FCS Chapel 10/28/2022

A Nourished Tree

Introduction: Today we are going to dip into the book of Psalms, the first Psalm to be specific.

As we read through this short chapter, you’ll notice that the author does something quite common to the Psalms. He makes use of the themes of blessing and also warning about God’s divine judgement. When people in New Testament times read or heard this recited. they should have been reminded of earlier words in the Old Testament. We should be reminded of these as well as seeing them point to some words that we find in the New Testament as well.

This particular Psalm is what is known as a wisdom Psalm and it spotlights God’s Word and specifically, His blessings on those who are focused on it and obedient of it, and also His judgement on those who rebel against God.

Psalm 1 ESV

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 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 that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

This is the Word of the Lord. Let’s pray and ask God to help us understand and apply it to our lives.

The first thing we can readily notice in this passage is that there is a division of two ways. There's the way of the blessed man and then on the other hand, you have the way of the wicked. If you've been with us for a few weeks now, this should sound familiar to you and maybe cause you to lean in a little bit. This sounds eerily similar to what we read in Jesus's Sermon on the Mount that we have just finished covering. And here we see a connecting thread through all of scripture. It's why we study the whole thing. It's why we want to hear preached to us the whole counsel of God.

I. The first man presented in this passage is a man who is blessed.

He is both directed by the Word of God and delights in the Word of the Lord.

The word that is translated "blessed" here is a Hebrew term that describes someone who is privileged or happy. It's commonly used in wisdom literature to indicate a fortunate or privileged person.

Job 5:17 ESV

17 “Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.

Proverbs 3:13 ESV

13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding,

Proverbs 28:14 ESV

14 Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

That Hebrew word, by the way, is ashre. There's a Greek equivalent to this word and it's the Greek word (markarios) that Jesus uses in the Beatitudes during the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:3-11)

This blessed man in verse 1 of Psalm 1 is described as not doing three things and these are key. These three functions listed here are what I want to key in on for the next few moments. The words I want us to key in on are counsel, way, and seat. Council, way and seat. So keep your eyes and ears peeled for those.

A. Walks not in the counsel of the wicked.

That is to say, the blessed man avoids thinking like the wicked. Knowing Jesus transforms the way we think as well as the way we act. Those who walk with the Lord should not be seeking advice from the wicked because their entire base of their life is different. Instead of being directed in our thoughts by the wicked, we are to be directed by the Word of God.

B. Nor stands in the way of sinners...

The righteous ones, the blessed ones, avoid behaving like the wicked. The righteous man is directed by the Word of God in both thought and deed. He is submitted to the will of God as revealed in the scriptures for how he will live his life.

C. Nor sits in the seat of scoffers.

They avoid dealing with the wicked. What does that mean? Who are scoffers? If you have a different translation it might have been translated as "mockers." The term used describes an arrogant fool who refuses both discipline and correction. There are those who refuse to be corrected. They shun discipline because they are so arrogant to think that there is no possibility that they have done anything wrong.

These are three things the blessed man doesn't do but what is he about? What does the blessed man do?

The verbs used are in a tense so as to indicate a settled way of life. This is who this person is.

D. He delights in the law of the Lord.

One of my old dead theologians said of this passage, "...God is rightly worshipped only if His Word is obeyed. Therefore men are not free to model a religion, each after his own idea. The standard for religion must be taken from God's Word."

Why the way we deal with the Bible is important.

Warren Wiersbe wrote that, "The way we treat the Bible is the way we treat Jesus Christ, for the Bible is His Word to us."

John 1:1–5 ESV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:14 ESV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Your disposition toward the Bible will give us a hint as to your disposition towards Jesus. If you think the Bible is boring, then what does that say about what you think about Jesus?

This is not to make you feel guilty but to help us in our understanding about how we need to be thinking about and acting toward the Word of God.

Bible engagement is the number one indicator of spiritual growth in a person.

_How do you delight in the Word of the Lord?

Personal

Corporate

Groups

Continual growing_

E. Meditating on the law of the Lord day and night.

The verbiage used here indicates that it is speaking of a constant practice. Someone who keeps on meditating on the law of the Lord day and night. It's continual. It's not a one time thing but something that is a regular practice.

Mediating is not clearing the mind of everything. It's actually putting the Word of God there and focusing on it.

The Hebrew word used her means "to murmur" or "read aloud". The connotation is of pondering over something. So, that might look like when you read something in the scripture in the morning and maybe you have journaled it or prayed through the passage. Then later in the day you call it back to mind and think on what it means and how it applies to your day and your life and you keep it on the front of your mind.

John Calvin wrote that "only those inspired by this love can devote themselves to its constant study.”

Only those who have met Jesus, who have believed the gospel that Jesus is God and that He came to earth as a man. And though 100 percent God and 100 percent man, gave His perfect and sinless life on the cross in the place of sinners like me and like you, becoming our substitutionary sacrifice. Bearing the wrath of God that was due me because of my sin. And by putting your whole faith, hope, and trust in Him alone for salvation by faith can we have forgiveness of sin and eternal life... and He was dead in the grave for three days and then rose from the grave, back to life by the power of God! This shows He is God. It proves the sacrifice worked and death is defeated. And what the theologian was saying is that only when you have been captivated by this message, this kind of love can you and will you devote yourself to its constant study.

Friends, meditating on the law should result in obedience. When we dwell on the Word of the Lord and allow it to direct us, the result is a life of obedience to the Word of the Lord.

Obeying the Word of God is the only appropriate response to the price that was paid for us to be adopted into the family of God.

All this and we're only two verses into this passage!

The psalmist goes on in verse 3 about the blessed man. It says he's like a tree planted by the water.

F. Like a tree planted by the water

He compares the blessed man, the blessed person to a tree that's stable, it's well nourished, it's fruitful, and it's prosperous.

1. He yields fruit.

2. He does not wither.

3. He prospers.

This person is a blessing to those around him or her. They positively effect those around them. You can know a tree by it's fruit. This blessed man, a tree planted with plenty of nourishment will produce good fruit. The most important part of a tree is the root system. Those roots grow down deep and draw in nourishment and provide stability and anchoring. It helps to hold the tree up as well as help the tree to continue to grow up and produce fruit.

Alexander Maclaren said, "Religion lacks depth and volume because it is not fed by hidden springs."

In contrast to all of this wonderful, happy, encouraging comments about the blessed man, you have the wicked also spoken about.

II. The way of the wicked

In verse four, they are described like chaff blown away in the wind. Chaff is the husks and stalks of wheat left after the grain is winnowed. It simply blows away and is gone. In contrast to the stability of the flourishing tree of the righteous, the wicked are described in a way that is fragile and temporary.

Isaiah 29:5 ESV

5 But the multitude of your foreign foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the ruthless like passing chaff. And in an instant, suddenly,

Hosea 13:3 ESV

3 Therefore they shall be like the morning mist or like the dew that goes early away, like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor or like smoke from a window.

There is a coming judgment on the wicked. Our lives will go one way or the other. And here is the clincher:

III. Apart from Christ, we are all the wicked man and can not stand.

Only in Christ can we be the blessed man.

The difference is Jesus. We must recognize the need.

Psalm 1 begins with "blessed" and it ends with "perish". Those who are true believers, followers of Jesus are blessed in Christ.

Ephesians 1:3 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

They have received the blessing of God and should be a blessing to others. And we should be a blessing even to the chaff that will oneway be thrown into the fire. Let's seek to win as many of them as we can and see them cross the line from wicked to blessed, just as by the grace of God we were called to.

Response

You need to respond to this message in some way.

1. Be the blessed person. - follow Jesus

2. Delight in the Word - Study, meditate

3. Delight in the Lord - Worship, obey, do the things a follower does out of a changed heart

4. Effect others for Christ - serve

5. Seek to serve and evangelize the wicked person. - Gospel conversations