[0:00] word. 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. But his delight is on the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 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. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
[0:40] Therefore the wicked will not inherit, will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Would you please open it again to Psalm 1?
[1:05] Already in Psalm 1 we have seen that commitment is all important. I don't think I could stress really this morning just how important commitment is, but it is the very decision that needs to be made before any other advancement happens. Commitment. The issue that faces all of us is, what are we going to be committed to? What's lacking is not a lack of commitment. What is often lacking is a lack of commitment to the right things. Commitment is a choice. I'll commit myself to this rather than that, or to this rather than that. It's not that there's no commitment, but rather that there is a lack of commitment perhaps to the right things, and that's why many Christians perhaps struggle living their Christian life, and children don't come all the way into the fullness of the gospel because the decision to do so on their part is not there. Your commitment is all important. And we see that in verses 1 and 2 between what a person does and what a person doesn't do, and what that person becomes. He becomes a blessed man, or he is blessed because he spends day and night being committed to God's Word. And what that means is that the Word of God has authority over his inner life. That's a deep challenge, because what that means is that my thoughts come under the authority of God's Word. My feelings come under the authority of God's Word. So often it's easy to be led by what we feel. Well, I want to do this. Why? Because I feel like it. The question is, is whether or not that feeling is a good thing to be committed to or a bad thing to be committed to? The feeling needs to be tested. The desire needs to be tested. The thoughts need to be tested. They need to be examined to see whether or not they're going to take the person who has them in the right direction. So not every feeling or thought that you have, or even desire that you have that seems good on the surface, will naturally lead to a good end. It's what's called a false inference. Sounds true, but it leads us in the wrong direction. Now that's really important. So the blessed man here is the man that comes day and night to the Word of God. But here in verses three and four, we begin to understand what this man is like. He's not a man easily distracted.
[3:51] But he is a man committed to the things of God. He is like, you'll notice, verse three is how it begins. He is like a tree planted by streams of water. In other words, we're now moving on to the character of the person. If verses one and two were the actions of the man, verses three and four is the man's character. Recently, I've been asked to do some writing for some people, potentially do some writing of material. And not only do I not get to choose who my referees are, they get to choose so I can't tilt it in my favor. Oh, this person will give me a good reference and that person will give me a good reference. No, these people wanted to know all the people that I've worked for for the last 17 years in ministry and they will decide who they will ask. So hopefully my character, if it's up to scratch, will pass or it may not. That's what verse three is about, character. It's not about whether or not you can do it anymore. It doesn't matter whether or not you've got the skill set. What matters is whether or not you've got the character. Verse three is about the character of the blessed man.
[5:17] And you'll notice that not only is he a blessing to other people, but he is a blessing to himself. He is planted by streams of water that yields fruit in its season. His leaf does not weather.
[5:30] And all that he does, he prospers. So there's a personal prosperity in that he prospers in what he does. But there's also a blessing for other people. And that's seen here also in verse three.
[5:43] But then we have the contrast in verse four where the people who are not committed to God's ways are not. They are like chaff that the wind dries away. In other words, they have no stability, they have no blessing, and they go wherever the wind takes them.
[6:06] That's quite a common phrase, isn't it? Where are you going to go? Well, wherever the wind takes me. It's quite a phrase. Well, where is it going to take you? You have no idea. You're at the mercy of something else. And so the blessed man brings himself under the word of God because he understands that his direction has to be the right direction. Whereas the uncommitted are uncommitted, but they're still going to be taken away by a force that they can't control. Wherever the wind takes them, they're like chaff that the wind blows away. In other words, they're still controlled by something else, something which they have no control over, but also can end up in a place and a direction where they have no power to change. The committed understand that if God is in control of all things, he's also in control of the wicked and blowing them away. So it's better to live a life that is committed to God rather than to be driven away from God by God because of a failure to commit to him. The contrast is stark. Now, I don't normally come up with titles for sermons, but I've only gone and done it again. This is a surprise even to myself. And I've called verses three and four fruit for others. Fruit for others, because even though it seems to concentrate on one person, it has more to do with other people than it does with the man himself. And that's really important. So here's a few things to notice. The first thing to notice, verses one and two, is what the man is committed to. He's committed to God's word. In other words, it is the word of God that has the direction over his thoughts, feelings, actions, decisions, so forth and so on. Verse three begins what he is like, character. Now, because of what he is committed to, verse two, we now know what he is like, verse three. These type of commitments produce this type of character, okay? These type of commitments, committing yourself to the word of
[8:11] God day and night, produce the character. And the character is stability. The character is in the place where you are being fed by God, like a tree planted by streams of water, because he meditates on the word of God day and night. So here we have a man who is stable. Stable. Stability. Security.
[8:40] There he is. Not just a man, but women also here. The wicked, those who are uncommitted are not so. They have no stability at all. They easy come, easy go. I'll commit to this. I'll give it up next week.
[9:00] You know? There's no longevity to anything that they do. They start something and never finish it.
[9:10] A bit like men in DIY, perhaps. I just don't start it. I don't want to be shown up for not finishing it.
[9:26] And that comes from someone who spent years in the trade. So do yourself a favor this morning and remember the purpose of commitment. You know, the purpose of commitment is not commitment.
[9:40] The purpose of commitment is to keep you going in the right direction. Okay? That's the purpose. Okay? Like the purpose of most things, the purpose of driving a car is not to drive a car.
[9:54] The purpose of driving a car is to get you from A to B. Well, the purpose of commitment is not to be committed. The purpose of commitment is to you to enjoy the fruits of what that commitment brings.
[10:07] Okay? Pass lead to places. And commitment leads to fruit. Now, if you're not that way, you will be blown away. But if you're like the tree planted by streams of water, okay, you're still going to come up to the full force of life.
[10:24] And the reason why, what's the one reason why Christians make commitments? Remember? Please don't forget this. Christians make commitments so that they don't change in a world that is changing.
[10:38] Thank you. That's the fundamental reason for making commitments. I make commitments because any change that is going to happen, I want it to happen as a result of being committed to God.
[10:49] And if I don't commit, then I'm subject to the continual change that the world will take me in. So people who change with a changing world do so because they are committed to not one thing.
[11:03] They are committed to the thing of the day, and then tomorrow it'll be something else. Impossible to tell where they will be next year or the year after. And the same for you personally.
[11:15] So Christians make commitments, believers make commitments because they do so, because they understand that the world is always changing, and they don't want to change with it. They want to be rooted with God.
[11:29] They want to be stable with God. They want to be in the place where while they're going to feel the effect of change all around them, they're not going to move. The chaff goes with it, but the tree remains in the ground, rooted, having its roots in God like you.
[11:47] Secondly, we notice that this tree is planted by streams of water. In other words, what that means is that the tree is in a place of constant supply. Now, my wife has been away visiting her parents and her grandparents, and I had two jobs.
[12:07] Keep the fish alive. And the same with the plants. I'm going to have to do a lot of watering, I can assure you, before tomorrow comes.
[12:20] You know, we give our children plants to teach them that things that live need caring for. And if you don't care for them, they die.
[12:34] So we give each children a plant, keep it alive. I'm not setting a very good example, but we understand the principle. That this tree here is by streams of living water.
[12:47] That this man, because he is committed to God, is in the place of constant supply. Why? Because you don't have enough in and of yourself to get you through the day.
[12:58] You don't have it in and of yourself to get you through the week, the month, you just don't. You do not have the resources to take care of yourself. God provides the resources, but he provides the resources in a specific place.
[13:13] And how do you get to that place? You get there by being committed to the Word of God. And in being committed to the Word of God, verse 2, you become like the man of verse 3, who is like a tree planted by streams of water.
[13:28] Constant supply. Totally filled. And this reminds me of my favorite proverb of all time. Proverbs 27, verse 7.
[13:39] What does that mean?
[13:52] It means don't go food shopping when you're hungry. Because you buy more. And you often buy rubbish. My wife doesn't let me go with her anymore.
[14:03] Because I'm constantly saying, as we're in the shop, I wonder what that tastes like. I wonder what that tastes like. Because I'm hungry, I think we should just buy this and buy that and buy that.
[14:16] And then you realize, actually, you eat the first thing and then you're no longer hungry for the rest. And it gets wasted, right? You all know it to be true.
[14:27] The one who is full loves honey. And the person who is full no longer has an appetite even for the best things in the world. But the one who is hungry begins to develop an appetite for rubbish.
[14:42] Bitter things. So this last week, you know, again, my wife's been away. Not a really good cook. And I go to the shops hungry.
[14:52] And I buy healthy food, which I cook. Which I will now repent of before you all because I've just sinned in your presence and before God.
[15:08] The point is this. Blessed is the man who commits himself to filling himself on the right things. So that he doesn't get taken away by the rubbish.
[15:20] By the stuff that is just no good for you. Not only does it spoil your appetite for the right things. But it's not actually the right kind of thing that you need.
[15:32] Period. Let me try and bring this in a slightly different direction. Most sin is caused in relationships. Whether it be between you and God.
[15:44] Or between you and your wife. Or between you and your children. Because of this very simple principle. That when you're not full on God. You go snacking elsewhere. Well what about this?
[15:57] What about that? Maybe this will work. Maybe that will work. I'll try this. I'll try that. And suddenly you find yourself in WH Smith's at the self-help aisle. Looking at books. Thinking how can my life change? Rubbish.
[16:11] When you're full on God. You don't do that. The same is true with a man and a wife. When a man isn't full on his wife. He'll look at other women. Guarantee it.
[16:22] It is essential that men fill themselves on their wives. Because if they're not full on their wives. They become hungry for the things that are no good. The same is true for a wife.
[16:34] If a wife is not full on her husband. Spiritually. Physically. Mentally. She goes snacking elsewhere. Okay. In other words. Past lead to places. These are.
[16:44] This isn't rocket science. This is just the way things are. In a marriage. When you're not full up in the family. One of the things that you'll begin to notice.
[16:57] Is that the wife. The mother will spend more time in the bathroom. She knows why she's doing it. Because she thinks that distance is needed.
[17:09] Just so that she can realign herself. The husband doesn't come home from work as quick as he could. Again. He thinks that distance. Time alone.
[17:20] Is what will get him through the next bout. Until he can have the next bout. Of time. Alone. Children who have. An appetite for nothing.
[17:33] Where they can't settle. For one thing. They don't know what they're going to do. They don't know what they want. They don't know what. They desire. Will then develop an appetite for anything. And the months will go by.
[17:45] And the years will go by. And they'll look back. And nothing's happened. No progress. No achievement. No nothing. Rather the person who is. Full on God.
[17:57] Is guarded against. Temptations that are actually bitter. But the person who is not full. On God. On his word. And on God's ways. Is then tempted.
[18:08] By the bitter things. Because he thinks. They taste sweet. Actually this isn't that bad. Now the one who is full. Loves even the good things.
[18:20] But the one who is hungry. Even the most horrible things. Begin to have a nice kind of taste. To them. Your appetite is changed. Why?
[18:33] Because. You become. Like the things. You devote yourselves to. Basic principle. You become. Like. What you. Worship. You become.
[18:44] Like. What you love. But what you love. May surprise you. You become. So our commitment levels to God. Is not about.
[18:55] Keeping our commitment up. For the sake of commitment. Rather. It's about keeping you safe. It's about keeping you holy. It's about keeping you right. With God. It's about making sure.
[19:06] That you have stability. You have security. And your life produces. What it needs to produce. In order for you to live in this world. Which is corrupt. So we don't commit ourselves to the things of God.
[19:17] For the sake of commitment. We do it. Because. It is the place. Of. Health. You are a healthy. Believer. That's really important to be.
[19:30] A healthy. Believer. Here's the next thing then. To notice. That verse three. Speaks about other people. Quite a lot. And we'll call this. Fruit for others.
[19:40] Now because this man. Has his roots. Deep roots. In God. We can argue. He's been filled. With all the good spiritual things. And therefore. He doesn't hunger.
[19:50] After the things. That he doesn't need. To eat. And are no good for them. He then produces fruit. For others. Verse three. He is like a tree. That yields its fruit. In its season.
[20:01] And its leaf. Does not wither. For other people. But how do we know? Well. The illustration. Is fairly simple. Trees don't eat their own fruit.
[20:13] Trees don't eat their own fruit. You've never seen an orange tree. Eat its own oranges. You've never seen an apple tree. Eat its own apples. Okay. Trees produce fruit. For others.
[20:24] Not for itself. And that's. That's the. That's the fruit. That God produces in you. When you're committed to God. For other people. Right. Remember the rule.
[20:35] God is in need of nothing. God doesn't need me. And he doesn't need you. So why does God. Share such concern. With us. Well that's the.
[20:47] Important part. Because he wants to share. His goodness. With us. Okay. God who is in need. Of nothing. You need to come up. With another answer. For why he wants us.
[20:58] And the reason he wants us. Is because he wants to share. What he has. With you. And verse three. The man who is committed to God. Finds himself. Being like God. He produces fruit.
[21:08] In his season. Trees don't eat their own fruit. And believers. That produce fruit. In their own life. Do so. For other people. Okay. So we go back. To the fullness illustration.
[21:19] When a wife is full on her husband. She doesn't want anything else. When a husband is full on his wife. He doesn't want anything else. When the children are full. At home. They're not out. Snacking.
[21:30] Okay. Fullness matters. Because if we don't. We will seek to fulfill that appetite. Elsewhere. So we need to be filled. On the right things. And when we're filled.
[21:41] On God completely. At that point. We produce fruit. In our season. And the fruit that we produce. Is for other people. This man becomes a blessing. To other people.
[21:51] Whether it be in the church. Or in the home. Whether it's a woman. In the home. Or in the church. Wherever she is. Or he is. They are a blessing to others. Because of their private.
[22:02] And personal. Commitment. To God. And that's important. What we're learning here. Is that while some people believe. That my actions affect other people. Which is true.
[22:13] It's more important for you to understand. That your private ones. Will always show up. Somewhere. This man here. Who is committed privately. To the word of God.
[22:23] Day and night. Produces fruit. In his life. In season. For other people. The tree. That produces fruit. In its season. Doesn't eat. Its own fruit.
[22:34] Now that's crucial. And that's crucial. For a couple. Of. Reasons. What a man. Commits himself to. In private. Will show up. In his children.
[22:45] Let me just give you. A word of warning. Fathers. Don't think. That any sin. That you commit. In private. That your children. Don't see. They won't be affected by. The Old Testament.
[22:55] Is fairly clear. That even the sins. That you commit in private. Will turn up. In your children. At some point. The same is true. For mums. Okay. And daughters. Okay.
[23:06] We are built. In particular ways. And the basic rule. For boys and girls. Is this. Is that boys want. And girls want. To be wanted. Okay. Boys want. And girls. Want to be.
[23:17] Wanted. That's an important. Understanding. When it comes. To understanding. How we are to be filled. By. God. So don't think. That what you do in private.
[23:28] The sinful things. Okay. Won't make it out. Because Psalm 1 here. As elsewhere. Clearly shows. That private commitments. To God. As in. Private commitments. To other things.
[23:39] Have their fruit. In its season. Whether it be good fruit. Or even. Bad fruit. Remember what God says. In Galatians. He is not mocked. You cannot mock. God. What a man sows.
[23:50] He will also reap. Okay. God is not mocked. So. This man here. Understands all of this. And so. He sows God's word.
[24:01] Into his life. All the time. Why? Because he knows. What he does in private. Is going to show up. On the surface. Somewhere down the line. In its season. This man here.
[24:12] Who commits himself. To God privately. Produces fruit. For other people. Whether it be his wife. His children. His work colleagues. Whoever it is. He becomes a blessing.
[24:23] To others. Because of his private. Devotion. To God. It's also the. It's also the issue here. In verse three. That he prospers.
[24:33] In all that he does. Now I want you to notice. That he prospers. In all that he does. Not in all that he has. Okay. This man here. Who commits himself.
[24:44] To God. Hit the prosperity. Is not measured. By what he has. He has this. He has that. He has the other. Now we measure prosperity. In those kind of ways. Health.
[24:54] Wealth. All of these type of things. But verse three. Clearly points out. This man prospers. In what he does. And in the context. Of verse three. This means. That the type of prosperity.
[25:05] That he has. Is also. A blessing to others. In other words. He is a dad. Or a dad. Or a husband. A wife. Or a mother. Or a child. In the home. Who is a blessing.
[25:16] To other people. In that environment. So. The reason. Why pastors. I don't do it. Quite so much. Perhaps I should. Try and encourage you. To prayer and bible study.
[25:28] Is because I understand. It produces fruit. For the whole congregation. Okay. I don't want you. At prayer and bible study. Because it's an issue. Of attendance. Okay. It's not an issue.
[25:38] Of attendance. The issue is. Fruitfulness. For other people. Okay. Because I understand. That a healthy church. Is when everybody's. Committing to themselves. To God. In those ways.
[25:49] In the word of God. And in prayer. You will become like a tree. That produces fruit. In its season. For others. For others. And that's the issue.
[26:00] Here. So if you keep this. In the context here. The person. Who commits himself. To God. Privately. Is successful. In bringing blessing. To other people.
[26:11] Whether it be in the church. Whether it be in the home. Wherever it is. He is a successful person. In bringing blessing. To other people. Now we all know.
[26:22] Because I grew up in a home. Where my mum. Would say to me. Or actually. It wasn't to me so much. But she would say to my brothers. You treat this house. Like a hotel. Okay.
[26:33] You treat this house. Like a hotel. You come. Okay. You get food. You get your clothes. Get everything you wanted. And then you go off. And do your own thing. You know.
[26:44] Even in normal everyday life. That unfaithful people. Benefit. From faithful people. But it's never the other way around. Never the other way around. Unfaithful people.
[26:55] Always live off the fruit. Of the faithful ones. Okay. Now. There's only so much to go around. So it's important. That you start producing.
[27:05] Your own fruit. But not for you. For others. That's the commitment. In a family that's needed. That's the commitment. In a church that's needed. What we do. We do for God.
[27:16] And for others. We. Are way. Down the list. Way down the list. But we are looked after. By the other people. Who are doing the same. And even though we put ourselves. At the bottom of the list.
[27:27] By the very nature. Of this psalm. Others people. Are putting us at the top. Does that make sense? That's the way. Family's meant to work. That's the way. Church.
[27:37] Is meant. To work. What we do. Benefits. Others. Psalm 127. Makes it very clear. That parents have children. And those children grow up.
[27:48] Having. Grown up in the faithfulness. Of their parents. To then. Look after their parents. Okay. The roles get reversed. Parents look after their children.
[27:58] For a season. And in due season. The children. Look after their parents. That's the way. God designed it. To work. More difficult now. With families spread out.
[28:09] All over the country. But that's. How. It's meant. To work. One more thing. Then shortly. Before we. Conclude. Commitment. Too often.
[28:21] People point. To a commitment date. Like. I was converted. At this age. The Bible. Doesn't speak. In those terms. Because of how. Unbiblical.
[28:32] It is. Pointing. To commitment. Made at a certain age. Is a bit like. Pointing to a tree. With roots. But it's dead. Okay.
[28:42] The roots. Don't tell you anything. What we learn here. In Psalm. One. Verse three. Is that we're able. To notice. The condition. Of the tree. Not by looking. At its roots. But by looking. At its fruit.
[28:54] We're able to tell. That the tree is alive. Not by examining. Its roots. But by understanding. That it produces fruit. In due season. The person who says. Well I made a commitment.
[29:05] When I was eight. Or I made a commitment. When I was ten. Or when I was fifteen. Great. But where's that commitment. Today. Okay. That that kind of. I was planted.
[29:15] By streams of water. In 1989. Okay. But if you. If you're still planted. By streams of water. Then the fruit. Will be evident.
[29:26] In your life. Now. So what the psalm does. Is he takes your emphasis. Of the time. Where you were. To what you are now. Producing. In your life.
[29:38] It's not about roots. It's about fruit. Okay. The fruit. On the tree. On the branch. Tells you the condition. Of the roots. Not the other way around. Okay. The fruit.
[29:49] Tells you. The condition. Of the roots. That's the important thing here. That Psalm 1 verse 3. Is talking about. Remember. This man is by streams of water.
[30:00] He is in the place. Of constant supply. And just as Jesus said. That as you. As he is the vine. And we are the branches. We are to abide in him. So as to produce fruit.
[30:11] That glorifies God. Okay. We abide. In him. To produce fruit. That glorifies. God. I'm glad they're having a great time.
[30:22] Out there. I really am. Abiding. We want every child. Brought up in Christ. To abide in Christ. It's not about saying.
[30:33] Yeah. I made a commitment. When I was 15. It's about. Are you still committed. Today. Today. So. Conclusion. One of the ways.
[30:44] That God expects. His people to learn. Is actually through. Paying attention. God. Has given us. An entire Bible. To learn. From other people. And what that means is.
[30:55] Is that while some things. Are different. Most things. Remain the same. The way that a blessed man. Becomes blessed today. Is exactly the same way. That he is blessed. In Psalm 1. Nothing changes.
[31:06] And the way people really change. Is not by changing. The things that change. But it's actually by changing. By the things that don't change. Okay. People change.
[31:16] By the things. That remain the same. God. His word. What he chooses to bless. And how he chooses. To bless it. The source of real personal change.
[31:28] Is God. Who does not change. The source of real personal blessing. Is God's word. And his ways. Which does not change. So here's the exhortation.
[31:41] Your commitment. To prayer and Bible study. Is really a commitment. To provide. For each other. Whether it be in the home. Or in the church. Okay. Your private commitment. To God.
[31:52] In his word. Devotion. Is really a commitment. It's end result. To each other. And your commitment. To other people. Will always be measured. By your commitment.
[32:03] To God. In the first place. The same is true. In the home. As it is. In the church. So being committed to God. Produces fruit. Like the tree. That produces fruit.
[32:15] But no tree. Eats its own fruit. It produces fruit. For others. That's how God. Describes the character. Of the person.
[32:25] Who is committed. To them. You need to be in a place. Of constant filling. Constant supply. Because you don't have enough. To give to yourself. Let alone.
[32:36] Others. You just don't have it. In you. It's not a criticism. It's simply. A truth. A truth. And the same way. Paths govern. The direction you go in.
[32:48] You've got to understand. That the word of God. Will govern you. The wicked have no roots. And they go. Wherever the wind takes them. The uncommitted.
[32:58] Have no roots. And they will go. And are proud of it. Wherever the wind. Takes me. It's not the type of thing. To be proud of. To go in a direction.
[33:09] Through no control of your own. And no choice. Over where you end up. Rather. Commitment. The person. The blessed man. Has stability. He has fullness. And he always has.
[33:20] Enough. To share. Psalm 1. Is Psalm 1. For one reason. Because it's going to explain. That there is. Really. Only. Two ways. To live. And encourages you.
[33:33] To be committed. To the right one. Amen. Amen.