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THE BLESSED MAN
PSALM 1
Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Psa 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Psa 1:4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Psa 1:5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
Psa 1:6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
A. In looked on my computer files and found that I have preached more messages from the Psalms than any other section of the Bible. I guess it is because there is joy, comfort, instruction in living, and harmony of worship in its collection of divine songs and poems.
B. The first Psalm is the doorway into this wonderful, inspirational and informative book.
It is the first beatitude of the Bible. Would you like to know what the last Beatitude is?
REV. 22:7, Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
C. I have heard for years that the word {BLESSED} means {HAPPY}. However, if you study this word it does mean {Happy} but it has a far deeper meaning than just a surface happiness. It is speaking of a deep seated comfort, satisfaction, and happiness that this world know nothing of and that this world does not offer by any of it advantages.
T/S THE FIRST PSALM GIVES SEVEN CHARACTER TRAITS THAT A BLESSED PERSON POSSESSES.
I. THE BLESSED PERSON DOES NOT KEEP COMPANY WITH THE WRONG KIND OF PEOPLE.
(He walketh not in the counsel of ungodly) Verse 1
The amplified NT has it this way: BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes],
A. My Grandmother use to say, "Birds of a Feather Flock Together." You will always be known by the company you keep. Evil influence will always win out over good influence.
I have heard Christians (especially young Christians) say, "I can keep my same friend and I will win them over and almost always the opposite happens.
B. II Cor. 6:14 means a great deal more than for a Believer not to marry an unbeliever (and it does mean that).
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
(God’s Word Trans) 2Co 6:14 Stop forming inappropriate relationships with unbelievers. Can right and wrong be partners? Can light have anything in common with darkness?
D. This doesn’t mean you have to be a spiritual prude, or go around looking down you nose as sinners. We are all just saved by grace. It just mean that you won’t take part of the wrong.
II. THE BLESSED PERSON DOES NOT BECOME A STUMBLING BLOCK TO OTHERS.
. . . .nor standeth in the way of sinners . . . . Verse 1
A. We must remember that every time we make a choice to sin it has a three-fold effect. It will effect YOU. But it also effects OTHERS but most of all it effects GOD; You, God, Others.
Paul gave the standard for right and wrong:
{GWT} Rom 14:12 All of us will have to give an account of ourselves to God.
Rom 14:13 So let’s stop criticizing each other. Instead, you should decide never to do anything that would make other Christians have doubts or lose their faith.
Rom 14:14 The Lord Jesus has given me the knowledge and conviction that no food is unacceptable in and of itself. But it is unacceptable to a person who thinks it is.
Rom 14:15 So if what you eat hurts another Christian, you are no longer living by love. Don’t destroy anyone by what you eat. Christ died for that person.
Rom 14:16 Don’t allow anyone to say that what you consider good is evil.
Rom 14:17 God’s kingdom does not consist of what a person eats or drinks. Rather, God’s kingdom consists of God’s approval and peace, as well as the joy that the Holy Spirit gives.
Rom 14:18 The person who serves Christ with this in mind is pleasing to God and respected by people.
Rom 14:19 So let’s pursue those things which bring peace and which are good for each other.
Rom 14:20 Don’t ruin God’s work because of what you eat. All food is acceptable, but it’s wrong for a person to eat something if it causes someone else to have doubts.
Rom 14:21 The right thing to do is to avoid eating meat, drinking wine, or doing anything else that causes another Christian to have doubts.
Rom 14:22 So whatever you believe about these things, keep it between yourself and God. The person who does what he knows is right shouldn’t feel guilty. He is blessed.
Rom 14:23 But if a person has doubts and still eats, he is condemned because he didn’t act in faith. Anything that is not done in faith is sin.
THEN PAUL TALKS ABOUT THE SAME SUBJECT IN COR:
1Co 8:8 Food will not affect our relationship with God. We are no worse off if we eat that food and no better off if we don’t.
1Co 8:9 But be careful that by using your freedom you don’t somehow make a believer who is weak in faith fall into sin.
III. THE BLESSED PERSON IS NOT SCORNFUL.
A. Don’t you just love to be around a person that see the dark side of everything. Don’t you just love to be around a critical person. They see the fault in everything that everybody else does but never see any in themselves. No, you don’t enjoy being with someone like that.
B. There are two ways of looking at life.
1. We can realize that everyone has faults. No one ever does anything to perfection. {There use to be a wrestler named Mr. Perfect}. They only thing wrong with it is that he has been beaten. He is not perfect.
We can see the gloom, the misery, sadness, woe, depression of this life; We can be just as pessimistic as we please and be right about it. We can be just as gloomy, cynical, dismal and see the hopelessness of our situation or. . .
2. We can realize that life with all its imperfection is the only one we have so lets make the best we can of it. Look for the bright side; look for what is right (even if it is just a little). Instead of being critical we can encourage. Instead of being gloomy we can brighten the corner; where there is hopelessness we can interject hope. We can be cheerful, enthusiastic. People will love you. People will want to be around you.
C. Stop and think about it. Only the person who is saved can really be optimistic. We have eternal life, we have perfect bodies coming. We have a hope in heaven. We have the promise of being with the Lovely Lord Jesus. He said that he was going to prepare a place for us. Paul said that He want to spend all eternity with us and that He is going to give us all the riches of heaven some day. YEA!!
The saved person is a sinner but he has been forgiven. He is not perfect but his flaws are covered up by the blessed blood of the Lamb.
YOU WANT ANOTHER BEATITUDE? It is found in Psalms 32:1
PSALMS 32:1, Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the person to whom God will not place to their account wrong doing.
My friend, if God won’t find fault in me – who are you to do so?
IV. THE BLESSED PERSON IS THE ONE WHO PLACES THE WORD OF GOD IN THE PROPER PLACE IN HIS LIFE.
Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
A. The first beatitude (In Psalm one) says that a man is blessed who put the Word of God in a prominent position in his life and the last beatitude says the same thing.
REV. 1:3, Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
B. He is blessed because He knows where he came from; He knows where he is going; He knows what to do while he is here; He has the recipe for living and he or she knows where they are going after this life.
C. THE WORD OF GOD BREATHS: (It is given by the breath of God)
IT BREATHS:
LIFE, HOLINESS, RIGHTEOUSNESS, TRUTH, SALVATION, GOSPEL, GLORY, HONOR, PEACE, WRATH, JUDGMENT, FAITH; IT BREATHS OUT THE LIVING CHRIST.
V. THE BLESSED PERSON IS LIKE A TREE.
Psa 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Joe and Clair gave us a Purple leaf plum tree for our 50th. It was not doing well because the water was running off.
A. He is like the roots of a tree. He has a firm foundation.
B. He is like the trunk of a tree. He grows tall and straight.
C. He is like the leaves of a tree. It receives its power from above. Photosynthesis! The Daily Bread had an article on DIRTY LEAVES.
VI. THE BLESSED PERSON IS A FRUIT BEARING PERSON.
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
A. The fruit of the Spirit.
VII. THE BLESSED PERSON IS A PROSPERIOUS PERSON.
Verse 3 - . . .and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Psa 1:6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
CONCLUSION:
The ungodly are not so . . . .
