Psalm 1

Father, we ask that as we come to open up Scripture together,

that you would warm our hearts by your Spirit to hear you,

to receive your word, and to trust in you and walk with you more faithfully today.

This we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Please be seated.

Always a bit of a struggle for me with the lighting, but I think we're good.

My title, I think, is up there.

Maybe. I don't know.

It's The Way of Blessedness, as you'd expect, from Psalm 1.

And automatically we want to ask, well, what is blessedness?

And how can we find it?

I like how Martin Luther, in his commentary on Psalm 1,

describes two groups of people who are looking for blessedness.

That is, they're looking for all things to go well with them in this life.

But who miss it in the end?

The first group that ends up being the furthest away from the blessed life

includes those learned philosophers, he says,

who try to pursue godliness through sheer willpower

and the cultivation of habits and virtues,

but who in the end actually deprive themselves of the blessings of this life

as well as those of the life to come.

As Luther learned through deep personal struggle,

that way of pursuing blessedness really only led to despair.

Despair because holiness does not come through the performance of religious works,

but only by turning to Christ in faith.

Last month I had the privilege of spending two and a half weeks over in Germany,

in Wittenberg, as part of a center for reformation studies,

in those towns where Luther experienced that spiritual breakthrough

that led finally to him having a sense of assurance of God's love and pardon.

He came to find great relief and comfort in Paul's teaching

that the just shall live by faith.

Recall Romans 1, 16 to 17,

For I am not ashamed of the gospel,

a verse we often repeat here at Messiah,

for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes,

to the Jew first and also the Greek.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,

as it is written, the righteous shall live by faith.

Luther mentioned a second group

that finally missed the way of true blessedness.

It included simple folk

who imagined that the way of blessedness

had to do with the pursuit of carnal pleasures.

Unlike the first group,

these at least enjoyed those physical pleasures in this life

insofar as they are to be had.

But like the first group,

they also missed God's blessing and favor in the end.

The alternative, says Luther,

is what the teacher,

and he's referring to the author of Psalm 1.

He writes David in his commentary,

but we don't know that it was David.

We just say the author of Psalm 1, the psalmist.

The teacher, he says, derives his doctrine from heaven.

Glorious phrase.

But before we turn to that,

let me mention a third group

that remains far from the way of blessedness.

I think I came across it when I wandered down to Prague,

not just after I was in Germany.

It's a kind of cross between the two groups

that Luther mentions.

As I wandered through those city streets,

I came to a large square.

And just in front of a large monument to the reformer Jan Hus,

you may have heard of,

someone had erected a stage.

And on that stage was a speaker from Russia.

The man seemed to be an evangelist,

because in the distance I caught phrases like,

turn to Christ,

and do great things.

And when I got closer and tuned in to what he was actually saying,

though,

I heard him preach a way of blessedness

that combined all the material blessings

and prosperity that God wants for everyone now,

there's Luther's second group,

with a method or practice

for achieving or for earning it,

Luther's first group.

What was that method?

Well, it was fairly simple as I stood there to listen.

First, acknowledge that your true nature is divine.

So we're not sinners in need of a savior.

Second, learn that the real Christ

is not tied to any historical figure.

And finally, fix your eyes on Christ

and contemplate him

and you will prosper and do great things.

That was his message in a nutshell.

And I would say to you this,

nothing could be farther

from the biblical apostolic good news.

Or from Jan Hus' message, for that matter.

Where he was hoping to speak

in the spirit of Jan Hus, the reformer.

Because even from Jan Hus,

we would learn that Jesus is the Christ

and that Christ is none other than Jesus

and that the way that leads to life

is found only as we acknowledge our sin

and need for him and his mercy.

But there was nothing of that

in that message given from that stage.

So back to our psalm,

given from heaven,

as Luther says,

in the way of sin,

and not through the inventions of men.

In just six verses,

the psalmist presents to us

life's basic alternatives,

which turn out to be not many,

but two.

The way of blessedness

and the way of death.

So let's go through that psalm together.

Verse one said 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.

You'll notice I emphasize the verbs there deliberately,

and there are two reasons,

at least I think we can say.

First, the verbs here,

walk, stand, sit,

highlight a very public nature of ungodliness.

The stress is on what ungodliness looks like in practice,

out there in the open.

And that's the right place to start talking about ungodliness,

because the ungodly person

loves to put what's in his heart immediately on display,

to make a show of it.

Luther says that the ungodly,

with confident security,

arrogate to themselves

all those things that are good

and refer all that is evil to others.

In other words,

as they point out how bad others are,

they actually draw attention to their own virtues.

But they remain in sin,

in the sin of unbelief,

as they govern themselves

by their own counsel

and their own ideas.

Worse still,

they take the things of God

and presume to give them a firmer foundation

than they already have.

And how so?

Well, by erecting a kind of fence around the law,

creating extra rules

that they can require of others,

and

as if to obey those rules

is to obey God himself.

There's a second reason

to highlight the verbs as I have,

and it's because they reveal

a kind of progression.

First,

the ungodly man accepts

bad ideas and advice

as he walks in it,

in the counsel of the ungodly.

Second,

he becomes

firm

or fixed

in those ideas

as he stands there

in the way of sinners.

Finally,

he actually draws others

into

falsehood

as he sits

in the seat

of scoffers,

the scornful,

those who

ridicule

the godly.

Not so

with those who are blessed.

What does verse 2

tell us

about the godly?

Well, it says

that they delight

in the law

of the Lord,

and in that law

they meditate

day and night.

Notice the verses,

the verbs there.

Delight,

meditate.

The emphasis here

is on the inner life,

isn't it?

We shift from

public action

of the ungodly

to the inward

spiritual

habit

or condition

of the godly.

Why is that?

Well,

I don't think it's

so that we can say

that godliness

is simply about

hidden things

that you can't see,

the hidden sphere

of the soul.

rather,

I think it's

so that we'll

get things

in the right order.

It's so that

we'll get the heart,

get to the heart

of the matter,

the heart

of the human problem,

precisely

that place

that God

applies the remedy

to.

And that's why

Paul prays

for the church

in Ephesus,

I beg your pardon,

as he does.

I pray,

he says,

that out of

his glorious riches

he may strengthen

you with power

through his spirit

in your inner being

so that Christ

may dwell

in your hearts

through faith.

Ephesians 3,

16 to 17.

He prays this way

so that they will

truly grasp

God's love

for them,

find their only

comfort,

as those of you

studying the

Heidelberg Catechism

have been putting it.

And from there

to live

this out publicly

through godly unity

and obedience

to God's commands.

So what is the law

that the righteous

meditate on?

Well, quite simply,

the law is everything

that God commands

in His Word.

And as we're working

through the Psalms

this summer,

it's good to

turn to other Psalms.

It's clear from

Psalm 19,

which I believe

Matt will be speaking

on,

soon.

David says

that the law

of the Lord

is perfect,

refreshing the soul,

that the statutes

of the Lord

are trustworthy,

making wise

the simple,

and that the commands

of the Lord

are radiant,

giving light

to the eyes.

Everything

that God commands.

We don't ordinarily

think of commands

and rules

as things

that give light,

wisdom,

or refreshment

to our souls.

But when we consider

that God's law

or His Word

is manifested

and summed up

in Jesus

and that to serve

Him is true freedom,

then we might begin

to see how God's law

is something

that the blessed

find delight in.

True delight

values the object

of delight

for what it is

in itself.

Luther makes

a point

of underscoring

this.

He said,

the blessed

delight in God's

Word,

not focusing

primarily on

the promises

or the warnings,

but because

it is holy,

righteous,

and good.

We delight

in God's Word

because of what

it is.

It is holy,

righteous,

and good.

And as

the godly

meditate on it,

they consider it.

They reflect

on it.

They discuss

it with others

so that they

learn something

of its richness

and its depth.

So,

for instance,

I'm staying here

with Luther still,

the law thou

shalt not kill

in the whole

counsel of God,

in the whole

witness of Scripture,

is not just

about not letting

your hand perform

a certain action,

but about

not despising

and seeking

to injure

others in any

way.

Instead,

to bless them

and to do

good.

Now,

what happens

when we don't

delight in

God's law?

That's the

immediate question,

isn't it?

For most of

the time,

we're distracted

and we are

maybe approaching

God's Word

feebly

and we feel it.

What happens

when our desire

is so weak

that we wonder

whether

it isn't

more a question

of delight

so much

as just

plain duty.

And here

I think

even the

awareness

of the ways

we fall short

can itself

be a blessing.

I know this

true in my

own life.

In the midst

of our

distractions

and wandering,

God can show

us where

our selfish

imaginations

lead us.

And so those

very things

are the things

that God uses

to bring us

back to himself.

And really,

if we're honest,

too often we're

looking just

within.

We're looking

to our feelings

and our desires

and our intentions

to see if,

am I really

striving after God?

But in fact,

to bring Luther

in again,

if we're looking

within,

we're actually

looking in the

wrong place

because deep

inside,

we actually

hate the law.

we actually

rebel against

it.

We need to

look to Christ

and to his

righteousness,

asking God

again and

again to

keep us

in that

righteousness

like a

mantle.

It's only

there that we

begin to

understand,

I think,

what it means

to meditate

on God's

word day

and night

because we

might be

wondering what

in the world

that could

possibly mean.

This is not

about emptying

the mind

through some

kind of endless

mantra that we

would recite,

and it's

not even

primarily about

any kind of

method or

technique.

With God's

word,

we're talking

about a

reality that

comes to us

before we

even think of

coming to it.

We're talking

about something

objective outside

of us that

God has revealed

that we have

the privilege to

consider and

ponder and

listen to as

God himself

works in our

hearts and

minds through

it.

And what is

that work?

Well, it's

his work of

making us

attentive to

his word,

grateful for

his blessings

so that we

can enjoy the

relationship that

our meditations

bring us into.

Verse 3,

we read there

that the one

God blesses is

like a tree

planted where?

Well, by

rivers, by

streams of

water.

water.

And this

tree yields

fruit in

season, in

its season, and

its leaf does

not wither.

The same

promise is

there in

Jesus' words.

Remain in

me as I

remain in

you.

No branch

can bear

fruit.

By itself, it

must remain in

the vine.

And neither

can you bear

fruit unless

you remain in

me.

John 15,

John 15:4

verse 4.

Notice here

how we're

looking outside

ourselves.

We're not

planting

ourselves, since

God is the

one who takes

care of that.

In fact, God

transplants us,

says Luther,

out of Adam

and into

Christ.

And I like

how Charles

Spurgeon

describes the

fruit God

causes us to

produce in

season.

Patience in

the time of

suffering,

faith in

the day of

trial,

and holy

joy in

the hour of

prosperity.

Not so

with the

ungodly,

verses 4 and

5 tell us,

bringing us

back to the

present condition

of the wicked.

What are they

like?

Well, they're

like the

chaff that

the wind

just drives

away, like

dust, of

no use,

right?

the way

the fruit

that we

bear

blesses

others.

Well, the

chaff is

of no use.

It says,

therefore, the

wicked will

not stand

in the

judgment,

nor sinners

in the

congregation

of the

righteous.

In other

words, without

a foundation,

without grounding,

their end is

death, because

they won't be

able to stand

on the day

of judgment,

nor participate

in the

fellowship of

the godly.

There will

be no word

spoken on

their behalf.

They'll be

without excuse,

as Paul says.

And what is

their present

condition?

Well, they

may have the

appearance of

godliness,

they may

imagine

themselves to

be godly

and set

apart, but

in reality,

they're far

from its

fellowship and

its blessings.

The last

verse, verse

six, completes

the picture for

us.

The Lord

knows the

way of

the righteous,

but the

way of

the wicked

will perish.

The picture

is here

complete.

Why?

Well, because

it states

the end

of those

who will

not stand

when the

day of

judgment

comes.

But most

importantly,

it gives

us the

whole basis

for

blessedness.

The

blessed

man or

woman is

the one

whose way

God knows.

God is

actively at

work in

planting

him where

he can

be

nourished.

God is

actively at

work preparing

his path,

preparing it

so he can

walk on

it, shining

light on

it so that

he will not

lose his

way,

shielding

him from

landslides,

if you like.

This kind

of knowing

speaks of

God's

providential

care for

those who

trust in

him.

God is

not.

By contrast,

the way

of the

ungodly

is not

a way

that God

knows.

Psalm 34,

15 to

16 says,

David,

in there,

David tells

us that

while the

eyes of

the Lord

are on

the

righteous,

his face

is against

those who

do evil.

God is

trying to

apply it

to our

own lives

today.

I think

we can

say at

least three

things about

how it

applies and

how it

challenges us

in three

areas.

I think the

first has to

do with how

we think of

life itself.

Is life a

good thing in

itself, a

gift from

God to

accept with

gratitude and

to rejoice in,

or is it

a means to

an end that

you and I

have invented

for ourselves.

And there,

the difference

is crucial.

Either we

take, either

take his

care for us,

his favor,

his word,

for granted,

or we

don't.

Darkened in

our minds as

we are by

the culture

of death,

as Pope

John Paul

II said in

an encyclical

some years

ago, it's

common to

think of

life as

something that

can be

sacrificed

to some

higher good

like convenience

or my

individual

rights or

even

preferences.

Either way,

life ceases

to be sacred

and a gift

from God.

Let me

illustrate.

Some years,

not so very

long ago,

Al Mohler

commented on

two news

items that

came across

his desk

in the

space of

just an

hour.

One lamented

the plight of

a woman who

was expecting

a baby

with Down

Syndrome,

but who

couldn't

remedy what

she supposed

to be a

problem with

an abortion

in her

particular part

of Europe.

The other

story featured

a woman who,

when informed

that the baby

she was expecting

had Down

Syndrome,

took the

opposite approach

and said,

we had a

chance to

bring this

child into

the world

to make the

world a

better place.

definitely

our family

will embrace

this gift

and face

it all

together.

Two ways,

one of

convenience

and self-determination

if you like,

and the other

of gratitude

and dependence

on God.

One of these

ways seems

right for a

while,

as Proverbs

14, 12

teaches us,

but in the

end it leads

to death.

This brings

me to a

second way

that Psalm

1 can

challenge us

today.

It has to

do with

what it

means to

say as we

find in

verses like

Psalm 103

9,

the Lord

will not

always

accuse,

nor will

he harbor

his anger

forever.

The fact

is,

many are

now inclined

to use

such verses

to argue

for a

kind of

hell that

is really

only limited

to our

present

experience,

or that

will eventually

be emptied,

if you like,

through a

back door

that opens

into heaven.

Our age is a

sentimental one,

if there ever

was one,

where we're

guided by our

feelings primarily,

rather than what

God's word has

to say on a

given issue.

We've been doing

a lot of

downsizing

theologically,

haven't we?

Instead of sin,

we have said

mistakes.

Instead of hell,

we think of some

kind of after

school detention,

a place I got to

spend a couple

of occasions

back in Mexico

in after school

detention,

feeling like a

young criminal.

It could very

well be that

we have God

himself

downsized,

so that he

fits nicely

into our own

sense of

justice.

The truth

is,

nowhere in

scripture do

we find that

hell is some

kind of warning,

but with no

teeth,

with no

substance.

Quite the

opposite.

Jesus himself

says,

these will go

away into

eternal punishment

in the parable

of the sheep

and the goats

in Matthew 25,

but the righteous

into eternal

life.

So when we

read in

Psalm 103

of God's

boundless mercy,

we give thanks

and we acknowledge

that his mercy

is far more

merciful than

we can imagine.

We also know

that his justice

is far more

just than we

could ever

imagine because

he always does

what's right.

We also know

that when he

says,

from everlasting

to everlasting

the Lord's

love is there,

it's with those

who fear him

and his

righteousness

with their

children's

children,

with those

who keep

his covenant

and remember

to obey

his precepts.

Now we know

we can't do

this in our

own strength.

None of us

can do this

in our own

strength.

We trust

in God's

mercy and

in his

power.

A third

way that

Psalm 1

can challenge

us today

is this.

I think

it can help

us to

confront

head-on

that false

way of

blessedness

such as

I think

I found

it preached

in that

square in

Prague

just a few

weeks ago

and in

other places

where we

might hear

a similar

way of

blessedness

taught to

us today.

it teaches

us essentially

to put

our hope

in our

own efforts

and in

our own

capacities.

Luther says

that the

whole Psalm

though is

directed,

is to be

understood in

relation to

Christ.

And he

continues,

he is the

mark or the

goal to

which the

man that is

blessed is

to direct

all his

aims.

So Luther

is helping

us to

read the

Psalms

Christologically

to point

us to

Jesus

through them

even though

we can

speak of

a Psalm

as very

much the

gospel in

a nutshell

in the

form of

praise.

So where

can we turn

in Scripture

to see

something of

how the

fount of

every blessing

we sometimes

sing about

is none

other than

Christ Jesus.

I can't

think of a

better place

than Ephesians

where Paul

begins by

saying that

we who've

been included

in God's

family through

the preaching

of the

gospel have

been blessed

with every

spiritual blessing

in Jesus

Christ.

We've been

chosen to

be holy

and blameless

for a

definite

purpose in

other words.

We were

predestined to

be adopted

so we're

redeemed,

forgiven,

given to

understand God's

purpose for

the world.

All of this

in and

because and

through Jesus.

And it's

all for him

too because

God's purpose

is to bring

all things

in heaven

and on

earth together

under one

head who

is Jesus

Christ.

We're

talking here

this is the

big word

that Irenaeus

used the

summing up

the recapitulation

summing up

of all things

under Christ

the head.

What was our

condition before

God called us

through the

gospel?

Chapter 2

tells us

we were dead

in trespasses

and sins.

We followed

the course

of this

world

obeying the

spirit that

is now at

work in

the sons

of disobedience.

But then

Paul goes

on.

God being

rich in

mercy

because of

the great

love with

which he

has loved

us.

Even when

we were

dead in

our

trespasses

made us

alive in

Christ,

together with

Christ,

so that he

can say,

by grace

you have

been saved

and raised

up with

him.

In fact,

we read

God has

seated us

in the

heavenly places

in Christ

Jesus in

Ephesians 2

6.

Well,

to what end

has he

seated us

there?

It's in

the same

chapter in

verse 10.

We're included

in Christ's

life.

We're seated

with him

so that we

might live a

life of

obedience to

him because

it says we

are his

workmanship,

created in

Christ Jesus

for good

works,

which God

prepared

beforehand.

And here's

another verb

we've seen

so that we

might walk

in them.

Sit,

walk.

If we're

looking for

Paul's letter

to complete

the metaphor

that the

psalmist gave

us, well,

we won't be

disappointed.

Watchman Nee

wrote years

ago and

others have

noticed the

same.

In chapter

6,

in verse

10,

Paul challenges

us with

these words.

Be strong

in the

Lord and

in his

power.

And then

he adds,

put on

the whole

armor of

God that

you may

be able

to stand

against the

schemes of

the devil.

Verse 11.

Then again

in verse 12,

he says,

take up

the whole

armor of

God so

that you

may be

able to

withstand

in the

evil day

and having

done all

to stand.

So we've

got sit

walking

and standing.

God

is this

vision of

blessedness

diametrically

opposed to

what I

heard in

Prague.

Well,

for starters,

there's no

Gnostic split

between Jesus

and the

Christ,

a split

which yanks

us right

out of

history and

God's saving

events in

real time

and space.

There's no

Gnostic

division that

makes salvation

all about the

liberation of

the mind

through this

or that

method so

that the

mind can

return to

its source.

We know

that blessedness

in Jesus

has all

to do

with the

resurrection

of the

body as

his as a

pledge of

our own

and about

a world

made new

fit for

eternity.

In the

second place,

the way of

blessedness in

Ephesians is

opposed to

that alternative

because it

teaches us

that in our

sin,

we are far

from God,

unable even

to take the

first step.

in that way

of blessedness.

The world

will think

this is,

well,

baloney,

right?

How negative

a view of

humanity,

folks will

say.

Or they

may say,

yes,

there's plenty

of evil

stuff out

there,

but they'll

never locate

the problem

in the human

heart itself.

Human

motives,

intentions,

and intuitions

will always be

seen as

more or

less decent,

authentic,

more or

less pure,

corrupted only

by the wicked

stuff that's

out there.

But we

know from

God's word

that the

heart is the

source of the

problem.

Jesus himself

tells us that.

He says,

what comes out

of the person

is what

defiles him.

for from

within,

out of the

heart of

man come

evil thoughts,

sexual

immorality,

theft,

murder,

adultery,

coveting,

wickedness,

deceit,

sensuality,

envy,

slander,

pride,

foolishness,

all these evil

things come from

within,

and they defile

the person.

Finally,

the way of

blessedness in

Ephesians and

the Psalms is

diametrically opposed

to what I heard

in Prague,

because the

call to

contemplate

Christ,

which of

course we

do hear in

Hebrews,

for instance,

fix your eyes

on Jesus,

is not a

call to

imagine the

Christ any

way we like.

In fact,

it's not

primarily a

matter of the

eye, but of

the ear.

We can put it

this way,

we can't seek

his face if

we don't give

ear to his

words.

And as we

seek him,

we seek him

for who he

is.

As we

noted earlier,

we don't

seek him with

the idea of

getting some

important blessing.

He himself set

the example,

didn't he?

He set his

eyes on his

goal, the joy

set before him,

Hebrews 12,

2 tells us,

and he endured

the cross,

despising the

shame.

So let me

finish, let me

conclude.

God's law,

everything he

commands,

stands.

There's no

running from

it.

God's grace

if we hope

to live.

But the

mercy that

flows from

God's grace

is there for

all who will

call upon

him.

There is

now no

condemnation,

says Paul,

in Romans

8, 1 and

2, for

those who

are in

Christ Jesus,

because through

Christ Jesus,

the law of

the spirit who

gives life

has set them

free from

the law of

sin and

death.

So,

brothers and

sisters,

may we not

harden our

hearts, but

rather turn to

the one who

alone has the

power, in the

words of Psalm

103, 4, to

forgive all our

sins, to

heal all our

diseases, to

redeem our

life from the

pit, and to

crown us with

love and

compassion.

Thanks be to

God.

God bless you.