Spiritual Success

Psalm 1:1–6 KJV 1900

1 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. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 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. 4 The ungodly are not so: But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

What is Success?

The more common use of “success” is usually linked to God: those who obey His laws will succeed (e.g., Josh. 1:7f), those who are against Him (2 Ch. 13:12; Job 9:4), His laws (Nu. 14:41; Josh. 1:7f), His prophets (2 Ch. 20:20; Jer. 20:11), or His people (Ps. 21:11) will fail. Thus when God is on a person’s side, that person will succeed (e.g., Joseph, Gen. 39:2). Similarly, success in military ventures depends on the Lord’s help (Jgs. 18:5; 1 S. 18:5, 14f, 30; 26:25; Jer. 22:20; 32:5; Ezk. 17:15). In Ps. 118:25 the psalmist asks the Lord to save His people and to give them success; the chiastic arrangement of the verse suggests that salvation and success are here identified. In both patriarchal and postexilic times the OT mentions prayers for success that God answered positively (e.g., Abraham’s servant, Gen. 24:12; Nehemiah, Neh. 1:11).

I. v. 1 THE PATH OF THE SUCCESSFUL BELIEVER

A. The Successful believer is separated in his walk of life.

1. He doesn’t Believe like the wicked—(Ill. He doesn’t listen to their counsel and invitations to evil) His hearing is tuned higher!

2. He doesn’t Behave like the wicked—

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV 1900

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

(Ill. The old man has been put forever away!)

3. He doesn’t Belong with the wicked—

2 Corinthians 6:17 KJV 1900

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

(Ill. He feels out of place when surrounded by the devil’s crowd.

B. The successful believer realizes that there is a vast difference between himself and the world he was saved out of, and he lives accordingly!

II. v. 2 THE PLEASURE OF THE SUCCESSFUL BELIEVER

(Ill. The successful believer is genuinely and completely in love with the Word of God.)

A. The Word Has Captured His Full Affection—Delight = Pleasure! The Word of God isn’t a Book of fables, myths and legends. To the child of God it is the very Word of Truth. it is God-breathed and infallible, inerrant and absolutely perfect. He loves it and he lives it, finding in its pages all he needs to grow and prosper for Jesus.

(Ill. The value of the Word:

1. It is Food—

Job 23:12 KJV 1900

12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Matthew 4:4 KJV 1900

4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

a. Milk for the baby—

1 Peter 2:2 KJV 1900

2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

(Ill. It gives the baby Christian everything he needs to grow up strong and healthy!) (Ill. It needs to be prepared and served right however!)

b. Meat for the growing—

Hebrews 5:12–14 KJV 1900

12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

(Ill. It provides all we need to make us strong in the Lord!)

c. Bread for everyone—John 6:51 “51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

(Ill. Bread is the staple food of the world! No matter where you go, people need the Bread of life!)

d. Honey for those in need—Psalm 19:10“10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”

(Ill. nothing has the power to encourage as does a Word from God!)

2. It is Light—Psalm 119:105 “105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.”

3. It is Truth—John 17:17 “17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

4. It is a Mirror—James 1:23–25 “23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

5. It is Water—Ephesians 5:25–27 “25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

a. It Cleanses—Ephesians 5:26 “26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,”

b. It Quenches—John 4:13–14 “13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

c. It Refreshes—Psalm 119:150 “150 They draw nigh that follow after mischief: They are far from thy law.”

6. It is a Seed—1 Peter 1:23 “23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

7. It is a Sword—Hebrews 4:12 “12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

8. It is a Hammer—Jeremiah 23:29 “29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?”

a. It can Build Up—Proverbs 16:24 “24 Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, Sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”

b. It can Tear Down—Revelation 19:21 “21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”

9. It is a Fire—Jer. 20:9; Luke 24:32 “32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?”

(Ill. The successful believer is in love with the Bible. He knows that in its pages, he can find all that his soul requires. It embodies the complete revelation of God to men. It meets the need of the Christian life.)

Do you love it as you should?

B. It Has Captured His Full Attention—Not only does the successful believer love the word, but he lives out the word daily. The Bible is internalized and it becomes the singular standard for faith and practice.

Every thought, every move, every decision is made against the backdrop of God’s Word, and what it has to say about an issue.

However, before life can ever be lived in this fashion, the Bible must be consumed and made a vital part of who you are—2 Timothy 2:15 “15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

(Ill. The Psalmist declares that the successful believer spends his days and his nights in the pursuit of the word. Does the Bible fill your thoughts? Do you find yourself consumed with its content and mesmerized in the meditation of it? The Bible is never better than when it is read and then lived out!)

III. v. 3 THE PROSPERITY OF THE SUCCESSFUL BELIEVER

(Ill. The promises of this verse are conditional. When we live separated lives and feed our souls on God’s Word, then we can expect these things to happen for us.)

A. His Position—By the River! Always close to the life giving resources. (Ill. This was meaningful to Israel with her mostly arid conditions.) The tree planted by the river is never dry and wilted, but is green, lush and lovely. (Ill. The believer who lives close to God will never be dry and wilted either. He will be vibrant, lively and productive.) (Ill. Many never know the joy of drawing off Christ daily! As a result, they are spiritually wilted and dead looking.) The droughts of life and the dry seasons never seem to affect the believer who is planted near the river. He is connected to an unfailing source of life and strength.

B. His Prominence—Ill. A tree. The life of the successful believer stands heads above all those around him. It is easily seen when a man draws from the Lord.

(Ill. Men will know when you have been with Jesus—Acts 4:13 “13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”

C. His Permanence—Planted—Unlike some plants, which live for a season and die out, this tree, has sunk its roots deep and has a hidden source of life. (Ill. The value of private prayer and Bible Study.) (Ill. Planted—literally “transplanted.” A tree cannot transplant itself, neither can a man transplant himself into the Kingdom of God. It is wholly a work of God’s grace. And, He always plants us in good soil, near the water supply. However, after we are planted, it is our responsibility to draw from the resources, which God has provided.)

D. His Productivity—“Brings forth fruit”—The successful believer is a blessing to all those around him, because his fruit is plentiful. (Ill. John 7:38 “38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

(Ill. Old apple tree in the cow pasture. Man, cows, birds and insects all benefited from the fruit off this old tree.) (Ill. You may never know just who is feeding off your life!)

E. His Predictability—“In his season” This tree isn’t a freak. Just as there are seasons of fruit bearing, so there are times of rest and growth. As believers, we aren’t to worry over the fruit. That is the Father’s business! When everything else is as it should be, then the fruit will come in its season—John 15:1–5.

F. His Perpetuity—“leaf shall not fade”—The successful believer is like an evergreen. He is always surrounded by the green of life. (Ill. The trees in the wintertime. The hardwoods and leafy trees all look dead, but the evergreens stand out as islands of life in a sea of deadness. They are unaffected by winter or weather, but they are always the same.) (Ill. our lives should be lives of consistency! We are called on to be a stable, faithful and dependable people—1 Corinthians 15:58 “58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

The successful believer is consistent. The curve balls of life are unable to knock him off course. (Ill. Thank the Lord for consistent people!) (Ill. Life lived by this river in unchanging.)

G. His Prosperity—“Whatsoever he doeth, it shall prosper”—In other words, God will bless the successful believer. His personal life, his family life, his business life, his church life, his spiritual life will all be blessed of the Lord. That isn’t to say that there won’t be stormy seas, but the successful believer will be able to sail them with Jesus until they are calm once again!

Conc: Do you possess the characteristics of the successful believer? If so, the Bible, in verse 1, says you are “Blessed.” This means “Oh how very, very happy.” I hope you have seen yourself among the happy ones and are encouraged about you walk with Jesus tonight. You see it is possible to be successful for Christ and know it with out being self-righteous!

However, if you saw yourself lacking in some of these areas, then Jesus stands ready, willing and able to make those things right once again. Let’s take whatever steps are necessary to make our lives be the successes they can and should be.