Psalm 1: The Road Not Taken

Intro:

Hey friends, I’m gonna take a guess that most of you know who I am at this point. My name is Cody…and I’ve been the Worship Pastor here for almost 6 years now…more importantly as it relates to tonight, I’ve been the College Pastor here for the past two years.

And it’s in relation to being Coram Deo’s college pastor, that I’m here to speak to you tonight. Because…whether you’re going off to college or not…you’re in that stage of life. The stage of life where you’re moving from dependance to independence. Where the guard rails and the bumpers are going to be taken down…and you’re really going to see, for the first time, the type of man or woman that you are.

I want to start out tonight with a poetry reading. I know i know, but just follow me here for a minute.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

I’m just curious. Can anyone in this room tell me what this poem is or who wrote it?

The poem is called “The Road Not Taken” and it is written by Robert Frost, over 100 years ago at this point.

The reason some of you are familiar with this poem is because it’s become one of his most famous poems and has been taught in schools for years.

The true meaning of the poem is debated at times, but in general, here’s what you can grab from it. This is Andrew Spacey’s interpretation as found in an article on Owlcation.

“Robert Frost wrote this poem to highlight a trait of, and poke fun at, his friend Edward Thomas, an English-Welsh poet, who, when out walking with Frost in England would often regret not having taken a different path. Thomas would sigh over what they might have seen and done, and Frost thought this quaintly romantic.

In other words, Frost's friend regretted not taking the road that might have offered the best opportunities, despite it being an unknown.”

So what Mr. Spacey is saying…is that this poem has captured the attention of the world because it’s a poem that plays on the idea of regretting missed opportunities. Regretting what would have happened if you made a different decision.

This type of thinking and regret…is what many of you have experienced this year when it comes to graduating high school. Many of you, have had many decisions to make.

What college to go to. Or not to go to college. What you will do. Where you will live. How you will afford it....and so on and so forth, right?

In your life, especially this past year…there have been many times that two different paths of been laid before you…and the reason that it’s been so difficult for you to make a decision…is because you’re not always sure of the outcome. Because you’re not always sure if the other path that didn’t choose would end up being better.

Just show me a raised hand if you’re tracking with me right now.

Good.

So we can agree that making a choice, sticking with it, and not regretting it is difficult to do because there’s always the possibility that something else was better.

That’s true in so many things in life. But tonight I want to share with you a time when that is not true. I want to share with you a situation in life that always has the same outcome.

Tonight, I want to show you two roads that every single one of you must choose between...

I want to show you two roads that each have a guaranteed outcome.

I want to show you these two roads, or paths, or ways…whatever you want to call them…I want to show them to you, and then both challenge and encourage you.

I want to challenge you to pick the right way.

And I want to encourage you to stick to it.

Open your bibles to Psalm 1 with me. I’m going to read the entire thing, go over how it relates to you, and then…I’m going to give you some practicals for your stage of life. After that, I’ll open it up to questions you may have and see how I can help you. So let’s get into it.

Psalm 1 ESV

1 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; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 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. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

So, the word of God…the creator of all things, who knows all things, sees all things, and is in all things....his word…what he says...clearly dictates that there are two paths in life.

The path of the righteous. And the path of the wicked.

And unlike Robert Frost’s poem about the two roads…the outcome of these paths are very clear. Verse 6 summarizes it all too well. Look back at verse 6.

Psalm 1:6 (ESV)

6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

Let’s focus in on the word “knows” for a minute. Don’t overlook it…because it’s a special word. Because, it has to be deeper than just knowledge. The word “knows” here has to be deeper than just meaning that God “knows of it”…because God “knows of” everything. He knows of the wicked too. He “knows” the way of the wicked just like he “knows” the way of the righteous.

So what is it saying here?

God’s word is saying, that there is a path in life…in which God intimately knows the ones who walk upon it. He doesn’t just know of the, or what they will do…but he intimately knows them…on a relational level.

The meaning of the two different types of “know” become pretty clear when I ask this...

Raise your hand if you know of Johnny Depp. Yeah, see…all of you know John Depp. And if you had a friend who you were talking to and they said they had no idea who you were talking about…you’d like “bro…you know Johnny Depp, the pirate guy that walks weird, willy wonka, mad hatter, a ton of other stuff. You know him”.

So you guys see where I’m going. In one way you know Johnny Depp…but in another way you don’t. You don’t know know him, right?

It’s a one way knowledge. It’s a factual knowledge. But it’s an intimate knowledge. And the idea that God may know people in a general sense but not in an intimate sense is pretty common. Take one of the scariest verses in all of scripture...

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

So, Jesus knows everyone. Because he created everyone..and through him everyone was created. So he literally knows everyone that has existed or will exist…and yet in this verse he says that there will be a day when he turns people away from heaven, because he didn’t “know” them. Meaning…he was not in relation with them…they did not walk with him…they did not follow him...

So are you beginning to see, that in Psalm 1 verse 6 here…that the idea that there is a path you can walk in which God will know you…is a very good and blessed thing. It’s actually the ultimate thing. To be known by God. It’s the most comforting, pleasing, amazing thing…to be known by the creator of the universe in a way that saves you, redeems you, makes you whole. To be known by him in a way that not everyone will get to claim…like Jesus just showed us in Matthew.

So, in verse 6 there’s the way of the righteous that the Lord knows. And then what? There’s the way of the wicked. And what happens to them? It says it there in verse 6, you can look…the way of the wicked will…perish.

Perish. As in die. Lose all hope. Lose all resemblance of goodness and life. Suffer eternally. Live a life that could potentially be filled with the abundance of things, but will never be filled with the abundance that comes from life with Christ.

So why am I showing you this tonight? Why is this the message for the college pastor to bring to you on one of your last weeks in high school ministry?

I’m bringing this because not a single one of you would say that you want to follow the way of the wicked. None of you would say you desire to perish in eternal flame and torment…and if you do then you don’t really understand what you’re saying.

Jonathan Edwards Quote

Guys I bring this up because for you who are sitting in this church right now…for you who have grown up going to church, believing in Christ, hearing the word preached, seeing lives changed....

I say this because the path for you to go from where you’re sitting right now to a path of wickedness that leads to perishing....is a slow path. It’s an almost imperceivable path. It’s a path that people like you don’t expect to take, don’t intentionally take it.

It’s a path that becomes a lot more of a reality when you step out from under the care of your parents, and the world and all it has to offer puts you to the test.

Tempts you to step off the path of righteousness and follow the way of the wicked.

I’m here tonight because none of you want that…and I want to give you some practical tips…some applicational things that you can do to keep your life on the right path. To live a life that is blessed by God.

Look back at Psalm 1.

It says “blessed is the man”. Man there is the word for person. Meaning it could pertain to both man and woman. And blessed there not only means to be blessed in abundance, but it means to be happy.

Literally to be satisfied and have a feeling of joy. It’s a double blessing, both from God and in this life.

Look back at the text.

Blessed is the man who does what?

Psalm 1:1–2 ESV

1 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; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

So take the points there and realize them.

You are blessed, and by extension righteous based on what we see later in the psalm… you are blessed if you don’t walk in the counsel…nor stand in the way…nor sit in the seat.

Look at those three verbs. walk. stand. sit. Meaning, literally everything.

That’s what this Psalm is saying. Blessed is the one who is not influenced by the wicked. Who doesn’t look for praise from them, who doesn’t take advice and counsel from them, who doesn’t put themselves in the company to be identified AS one of them.

And instead of doing those things…the blessed person stands in contrast. Look at verse 3.

Psalm 1:3 ESV

3 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.

So that’s the life of the blessed. And in contrast we begin to see the true life of the wicked in verse 4.

Psalm 1:4 ESV

4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Chaff explanation.

So to summarize…as you’re looking out at the rest of your life…as you’re taking this next step into independence and adulthood…you have two choices. Wickedness or righteousness.

The righteous will be like a tree, yielding fruit, not withering, and prospering. And that prospering could mean of first importance prospering with eternal life…but could also mean God blessing you here on this earth. That’s the path you could take...

Or you could take the path of the wicked. Meaning perishing and wishy washiness, and uselessness…

And what is this Psalm establishing as the way of doing this?

Back at verse 1 and two.

You protect yourself from the influence of the wicked.

You delight in the word of God.

You meditate on the word of God.

Those are the three things you do.

So my challenge for you tonight, is to seek the path of the righteous.

And my encouragement for you tonight, is how you can go about doing that with a few tips.

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