The Two Kinds Of People On The Two Paths Of Life
,Text: Psalm 1
1 O the blessedness of the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked;
nor stands in the path of sinners;
nor sits in the place of scoffers,
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and in his law he meditates day and night.
3 And he is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which gives its fruit in its time,
and its leaf does not wither.
And all that he does prospers.
4 The wicked are not so!
They are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Sermon:
Have you ever stood in a cemetery, wondering about the people who were buried there? I have. I wondered: “Who were those people? What kind of people were they? What did they do with their lives?” How interesting it would be if people’s biographies were written on their tombstones to reveal what kind of people they were and what course of life they had followed.
When viewing long rows of grave markers, I realize there are so many kinds of people, yet they all come to the same end. The thought sobers me. I realize I, too, will come to the same end. So will you. Now if our biographies were to be written on our gravestones, what would ours say about the kind of people we were and the course of life we followed?
The biographies would differ from grave marker to grave marker. They would reveal different kinds of people who had pursued different courses of life. Yet, if we placed all the biographies of all the people under the light of Psalm 1, we would discover there are but two kinds of people and two courses of life. They are: the blessed and the accursed; the living and those who were dead even while they lived; those who walked by faith with the Lord and those who were cut loose from the Lord; the godly and the ungodly; the righteous and the wicked. All people, even ourselves, fall into one or the other of these two classes of people and courses of life.
Psalm 1 teaches an important spiritual lesson for all people of all ages. If the children were to read this, they would learn a valuable lesson of what kind of a person to be in this life. If the teenagers and young adults paid attention to this, they would see people and their lives in a new light. They would discover what kind of people to watch out for and what they should desire to be and to do with their life. If we older folks reflect on this, we will see where we have been, what course of life is still open to us, and whether we should change our course or stand pat.
The words “O the blessedness of the man” invite us to write our own name in that spot. “The man” refers to every person who fits the description the psalm proceeds to give. If we fit its description and can write in our name, we are blessed. We are among the blessed in this world, not by our own doing, but by the Lord’s doing.
Being blessed ones, the Lord’s spiritual blessings rest on us. Literally the Hebrew word “blessed” means, “Oh, the happiness of” the man. We who are blessed by the Lord have good reasons to be happy, for we are the Lord’s. Our happiness derives from the Lord, his gospel of grace in Christ by which we are saved, and from walking by faith in his promises and by living according to his Word.
If we are among the blessed, these next words describe us. “O the blessedness of the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked; nor stands in the path of sinners; nor sits in the place of scoffers.”
Notice the progression. The person is walking casually along in life, listening to the advice of the wicked. Then he comes to stand and stay put in such sinners’ way of life. In the end he sits down with them to mock and to scoff at the Lord and his ways. This is the downward trail into sin and rejection of the Lord that so many people take in life. The blessed ones, however, do not take this downward course through life into sin and unbelief. They heed the counsel of the Lord’s Word rather than listen to the advice of the wicked.
The wicked are those who are cut loose from the Lord. They are a godless bunch. Their behavior is unrestrained. They do what they please. They relish whatever gives them pleasure. Yet they do not realize they are a godless, corrupt, evil lot. They do not see their own wickedness. They think their life is the right course in life. They advise others to live the same kind of ungodly, corrupt lifestyle they live. As Paul wrote in Romans 1:32, “They not only keep doing these things, but they also keep applauding those who practice them.”
These wicked, ungodly people abound. They are movie and television stars, and the rich and the famous, who wallow in sex, wealth, luxury, and parties. They do not see their corrupt ungodliness. On talk shows they hold up their ungodly lifestyle to the world as the way of life. Millions heed their counsel and desire to be like them. The wicked are also the gays, who brazenly parade their deviant sexual behavior as a way of life that should be accepted and respected. The wicked are neighbors, whose homes you pass on your way to church Sunday mornings. They are in bed on the one day they can sleep, or at the breakfast table searching the paper for sales, or on the golf course or on the lake. They live for the comfortable, easy life, with enough money to enjoy what they want. They approve of all who live likewise.
The blessed, however, pay no heed to the wicked people’s ungodly advice for life. They heed the Lord’s counsel in 1 John 2:15-17: “Keep from loving the world and the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Because everything in the world – the craving of the flesh and the longing of the eyes and the pride in one’s lifestyle, is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away and its craving, but the one who does the will of God remains eternally.”
Nor do the blessed stand in the path of sinners. The word “sinners” means those who miss the mark. The wicked, who advise their godless lifestyle, are sinners who miss the mark of the Lord’s moral will. They are off on the wrong track. They fail to measure up to the perfection the Lord requires of them to be holy as he is holy. The blessed take no stand in such a godless life of sin that violates the Word of their Lord.
Nor do the blessed sit in the place of scoffers. The ungodly mock the Lord, his will, his Word, and his commands on how to live. They scoff and jeer at the Lord and all he stands for. The blessed, however, will not sit among such an evil assembly of religious scoffers.
The blessed delight in the law of the Lord, and in his law they meditate day and night. The word “law” in the Hebrew means teaching and instruction. Here it refers to the teaching of the Lord’s Word, both law and gospel. The blessed delight in the Lord’s law and gospel, because he has given them a spirit that takes pleasure in what his Word says. They delight in the gospel of their Lord’s free grace in Christ, which forgives their sins, gives them salvation from hell, and blesses them with life everlasting in heaven. Knowing they are so blessed, they delight in the Lord’s commands, which teach them how they can serve him by living righteously.
On this Word of law and gospel they meditate continually. They read it. They investigate it. They ponder it. They gain insight into its meaning. They mutter it over and over until it is a part of them.
The result is the blessed are “like a tree planted by streams of water, which gives its fruit in its time, and its leaf does not wither. And all that he does prospers.” The blessed are living ones. They are spiritually alive. Their spiritual life arises from the streams of water they drink, which is the everflowing streams of God’s grace in the gospel of Christ. This grace produces in them their fruits of faith at each opportunity. The fruits of the Spirit are evident in their lives--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. They live by the commandments. They are good trees that produce good fruits. Their spiritual life of faith does not wither and die, for the Holy Spirit preserves it in them. All they do prospers, for their Lord is pleased with their life of faith and blesses what they do.
These verses describe the Christian spirit that lives within us who walk by faith with the Lord and live by his Word. Yet we still have our sinful natures, so we do not measure up to this description in every detail. We at times stumble into the counsel of the wicked. Our sinful habits have taken a stand in the way of sinners. Thank God, that for Jesus’ sake, he forgives our shortcomings. Within us, however, lives this new spiritual nature, which is totally dedicated to shunning sin, delighting in the Lord’s Word, and producing fruits of faith and righteousness.
By God’s grace in Christ we are numbered among the blessed and not among the accursed. Psalm 1 teaches us their life is worthless, their condemnation is certain, and their end is destruction.
In contrast to the blessed the psalm states, “The wicked are not so!” The wicked walk in the counsel of their ungodly ways, not realizing how corrupt they actually are. They are cut loose from the Lord and have no part with him. Their behavior is unrestrained. They lack good morals. They take their stand in sins that miss the mark of the Lord’s Word and perfection. They join with those who scoff at the Lord, his will, and his Word. They do not delight in the Lord’s Word; they despise it. They do not meditate on its spiritual truths, for they have no spiritual understanding. They scoff at its truths, thinking they are foolishness. They lack the flowing waters of grace, therefore, that could give them spiritual life. They are dead even while they live.
“They are like chaff that the wind drives away.” Spiritually, they are dead, worthless husks, shucks, shells, and empty hulls. They produce nothing the Lord values. Thus they are blown away.
“Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” Unlike the blessed, who are righteous because they have the forgiveness of their sins and the righteousness of Christ credited to their faith, the wicked are unrighteous, evil, sinful, and ungodly. Their corrupt lives and sinful lifestyles are held against them. They will not stand acquitted in the time of their judgment. They will not be numbered among the blessed. They are an accursed lot. They will fall under the verdict of guilty and condemned to perish forever.
Psalm 1 has now revealed to us the two kinds of people on the two courses of life. There are no other kinds of people or courses of life. There is no middle ground. This psalm was written to teach us this valuable lesson for life. It should cause us to meditate on its meaning and on ourselves. What kind of a person are we? On what course of life are we? What will be our end?
If our biography were to be written on our tombstone someday, what story would it tell? By the grace of the Lord and the working of the Holy Spirit in us through his Word, may it read: “This was a blessed believer of the Lord Jesus, who shunned sin, delighted in his Word, and lived to produce many fruits of faith and righteousness. The Lord caused him to prosper on earth; by grace he now prospers in heaven.”
Amen.
1 O the blessedness of the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked;
nor stands in the path of sinners;
nor sits in the place of scoffers,
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and in his law he meditates day and night.
3 And he is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which gives its fruit in its time,
and its leaf does not wither.
And all that he does prospers.
4 The wicked are not so!
They are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Sermon:
Have you ever stood in a cemetery, wondering about the people who were buried there? I have. I wondered: “Who were those people? What kind of people were they? What did they do with their lives?” How interesting it would be if people’s biographies were written on their tombstones to reveal what kind of people they were and what course of life they had followed.
When viewing long rows of grave markers, I realize there are so many kinds of people, yet they all come to the same end. The thought sobers me. I realize I, too, will come to the same end. So will you. Now if our biographies were to be written on our gravestones, what would ours say about the kind of people we were and the course of life we followed?
The biographies would differ from grave marker to grave marker. They would reveal different kinds of people who had pursued different courses of life. Yet, if we placed all the biographies of all the people under the light of Psalm 1, we would discover there are but two kinds of people and two courses of life. They are: the blessed and the accursed; the living and those who were dead even while they lived; those who walked by faith with the Lord and those who were cut loose from the Lord; the godly and the ungodly; the righteous and the wicked. All people, even ourselves, fall into one or the other of these two classes of people and courses of life.
Psalm 1 teaches an important spiritual lesson for all people of all ages. If the children were to read this, they would learn a valuable lesson of what kind of a person to be in this life. If the teenagers and young adults paid attention to this, they would see people and their lives in a new light. They would discover what kind of people to watch out for and what they should desire to be and to do with their life. If we older folks reflect on this, we will see where we have been, what course of life is still open to us, and whether we should change our course or stand pat.
The words “O the blessedness of the man” invite us to write our own name in that spot. “The man” refers to every person who fits the description the psalm proceeds to give. If we fit its description and can write in our name, we are blessed. We are among the blessed in this world, not by our own doing, but by the Lord’s doing.
Being blessed ones, the Lord’s spiritual blessings rest on us. Literally the Hebrew word “blessed” means, “Oh, the happiness of” the man. We who are blessed by the Lord have good reasons to be happy, for we are the Lord’s. Our happiness derives from the Lord, his gospel of grace in Christ by which we are saved, and from walking by faith in his promises and by living according to his Word.
If we are among the blessed, these next words describe us. “O the blessedness of the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked; nor stands in the path of sinners; nor sits in the place of scoffers.”
Notice the progression. The person is walking casually along in life, listening to the advice of the wicked. Then he comes to stand and stay put in such sinners’ way of life. In the end he sits down with them to mock and to scoff at the Lord and his ways. This is the downward trail into sin and rejection of the Lord that so many people take in life. The blessed ones, however, do not take this downward course through life into sin and unbelief. They heed the counsel of the Lord’s Word rather than listen to the advice of the wicked.
The wicked are those who are cut loose from the Lord. They are a godless bunch. Their behavior is unrestrained. They do what they please. They relish whatever gives them pleasure. Yet they do not realize they are a godless, corrupt, evil lot. They do not see their own wickedness. They think their life is the right course in life. They advise others to live the same kind of ungodly, corrupt lifestyle they live. As Paul wrote in Romans 1:32, “They not only keep doing these things, but they also keep applauding those who practice them.”
These wicked, ungodly people abound. They are movie and television stars, and the rich and the famous, who wallow in sex, wealth, luxury, and parties. They do not see their corrupt ungodliness. On talk shows they hold up their ungodly lifestyle to the world as the way of life. Millions heed their counsel and desire to be like them. The wicked are also the gays, who brazenly parade their deviant sexual behavior as a way of life that should be accepted and respected. The wicked are neighbors, whose homes you pass on your way to church Sunday mornings. They are in bed on the one day they can sleep, or at the breakfast table searching the paper for sales, or on the golf course or on the lake. They live for the comfortable, easy life, with enough money to enjoy what they want. They approve of all who live likewise.
The blessed, however, pay no heed to the wicked people’s ungodly advice for life. They heed the Lord’s counsel in 1 John 2:15-17: “Keep from loving the world and the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Because everything in the world – the craving of the flesh and the longing of the eyes and the pride in one’s lifestyle, is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away and its craving, but the one who does the will of God remains eternally.”
Nor do the blessed stand in the path of sinners. The word “sinners” means those who miss the mark. The wicked, who advise their godless lifestyle, are sinners who miss the mark of the Lord’s moral will. They are off on the wrong track. They fail to measure up to the perfection the Lord requires of them to be holy as he is holy. The blessed take no stand in such a godless life of sin that violates the Word of their Lord.
Nor do the blessed sit in the place of scoffers. The ungodly mock the Lord, his will, his Word, and his commands on how to live. They scoff and jeer at the Lord and all he stands for. The blessed, however, will not sit among such an evil assembly of religious scoffers.
The blessed delight in the law of the Lord, and in his law they meditate day and night. The word “law” in the Hebrew means teaching and instruction. Here it refers to the teaching of the Lord’s Word, both law and gospel. The blessed delight in the Lord’s law and gospel, because he has given them a spirit that takes pleasure in what his Word says. They delight in the gospel of their Lord’s free grace in Christ, which forgives their sins, gives them salvation from hell, and blesses them with life everlasting in heaven. Knowing they are so blessed, they delight in the Lord’s commands, which teach them how they can serve him by living righteously.
On this Word of law and gospel they meditate continually. They read it. They investigate it. They ponder it. They gain insight into its meaning. They mutter it over and over until it is a part of them.
The result is the blessed are “like a tree planted by streams of water, which gives its fruit in its time, and its leaf does not wither. And all that he does prospers.” The blessed are living ones. They are spiritually alive. Their spiritual life arises from the streams of water they drink, which is the everflowing streams of God’s grace in the gospel of Christ. This grace produces in them their fruits of faith at each opportunity. The fruits of the Spirit are evident in their lives--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. They live by the commandments. They are good trees that produce good fruits. Their spiritual life of faith does not wither and die, for the Holy Spirit preserves it in them. All they do prospers, for their Lord is pleased with their life of faith and blesses what they do.
These verses describe the Christian spirit that lives within us who walk by faith with the Lord and live by his Word. Yet we still have our sinful natures, so we do not measure up to this description in every detail. We at times stumble into the counsel of the wicked. Our sinful habits have taken a stand in the way of sinners. Thank God, that for Jesus’ sake, he forgives our shortcomings. Within us, however, lives this new spiritual nature, which is totally dedicated to shunning sin, delighting in the Lord’s Word, and producing fruits of faith and righteousness.
By God’s grace in Christ we are numbered among the blessed and not among the accursed. Psalm 1 teaches us their life is worthless, their condemnation is certain, and their end is destruction.
In contrast to the blessed the psalm states, “The wicked are not so!” The wicked walk in the counsel of their ungodly ways, not realizing how corrupt they actually are. They are cut loose from the Lord and have no part with him. Their behavior is unrestrained. They lack good morals. They take their stand in sins that miss the mark of the Lord’s Word and perfection. They join with those who scoff at the Lord, his will, and his Word. They do not delight in the Lord’s Word; they despise it. They do not meditate on its spiritual truths, for they have no spiritual understanding. They scoff at its truths, thinking they are foolishness. They lack the flowing waters of grace, therefore, that could give them spiritual life. They are dead even while they live.
“They are like chaff that the wind drives away.” Spiritually, they are dead, worthless husks, shucks, shells, and empty hulls. They produce nothing the Lord values. Thus they are blown away.
“Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” Unlike the blessed, who are righteous because they have the forgiveness of their sins and the righteousness of Christ credited to their faith, the wicked are unrighteous, evil, sinful, and ungodly. Their corrupt lives and sinful lifestyles are held against them. They will not stand acquitted in the time of their judgment. They will not be numbered among the blessed. They are an accursed lot. They will fall under the verdict of guilty and condemned to perish forever.
Psalm 1 has now revealed to us the two kinds of people on the two courses of life. There are no other kinds of people or courses of life. There is no middle ground. This psalm was written to teach us this valuable lesson for life. It should cause us to meditate on its meaning and on ourselves. What kind of a person are we? On what course of life are we? What will be our end?
If our biography were to be written on our tombstone someday, what story would it tell? By the grace of the Lord and the working of the Holy Spirit in us through his Word, may it read: “This was a blessed believer of the Lord Jesus, who shunned sin, delighted in his Word, and lived to produce many fruits of faith and righteousness. The Lord caused him to prosper on earth; by grace he now prospers in heaven.”
Amen.
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