Which Road are You on?

Psalm 1

Announcements

Youth night this Friday. Meet here at 5:30ish. We will return here at 10 for you hooligans to be picked up. It will be a ton of fun, join us and invite a friend.

Tonight kicks up the summer of Psalms. It gives us a change of pace. Will still look very similar to what we have been doing, just a different part of Scripture

Introduction

Story of two guys. Buddies in High school, one followed the Lord, the other followed the world. Their paths crossed in college, they are radically different. One is following the way of righteousness, the other, the way of the wicked.

Psalm 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; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 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. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”

Pray

Context of the Psalms

The name Psalms in the original Hebrew language, which this was written in, means “Praises”. We will see that all of these Psalms in the original language were like poems that were made to be able to be sung.

The majority of the Psalms were written by King David, but Psalm 1, the one we are in today is really a Psalm of introduction to the rest of the book of Psalms. The introduction of this Psalm is showing us two paths, and two types of people that are in the world. You have those who are the wicked. Those who are following the world. And then you have righteous, which are those who are seeking and following after the Lord.

The way of the life . V.1-3 CSB- 1 How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! 2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

What does Righteous mean?

It means to have a right standing with God. Can we become righteous on our own? No, Philippians 3:8–9 “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—”

Isaiah 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

V.1

Does not take advice from the evil/wicked one

Does not stand in the path of sinners

Does not sit in the company of mockers

Is this saying that those who are righteous are not supposed to sit, stand, of even think about being those types of people? Are we just to look at those people as less of human being than us? Absolutely not. That would go against the entirity of Jesus’ ministry. Rather, the commentator I am using for this series, Derek Kidner, refers to it as, “The way we think, behave, and what we belong to.”

Illustration.

Think of it like this. The New York Times, which i do not rely on for valuable resources, but this is silly. Has somehow created a way to tell about opposite jobs. So for something silly here is the list

A truck driver (Scott) and a physicist. Along with Kelli and Leslie.

Insurance agent (Bryant) and a Model (Jackson Kind of)

Occupational therapist (Callie) and a Airline pilot, copilot, engineer

Writer/Author and a mobile home installer

Architect and a butcher/slaughterer.

These groups of people, would never interact in their day to day life existing.

Or think of it like this, who and where would I go if I wanted to go pro in basketball?

Would I go to a soccer player? To learn how to shoot?

Would I go to someone from my 600 pound life to learn how to diet?

Would I go to a bass fisher to learn how to jump Higher?

No, I would go to a pro or proish basketball player to learn

V.2

Rather for the one who is on the path of life, the way they think, behave, and Who they belong to is from the Lord. This type of person is seeking after the Word of God, on how to live ones’s life. Now does this mean that Christians should look down on those who are not Christians, and never associate with them? absolutely not. That misses the point of Jesus’ ministry

how do we meditate on God’s word? - let them talk. Share the ways to memorize scripture 10 and 10 rule. Verses app.

Memorization is work. I can’t. How many songs do you have memorized.

V.3

Shoutout Trees and the fruit of the Spirit.

The way of doom V.4-5- 4 The wicked are not like this; instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

Psalm 1:4 “The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.”

Psalm 1:5 “Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;”

Talk about the chaff,

Illustration on the slideshow

What happens with a blow

Gust

Tornado

Hurricane

The tree will stand the test of time. It might be cut in half, but due to the healthy root sytsem, the tree will continue to grow.

How do I obtain, and strive towards the way of life and having deep roots?

Gospel Presentation.

God’s Design

Genesis 1:26–27 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Sin

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Brokenness

Romans 6:23A “For the wages of sin is death,

Gospel

Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Repent and Believe

Psalm 51:4 “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.”

Recover and Pursue

Ephesians 1:13 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,”

John 1:12 “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,”

1 John 5:13 “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Separate ways V.6 Psalm 1:6 (CSB): 6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

These Roads lead to different destinations.

Takeaways

Those who are righteous, are rooted in the Lord, he will not shake. Therefore, through the storms, you will be able to sustain through Jesus.

There is no in between. You are either on a path of doom, eternal seperation from God. Or, you are on the path of eternal life in Jesus.