Options for Life
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Repeat this after me,
OPEN MY EYES
THAT I MIGHT RECEIVE
WONDERFUL WORDS FROM YOUR LAW
Amen
Jeremiah
“Go tell Ebed-melech the Cushite: This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill My words for harm and not for good against this city. They will take place before your eyes on that day.
Take your Bible and turn with me to
I am gonna read verses 1-6 I am going to talk to you tonight on this subject OPTIONS FOR LIFE
How many options do I have for the best possible life?
You had options this morning on whether or not to come to church, and you have options you could choose from for attending church. You got options for what clothes to wear.
Some of you had options for which vehicle to drive to church tonight. You had options on what youd eat for breakfast. This past summer you had options on where you would vacation.
You have options on how you will spend your time with your friends, but in terms of JEsus Christ teaching on the abundant life and where I’ll spend eternity, how many options are there for this life?
Psalm 1
How happy is the man
who does not follow the advice of the wicked
or take the path of sinners
or join a group of mockers!
Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.
He is like a tree planted beside streams of water
that bears its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
The wicked are not like this;
instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not survive the judgment,
and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.
(Let’s pray)
IN the author has drawn a sharp contrast between the path of righteous living and wha the Bible calls wicked living or foolish living.
This contrast is very clear, there are 2 paths, there are 2 roads, there are 2 destinations and there is not a third option. There is the path of righteousness which the author says is for those who cherish the word of God, those who actively seek God’s way and not the worlds way.
There is the path of foolishness who build their life upon the wisdom of the world. This is very similar to the way Jesus closes the most famous sermon ever preached the sermon on the mount.
Jesus illustrates this in His sermon this way
Storms come but the wise man has built his house upon the rock, he will survive, the storms come but the foolish man has built his house upon the sand he will fall and great is his fall.
There is no third option, there is no middle ground. We are either clothed in righteousness that comes from the Word of God or weve not recieved God’s wisdom and weve chosen to live our own way.
There are only according to , ways, 2 outcomes.
One night when I was in Bible school we did what we did often and went to the waffle house in Chipley. Man I gotta have some gas, I need yall to help me with some gas money, I gotta emergency I gotta get to Tallahassee
Well the gas station was right next to us and we payed to fuel him up and as soon as we filled him up he gets in his car and jumps on the interstate and takes off headed toward Pensecola.
Now he had given us this long drawn out story about how he had to be in Tallahassee, but the second he got some gas whoom towards Pensecola.
My buddy looked over at me and said Kyle last time I checked thats not the way to Tallahassee. It does ont matter what you say with your mouth about what you intend to do with your life.
What matters is what path you have taken with the way you live, your actions and choices. First there is
The Way Of Righteous Living
The Way Of Righteous Living
He begins by speaking about happiness, he begins by speaking of the blessing that Jesus begins speaking about in the sermon on the mount.
Blessing unlike the way of the world, the psalmist does not connect blessing and happiness to anything material. He immediately puts the reward of happiness and blessing upon the one who steps away from sin and steps deeply into the Word of God.
The devils lie is this: RUN FROM GOD YOULL BE HAPPY, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT, YOU DESERVE IT, YOULL BE HAPPY
Satans lie is that the Bible and the church are full of rules and legalism and you can do whatever you want and you’ll be happy happy happy. Liar liar pants on fire, God’s Word is what provides us with the real basis of truth.
Happy is he Blessed is HE verse 1
HE DOES NOT DO THIS
HE DOESNT WALK IN THE ADVICE OF THE WICKED
HE DOESNT STAND AROUND WITH SIN
HE DOESNT SIT AROUND AND SCOFF AND MOCK GODS TRUTH
Verse 2
INstead HE DOES THIS
HE DELIGHTS IN GODS WORD HE MEDITATES ON GODS WORD
BC HE AVOIDS SIN AND BC HE LOVES GODS WORD IT RESULTS IN THIS
HE IS A BIG TREE PLANTED BY FRESH WATER AND HE PRODUCES GOOD FRUIT AND HIS LEAF DOESNT WHITHER
God is teaching us the path of the righteous man or the righteous woman.
We reject sin, we recieve the scripture and it results in eternal success. Let’s quickly walk through this text and talk about the path to righteousness
Notice the righteous man does not WALK, STAND, SIT among the foolish perspectives of the world.
The language of verse 1 paints a picture of a downward cycle of loose morals.
It portrays one who has become desensitized to righteousness which ultimately results in anti God behavior its what scares me to being so addicted to news. I hear so much about pain and brokenness I can become desensitized oh another shooting, oh another crisis.
Eventually over time my heart does not break as Gods heart breaks. It’s the same way sin traps us. Sin viciously attacks us at the foundation, like termites it keeps eating and eating and eating until we die and theres nothing left to stand upon
HE WALKS HE STANDS HE SITS
Its the picture of sin coming into a person’s life and taking them from bad to worse. Walk-will I act on bad advice?
He’s thinking about it, So instead of walking he now considers the sin STANDS- will I really participate in this foolish sin, I think I might give it a try, and then he SITS- will he sit around and mock holy values.
It’s the picture of becoming so comfortable with sin that you mock other people who choose not to participate in the sin that you have chosen to embrace.
The way of the world is this, DONT YOU TELL ME WHAT TO DO I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT, MY LIFES WHATEVER I WANT IT TO B, MY MARRIAGE IS WHATEVER I WANT IT TO BE, I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT!
I’l even criticize you if you dare criticize me from the word of God
But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires.
Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.
I remember hearing this as a student
SIN TAKES ME FURTHER THAN I WANNA GO
KEEPS ME LONGER THAN I WANNA STAY
COSTS ME MORE THAN I WANNA PAY
Sin will take me further than I know I should go, keep me longer than I wanna stay, and sin always costs more than I wanna pay.
(Lounette Halstead)
This Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this Bible
Your choice
In verse 2 the psalmist goes on from telling us what the righteous person does not do to describing what the righteous person actually does so if we know what he doesnt do HE DOESNT ENTERTAIN SIN WELL WHAT DOES HE DO?
The author tells us 2 things
HE DELIGHTS IN GODS INSTRUCTIONS AND HE MEDITATES ON IT DAY AND NIGHT
DELIGHT- THE DELIGHT OF THE RIGHTEOUS PERSON It means pleasure or happiness it means he looks forward to the word of God.
Instruction means the whole doctrines of God delivered to believers. ALL of God’s revealed Word.
Albert Barnes says this: Instead of finding your joy insociety, or the occupations of the wicked your greatest joy comes from living in obedience to the truth of God’s word.
SIN WONT MAKE YOU HAPPY FOREVER ONLY JESUS CAN DO THAT
Scripture isn’t distasteful to the righteous man instead he likes it and he wants it.
A great Theologian once said this: I LIKE IT I LOVE IT I WANT SOME MORE OF IT....
Thats the way a righteous man thinks about the Word of God!
Anyways thats what it mean I LIKE GODS WORD IM HAPPY ABOUT GODS WORD I WANT MORE OF GODS WORD!
Psalm 48
I delight to do Your will, my God;
Your instruction lives within me.”
Your words were found, and I ate them.
Your words became a delight to me
and the joy of my heart,
for I am called by Your name,
Yahweh God of Hosts.
MEDITATION- the righteous man Meditates He likes it and so he thinks about it often. the word meditation means to murmur, to mutter, to talk to yourself with focused thoughtfulness to keep your mind tied to whatever it is your thinking about.
One writer said this: its to echo the word of God, it means to read it in the morning but to stay with it, you want your devotion time to last.
One of the last times I was in the water with my kids we played Marco Polo and they always wanted me to be Marco
MARCO
POLO
MARCO
POLO The point is thiswhen you say Marco they say Polo raise your hand if youve ever played the game
So you say it and they answer and you try to find em and up you got em...
I thought about this
This is what the Holy Spirit is trying to do with the Bible to me… Kyle, Kyle, Kyle
and I CAN DECIDE IF I AM GONNA ANSWER AND GET WITH HIM, OR IF IM GONNA GO UNDER WATER JUMP OUT THE POOL LEAVE THE POOL MAD
Kyle
Meditating thats what it does, if you are not in the Word of god no wonder you like sin, IF SINS CLOSE AND THE BIBLE IS CLOSER
Kyle dont touch it, Kyle you know better, Kyle dont do that I will help you if you look to me
The psalmist is saying that what weve heard learned while we were meditating it is not going in one ear and out the other ear. IT LANDS ON OUR HEARTS IN LANDS IN OUR MINDS
WE GIVE IT DEEP MEANINGFUL CONSIDERATION, WE ASK IN LIGHT OF WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS WHAT MUST I NOW DO, LOOK THROUGH THE BIBLE IT IS ALWAYS TRAGIC WHEN THE PEOPLE OF GOD MISS THE WORD OF GOD
But Maybe its worse to hear the word of God and fail to obey when you know you should have.
These are the results of taking the righteous path
He is immovable enduring, hes seen it all but he stays the same, and gives shade to others. My kids especially my daughter loves to climb trees its the picture of a great big tree that blesses others
Consistent, when you are in the word of God you know who you are, you know your purpose this tree is planted by streams of LIVING WATER health strength abundance your healthy and are not effected by the circumstances around you.
The tree bears it fruits in season
“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.
Fruitfulness is the picture of godliness towards God and others
Fruitfulness happens as a result of time spent with God, its a picture of timeliness and life. Fruit is mentioned all throughout the Bible it always is the result of other factors fruit is the result of something esle.
Fruit is not dirt roots, bark, seeds and water that is not fruit, but all of those things come together and produce fruit. The word of God is still the resource the good things that are happening in my life are not about me but they always point back to the goodness of God and take even the bad things that are happening to your life and submit them to the word of God and the power of GOd and God can roll all the negative things into a divine mixture that produces fruit and blesses the world.
Only God’s word can do this, God’s word in you, God is faithful god never sleeps He is always working and He never GETS TIRED OF BEING YOUR FRIEND
Why would you not think about Him and submit to him and let him plant you firm and strong where He wants you to be.
His leaf doesnt wither it speaks of permenance and health, whatever He does he prospers
This means the Godly man lives a blessable life, not the prosperity gospel, not that he gets everything he wants no but he lives in a state of divine guidance and fellowship and blessing from the Lord.
theres a whole lot in this world I do not know but I know this IF BY FAITH YOU ENDURE AND YOU STAY WITH GOD YOU WIN AND YOU NEVER REGRET IT
The Way of Foolish Living
The Way of Foolish Living
Now let me tell you there are only 2 options.
The wicked are not like this;
instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.
The Psalmist is saying the righteous person goes one way and the wicked person he goes another way.
THE RIGHTEOUS PERSON DOES NOT TAKE WICKED ADVICE (1)
THE FOOLISH PERSON DOES NOT RECEIVE THE CUES FROM THE WORD OF GOD
The foolish person is informed by society or political correctness or experts or whatever secularism says is popular for now. The foolish person is even ok with the word of God being mocked or laughed at or called archiac
(2) must mean that the foolish person does not enjoy the word of God, they dont give it consideration, they have chosen to find happiness elsewhere
The result unlike the planted tree is CHAFF
Chaff is that husk of corn that is left over after harvest.Its fine hay chopped up and used like fodder
It’s like sawdust cheap with very little value. What a noticable difference between these two paths of life!
The tree planted the tree standing enduring and changes its environment btu the shaff is windblown, has no foundation and no legacy and goes wherever the environment pushes it.
Therefore the wicked will not survive the judgment,
and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous.
the psalmist is telling us there is clear accountability
Every single one of us is headed towards a judgment about how we lived our lives. We arent sure about the timing of this judgment but we are sure of this JUDGEMNT IS INEVITABLY COMING
Listen to me friends THERE IS NO SUCH THING ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE AS AN EASY FUN MORALLY SUSTAINED LIFE THAT DOES NOT END WITH REGRET AND TROUBLE
The Godless have no heritage, they have no lasting impact
Therefore the wicked will not survive the judgment,
and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous.
The expectation is that some will make it through the judgment and somw will not WHATS THE DIFFERENCE THE DIFFERENCE IS WHAT THEY DID WITH THE WORD OF GOD!1
how did they respond to the gospel message
righteous people abide in Gods word they stake their future in Gods word BUT FOOLISH PEOPLE IGNORE GODS WORD, REJECT GODS WORD OR EVEN MAKE FUN OF IT
Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus,
Righteous people hear this and be humbled all righteous people are nothing more than former foolish people whjo have been forgiven saved and covered by the blood of Jesus Christ
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WE HAVE IN THE WICKED IS JESUS!!!
Life contains two paths and 2 destinations
each of us must choose our own way, the best possible life always involves choosing the word of God
There is a road from Earth to Heaven, theres a road from Earth to Hell but there is no road between hell and Heaven and Heaven and hell
There is a finality to Hell which is why this psalm is conveying an urgency DECIDE HOW YOU WILL LIVE NOW BC YOU DONT KNOW WHEN YOUR LAST DAY WILL BE
YOU WONT LIVE FOREVER CHOOSE NOW
Luke 16
He also said to the disciples: “There was a rich man who received an accusation that his manager was squandering his possessions. So he called the manager in and asked, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you can no longer be my manager.’
“Then the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig; I’m ashamed to beg. I know what I’ll do so that when I’m removed from management, people will welcome me into their homes.’
“So he summoned each one of his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the first one.
“ ‘A hundred measures of olive oil,’ he said.
“ ‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘sit down quickly, and write 50.’
“Next he asked another, ‘How much do you owe?’
“ ‘A hundred measures of wheat,’ he said.
“ ‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘and write 80.’
“The master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted astutely. For the sons of this age are more astute than the sons of light in dealing with their own people. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of the unrighteous money so that when it fails, they may welcome you into eternal dwellings. Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. So if you have not been faithful with the unrighteous money, who will trust you with what is genuine? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own? No household slave can be the slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t be slaves to both God and money.”
The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and scoffing at Him. And He told them: “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly admired by people is revolting in God’s sight.
“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is strongly urged to enter it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter in the law to drop out.
“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and everyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
“There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen, feasting lavishly every day. But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was left at his gate. He longed to be filled with what fell from the rich man’s table, but instead the dogs would come and lick his sores. One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. ‘Father Abraham!’ he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!’
“ ‘Son,’ Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’
“ ‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house— because I have five brothers—to warn them, so they won’t also come to this place of torment.’
“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’
“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
“But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
Is the story of the rich man and Lazarus
rich man had everything in this life and the poor man had nothing, but when they got to other side the poor man had everything and the rich man had nothing
Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’
2 paths 2 destinations
which path will you choose
