HOW TO RECOGNIZE GODLINESS
PSALMS 1
1. Illus. of two magazine articles
• One was on famous femal movie star. She talked about her desire to accumulate wealth, popularity, and sexual promiscuity. “I’m not happy, and I don’t even know anybody who is!”
• The other article was about Mother Teresa. She talked about her pursuit of God, and how that pursuit had led her to ghettos of Calcutta India to work with lepers and impoverished. “I am filled with an overwhelming joy!”
• Thought, “that illustrates the two places people look for happiness and satisfaction.”
2. Many people, even many Christian people, are looking for happiness in the same places as the movie starlet. These people are convinced that if they can just get that next promotion, or if they can acquire enough stuff, or if they can accumulate just a little more money, life will be filled with happiness and satisfaction and purpose. Can I tell you a secret? In and of themselves, these things will not bring you what you are looking for! There is nothing wrong with these things. Its just that without God in the picture they will not satisfy!
3. There is another way! This Psalm is about the godly man, and it begins by saying, “blessed is the man…” The Hebrew phrase could be translated, “oh how very happy!” The key to happiness is in pursuing and attaining godliness. As a matter of fact, I am convinced that the amount of happiness and satisfaction in your life will be directly proportionate to the vigor with which you pursue God!
4. Text: Psalmist talks about the common characteristics shared by all godly people.
5. Today: We can recognize godliness in ourselves and others by looking for these common characteristics.
6. What are the characteristics of a godly person?
I. A GODLY PERSON AVOIDS EVIL COMPANIONS
1. See vs 1-
Walks not in the counsel of the ungodly… Doesn’t conduct his life according to advice of those who are ungodly.
Nor stands in the path of sinners… This is a figure of speech. He doesn’t walk same path as lost people, i.e. doesn’t follow their example.
Nor sit in the seat of the scornful… He doesn’t hang out around people who mock and sneer at God.
2. A godly person realizes the tremendous impact that the people he hangs out with will have on his life. So, he chooses to surround himself with people who will help his walk with God, and not people who will hinder it!
3. Illus. of Michael
• Born and reared in the south. He could “ya’ll” with the best of us.
• Moved to upstate New York. In case you don’t know, that’s on the northern side of the Mason-Dixon line!
• This Christmas, I noticed he had begun to “youse guys!” He has started talking like a Yankee!
• It’s human nature to take on characteristics of those surrounding us.
• Spiritual realm as well! Surround yourself with godly people, will begin to pick up their godly attitudes and habits. Surround yourself with ungodly people, will pick up their ungodly attitudes and habits.
4. See I Kings 11:1-4
5. Let me make a distinction here. The Bible clearly tells us to cultivate friendships with lost pagans for the sake of carrying the Gospel to them. How do we reconcile that with this admonition to not surround ourselves with ungodly people? I want you to imagine your life is a big circle with a bulls-eye in the middle. Circle = friends, people you do stuff with and have a good relationship with. Bulls-eye = inner circle, boyfriend, close intimate friends, best friend, people you admire and whose advice you value. Fill your big circle with pagans. Fill your bulls-eye with godly people!
6. Think about the people in your bulls-eye this morning. Do they love the Lord? Do they encourage you in your faith? Do they lead godly lives?
7. A godly person avoids evil companions.
II. A GODLY PERSON PURSUES A BIBLICAL LIFESTYLE
1. See vs 2- Law of the Lord… = OT scriptures. He not only delights in the law of the Lord, but he also meditates day and night on it. Meditate = to discuss or dispute, and is almost always associated with the application of the scripture to someone’s life. It is a picture of a man who had read the OT scriptures, and then walks along discussing with himself how what he has read applies to his life.
2. There are a thousand voices out there that will try and tell you how to live your life. There is the voice of:
Relativism- “there is no absolute truth, so do whatever is true for you!”
Hedonism- “Whatever makes you feel good, do it!”
Majority- “hey this is what all of us are doing. Come and do it with us!”
3. A godly person is someone who deliberately chooses God’s Word as the standard for what he will believe and how he will behave.
4. Illus. of blind skiers (Illus. for teaching/preaching #252)
• Prior to 1988 winter Olympics, blind skiers raced slalom course.
• Sighted skiers would shout left or right
• Some bystanders (who lined the short course) thought it would be humorous to mislead the blind skiers. They would shout, “left” etc. at wrong time.
• Several blind skiers crashed, but one made it safely to end. “Only way to safely navigate the course was to decide what voice to listen to, and to ignore all the others.”
• A godly person is someone who has decided to take direction only from the voice of scripture, and to ignore all other voices of guidance.
5. Now, before you can “do” the Word (meditate on your law) you first have to “know” the Word (delight in the law). See Psalm 119:103-106
6. Let me challenge you to do something. I want you to do the Word, but first we need to know the Word. I want to challenge you to read the New Testament through in next 90 days. You say, “Tim, I don’t have time to do that.” If you read 3 chapters a day, you can read the NT through in 87 days. If you read at an average speed, that will take you between 12-15 minutes a day!
7. Godly people saturate their minds with the Word, and then live according to what they have read!
III. A GODLY PERSON ENJOYS DIVINE PROSPERITY
1. See vs 3- The godly person is like a tree planted by the water- he will be fruitful and prosperous.
2. Illus. of health and wealth preacher on TV
• Used this passage to say that godly people were always millionaires
• Not necessarily so.
3. Prosperity can be financial- but it doesn’t have to be! Some of the godliest people I’ve known were not financially wealthy. They didn’t go lacking, but they didn’t have any Swiss bank accounts either!
4. I’ll tell you how God had prospered them. He had given them healthy bodies, loving children, lifelong friends, and a quiet joy that just bubbled up out of them! They got up in the morning and looked in the mirror and liked what they saw there! They lay down at night with pure consciences and slept like babies. Don’t tell me they weren’t prosperous just because they didn’t have a million dollars in the bank!
5. Even in the tough times of life, they were filled with a supernatural strength and peace that said, “God is in charge here.”
6. You can always tell a godly person. The hand and favor of God will be upon their life!
CONCLUSION
1. If godliness is the secret to happiness? Why don’t you pursue godliness with all your heart? Fill your life with the right influences, and fill you mind with God’s word!
