Psalms 1

- now, when we think about the book of Psalms///my guess is
that I'm speaking to folks who for the most part would
say:
"I don't have a lot of experience reading//studying this
book."

- I realize that some here probably have a lot of
experience and knowledge of the Psalms -- but for most
of us--we'll be talking about new territory.

- one of the things that excites me about this study is
the opportunity it will give us to reflect on//work on
our personal relationship with our Heavenly
Father///what goes on in the secret places.

- the Psalms are intensely personal
- they were written as songs--to be sung by the Jews
as part of their worship to God.
- As such, they are personal expressions of what it
is like to love God, and learn about God, and
live for God.
- the Psalms are honest about struggles and
difficulties -- they were written by people who
knew about struggles and difficulties -- people
like Moses, and David, and others.

- here's why that excites me
- all of us wrestle with the issue of keeping our focus on
God and spiritual truth as central.
- I'm not questioning whether you or I love God
- I'm not questioning whether we want to know the
Scripture or obey it.

- what I'm talking about now is what goes on in the
busyness of the day...
- when the dust is flying
- and the phone is ringing
- and the calendar is bulging

- question is -- what's happening spiritually
during those times?
(develop - IN CHRIST)

- what we gain from the Psalmist is the "naturalness" of
His relationship with God.
- and the depth of His relationship with God
- and the practicalness of his relationship with
God.

- the opposite of this is what you might want to call "dead
space" Christianity
(like when the TV goes blank--someone forgot to do
something correctly--nothing comes on
- some believers are like that spiritually
- cf. counselees who seem to have long periods of
dead space.

- I also probably need to tell you that in this series, we
won't be covering all the Psalms -- instead we're going to
select out several that we'd especially like to study.
- this morning we're going to work on Psalm 1
- READ

- Psalm 1 is one of the most familiar Psalms and one of our
favorite ones.
- the passage is very easy to understand--the writer is
setting up a contrast between a godly person, and an
ungodly one.
- that tells us something about the book of Psalms right
off the bat.
- this book isn't going to "tiptoe around" and not say
anything.

- here's the introductory hymn to the Hebrew songbook
and already it's dealing with some of the most
significant issues of life.

- the first three verses tell us about the godly person:

I. The Godly Man

- it's important to note that the passage begins with:

A. What he doesn't do

- the Psalmist says:
- if you want a blessed life
- if you want a happy life
- if you want a satisfied life

- here's some things you don't do
- here's some places you don't go
- here's some things you don't watch
- here's some things you don't read
- here's some company you don't keep

- before we talk about that specifically, we need to
note the fact that when God talked about
blessedness, and happiness, and lasting
satisfaction-He began that discussion in the
negative mode.

- I think we need to say--there's an aversion to
that message
- folks love to say...
- these things aren't so bad
- my kids are broad minded and look how well
they're doing
- we just major on the positive around our
house
- the Bible's too negative

- that's where Ted Turner was coming from when he wrote
his "Ten Suggestions" to replace the Ten Commandments.
- he said, people don't want to be commanded anymore--so I'm
going to write suggestions
(a very blasphemous act--the fact that he's still alive
is a demonstration of the grace of God.)

- but the point is--if we're not careful, we'll get to a
position of saying, "my finite mind is better than
God's infinite one."

- yet every time you pick up Psalm 1, it begins the
same way
- if you're going to be blessed
- if you're going to be happy
- if you're going to have a life of satisfaction--
here's some things you can't do.

- the Lord began, not with the power of positive thinking,
but with the power of negative thinking.

1. doesn't listen to ungodly counsel

- the word "counsel" has to do with
philosophies//approaches to life.

- some folks are like sponges--if so and so said it,
it must be true.
- this passage says that the blessed man has the
ability to "ferret out" what counsel is true and
right and worthy of being heeded--and what
philosophies are false and wrong and dangerous.

- INPUT - what are some of the sources of these
philosophies today?

- INPUT - what are some of the things those wrong
sources are saying?

- cf. Jan Smith illus: assignment given to Junior
Highers asking them to list their faults:
- "I feel that everything I do is up to my highest level, and
because of this, there is nothing to improve. I'm very
satisfied with my personality and my looks, and am not
dissatisfied in any way. People should always think
positively like I do and should not look for faults the
way this question has asked me to do. They should be
satisfied and concentrate on other things which are more
important.
- I'm nice to everyone
- I pay all my debts
- I'm truthful with my friends
- I help mom with the housework
- I feed the cat for mom

- see, there's all sorts of bad counsel out there:
- cf. Christian involved in an auto accident
- clearly his fault, considerable damage

- consults attorney who notes an error in the police
report
- goes to court--questions police office
- you made this out///yes sir
- my client was not even in the state on this date
- case dismissed

- yet, he knows he's guilty
- the injured party knows it
- the police officer knows it

- the counsel of the ungodly "got him off."
- see, one of the questions we need to ask is--do you listen
to the counsel of the ungodly?

2. he doesn't linger with sinful companions

- Proverbs is filled with such warnings

- INPUT - kinds of people the Bible warns us about?
(fool, angry man, strange woman)

- of course we ought to be friendly and kind to
everyone we come in contact with
- our Lord was a friend of sinners
- Paul was burdened for those who didn't know
Christ

- but we're talking here about companions//close
friends
- we're talking about those we allow to affect
the way we think.

- that’s why some folks are ungodly
- that’s why some folks are unhappy
- that’s why some folks are hurting

- because they've listened to wrong counsel

- this passage says--the godly person doesn't walk (move)
around that kind of person, he doesn't stand around that
kind of person
- doesn't sit around that kind of person

- one more interesting note to verse one
- the idea of 'seat" in the ancient world had to do
with the place of power of opinion.
- Jesus spoke of the scribes "sitting in Moses'
seat."

- we have our "seats of authority" today.
- professors in education
- talk show hosts

- a good question this morning--"Is there any way in which my
life is out of tune with the message of Psalm 1:1 and
therefore positioned to miss out on the blessing of God?

B. What he does

1. delights in the law of the Lord

- this kind of person loves the Word of God
- it's his/her delight

2. meditates on the Word

- INPUT - what would a person who fits verse 2 "look
like" during the week.

- INPUT - books that you've found helpful as you've
sought to study the Scripture and be this kind of
person? (Suggest several)

C. How he's rewarded

- verse 3 tells us the "net effect" of this kind of
person.

- INPUT - what messages is the Lord trying to communicate
by the imagery in verse 3?

- after a list like that--then we need to ask//do those words
describe your life? or...to what degree are those words
true of you?
- is it possible that the stability and prosperity
described in verse three is not as true of you as
you'd like it to be because the principles of verses
1-2 are not being followed?

- INPUT - implications of these verses to childrearing?

II. The Ungodly Man

A. Driven

- verse 4 literally reads--"the ungodly--not so."

- in other words, take all the things said about the
godly man in verses 1-3 and turn them them around-
-that’s the ungodly man.

1. empty

- instead of blessedness of verse 1

- the picture chaff is speaking of something that
is worthless.
- that’s true of the existence of the person who
doesn't know Christ.
- it doesn't have eternal worth

2. driven

- not the master of his soul

B. Doomed - 1:5

C. Damned - 1:6