Invitation to the Good Life

Why the Psalms and why now?

Because life in the 21st Century is complicated.

We live in a world is like a stew in a crockpot. (I didnt say crackpot…although theres an argument to be made)

But we do live in a world that is a weird mixture of beauty and brokenness dont we?

Every evening I get to look out toward the west right here and see some of the most beautiful sunsets my eyes have ever seen. But then I look down, and I see a graveyard…and Im reminded of the pain and realness of life this side of Eden.

We live in a world of serious genius…where people have somehow figured out how to create a little device called a smart phone where I can talk face-to-face with someone on the other side of the planet in real time

But we also live in a world of serious foolishness…where people use these same devices to show our stupidity (more people die of selfie related accidents every year than shark attacks)

We experience the joy of new life…like when a new baby is born...But we also experience the deepest of sadnesses; like when we suffer the expected or unexpected loss of someone we love.

We experience the height of intimacy…and the pit of betrayal.

And to be honest with you…this is one of the hardest parts of pastoring. There have been days in my ministry where I have experienced these ups and downs within a given hour, much less over the course of months or years. I’ve made trips to the hospital where I have gone from celebrating with one family over the birth of a child, to walking down the hall where I enter into the grief of a family who is deciding whether life support is an option or not.

And these types of spiritual and emotional highs and lows aren't just my experience, are they? They are true for all of us in this beautiful yet complicated thing we call life on this side of Eden.

And this is why I believe we need the Psalms

The Psalms are to our souls what GPS is to our bodies. They help us navigate the twists and turns of life.

When everything is going great—the Psalms give us examples of how to properly express thanksgiving and gratitude to the glory of God.

When life caves in on us and nothing goes our way--The Psalms give us a model for how to grieve, cry, suffer, and mourn to the glory of God.

Athanasius: “It is my view that in the [Psalms] the whole of life is…comprehended and contained. Nothing to be found in human life is omitted.”

Martin Luther: “The Psalter is the book of the Saints; and everyone in whatever situation he may be, find in that situation Psalms and words…that suit him as if they were put there just for them—so that he couldn't put it better himself...” (They give us words when we dont have words…)

Calvin wrote: “The Psalms are the anatomy of the soul...”

The Psalms give us an honest, raw, vulnerable—and sometimes uncomfortable—look into what it looks like to walk with God through the ups and downs and twists and turns of life.

This is why we need the Psalms...

And this is why we will begin with Psalm 1 this morning.

Psalm 1 is the introduction into the whole book of Psalms…it has no title, such as “A Psalm of David to the Choirmaster...” because Psalm 1 is itself the introduction to the whole book. You read the rest of the Psalms through the lens of this one...

“How happy is the one...”

Your translation my read, “Blessed is the man...”

Both of these words are correct translations.

The Hebrew root word is the word “Ashar”—which simply means “blessed or happy”

And so this tells us what this passage is all about…in this Psalm God gives us a picture of what the Good Life looks like.

If you want to live a good, blessed, happy, life…you find it in the description of this Psalm.

Psalm 1:1 (CSB)

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!

Notice the progression:

The blessed person doesnt walk in sin, stand in the way of sin, or sit down and get comfortable with mockery towards the things of God.

So here is what we find in this passage...

The blessed life isnt found in unrighteous living…no matter what the tabloids read…no matter what the self help thinkers of our day say…the good life cant be found in living a life of sin.

The blessed person

God blesses the person that avoids sin.

Aka…the good life is not found in trying to get as close as you can to the line of sin in life…it is found in being as close to God as you can be...

Something may not be sinful…but that doesnt make it right.

Husbands, it isn't morally wrong to spend time with a woman who isn't your wife …but just because it isnt neccisarily wrong…that doesnt make it automatically right.

It also isn't sinful to use poison ivey as toilet paper…it isnt sinful, it’s just not smart. And when you do something like that…even though you may not be in sin yet—you are hopping in line with sinners, you walking the path of the unrighteous…and it doesnt lead to the best that God has for you in life.

We cant be interested in what is wrong with something…we have to be interested in what is right about the thing.

The person who is happy or blessed…is a person who is interested in getting far away from a life of sin…and interested in getting as close to God as they possibly can be.

Psalm 1:1–2 (CSB)

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!

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

and he meditates on it day and night.

The Psalmist says that the blessed person “delights” in the Lord’s instruction. Meaning he doesnt view his time with God as something he has to do…but something he get’s to do.

To delight in something means that you take great pleasure.

In the same way that a parent delights in their kids, a newly wed delights in their spouse, the blessed person delights in the law of the Lord.

If I could translate this passage into my own words, I would say it like this...

“The blessed person loves God and loves his word like a fat kid loves cake...” (I might hear from the deacons on that one…but ive been a fat kid a long time…this is a safe place…)

To delight in the word of God is like a dog that salivates over his food…it’s an intense desire…a longing…a craving that springs deep from within our souls.

So much so…that he meditates on it day and night

The word “meditates”—can be translated “muses” or “utter” or “moan”

It is a word that we should picture as talking in your sleep...

The point is that the blessed person is someone who just never stops talking about the word of God. He loves God’s word so much that he dreams about it at night. He’s just constantly repeating it over and over in his mind…its always on the tip of his tongue.

He cant stop talking about how good God is...

And as a result of his love for the Word of God...

Psalm 1:3 (CSB)

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.

The blessed person…the picture here is a picture of Eden.

The person who delights in God’s word is a person who is guarded and protected. He is a person who experiences Peace…real and abiding shalom. This doesn't just mean an absence of conflict. It means wholeness and completeness.

The person who delights in the Word of the Lord is the person who gets all the blessings of God. God’s provision, God’s protection, God’s blessing, God’s faithfulness, God’s mercy, God’s grace… because ultimately…what you get is God himself—who is faithful and gracious and merciful. He is our peace. He is our protector…he is our guard…he is our strength…he is our fortress…he is our anchor...

If you think back to what I said about the purpose of the Psalms…the Psalms help us navigate life through all of it’s ups and downs, twists and turns…well what this Psalm teaches us is that in order to live the blessed life even in the midst of the complexities of the time we live in…what we need is not good advice…or good morals…or good coaching…what we need is God.

And the truth is…that too often, you and I settle.

We settle for lesser pleasures.

We settle for the advice of the wicked…and the pathway of sin…and the company of mockers...

Too often we settle for less than God in our life.

We settle for lust…when love is avaliable and free for us.

We settle for trinkets…when God offers us Himself as a treasure.

CS Lewis...

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

And what happens when we do this?

Psalm 1:4–5 (CSB)

The wicked are not like this;

instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

What happens when we settle?

God turns us over to the desires of our heart.

He gives us what we want…and we get a trinket rather than a treasure.

We get lust rather than love.

We get mud pies, rather than the holiday by the sea.

And here’s why:

Psalm 1:6 (CSB)

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

God blesses the one who seeks Him.

He judges those who dont...

Here’s my call for you today…Dont settle for a less than blessed life. Dont settle for twig of instant gratification when God offers you the tree trunk of eternal satisfaction.

One of the things I love about this Psalm is the fact that this is a picture of a man who delighted in God’s law…but the law of the Lord for him was a burden. The law condemns us of sin...

How much more should we delight in the law of the Lord knowing that in Christ…the law is fulfilled for us.

Jesus is the one in whom we abide...

He is the one who plants us by streams of water.

He is the one who give us life.

Dont settle for anything less than God’s best this morning…and the best that God has to offer for you is Jesus himself.

He is the Word made flesh…who dwelt among us.

He is our sacrificial lamb who takes away our sin.

He is our Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep.

he is the one who was ruined so that we could be righteous.

And he did this, he said in John 10:10, that we might have life and have it abundantly...

Jesus is where we find the good life…and in him…we can delight in God and in his word…we can pursue the Good Life...

Next Steps:

Trust in Jesus as your savior and Lord

Memorize Psalm 1

Pick Up a Bible Reading Plan in the Back to start delighting in the Word of the Lord...