Sermon Tone Analysis

*“Distinctiveness” ~~ Psalm 1*

 

I.

Intro

A.    Visit to Chicago and saw gapers that stood out as obvious tourists.

B.     Many of us don’t like to stand out or to draw attention to ourselves.

We try to blend in with how we dress, how we talk, what we drive, who we hang out with.

Being noticed is not a comfortable place.

C.     However, God has given us a command to stand out.

Leviticus 20:26 says that “You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.”

And before you remind me that He is speaking to the Israelites of the Old Testament, the apostle Peter says the same thing to Christians of the New Testament in 1 Peter 1:16, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

D.    God wants us to stand out.

He wants us to be special and separate from the rest of the world.

He wants us to be distinct.

The question becomes, how do we accomplish that?

How do we show distinctiveness?

E.     As we finish up our time in the Psalms, I want to look at Psalm 1 for our answer.

We don’t know anything definitively about this psalm as far as who wrote it, when it was written or why.

We don’t have a background to it.

But that’s OK, we don’t need one.

F.      We do know that this psalm is called a Wisdom Psalm, that is, it presents two ways to live your life: one which God approves, and one which God does not approve.

In this way it is similar to the rest of what we call wisdom literature, which is Job, Proverbs, Ecc., and SOS.

G.

Also, it is in a very special position in the Psalter.

It was placed specifically at the head of the book because it gives both an introduction to how we should approach the psalms, understanding the difference between righteousness and wickedness, and a summation of the teachings of the whole book.

II.

A righteous person shows distinctiveness *in his** existence*.

A person truly sold out for God sets himself apart from the ungodly in his lifestyle; in the way he lives.

A.    Our first description of how the righteous show distinctiveness is a negative comparison against the wicked, the sinners and the scoffers.

It’s important to understand that it is easier to notice someone for what they don’t do or do wrongly, rather than what they do right.

1.

The Lord as given us positive instructions – things that He desires us to do, but it is easier to be noticed for doing wrong than for doing right.

2.      For example, how much time do we spend telling our children when they screw up as opposed to when they get it right?

3.      When’s the last time you commended someone at a stoplight for driving the speed limit or properly using their turn signal?

B.     What does the righteous avoid doing?

1.

They avoid listening to wrong advice.

Verse one says that they walk not in the counsel of the wicked.

a.

The idea of walking here is interesting.

It connotes a temporary or fleeting time.

You don’t do it often, only once in a while.

And you don’t do it for long for a long time, but long enough.

b.      It’s interesting that Psalm 1 immediately follows the book of Job.

As I was preparing, it dawned on me that this described Job exactly.

Job said in 21:16 that the counsel of the wicked was far from him.

He maintained his righteousness because he did not listen to the council of those wicked around him.

c.       It’s like gossiping.

You don’t spend a lot of time in it, only every once in a while, and only around certain people.

But you follow the lead of those around you and begin knocking someone down a notch or two – which makes you feel good so you go back to it every now and again.

And it’s easy to do – everyone else is doing it – so they don’t judge you for it.

d.      It’s like the two of you meet on the sidewalk as you are walking along, but only briefly, before you turn left and the other person turns right.

That’s what the wicked do, that’s not what the righteous do.

2.      Also, they avoid lingering in the wrong way or standing in the way of sinners.

They avoid spending considerable time in the lifestyle of sinners.

a.

You do more than just listen to the wrong advice, you begin to live it out.

Their advice is now sounding pretty good to you so you choose to make it a habit.

b.

Maybe your office gossip got someone fired and you promoted.

Maybe that extra “deduction” on your tax forms moved your vacation from Mt. Rushmore to Diamond Head Mountain on Oahu.

c.

So you start to do it more and more often, even finding ways to justify yourself to your parents, your spouse and even to God.

d.

It is no longer a casual stroll, but a more lengthy stand.

3.      Finally, they avoid living the wrong lifestyle or sitting in the seat of scoffers; making your dwelling with those actively against God.

a.

We have seen how what started as a casual stroll with someone, turned into a lengthy sit-down discussion and then with taking up permanent residence.

You have moved out of your house and changed the address on your license.

You are here to stay.

b.

What started out as seemingly harmless has become what you have chosen to do for your life.

c.

You listened to a friend who encouraged you to skip church so you could go shipping or go to the game.

Then, because you had so much fun, it was easier to do it the next time the team was in town or the sale was on.

Pretty soon it was just easier to stay at home and hang out and you haven’t been to church since.

4.      The person who falls into these traps is no longer distinct from the ungodly people, in fact he is now one of them.

C.     It’s a bleak picture of what can happen when we take that first step on the slippery slope of sin; when we see how close to the edge we can get before we fall over.

It’s a dangerous place to be.

D.    Now here’s the positive side of how a righteous person shows distinctiveness, and it’s simple: he delights in the Word of God and in obeying His commands.

1.

He doesn’t do quiet time out of obligation or because his D~/M group is going to ask about it – but it is a joy; a pleasure; a delight; something he looks forward to.

/The Message/ says that he thrills to do it.

When is the last time any of us thrilled to read our Bible’s?

2.      It’s important to know that this delight comes from the inside, and shows itself its actions.

I’ll talk more about that in a little bit.

3.

He reads it constantly; meditates on it day and night.

a.

Meditation is verbal, like lamenting.

b.      It’s like crying out to God – “What would you have of me today?”  “What promise do you have for me?”  “What assurance can you give me?”  “What can you show me of your glory and incomparable riches?”

c.       It’s inviting God out for coffee and a chat and you picking up the bill, because it’s your delight.

d.      It’s hiding His Word in your heart so that you might not sin against Him.

e.       It’s following it as a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path.

f.       It’s setting ourselves  as distinct because of our joy in knowing and doing God’s Word because of who He is.

The perfect and holy Creator and Redeemer who has told us what is good and what He requires of us.

4.      Most importantly, it’s a lifestyle; something that is constant in our life.

5.      Illustration

a.

When Mahatma Gandhi was the spiritual leader of India, he was asked by some missionaries, “What is the greatest hindrance to Christianity in India?”

His reply was, “Christians.”

b.

To illustrate this, in his autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi wrote that during his student days in England he read the Gospels seriously and considered converting to Christianity.

He believed that in the teachings of Jesus he could find the solution to the caste system that was dividing the people of India.

So one Sunday he decided to attend services at a nearby church and talk to the minister about becoming a Christian.