TOPIC: The Godly Man SPEAKER:Dixon Olu. David
TEXT: Psalm 1 DATE: 18th April 2004 (First delivered 17th Nov. 1991)
Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
OUTLINE
Introduction
I. The Godly man defined
i. Negatively, His Don’ts, i.e. what he does not do.
ii. Positively. His deeds – What he does?
II The Godly man described
i. Positively.
a. Like a tree – Cp. Jer. 17:5-8.
b. Planted
c. Planted … by the rivers of water. …
ii. Negatively
a. Unlike an ungodly man
Introduction
The two had worked faithfully together for long. The appointed day has come for them to be separated. As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two. And Elijah went up to heaven, and Elisha saw him.
He took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him … went back and stood by the bank of Jordan, …. Smote the waters and said, “Where is the LORD God of Elijah? … And the God of Elijah showed Himself. 2Kg. 2:11-14.
Ever since, the God of Elijah has been seeking for other Elijahs.
There seems to be a dearth of such men, and God seems saying: “Where is the Elijah of the Lord God? In the same vein, godly men are wanted in our land today. They form the hope of the church this end time. Through them, God is ready to demonstrate His mighty power to hasten the return of the king.
Today we shall dwell on the scriptural text, Psalm 1: 1-6, to learn of the Godly Man.
Topic: The Godly Man.
Text: Psalm 1:1-6.
The story is told about a man who dreamed that an angel escorted him to church on Sunday. There he saw the organist vigorously playing the organ, but no sound was heard. The choir and congregation began to sing, but he heard no voices.
When the minister stood up to pray, his lips moved but he said nothing. The man was amazed as he turned to his guide. “You hear nothing,” said the angel, “because there is nothing to hear. These people are not engaged in worship – only in the form of worship. Their hearts are not touched and this silence is the silence that is yet unbroken by God.”
Prayer
God, break the silence as we listen with reverence to Your Word.
The Godly man – Who is he?
I. The Godly man defined
(1) Negatively, His Don’ts, i.e. what he does not do.
Illustration
Some ten years ago, a minister was addressing a group of Christians on how to know God’s will in choosing a life partner. He said: “if I tell you HOW NOT to know God’s will in choosing a life partner, then you’ll know HOW TO know God’s will.
The Psalmist has approached the definition of the godly man in this respect – what he – the godly man – does not do
The trio perfect
(a) Walk – Counsel – ungodly
(b) Stand – way – sinners
(c) Sit – seat – scornful
(a) Walk – Counsel – ungodly
He resists popular opinion
He seeks for the approval of God
He rejects trends and fashion of the time
(b) Stand – way – sinners
Abstains from all appearances of evil. I Thess. 5:22
Illustration: Augustine, Augustine, It is I!
It is not I! It is not I! replied Augustine
(c) Sit – seat - scornful
No pleasure in the company and way of life of those who hold God in open contempt.
· Samson and Delilah
· The French philosopher who pledged that Christianity shall be swept from existence within 100 years. Yet just 50 years after he died in 1779, the German Bible society had occupied Voltaire’s house with stacks of bibles.
· During World War II, Adolf Hitler erected a massive stone structure in Monte Carlo. It was to be a radio station from which to broadcast Nazi propaganda into North Africa. Today from that very building, Trans World Radio beams the gospel of Christ’s redeeming love all across Europe and into Russia and Africa.
Where are the scornful? Gone!
The Christian should be separated. Counsel taken from godly men of God … etc.
Note: Evil tolerated is evil enjoyed. – walk, stand, sit.
What of PAPA AJASCO COMEDY?
(2) Positively. His deeds – What he does?
(a) Delight – Law – the LORD
Seeks to do God’s will
- Parable of the Hidden treasure & Pearl. Mt. 13:44-45.
Illustration:
Many Christians say they desire to know the Lord’s will for their lives but really mean something quite different.
- What will you do if today you get a job offer for a salary four times your present take-home?
- Story about a Minister who received a call from a church that offered him a salary four times what he was them receiving. Being a devout man, he spent much time in prayer trying to discern what God wanted him to do. One day a friend met the minister’s young son on the street. “Do you know what your dad is going to do? He asked. “Well, “replied the youngster, “Dad’s praying but Mom’s packing!”
If we truly desire what He wants, we will never be caught packing when we should be praying.
- It’s being said that you now work for an oil company! What will u do?
- U need passport photograph. The photographer gave you visa portrait!
THOT: Don’t talk about YOUR plans for your life until you know GOD’s plan for your life.
(b) Meditate – Law – Day and Night.
- Loyal in the rush of the day and the silence of the night.
Illustration
On her visit to America, Princess Diana went into a department store and saw a red-and-black Polka dot silk scarf. “This is very smart looking,” she said to an aide, and then instructed her to buy the item. Immediately after Diana’s purchase, some men from the British Embassy rushed up to the counter to buy a scarf just like it – presumable for their wives. The wife of a store executive also bought one for her daughter, noting, “she’ll be trilled.” Later, when the store was reopened to the public, a swarm of women raced to the red-and-black, polka-dot scarves, as if guided by radar.
Oh, that we would be as quick to take our cues from the Lord as those people did from royalty! How spiritually enriched we would be if we studied Christ’s words and actions and carefully considered His valued and choices. Let’s meditate on the Word instead of looking to the world for direction.
- Marvel not that the world hates you. Ijn.3:13.
Question: Have you ever seen someone nourished by mere looking at bread?
In his book The imitation of Christ, Thomas a-Kempis wrote: “Truth, not eloquence, is to be sought in holy writings … The authority of the writer should not trouble you whether he is small or of great scholarship … Ask not who said this, but note what is said. Men pass away but the truth of the Lord remains forever …. If you would derive good, read humbly, honestly and loyally, without ever wishing to have a name for learning. Question freely and silently, listen to the words of the saintly, letting the stories of those of old displease you, for they were not told without a propose (I.S.- of reading holy writing. B.14)
II The Godly man described
i. Positively.
a. Like a tree – Cp. Jer. 17:5-8.
– talks of firmness or steadfastness.
Illustration:
A man use to hand out gospel tracts seeing anyone trust Christ as savior, he quit.
Two years later he happened to pass that same familiar corner and was a person handling out tracts. He walked over to the stranger and struck up a conversation. He learned that a little more than 2 years earlier the man had become a Christian after reading a tract he had received at that corner. “Many a time I’ve come back here to find the man to thank him,”, said the stranger, “but he never came back. So I decided he must have died and gone to his reward. That’s why I’ve taken his place!”
* Thought: When you’re doing God’s work, it’s always too soon to quit. Be steadfast.
- Trees conserve. The desert is revived by it. To destroy trees is to prepare the way for the world’s death.
Are you firm? What will shake or move you?
(b) Planted
Planting is a deliberate act.
- Compare: I have placed you so that you may bear fruit.” John 15:16.
- Let Christians fail to conserve or revived the earth, the land faces decay and
corruption.
You are the light/salt for the world.
Illustration (One of my best)
During the reign of Oliver Cromwell, there was a shortage of currency in the British Empire. Representatives carefully searched the nation in hopes of finding silver to meet the emergency. After one month, the committee returned with its report. “We have searched the empire in vain seeking to find silver. To our dismay, we found none anywhere except in the cathedrals where the statures of the saints are made of choice silver.’
To this, Oliver Cromwell eloquently answered, “Let’s melt down the saints and put them into circulation.”
That reply carries a deeper meaning than Cromwell ever intended. It contains the secret of effective witnessing.
Prayer: Lord, forgive us for being ‘silver saints’, church. Give us a new appreciation of your love for us and for a lost world. Melt us down, Lord, and keep us in circulation with the warmth of your constraining love.
c. Planted … by the rivers of water. … sends out its roots – a conscious or deliberate seeking for blessing.
This is an avenue and opportunity for the tree to be its best.
· My Favorite Illustration
Story; You’ll be both glad and sad!
We were told of an old legend about three men crossing a desert on horseback at night. Approaching a dried-up pond bed, they heard a voice commanding them to stop and dismount, pick up some pebbles, put them in their pockets, and not look at them until the morning.
The men were also promised that if they obeyed they would be both glad and sad. They obeyed, mounted their horses and went on their way.
As the light of dawn breaks, the men reached into their pockets to pull out the pebbles. To their great surprise, they had been transformed into diamonds, rubies, and other precious gems. It was then that they realized the significance of the promise that they would be both glad and sad. They were happy that they had picked up as many pebbles as they did, but sorry-so sorry- that they had not collected more. - From Our Daily Bread (ODB) of 19th Jan. 19991.
- Yields its fruit in season. Usefulness – to others around
- Whose leaf does not wither. Long life
- Whatever he does prosper.
2. Negatively
Unlike an ungodly man
- like a chaff.
Complete contrast with the tree – dead, useless.
“The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life – Jesus (John 6:63)
Story from the thirteenth century.
For some strange reason, Emperor Frederick, ruler of the Holy Rome Empire, wanted to find out man’s original language. He reasoned that if infants never heard one word, they would speak in the language that was natural to them. So he arranged to have some newborn babies to maintain total silence in their presence. This was extremely difficult, but they obeyed. Within several months all the babies were dead.
If our physical life is so dependent on communication with others, how much more does our spiritual well being require daily exposure to God’s words?
Question?
Thought: Bread nourishes, not when it is looked at but when it is eaten.
- Driven by the wind, unstable, harmful, it is the waste of the threshing floor.
- Unstable, harmful, fuel for fire.
- Shall not stand. Separated as the wheat is from the tares.
The multitude moves on but God marks the righteous feet amid the moving mingled mass.
Blessed are you IF you do these things.
CONCLUSION
To the sinner
Story – Running from the wrong man
To Christians
- Lord makes me your Elijah
- No “Silver Saint”, melts me and keep me in circulation.
