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Two Ways to Live

Scripture: Psalm 1

I. You can walk the blessed way of the righteous.

A. Some people think that to be blessed means to be happy. But we saw in our study of Philippians that happiness depends on circumstances. We know that the blessed are not always happy because of what Jesus said about the blessed in Matthew 5:4: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Do you see the progression that the wicked take in the three verbs of vs. 1? They walk in a way opposed to God. They walk, they stand, they sit. Christianity is primarily a way of life – the narrow way that leads to heaven and to God.

B. The singer of Psalm 1 gives a positive description of the blessed in verse 2. The blessed are delighted by the Bible. The blessed person genuinely believes that blessing comes from loving God and walking His way as described in the Bible. God transplants us from a love for this world to a love for Him and for the Bible. He transplants us to a place where we can receive the nourishment we need to flourish and produce good fruit (vs. 3). In a hot climate like Israel, the only tree that always bears fruit is a tree with roots deep in life-giving water.

II. You can walk the useless way of the wicked.

A. There is one other way you could walk in your life. It is the way of the wicked. Do you see what the singer compares the wicked to in vs. 4? They are like chaff. Chaff is useless. Chaff are the worthless husks that have to be separated from the wheat grain. In contrast to the fruitful tree, chaff has no eternal life, no worth, no stability, no place, no roots and will not be enduring God’s strong wind of judgment when it blows (vs. 5). The wicked chaff will be removed from God’s presence and the presence of the righteous (vs. 5).

B. God knows the righteous (vs. 6). He loves them. He walks with them in relationship as the righteous walk the narrow way. Jesus says in John 10:14: “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” And this is what Jesus will say to the wicked on Judgment Day according to Matthew 7:23: “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” There is only one righteous man who truly fits the description of Psalm 1. Jesus. If I want the blessing that Jesus has received for living a righteous life, what will I need to do? I will need to be connected to the righteous Jesus by faith.

Application:
Walk the way of the righteous by faith in Jesus. You want to be blessed in the end.
Sources:
The Psalms
Commentaries by J.A. Motyer, Allen Ross, Christopher Ash, Bruce Waltke & Gerald Wilson

Sermon Discussion Questions

1) In what ways are you walking, standing or sitting in the ways of sin?

2) How could you use the Bible to turn away from those ways of sin?

3) What does the Psalm tell us about what it means to be blessed? What will you do to be blessed by God this week?