Living your best life now

A: It’s the thing everyone is searching for

In job we do, way spend money, how we spend time, in hopes and dreams

Problem is happiness can be fickle and short lived. Someone said this

“We have a tendancy to experience happiness as if we were on a rollercoaster. At one moment we experiencing a high with everything going our way, and at another moment, we find ourselves in the valley of sorrow having lost all signs of our happiness as the winds of circumstance have changed.”

What we longing for is happiness that deeper and enduring. A Joy.

Imagine: Invent a joy generator.

it’s what Psalm 1 offers

“How blessed”

Blessed = Joy that does not waver regardless of circumstance

“It does not just mean a feeling of bliss that comes from everything lining up in our favour.

Not sort Psalm 1 offers. This sort if temporary. but Psalm 1 offers us God’s happiness - a permanent. Ours is tempered by emotions, but Psalms offers joy that is constant, regarndless of emotional state.

“I cannot imagine anyone in their right mind not swap the ebb and flow of circumstantial happiness with the constant reality of abiding joy.”

The blessed life belongs to the one who loves God

2 marks of the blessed person.

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1. Blessed is the one who walks away from wickedness

Psalm 1:1 NIV

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,

Who are the wicked - sinners - scoffers. At heart of wickedness - heart of sin, is socffing at God -mocks his right to rule. Scoff is to speak or act in a way that makes it clear that you think his way is stupid.

Heart of wickedness is autonomy. Self dependent, self reliant self centred rule. I am the captain of my fate master of my soul. Isn’t that the voice of our culture.

World says happiness is found away from God and his authority.

Psalmist sheds light of truth. with a drastic warning.

Psalm 1:4–5 NIV

Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

The way of wicked offers no true joy.

Like chaff - shell around kernel of grain, thats at harvest is useless. Way of wickedness. Life away from God is empty. Unfulfilling.

that is when thrown in the air is blown away. When wind blows driven away. its also precurious and fleeting.

And worst - leads to judgement. THose who stand in way of sinners will not stand in judgement. Way of the wicked will perish.

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Kite string.

Imagine kite maker makes kite. As he flies it kite comes to life soring in wind. But imagine that kite alive, begins to notice the string to which its tied, and now soring see it as a restraint on its freedom to sore higher and further and more gloriously.

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For a second kite might fly, but soon without string, will crash and break.

For that string was not its limit but its life line.

There is no true joy found in wickedness.

Call to unbeliever. Hear what Psalms is saying. Warning but a call. Want to know a life of joy, life everlasting. You won’t find it by running away from God.

Call to believer. Warning. Notice the progression in v1.

Psalm 1:1 NIV

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,

Our friends golden retriever

wants to be obedient dog - but if there is muddy puddle, it hears the call of the mud. don’t respond quickly enough, if she doesn’t listen to first command to heal, its too late.

illustrate - Golden retriever going for the mud

No longer cares what her masters think - that is until its time to go home with displeased looks and voices of her owners and take the judgement of cold shower which she hates.

hear (see)

Stand

Sit

Hear sins counsel - why do we sin - alluring, attractive. Satan in garden lured them in with decieptful words that offered them instant gratification, a chance to play God.

Actions become habits. Stand. God goes from being our hope and joy to inconvienience and fun spoiler.

Soon we despise him .

warning in James 1:14-15

James 1:14–15 NIV

but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Struggling to know joy.

maybe its because you are walkng in councel of wicked - sitting in temptations corner. Letting worldview of culture around entice you. Hopes and dreams of everyone else define yours.

standing - sin has become habitual and inner termoil, cycle of guilt has become an apathy. Joy is gone

sitting - are you hear this morning scoffing at God yet struggling to find joy.

Want to experience the blessed life Psalmist describes. First there is a call to repentance. Call to turn from wickedness. Not even give it a voice.

Blessed is the one who does not - but second.

2. Blessed is the one who delights in God’s law.

Psalm 1:1–3 NIV

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.

The surprsing statement. True blessings is not found in a worldly success, or riches or power or anything in this world - but in delighting in God’s law.

The word law is “Torah” - literally teaching. It’s his word. His instruction - like the careful words a Father imparts to his loved children.

Notice though how its not focus on outward obedience. Blessed is one who obeys, adheres to. No. Obedience is result, but its not heart.

Heart is one that delights in God’s word.

Like son delights in good fathers instruction in loving relationship.

Like parched lips delight in every drip of fresh water

Like after 2 months of rain we delight in the slightest bit of sunshine.

Soak it in. Because its life giving and glorious and captivating. Like gold.

And so we will meditate on it day and night. Letting it direct and feed our mind.

At heart of blessed life is delight in God’s word as primary way we know and experience our realtionship with our perfect loving heavenly Father.

Problem - often we read Psalm like this and think - right just need to read my bible more. But it so quickly becomes a chore. Part of the problem is live in a world of instant gratifaction and of the physical, and open bible we don’t get that.

How then do we cultivate this kind of delight?

Answer is in verse 3

Psalm 1:3 NIV

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.

Word planted. lit. transplanted. Tree not where it once was but in a new place, chosen for fruitfulness. If you want to grow a green tree in dry and dusty Israel you need to plant it by the water.

That is exactly what God has done for us.

John 4:13–14 NIV

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

How do we cultivate a delight in God’s word -

first realise we were the wicked, in spiritually barren wasteland. Like chaff. Facing judgement. But Jesus came and sat in our judgement seat at the cross, faced our death, so that out of the empty tomb flows a river of live.

And through faith, we place our trust in him God has brought us and planted us by that river. More than that he has given His Spirit - a spring of water welling up inside.

Think of the kite on the string of a good maker and master. Powered by the wind of the Holy Spirit we can live beautiful and satisfying and glorious live under the direction of our perfect maker - pilot

And in that place we can flourish.

In that place we find life fulfilling and joyful, even in sorrowful circumstances, because in that place we find true security and rest, and certain hope for the future. Which means that whatver we go through, we can say all is well.

Why? Because verse 6, We know God and are known by God. He intimately watching over us and caring for us as a perfectly heavenly Father.

Think of it another way - describing what Psalmist is picturing.

Nile River in Egypt. as you follow the Nile through the desert it becomes so clear how a quarter of a mile either side has life and greenery but then the further you get from this life giving source the place becomes parched, dry, barren.

WHat Psalm is about.

Want to be blessed. Have deep joy that penetrates even the darkest of clouds.

Need to stay close to the water. Living water.

Delight in His Word, not as religious duty but because we want to delight in him.

Need to believe that greatest need any day is Him.

Thing that stops us deligting in God and his word is wickedness.

Right back to the garden of Eden - life was bliss until Eve walked in the councel of wicked - listening to Satans lie- brought a discontent in God’s goodness.

Psalmist is calling us to action. Daily choice. To avoid wickeness and all costs, and puruse Godliness. To spend time in his word - meditate on it day and night, so that we can meet with God and delight in Him.

Think of it like this

An Eskimo fisherman came to town every Saturday afternoon. He always brought his two dogs with him. One was white and the other was black. He had taught them to fight on command. Every Saturday afternoon in the town square the people would gather and these two dogs would fight and the fisherman would take bets. On one Saturday the black dog would win; another Saturday, the white dog would win but the fisherman always won! His friend began to ask him how he did it. He said, “I starve one and feed the other. The one I feed always wins because he is stronger.”

Psalmist is getting at Blessed man by power of the Spirit - starves wickeness and feeds a delight in God and his word. More we know and experience God, more we know and experience joy - this blessed life now.

Maybe this morning you recognise that you are walkng/standing/sitting in sin. Might be something specific or it might be a general sense listening to worlds voice on whats important, or voice of self dependence.

What would it look for you to begin to cultivate this blessed life. A life that delights in God’s word.

Do you need to cultivate habit of meditating on his word not for the purpose of simply knowing more stuff or feeling good, but for the purpose of delighting in Him because this morning you believe that what you need most in the whole world is God and his supreme intimate rule and care in your life.

What will your delight be in today? Is it in God and His word, or something else?

PRAY

Book recommendations.