Sermon 5-13-18 Psalm 1 - 2 Ways

Psalm 1: The Way of the Righteous vs the Way of the Wicked 1:1 Intro to Psalms : Is it well with your soul? It depends on the path you take. a. (a song sung to a plucked string instrument) … Book of Praises (ancient rabbis) – This overall purpose of this book is “Praise the Lord!” b. Praises and lamentations – why not called lamentations? i. Front loaded with lamentations, back loaded with praise ii. All lamentations move to praise by the end except one (darkness only friend), doesn’t end with my god why have you forsaken me. Ends with Let everything that has breath Praise the Lord! c. Psalm 1 and 2 are together as Intro (important): Psalms introduction – Psalm 1-2 are preface, put together. Praise, thanksgiving, prayer, lament, jesus’ hymn book, we are to sing these, these are to be the lyrics of our faith and of our lives. Sing them individually and together with one another. The Psalms themselves, the book as a whole in its structure tells of our experience and ultimate story of reality – foundation of faith, praise, wisdom; trials throughout with questions and moving between moments of doubt and hope, huge unspeakable trial in the middle, significant portion on the word of god as the security of our lives – the truth in the chaos, not just the rule/duty but the delight – looks back on the word/covenants, backloaded with praise. This is Jesus’ song book, what He would’ve sung as meditations and soul-food, the shaping of heart and mind. He knew the Psalms by heart, quoting them frequently. Psalm 1 is the Purpose. Psalm 2 is the Message. Psalm 1 invokes the purpose of our praise (motivates it) … Psalm 2 teaches us what this praise involves. Psalm 1 the why, Psalm 2 the what. Both speak to how. Inclusio “blessed”. “Blessed is the man … Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.” (important). d. All Psalms will point back to Psalm 1 and 2 – with Psalm 1 – true happiness and holiness go together … to delight in God and his law … characterized by life, endurance, significance as opposed to wickedness characterized by death, fruitlessness, coming to nothingness … Experience true joy/happiness through trust and obedience and more trust (akin to Joshua 1) … and this is not drudgery in the Psalms but delight; holiness is not a life of legalism but a life of faith. Those who love God enjoy well-being. e. With Psalm 2 – “the Lord reigns!”, affirming that loving and serving him ensures well-being. While Psalm 1 orients the reader to receive the whole collection as instruction, Psalm 2 makes explicit the content of the instruction – The Lord reigns! f. Are we happier than they who are involved in these Psalms/praises? We have more economic options, vacations, wealth, technology, medication. We also have more meaninglessness, despair, self-pity, boredom, need for medication! So, are we happier? 2. This Psalm is about discrimination – it is upheld as a virtue, a truth – a. not between high and low, rich and poor, intellectual and simple, Presbyterian and Baptist, black and white – this is the first and the last distinction, that of righteousness and wickedness, blessing and tormenting. b. We are ultimate fools if we do not discriminate between righteous and wicked (as the world at this moment is conjuring new ways to blur those lines – the satan and his world lies awake at night thinking of this (take your money)). c. Two Trees in Garden unlike others; Life and Death. True Innocence and Naivete d. Go back further: Creation: Heavens and Earth. God brings order to the chaos by making distinctions. Each day he makes distinctions: i. light/dark – day/night ii. waters above – waters below iii. gather waters to distinguish and separate the land iv. sun and moon v. birds and fish vi. man and animals vii. male and female e. Go back further: Heaven – union with God – rebellion/separation from Him i. Satan is prototype of wicked – serve self or god - chooses a lesser over a greater. f. Fast forward – 2 sets of spiritual beings, 2 humanities as well – chasm is immortalized – enmity between serpent’s seed and woman’s seed. (the righteous and the wicked) g. Pull this thread and follow it all the way through the Scripture and History – i. Cain and Able ii. Noah and his generation iii. Abraham called to separate himself (pointer to God’s otherness, his holiness) iv. Isaac – Ishmael v. Jacob – Esau vi. Joseph – brothers vii. Israel – Egypt viii. Israel – Canaanites ix. Israel – Philistines x. World’s way of making distinctions is to look on the outside/physical – Saul is tallest, that distinguishes him, therefore he’s people’s king. However, God look on the heart and picks his own king based on the distinction of being a man after God’s own heart. xi. Problem is complicated – holy mixes with profane (weirdness? Sons of god daughters of men). I don’t believe in mixed marriages – righteous with unrighteous. Israel becomes like them instead of them becoming like Israel. What was supposed to be kept holy was adulterated with profane, vulgar, pagan, idolatrous. I believe we should discriminate fervently, based on Spiritual not physical, based on righteousness and wickedness, not black and white, tall short, rich poor. xii. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and their foolish hearts were darkened (think of Solomon). xiii. So now a distinction must be drawn out further between the visible and invisible people of God – not all Israel is Israel, but there is a remnant preserved by God himself so that the holy may be kept alive, may persevere, but barely – my theory is that this is when this psalm may have been composed. xiv. And, so enters Jesus as the holy looks as though it will be all but stomped out, at best relegated to a few in a corner as the power of Rome sweeps the known globe appearing invincible and unstoppable. xv. John the Baptist prepares his way calling for the masses to come out and separate themselves from the evil generation, return to the holy way with great effect – many in Israel go to him, as a small taste of revival comes to the land, a desire is kindled, something greater is HERE! xvi. Looks can be so deceiving when it comes to the righteous-unrighteous distinction. Jesus, as his father did, looks on the heart to make distinctions and it infuriates those who look at physical things like knowledge, position, power. And it is often those we would least expect who become counted with the righteous and those we would expect to be righteous are identified as wolves in sheep’s clothing – as jesus teaches about the 2 paths (wide and the narrow), sheep and goats, wheat and tares, good soil and bad soil, 2 sons (the prodigal becomes righteous and the law-keeping one proves wicked/rebellious), [two gates and two roads, two trees and their two types of fruit, two houses and two foundations1]. And, in the end, there are 2 cities, 2 multitudes, 2 ultimate eternal destinations – union with God or separation from Him. Infinite blessing and infinite cursing. Heaven and Hell. xvii. We see more modern human recognition of 2 distinct paths (despite itself, it can’t help but stumble on truth) … 1. think of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” 2 roads diverged in a wood, I took the one less traveled by, that has made all the difference. 2. Perhaps a little less familiar is Dante’s Divine Comedy: The Inferno “Midway this way of life we’re bound upon, I woke to find myself in a dark wood, Where the right road was wholly lost and gone.2” Satan: “Evil, be thou my good.” 3. Star Wars. h. The elements of this story of 2 ways is laid out beautifully, delicately, poetically, but also plainly here in this first Psalm as an introduction to the rest of the Psalter. all that follow are existential sermonettes on these great themes. The different character and condition of godly people and wicked people, those that serve God and those that serve him not, is here plainly stated in a few words; so that every man, if he will be faithful to himself, may here see his own face and then read his own doom/end.3 3. Go to the text! (finally) 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; Starts with the companionship with the wicked, mixed friendships 4. We must part ways with evil doers. There must be a distinction between us and them – and that distinction should preside primarily in the heart. a. See this so much with young people – young people struggle with being fully concerned with determining who they are and what good is by looking at those around them, gaining a favorable reputation among them, and selling their soul for that reputation. Modernism – truth dictates community, post-modernism – community dictates truth. b. Does that not also apply to us at most ages, we are too embarrassed at what others think to share the truth of Jesus Christ crucified and raised as the only hope for salvation from sin and God’s just wrath. We keep score with our bank accounts and our stuff rather than the report card and sports scoreboards of the young. c. Can’t say how important it is to reject evil; this is perhaps the first step in Christianity – to come to the end of evil/ to see it for what it is and is not – it is not a solution but a poison. First word blessed, last word perish – a decisive contrast. Calvin: Commencing with a declaration of his abhorrence of the wicked, he teaches us how impossible it is for any one to apply his mind to meditation upon God’s law, who has not first withdrawn and separated himself from the society of the ungodly.4 and that the first step to living well is to renounce the company of the ungodly, otherwise it is sure to infect us with its own pollution.5 … yea, that those of them who have departed farthest from righteousness, in the gratification of their lusts, are accounted happy, because they obtain the desires of their heart. The prophet, on the contrary, here teaches that no man can be duly animated to the fear and service of God, and to the study of his law, until he is firmly persuaded that all the ungodly are miserable6 - famous actor said you’re better off not reaching the top of your goals, when you reach the top you find out it’s still just emptiness.(river phoenix, heath ledger, elvis, kurt kobane, chris Farley, etc). We don’t become evil all at once, it’s a slow fade… d. Notice the progressive parallelism … shows the progressive nature of wickedness/ungodliness. i. Walk-stand-sit … counsel-way-seat … ungodly-sinners-scoffers ii. Spurgeon: “As ‘True Doctors of Damnation’, they are installed.” iii. Dante’s Inferno: Satan: “Evil, be thou my good.” When we get old, it’s perhaps too late, we no longer want to learn anything … “Seinfeld” – the ultimate scoffer. “What else about life is annoying besides everything”. “I don’t want to know anything that I don’t already know.” If you are the ungodly sinner early in life, likely you will be seated on the throne of the scoffer later in life. 5. 6. What’s the antithesis? [2] but his delight is in the law7 of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. a. To walk-stand-sit in the counsel-way-seat of the godly-righteous-prophets … NO, it’s to delight. Lewis says, “The Order of the Divine mind, embodied in the Divine Law, is beautiful.” The language of the poet is “not priggery nor even scrupulosity; it is the language of a man ravished by a moral beauty.”88… Taken by beauty – that is the foil to sin/satan/temptation/evil. It’s not to try harder or do better. It’s to want more. “If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy, I can only conclude I was not made for this world. We are half-hearted creatures fooling about with drink, sex, ambition – like children who go on making mud-pies in the slum, we cannot imagine what is meant by this offer of a holiday at the sea.” (Lewis quote). b. What does law mean? Law = Torah = first 5 books, not less than law but certainly more = god’s teaching/instruction = a. Piper – what is law – John 10:34 “Is it not written in your law …” then he quotes Psalm 82:6 b. John 15:25 – “But the word that is written in their law must be fulfilled “they hated me without cause” quoting Psalm 35:19 … Torah from Yarah meaning instruction. c. think of all that you communicate to your children – certainly law/rules what to do what not to do is a big big part of it, but it’s not all of it, it’s part of a larger teaching, you explain life to them, yourself, them, the world around them through what you do and say, your actions that they observe and that they experience, and your explanations of those actions, your responses to them and your guidance … it’s all that God reveals to us, all of his communication to us, certainly involves law but as part of the whole of his revelation of himself though word and deed. c. What does meditate mean? Low murmur – it’s a conversation with god through his word, preaching it telling it to yourself. 7. What affect/benefit does this have? 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. a. Tree language represents something? b. Transplanted: moved from a dry, arid, lifeless place to a lush area beside the water – imagine desert region in middle east with a place where several streams meet. c. Streams of water: What are these streams? In this passage, the streams are god’s word. d. Fruit in season: What is this fruit? i. It’s the fruit of righteousness – fulfillment of purpose, ii. a tree doesn’t bear fruit for itself, though we imagine the tree enjoying the fulfillment of its fruit, fulfilling its purpose. The fruit is born for the the nourishment and enjoyment of others. iii. And, this is the difference between the righteous and the wicked. iv. Notice that fruit is not always born, but is born in season – a tree can’t really determine for itself if and when it’s going to bear fruit (remember pregnancy – come out, no stay in). v. And, here we see a key difference between the righteous and the wicked. Calvin: the wicked wait not for the maturity of the fruit but destroy it and the tree by going after it as on prematurely born, immediate gratification. 1. Waiting for maturity vs I want it now 2. think of Esau trading the grand birthright/inheritance which he can’t see the value in because it’s so far in the future for him, so he trades it for nothing more than a meal to satisfy his immediate hunger/lust 3. the picture here is waiting for the fruit to come to maturity, to be ripe and good. Vs someone who goes out and picks the fruit before its ready – ruin. Another analogy, think of the cake or the steak in the oven, don’t ruin it by getting it out early. Calvini’s analogy is worse – imagine a prematurely born babe – We are waiting like that. Will we wait with the righteous for our soul to be satisfied by God or will we chase after satisfaction through earthly things (worship the created rather than the creator, that’s how we become a scoffer – not waiting for satisfaction, but demanding it now, looking for it elsewhere, and then cursing god when we don’t find it through our own efforts) – a. Pascal: “he in vain tries to fill from all his surroundings, seeking from things absent the help he does not obtain in things present? But these are all inadequate, because the infinite abyss can only be filled by an infinite and immutable Object” 4. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.22For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 5. I want to say this as well – it’s not awful to wait, really. There is pleasure and joy even in anticipation. Think of the smell of the cake as the time draws nearer, the fruit you can taste in your mouth when you see it on the vine and imagine it when it’s perfectly sweet, the little person inside that you want to get a new ultrasound picture of every time insurance will pay for it – you prepare for that, you get the crib ready, you buy clothes, a stroller, etc, have showers, etc. In a way it’s painful waiting for Christmas morning, but in another way it only increases the delight. And, you know what – unlike some of these other things for which we wait, this will not, can not be a disappointment. e. Leaf doesn’t wither: even in times of suffering, These trees have been transplanted by streams of water, so their leaves do not wither. This means that even in the dry season, the integrity of God’s people remains constant. Even in times of suffering, God’s people keep their faith. In fact, God’s people often grow in their faith in times of suffering. dry times, our roots go deeper – more dependent on the streams, further united to this resourceful place where we’ve been planted f. Always prospers: This needs to be a sermon in itself. But, I won’t, I’ll just say that this is the TRUE prosperity gospel. The Bible does NOT teach that if you are faithful, you will be physical, financially, and/or relationally rewarded. The Bible teaches that these things are temporary, not to put our hope in things that are seen, things that are temporary, but to put our hope in things that are eternal. In fact, it teaches that if we are faithful, then we will be subject to more of Satan’s attacks. Quickly: i. Jesus’ sermon on the mount – blessed are those who are not prospering (the meek, the poor in spirit, the persecuted, etc) ii. Piper examples of not prospering. His business always succeeds, his diseases are always healed, his relationships are always harmonious??? No!, look at Psalms that say wicked are the ones who prosper. Look at Job, look at Psalm that says for your sake we are killed all day long, we are like sheep to be slaughtered. iii. No this becomes true only in Christ – when the Messiah comes, that’s what brings the prosperity gospel home, makes it make sense, it doesn’t make sense – it is not true outside of Christ, his cross, his resurrection, his return!! iv. Rom 8: 31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can bei against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.j 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. v. Rom 8:28 All things work together for the good of those that love the lord and are called according to his purpose. vi. Rev 12:13 – Satan attacks those who obey the word. Conquer the dragon blood of lamb and word of testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death! vii. In general obedience leads to prospering, but also leads directly to trial/tribulation. 8. How is this different from the wicked? The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. a. Emphatic! Not so what? Everything above it. b. Like chaff: worthless. Picture the winnowing fork. i. Mat 3 – John The Baptist: “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” ii. Think of Jesus cursing the fig tree which bore no fruit. iii. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity (meaningless, worthless) … all kinds of pleasure and it was all nothingness. What do you get when you chase the wind? Cars, money, pleasure-driven relationships devoid of commitment – devoid of actual love, positions, human recognition – what happens to all that? Where is any of that a week after your death? Where is any of that even before you die and you’re just too old and decrepit to enjoy any of it? 9. So, what? Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; a. Psalm 73: But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not plagued like other people.…9 I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.… Such are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.… But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.… Indeed, those who are far from you will perish; you put an end to those who are false to you10 b. In the END, the truth about who we are will be revealed. Justice will be served, what the righteous have waited for will be here (my faith will be my sight). And, the wrath the wicked have been storing up for themselves will be poured out. 10. Why is all of this the case? for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. a. The Lord shows up explicitly – but he was there before implicitly – blessing, transplanting, the source of the law and delight. b. What does it mean to know? Certainly not a factual knowledge, the lord factually knows the way of the wicked as well – rather this is a relational knowledge (explaining to a guy in coffee shop yesterday the difference between factual knowledge and relational knowledge) – this is an intimate knowledge, also an acknowledgment, and a watching over and keeping. c. Big contrast there. Blessed vs perish. Start to finish. Alef to Tav (first word last word). 11. So, what about us? a. Better Covenant. Better mediator. Revelation of God on another level. Greater fulfillment of this Psalm. b. We are called to separate from the wicked, the problem is that in a sense we are the wicked. The New Covenant, the Gospel shows us our own wickedness in the cross of Christ – this is the result of our wickedness, this is the necessity of our wickedness. And so we come to the end not only of the wickedness from without, but from within. We separate from the wicked old man who died with Christ and become a new man in Christ’s resurrection. This is part of the symbolism of baptism. c. Delight. We have so much more reason to delight. We get to delight in the law, Oh goodie, we must meditate on the law day and night, we must read Leviticus where Bible reading plans go to die … How delightful?! Remember the letter kills but the Spirit gives life. No one was ever saved by works of the law. No, we are saved by a person! We delight not in the written word only, but in the incarnate word, the living word – Jesus Christ the person of the word. Jesus delights in the law, he meditates on it day and night, The word was his sword of the Spirit against the Devil’s temptations, and he did not fail. And, through our union with Him, we are counted as righteous, we are made righteous by our association with him. d. Why would we love the law, love God’s word – not to get to heaven, not to get him to love us, not even to prosper … That’s not how love works. God won’t say “Love my word!” “Love me!”. No, instead, he loves us. And, when we see this by His Spirit opening our eyes to His beauty, His righteousness, and most of all His love for us in Christ, our heart of stone is melted and replaced by the heart of flesh which responds in love. He woos us to Himself gently, offering Himself to us, offering nothing short of Redemption of our entire life and being through His love. We love because HE first loved us. His kindness leads us to repentance. e. Perfect Relationship – All things in common. 1. Substance. 2. Mind. 3. Righteousness. This is union. This is oneness. (Ruth-Naomi, David-Jonathan, Aristottle, Sisero). f. So, notice, the play on words – delight is IN the law. In the law we find something greater than the law – we find the giver of the law, the one whose character the law reflects – the Holy one of Israel. So, now when do we delight in the law – when we love Jesus so much that we can’t get enough of Him. How do we delight in the law – by it no longer being our duty, our tutor, our trainer, our constrainer – 3 uses of the law. 3rd use – it shows us more of Jesus and our desire to share all things in common with Him. g. The tree planted by streams of water – the Tree of LIFE! Jesus. It’s His fruit we eat unto our very salvation! AND, then the good news just keeps on coming. Act now and He’ll throw in the Holy Spirit (not free but already paid for!) It is HIS Spirit. Here’s what he says about the Spirit: i. John 7: 37On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, asf the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”39Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. ii. John 4: whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.b The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”This is the true stream of water from which the Christian drinks! iii. This is how we bear fruit – the fruit of the Spirit. Gal 5. Walk to gratify the Spirit and you will not gratify the flesh. Wicked fruit (spoiled and bitter), Spirit fruit (mature and sweet). iv. It is only and always through the relationship Jesus Christ offers “By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life” v. Jesus gives us His Spirit, His Spirit gives us Him through faith. vi. And, this description of eternity: 1Then the angela showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of lifebwith its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. h. It is the perfect relationship given to us in the Gospel. We long for Jesus’ return, we miss him. That’s why we love His word. That’s why we go to church and love each other – each of us has the Spirit of Christ, and so when we love each other, when we’re around each other, we’re around Christ, we love Christ. i. Here are the two ways put most clearly to us in the New Testament. There’s only one way to righteousness. Everything else leads to death. John 3:16, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.” i. Who are the righteous in Psalm 1 and the rest of the Psalms: Psalm 2 gives us that clue: Kiss the Son … “Blessed are all those who take refuge in Him.” That is the introduction to the Psalms. Starts with blessed, ends with blessed. Later we learn more about the blessedness of those who take refuge in the Son. Psalm 32:1 “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” j. The Pilgrim’s progress illustration: Christian, in Interpreter’s House, helping him to understand as he begins his journey, one of the images he sees is that of a fire in a hearth – satan is dousing the fire with water, but in only burns hotter, Christian doesn’t understand how this could be possible. Interpreter tells him to look more closely at the picture and sees something in the corner of the picture – in back of the hearth, hidden from sight is Jesus Christ Himself pouring oil so that the attacks of satan are ineffective, and even make the fire burn higher. k. So, the end. From the beginning we talked about discrimination, making distinction, not . The irony is that we are actually saved - Solution comes through mixing, through uniting. Not uniting with wickedness but uniting with Christ. Christ came and stood in the way of sinners by taking on the form of the sinner, but it is to destroy the path of wickedness rather than to join it, to rescue those on that path. (Christ – the uniting of god and man; uniting us to himself so that we are made to be in relationship with God. He doesn’t become like us, we become like him. But, with Christ, instead of him becoming corrupt through uniting with unholy, the corrupt becomes holy through uniting with him. “I am the vine, you are the branches, He who remains in me bears much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.” l. The Lord found me, he lived the blessed life, his delight was in the law, lived it every moment … and he also delighted in me … transplanted me to a planting beside the streams of water – the river of life – his very Spirit in me … HE is the source of joy, of delight, of blessedness, of life … And, he leads me in the path of righteousness for his name’s sake. m. Without Christ, we have nothing – we are chaff. With Him, we have everything – we are the transplanted tree. The scorching heat of the world, the attacks of Satan, the storms of life – we are rooted in Him, and our leaf does not wither, and in our season we will bear fruit – in His time. He makes all things beautiful in His time… Nothing shall separate us from him. And, in Him, no matter what happens, we prosper. And thus I am blessed, and it is well with my soul. I can’t wait to preach this gospel! Psalm 1 – 2 Ways: The Way of the Righteous | The Way of the Wicked 1Blessed is the mana who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2but his delight is in the lawb of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3He 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. 4The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Ice-Breaker: 1. What do you think of when you think of “Two Ways”? Intro to Psalms: 2. What does the word “Psalm” mean, and how does this compare to the older Rabbinic name of this book? 3. How are Psalm 1 & 2 related? In what way are they a preface to the entire Psalter? Psalm 1 4. What stands out to you in this Psalm? 5. How are the themes of “2 Ways” and “separation from wickedness” connected to the rest of Scripture? Verse 1 6. What does the word “Blessed” mean in this context? 7. What do you notice about the parallels/progress in the last three lines of verse 1? What does this say about how evil works? 8. Why do you think the Psalm starts with this kind of “distinction” for the Blessed man? 9. How does God’s concern with distinction in Psalm 1 differ from the world’s concern with distinction? Verse 2 10. What is verse 2’s antithesis to being like those mentioned in verse 1? 11. What does the word “law” mean in this context? 12. What do you think of when you read the word “meditate”, and how does this compare with the meaning of the Hebrew word? 13. What does it mean to “meditate day and night” on God’s law? Verse 3 14. How does the phrase “firmly-transplanted” fill out the meaning of the second line of verse 3? 15. Why would being planted by streams of water be beneficial? 16. What does it mean that the tree “yields its fruit in its season” and “its leaf does not wither”? How does this compare to the wicked? 17. What does it mean when it says, “In all that he does, he prospers”? Verse 4 18. The wicked are not so what? 19. Describe the picture presented by the word “chaff”? What connotations does this word bring with it? What does John the Baptist say about Jesus in regards to chaff? Verse 5 20. How does it make you feel that the wicked will not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous? 21. How is this message related to the rest of the Psalms? (See Psalm 73) Verse 6 22. What does it mean that the Lord “knows” the way of the righteous? 23. How is the contrast between the two ways magnified by the last word? Summary 24. Have you seen Psalm 1 to be true in your own experience? 25. Which group does the Psalmist spend more time/ink on? What does this tell you about the message and about the purpose of the wicked? (See Rom 9:22ff, Prov 16:4) 26. How does Christ and the New Covenant fulfill this Psalm? How is he the perfectly Blessed Man, and what does that have to do with us (v1)? How is he both the meditator and the object of meditation (v2)? How is he the tree planted by the waters, and what does that have to do with us (v3)? Where is He in the judgment (v5)? How does He “know” the way of the righteous, and in what way is he related to the perishing of the wicked (v6)? 27. How are we saved by Christ crossing over the “distinction”, crossing over the “2 Ways”? 28. How can this Psalm be true of us – How can we be “Blessed”? Call To Worship: Psalm 19:7-11 Or Psalm 2 7The law of the LORD is perfect,c reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rulesd of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. 10More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 1Why do the nations ragea and the peoples plot in vain? 2The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 3“Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” 4He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6“As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” 7I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9You shall breakb them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” 10Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Invocation: Gracious God, make each of us an instrument of your grace. Weave us into a community showing forth your power and tenderness. Bless us and our differences and under gird our courage to stand together. We call on you today to gather us in your love. Lead us to better know you and glorify you on each step of the journey of our lives. In the name of Jesus, let us now keep silence and breathe in the love of God and the majesty of Christ who taught us to pray saying, “OUR FATHER… Old Testament Reading: 17Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. 18To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. 19And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.22Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. 23Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. 24If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.” 25And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointedg for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD. Pastoral Prayer Benediction: May The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen and Amen.