The Blessed Life

A Blessed Life

Psalm 128:1-6

1Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.

2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

4 Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.

5 The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.

6 Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel.

Context: The ninth song of ascent or degrees, this psalm celebrates the blessings of home and family life. The ancient feasts of the Hebrews were family affairs. The family shared in rejoicing in God’s goodness to them as they traveled toward Jerusalem for the feasts. As they encountered other families they made new friends and renewed old friendships. Children played together. Adults conversed as they walked. In the evening camps all would gather around cooking fires and share stories and sing. This is one of the songs they would sing. Today this psalm is sung at Jewish weddings and is called “The Marriage Psalm”.

Introduction: What does it mean to be blessed? Who are the blessed? How can we be blessed? Psalm 128 declares a blessed life is when God is at the center of life and when that happens, the work, family and personal lives become all blessed by the Lord. Are you living a blessed life?

Rodelio Mallari

Marvin Minton

Our culture and our country is filled with very unhappy people. Millions spend their lives in a sort of hopeless futility. They spend their days searching for something or someone to “make them happy.” They know or at least sense that something is missing and they search for some kind of formula, for anything that will fill this void. My old friend Bro Roy Thomas used to say that “there is a room in every man’s heart that only God can fill.” Yet our text declares that “everyone” can have this blessed life. It’s available and accessible. Our text states that there three important truths associated with this blessed life.

First…

I. There Is the Character He lives

a. He fears the Lord

The blessed life is conditioned upon the God-centered life! He is not afraid of God, he respects and reveres God. God is the focus of his life. He is God centered instead of self-centered.

b. He obeys the Lord

Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”

How can a man lead his spouse and family to a place of obedience and Godly fear if he is not walking that way himself? The answer is he can’t! There are literally hundreds of admonitions in the Scriptures to obey His Word and walk in His statutes, precepts and commandments.

c. He is blessed

Psalms 128:2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Refrain:

It is well with my soul,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

Second…

II. There Is the Companion He Loves

a. The anchor of the home

The home is the first institution that God ordained.

Genesis 2:21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.