Sermon - Pathway to the Blessed Life
Psalm 1
“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. 4 But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. 5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. 6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.” NLT
Introduction: Psalms One has been called the gatekeeper of the book of Psalms. Psalm 1 is the doorway into the entire collection of Psalms, and in it, we have the grand theme of the psalms, and in fact the grand theme of the bible is revealed. I believe we all are looking for the pathway to blessedness. Every childhood fairy tales always ended “and they lived happily ever after.” Why that recurring theme? Why must these fairy tales end this way? Because from our childhood days, that is what we all have wanted. From the pursuit of education, career, spouses, children, possessions, and all, we all aspired to enter a life experience in which we live happily ever after! That is the aspiration upon which this great republic was formed. The opening words of the Declaration of Independence written July 4, 1776 upon the founding of this nation contains these words…"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
The Psalmist chooses to begin this Psalm by revealing the pathway that we all are seeking “to live happy ever after! Because believe it or not, the Holy Bible is a book of blessedness. It shows us that it is God’s will and desire to bless his creation! After our Creator God brought order out of chaos, light out of darkness, and created an environment for mankind to survive and thrive, He gave the dominion to Adam. If that was not enough, God then gave Adam a purpose for living and a partner for companionship. God wanted man to a happy and fulfilled life.
Ge 1:27, 28, 31 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. …31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”
Adam and Eve walked the pathway to the blessed life by walking in obedience to God and fulfilling their God-given assignment. Happiness gained through success or materialism is only temporary. Adam and Eve soon discovered that the grass may look greener on the other side, but if it leads you away from God and obedience, it leads to destruction. Many people you think has everything, probably do not feel that way about themselves. Even people who seem like they have it all, often don’t find contentment. Why? They are always driven to want more and are unhappy with themselves. Now, it’s important to clarify that contentment does not preclude ambition. It does not mean that you will not want more. Contentment is simply gratitude, appreciation, and acceptance for the way things are right now. So, take that first step toward happiness is following God’s lead and appreciation for what you have now. Doing so will be a gift that keep giving back to you for the rest of your life.
1. Pathway to the Blessed Life is Maintained by Righteous’ Choices. The choices we make will determine the way we walk, how we stand and with whom we sit. Psalm 1 presents two Pathways to follow, and only two ways to live: the way of the world or the way of the Word, God’s word. Those who “walk in the way of the ungodly, stand in the way of sinners, and sit in the seat of scoffers” are people have chosen to follow the culture and are consumed with the world’s values and ways. That pathway seems wider and easier, yet the gate leads to destruction. Jesus said,
Matthew 7:13 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction,
and many there be which go in thereat:”
Don’t be fooled by the crowd or the noise or the volume. The world has a loud voice on every platform, they own almost every network, they set almost every trend, style and shape the culture. The world tells us what eat, drink, wear, and to live. Their instructions do not lead to life. The Psalmist understand that we all desire and pursue happiness. Every day we make numerous choices in deciding what course of action will add to our well-being—what will make us happy. Making these choices is the pursuit of happiness. The results of our choices are not all equal: we soon discover that choosing some pleasures, especially following momentary impulses, leads not to happiness but to pain. But if we use God’s word as our guide, our sense of foresight, recalling experience, we learn to postpone immediate gratification and see what choices are really in our best interest. Some think that God is in the business of stealing our joy and limiting their happy experiences. Others see biblical guidance as being out of touch with reality, yet God offers a pathway to the blessed life. The word blessed as used here and as Jesus used in the sermon of the Mount is plural, which means countless blessings or blessed nesses! The palmist clearly sets the pathway to the Blessed Life beside the Pathway of Judgment of the Wicked. He compared the blessed life as a deep rooted, flourishing, fruit bearing tree to a waterless, dried up. Leafless tree with no fruit or life. Moreover, with no hope for the future. He cautions us to live life following God as deep-rooted trees, in constant connection with the river of living water. It is the only to remain evergreen and fruitful. Any other choice is to become fuel for the fire, nothing but chaff.
“The ungodly or wicked” of Psalm 1 are those who seek independence from God, those who have only a human or earthly perspective on life, those who live according to the world’s standards and not God’s. At times this way of life appears to be the way of ease, success, acceptance, and prosperity (see Psalm 73). However, Psalm 1 helps us see things in ultimate perspective: the prosperity of the wicked can happen but it cannot last. It is always fleeting, for they are like chaff blown away by the wind. The alternative is a life of dependence on God and that delighted in His divine instruction. The “righteous” recognize the poverty of the world’s wisdom and values and so orient their lives around God’s revealed Word. This is the life of faith that leads to blessing, fruitfulness, and fellowship with God now and forever. Think a beautiful, sturdy, well-watered, fruitful tree (v. 3). Be the tree, not the chaff.
Jer 17:7, 8 “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”
2. Pathway to the Blessed Life is Maintained by The Righteous’ Meditation - Verse 2 is the key verse: “but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night." and How we choose to meditate and respond to God’s word will lead to happiness and contentment. Having sustained godly thoughts and heartful response will require work on our part. Notice the progression: delight, then meditation. Delight is a response of the heart to the beauty and value of something or someone—in this case, to God’s Word. But meditation involves careful sustained thought—it takes work and involves the will. Meditation done well should serve, strengthen, and sustain delight. Meditation allows the Word to penetrate our minds, hearts, and wills more deeply. Through meditation, we are “transformed by the renewal of our mind.” Meditation sends our roots down deep, taking in more and more of the life-giving water of the Word.
Ro 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3. Pathway to the Blessed Life is Enjoyed by Cultivating Righteous Meditation - Jos 1:8 “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
Joshua could have good success in everything he did and everywhere he went if he could overcome his daily distractions. There will always be problems to faced, disgruntled crowds to calm, enemies to face, trickery to deal with, but he must follow God. Our lives are unbelievably distracted. We are experts at multi-tasking, surfing, and browsing, but it is harder than ever to meditate. Therefore, it is imperative to intentionally cultivate meditation on God’s Word. But how? Joshua has observed Moses in deep meditation, spending time with God and time alone. Joshua followed Moses’ godly example, spending time with God, mediating of God’s word and his assignment. He refused to be distracted. Remember, the Gibeonites were a distraction, Achan and Ai was a distraction, Tribal dissatisfaction was a distraction, but the word of God kept him focused.
If you and I as believers, are going to successful in transforming our minds and hearts, we must intentionally set a consistent time, find a particular place, and develop a specific plan. When you began your prayer and study plan, read slowly and carefully. Reread and reread. Read out loud (which is implied in the Hebrew word for meditation in Psalm 1:2). Read prayerfully. Read with a pen in hand. Memorize texts that you read. Read with other people and talk about what you see. Study a book of the Bible with a good commentary. Pray about a plan for Bible meditation this year and talk about your plan with a Christian friend.
As we follow the Pathway of the Blessed Life, seeking to experience Fuller Life, Complete Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, we should that “the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.” Pathway to the Blessed Life is Maintained by Righteous’ Choices. Pathway to the Blessed Life is Maintained by The Righteous’ Meditation. Pathway to the Blessed Life is Enjoyed by Cultivating Righteous Meditation. Meditating on God’s word will silence the noise of the world. It allows us to walk a different path, a narrow path, but it leads to life and to eternal life. Jer 17:7,8 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his hope and confidence. 8 He is like a tree planted along a riverbank, with its roots reaching deep into the water—a tree not bothered by the heat nor worried by long months of drought. Its leaves stay green, and it goes right on producing all its luscious fruit.
May you lay hold of the blessing of Psalm 1 as you delight in the beauty and value of God’s revealed Word and seek to sustain and strengthen that delight through intentional meditation.
