Okay, Psalm 1.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Thanks very much, Ralph. Well, let's pray together and ask for God's help as we listen to his words. Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you in particular this morning for the Psalms.
We recognize that we need your help in understanding it, so we ask for your Holy Spirit, that your Spirit would give us understanding, opening up our minds to comprehend.
But also taking what we hear to apply it to our lives, that it would change us and transform us, helping us to be the kind of people you created us to be.
Help us to see the power of your word, the difference that it makes to our life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen.
Well, Psalm 1.
I don't know if you know that the present population of our world stands at approximately 6.6 billion.
And of these 6.6 billion people, we live in 245 different countries.
And on top of that, we are further divided into the 16,912 known people groups that there are.
And we are further subdivided into one of the 22 major religions of the world.
Each one has their own culture, their unique customs and sacred traditions.
Each one of us have our own way of deciding right from wrong.
Each one has their own system of how we should live in this world.
But of all the religions and races and cultures that there are, the Bible makes this extraordinary claim.
There are actually only two kinds of people.
And consequently, there are only two ways to live.
Psalm 1 introduces us to the choice that we all have to make.
It's easily divided up.
In this psalm, there is the way of the righteous in verses 1 to 3.
Then there is the way of the wicked in verses 4 to 5.
And then these two ways are contrasted in verse 6.
If you look at verse 6, it says,
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Many cultures, many religions, but only two ways to live.
There's a right way and a wrong way.
There's a way that prospers, and there's a way that perishes.
And what we need to figure out is, what way are we going to live?
So let's have a look at these two ways together.
First, the way of the righteous, which is marked by listening to the word of God.
Look at verse 1.
It says, Blessed is the man.
Blessed simply means a person who is satisfied, somebody who's content and fulfilled.
They're not looking for anything extra.
They have everything.
So this blessed person, this satisfied and fulfilled person, verse 1,
does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
does not stand in the way of sinners,
and does not sit in the seat of mockers.
They simply don't need to,
because they have everything they need in God's word.
Look at verse 2.
His delight is in the law of the Lord.
The law refers to the scriptures.
It's another way of talking about the Bible, God's word to us.
So rather than listening to the world,
the righteous listens to the word.
And this exercise of listening is not just a one-off event
or something we do on a Sunday morning together.
It is a continuous, lifelong discipline.
Look at the rest of verse 2.
On his law, he meditates day and night.
Now meditation for us is, often we think of,
as emptying our minds and maybe sitting cross-legged with your fingers together
and meditation of some sort.
But that's not what meditation is in the Bible.
It's not emptying our minds.
It's actually filling our minds with God's word.
We're to read it.
We're to take it in.
We're to think about it.
We're to reflect on it.
We're to talk about it to one another
and to apply it in our lives.
And there's good reason for doing this.
Because the person who takes God's word seriously,
look at verse 3,
We're told they are like a tree planted by streams of water
which yields its fruit in season
whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever they do, prosper.
I'm not much of a horticulturalist.
You'll have to talk to Alex about all that sort of thing.
But we do have two apple trees in our garden.
And at this time of year, you see the changes from what were just sticks.
There are now leaves.
And the leaves, well the leaves don't change to blossom,
but blossom comes along in the plant.
And after that, you've got these tiny little apples.
But the point is very simple.
It can't produce fruit unless it's cared for,
unless it's watered and fed with nutrients.
And so it gives us a wonderful picture
of how God's word, when it's listened to,
when we take it on board,
when we meditate upon it,
it actually brings fruitfulness to our life.
Taking in God's word is like this tree
planted by a stream of water
which yields fruit in season.
There is something healthy and vibrant about this life
that is engaged with God's word.
It is attractive and beautiful.
It is a good way.
It is the righteous way.
So in verses 1 to 3,
we have the way of the righteous.
Which is marked by listening to the word.
And then we have the way of the wicked.
In verses 4 to 5,
which is marked by listening to the world.
Go back to verse 1.
It tells us there that the righteous person
does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
Well, the wicked person does walk in the counsel of the wicked.
They do stand in the way of sinners
and they do sit in the seat of mockers.
So rather than listening to the word,
they're spending their time listening to the world.
And look at the contrast of this life.
Verse 4.
Verse 4 breaks in with this.
It says,
Not so the wicked.
It's making a comparison
with what it says in verse 3.
The wicked are not like
the person in verse 3
who is a tree planted by streams of water
which yield as fruit in season.
Instead,
verse 4,
the wicked are like chaff.
Not like a tree,
but like chaff.
Now, chaff is that waste
which you get around the corn
or the grain.
It's of no value whatsoever.
The husk, we might call it.
It's useless.
If you were to go shopping in Tesco's tomorrow morning
for your favourite cereal,
you're not going to find anything
called chaffabix
or chafflakes
or chaffos.
Why?
Because chaff is a waste.
It produces nothing
of any value whatsoever.
It's to be thrown out.
In fact, I'm told
that it's so useless
you can't even start a fire with it.
And so it gives us a terrible picture
or image
of someone who listens to the world
rather than the word.
It's a life
that is fruitless
and all that they produce in the end
is worthless.
It's of no value whatsoever.
Verse 5,
Therefore,
the wicked
will not stand
in the judgment
and sinners
in the assembly
of the righteous.
the way of the wicked
is ultimately
destined
to fail.
It offers nothing
in the end.
So this psalm
makes this contrast
between,
on the one hand,
we've got the way of the righteous
listening to the word
and the way of the wicked
who listen to the world.
It's very important
what we listen to.
I'm sure
you've all heard
the health
gurus say
we are
what we eat.
And to some extent
that's true.
Our health
depends on what we take
into our bodies.
So if we were to eat
McDonald's
24-7
we're going to end up
in the operating theater
needing a new heart,
aren't we?
It's not good for you.
On the other hand,
if we eat
the right kind of food,
as much as we don't like
our greens,
we need to eat them
because
it will produce
a vibrant
long life.
Well,
Psalm 1
is saying to us
we are
what we listen to.
If we listen to the word,
well that's a healthy diet.
It's going to help us
live rightly
in God's world.
Have a look at Psalm 19.
We sang about this
a little bit earlier on.
Psalm 19.
This is a psalm
that speaks about
the greatness
of God's word.
Let's pick it up
in verse 7
of Psalm 19.
Psalm 19.
The law of the Lord
is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord
are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
Verse 10.
They are more precious
than gold,
than much pure gold.
They are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the cone.
By them
is your servant warned.
In keeping them
there is great
reward.
So God's word
is good for us.
It's healthy.
On the other hand,
if we listen to the world,
it's going to be
an unhealthy diet.
It's going to pull us
away from God.
It's going to leave us
without meaning
and without purpose.
Look back at
Psalm chapter 1,
verse 1.
I wonder if you can
notice the progression
that there is
in verse 1.
The person who
spends their time
listening to the world
rather than the word.
They start off
by walking
in the counsel
of the wicked.
And then they stop,
don't they?
And they stand
in the way of sinners.
And then they
progress further.
They actually
sit down
in the seat
of mockers.
It's a very
dangerous progression,
isn't it?
When we listen
to the world,
we start off
by thinking
like them.
And then we
kind of make
a progression
from thinking
like them
to actually
behaving like them.
and then we
end up
belonging like them.
You see,
it's most important
to think through
what or who
we are listening
to.
And as we
live in this
world,
there are going
to be many
voices that are
competing for
our attention
all the time.
The atheists
will be saying
something like this.
There's probably
no God,
so go and
enjoy your life.
the pluralists
will say,
uh-uh,
they're wrong.
There are
actually many
gods,
so you choose
who you want
to listen to.
And then there's
the secularists,
and I think
that's more
what our society
is like,
and they will
say,
you're God.
You yourself
are God.
You listen
to yourself.
You know
better than
anybody else
what's good
for you.
And these
are the voices
that come
through the
media,
they come
through our
friends,
they come
through the
books we
read,
and the
underlying
theme is
this.
Whatever you
do,
don't listen
to God.
Listen to
anything else,
but don't
listen to
God.
And it
seems that
very little
has changed
from the
Garden of
Eden,
when the
devil came
along and
spoke to
Adam and
Eve,
and said
this,
did God
really say
the first
point of
attack was
to tackle
what God
said.
Don't
believe what
God said.
Yeah,
I know
he made
the world
and he
made you
and he's
in charge
and he's
the boss,
but did
he really
say that?
Through
Psalm 1,
God's
voice is
crystal
clear.
word.
It's
saying do
not listen
to the
world,
but listen
to the
word.
The word
that spoke
creation into
existence,
the word
that made
you and
sustains you,
the word
that became
flesh and
lived among
us in the
person of
Jesus Christ.
And remember
it is Jesus
who said,
I tell you
the truth,
whoever hears
my word
and believes
him who
sent me
has eternal
life and
will not
be condemned.
He is
crossed over
from death
to life.
So it's
an encouragement
for us to
listen to the
word that
can save
you, the
word that
can change
you and
transform you
into the
kind of
people that
God created
us to be.
we are
simply what
we listen
to.
We become
what words
we take
in.
Now this
all challenges
us to think
through which
way am I,
are we going
to live?
It presents
us with two
ways to live.
And the
question we
need to ask
individually is
which way am
I going to
live?
Now I'm
sure we all
know which
way we do
want to live.
And we all
want to say
yep, I want
to be the
person of
verses 1 to
3.
That's me.
Well the
reality is,
so often we
are not like
the person in
verse 1.
We do walk,
don't we,
in the
counsel of
the wicked.
We all
stop and
stand in
the way of
sinners.
And we
all sit at
the seat of
mockers.
Now this
doesn't mean
to say that
we have to
kind of
somehow become
like little
monks living
away off on
some little
island somewhere
and not
listen or hear
to anybody
else.
Now we are
in the world,
we are with
people all
the time,
but sometimes
we become
more a part
of the world
than we
ought to.
We join
in with
other people
where we
ought not
to join
in.
We agree
with what
they say
rather than
challenge what
they say.
And so
often we
are not
like the
person of
verse 2.
We don't
delight in
the law of
the Lord.
It's an
absolute drudgery
if we're honest
to sit down
and read our
Bible.
It comes to
reading our
Bible and
we're not
jumping up and
down all
excited and
saying,
oh I can't
wait to
read it.
It's like,
gosh do I
have to
read it?
And as
far as
meditating on
it day and
night,
my goodness
me it's
hard enough
to open my
Bible once a
week,
let alone try
and do it
day and
night.
And I'm
sure if we
were to do
a little
survey,
myself included,
we would be
all extremely
embarrassed to
say how many
times we
actually did
open up our
Bibles this
week.
So where
does it leave
us?
Although we
like the way
of the
righteous,
we like to
put ourselves
in verses
1 to 3,
the reality
is we
are very
often like
verses 4
and 5.
And the
consequences
are serious.
Look at
verse 6.
The Lord
watches over
the way
of the
righteous,
but the
way of the
wicked will
perish.
You see,
our problem
is,
and the
problem that
this psalm
confronts,
it's like
there's a
sting in the
tail.
it all
starts off
very exciting
and yes,
I like this,
but by the
time we get
to the end
of it,
it paints a
picture of
what we're
really like.
And the
terrible conclusion
is we're not
like the way
of the
righteous,
we're like
the way
of the
wicked.
We slip up
far too
often,
and we
fail too
much.
So is
there any
of us
who can
actually live
the right
way?
Well,
the answer
is none
of us can
live the
right way.
But there
is another
way.
There is
one who
has lived
the right
way.
And more
importantly,
and the
exciting and
the good
news is,
he has
lived the
right way
for us.
He lived
a way that
we could
never live.
Do you
remember the
verse that we
started with
this morning?
It came in
2 Timothy 3
15.
I'll read it
to you.
It says,
the scriptures
are able to
make you
wise for
salvation
through faith
in Jesus
Christ.
It's telling
us that the
scriptures,
the Bible,
the Psalms,
included,
tell us
about Jesus
and our
salvation
and all
about Jesus
who lived
the perfect
way for
us.
This is what
this psalm is
pointing us
to.
It's ultimately
pointing us
to Jesus
who lived
the way
that we
could never
live.
Where we
disobey,
he is
obeyed.
He not
only read
God's word,
he obeyed
God's word
in all its
fullness.
Where we
fail,
he was
faithful.
Where we
sin,
he was
without
sin.
So Jesus
came,
the word
became flesh,
he lived
his life
on earth,
he lived
the perfect
life for
us.
But more
than that,
Jesus not
only lived
our life,
he died
our death.
He was
treated as
wicked for
us,
so that
we might
be treated
righteous
like him.
Let me
read that
again to
let it
sink down
as we
reflect on
Psalm 1.
He was
treated as
wicked for
us so
that we
might be
treated
righteous like
him.
He died
for us so
that we
might not
perish,
but that we
might prosper,
that we
might have
eternal life.
so through
our faith
in Jesus
who lived
the perfect
way,
we can
have salvation.
And then
we can read
verse 5,
in the light
of all that
Christ has
done and
know that
the wicked,
people like
me,
will be able
to stand
in the
judgment
because Christ
has taken
the judgment
for me.
A sinner
like me
will be
in the
assembly
of the
righteous
because I
am no
longer
seen with
sin,
but I
am seen
with the
righteousness
of Christ.
All of
this comes
as we
think upon
God's
word and
understand
his amazing
salvation
for us.
The way
of Christ,
he lived
the life
that we
could never
live.
So where
do we go
from here?
Well,
it might
be stating
the obvious
to say
that Psalm
1 is
Psalm 1.
That it's
the very
first
psalm.
Well,
there's a
reason I
think that
Psalm 1
is Psalm
1 and
not Psalm
15 or
38 or
something else.
Because Psalm
1 is all
about the
importance of
listening to
God's word.
It's an
introduction.
Psalm 1 is
an introduction
to the
rest of
the
psalms.
In other
words,
it's telling
us,
don't stop
at Psalm
1,
but now
go and
read them
all.
Get into
God's
words.
Because it
tells us
about salvation.
It tells us
about Christ.
It tells us
about the
way we
should live.
In fact,
the application
is wider.
It's saying,
read all
of Scripture.
Because if
we do,
then we
will be
like
verse 3,
that tree
planted by
streams of
water which
yields its
fruit in
season.
Now I
know,
and I
want us
to be
real about
all of
this,
that we
do find
reading the
Bible hard,
don't we?
We all
find it
difficult.
It doesn't
come easy
to us.
So I
want to
encourage us
in two
ways how
we can
read the
Bible.
Just two
ways in
which we
can read
the Bible.
The first
is,
read the
Bible on
your own.
Nothing
difficult,
read it
on your
own.
Well,
you say
to me,
but I
don't have
time to
read my
Bible,
I'm just
too busy.
By the
time I
get up
in the
morning,
I'm
having to
leave the
house at
seven o'clock
or half
seven,
I've got
to be
at work
at a
certain
time,
then I'm
leaving home
to rush
home for
dinner and
see the
kids,
and then I've
got to go
out somewhere
in the
evening.
I just
don't have
time to
sit it
in.
Well,
let me
read a
quote from
a well-known
preacher,
Martin Lloyd
Jones.
He was
actually a
physician,
a doctor as
well.
And this is
what the
quote says,
Martin Lloyd
Jones once
spoke with a
group of
medical students
who complained
that in the
midst of their
training and
the ferocious
work hours,
they really
didn't have
time to read
the Bible and
have their
devotions and
so on.
He
brittled and
said,
I am a
doctor.
I have been
where you
are.
You have
time for
what you
want to
do.
After a
long pause,
he said,
I make
only one
exception.
The mother
of preschool
age children
does not
have time
and emotional
resources.
I think
that's very
important for
us all to
listen to.
For all
the men,
and for
all the
rest of
us who
don't have
kids,
we can
make all
the excuses
in the
world.
But at
the end of
the day,
that's what
they are.
They're just
excuses.
We all have
time to watch
the footy on
telly.
We all have
time to look
at other
programs and
read magazines.
And I'm not
saying don't
do it.
It's good to
do it.
We've all
got time.
We've just
got to make
it our
priority.
And the
only ones
who have a
genuine
reason,
according to
Martin Lloyd
Jones,
and I
think it's
a good
one,
are mums.
Those with
little kids.
I know
Kirsty had to
look after
two little
kids.
And you
get to a
certain point
of the day
and it's
just whacked
out,
mentally,
emotionally
exhausted.
Can't even
sit and read
the Bible
and take it
in.
So if you're
a mum here
this morning
and you're
in that
situation,
you just
find it
really hard
and really
tough.
Don't beat
yourself up
about it
and get
all guilty
about it.
But if
you're a
husband of
that mum,
you've got a
responsibility
to make sure
that they
have time
to encourage
them,
maybe to
read it
with them,
to pray
for them,
to be that
support that
they need.
And mums,
it doesn't
last forever.
It is a
season,
but we
do need
to gather
around and
support and
to encourage.
So first
of all,
read the
Bible on
your own.
The second
way to read
the Bible
is to read
it with
someone else
because it
provides
accountability
and support.
The Christian
life is not
something we
live on our
own.
It's not
to be done
in isolation.
We're to do
it with the
care and
the help
and support
of one
another.
And it's
something that
we encourage
very often
from the
frontier
and informally
with each
other.
To take
somebody
who you
can sit
down with
and read
the Bible
with and
challenge them
about what
it says.
I read the
Bible with
different people
and if you're
stuck and you
have nobody
to read it
with and you
haven't got a
friend, I'll
be a friend.
I'll read the
Bible with you.
Very happy to
do that.
But one of
the things I
read recently
with someone,
this is what
it said.
And it's
why it's
good to
read it
with somebody
because they
ask you
things that
you would
never ask
for yourself.
We read
these verses.
People will
be lovers of
themselves,
lover of
money,
boastful,
proud,
abutiful,
disobedient to
their parents,
ungrateful,
unholy,
without love,
unforgiving,
slanderous,
without self-control,
brutal,
not lovers of
the good,
treacherous,
rash,
conceited,
lovers of pleasure
rather than
lovers of God,
having a form of
godliness but
denying its power,
have nothing to do
with them.
Now if I was
to read that
myself,
I'd say,
well that's
other people,
that's not me.
The person who I
was reading with
perched up and
says,
well Johnny,
which one are
you?
You see,
I would never
ask that question
of myself.
but with somebody
else,
we are challenging
each other over
God's word,
hearing what it
has to say,
being accountable
and being
supportive.
And if we do
miss a day where
we don't read the
Bible,
if we miss two
days,
if we miss a
week,
if we miss a
month,
we need people
who will gather
around us and
encourage us
and support us
and say,
I'll sit down
and I'll read it
with you
and I'll pray
with you
and encourage
you.
Now these two
ways,
reading the Bible
on your own
and reading it
with somebody
else,
I don't suggest
it's one or the
other.
I suggest you
do the two.
You read it on
your own,
but you also
read it with
someone else.
Verse 1 of
Psalm 1 says,
Bless us.
The satisfied,
content,
happy,
fulfilled person
will never be
striving or
looking for
anything more
because we
have everything.
For the person
who delights
in the laws
of the Lord,
who meditates
on a day and
night,
who will be
like a tree
plant by streams
of water,
which yields
its fruit
in season.
Let's be
encouraged
to be people
who listen
to the word
rather than
listening
to the world.
Let's pray
together.
Amen.
Father God,
thank you
that you
are
personal,
that you
relate to
us,
that you
speak to
us.
Change
our priorities
in our life,
change our
attitudes,
so that we
make listening
to you
the most
important thing
in our lives.
Help us to
listen to what
you are saying
to us about
yourself,
about what
you're like,
about what
we're like,
and most of
all,
what Jesus
is like,
who lived
the perfect
way for us,
who lived
the life
that we
could never
live,
who died
the death
for us,
so that we
would not
perish,
but that we
would prosper
and have
eternal life.
Help us all
to be practical
about this.
Give us
good and
inventive ways
of reading
your words
with one
another.
Help us to
support each
other and
ask each
other how
we're getting
on.
And if
somebody's
struggling,
Lord,
give us the
courage to
get alongside
them and
read with
them and
to help
them.
We pray
this in
Jesus'
name.
Amen.
Well,
we've got
a pal,
and I
think we've
sung it
before,
which reflects,
helps us to
think through
a little bit
about what
we've been
looking at,
speak on the
word as we
ąż
how
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