A Fork in the Road

INTRO

Hook: Intro series - Songs of Summer - why Christians sing -

Sing lyrics to songs - let folks finish the song

Almost Heaven… ____________

Oh Say Can… _________________?

It’s raining tacos… _______________?

Hymns lyrics do the same thing…

Examples of some key hymns:

1707 - When I Survey The Wondrous Cross – Isaac Watts, England When I survey the wondrous cross / On which the Prince of glory died / My richest gain I count but loss / And pour contempt on all my pride.

1225 - All Creatures Of our God and King – St. Francis of Assisi, Italy All creatures of our God and King / Lift up your voice and with us sing / Alleluia! Alleluia!…Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son / And praise the Spirit, Three in One!

~ 550 - Be Thou My Vision – Dallán Forgaill, Ireland Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart / Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art / Thou my best thought, by day or by night / Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Christians sing - why?

Biblical Foundations

Biblical Commands: The Bible frequently commands believers to sing. For example, Psalm 96:1 says, "Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth."

New Testament: The New Testament also emphasizes singing. Colossians 3:16 encourages, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly...singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

Historical Context

Early Church: Singing has always been integral part of early Christian gatherings. The early church used psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs as part of their worship.

Reformation: The Protestant Reformation brought a resurgence of congregational singing, with leaders like Martin Luther promoting hymn singing in the vernacular.

American History -The First Great Awakening (1720s-1760s) was a hymn-singing movement. The main hymn writer of that era was Charles Wesley, who wrote more than 6,000 hymns. They are filled with strong biblical doctrine and fmemorable tunes. Many of Charles Wesley’s famous hymns which are still sung widely today are “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing,”

Book: There’s still a more significant songbook for God’s people.

Peter’s sermon @ Pentecost makes an argument from psalms 16 and 110 to the Kingship of Jesus

Jesus quotes the psalms more than any other book

When teaching

When correcting

When being crucified

We get to look today into the songbook that Jesus grew up with. In particular, today we look at the introductory psalm that sets the landscape for the the others.

Look: We all stand at a fork in the road - and God is speaking into the moment.

Took: Today we see God is offering each of us His pathway to full and everlasting life with Him - will you take it?

Map: The God-walkers, the God-mockers, and God’s Offer

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PRAY - help us to see how this helps us with the pain of being people…

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BODY

1. v1-3 - The God-walkers

(1) Separated from sin, (2) saturated in God’s word, and (3) sinking deep, life-changing roots

(1) Joy: SEPARATED FROM SIN

Psalm 1:1 NLT

1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.

Blessednesses - Joys - double joys, heaping portions

Joy, not a situation, but a firm reality of blessedness

Blessing - from above

James 1:17 “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.”

Describe them: Avoiding the aimless path to destruction

Stair step

The safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. - C. S. Lewis

walk/stand/sit - this is poetic! And a warning! And a path!

Follow - check it out (thinking)

Proverbs 12:5“The plans of the godly are just; the advice of the wicked is treacherous.”

Stand - try it out (acting)

1 Corinthians 15:33 “Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.””

Join - pass it out (owning)

Romans 1:32 “They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.”

What’s being checked out? Tried out? passed out? We will find out later it’s rejecting God.

(2) Joy: SATURATED IN GOD’S WORD…

Psalm 1:2 NLT

2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.

Contrast

This joyful person is SATURATED in God’s truth

True, joyful conversion to God leads to NEW LOVES

Notice the contrast - now we get delight and law

This person LOVES to sit under God’s teaching

Meditating means - chewing - like a cow!

Not the eastern meditation of clearing your mind, but the biblical mediation of filling your mind

(3) Joy: SINKING DEEP ROOTS

Psalm 1:3 NLT

3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

This man is rooted! Not restless (compare verse 1!)

You made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless till they rest in you.Saint Augustine of Hippo

DUCK swimming illustration

This man is near living water - plenty of fuel for his roots

God wants us near to Him

God is our source of life

This man is evergreen - even in a dry spell, he’s planted roots in a wise way

This tree is bearing fruit in season

Illustration: Missing the exit on the highway - you have to pick a lane - you can’t split it down the middle!

Application: God is inviting us into HIS WAYS in this song - HE is trying to show us the contrast between what is and what could be…

Tran: But, there is another group in this introductory psalm - those who are in love with sin, who reject God’s word, and who are living a life without lasting hope.

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2. v4-5 - The God-mockers

(4) In love with sin, rejecting God’s word, and (5) living a life without hope

Explanation:

Psalm 1:4 NLT

4 But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.

Not the wicked - this is meant to shock the reader

The wicked gives the connotation that this is the man against God

This is the fork in the road that means “I’m on the run”

This path doesn’t always look so “wicked” or “bad”

Proverbs 14:12 “12 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.”

Psalm 37:1–2 “1 Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. 2 For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.”

Jesus said in Luke 12:16–21 “16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!” ’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ 21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.””

A person is a fool to store up earthly loves and trinkets but not have a rich relationship with God

Psalm 1:5 NLT

5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly.

Illustration: The fork in the road - back to it

Application: If you don’t love God’s ways, you, very likely, don’t know God and there’s a time of judgment coming

Hebrews 9:27 “27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,”

Tran: And so we are left with a reality - a fork in the road - to follow God, or to reject Him and follow our own path to destruction.

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3. v.6 - and God’s Offer

(6) The fork in the road - follow God, or follow to destruction

Explanation:

Psalm 1:6 NLT

6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Look at Jesus - Jesus has given us the same offer - the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide us as we walk with God, or

Positive: John 14:16–17 “16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.”

Negative: Matthew 7:13–14 “13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”

Illustration: Fork in the road - back to it - God is offering us life!

Application: As Christians we have a choice to make each day - to live as the joyful beloved of God! What a blessing. What a privilege.

AND AS WE GO IN THE PSALMS

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CONCLUSION

Wrap it Up: read a poem:

Could we with ink the ocean fill,   And were the skies of parchment made; Were every stalk on earth a quill,   And every man a scribe by trade; To write the love of God above   Would drain the ocean dry; Nor could the scroll contain the whole,   Though stretched from sky to sky.

Frederick Lehman

Call to Action: Are you joyful today? Separated from sin, saturated in the word and sinking roots? Can we sing today with cheerful hearts to God?