WisconsinChristianNews.com Volume 25, Issue 8 Need For Spiritual Health... (Continued From Page 14) Blessedness in the Christian Life
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The psalmist begins by describing the blessed person negatively — by what they don’t do. Blessedness comes from God, brothers and sisters, and Psalm 1:1 reminds me of Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and perfect will of the Father.” The blessed man receives God’s favor and does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. Right away, we see a contrast. Notice the progression: “...does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers.” • Walk in the Counsel of the Wicked: This phrase tells us that bless- ing comes from refusing to listen to the advice of the world. The un- godly may tell us, “If you’re tired of the one you’re with, dump them and find someone else.” Or, “Oh, you’re pregnant, and you’re not ready for it? There are places that can ‘take care’ of that problem.” This is the advice of the world, but the blessed person refuses to walk in that counsel. A Story of Comfort in God’s Word I was blessed recently to hear a story about someone going through a difficult time. They’re about to lose a loved one, who they know will soon be joining the Lord. Someone shared that they walked into the room and saw this person sitting at the kitchen table with Scripture open, reading and meditating on God’s Word. That’s where we go for comfort — not to horoscopes or advice columns or secular ideas, but to God’s Word. Believe it or not, a statistic I read stated that 36% of Christians read their horoscopes daily. That’s shocking, especially when it’s the same percentage as the general population. Years ago, I decided not to even glance at a horoscope column in the newspaper because I didn’t want to risk letting even a hint of that superstition influence me. It’s important to guard ourselves against influences that aren’t from God. Avoiding the Influence of the World The blessed man doesn’t just listen to God’s Word — he refuses to walk in the advice of the ungodly and doesn’t apply it. When some- one tells you, “You just need to do this or that,” the first question that should come to your mind is, “Can you show me where that’s at in Scripture?” If the counsel doesn’t come from the Lord, how beneficial do you re- ally think it will be? Progression of Sin: Walking, Standing, Sitting Notice the progression in the verse: “walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of sinners, sit in the seat of scoffers.” This progression shows a deepening association with the world. First, it’s listening, then it’s standing on the same path, and finally, it’s sitting down in the seat of those who mock God. The blessed person resists this pattern, avoiding sin’s subtle entanglements. Delighting in the Law of the Lord “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law, he medi- tates day and night.” The blessed man doesn’t take pleasure in the world’s advice but finds joy in God’s law. He meditates on it day and night, truly delight- ing in it. Let me ask you: are you at a place where you look forward to spending time in God’s Word?
God calls all His people to spend time with Him. If you’re not hear- ing His voice calling you to spend time in His Word and in prayer, it may be because you’ve muffled it. Characteristics of the Blessed Person Psalm 1 gives us a picture of the blessed life. The characteristics of this person include: 1). A Crowd-Resistant Mentality: The blessed person does not conform to the world but stands out as separate, resisting peer pres- sure and worldly influence. 2). A One-Track Mind: The blessed person is devoted to God’s Word, unaffected by conflicting advice. As Winston Churchill once said, “A fanatic is someone who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.” The blessed person maintains that single- minded focus on God. 3). Deep Roots: The blessed person is like a tree planted by water, drawing strength and resilience from God alone. This tree stands firm in all circumstances. 4). Weatherproof Faith: Their faith endures through all seasons. No matter what life throws their way, they remain rooted and stead- fast. The Wicked Are Like Chaff The psalmist contrasts the righteous with the wicked. Unlike the tree rooted by streams of water, the wicked are like chaff blown away by the wind. They lack foundation, stability, and substance. In the end, they will not withstand judgment because they have no right- eousness to protect them. Judgment and Righteousness Psalm 1 closes by stating, “For the Lord knows the way of the right- eous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” The Lord watches over the righteous; He knows and cares for their path. But the path of the wicked ends in perishing. This is a sobering reminder of the eternal consequences of our choices. For further study, read Psalm 37 on your own time. It really elab- orates on the theme of the righteous and the wicked and will enrich
When it comes to the Christian life, our blessedness — and I’m thankful for this — our blessedness has nothing whatsoever to do with how hard we work for it. And you should be glad about that, too! If we had to work to earn it, would we ever know where the line is? When we’ve done “enough?” We wouldn’t! We’d never know if we’d done enough. For the believer, we look to the One who has already done it and done it all and done it perfectly — the Lord Jesus Christ. Here’s my point: “How blessed is the man…” That has nothing whatsoever to
do with our own efforts, positionally speaking. Righteousness, Salvation, and Sanctification
Now, I make that distinction because righteousness and sanctifi- cation do play into our efforts. We are saved by the finished work of Jesus Christ, and therefore we are blessed. We are righteous be- cause of Christ’s work on our behalf. But we are sanctified — that’s a whole other term, isn’t it? We are sanctified positionally by Jesus, but we are also called in the Scriptures to “work out our salvation.” Now, what does that mean? It means we are saved positionally. We can’t be “more saved.” You’re either saved or you’re not. When you’re saved, the Bible says that you are adopted as children, sons, and daughters of God. We are joint heirs with Jesus; we have the eternal inheritance as sons and daughters — that doesn’t change. You don’t become “more” of a son or “more” of a daughter. What does change, though, is when God sets us apart positionally — that’s sanctification. There’s also a part where we work out our salvation; in other words, we experience sanctification. That’s where good works come in. Not works for salvation, but works because of salvation. You can’t do good works to gain God’s favor, but once we have received God’s favor, we’re expected to do good works. Sanctification and Good Works For instance, Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before- hand, that we should walk in them.” After salvation, we’re expected to honor and serve the Lord. So, this idea of blessedness here, broth- ers and sisters, serves as a gateway, alerting us to the fact that something is expected of us. We can’t talk about God as our Great Shepherd in Psalm 23 unless we know Him as our Shepherd, right? We can’t talk about God’s for- giveness, as David does in Psalm 51, unless we’ve experienced His forgiveness. We can’t talk about worshiping God or His mercy as described in Psalm 100 or 103 unless we’ve experienced it. Key Questions in Psalm 1 As we work our way through this Psalm, I want to point out three essential questions that it raises. Each of these questions demands an answer: 1). What does it look like to belong to God? 2). What are the results of belonging to God? 3). What is the final destination of those who belong to God? Psalm 1: The Path of the Blessed Person “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!”
your understanding of Psalm 1. Closing Prayer and Reflections
In conclusion, let’s reflect on Psalm 1’s call to a life of righteous- ness. The Psalm sets a foundation for the whole book, urging us to choose the path of the righteous and resist the influence of the world. Father, we thank You so much for Your Word. We thank You for Your Holy Spirit, who gives us understanding. Give us the words to speak that people need to hear. Help us not to fret, worry, or be anx- ious about what we’ll say, but to rejoice when opportunities come, trusting You to supply exactly what we should say. Lord, we know we don’t have to be eloquent or have theological expertise. All we have to do is be obedient. Prepare the hearts of the people You would have us talk to this week. Thank You, Father, for this fellowship, this body of believers. You continue to sustain and provide for us. We are so blessed and so thankful. We love You, Lord, and we pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen. Dr. Mike Spaulding P. O. Box 3007 • Lima, OH 45807
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