Get Serious

Introduction

We all want to be happy and blessed don’t we? We pursue this from the time we are old enough to understand the concepts of happiness. We fight for our toys in the nursery. We battle with our siblings for the attention of our parents. We strive to make grades in school, look the prettiest, be the best athlete.

We want happiness, blessing and success. We long for it, strive for it and pursue it…sometimes at all costs…sometimes disregarding the cost.

Marketing companies know this about us and use it against us. That is why we hear the jingles and tag lines that we do: Army, “Be All That You Can Be” Bounty: ‘The Quicker Picker Upper’ Mastercard: ‘There are things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s Mastercard.’ Nike: ‘Just Do It.’

We want to succeed, win and accomplish all we can…the army, Bounty, Mastercard and Nike want to help make that possible…if we will believe in their power to do so and buy their product.

So let’s get serious about living…and…not just living but living blessed. Let’s look at what constitutes real Christian living…real happiness…real blessing…and a life that really matters.

Three Don’t’s

Do not listen to the counsel of the wicked — The wicked are those who do not follow God and His heart…do not care what God thinks and live their life however they deem fit to live it.

Counsel — Can also be translated advice

Most of the world is lost…most of it could not care any less than they do about God, His heart, what He thinks or how He would have them live their life. And they are ever ready to offer their opinions on how we might live like they do.

Satan and the demons hate God and us. They whisper in our ears counsel all the time. Just as Satan tempted Jesus, we too are tempted by our spiritual enemies.

Sometimes we are our own worst enemy here…we take counsel from our flesh…we listen to our fears…our doubts…our temptation to sin.

And the Palmist is clear here…if you start listening to these wicked voices you remove your life from the possibility of God’s blessings…and it is a multiplicity of blessing we are talking about here…the Psalmist uses a plural word in the Hebrews which is here translated “blessed.”

We walk in a multitude of blessing if we get our advice from the Lord…and we miss out entirely on that intended blessing when we choose instead to get our advice from wicked men.

We know we need advice but more than that we need good advice…our life depends upon it…both in terms of quality and quantity of our life.

A friend of mine from Zambia once told me of a proverb from his home country. The people there say, “Your life is in your ear.” What you listen to, the counsel you receive, becomes your reality. I think we do well in our country to heed the advice of the Zambian!

This proverb conveys a truth found in the scripture we are looking at today, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked.”

People everywhere are fighting for our attention.

The media screams at us from every direction, newscasters, movies, television, music, social media The culture is constantly calling after us and offering counsel.

Friends, family, church, strangers…everyone is constantly offering us counsel or advice…why do all of these offer us their counsel???

The answer is simple — So that we might think, speak and act like them. CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Rush Limbaugh, Tucker Carlson, Rachel Maddow and Mika Brzezinski all want you to agree with them…live their values and follow their rules.

It is the same with preachers…whether it be someone we agree with or not…every sermon is an attempt to provide counsel and advice that might sway you to a new way of thinking and living.

So...Who are you listening to? We better get this right…because the consequences, good or bad are significant. The very course of our life and eternity can be confirmed or wrecked based on who or what we give our attention…who we listen to.

Do Not Stand in the Pathway of Sinners — If you walk in the counsel of the wicked long enough you begin to stand with them…there is a natural progression to all of this.

Standing with sinners is to give a tacit approval of their life and lifestyle by joining with them in their sin and rebellion against God.

This takes many forms but one we can clearly see an example of how this can happen in a subtle way though the events in Minneapolis this week. George Flynn was murdered…that is pretty clear from the video evidence…we stand with the righteous in demanding justice…we also stand with the victims of the senseless looting and violence that happened when those angry over his death took out their rage against innocent business owners and police officers. We stand.

But many who call themselves believers in Christ refuse to stand…maybe they are afraid…maybe they are actually racist. Whatever the reason they attempt to stay on the sidelines and sit it out. But a person who takes counsel from God can never sit out and turn a blind eye to injustice.

To take no stand is to actually take a stand. If we do not stand with the righteous we, by default, stand with the wicked. We must live for God’s way of doing things…we must live out the counsel we receive from His heart or we live from the counsel of our fears, culture and world.

Those who listen to Godly counsel will not stand comfortably nor continually in the company of the sinner…they just cannot do it.

Does Not Sit in the Seat of the Scoffer — Herein is the final progression of those who listen to ungodly counsel and stand in the way of the sinner…they eventually become agnostics, atheists and completely godless…they become a part of the power leading others to their own ruin.

There is no spiritual neutrality. We are either moving toward God or away from God. If you choose to listen to Godless advice for living you will begin to move that direction culminating in unbelief and godlessness.

The Blessed Life

Delight in the Law of God — To delight in God’s word is to be pleased greatly…to take great pleasure in Him…His heart and what He thinks.

Meditate — Muse over, speak and think about His Word

What is being said here is simple…the righteous person, the Christian delights in God, desires to know His heart and makes this a priority in life.

The Psalmist is talking about a person who has made it his highest priority to pursue God’s heart…ask God to reveal Himself to him…and to love what He discovers in so doing.

We do not do this as a legalistic exercise…we do not use God as a means to an end so that we might have a blessed life…we do it because we love Him…desire Him and naturally pursue His person…the result of such a life lived is what we see next...

Tree Planted — We are not described here as a wild tree but as a cultivated one. We belong to God and are a part of His life and family. Our life is secure, cared for and planned.

Rivers of Water — We live a life refreshed by the Spirit of God. There will never be a time when we are parched because the waters of the Spirit refresh the person who drinks deeply of God. When we feel spiritually dry it is simply a thirst for more of God’s Spirit…and His Spirit is always available to those of us planted in Him.

Yields its Fruit in Season — We do not bear fruit randomly but in the moment it is needed. We are patient when patience is called for…we love when it is hard to love…we are kind when called upon to be so…we bear the fruit of the Spirit at the moment needed because we are planted in Christ and watered by His Spirit.

Leaf Does Not Wither — We are like a beautiful flower that never loses its bloom because the sustaining life of our God is constant in our heart and life. We are a beauty unto the Lord, for His glory.

Stand in the Judgement — We stand in the Judgement to be acquitted of our sins. God save us for eternity so we might continue in our enjoyment of Him and He in us.

THIS is the blessed life…to pursue and know God’s heart, His thoughts, His love, His life. And it is a life available to anyone who would choose to delight in Him through the revelation of His heart to mankind.

Conclusions

Let’s get serious — What kind of life do you want to live? Do you want to know God? Enjoy Him and live a blessed life?

If you really want that then you have to repent from listening to the wrong voices in your life…take a stand for what God has said is right and delight in His word and your relationship with Him.

Enjoy God…just love and enjoy Him. Live His way…do life the way He wants. Stop trying to please people and please Him…stop trying to make the world love you and just enjoy that the King of Kings and creator of all that is loves you.

Stop worrying about how others think you should live and simply delight to know how He wants you to live and do it!

Decide today that you want your relationship with Him to be your greatest priority. Just know and follow Him.

Pray the prayers of silent meditation on His word…worship Him…express your love for Him…and listen…let Him love you and make that love tangible to your heart and life as only the Holy Spirit can.