My father used to tell us boys that everyone has someone who is in authority over them. He said that every soldier has a sergeant; every worker has a foreman; and then with a wink, he would add, “And every husband has a wife.” And even though he was joking when he said that, he realized that a man and a wife have a duty to one another.
In EPHESIANS 5:21, it tells the married couples:
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
So, we start there, with the husband and wife. They each hold authority over the other in that they are duty-bound to do all they can to help each other, to support each other, and to give their total love to one another. And in doing so, and keeping God in the center of that marriage, the marriage will be blessed beyond measure.
But there is more to life than just the marriage, isn’t there? And in every facet of our lives, we also have others in authority over us. And with that authority, comes a discipline and instructions for us to obey. That is the point where people have problems with authority. In our carnal and sinful nature, we abhor anyone telling us what to do. We resent it because we are not humble people. Human nature, by itself, never changes.
To get a detailed picture of what our human nature is like, all we have to do is take a look at the Israelites as they wandered the deserts for forty long years. The sole reason they had to endure the wilderness was because of their disdain for authority. They wanted to do things their own ways, and when they wanted something, they wanted it right then . . . but they still wanted to be blessed. That attitude never helps us get what we want but it does seem to helpus get what we do not want.
In their case, God had given them the Promised Land as a gift, and He did not want them to bring their sin and rebellious attitudes with them as they inhabited that land. So, He kept them away until a new generation grew to take their place.
Unfortunately, for our sakes, we have that same nature today. What we fail to realize is that we will never be happy, safe, or content, as long as we view that authority with anything but eager obedience. I do not care whether that authority comes from your boss at work, or from God Himself. Until we become humbled in heart, we will always suffer the consequences of disobedience.
Every single one of us has experienced those consequences, too, haven’t we? I am reminded of a young man who joined the Army and was going through parachute training. They gave him a list of instructions and told him that he must memorize each one.
Those instructions told him to jump when he was told to jump; to count to ten and then pull the rip cord. They went on to say that if the rip cord did not work, he was to immediately pull the backup rip cord. And, lastly, the instructions said that when he landed, he was to get in the truck that would be waiting for him and it would take him back to the base.
He obeyed orders. He jumped when they told him to. He counted to ten and pulled the rip-cord, but nothing happened. He immediately pulled the backup rip cord, but still, no parachute deployed.
As he sat there helpless to the ultimate fate, free falling from the skies, he thought to himself, “Oh great! When I land, the truck probably won’t be there either!”
Have you ever felt that way? That no matter what you do, it turns out to be a failure. That no matter what happens, it is never to your benefit. Everyone has felt that way at one time or another, but those feelings do not come from God. They come from Satan. And he gives them to us so he can destroy our walk with God. If we begin to doubt God’s desire and ability for us to have a blessed life, then we instantly fall prey to the devil’s schemes, and he uses discouragement as his chief weapon against us.
Today, I want to talk to you about how we can have the kind of life that has good things in it; a life of uncomplicated nights; and a life that is fully blessed beyond measure.
Turn with me to PSALM 1:1-6. and follow along as I read God’s Word.
"1 - Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers, 2 - But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law He meditates day and night. 3 - He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. 4 - No so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 - Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 - For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."
The world around us tells us that in order for us to find any real satisfaction, we must either depend on it, or look within ourselves, for there is no other place to seek satisfaction. That same world tells us that we must be self-sufficient, not relying on anyone else for anything. It says that if we put ourselves in the situation where we need others, we will forever be let down and the only real person we could ever trust fully is ourselves.
The world say if we want anything good, we must purchase certain products. Commercials by the score tells us that if we want to be successful, we must buy our clothes at certain places, or if we want to be happy and in love, we must wear certain kinds of perfume. And on it goes.
Most people seem to buy into that, and they run right out and purchase whatever is being advertised at the moment. Of course it never works, because it is all rubbish! These are lies that keep us from focusing on God for the things we need. And since it keeps us from focusing on God, He calls this sinful; wicked; and rebellious.
The world tells us that if we are reliant upon others, we are somehow “less than”, “weak”, or “deficient.” What confuses me is that we crave to be noticed by and approved by others. But we are supposed to act like we don’t need them? That makes no sense whatsoever!
Americans are the richest of peoples on the planet. We are certainly the most successful at doing things. We are truly a most unique and blessed nation. But we are also the most depressed people in all the earth.
Long ago, we have stopped paying the proper amount of attention to our kids, so now they act up to get attention, but to keep them from it, we dumb them down with medication. Why don’t we just spend time with them, smile with them, wrap our arms around them, and love them? It is not only a better fix, it is a much cheaper fix!
Is it any wonder that the more we rebel against God, the more we run away from Him, the more problems we are going to have in life? Let me tell you a basic truth: By failing to live your life for Jesus, you will never be happy, you will find contentment, and you will always be living your life in some sort of depressed state.
Last week, I preached about eagles and how we can learn a lot from them that can help our walk with Christ. For instance, they have a “moping period” where they just walk around in what the dictionary defines as a “stupid manner, having no purpose in life.”
Isn’t that what many people do with their lives? They life for the minute, having no goal and no future plans. When the eagle is moping, it soon forgets how to fly, too. And when people are moping, they forget that their future is right in front of them, waiting for them to take it.
While the world does not want you to need anyone, God wants you to realize your need for Him.
In PSALM 84:12, tell us who we are to need.
“O, Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who puts his trust in You.”
To help us understand why we have been so blessed by God, Bill Bright gives us this explanation: “God has placed in our trust, a small measure of time, a unique set of talents, and just enough resources to carry out His will for each of our lives. Our job is to manage those blessings in order to bring the maximum glory to His name.:
In other words, God has blessed us with everything we have so that we could bless Him with everything we have.
PSALM 1:3 goes on to say;
"He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers."
That verse refers to the person who follows God’s laws. It paints a picture of a strong and mighty tree that has all the nutrients it will ever need to grow tall and majestic because of the water.
When we walk with Jesus Christ, we must remember that He is our Living Water, and through Him, we shall have every spiritual nutrient we will need to stand tall and strong as a Christian.
Jesus gives us an excellent analogy in JOHN 15:5.
“I am the vine and you are the branches of that vine. If a man remains in me, and I in him, he will bear much fruit – but if he is apart from me, he can do nothing, just as a branch that has been separated from the vine can produce no fruit.”
Let me just say that if it seems life has been overly rough on you and has robbed you of your joy, it is only because you have spent too much time walking in the world and away from God. Sadly, most people find themselves in bad situations, but then they turn right around and blame God for the bad decisions they made to get their bad situations. We need to own up to our own responsibilities and it will only be then that we can effect actual change in our hearts and lives.
Start doing those things that will help put your focus on God. Even if you have to force yourself to do so, start reading the Bible every day. Not just one verse here and there, but read for 10 or 15 minutes a day start, and then start talking to God. He already knows what you want to say, but by your saying it, you are actually drawing closer to Him. And the closer you get to God, the more your life will start getting its joy back.
PSALM 1:1 reminds us,
“Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked”
When you are walking in the world, you are walking with the wicked, so stop hanging out with ungodly folk and start going back to church regularly and getting involved in your church. If walking with the ungodly is evil, then walking and associating with Godly people would be a blessing for you.
Does what I am talking about describe your life today? If it does, then why don’t you decide right here and now to do something about it? Why don’t you make a decision to pursue the only One who can give you what you so desperately want and need? Start listening as the Holy Spirit tells you what God wants from you?
Listen as God says, “Blessed is the person who has not stood in the path with sinners.”
Just as we cannot be in two separate places at one time, we cannot follow two different sets of instructions at the same time. When we listen and follow the world’s instructions, we will not be able to listen to, or follow, God’s instructions. And listening to the world will destroy your eternal life along with the joy you have in this life.
Listen to God’s voice as He says, “Blessed is the person who does not sit in the seat with mockers.”
One thing God cannot do is break a promise He has made. And He has made the promise to bless us if we do not join in with the world, as the world mocks God. That, in itself, makes the world evil and wicked. Is that who you want to hang out with? I don’t think so. And why is the world so evil? It is evil because the Bible tells us it is under the temporary sway of the devil; the enemy of God.
So, once again, I ask the question: “How do we get a life that is blessed beyond measure?” We get it by not walking with the wicked, which means depending on the world for your advice and instruction.
We get blessed beyond measure when we do not stand with sinners. That means we do not hang out with ungodly folk, but start developing a life that involves believers. That means you should follow the instruction found in –
HEBREWS 10:25, when it says:
“Do not forget the gathering together with other believers as some are in the habit of doing.”
We find blessings in life when we do not sit in the seat of mockers, which means we do not do as the world does, but as God calls us to do.
Will doing these things make some people dislike you? Yes! Will some of your friends turn their backs on you? No! Those that turn their backs on you are not really your friends, they are your worldly (or evil) associates that mock God and everyone who believes in God.
And so will you lose out on anything? No! Will you gain anything? Yes! You will gain your joy back. You will gain your focus and purpose back. And you will begin to live a life that truly has been blessed beyond any measure you can count.
Jesus said, “Remain in Me.” The worst thing we can do is remain in the world around us, which is the same thing as purposely ignoring Jesus. Our blessings only come from Him, so why would we want to have nothing to do with Him while we seek His blessings?
Many Christians think of their relationship with Jesus as a private matter and they live in isolation. Healthy Christians who live in happiness do not live by themselves. They form bonds with other Christians. And it is in this bond, this church setting, that we find the blessings of Jesus Christ. This is where we start to see our joy grow beyond measure.
Humans need authority in their lives. But it is the authority of Christ over us and through other believers that it will come to us. We need that to stay spiritually healthy.
Now, how do we get blessed on an abundant measure?
In verse 3, it says about those who walk with God,
“Whatever he does will prosper.”
What a promise! Whatever we do will prosper. When God talks of prospering us, He is talking about prospering us spiritually for our soul’s eternal sakes. Now, he can choose to prosper us materially, but His promises will always be for spiritual benefits.
And there are those who misconstrue this promise to put their sole focus on materialistic things. They will teach and preach that if you are not materially prosperous, there is something wrong with your faith. These are the same false teachers and preachers who will always tack on the message that you “need” to send them your money so it can come back to you ten-fold, etc.
These evil men are the ones described in ACTS 20:29-30 when Luke said,
“29 - I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 - and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.”
And then in verse 31, he begins with these sobering words: “Be on the alert!”
In 2 TIMOTHY 2:15, we are chided to:
“Study to show thyself approved unto God as a good workman …”
It is our personal responsibility to study God’s Word so we can know what He wants, and also to know who is Godly and who is not Godly. Many people will go to church and depend on the church to make sure they are protected. But if the person teaching us is a false teacher, and we do not study the Word for ourselves, how will we know? The answer, of course, is we won’t know.
And so to keep ourselves safe from those who give us false direction, we must study the Bible and show God that we really are good workman for Him and His glory.
And so, if we strive to know God by praying to Him and by reading His Word, He has promised to bless us with all spiritual abundance. But what about those who deny God, or twist His words, or mock Him while they follow their own pursuits in the world? Will they get any blessings?
Verses 4, 5 and 6 tell us what they will get.
“4 - No so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 - Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 - For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."
A self-centered life without God produces weeds and will be consumed by fire in hell. Those who think they are self-sufficient will only have themselves to blame on the day they stand in judgment before an Almighty God. And on that day, they will find they had nobody at all.
Scriptures tell us that the Holy Spirit will convict us of our sins, and if you are feeling as if I have been talking to you this morning, you are in the right place. You are starting to hear how the Holy Spirit whispers God’s desires to us.
If you are feeling that way today, your next step is to follow through and do something about that. I encourage you to come up here and let me pray with you right now. If you do not want to do that, then please seek me out after this service and we will have a one-on-one talk and I will help show you the path you need to get back to the Cross.
CLOSING PRAYER
