The Warning of the Ungodly Life - Psalm 1:4-6

Introduction: Have you ever heard of Max Jukes? That’s okay, because most people haven’t heard of him. Here is what I have read about him:

Max Juke was a man who lived in New York in the 1700s.

He was described as lazy, immoral, uneducated, and godless.

He reportedly married a woman of similar character, and together they had a large family.

  A study claimed that 540 of his descendants were traced with the following outcomes:

310 died as paupers (extreme poverty).

150 were criminals, including 7 murderers.

100 were alcoholics.

More than half of the women were prostitutes.

The family cost the state of New York over $1.25 million (in 19th-century dollars).

  Now, have you heard of Jonathan Edwards?

   Jonathan Edwards, a prominent preacher and theologian from the same era. Jonathan Edwards

Married Sarah Pierpont, a godly woman

They had 11 children, and were committed to prayer, education, and Christian living

 Here is what we know of Edwards’ descendants:

1 Vice President (Aaron Burr, Jr.)

3 U.S. Senators

3 Governors

13 College Presidents

30 Judges

65 Professors

100 Lawyers

60 Physicians

100+ Clergy, missionaries, and theological authors

   Now, I must tell you that not everyone agrees with the contrasts of these two families, but I submit to you that whether the statistics are perfectly accurate or not, the contrast shows a timeless truth found in Scripture: Choices influence generations.

  Another preacher, John Wesley, is quoted as saying, “What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace.”

  Here is the TRUTH that I want to drive home with you today. You get to make the choice to be godly, or ungodly – what will your decision be?

   Allow me to provide you with a very vivid contrast between being godly and choosing to be ungodly:

1. What it means to be Godly

A Personal Choice: Godliness begins with a decision to follow God and live according to His ways. It doesn't happen by accident but through commitment.

   1 Timothy 4:7-8- "Exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily 2 exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things..."

Requires Self-Control and Spiritual Discipline: Living a godly life means denying worldly desires and striving to reflect Christ’s character.

  Titus 2:11-12 - "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age..."

Rooted in the Word of God: The godly meditate on Scripture, finding direction and strength in God's truth.

   Psalm 1:2- "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night."

Empowered by the Holy Spirit: Godliness is not just moral behavior; it is the fruit of a relationship with God, cultivated by His Spirit.

   Galatians 5:22-23 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..."

A Countercultural Life: To live godly often means standing against the current of society and choosing holiness when the world celebrates compromise.

   Romans 12:2 - "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..."

2. What it means to be Ungodly

Lives in Default mode: Ungodliness doesn't require effort—it’s the natural way of living apart from God.

   Romans 1:18 - "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness..."

Lacks a Biblical Standard: The ungodly determine their own rules, not living under the authority of God's Word.

   Judges 21:25 - "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

Guided by Desires, Not Discipline: Life is lived to please self, not God.

   Philippians 3:19- "Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things."

No Fear of God: The ungodly do not consider God's standards or judgment in their decisions.

   Psalm 10:4 - "The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts."

Spiritually Blind and Morally Numb: The ungodly live disconnected from the truth and often reject conviction.

   Ephesians 4:18 - "...having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them..."

  What a contrast. Which of the two defines you? Godly or Ungodly?

   Now, allow me to read out text for us again before we jump into it. We read,

   4. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

   Now, what does this section of Psalm 1 teach us about the ungodly? We learn the following:

1. The Description of the Ungodly – Psalm 1:4

   The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

    Don’t miss the words,

   Are not so

   This phrase creates a sharp contrast with the righteous (v. 3). Where the righteous are stable, fruitful, and rooted, the wicked are unstable, barren, and weightless – they are described as chaff.

   Charles Spurgeon wrote that the word “chaff” speaks of the ungodly character. He penned, “They are like chaff” intrinsically worthless, dead, unserviceable, without substance, and easily carried away.”

   Chaff is a word that symbolizes worthlessness.

   Have you ever seen the way farmers used to separate the wheat from the chaff? (Here is a quick video of the process in action). You will notice that the grain falls to the threshing floor, and the chaff because it is light and dry, blows away by the wind.

   In Job 21:18 we read,

   They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carries away.

  In Hosea 13:3 we read,

   Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud... like chaff blown off from a threshing floor.

   In our world we often look at the wicked and we see them as successful now but looks are deceiving. Please understand that their lives lack eternal weight.

   Dr. Wiersbe wrote, “The ungodly are dead, rootless, blown about, and destined for the fire.”

2. The Disqualification of the Ungodly – Psalm 1:5

   Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

   Let’s consider the words,

   Shall not stand in the judgment,

   The Hebrew word for “Stand” here means, to rise, endure, or remain.

   The ungodly will not have a leg to stand on when they face God’s judgment.

   In Hebrews 9:27 we read,

   It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.

  The judgment here refers to God's final assessment, possibly both temporal and eternal. Scripture is clear in Revelation 20:11-15 we read,

   11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

   Yes, at the Great White Throne Judgment God will open books. You see, God keeps record of everything we have ever done – the good, the bad, and the ugly! However, the one book that will be opened is the Book of Life. The names of the ungodly will not be recorded in that book. They rejected Jesus Christ, and they will face eternal consequences for doing so.

   Next, we read in this verse 5,

   Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

  Sinners and saints will be separated at this judgment. The ungodly will have no place among the people of God.

  This is not speaking of a temporary separation, but an eternal separation. We read about this in Matthew 25:31-46,

   31“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ 41“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 44“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

  Matthew Henry wrote, “The righteous and the wicked will not always dwell together... There is a day coming when God will make an eternal separation.”

3. The Destiny of the Ungodly – Psalm 1:6

   For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

   In your Bible, I want you to underline the word, “Knows.” Here we discover that God “Knows the way of the righteous.”

   In Hebrew the word, “Knows” (yada) implies intimate knowledge, care, and approval. I have read that it refers to the most thorough and/or intimate knowledge (Moody Commentary).

   This word goes deeper and speaks of God’s covenantal (Cov-e-nan-tal) knowledge—God watches over and guides their path.

   We read in Nahum 1:7,

   The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who trust in Him.

   And in John 10:14 we read,

   I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.

 Now, getting back to Psalm 1:6, we also read,  

   But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

   The path of the ungodly ends in ruin, destruction, and eternal separation from God.

   The wicked live without reference to God, and their end reflects that life.

   The fool says that there is no God (Psalm 14:1), and the ungodly lives as if there is no God, and the end of their lives will show the fruit of the way they desired to live.

   Proverbs 14:12 tells us,

   There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

   Theologian R.C. Sproul: “God's judgment is not arbitrary—it is the inevitable result of rejecting His way.”

4. The Decision of the Ungodly – Psalm 1:6

      For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

   This Psalm ends with a challenge. There are only two ways to live—God’s way or the world's way. One leads to eternal life, the other to eternal death.

   Deuteronomy 30:19 reads,

   I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life.

   Psalm 1 is a call to:

Pursue righteousness

Reject ungodly influence

Live by God's Word

Stay rooted in Christ

   I never take it for granted that I am speaking to an all-Christian (born-again) audience. There may be some very ungodly people present here in this auditorium, and if that is the case this final point is directed to you.

   God’s grace is giving you another opportunity to turn from your ungodly ways, and to turn to Jesus Christ. What will you decide to do? I would encourage you to repent of your sin, and to say yes to Jesus Christ, and call upon Him to save your soul.

   We read in Romans 10:9–13,

   9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

   God will allow you to Choose Your Path. What will you decide?

   Psalm 1 begins with the blessing of the righteous and ends with the doom of the wicked. It’s not just poetic—it’s prophetic. It asks every person to decide:

   Will you be a tree planted by rivers of water—or chaff driven by the wind?

   Choose the blessed life in Christ and let God shape your path for His glory.

   What about those of us who know Jesus Christ already? How can we take what we have studied today and incorporate it to our lives where the rubber meets the road? Here are five suggestions:

1. Evaluate your path. Which direction are you walking? Are you on the road of righteousness or rebellion?

2. Anchor your life in the eternal. Don't chase after the chaff of this world. Invest your life in what matters to God.

3. Prepare for judgment. Stand in Christ now, so you can stand in judgment later.

4. Trust God’s intimate care. If you are righteous in Christ, the Lord knows your way. You are not forgotten.

5. Witness to the wicked. Psalm 1 is a warning, but there’s still time for repentance. Call others to the narrow path.