The Blessed Father
Psalm 1:1-6
June 19, 2005
Morning Service
Introduction
Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers here this morning!
How many of you have seen Star Wars III?
All of the Star Wars movies center around the life of one main character, Anakin Skywalker. Episode three tells the story of the demise of Anakin Skywalker. Anakin is one of the greatest heroes of the Jedi order but he allows his personal desires and wants to cloud his decisions. Slowly he begins to move from being a hero to becoming a villain.
Anakin starts on his downward path by doing something that was forbiden, he gets married. Then in the heat of battle, he kills an enemy in cold blood. Anakin then hides the fact that his wife is pregnant. Slowly decision by decision he begins to open his life to evil and settles into its enticement and influence. Anakin then makes the decision to betray his fellow Jedi and kills one of their leaders. He then makes his final decision and joins the dark side.
The life of a believer can change as rapidly into a downward spiral. We can surrender our lives to the wrong things and do something we would never imagine doing, turning away from God.
If you have your Bibles open them to Psalm 1.
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 Not 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.
I. The Commitment of A Blessed Life (1-2)
The content of blessings
The word blessed means to have a full and abundant life. When the psalmist writes about being blessed they are talking about the divine favor of God Almighty. True blessing in life does not come from what we have, what we earn or what we might be able to gain in this life. True blessing only comes from the hand of God and nothing else even comes close.
Far too often, being men, we try to live our lives independent from God and we find ourselves in messes more often than not. It is not independence that gives us a life that is blessed but rather through a complete dependence on God can we truly find His blessings.
The blessings of God are not for everyone because they are reserved for those who willingly live a faith relationship with Him. It is only when you have an active relationship with God that you will discover His blessings. No relationship means that there can be no true blessings. When we live for ourselves we lose the divinely enriched life that God wants us to have and experience. It is only when we live to please God that He is free to pour out His blessings.
The character required for blessings
As Christians, we must live differently than the world around us. The psalmist writes about three phases of a spiritual downward spiral and there is a realization that our human nature would lead us away from God if we allow it. The way we think influences the way we behave and the way we behave creates habits in our lives that will either lead us closer to God or further away from God. The reality is that this doesn’t happen overnight but it is progressive.
Safeguarding the way we think - Walk in the counsel of the wicked
Every behavior that we have begins with the way we think and in reality the way we think shapes how we live our lives. We are not to walk in the counsel of the wicked. In other words, we should not think the way the world around us thinks and we should not listen to the advice the world gives us. The first step to either growing closer to God or drawing further way from Him starts with how you think and what you think about.
Safeguarding the way we behave - Stand in the way of the sinners
Our thoughts will eventually pass into action in some manner. The psalmist is clearly saying that if we want to have a life that God can bless we must not act in sinful ways. Now let’s be honest, we all blow it from time to time.
How many of you have ever lost your temper at the wrong moment and said something you shouldn’t? How many of you have made a bad choice that caused more problems than it was worth? How many of you have ever done something you knew was wrong but you just did it because you felt like it?
We are all human and we all make mistakes. However, we have a choice to make; we can either choose to change the way we act, with God’s help or we can keep on making the same mistakes over and over again.
Safeguarding the way we develop - Sit is the seat of mockers
If you do the same thing for 21 consecutive days it will develop into a habit. The habits that we develop over time will shape the way that we will live. It is that simple. If we make the choice to live in ways that we know are against what God wants for us, we are mocking Him.
The communion that is essential
The psalmist says that the man who is blessed by God delights in His Law. What does this mean? Let me start with what it does not mean. It does not mean that you live your life in some kind of regimented fashion so that you do not make God angry. You do not live for God because it is what is expected of you, or because you know it’s the right thing to do or because you are made to.
God wants you to follow His standards for living because you want to not because you have to. There is a massive difference between living for God out of a sense of duty and living for God out of a sense of devotion. God wants your devotion.
He wants you to live right because you love Him so much that you want to. This kind of holy “want to” only comes from developing a deep personal relationship with God. It comes from spending real time with God. It happens not in a day but instead it comes from daily time.
II. The Comparison of Lifestyles (3-5)
The comparison of the righteous
The psalmist uses the image of a tree to describe the lives of the righteous. In much of Hebrew thought the tree was seen as a symbol of blessing from God.
1.) The provision of the righteous
2.) The production of the righteous
3.) The protection of the righteous
4.) The prosperity of the righteous
The comparison of the wicked
The psalmist uses the image of chaff to describe the wicked. Chaff is never used in scripture to describe anything good and was often seen to describe a loose and fruitless life.
1.) The wicked are unproductive
2.) The wicked are unprotected
III. The Contrasts of Lives (6)
1.) The presence of the LORD
• The LORD watches over the righteous
• The power of the LORD
2.) The punishment of the wicked
• The wicked will perish
• The removal from the Lord’s presence
Conclusion
Research done by the Christian Business Men’s Committee showed some remarkable facts about the influence that a father can have on their children.
• If a father is believer and has an active spiritual life his children have a 75% chance of becoming believers
• If the father is not a believer and has no active spiritual life his children have a 15% chance of becoming believers
You can make an incredible difference in the lives of your children, your wives and even your church by just having an active spiritual life. Today make the decision to live a life filled with the blessings of God and become a man of character.
