TWO WAYS TO LIVE

Psa. 1:1 (KJV)

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 (KJV)

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Psa. 1:3 (KJV)

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 (KJV)

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Psa. 1:5 (KJV)

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

Psa. 1:6 (KJV)

For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

INTRODUCTION TO THE PSALMS

The book of Psalms has a way of capturing the way we live and the things we experience.

In the Psalms we find emotions…personal feelings…attitudes both good and bad…and the interests of the average person.

In the Psalms we have many situations and answers that we face in day to day life.

There are several types of Psalms including praise..historical…repentance…Messianic.. and prayerful.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM ONE

This first Psalm stands as a kind of introduction to the rest of the Psalms.

Its subject matter is very general and basic…, but it touches on two subjects that continually occur throughout the Psalms.

 It declares the blessedness of the righteous and the misery and future of the wicked.

We see in this passage two outstanding ideas.

1.     The importance of the word of God.{called the law}

2.     The changed character and stability of those who

      Learn and obey the word of God.

      There are several contrasts in this Psalm.

1.     The way of the godly and the way of the ungodly.

2.     What the godly do not do and what the godly do.

3.     Then we have the contrast between the results of the two ways of life.

4.     The godly are stable and productive.

5.     The ungodly are unstable and just waiting for sure judgment.

In this Psalm, and as throughout the Bible we are presented with a choice.

We are given two ways to live..  God… or against a God.

I. THE WAY OF THE GODLY 1-3

Verse 1“”blessed is the man’’

Blessed  refers to the happiness and many blessings given to the person who fulfills the conditions in this passage.

We are BLESSED:

With our position in Christ  Eph 1:3;  Col 2:10;

Eph. 1:3 (KJV)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Col. 2:10 (KJV)

And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.      

          With our experiences in Christ.  Phil 4:19;

Phil. 4:19 (KJV)

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

We have a heavenly position and an eternal inheritance secured by the work of Christ on the cross.

HOWEVER the BLESSINGS we enjoy and our capacity for happiness is directly tied to the knowledge and application we have of the word of God.

NOTE THREE THINGS THE BLESSED MAN DOES NOT DO.

1.    He does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.

DOES NOT WALK  walk   means “to go along with’’  follow a course of action….or to follow a way of life.

The BLESSED man does not follow the path of the wicked.

IN THE COUNSEL …counsel …means viewpoint or way of thinking. This refers to a mental attitude…a state of mind that affects the decisions that we make.

The BLESSED man does not take the counsel that says we have to be politically correct.

The ungodly are those who despise God…those who want nothing to do with God or His ways.

We don’t need or want their counsel. {AVOID}

These people are not controlled by the Spirit but by their own desires, emotions and impulses…not God’s people.

Next note this phrase in verse one

NOR STANDETH IN THE WAY OF SINNERS

STAND..means to be firm…if we listen to their counsel we tend to be more influenced and involved with their way of thinking.

IN THE WAY…Course of action..or deeds..if we listen to the world…we will think like the world…then we begin acting like the world.

OF SINNERS.. SINNER describes the person who falls short of the will of God as laid out in the Bible.

Sinners…as used here refers to those who have deliberately chosen the wrong path. {against God}

NOR SITTETH IN THE SEAT OF THE SCORNFUL…..

SIT.. MEANS TO DWELL, ABIDE STAY A WHILE…MAKE YOUSELF AT HOME.

THE SEAT.. Indicates a close association..as to make deals with them..become like them.

SCORNFUL Or scoffers. Describes those who put down the things of God either by words or the way they live. This includes those who disregard God’s word.

For example…substituting own ideas..experiences…emotions..feelings..or traditions for the word of God.

ACTUALLY  we scoff when we fail to obey the word and live our lives according to it.

READ Prov. 1:22, 29-33 

Prov. 1:22 (KJV)

How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

Prov. 1:29 (KJV)

For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

Prov. 1:30 (KJV)

They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

Prov. 1:31 (KJV)

Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

Prov. 1:32 (KJV)

For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

Prov. 1:33 (KJV)

But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

These verses are a warning to us. If we walk in the counsel of the ungodly we can take on their behavior. How do we avoid this?

VERSE TWO is our answer{ PSA 1:2}

Psa. 1:2 (KJV)

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

IF WE WANT GREAT SPIRITUAL BLESSING  WE MUST HAVE A LOVE AFFAIR WITH GOD’S WORD.  PSA.138:2 TELLS US God’s opinion.

Psa. 138:2 (KJV)

I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

THE KEY TO BLESSING

DELIGHT….MEANS TO BE MINDFUL OF..to give attention to….to keep and protect.  When we delight in something we tend to guard and protect it.

The law of the Lord…This is the object of the delight….which is the word of God.

AND IN HIS LAW DOETH HE MEDITATE DAY AND NIGHT.{Verse 2}

MEDITATE TO THINK.. PLAN ..UTTER…. SPEAK …this really means to study and apply the word to our life.

DAY AND NIGHT…WE should constantly,,consistently and regularly be occupied with God’s word.

Now note verse three which gives us the result in the form of a promise from God.

And he shall be like a tree….now a short tree study.

1.A tree has deep roots..usually very sturdy.

2.    A tree denotes stability able to withstand storms.

3.    A tree pictures the concept of growth and time a big oak takes time to mature…so it is with a Christian…takes time to grow and mature in the word.

4.    A tree pictures MINISTRY…fruit trees produce fruit….Oak trees produce acorns which produces more Oak trees.  {PLUS SHADE}

5.    We should bring comfort to others.

CLOSE

THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO LIVE… the blessed, godly way or the miserable ungodly way.

The key to blessing is to live God’s way.

Both ways have earthly advantages.

Both ways have eternal consequences.

The choice is yours…{next time part two}