Dennis' Sermon Prep Workflow | Psalm 1

Psalm 1 ESV

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.

This passage is one of the most famous Psalms next to perhaps Psalm 23 and Psalm 119. It deals with the Blessed man. In this passage the Psalmist deals with how we can lead a blessed life.

As we continue to look at Sacred Rhythms, we come to the next Rhythm So far we’ve looked at Sabbath Rest, Silence and now we come to this passage.

The Way of Blessing

The Blessed man is blessed because instead of walking in the counsel of the wicked, or standing in the way of sinners, or sitting in the seat of the scoffer, he takes the humble position of delighting on the law of the Lord.

The Wicked - reshayim - those who have turned away from God. They disregard God's commandments and pursue destructive lives and habits.

The Sinner - Chattayim - those who habitually, and wilfully miss the mark of God's standards. They choose to live in a state of rebellion against God.

The Scoffer - letzim - those who scoff at, who mock, ridicule or scorn God and his laws. They are hardened to God and the things of God.

This is the nature of this world. In it we see ourselves and see others:

Those who continually miss the mark because of the love their sin too much.

Those who are rebellious to God and choose to do things their own way.

Those who mock at and ridicule God because of hardness of heart.

We all know someone like that and for some of us we are that. We walk in sin and wilful disobedience. We've failed and give up and become bitter toward God and the things of God.

And yet, all of this ultimately leads not to prosperity, but to perishing.

Falling to God in the judgment, being found guilty in the "congregation of the righteous", and ultimately perishing (vv. 5-6)

Look at the final end of these:

Psalm 5:5 ESV

The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.

Nahum 1:6 ESV

Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.

Mark 9:48 ESV

‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’

But there is another way, the way of Blessing.

So what is the difference in this verse between the one who is blessed and the one who is not? Is it good deeds or money and power? Is it family wealth? No!

Look at v. 2

Psalm 5:2 ESV

Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.

The Power of BUT

Here we find that wonderful word full of sweetness for the sinner who finds themselves in the hands of an angry God: But. It's amazing how much a difference 3 letters can make.

What is the difference between the Wicked who perish, and the Blessed who don't? But.

And what fills this but should fill our souls: But he delights in the law of the Lord, and we find this in James too.

James 1:25 ESV

But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Both verses emphasize the importance of engaging deeply with God's law and not just hearing it, but allowing it to transform us from the inside out.

The path of blessedness is the path of Meditating on God's Law.

Now on this, we must be careful. We could easily fall into the sin of conflation. What neither the Psalmist nor James is saying is that if you meditate on God's law you will be blessed. They're not saying salvation comes through adherence to the Law.

Galatians 2:16 says this plainly.

Galatians 2:16 ESV

yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

But what we cannot miss is that blessings comes through walking in God's Word.

So how do we do this? Through the last Sacred Rhythm of Meditating on God's Word.

The Rhythm of Meditation

Now we must be clear that this is different from Eastern Meditation:

Goal: The primary aim of Eastern meditation (as found in traditions like Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism) is often to achieve inner peace, enlightenment, or spiritual liberation. This may involve detaching from desires, thoughts, and the self to reach a state of emptiness or oneness with the universe.

Focus: The focus is typically on emptying the mind, achieving a state of no thought, or merging with the universal consciousness. Techniques may involve repeating mantras, focusing on breath, or visualizing certain images or deities.

Christian Meditation:

Goal: The goal of Christian meditation is to deepen one's relationship with God, grow in understanding of His Word, and align one's life with His will. It’s about filling the mind with Scripture and reflecting on God’s truth.

Focus: Christian meditation is centered on God, His Word (the Bible), and His presence. Instead of emptying the mind, it involves focusing intently on Scripture, contemplating God's attributes, and listening to His voice through prayer and reflection.

"The reason we come away so cold from reading the Word is because we do not warm ourselves at the fire of meditation."

— Thomas Watson, The Art of Divine Meditation

Whereas worldly meditation teacher us to empty our minds, but rather it tells us to FILL our minds

Philippians 4:8 ESV

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

"The mind, as the highest part of our nature, should always be filled with the knowledge of God. The soul cannot be healthy if the mind is not filled with holy thoughts."

— A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

Meditation is the sweetest of Rhythms. It’s communion with the almighty. It’s the rhythm of conversation and of listening

So how do we do this?

Let me point you to Five proved steps that you can take to fill your mind each day and meditate on the Word of God. And we're going to use the Acronym STUDY to help us meditate on the Word.

STUDY

SELECT a Passage

This is the easy part, choosing a passage of scripture to read. The reason it's easy is it doesn't matter what you read. All of God's word is profitable. It's all useful. Sometimes this is where we freeze up. We get God's Word and we can't decide what to read!

Let me suggest Ephesians. Start there. Read a few verses a day. Read until the Holy Spirit catches your attention. Read until God begins to speak to your heart and no further.

In that moment STOP. Read that passage, then read it again.

THINK and Pray

Next you want to pray over and think about the passage. We inverted them for our acronym, but pray first. Pray that GOd's SPirit will help you understand the passage. Pray for him to reveal truth to your heart and soul. Then think and not just think about it; think deeply about it. This is where the discipline of silence we talked about last week is helpful. Sit in the word. Rest in it.

One of the greatest hinderances to our time with God is HASTE. We’re so quick to try to read so many verses of this or that. But reading scripture isn’t about completion but God’s presence.

Think about it's meaning and its context. Think about how it makes you feel. Now let me be clear, when I say think about how it makes you feel, I'm not saying you judge it's truth by your feelings.

Let me give you an example.

This week I went to the Dentist. As my hygenist was cleaning my teeth she rubbed and spot on a tooth and I just about come out of my chair. Why? She said, "You brush too hard and your gums are receding. My teeth told me something was wrong when that metal hit the part that wasn't supposed to be hit!

That's what the Word of God does. It hits the sore spots to show us our need.

When you read the word and it hits you sideways, don't avoid that verse, press into it! Understand that it’s the word of God pressing into the sore spots that God wants to work out in your life!!!

UNDERSTAND the Context.

I know I talked about context earlier, but this is important this is. Read some verses before the passage, read some after. If you have access to a computer go to Logos.com or blueletterbible.com and use some of the free commentaries they have available online. Understanding the context helps you see why some things are said.

The late Dr. R. C. Sproul said this:

"We must understand the Scriptures in their original context. When we lift a verse out of context, we may distort the meaning of God's Word. Context is the soil in which the Word grows, and without it, we risk misunderstanding the truth of the Bible."

DWELL on the meaning

This is where the meditation really begins. Once you've filled your mind with the Word, dwell there.

The Psalmist says it like this:

Psalm 1:3 ESV

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.

What a beautiful picture of meditation.

When we dwell in the word, we are rooted in it. The other day I was calling my mom. She and my dad moved in with my grandmother several years before my grandmother died and so they live in the house my grandfather built a few years before I was born. After I dialed her, yes millenials and younger I actually used the number keys, I got a busy signal. I was confused. Did my mom get her phone shut off? Then I looked at what I had dialed and I realized the problem. I had dialed 6018548828. That is the landline at my grandparents house. The reason it was disconnected is my parents let is go when my grandmother died.

Why did I dial that number, because regardless of the fact that my grandmother is gone, I will never loose those 10 digits, nor the 10 digits of my other grandmother's house in Brandon, or Kristy's home number, or my best friend in High School's numbers because I dwelled in and on those numbers for years.

I don't know Kristy's cell phone number because as long as she's had it all I have to do if find her name and push, but I know the number I dialed 1000 times in high school and college to talk to the one I loved.

And in the same way, you and I are called to love God's word and when we do, and we dwell in it, no one and nothing can take it away from us.

When is the last time you dwelled on God's Word?

YIELD in prayer and action

James 1:22 ESV

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

We can't just read the word, we must do what it says.

"The Word of God is not only to be heard, but it must be deeply pondered, to which end meditation is the key. The fruit of meditation is that it transforms our life, directing our actions according to the divine will."

— John Calvin

True meditation always ends in faithful action.

As James notes later, reading the word and not responding in action is like looking in the mirror and forgetting what we look like.