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[0:00] The ABC of Blessing.

[0:14] Firstly, we're going to look at this psalm and look at some of the features of what makes! a blessed man. Psalm 1 tells us of the blessed man. Do you want to be blessed by God? Amen.

[0:28] ! Who doesn't want to be blessed? We all want to be blessed, don't we? To be blessed by God. This tells us how we can be blessed. It says in Psalm 1, from verse 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. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 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, but whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Blessed is the man.

[1:37] There's two kinds of people here. Two kinds of people. Two very different destinies, aren't they? Two very different roads, if you like. When you consider what road to take, we think carefully about what's the ultimate destination. Every road has a final destination. And here we have laid out for us the road map for a blessed life. A happy life. The pathway for blessing. The road map.

[2:07] For a happy life. Some search for happiness in a bottle. Glug, glug, glug. Fulfillment in a career. In a massive well. Through drugs. Whatever it be. Put your substitute there.

[2:28] Real and lasting joy comes from this. Only from God. Only from God. How is your walk with God? That is the question for each one here. How is your walk with God? Let's walk with the blessed man here and find the pathway to blessing. The ABC of blessing.

[2:52] Blessed is the man. 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.

[3:05] Blessed. Here we find the way to true blessing and satisfaction. Blessed. Blessing. It means happiness. It means that satisfaction. It means that fulfillment.

[3:19] That only God can grant. It means that fulfillment. It means that fulfillment. It means that fulfillment is the first word in the book of Psalms. It's the first word in the Sermon on the Mount. Blessed. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. Where is the blessed man found? I've put it down as ABC. Number one.

[3:42] A, the blessed man is in the assembly. The blessed man is in the assembly of God. No, not the assembly of God, but the assembly of God.

[3:54] The congregation of God, the church of God, the congregation of the righteous, the assembly. As we assemble, in other words, in the church, in the fellowship, in the right kind of fellowship that brings a blessedness to your soul.

[4:09] Or, someone has described here what we see in this verse as three degrees of degeneration. Three degrees of degeneration, spelled out in this first verse.

[4:23] It says, blessed is the man that walketh not. It's the wrong kind of fellowship, of counsel, of conduct here. What does this mean?

[4:34] Walking, walking, it talks about conduct, doesn't it? Walking, it talks about our conduct, our way of life. Where do we get our counsel from? Are we walking in the counsel of the ungodly?

[4:48] Who do you tune into? Where do you, where do we get our counsel from? From the ungodly? Do we get our counsel from Oprah Winfrey? No.

[4:59] Do we get our counsel from the talk shows? No. Dr. Phil? No. I don't know, there might be some good in it, some bad, but we don't go to that, do we? He's not our source.

[5:10] She's not our source. He is our source. Amen. Who knows where people get their counsel from these days? Where do we get our values from? Who do we tune into?

[5:21] Where are our children learning their values from? Movies? Park them in front of that idiot box.

[5:34] Give them some popcorn, some chips, and they just plant it there. What are we getting our counsel from?

[5:46] Movies? Questionable, aren't they? Especially lately, more so than ever they were. And the walking here at Spixervein, going along with, walking, you're marching along with, walking, it's the first step.

[6:02] Walking in the counsel of the ungodly. And you might say as you get your remote out, it's only got just a little bit of crudity in it.

[6:16] It's just got a little bit of profanity in it. It's just got a little bit of blasphemy in it. They only know it used the Lord's name seven times in this movie. It's only got a mild amount of nudity in it.

[6:31] Yet it blasphemes the name of our precious Lord and Saviour. What are we following?

[6:42] Where are we getting our counsel from? Counsel. It speaks of a purpose, of a way of thinking. We don't go to the world for wisdom.

[6:52] We don't go to the worldly crowd to tell us which way to walk. To know the choices to make for our lives.

[7:05] The choices for our lifestyle. And it doesn't matter whether everyone else is doing it. Oh, so-and-so who comes to church watches this.

[7:19] So-and-so thinks it's okay to do this or that. It doesn't matter whether everyone else is doing it. The Christian seeks wiser counsel. Wiser counsel.

[7:30] We seek not the approval of men, but of God. We seek His approval. We are in the assembly.

[7:41] In the assembly. It's a good place to be, isn't it? The blessed man. Isn't a couch potato in front of the damnable TV? Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.

[7:56] Now, there's good and bad TV. All right. But we don't go to the TV for our counsel, is the point. That's the first step in degeneration.

[8:07] Walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. Here we see the second step. Standing in the way of sinners. It's the next step to this degradation. This downward slope.

[8:19] Standing in the way of sinners. Firstly, they're just walking around in the counsel. Oh, that sounds interesting. Then they're standing with them. Standing together with them. Agreeing with them.

[8:30] We're called to rather abstain from all appearance of evil. Don't even touch it. The wise Christian rather will seek the company, the assembly, the getting together with those who know God.

[8:45] Or those who are at least trying to know God. The way of sinners speaks of a pathway, a course of action. The world has a pattern of behaviour. And it can get entrenched in us without us even realising it.

[8:56] It gets embedded in our psyche. And before we know it, we start walking and talking the same way as the world. Blessed is the man rather that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.

[9:09] Nor standeth in the way of sinners. Nor siteth in the seat of the scornful. The third one here, it goes on to a sitting. A sitting in the seat of the scornful.

[9:19] In case you hadn't realised it, this toxic culture of our world mocks God. What do the latest Hollywood offerings have?

[9:30] Usually there's some mockery of God, some scorning of decency, of morality. And even in the soapies now, there's actors who act in a supposedly gay way.

[9:46] It's not gay. It's not at all gay. It's very, very sad. And this is what is going on. They're promoting that, they're pumping that into our lounge rooms.

[9:57] It's toxic culture mocks God. And it's hostile towards God. And we're sitting with the scornful of the world. Learning, leading in their direction.

[10:09] Adopting their attitudes. And neglecting the standards of the Bible. It's an unwise thing to do. And so this word sit, it has the sense of abide, dwell, remain.

[10:20] And we can settle there is what it means. We can not only walk in the council, stand in the way, but sit in the seat.

[10:31] Sit in the seat. Get comfy in that easy chair. In that cosy couch potato mode. And lean back in the easy chair. And laugh along with the world's smutty jokes.

[10:44] And we can just go along to get along. Sounds a lot like what Lot did. Lot. Bit by bit.

[10:55] He inched closer and closer till he was in the place. Inching closer and closer till he ended up right there. In the middle of it. In the heart of it. And he didn't really fit there.

[11:07] But he got settled there. He became one of the citizens. One of the leaders of that Sodom and Gomorrah. And so we aren't meant to sit in the seat of the scornful.

[11:19] We're not meant to settle down here, brothers and sisters. We're just a passing through. My passport might say permanent resident. But no, it's not so. I'm not a permanent resident of Australia.

[11:31] My permanent residency is in heaven. That is where I belong. That is where we belong. We're not settling down here. We're just passing through. We're just travellers in this nation.

[11:43] And so what we see right here. Brothers and sisters. It's a call to separation. Separation. That's a dirty word in some churches these days. Separation.

[11:55] Separation. We seek a different fellowship. We who are saved want a godly company. A different company. We want to be around people who love God.

[12:05] We want to surround ourselves with God's people. Because there's a blessing there. The blessed man will be found in the blessed assembly. Gathering together with like-minded people.

[12:16] With God's people. With people of faith. It's a foretaste of heaven. A foretaste of heaven is our assembly. Is our getting together. When I move house.

[12:28] At times where I've moved houses. And I come to a new town to live. The first thing I do in this different town. Is one of the first things I do. Is to look around.

[12:40] And look out for a good church. Look out for a good church. That I can call home. And because I want to be around God's people. There's a fellowship there. Even if you go to a new place.

[12:52] A new town. A new location. And you get around some people who love God. There's a blessedness there. Isn't there? There's a blessed fellowship there.

[13:02] And we want to make it our business. To be around God's people. Be around God's people. Every time they gather. As humanly possible. As we can. That we'll be there.

[13:13] When there's a gathering. When there's an assembly. We'll be there. And if you want to be blessed. Get in the assembly. Get in the assembly. The construction zone.

[13:24] It's where he assembles us. Where he constructs us. Where he puts us together. And makes us grow. In the assembly. And the believer walks differently. He seeks out a different council.

[13:36] He seeks out a different company. He hangs around with people. Who likewise want God's blessing. He won't hang around the bar. He won't go to the nightclub.

[13:47] And the disco. And hang around with people. Who are dwelling there. He might go there to hand out some gospel tracks. But he won't hang around the bar.

[13:58] And the disco. And the nightclub. To find his friends. To follow. Because they're not his company. There's a different spirit in this man. This blessed man.

[14:10] And he won't want to listen to their council. He won't want to stand around. And have a laugh. At their cursing and mocking of God. And of the rides. The blessed man.

[14:21] Won't be found at the bottle shop. The blessed man. Won't be found down at the TAB. The blessed man. He won't hang around. With those who curse and mock. His saviour.

[14:32] And the blessed man. He won't like the Facebook posts. That are on a different wavelength. He won't like those things on Facebook. That have swear words. And what not. Because he's a different man.

[14:45] He's a different man. And you know. Another thing about believers. Is that we speak. With new tongues. We speak with new tongues. In other words.

[14:55] We have a different language. From the world around us. Amen. We have a different language. From the world around us. We speak the language. Of Canaan. We speak. That which is rightful.

[15:07] And true. We don't speak. That which is corrupt communication. Out of our lips. There's a language. That is different. When we say. There's a new tongue. If you like. And I'm using it.

[15:18] Of course. In that context. That there's a new tongue. There's not a crudity. And a blasphemy. In our tongue anymore. There's not a cursing. And a swearing. God helping us. He'll help us to have that new tongue.

[15:30] Yeah. As it were. A tongue that is sanctified. And we want to get together. With God's people. So brothers and sisters today. A. The blessed man. Will be in the assembly.

[15:42] In the assembly. And want to get together. With God's people. As someone has put it. He doesn't believe like the wicked. He doesn't behave like the wicked. And he doesn't belong.

[15:53] With the wicked. All around us. We see. A steady. Infiltrating. Influence. Now. Let me just. Point out here.

[16:03] I'm not saying. We walk around holier than thou. And look on. Look on those. Down at the nightclub. And say. Huh. What a sinner. No. Such. Were some of us.

[16:15] Such. Were some of we. But now we're cleansed. And we know it's wrong. We know it's wrong. To be in that party scene. In that godless scene. And.

[16:26] Yet our hearts want to reach out to people in that scene. Not to condemn them. But to love them. To reach them. To implore them. To beseech them. To beg them. To trust Christ.

[16:38] And so. It's not that we're holier than thou. Not at all. But we see God's saving grace. He's taken us out. We've been redeemed. And in this world. There's a mind pollution.

[16:49] There's global forces that belong to the kingdom of darkness. And they want to steer us into a conformity to the world. And. Let's face it. Even the comedy.

[16:59] Isn't funny anymore. No. Is it? No. Can you tune into a comedy show these days? No. This book says fools mock at sin.

[17:10] It says fools mock at sin. Yes. It thinks sin is funny. It thinks that which is sinful is funny. No. It's not. It's not funny.

[17:21] And so comedians these days. They regularly mock. What is decent and right. And. Parents. Let's be mindful of this. Whatever happens.

[17:32] Are aiming to raise our children godly. Let's recognise the programming. And switch it off. We don't want our children. Getting deceived. The godly man will choose a different track.

[17:44] He will commit to spiritual progress. To be led by the Lord. And so the blessed man will be in the assembly. Amen. In the assembly. Morning. Night. Midweek. If you want to be blessed.

[17:57] Be in the assembly. Get together with God's people. The church of God. In the assembly. That's the A. The A of the ABC's of blessedness. And secondly.

[18:08] The blessed man will be here. B. In the book. In the book. We have found the book of God. When they found the book of God.

[18:19] In the word of God. The people were. Had the joy of God. When they had the book of God. And it says in verse 2. Of Psalm 1. But his delight is in the law of the Lord.

[18:30] And in his law doth he meditate. Day and night. Day and night. People delight in all kinds of things in our world. Don't they?

[18:41] Yeah. Some delight in sports. Not necessarily something wrong with sport. Unless it becomes foot bar. Basket bar. I've heard a few things like that.

[18:54] It's like the modern day bar for some isn't it? But some delight in sports. In music. In the latest trashy movie from Hollywood. People delight in the latest fan and gimmick.

[19:06] Our delight's not in that. We might enjoy a little bit of sport. Not knocking that. But our delight is found somewhere different. Our delight is different from the world.

[19:17] Where will true blessing be found? In the book. In the book. In the book. In the book of God. The Bible. The blessed holy Bible. His delight is in the law of the Lord.

[19:30] This is our delight. It's our passion. Our world. Our life revolves around this book. It inspires us. It lifts us up. It is the cause of rejoicing.

[19:42] For our heart. And the godly one will take pleasure in this. To study it. To absorb it. Get yourself a King James Bible. Amen. A King James Bible.

[19:53] And treasure it. Yes. Treasure it. Don't settle for anything less. Yes. A King James Bible. Or its equivalent in your own language. Amen. Get yourself a Bible. And as we do.

[20:04] We will know and do. Right doctrine. And right deeds. Not the passing vanities of the godless. This is our treasure. The timeless truths. Of God's sure word.

[20:15] And the blessed man will be found in the book. In the book. Amen. The blessed book. We value these truths. In these pages. We find the answers we've been looking for.

[20:26] Yeah. It will just open these blessed pages. We'll find the directions for blessing. We'll see the qualities of eternity. Of a richness. A treasure trove.

[20:37] Beyond compare. The riches of his glory. Get into the book. Into the book. We're called to biblical meditation. This isn't an emptying of the mind.

[20:48] The transcendental meditation. Gurus. It's not an emptying of the mind. But a filling up of the mind. Amen. Filling up of the mind with the truth of God's word.

[20:59] This phrase here when it says meditate. Day and night. Day and night. In other words it's saying constantly. Regularly. Consistently. Let's sit up and take notice.

[21:09] True blessing will be found in the book. So may we ready our hearts. For the discipline of truth. Truth we can apply. In our everyday. This book is a chain breaker.

[21:21] If you've got chains. You need this book. To break some chains. To break some chains in your life. Every bondage can be broken by this book. Every snare can be broken by this book.

[21:32] We are called to a life governed by truth. And this is your answer. This is what you're looking for. This is what we need. A life governed by truth. This word is what we need.

[21:45] Not just read but obeyed. Acted upon. And it will yield precious fruit. Keep it. Keep it. I know my brother read. Keep the commandments. And when you think of keep.

[21:56] It means to hide it. Doesn't it? Keep it. Treasure it. Keep it. Hide it. We underestimate the value. Of Bible memorisation. And this very psalm.

[22:08] Is a very good one. To hide in your heart. Read Psalm 1. Over and over. And over again. Till it becomes a part of you. Memorise it.

[22:18] Saturate yourself with the word of God. Sanctify yourself in God's truth. And friends today. We can fill up our thinking. And our conversation. With the discoveries from God's word.

[22:29] It says ladies. We're dwelling you richly. Richly. We see the source of blessing. The blessed man will be in the assembly. And the blessed man will be in the book. In the book.

[22:40] Thirdly. The blessed man. Here's the saint. The blessed man. The man who is blessed. Will be in the care. And control of God. In the care and control of God.

[22:51] God cares for us. And true blessing is found in his plan. As we're established under his care. And control. The phrase care and control. You know it's used of guardians sometimes.

[23:03] Isn't it? That a child is put under someone's care. And control. Someone who looks after someone. They're under their care. And control. Whose care and control are we under? God.

[23:13] Our Lord and God. We're under his care. Under his control. Under the umbrella of his protection. We're under his care and control. Yet sadly many step outside of God's care and control.

[23:26] The Lord wants better for us. He wants us to be planted. We read verse 3. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season.

[23:37] His leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. So the picture here is of a tree planted. Cultivated.

[23:48] Tandered by God. Literally transplanted. Transplanted. He should be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. We're under God's care. Under God's control.

[23:59] God's cultivation. That is where you can grow and blossom and flourish as a Christian. To know his care and control. You're under his umbrella. You're under his protection. You're under his wings.

[24:10] And it is there that you can grow and flourish and produce fruit. That is God's will for you. That you produce fruit. And so friends today. The believer has this quality of life. That shows through.

[24:22] Through all life's dimensions. As we're living. As we're established. Under God's care. We know that consistency. That integrity. That accountability that we have. Because we answer to him.

[24:32] Amen. So God wants us to be. Notice here. Like a. Tree. Like a. Tree. A tree. Like a. Tree.

[24:43] Planted. Planted. Where we can be spiritually nourished. Where our faith can be fresh and vibrant. Where we can be planted in a church fellowship. Planted where we can grow stronger.

[24:55] Planted in a church. The church is God's design. It's where he wants us to be. God has established the church. The church of God. And so a tree speaks of being sturdy.

[25:06] God doesn't want you to be like a tumbleweed. Some Christians are like tumbleweeds. See them in the western movies. Not that you should watch movies. But. You love those tumbleweeds.

[25:16] By going down the dusty road. God doesn't want you to be a tumbleweed. He wants you to be a tree. A tree. A tree. That's what he wants you to be. Planted. Where you can be spiritually nourished.

[25:28] Planted. Sturdy. Many Christians are not planted. They're easily swayed. I've spent time like that too. And this is not to condemn anyone. But rather to encourage you.

[25:39] To encourage you. Today is the turning point. Today is the decision point. Many Christians are easily swayed. You know. They're like a tree. Like a little sapling.

[25:51] That just flops and sways. Unstable. Blown around with every wind of doctrine. Rather be planted. Be planted. A tree pictures growth. God doesn't want you to be immature.

[26:03] And stunted in your growth. But under his care and control. He's a design for us. And his design is that we be like a. Tree. Like a tree. That's right.

[26:13] You'll get that one day. Like a tree. You'll get it by the end of the message. A tree. A tree produces something. Doesn't it? A tree produces fruit. A tree produces shade.

[26:24] A tree produces something. And there's something worthwhile about a tree. And it says it would be meant to be what? Planted. Planted by the rivers. What a picture this is of stability and of growth.

[26:35] The well watered tree will be grounded. And it will manage even in the time of storms. Bring them on. I'm a tree. Amen.

[26:46] Are you a tree? Bring it on. I'm a tree. That's what we should say. The hard times. The storms. The river speaks of God's care. His provision for our lives.

[26:57] The Lord Jesus is our source. Our sustainer. Our supplier. And the rivers. It speaks to us of that unfailing source. Who is our God. The unfailing source of life and strength.

[27:09] And we know the riches of his grace. So the tree. It brings forth fruit. It says that his leaf also shall not wither. He bringeth forth his fruit in his season. God wants you to be fruitful.

[27:20] He wants you to bear fruit that remains. He wants you to be a fruitful Christian. A fruitful Christian. And true blessing is found here. His leaf also shall not wither. Think of leaves.

[27:31] It speaks of vitality and freshness. We have life. Life more abundant. And our life is hit with Christ in God. We've got life. Life. The godly man.

[27:42] The godly woman. Has found the secret of true happiness. True blessedness. And here is a man. A man blessed. After God's own heart.

[27:53] A surrendered man. A man in right connection with the Lord. Led by his spirit. A conscience void of offence. It's been said that the conscience is the whisper of God in the soul of man.

[28:09] You know I've spoken to some Christians lately. They've struggled and they've got back on track. Amen. Who's been there? They've struggled but they're back on track.

[28:21] Amen. It's because the conscience is the whisper of God in the soul of man. If you're a child of God, you'll hear that whisper when you're not in the right place.

[28:34] You'll hear that whisper on the inside of you. I'm not in the right place. And you'll get back on track. Amen. That's the difference with the blessed man. His leaf shall not wither.

[28:47] The true blessedness is here. And we're under the care and control of God. He'll pull you back. You're not going to stay happy in that state of rejection, of rebellion.

[29:01] You're not going to stay happy in that pig pen. You're going to get sick of smelling like a pig. Aren't you? You want to go back to the Father's house? Amen. The blessed man knows where his care and control is.

[29:15] Where he needs to be. The blessed man has found a tender peace, a stability, God's tender loving care and control. Now God's care and control is for our benefit.

[29:25] It's not a control that is a bad thing. But it's a control that's a good thing. Now have you ever seen some of these, I was going to say wild kids. But no, wild dogs.

[29:36] It might be a safer analogy. So think of these dogs, these kids. No, these dogs. They're out of control in the home. They're just running rampant. Running riot.

[29:47] And the master says, sit. And they don't do anything. It's a bit like my dog at a moment because he's gone deaf and blind.

[29:58] He's got a good excuse. All right. But sometimes we have a dog and the master says, sit. And the dog that loves his master, who's under the master's care and control, will sit.

[30:13] And he'll get a smacko for it. He'll get blessed for it, won't he? And that's the same picture for us. We're not meant to be wild dogs. But to be, as it were, trained and disciplined.

[30:26] Under God's care and control. I'm not living a careless, destructive lifestyle. And I talk to people like that and they've told me how they've realised it. They've heard that whisper in their soul. I'm not in the right place.

[30:37] It's destroying me. And God's turned them around. Amen? God's turned them around back on track again. And the blessed man finds this peace in God's care and control.

[30:49] The blessed man, there's prosperity there. There's abundance there. Not necessarily some kind of money in your bank account. You might have nothing. But you might have everything.

[31:00] In him. And so the prosperity is God's supply. It's his direction. It's that abundance of character. That joyfulness of heart. We'll carry on.

[31:11] Verse 4, what a contrast it is. We talked about the blessed man. Now, some moments about the contrast here. What a contrast it is with the ungodly.

[31:27] Out of God's care. Out of control. desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde desde That's rubbish.

[32:01] That's rubbish. People who think that way are living yet truly dead. They are the living dead. They're like the... Not that you watch zombie movies, but they're like the living dead, aren't they?

[32:13] That's what they're like. They live lives that are devoid of real hope. Without substance. Lives of no tangible value. Without meaning or purpose. The ungodly are like the...

[32:25] Chaff. Or chaff. Depends where you come from. They're like the chaff that the wind drives away. We see this relentless promotion around us of humanism, don't we?

[32:37] It's happening all around us. We're almost oblivious to it. This deliberate propaganda campaign of anti-Christian values. Undermining decency and virtue everywhere we look.

[32:49] There's a madness sweeping the planet today that say men should be able to use women's change rooms. Madness. Madness. The ungodly are not so.

[33:01] They're like the chaff. What a waste of a life. What a contrast it is. A stark contrast. A sturdy tree. They are like the what?

[33:12] Chaff. Chaff. They're like the chaff. What is chaff? It's those useless parts of the grain. After the harvest. Those worthless bits. The rubbish. The worthless, useless parts.

[33:24] The debris. And so, chaff is a picture of futility. Those who do not truly know God live a futile life. A futile life.

[33:36] As we see the godless world system ramping up its war against God, it wants you to go that track. It's as if we're at a tipping point in how the world's running.

[33:47] Look at what the media's pumping into the media. By and large, they're misguided, egocentric, directionless. Chaff. These are the social engineers who are perverting our children in the daycare centres now.

[34:02] You can't even trust the daycare centre now. The daycare centres and the schools. They're bending the minds of our youth in the universities of our land. Not saying you can't use such things, but be very, very careful.

[34:17] The ungodly are like the chaff. These are the godless people who scoff at the mention of hell. They ridicule the idea that a place like hell exists, yet deep down inside, I reckon almost every unbeliever fears that is a reality.

[34:35] Hell. There was a sceptic friend of Voltaire. Voltaire. The famous atheist, infamous atheist Voltaire. And this friend of Voltaire's came to speak some words.

[34:49] The friend of Voltaire came and asked Voltaire if he would speak some words of comfort to a friend who was dying.

[35:01] Voltaire responded, I don't think I can do that. The thought there might really be a hell plagues me continually. I can't comfort this one.

[35:14] The thought that there really might be a hell plagues me continually. It says, verse 5, Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment. They're not going to stand acquitted, declared free.

[35:28] They're not going to stand in the judgment. They're going to stand condemned in the judgment. Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. Friends, the godless are not found in the assembly. Now that's not to say come to church and you go to heaven.

[35:42] There's people here who may not be going to heaven. You might put on all the show and all the pretense and say all the right words and still go to hell. If you don't know Jesus as your Saviour, don't kid yourself.

[35:55] So friends, but yet the godless are not found in the congregation. They don't want to even come in the congregation of the righteous. They reject the book that shows the pathway of true blessings. And they're not under the care and control of God.

[36:08] Yet the blessed man has taken a different track. The pathway of blessing. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous. The way of the righteous is different. The way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

[36:20] What will you do? Will you tread the pathway to hell? Or do you know the Lord? And does the Lord know you? The word urges us to search for meaning and find reason to believe.

[36:35] Judgment is sure. Will you be prepared? I urge you today. Every time I stand here I think this could be the last time I preach. I could get run over by a truck this afternoon.

[36:47] And I want to deliver the truth to you. I must deliver the truth. Judgment is sure. Will you be prepared? Will you be ready? Or will you side with the mockers? You will regret it when you share their fate.

[37:01] Now the devil sings a sweet lullaby. He likes to hold you tenderly in his arms. And hum and whistle and rock the york cradle. And make you feel really comfortable.

[37:14] He doesn't want you to stir and wake up and realise what's going on. But I pray, friends today, I pray you'll awaken and see what is happening. And be transformed by this word so you can receive God's blessing.

[37:27] This word has power. Even when they mock it, it's got power. George Whitfield, an 18th century evangelist, he was hounded by a group of people called the Hellfire Club.

[37:39] They were mockers. They mocked the word of God. And they derided Whitfield. And on one occasion, one of the men was called Thorpe. And he was mimicking Whitfield and sort of pretending to preach like him and do his mannerisms and his kind of style of sermon.

[37:57] And he acted out Whitfield's sermon with accuracy and with this brilliant mimicry. Perfectly imitating his tone and his facial expressions. And the word has power.

[38:10] This man himself was so pierced that he sat down and was converted on the spot. Even while he was mocking the preacher, he was converted on the spot.

[38:21] Because this word has power. This word has power. This book, this blessed book. Mock this book and you will be damned. Do not mock this book.

[38:32] Receive it. Receive the soul saving message that it contains. Trust the Saviour's care and control for your life. Receive his pardon and his grace and you can be saved today.

[38:43] It's God's word that shapes our attitudes, our world view, our thinking and our mindset. Will you be like a tree planted by the rivers of water?

[38:55] Or will you be like the chaff that the wind drives away? Friends, we have a life giving strength. And he is our sustainer. He sustains our life. Psalm 55, 22 it says, Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee.

[39:13] He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee. He will keep you. He will sustain your life.

[39:24] We've got a life giving stream. We've got a life giving stream. Have you been planted, transplanted by the rivers of water? Where are you? Maybe you feel like you're a bit of tumbleweed blowing down the road.

[39:37] Maybe you feel like chaff just blowing around in the wind. Or will you rather be a tree? Let God transplant you. Let God transplant you. Where are you today? Where are you today? Will you be strong, beautiful, flourishing like a tree?

[39:51] Or worthless and useless like chaff? God can thankfully change chaff into a tree. God can change chaff into a tree. Amen.

[40:02] He can do that for you. He can do that for me. And you can be that strong and flourishing tree. Amen. What's inside you will be revealed. Judgment.

[40:13] Amen. He'll separate the chaff from the tree, as it were. He'll separate the sheep from the goats. Please, I urge you today. Don't settle in that false comfort zone of unbelief.

[40:28] Step into the word zone. Step into the word zone. Let this word shape and impact your life. Let it develop that godly character in you. Let God sustain your life. Not to have a self-sufficiency, but a God-sufficiency.

[40:41] Because we can personally know that our sufficiency is of God. What will you do? Will you be one who has found the truth? Will you do what God has called you to?

[40:53] I pray you be like a tree. Sturdy and strong, planted. And you'll say, I'm not going to back down. I'm not going to back down.

[41:04] It's all or nothing. I'm going to be a tree. I don't care what everyone else does. I want to choose that way of blessing. The way of righteousness. I want to get closer to my Lord.

[41:16] And know Him more. I've made up my mind. I'm going to follow Jesus. I urge you to rise up to this challenge. Each one. To have that willing heart. To choose that pathway of blessing.

[41:28] As you trust Christ as your Saviour and Lord. He will take you. Amen. To that blessed place. Amen.

[41:39] That blessed place. Glory. Here and beyond. And the storms will come. And you'll say, bring it on. On a tree. Amen.

[41:50] Amen. Be a blessed man. A blessed man will be in the assembly. Get together whenever you can. Don't neglect the assembly. It's important. Don't listen to the counsel of the ungodly.

[42:03] Get in the assembly. Amen. Get where you can get encouraged. Amen. Where you can be blessed and be a blessing. Amen. In the assembly. Get in the book. Get the book and read it.

[42:14] Meditate on it. Let it fill you. Let it saturate you. Let it live in you. Yes. Meditate on it. Memorize it. Be a blessed man. A blessed man with the book in your hand.

[42:26] And in your heart. And thirdly, be a blessed one who is under the care and control of God. Knowing that He overrules and reigns. He is the one in charge.

[42:37]  And we're under His domain. We're under His command. And we are at His service. Let us pray. Let us pray.