"God's Blueprint for Blessing"

Psalms 1

1 Blessed is the man That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That bringeth forth his fruit in his season; His leaf also shall not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so: But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

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

6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

It's all about God's blessings isn't it? We all want them and we certainly all need them. This is a tough world and it's made even tougher when we can't depend on God's blessings. It goes without saying that there are those God can and will bless and there are those He cannot bless. When Israel crossed over Jordan into the Promised Land they were strictly warned about what they were to do and what they were not to do once they got there. God promised to bless His people but only if they did what He told them to do. God cannot and will not bless disobedience. As the people fell into disobedience God withdrew His blessings from His people.

The book of Psalms consists of many different hymns and prayers composed by individuals but used by the community, Some have referred to the Psalms as Israel’s hymnbook, which is partially true but overall is insufficient to account for all that is in the Psalms. More than one-third of the collection is made up of prayers to God.

The date of composition ranges from the time of Moses (fifteenth century B.C) to a time following the exile (sixth century B.C. or later). There are myriad messages scattered through the 150 Psalms, but overall, this record of the responses of God’s people in worship and prayer serves the purpose of teaching us how to relate to God in various circumstances of life. The Psalms also demonstrate God’s sovereignty and goodness for His people in order to instill confidence in those who trust in Him.

What is interesting about the psalms is the way the book is laid out. The psalms correspond with the Pentateuch or the first five books of the Bible. There are five divisions in Psalms.

Division One of Psalms

This division corresponds with the book of Genesis. Chapters 1–41 cover this first division. Genesis begins with God’s blessings on man as does the psalms in the first chapter. The Lord’s counsel concerning man and his ways are addressed in division one. The key word is “man.”

Division Two of Psalms

This division corresponds with the book of Exodus, the book of Redemption. It covers Psalms 42–72. It opens with a cry of distress and closes with redemption. There are three sections in this division.

Division Three of Psalms

This section corresponds with the book of Leviticus, the book about sanctification and communion with God. This section covers chapters 73–89. The Lord speaks of His sanctuary, assembly, and His dealings in the holiness of His people. The “sanctuary” is referred to in almost every chapter, encompassing its ruin to its restoration.

Division Four of Psalms

Section four corresponds with the book of Numbers which is about the testings, trials, and bitter experiences of God’s people. It covers Psalms 90–106. In this division, counsel is given concerning Israel and the other nations. It opens with them in the wilderness. Prayer is in the view of Israel’s failures. The key words are “unrest and wanderings.”

Division Five of Psalms

This division covers chapters 107–150 and corresponds with the book of Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy, God over-rules in all trials and difficulties. He brings everything out at last to His honor and glory. The book of Deuteronomy was originally called Dabar which means “The Word.” The emphasis of this section is the Lord Himself and the Word of God. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter of this section and it is about the Word of God.

In Psalm 1 David gives us a good summary of the kind of lifestyle God has promised to bless and what that blessing might look like. We need to take stock of our lives this morning. We need to ask ourselves a very important question. Based on the qualities and characteristics of my life, ''Am I the type of person God can bless?''

The word ''blessed'' can also be translated as ''happy'' and appears this way in some translations. But I submit that the only truly happy person is the one God blesses.

Proverbs 10: 22 “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, And he addeth no sorrow with it.”

You must remember, there's pleasure in sin, but it's only for a season, and then we have to reap what we have sown. David found that out, Samson found that out, and even Solomon found that out, God is no respecter of persons.

In this psalm God gives us a picture of the happy man and then tells us why he's happy, true happiness is in God and from God. God wants His children to be happy; but Satan our greatest enemy wants us all to be as miserable as possible.

I will say this, "a happy man, a blessed man, a Christian man" is "like a tree" a live tree that's well grounded and rooted in the things of God.

Col. 2: 7 “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”

* This blessed man, this happy man has received a new life;

2nd Cor. 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

* he shall be like a tree planted -- a planted tree is a tree that has been put there, cared for and cultivated, the happy man is secure in Christ.

John 10:28 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

* he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water -- to survive a tree must have water.

In Christ the blessed man, the happy man has all that he needs for time and eternity.

John 4:14 “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Eph.1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”

Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

The blessed man is fruitful -- he brings forth the fruit of the Holy Spirit;

Galatians 5: 22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

John 15:16 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”

The blessed man, the happy man, will remain the same.

John 3:15 “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

1 John 5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

So, what is the secret of the blessed man? Repentance

The happy man has repented of his sin; Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change in his way of living.

Isaiah 55:7 “Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts: And let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

We're told in verse 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

This speaks of true fellowship with God, he loves to read and study and think on the Word of God.

Verses 4-6 tell us about people that are unhappy and why.

Ungodly people are like the outer husk of kernels of grain, on the winnowing floor the grain would be beaten first and then tossed into the air to allow the wind to blow the lighter chaff from the heaver grain as it fell back to the winnowing floor. - No value- no stability- no life.

The WIND is a picture of the work of the Holy Spirit as He separates the good from the bad.

John 3: 8 “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”

In Closings

God created Adam and Eve in a blessed condition (Gen. 1:28), which they forfeited in their rebellion. It is God’s intention to redeem his human creatures and to return them to a condition of blessing (Gen 12:1–3). To understand what it means to be blessed, we can turn to a passage like Deuteronomy 27–28, which describes the blessings that will come on an obedient Israel. The assumption is a harmonious relationship between those who are blessed and God that presupposes obedience to God’s commands (see Deut. 28:1–2). The ramification of a healthy restored relationship with God will be good relationships with other human beings as well as with creation itself. In other words, it will be a return to Eden-like conditions.

The psalms are the heart of the Bible. They commence with the Lord’s blessings on man. They conclude with man blessing the Lord. In between the conflicts and common circumstances of life are addressed. Many times our conflicts and circumstances are the consequences of the choices we make concerning the Lord.

Have you taken time to count your blessings of health, shelter, food, electricity, water, air, strength, seeing, hearing, walking, smelling, touching, talking, your Bible, friends, family, a good church, your pastor? Beloved, we have so much to be thankful for.

The “blessed” man does NOT do certain things and go to certain places. He is careful of the direction he goes, how he spends his leisure time, and of the company he keeps, for a man is known by the company he keeps many times.

The Bible makes it clear that we are to shun evil in our lives.

1 John 2:15–17 “15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

As Christians, we enjoy so many pleasures from the Lord. The way of the godly enjoys many blessings.

* We have a relationship than never can be abolished.

* We have a righteousness that cannot be tarnished.

* We have an acceptance that can never be questioned.

* We have a standing that can never be disputed.

* We have a justification that can never be reversed.

* We have a salvation that cannot be annulled.

* We have a strength that can’t be exhausted.

* We have an assurance that can never be disappointed.

* We have a comfort that can’t be lessened.

* We have a service that will always be rewarded.

* We have an intercessor who can never be disqualified.

* We have a hope that will never fade away.

* We have a glory that will outshine the stars forever.

We have so much to be thankful for!