Mind the Gap

Good morning! Please open your Bibles to Psalm 1.

We start a new series this week called “Summer in the Psalms” Some of you remember we went through some of the Psalms a few years ago, and that series was also called “summer in the Psalms,” but there are 150 Psalms and that series was only six weeks long, so there’s still plenty of Psalms to choose from. So we’re going to break down Psalm 1 this morning.

Several years ago I was in London for a mission trip. We had to use the subway system every day to get to the various places we were going, and I started noticing these “mind the gap” signs. They were everywhere— painted on the walls, embedded in the floors— everywhere. And you can go into any tourist place in London and buy “mind the gap” t shirts and patches and coffee mugs— pretty much anything you want.

What is Mind the Gap? Well, its the very polite way the British tell you that between the loading platform and the subway car you are trying to board, there’s a gap. There’s a space between where you are and where you want to be, and if you aren’t careful, you can get hurt. So you want to mind the gap. You want to make sure there’s not so much distance between yourself and the car that you can’t get there. But you also want to respect the incredible power of the oncoming train, as well as the electric third rail that powers it. Because if you underestimate that, you’re going to get squashed.

So Psalm 1 is about minding the gap. It’s about realizing that there is a distance between ourselves and God. We know that we are made in His image, which means we reflect his character. We think His thoughts. We are able to act and like Him and respond to things the way He would. But we also know that because of sin, that image of God has been marred. We do’t always act like God and reflect His character. So we want to live in such a way that we are constantly working to close that gap.

But at the same time, there is also be a gap between the righteous and the wicked. There’s a clear distinction between a lifestyle that honors God and a life that dishonors him. And we want to do everything we can to keep that gap as wide as possible. So there’s a day to day need for us to try to close the gap between ourselves and God, and to widen the gap between ourselves and the world.

Psalm 1 is a guide to minding the gap. Let’s read it together. Please stand…

Scripture - Psalm 1

Psalm 1: The Secret to Happiness

In this psalm, the psalmist teaches us the secret to happiness. He says, “Happy people do three things: “they walk, they stand, they sit.” It’s a progression.

And happy people avoid three things.

There are three things they do not do:

● Happy people don’t walk in the way wicked people do.

● Happy people don’t stand in the pathway of sinners.

● And happy people don’t sit in the company of mockers.

Write these down:

“Walking” is taking a series of steps. Walking is about the decisions you make all day long.

What Happy People Do and Do Not Do

     A. Walking = The decisions we make all day long.

Walking is about where you live mentally, emotionally, and relationally. After you walk for a while, you usually get to the place where you’re going. And when you do, you stop walking. And you stand there.

     B. Standing = The commitments we make to various causes.

The kind of thinking you adopt.

The way you choose to see life.

You make your decisions – that’s walking. And your decisions make you – that’s standing. – You stop somewhere and you live there. Once you’ve stood somewhere long enough, you eventually sit down.

     C. Sitting = The attitudeof our heart.

Let me read it again to you:

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! - Psalm 1:1

A happy person doesn’t make decisions under the influence of “the wicked” – under the influence of people who think contrary to God.

A happy person doesn’t align with causes or priorities that line up with people who do things contrary to the laws of God.

A happy person doesn’t allow their attitudes to be influenced by people who mock the almighty.

So, what does a happy person do?

Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,

and he meditates on it day and night.

Psalm 1:2

A happy person does three simple things. Three simple things that all of us can do.

     A. We delight in God’s words.

We like God’s words. We take pleasure in them. We look forward to hearing God’s words in church, and reading God’s words at home, and learning how to live by them.

[Personal note: While I was writing this exact section of my message, my grandson Facetimed me. The whole time we were talking, I was thinking, “I love listening to this little guy.” He is delightful to me. I delight in my grandson, and… Pastor, you might inject something like this here in your message. Something to highlight the word delight.]

Happy people delight in God’s words.

Second…

     B. We think about them deeply.

For a Hindu, to “meditate” means, “to think about nothing.” For a Hebrew, to “meditate” means, “to think deeply about God’s Word.” Instead of just skimming over a passage, happy people ask questions, like,

● “Why did God say this?”

● “What does He mean by this?”

● “What am I supposed to do about this?”

And people who are happy…

     C. We think about them dayand night.

One of the best ways to start your day is to read a chapter of the Bible. And one of the best ways to end your day is to read a chapter of the Bible.

Recently, the American Bible Society released a report based on a national survey they did during the middle of the pandemic.

Here’s what they found: All… “People experience hurt. In the midst of these difficulties, though, the Bible and the church make a critical difference.”

“… when [people] turn to the Bible, they are better able to cope, and they experience higher levels of hope and flourishing…. and they are better able to forgive.”

“…those relying on scripture at greater-than-average levels, also experienced the highest levels of hope.”

“Scripture engagement is significantly related to evidence of forgiveness,” ABS said. “The more scripture engaged someone is, the more likely they are able to forgive others.”

Which, in turn, makes them happier people.

Verse 3 explains why the scripture-engaged person is happier:

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. - Psalm 1:3

The land of Israel has a climate very similar to California. There’s not much rain. But the trees there are like trees everywhere: they need a steady source of water. The trees that grow beside streams are constantly being watered and nourished.

The Psalm is saying, “Scripture-readers are happier because…

Why We’re Happy:

     A. We’re continually taking healthy nourishment.

     B. We prosper.

The most important organ in your body is your brain. It does all your thinking. Pound for pound, your brain consumes far more calories than any other organ. It’s constantly working and needs constant feeding.

Your brain makes up 2% of your body mass, but consumes 20% of your calories.

Feeding your brain on the Bible morning and evening is like planting it next to a stream so it can get constant nourishment. And when you’re constantly giving your brain the right nourishment, it’s going to make better decisions, which will make you prosper.

RECAP

You want to be happier?

● Read the Bible.

● Delight in the Bible.

● Read it day and night.

● And obey it.

Happy is the person who does this. And whatever he or she does, prospers.

Conclusion

This is how the book of Psalms opens. It’s the “Genesis chapter 1” of the Psalms.

The compilers of the Psalms thought long and hard about the first song in the songbook. They wanted everyone to know the secret to happiness. And, they wanted everyone to know the secret of sadness. Verse 4 says,

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 1:4-5

Chaff is the papery part of the wheat stock that’s worthless. It’s the wrapping paper around the grain, put there to protect it. Once the wheat is ready to eat, the chaff isn’t needed anymore, so the farmer throws it up in the air and lets the wind take it away.

What David is saying is, the unhappy aren’t happy because…

Why the Unhappy aren’t Happy:

A. They don’t have an anchor of truth to guide them (v. 4).

They take advice from CBS or CNN or Fox or Facebook. They get people’s opinions, not God’s infallible truth. People who live by the media as their source of truth will not sit in the room when the righteous assemble before God in heaven. – Unhappy people…

B. They don’t have a happy group to lift them (v. 5).

The final line of the song says,

6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

Psalm 1:6

It’s a contrast between happy and unhappy people. Unhappy people…

C. They don’t have the Lord watching over their ways (v. 6).

They’re on their own.

This is one of the most compelling reasons to become a Christian. As a father, I want to help my children. And as our heavenly father, God wants to help you. But He won’t force His help on you. He invites us to ask for His help.

In the book of Revelation, He says, “Listen, I’m right here at the door to your life. I’m knocking on it. If you’ll open it, I’ll come into you and live with you, and you with Me.

He then begins what Psalm 1:6 describes: He begins watching over you – guiding you, calling to your attention things that might harm you. He does this by means of the Holy Spirit, whispering to you, like a voice inside your head. And He does this by talking loudly and clearly to you through the words He’s written to you in the Bible.

Imagine if every person in our city read the Bible on a regular basis. We’d be a happier city, wouldn’t we? We’d be a city planted by streams of water – a city for all seasons.

Imagine if every person in our country read the Bible regularly? We’d be a happier country. A country for all seasons.

Or, imagine if you read the Bible regularly. According to Psalm 1, you’d be happier – a man or woman for all seasons.

So I want to issue a challenge to all of us today:

Assignment:

During this 6-week series…

Read a Psalm a day.

Ask yourself, “What is God saying to me here?”

SALVATION INVITATION

And I want to issue an invitation to you today. Jesus would like to be in your life. He’d like to lead you and guide you, and reconcile you to God.

If you’d like Him in your life, if you’d like to become part of His family, in just a minute I’m going to lead you in a prayer inviting Him to become the Lord of your life.

The prayer is very simple. Just pray these words after me:

Lord Jesus,

I admit,

I am a sinner,

In need of a Savior,

And I invite you to be mine.

If you prayed that prayer, would you let me know by waving your hand at me just now?

[Follow up with encouragement to return and to read the Bible.]

Let’s pray together.