Good morning, brothers and sisters.
What a joyful day.
Today we'll be looking at Psalm 1 as we take a break from our series in Revelation.
So let's go to the Lord in prayer before we begin.
Father, help us.
Show us the way of life.
Father, help me.
Help me to declare your words and to declare the glory of your great name.
And by so doing, Lord, transform us into the image of Christ, our God and our King.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Allow me to tell you a story of a man who soared in godliness later in life.
But if you hit the rewind button, you'd see his family upbringing was difficult.
His mother was a Christian.
His father was not.
His father often mistreated his mother.
Even at a young age, this young man's mind was brilliant.
He could persuasively argue a legal case on each side of the issue.
A great public speaker.
And in his mind, he was much too smart for Christianity.
Christians were ignorant and uneducated.
He left for the university to seek his fortune and fame.
And when getting there, he did what many do.
He threw off the faith, mocking the teaching that he learned from his mother.
Besides his proud heart, one paralyzing problem plagued him that he couldn't shake off.
He was sex crazy.
Something he couldn't control, no matter how hard he tried.
He would write,
I could not distinguish the white light of love from the fog of lust.
And for the next several years, his life went into a dark, downward spiral.
Underneath all of his success, he was empty.
Rotting from the inside out.
And sinking deeper into darkness, he would write,
I was unhappy, proud in my self-pity, and incapable of rest in my exhaustion.
Later in his life, he was attracted to Christianity,
but he was terrified about the prospect of giving up this sin that he loved.
He would pray things like, Lord, save me.
But not yet.
Not yet.
But God has been called the hound of heaven,
relentlessly pursuing him, tracking him down, seeking him when he was lost.
It wasn't until he was in his 30s that God sovereignly intervened.
While sitting in a garden, he heard children on the other side of a wall sing us a song.
Take up and read.
He picked up the scripture, and he read Romans 13, verse 13.
Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.
And by grace, God transformed him.
He would write this famous line in his biography,
You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.
This is the story of Augustine, who lived 1,500 years ago in North Africa.
And God will make him a scholar, soaring in godliness.
Somebody needs to hear this.
You're in a difficult battle, but there is hope for you.
God can do more than all you can ask or think or imagine.
You know, we sometimes believe the lie that slithered into the garden that God is the ultimate cosmic killjoy.
You know, he says he's generous, but can you really trust him?
Like a twisted father taking his son into the toy store before Christmas.
You say, you see all this?
You'll have none of it.
But listen to what Augustine would write.
He experienced Psalm 1611.
You make known to me the path of life, and in your presence there is fullness of joy.
I wonder if you can relate to Augustine's life.
Have you been there?
Are you there now?
Underneath all this excess?
Feeling of emptiness.
Outwardly prosperous, inwardly unable to rest.
An inner ache that you cannot shake off no matter how hard you try.
You know, how do we go from emptiness to true, lasting joy?
Well, let me invite you to turn to Psalm 1.
It has much to teach us.
And you can find Psalm 1 on page 418 of the Pew Bible.
And if you're not familiar with the Bible, the big numbers are the chapter numbers, and the smaller numbers are the verse numbers.
Let's read Psalm 1 together.
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 in 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.
Therefore, the wicked 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.
This is God's word.
Now, before we dive in, let me give you some context.
Within the book of Psalms, you can see this is the lead-off hitter in the batting order.
Intentionally so, many have noted Psalm 1 was placed as a preface to the entire book.
And the themes we find in this chapter are like golden threads that run through the rest of the Psalms.
And you'll notice, as many commentators have noted, that Psalm 1 and 2 are a unit.
If you look down, you'll see the word blessed brackets the beginning of Psalm 1 and the end of Psalm 2.
Psalm 2 ends with this line,
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Referring to the Messianic king in verse 6 of that chapter,
which says,
As for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.
And there are several other parallels.
But these two chapters are two gatekeepers at the entrance of a magnificent gateway
that you must pass through as you enter into the book of Psalms.
And Psalm 1 has been called a wisdom psalm.
Like a master painter, the psalmist paints two portraits,
one bright light and the other in a dark shadow.
With bright light, there is the way of the wise,
painting the portrait of an ideal person,
a wise, blessed man,
a way of contentment and soul-satisfying joy.
Contrast with the dark way of the wicked,
a life of emptiness, of darkness,
death now and hell later.
The message emblazoned over the door of the temple to worship as you enter is this,
there are two ways to live,
and only two.
And as you enter into the sanctuary,
you are confronted with this question,
which of these are you?
I beg you to consider that question with me this morning.
The main theme is found in verse 6.
It reads,
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Now this word knows is rich with intimacy.
The Lord knows the righteous.
The way a faithful husband knows his bride.
The righteous are the apple of his eye.
Pledging himself to her forever.
Her name graven on the palms of his hands.
And who are these righteous ones?
Well, look down at the end of verse 5.
It's the congregation.
Or what we would call the church.
The ones whom God has called out for himself.
In Christ, God gives us the righteousness we need by faith.
And it's a church standing by grace,
clothed in Christ's righteousness.
So friend, if you are in Christ,
how marvelous.
He knows you.
He cares for you.
He sees you.
He watches over you and is concerned with your welfare.
He takes you under his wings.
He is a strong tower, a refuge, and a fortress in times of trouble.
And not only for the present, but he knows their way.
He is concerned with where you are going and your future.
The Lord knows the righteous intimately.
In stark contrast, the way of the wicked will perish.
A way of darkness.
Like grass that withers away.
Here one day, gone the next.
God will take his lethal blade and cuts them down
and cast them out into the eternal dungeon of darkness.
They will perish.
There are only two ways.
We all tend to think there is a third way.
You know, we have Republicans and Democrats,
and then there are independents.
Neutral third parties who say,
you know, all religions are pretty much teaching the same thing.
The psalmist is telling you and me,
no, there is no middle ground.
There are only two ways.
You know who taught this more than anyone?
Jesus.
In the passage that Bonnie read,
in the greatest sermon ever preached,
Jesus is unpacking Psalm 1
and his Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus would say,
there are two kinds of foundations.
One built on sand and another built on the rock.
And when the storm comes,
only one of them will stand.
But not only that,
there are two kinds of trees
and two kinds of fruits,
two gates, two destinations,
only two ways.
An easy way.
And a hard way.
Jesus would say,
choose the hard way.
Choose the gate to life,
no matter the cost.
He puts it like this in Matthew 7,
verse 13.
Enter by the narrow gate.
For the gate is wide,
and the way is easy.
It leads to destruction.
And those who enter by it are many.
On the other hand,
the gate is narrow,
and the way is hard that leads to life,
and those who find it are few.
There are only two ways.
And so,
we'll look at this text in two parts.
Point number one is the tree,
and point number two is the chaff.
The tree and then the chaff.
In verse one,
this tree is the blessed man.
This ideal person.
Like the Sermon on the Mount,
this begins with a beatitude.
Blessed.
Now what does that word mean?
Normally when we see the word blessed,
someone's hashtagging a photo
of their morning coffee
overlooking the sunrise.
Well, the word blessed
has been translated as divinely happy.
It is how the Queen of Sheba
would describe the glory
of Solomon's palace in 1 Kings,
saying,
your wisdom and prosperity
surpass the report that I heard.
Happy are your men.
Happy are your servants
who continually stand before you
and hear your wisdom.
This is the same word.
word divinely happy.
And it's as if the psalmist
circles, highlights,
and then underlines this reality.
Because the word blessed
is in the plural.
This is like heaven
is opening up,
pouring out blessing
upon blessing
on this person.
As Paul would say
in Ephesians 1,
this person has been blessed
with every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly places.
You know,
but our word happy
doesn't really do
capture the meaning.
It doesn't do the word justice,
does it?
Because all of our happiness
so often is like
a fragile leaf
that blows away
when the winds of trial
begin to blow.
Rather,
this word is what Paul
would write
as he sat in a prison cell
awaiting execution.
He writes,
rejoice in the Lord always.
Again,
I say rejoice.
This word describes
that kind of joy.
One that cannot be taken
away from you.
You could be in a dark dungeon,
but the Lord can put a crown
of rejoicing on your head.
You're often called
the greatest intellect
ever produced
on American soil.
Jonathan Edwards,
after 23 years
of faithful ministry,
was maligned,
slandered,
and thrown out
of his church.
Although shocked,
he was unshaken.
One observer wrote this,
he appeared like
a man of God
whose happiness
was out of the reach
of his enemies.
Oh, to have that kind
of soul-satisfying joy,
contentment,
and peace,
joy that is high
even when circumstances
are low.
How do we obtain
this unshakable joy?
Well, that's what Psalm 1
wants to teach you and me.
The psalmist puts it
in the negative,
then the positive,
and then he gives
a metaphor.
And this negative
and positive
are the heads and tails
of finding this joy.
So let's start
with the negative.
Verse 1,
to have this height
of joy,
you need to avoid
the way of the crowd.
It reads like this,
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.
Notice he doesn't
begin by saying,
blessed is the man
or woman who seeks
after their own happiness.
That's not the way.
Rather, it's indirect.
It first involves
not doing something.
But someone might object,
Tyler, isn't that legalism?
Rules?
Are we under grace?
Well, friend, you're right.
This doesn't save us.
That would misunderstand
cause and effect.
We are saved
by trusting
in Christ alone.
But this is the path
of sanctification
and obedience.
God calls you and I
to walk in holiness.
When God raises you
up to new life,
he puts a reserve sticker
on your soul
and he sets you apart.
And holiness
leads divine happiness.
So think of it this way.
If you were driving
around New Haven,
how long do you think
you'll last
if we fail to follow
the laws that were
put in place
for our protection
and flourishing?
No lane markers?
No traffic lights?
People decided to drive
on whichever side
of the road they chose.
Blinkers are out
of the question.
Some of you are shuddering.
You wouldn't last long.
You would get
into a car wreck.
Put in another way,
this is a firewall
preventing viruses
from infecting
the software of your soul.
Now, the psalmist
doesn't say never speak
or dialogue to the wicked.
If that were the case,
none of us would have hope.
Look again,
it says,
by God's grace,
don't walk in their counsel.
The wicked have counsel for you.
Did you know that?
Advice for life
that appears wise
and coherent.
Your joy is contingent
upon your discernment.
sin always comes
like a Judas
with a kiss,
flattering words,
but it means to destroy you,
hiding the dagger.
The counsel might taste sweet,
but it's poisonous.
Don't buy what they're selling.
Don't buy the lie.
They say,
you know,
you're missing out.
Christian,
what you were doing
is so hard.
Come join us
on the easy way.
It's so wonderful
and exciting,
you're missing out.
This comes in a thousand forms.
Counsel that says
life is about
acquiring wealth
and entertainment,
money,
fulfilling your own desires.
But I think for us
in this church,
we know life
doesn't consist
of how much paper
we have in our wallets.
I think for us,
the counsel of the wicked says,
live for the paper
that's on your wall.
Degrees,
diplomas,
awards,
and accolades.
Being at the top
of your field,
climbing the ladder,
career accomplishments,
gain the respect
of your peers
at all costs.
Now, friends,
graduates,
by all means,
strive for excellence.
Be a good steward
of the training
you received here.
But the lie
is that the quality
of your work
is the measure
of your worth.
It's not a desire
for something,
it's a consuming desire
to be something
in the world's eyes.
It's a form
of self-worship.
The problem is,
you get the recognition,
but you're happy
for just a moment.
It never lasts.
They don't tell you
where that life leads.
You're busy,
but empty,
seeking rest
and never finding any.
You know,
pride promises a palace,
but it's a mirage
in the desert.
You end up living
in a spiritual rat hole.
Now, pride always loses
what it seeks to gain.
And this type of thinking
slithers into the church
as well.
Friends,
only God
can give us
these things.
The desire
to be something.
He is our treasure.
The measure
of our worth
is a measure
of the Father's
love for you.
He would give
His only Son
for you.
If you are in Christ,
your life
does have meaning.
live for His applause,
not the world's.
Now,
one of the questions
people typically have
is if this is a downward spiral
in verse 1
or is the psalmist
saying the very same things.
You'll notice
there's a progression
to movement,
walking,
standing,
and then sitting.
You see a progression
in ungodliness.
It gets ratcheted up.
After picking up
the counsel of the wicked
or their worldview,
now you stand
in the way of sinners.
It doesn't mean
you are opposing them
by standing in their way.
What it means
is you stand
where they stand.
Your colleagues
are gossiping,
and now you join in.
You're standing with them.
If that continues
long enough,
the downward spiral
continues.
You'll find yourself
in the third line.
You sit in the seat
of scoffers.
To sit in the seat
of scoffers
is to openly ridicule
the ways of God.
The London pastor,
Charles Spurgeon,
calls them doctors
of damnation
with a degree in vice.
Those who mock,
scoff,
and sneer
at God and His people.
You'll find many
scoffers today.
You know,
people who say,
you know,
those stupid,
bigoted,
ignorant Christians
over there.
Political pundits,
professors,
even some of the church pews.
We're not exempt.
Rarely,
if ever,
will you find
one that has
contentment and joy.
As Jesus would say,
wisdom is justified
by all her children.
So that's a negative.
Then he puts it
positively.
Look down,
he says,
but his delight
is in the law
of the Lord.
And on his law,
he meditates
day and night.
The psalmist
doesn't say,
blessed are those
who obey the law.
It's blessed
are those
who delight in it.
It's not enough
not to do something.
The measure
isn't what you know
or what you avoid,
it's what you love.
The picture here
is delighting
in a treasure.
On just Sunday mornings?
No,
he meditates
on it day
and night.
In a world of trouble,
his soul
is resting
and delighting.
Not empty
religious rituals,
he knows
the reality.
Now,
this is confusing
at first glance.
I mean,
who delights
in laws?
Do you delight
in 28 U.S. Code
section 1332?
I don't think so.
None of us do.
I think it helps
to understand
that the word law
here is the Hebrew
word Torah.
So it's not only
the commandments,
but it's the promises,
the teachings,
the instructions.
The law paints
the lawgiver's portrait.
The law was a window
into the lawgiver.
And this man
is delighting
in God.
This is a God
who speaks
and this man
loves to listen.
Now,
Psalm 19
begins by saying,
the heavens declare
the glory of God.
But you know
what's even better
than that?
Verse 7,
the law of the Lord
is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The testimony
of the Lord
is sure,
making wise
the simple.
friend,
there is no way
around this.
To have joy,
you must be a student
of the scripture.
And certainly,
this implies
scripture memorization.
You must meditate
on the word
day and night.
This is what
you were created for.
And meditation
has been called
the gateway
from the head
to the heart.
The more you meditate
on the word,
the more your joy
and your amazement
will increase.
There's an old axiom
that says,
this book will keep
you away from sin
or sin will keep
you away from this book.
It is true.
Now,
when we heard
the word meditation,
don't think of
Eastern mysticism,
you know,
telling you to empty
your mind.
This is the exact opposite.
Christian meditation
is filling your mind
with the truth.
To think
and reflect
on God's truth
like a priceless
diamond.
It's like going
into the mine
and bringing
the gold out
and viewing it
in the sunlight
and its dazzling
array of beauty.
Oh,
this church
would have
a reputation
of not how
nicely we are dressed,
not how much money
we have,
not our politics,
but people say
this church
delights in God's word.
Like the people
in Ezra's day
who said,
bring us the book,
bring us the book.
Would that be
our cry?
This is a solid
ground
to plant our feet.
In an insane world,
the scriptures
make sense.
It's like being
in the wilderness
and you commune
with God,
conversing with Him
in a beautiful
garden of Eden.
This book
addresses life's
greatest questions.
As Rob Dunlop
likes to say,
this book
asks better questions.
This book
is alive.
Psalm 119,
the word
is my comfort
in my affliction,
that your promise
gives me life.
Do you find comfort
from the word
in your affliction?
Let me ask you,
what do you do
when you are anxious
and feel alone?
When you wake up
in the middle of the night
and your heart
is just sinking?
You can't even breathe.
Anxiety has you
in its death grip.
Do you meditate
on the word then?
Maybe you have someone
read it to you.
In that moment,
do you recall
Psalm 23?
Lord,
you are my shepherd.
God,
your care is all around me.
You will hold me up.
You will never deceive me.
You lead me
in paths of righteousness.
I will not fear
even though I walk
through the valley
of the shadow of death.
And you are always
with me.
You will never forsake me,
God.
You might have grown up
in the church
and you can recite
Psalm 23
at this podium
with perfect diction.
But here's the more
important question,
friends.
Do you know the shepherd?
Can you say with Jack Lauer
in his baptism testimony
that he's not only
a savior,
he's my savior.
God is the goal.
And the psalmist
doesn't tell us
the way of the righteous.
He illustrates it
in verse 3.
And verse 3
is a metaphor
of this ideal person.
And the image
is of a tree.
And this tree
that has roots
that soak up the water
and it's bearing
abundant fruit.
The land around
might be dry
and barren.
The winds are hot.
The sun is beating
down on the tree.
But verse 3,
the leaf is green
and does not wither.
This is a person
whose roots
go deep
into God.
The tree
is not only
stable
in the storm,
but he is
satisfied,
drawing upon
a hidden source
of strength,
these streams
of water.
He's drinking
from the fountain
of life
and he's bearing
abundant fruit.
And the tree
doesn't get there
by accident.
The tree
is planted
by another.
These are the
Lord's trees.
Trees that are
distinct
from their surroundings.
D.L. Moody
once said,
the Lord's trees
are evergreens.
When tragedy
strikes,
God's trees
are evergreens.
Their leaf
does not wither.
God's word
is there
giving you life.
Your preferred
candidate
loses the election.
Your leaf
does not wither.
Work and parenting
is just out of control
and exhausting.
Your leaf
does not wither.
Global pandemic,
your leaf
does not wither.
Now,
this is not
to minimize
difficulties
or the absence
of sorrows.
Keep reading
the Psalms.
It's saying
no matter
what the conditions
are outside,
the tree
is brimming
with life.
Verse 3
ends up,
whatever it does,
it prospers.
This is not
teaching the
prosperity gospel,
that God
will make you
healthy,
wealthy,
and rich.
Don't buy
that lie either.
The point is,
this is a
prosperous tree.
Its leaves
are green
even in years
of drought.
It's bringing
forth fruit.
At the end
of World War II,
the Matthews
were missionaries,
unable to escape
communist China.
The government
cut off all
their funds
and refused
to grant
their exit visa.
Afraid to contact
their Christian friends
for fear of getting
them into trouble,
they suffered
from starvation,
isolation,
and persecution.
They lived
in desperate
conditions.
They lived
in a small
room with
one stool
as its piece
of furniture.
And once a day,
they were allowed
to use a small
stove to boil
a little bit
of rice for dinner.
And the only
fuel they had
was animal
refuse they
collected from
the streets.
Years after
their experience,
they wrote a book
and they titled
it Green Leaf
in Drought Time.
All of the
communists
cut off their
funds.
They could not
cut off the
true source
of strength
that kept
them sweet
and cheerful
and joyful
throughout their
trials.
Friends,
is it possible
that we can
have green
leaves when
all of life's
joys dry up?
Some of you
are like,
oh, come on,
that's exaggerated.
That never
happens.
Well, go
edify yourself
maybe this week
and listen to
Richard Wurmbrandt
on YouTube.
Fourteen years
of torture
in Eastern Europe
and maybe the
worst of it
was three years
of solitary
confinement.
Incomplete
darkness
as a form
of psychological
torture.
Wurmbrandt
describes this
as a time
of joy.
He wrote,
because they
drugged him,
he couldn't
even recite
the Lord's
prayer.
And all he
could say
was,
Jesus,
I love
you.
Jesus,
I love
you.
And he
felt as if
he was the
bride in the
presence of
the bridegroom.
Complete joy.
Friend,
is it really
possible to
have a source
of strength
that the
deadly drought
cannot reach?
Yes.
But it
depends on
where your
roots are.
If you put
your trust
in Christ,
he can make
the waste
places green
as the
garden of
Eden.
God is
enough in
trials.
That is the
way of the
righteous.
Trust is
laying your
burden down
and putting
it upon
Christ.
He will
not only
bear your
sins,
he will
bear your
burdens.
Now,
I think some
of us can
read a passage
like this and
feel really
discouraged.
Because you
are in a
season where
you don't
really see
much fruit
in your
life.
But notice
it says it
yields its
fruit in
its season.
So not
every fruit
appears at
the same
time.
Some of
us might
be in
dry seasons,
others in
fruit-bearing
seasons.
The point
is if you
continue trusting
and abiding
in Christ,
the grace of
the Holy
Spirit will
appear in
your life.
Bearing the
fruit of
love,
joy,
peace,
patience,
kindness,
goodness,
and self-control.
Jesus said,
I am the
vine and you
are the
branches.
Whoever
abides in
me and I
in him,
he it is
that bears
much fruit.
Keep
abiding in
Christ,
friends.
Take the
long-term
view.
You will
bear fruit
at the
right time,
in the
right season.
This is the
portrait of
the way of
the wise.
Then the
psalmist
turns a
corner and
paints a
picture of
the way of
the wicked
in verses
four and
five.
Point number
one is a
tree,
point number
two is the
chaff.
Look at
verse four
again.
The wicked
are not
so,
but are
like chaff
that the
wind drives
away.
Everything
that's been
said about
the righteous,
the wicked,
are the
exact opposite.
Delighting in
God's law,
not so the
wicked.
It's like a
tree bearing
abundant fruit,
not so the
wicked.
Prospering,
not so the
wicked.
Who are
these wicked
the psalmist
speaks of?
Well,
in Psalm
two,
the wicked
are those
who do
not honor
the Son.
In verse
12,
it says,
kiss the
Son lest
he be
angry and
you perish
in the
way.
It is
anyone who
is opposed
to Jesus'
reign.
The wicked
are those
who trust
in their
own way.
They don't
trust in
God.
And here
he uses
the dark
imagery of
chaff.
Now,
what is
chaff?
The picture
is one
of the
grain
harvest.
In those
days when
food is
prepared,
you go out
into the
field and
collect the
sheaves.
And the
soft grain
had hard
shells.
And so
what you
would do
to separate
them,
you threw
the sheaves
on the
threshing
floor,
and it
would be
trampled
to separate
out the
parts.
And then
you brought
in the
winnowing
fork,
and you
threw
the pieces
high into
the air.
The wind
would blow
the chaff
away,
and only
the grain
would remain.
The chaff
are weightless,
and a strong
wind blows
them away.
You can
think of a
tumbleweed
in those
old western
films.
It is dry,
it withers,
it is empty
and blown
around with
no depth.
There are
no roots
like the
godly.
Always
doing what
is popular,
always chasing
the latest
fashion trends,
tossed to
and fro by
every cultural
and theological
trend.
And chaff is
not only
weightless,
chaff is
worthless.
You can't do
anything with
it.
Jesus would
say, this is
salt that's lost,
it's saltiness.
It's not good
for anything,
you throw it
out.
John the
Baptist
picks up the
imagery of
chaff in
Matthew 3.
Speaking of
Jesus, he
says, the
winnowing fork
is in his
hands, and
he will clear
his threshing
floor and
gather his
wheat into
his barn.
But the
chaff he
will burn
with unquenchable
fire.
A picture of
utter destruction.
Chaff has a
collision course
with divine
wrath.
In Psalm 73,
the author
there is
troubled at
the prosperity
of the wicked.
In the first
16 verses, he
asks, why are
they so healthy
and wealthy,
always at ease,
increasing in
riches?
He admits in
verse 3, I
was envious
of the arrogant
when I saw
the prosperity
of the wicked.
But then the
whole chapter
takes a turn
in verse 16.
Things changed
when the
worshiper came
into the house
of the Lord.
He writes in
verse 16, when
I thought how
to understand
this, it
seemed like a
worrisome task.
Until I went
into the
sanctuary of
God, then
I discerned
their ends.
Truly you
set them in
slippery places,
you make them
fall to ruin.
Maybe he read
verses 5 and 6
of Psalm 1,
where we are
given a window
into the
wicked's future.
Therefore, the
wicked 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.
They stand
now, but they
will not be able
to stand when
it matters the
most.
They will not
stand in the
last judgment.
Now, you and I
might be tempted
to think that
this refers to
people out there,
but look again.
This was spoken
in the house
of worship.
He is speaking
to us here
in this room.
The chaff are
mixed in with
the congregation
now, but one
day they will
not be.
The chaff are
those who make
empty professions
of faith.
In other words,
God will put
an end to
religious hypocrisy.
That's why
John the Baptist
uses this imagery
of chaff against
the religious
Pharisees of his
day.
not all who
are in Israel
are the true
Israel.
And Jesus
made clear,
not everyone
in the visible
church who make
professions of
faith are part
of my people,
the invisible
church.
This is a call
to sober
self-examination.
Which am I?
Which are you?
This is a portrait
of the masterpiece.
It's the Mona
Lisa.
Its eyes are on
all of us in
this room.
Do you resemble
the chaff
or the tree?
Do you resemble
the sinless,
blessed man
who never
walked in the
counsel of the
wicked?
Or the weightless
chaff the Lord
will drive away
in judgment?
Here's the bad
news.
If we truly
assess their
lives,
we have no
claim to say
we are blessed
men and women.
How often is
our service
to God
half-hearted?
If our own
righteousness
was money,
if you looked
at it closely,
you'd find
it's monopoly
money.
It's not real.
Going to church
feels like a
new layer
of paint
on the same
old building.
But here's
the best news.
Jesus can
transform chaff.
Look at the
last verse
of Psalm 2.
Blessed are
all who take
refuge in Him.
the king
described in
Psalm 2
as the
blessed man
of Psalm 1.
This chapter
is a description
of Jesus.
If you find
your refuge in
Him,
He can make
you blessed.
You see,
we need refuge,
friends.
We need refuge
from what our
sins deserve.
You see,
God is a
majestic sovereign
whom we owe
perfect obedience.
obedience.
He created you
and me
in His image.
And He has
authority over
us.
And because of
His holiness,
His eyes are
too pure to
look upon evil
and not punish
it.
Not because He
is harsh,
but because He
is good.
Standing on
our own merits,
the wind of
God's wrath
will drive us
away.
You stand now,
but you will not
be able to stand
in that final
judgment.
We are by
nature,
chaff.
But here is the
good news,
friends.
Hear me.
In His great
love,
the Father
would send
the Lord
Jesus,
fully God
and fully
man.
He was
the blessed
man.
This ideal
King who
truly delighted
and meditated
on God's
law.
Every single
thought was a
perfect God
glorifying thought.
Perfect in
love and
wisdom.
He never
walked in the
counsel of the
wicked.
Not even for a
millisecond.
But despite
never sinning,
He goes to a
cross.
The sinless
one was
treated as if
He were
chaff.
Treated as if
He had
wicked desires.
Willingly
putting Himself
under the
curse that you
and I
deserve.
Crust beneath
the weight of
God's wrath.
He did this
for all who
would have
returned from
their sin and
put their
trust in
Christ alone.
Nailed to a
tree so that
you,
friend,
could be a
tree planted
by streams of
water.
And on the
third day,
Jesus rose from
the dead.
In His one
hand, Jesus
takes the curse
that you and I
deserve.
And with His
other hand, He
gives the
blessings that
He deserved
forever secured
by the
resurrection.
He is the
King that we
can find
refuge.
Friend, if you
are not a
Christian, you
could have been
on the path of
the wicked your
whole life, a
billion miles away
from God.
But there is hope
for you.
But you must
run to the
cross.
Do not go the
easy way that
leads to
destruction.
Enter by the
narrow gate.
It is hard.
You must die to
yourself, and only
a few find it.
But Jesus stands
saying, come to
me, and I will
give you rest.
There is hope.
Put your burden
upon Christ.
There is a
hand, what can
make you whole
again?
Nothing but the
blood of Jesus.
There is a way to
go from emptiness
to joy, but you
must put your
weight upon Christ
and give him
everything.
To close, there
was a missionary
from the South
Sea Island in
John Patton.
And John Patton
translated the
scripture for the
natives.
When he came to
the word believed,
he searched for a
word that the
natives would
understand.
But he couldn't
find the right
word.
And one day, as
Patton was working,
a message arrived.
The messenger had
to run from the
other side of the
island, and he
was out of breath.
He sank down into
a chair in Patton's
room, leaned back,
and relaxed.
Startled and
thrilled, Patton
realized a
connection.
What are you
doing?
Give me a word
for that.
Patton used it to
translate the word
belief.
A word that meant
to put your weight
on another and then
relax.
That is what you
must do to put your
weight upon Christ.
What you will find,
what will you find if
you do that?
Everything your soul
has been looking for.
Blessed are all and
take refuge in him.
Let's pray.
Father in heaven, we
pray that you work in
our hearts.
Help us to be trees
planted by streams of
water.
Oh Lord, help us to
glorify you, we pray.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.