if you did this with our fighter verse for next week. Most of the time we read the word like this  “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”  Instead, Read the Word with purpose out loud to yourself like this. “The grass withers, the flower fades, BUT The Word of Our God WILL STAND forever.” One way to meditate on the word day and night is through reading the word with purpose.

2. Memorize the Word with Purpose. Memorize with the intention of speaking it to yourself throughout the day. This has probably been the most gut checking and fruitful challenges I received from Donald Whitney’s class.  I tend to be a task oriented person and I can drag that personality trait into my walk with God.  During the spiritual disciplines course, I was confronted with the disheartening realization that, for most of the year, I had made the fighter verses simply a task to complete.  A box to check off in order to not look foolish on Sundays. As I was confronted with Psalm 1 and the lectures from Whitney, I repented and began to use the fighter verses for meditation instead. What I found is that there is no better way to meditate on the word than through memorizing it with the purpose of speaking it to myself throughout the day.  What would this look like?  Again, allow me to use next week’s fighter verse. “The grass withers, the flower fades.” Nothing lasts in this life Ben.  The grass turns brown and withers, the flower, though beautiful in full bloom eventually loses its glory and fades.  “But the word of our God will stand forever.”  The word of God is like nothing else. It will not fade, it will not wither under the pressure of this world.  It will stand under the weight and test of time. It’s glory will always shine forever. So, I can trust it.  I can lean on its wisdom for it has stood the test and will forever.  One way to meditate on the word day and night is through memorizing the word with purpose.  

3. Pray the Word with Purpose. I believe this is why Psalm 1 is at the beginning of the prayer book of the Bible. The Psalter is a collection of prayers and Psalm 1 stands at it’s head calling us to meditate on the Word day and night because, as John Piper puts it, “The Word of God inspires prayer, it informs prayer and it incarnates prayer.”If you desire to fight anxiety this year, take Psalm 62:5, “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence. For my hope is from Him.”  And pray for God’s help sealing that in your heart.  “Oh God my hope is from you.  Help me to wait on your word.  Help me to rest in your counsel.  I will not move without you.” I have done this and it helps.If you desire to serve your spouse or love others better this year, take Philippians 2:3-5, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves… Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” and pray for God’s help, “Oh God teach me to be like Christ. Teach me to love others and to sacrifice my life for them.  Keep me from selfish ambition.  Cause my heart to think first on others for the sake of your glory.” I have done this and it helps.If you desire to overcome temptation to desire worldly things this year, take 1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him…for all that is in the world…is not from the Father but from the world, and the world is passing away with its desires” and pray for God’s help resisting temptation, “Lord I know that the world is passing away.  I know the desires of my flesh and eyes and my pride are not from you.  Keep me in your love and help me not to love this world.” I have done this, and it helps. If you are struggling under the weight of a trial, take James 1:2-3, “Consider it all joy…when you face trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be complete.” and pray “God grant me wisdom in this trial. Help me not to move out from it but to let it have its full effect.  Give me more faith through this.” I have done this and it helps.

One way to meditate on the word day and night is through praying the word with purpose.

Conclusion:

The wonderful reality of these 3 ways of meditating on Scripture is they feed into each other.  If you are Reading the word with purpose, you will memorize the word with purpose and you will pray the word with purpose.  And as you are faithfully doing these things day and night your delight in God and His word will grow. “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 one His law he meditates day and night.”   Today is communion Sunday, as the worship team is coming up and we approach the table of communion, I encourage you to do so in light of this text.  Communion is a time to remember, to remember that what you could not do, Christ has done. It’s a time to remember that sinners will not stand in the day of judgement. It’s a time to remember that sinners will not be in the congregation of the righteous. But it’s also a time to remember that there is a place where mercy reigns. There is a place where sin and shame are powerless. Beloved, at the cross, the love of God ran red for you. He has washed your sin white as snow and He has given you affections that you did not have. He will give you the power to walk through this life and He will bring His work in you to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Let us reflect in this time on how our meditation on the Word is going and let us commit our ways to Him more in 2017.