Psalm 1:1-6 A life that Matters for Eternity

 

Sermon Title:  A Life that Matters for Eternity

Sermon Text: Psalm 1:1-6

(Introduction)

Attention: Imagine that you were allowed this night to eat a wonderful meal in the ship’s kitchen.  But now it is time for you to commence work.  So you are washing dishes on the Titanic, The ship hits an iceberg.  Now, should you keep on washing the dishes so that most will be done before water fills the kitchen?   It is all going to bottom isn’t it? At that point in time any further work on those dirty dishes will be futile, vain, empty, and valueless.

Need: Have you ever wondered, does my life’s work really matter?  Am I doing anything of lasting value?  Will the things I pour my time into be permanent?  Is there anything in my life of lasting value, or is all temporary and vain?  Can I choose a lifestyle that will give my life purpose, meaning, and permanence? Fund-raiser said, “a man reaches 50 he has a desire to have his name on a building.”  Men often look to their work for permanence and women often look to relationships. Solomon struggled with the same issues in Ecclesiastes.  His answer there was to have a relationship with God that was characterized by obedience. FCF We have outside & inside pressure to follow the wrong lifestyle.

Background:  Psalm chapter 1 is anonymous.  We don’t know who the human author was.  Certainly, David could be the author.  But because it is clearly an introductory chapter to the whole book of Psalms, Solomon, the author of Eccl. and Proverbs is also a likely candidate.  Regardless, - Divine author – God – Bible and this is for us.

Textual Idea:  In this passage, the Psalmist reminded Israel about the difference between the life of a righteous person and the life of an unrighteous person.             [read text here, pray]

Sermon Idea: Today, we need to examine the difference between the lifestyle of a righteous person and the lifestyle of an unrighteous person.

Interrogative: What are the differences between the lifestyle of a righteous person and the lifestyle of an unrighteous person?

Transition w/ Key Word:  In Psalm chapter one, we observe the characteristics of two lifestyle directions.

(Body)

Division 1 Statement: A PERSON’S BEHAVIOR & DESIRES REVEAL THEIR HEART’S PRIORITIES. vs. 1-2a (who they really are)

Explanation: “walks not.”  - a word picture for all of a person’s life, thoughts, and behavior.  There are some things the righteous person does not do: listen to – world’s advice or surrender – world’s influence. Do not let the world squeeze / instead, the righteous “delight” in God’s instruction - the Bible – they are in the world but not of it / The “Blessed” person knows God’s love & favor, & has a deep-seated contentment, a purposeful, meaningful life.  The 2nd type of person has a different lifestyle – “counsel” is to accept world’s belief systems / walking - standing - sitting – downward spiral – listening, joining -settling down in evil & mocking / for both types of people, the progression is from thinking – behaving to belonging. Walk – stand – sit. Another progression: ungodly – sinner – scornful (unlike God, to breaking His law, to mocking God and His true truth).

Illustration: Harold Morris was just riding with some friends.  He did not know that when two of them got out at the gas station that they had robbed it before getting back in the car.  When the police pulled it over, they all went to jail, including Harold.    Modern day Bonnie & Clyde. The Bible says, “Bad company corrupts good morals.”  You see, ignorance was not an excuse for Harold, if you surrender to the wrong influences, things get worse and worse. Witness to the lost, but do not follow them.

Argumentation: - righteous delight –God’s Word.  NIV Psalm 119:70 Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law. NIV Psalm 119:77 Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight.  To not join in the world system means to separate from – close associations / it is not a separation from –people. In Mark 16:15 Jesus send us into the world to preach the gospel. Influence them / Life guard empathetic – coughing water out lungs, not a comfort – drowning person.

Application:  Cable, Satellite, internet, radio, educational institutions have the ungodly persons counsel, path, and scoffer seats. Evolution and - teaching that man is – measure of all things – are not just cute ideas.  They have deadly consequences.  You move from thinking to behaving to belonging.  You become a settler in evil town and mock - righteous.  How do you get off this runaway train?  You embrace Christ and the truth, and you move from correct thinking to correct behaving to assurance that you belong to Him.  Now I belong to Jesus, Jesus belongs to me, not for the years of time alone, but for eternity.  Now, that sounds like permanence to me.

Transition: Not only does a person’s behavior and desires reveal their hearts, but second,

Division 2 Statement:   A PERSON’S PRIVATE ACTIVITIES INFLUENCES THEIR LONG-TERM ACCOMPLISHMENTS. vs. 1, 2

Explanation: The righteous “delight” in God’s instruction - loves the Bible – reading & reciting, Meditate, murmur, repeat it, live it. Could it be that this person has found – secret to a meaningful life that counts? Yes, following the narrow path through the difficult gate leads to life everlasting. They are reading the Bible night and day, put the time into – Word – change – thinking. But, the unrighteous goes deeper down the spiral of the world’s ideas and views, on the broad road to destruction.

Illustration Like a cow digests her food is a good example of what to do with God’s instructions in the Bible.  Hear it, Examine it, Read it, think about it, memorize it, repeat it, apply it, teach it.  This includes his commands and promises.

Argumentation: Societies move from deism to agnosticism to atheism.  The lifestyle of the dead is highlighted in Eph. 2.  The world, the devil, and spiritual deadness are powerful forces to contend with in the unrighteous person’s life. They are too strong for him / her to take on in their own strength and power. Paul applies this concept to direct business partners and potential marriage partners. The Bible says, “Do not be unequally yoked.”  This principle is for your protection and reveals truth about God person, Be holy, because I am holy.

Application: Christian, do you delight in, Love the Bible?  Does it have priority? Heb. – older Christians eat the meat / start with 5 minutes a day for six weeks. What you think is important.  As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.  Out of the heart proceed all types of wickedness. Guard your heart, for from it flow the issues of life, Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you  -- Truth in, allows for truth to come out, Error in allows for confusion and error and sin to come out

Transition: Not only, does a person’s behavior and desires reveal their hearts, and a person’s private activities have an influence on their accomplishments, but third

Division 3 Statement: A PERSON’S PATTERN OF LIVING REVEALS THEIR DESINTY. vs. 3, 5, 6

Explanation:  Look at the word “fruitful” in verse 3.  Certain plants are designed to bear fruit, and so are humans.  Jesus told stories that rural societies understood.  Give the tree a little more time to bear fruit, and if it doesn’t chop it down.  Trees are supposed to bear fruit.  Unfruitful trees are cursed and wither up.

Illustration:  of the righteous. vs. 3.  This tree was planted in a specific place by a specific person.  God has a plan and He is working that plan.  Will you join Him in that plan?  God not only knows, but He also designs things for His children.  Now why is “rivers” plural?  This word was used for many man made irrigation canals dug by the farmer to water the fruit trees.  Not only is the tree planted near the source of water, but the water is channeled to the tree by kind gracious design. Not only does God have the resources to meet your needs, but He has the channels mapped out that He will use to meet your needs.  You can trust God! He is faithful!

Argumentation: If a farmer takes such good care of a fruit tree, how much more will – heavenly Father take care of His children?  That is why it makes so much sense to live for the glory of God.  He is so great, and He is great to us.  Blessings are sure to come on the day our works are evaluated, and the rewards are given out.  Heaven is not just a wonderful place, but it’s a place of great rewards for those who are fruitful and faithful believers in God.  And, if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, He will provide all that we need in the here and now.

Explanation: There is another group’s destiny pictured in this chpt. Look at vs.5, “not stand in the judgment” shows on judgment day, in – picture of a court scene the ungodly will have nothing to say and are afraid of their future.  They will not have a defense attorney. They will be alone. Permanently separated from the congregation of the righteous, the residents of heaven.  The unrighteous are seen as useless, temporary, rootless, and weightless.  But it does not have to be this way.

Illustration:  Look at vs. 4, The Bible compares the unrighteous to chaff.  This word picture is used in both Testaments.  The chaff is the light husk of the grain that is broken apart by the grinding wheel.  Then a winnowing fork, is used to toss the mixture into the air.  The heavy grain falls down, the light chaff blows away.  It is useless, temporary, rootless and weightless, no glory.  John the Baptist predicted Jesus would use His winnowing fork and separate the wheat & bring fire on the chaff.

Argumentation: There are two paths and two destinies. Isa. 29:5 chaff is temporary, Psa. 35:5 the chaff flies away in the wind, and it is without weight or value.  There you have it.  You can be like a well-watered tree or like stubble blowing in the wind. Is it reasonable to remain on the path of the ungodly?

Application: One of the lies of the scoffers from verse one is that man is basically good. In Psa 51 David tells us, we are born sinners.  We sin because we are sinners.  So if we are sinners, how then can we receive God’s righteousness and change His evaluation of us before His holy throne in His courtroom of justice? Or how can a person born a sinner be later called righteous?  By a substitute, embracing Christ in faith and repentance is the way from the path of the ungodly to godly, from unrighteous to righteous.  God has good plans for His people.  He can be trusted.  Do you want your life to matter, to count for something?  Then leave the Broad road that leads to destruction and enter by the straight gate of repentance and take the narrow way to the foot of the cross.  The virgin born Son of God became a sacrifice for sinners, and He was worthy to do so as the sinless God-Man.  You must receive Him; embrace Him, by a deep trust, a turning from sin, and surrender to Him as Boss and Master of your life from now on.  It is by grace alone, Christ alone, faith alone that we are saved.  But saving faith will never be alone, so we can see who someone is by the way they live, the path on which they stay.

Transition: What have we seen in this text?  Let’s pull it together.

(Conclusion)

Visualization: Picture Jesus on His throne, and the angel taking a group of sheep and putting them on His right and a group of goats on His left.  In Matt. 25 we learn this will be a permanent arrangement for both groups.  The goats go into the everlasting fire; the sheep go into everlasting purposefulness and enjoy heaven.

Reiteration: We have considered the life of a righteous person contrasted with the life of an unrighteous person.  We looked at some characteristics of these 2 paths. A person’s behavior and desires reveal their heart’s preferences, and a person’s private activities influence their long-term accomplishments and a person’s pattern of living reveals their destiny.

Action: Christian, act like who you are.  You go into the world to influence them, not to surrender to their influence.  Evangelism yes, influenced by the world, no.  And friend, if un-like-God describes you, you need to come to Christ.  Today you can switch paths, lifestyles, futures, and rewards. Today is – day of salvation, come to Jesus.

Appeal: Today is the day to think, act, and belong like who you really are or to become who you can be in Christ.