PSALMS 1:1
THE BLESSED LIFE
INTRO;
A. The book of Psalms opens with the word blessed which means happiness too or blessing on.
a. The word blessed is used at least 302 times beginning in Genesis 1:22 and ending in Revelation 22:14.
b. In Psalms 1:1 David use it as he begins to describe the Christian life,
1. Notice he said BLESSED IS THE MAN
B. In Matthew 5:3-11 Jesus uses the word blessed in reference to His description of the Christian life.
a. However Jesus uses it a little different than David for Jesus uses it as stepping stones to the blessed life then goes on in verse 12 – chapter seven to describe in detail the Christian life.
b. Notice Jesus uses it in verse 3 to describe the person that recognizes their need of forgiveness of sin which is the first step in the Christian life.
c. Then in verse 8 Jesus uses it to describe the second step in the blessed life which is purity of heart.
d. These two verses set before the two steps that need to be taken to obtain the blessed life.
e. Notice that the life of the Christian is the blessed life.
f. In the rest of the Sermon on The Mount Jesus describes the blessedness of living out the blessed life. Mt. 5:12-7:27
g. He describes living out the Christian life by giving instructions on what to do and what not to do.
1. Thus we find the blessed life is something to be obtained and then maintained by a daily walk with Jesus.
2. So what does the blessed life consist of?
a. That is what I want to deal with in this message.
1. There is a Christian life that is far more intimate, richer, deeper and higher than that of the nominal Christian today.
2. Most [and I say most as kindly as I can] Christians live far below the life that has been purchased and provided for them.
3. The blessedness of the life I am talking about is available to every person on this earth.
4. It is made possible by the blood of the Lamb that takes away the sin of whosoever will.
5. So how does one possess this life available to them?
I. FIRST THROUGH THE NEW BIRTH.
A. The new birth makes us a child of God and as a child of God we are heirs to everything God has.
a. Thus that makes us heirs to this BLESSED LIFE JESUS DESCRIBES IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
b. It is ours for the asking for did He not say He that asks receives.
1. Did not the Holy Spirit inspire James to tell us YE HAVE NOT BECAUSE YE ASK NOT?
2. Jesus said ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE.
3. Thus it is whosoever’s just for the asking.
B. We do not need to understand anything about the Christian life all we have to do is ASK then leave the rest to Him.
1. For as we walk with Him He reveals to us the things we don’t understand.
2. It’s like the song writer said TRUST AND OBEY FOR THERES NO OTHER WAY TO BE HAPPY IN JESUS BUT TO TRUST AND OBEY.
a. When we ask He will forgive and in time open our understanding as we go along.
b. So don’t worry about the things you don’t understand just hold His hand and we’ll understand it better by and by.
II. SECOND THERE MUST BE FULL CONSECRATION
A. Consecration is simply giving God your all by giving Him your heart.
a. Remember where your heart is everything else goes.
b. Paul describes it in Romans 12:1-2
B. A little girl said to her mother I GIVE MY HEART TO JESUS BUT IT WON’T GO.
a. That’s cute but in reality a lot of truth in it.
b. People give the Lord their heart but it won’t go because they don’t turn loose.
c. You can’t give someone something and then hold on to it.
d. Until one lets go God not only won’t take your heart but He cannot.
e. The reason is He respects our free moral agency and that freedom is a line He set Himself and He won’t cross it.
1. That’s why He said in Revelation 3:20 BEHOLD I SAND AT THE DOOR AND KNOCK IF ANYONE HEARS MY VOICE AND OPENS I WILL COME IN AND SUP WITH HIM AND HE WITH ME.
2. By opening the door we are inviting Him in.
3. Also by opening the door we consecrate out life to Him.
f. By the act of consecration we recognize God’s ownership that is we really belong to God and we are only giving back to God what is really His.
g. It is saying to Him, with the whole heart, "Lord, I am Thine by RIGHT, and I wish to be Thine by choice."
h. The song writer put it this way, ALL TO THEE I SURRENDER ALL TO THEE I FULLY GIVE I WILL EVER LOVE AND SERVE THEE.
1. If you give Him your heart He will take it.
III. THE OBRAINING AND LIVING THIS BLESSED LIFE IS AN ACT OF THE WILL.
A. Everything God does in and through us is done because we are willing for Him to do so.
a. Confessing faith saving faith consecrating faith accepting faith is an act of the will understanding it has nothing to do with it.
b. In fact the less people know the more likely they are to simply do as Jesus said COME UNTO ME AND I WILL GIVE YOUR REST.
c. Just as the leper that met Jesus coming down the mountain after delivering His great sermon known as the Sermon on the Mount said LORD IF YOU ARE WILLING YOU CAN MAKE ME WHOLE.
1. Jesus replied I WILL BE THOU CLEAN.
d. God is saying the same thing to mankind today IF YOU ARE WILLING I WILL MAKE YOU WHOLE.
B. Tennyson says, "Our wills are ours to make them His."
a. Sometimes the will is reluctant to surrender all to Him and that’s the time to ask Him to make us willing to allow His will to be done in our life.
b. Sometimes we need to ask Him to melt our stubborn waywardness, to fashion our wills upon His anvil, and to bring us into perfect accord with Him.
c. It’s like the course we sometimes sing SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD FALL FRESH ON ME MELT ME MOLD ME FILL MOLD ME USE ME SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD FALL FRESH ON ME.
IV. THE LIVING THIS LIFE IS ALSO AN ACT OF FAITH WHICH IS AN ACT OF THE WILL.
A. Faith is based upon one primary thing and that is facts.
1. Without facts for faith to stand on it becomes null and void.
2. Job said after seeking the Lord in every direction and way he could said HE KNOWS THE WAY I TAKE AND WHEN HE HAS TRIED ME I SHALL COME FORTH AS GOLD.
3. Job could say this because he stood on the fact that God was real because He had been in touch with Him on regular basis.
4. Every great hero of faith accomplished what they did because they stood on the facts of God’s reality and God’s word.
5. The Bible is a book of facts about God.
a. Sometimes faith wavers but facts always remain and at just the right time facts reaches down and picks faith up.
B. Just as consecration is an act of the will so faith is an act of the will.
a. We choose to believe God’s word thus we surrender our all to Him.
b. When the trials of life comes and we are surrender by satan and all the imps of hell we choose to stand still and wait on the Lord instead of running like a scared rabbit.
c. We pray and ask God for things because we choose to believe He will hear and answer prayer.
d. Thus by faith we choose to live the holy life shun the wrong and do the right.
V. LAST LETS NOTE THE BENEFITS OF THIS BLESSED LIFE I’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.
A. Since we live in a benefit conscious world it would not be appropriate to close this message without noting some benefits of the life that I have tried to describe to you.
a. First there is the benefit of peace with God because the peace of God has been imparted into the heart and life.
1. This kind of peace also enables one to live at peace with his fellow man.
2. Then this peace of God gives peace within. [see Mark 4:35-40]
3. It is as Bill Gaither wrote IT IS FINISHED THE BATTLE IS OVER IT IS FISNISHE THERE’LL BE NO MORE WAR IT IS FINISHED AND JESUS CHRIST IS LORD.
b. There is power for service
1. This power was promised by Jesus with the greatest reference found in John chapters 14-16.
2. Jesus just before He ascended back to the Fathers right hand told His disciple to WAIT FOR THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER WHICH YOU HAVE HEARD FROM ME. Acts 1:4
3. In Acts chapter 2:1 the promise of the Father was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit fell on those in the upper room.
4. The rest of the book of Acts is the record of the Holy Spirit working wonders in and through those that waited for the promise of the Father.
5. This promised power is given for sever reasons but primarily it is power to live the life that has been promised, provided and imparted.
6. God isn’t going to promise something, provide it and then leave us to struggle with it of our own thus He has promised and provided the power to live the life.
7. The life He promised He will give just for the asking.
c. There is such hallowed fellowship as cannot be found anywhere else.
1. There is fellowship with God’s great big wonderful family.
2. With Jesus the Son
3. With the Holy Spirit
d. This blessed life restores us to the relationship with God the Father He had in mind when He created man.
1. Try to imagine that our great big wonderful God wants yea longing for relationship and fellowship with you and me whom He created.
2. God is big enough to be perfectly content in and of Himself but His love wanted to share itself with someone so He created you and me.
3. Man broke with God but His yearning for someone to fellowship with caused Him to create a way where by His rebellious creation could recreate fellowship with Him.
4. Revelation 3:20 describes the urgency of His longing to restore that fellowship.
5. He waits for you to make your move for He has made His move and it was the first move.
e. In this blessed life we are able to tap into all the resources both of Heaven and God.
1. Remember Peter tells us we are given exceeding great and precious promises that we might be partakers of the divine nature.
2. Think of that everything God is and has is ours on demand.
