"The Way of the Righteous"

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.

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.

Take up and read.

He picked up the scripture, and he read Romans 13, verse 13.

Romans 13:13

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.

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,

Matthew 7:13

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

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.

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.

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?

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.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.