True Happiness - Psalm 1

and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers.

Not so the wicked.

They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

Well, let's pray.

Father, thank you for your word

and we thank you for these psalms.

Real, true life experiences of people

as they cry out to you.

Expressing what is upon their heart.

Turning their devotion and attention to you.

And Father, we pray

that as we read through

and think about this psalm together,

as we meditate upon your word,

that it would draw us to delight in you more and more.

it would cause us to be full of joy,

contentment,

rest,

and at peace with you.

Father, by your Spirit,

speak truth into our lives.

We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

So,

are you a happy person?

Do you think you're happy?

Well, let me ask it another way.

What do you need in your life

to make you happy?

What if you could have it

at the click of a finger

in your life right now

and would make you happy?

What would you want?

Would it be more money

so that you can afford

that super holiday?

Would it be better health

so that you don't have to deal

with constant nagging pain?

Maybe it would be

to have someone in your life,

a husband or a spouse

or wife,

so that you're no longer alone.

Maybe you just look

for stability in work

so that you're free from worry

and everything about the future

is sorted.

What if you could have it

would make you happy?

Well, Psalm 1 not only tells us

that we can be truly happy,

it tells us how

we can find true happiness.

Look at verse 1.

It starts with this introduction,

blessed is the one.

Blessed is the person.

Blessed simply means

to be happy.

It doesn't mean that we're always

jumping up and down

with excitement.

It doesn't mean that we have

a permanent smile

edged on our face.

To be blessed,

to be happy,

is to experience

a joyful contentment

in life

whatever

our circumstances.

Let me just go through

that definition again.

To be blessed,

to be happy,

is to experience

a joyful contentment

in life

whatever

our experiences.

So where can we find

this true happiness?

Well, Psalm 1 introduces us

to two paths

or two ways

in which we can live.

First there is the path

that leads to happiness

and that's described

in verses 1 to 3.

Then we'll see

an opposite path,

a path that leads

to sorrow

which is described

in verses 4 and 5.

And then these two ways

are contrasted

in verse 6.

So let's read verse 6.

For the Lord

watches over the way

of the righteous

but the way

of the wicked

will perish.

As we go through the psalm

we'll see there's a way

that prospers

and a way

that perishes.

A path

that brings

true happiness

and a path

that brings

unending sorrow.

So let's together

have a look

at these two paths

in our pursuit

of happiness.

first

the path

of happiness

delighting

in God's

word.

The path

of happiness

is marked

or is found

by delighting

in the word

of God.

So look at verse 1

again at the beginning.

Blessed

or happy

is the one.

Why are they happy?

Why are they

so joyfully

content

in life?

because

verse 2

his delight

is in the law

of the Lord.

The law

refers to

the scriptures

God's spoken

word

to us.

So the happy

person

is joyfully

content

because

they are

delighting

or they find

delight

in God's word.

everything

they need

for life

is found

in God's

word to us.

God's word

is fulfilling.

It is

satisfying.

It is

refreshing.

It's like a

tonic.

It tastes

good.

Have a look

at Psalm

19

briefly.

Just flick

over to

Psalm

19.

Psalm

19.

Verse 7

Here is a

description

of the

delight

in God's

word.

How it

brings joy

and contentment.

How we are

to delight

in it.

Let's pick

it up

in verse 7.

The law

of the

Lord is

perfect

reviving

the soul.

The statutes

of the

Lord are

trustworthy

making

wise

the simple.

The precepts

of the

Lord are

right giving

joy to

the heart.

The commands

of the

Lord are

radiant giving

light to

the eyes.

The fear

of the

Lord is

pure enduring

forever.

The ordinances

of the

Lord are

sure altogether

righteous.

They are

more precious

than gold

than much

pure gold.

They are

sweeter than

honey than

honey from

the comb.

By them

is your

servant warned.

In keeping

them

there is

great

reward.

Back to

Psalm 1.

So you

see God's

word satisfies

and fulfills

its refreshing.

It's like

drinking in a

tonic.

It tastes

good.

Now if we're

to delight

in God's

word

that means

we must

listen to

it

intently.

Look at the

rest of

verse 2

of Psalm

1.

His

delight is

in the

law of

the

Lord

and on

his

law

he

meditates

day and

night.

Now

modern

meditation

as I'm

sure you've

probably

heard is

often

associated

with

emptying

your mind.

Take

everything

out of

your mind

and just

have an

emptiness

a space

and be

quiet.

But

meditation

as far

as the

Bible

is concerned

is not

about

emptying

our

minds

but

rather

filling

our

minds

with

God's

word.

Meditation

means we

are to

be soaked

in

scripture.

We are

to think

upon it,

reflect

on it,

talk about

it to

each other

and apply

it,

work it

into our

lives.

Meditation

is an

activity

of thinking

through

God's

word.

And

there's

good reason

for this

meditation

of

thinking

and

reading

through

God's

word.

Because

the

person

who

meditates

on it,

look at

verse 3,

they are

like a

tree

planted

by

streams

of

water

which

yields

its

fruit

in

season

and

whose

leaf

does

not

wither.

Now

we're

used to

in this

country

rain,

lots

of it,

too

much

of it.

But

that's

not the

climate

of

Sam

1.

It's

written

in a

place

where

there's

a

desert

and

trees

struggle

to

grow,

where

plants

die

because

there

isn't

enough

water.

So

in a

barren

land,

a tree

that is

planted

beside

the

stream

will

not

only

survive,

it

is

going

to

thrive.

It

like

stands

out

amongst

everything

else.

It

sends

its

roots

deep

down,

drawing

life

into

its

branches.

It

will

be,

verse 3,

fruitful.

It

will bring

forth

a harvest

in season.

And in

the same

way as

we delight

in,

as we

meditate

upon

God's

word,

as we

send

our

roots

deep

down

into

the

waters

of

life,

we

will

be

fruitful

because

God's

word

is

life.

In

fact,

look at

the end

of

verse 3.

Whatever

they do

prospers.

Now

this

fruitful

prosperous

life does

not mean

or does

not guarantee

that we'll

walk through

life full

of health

and full

of wealth.

Lots

of people,

lots of

teachers

of the

Bible,

which I

think are

completely

wrong,

will tell

you that,

well,

follow this

and everything

will go

well for

you.

Nothing

will go

wrong.

Well,

this is

not a

promise

for success

instead of

suffering.

That's not

the kind

of fruit

or prosperity

that is

being

promised.

In fact,

if you

read through

the Psalms

very quickly,

you will

discover

that as

we journey

and walk

through life,

we will

go through

all kinds

of troubles

and hardships

and difficulties.

They are

unavoidable.

So,

what's

being

promised

to us?

Well,

the kind

of fruit,

the kind

of prosperity

that we're

being promised

is the

fruit that

comes as

we are

being

nourished

by God's

word.

Fruit

that will

give us

joyful

contentment

whatever our

circumstances

are in

life.

The kind

of fruit

it will

produce is

freedom

from our

guilt and

shame.

Forgiveness

of all our

sin and

failure.

Grace

when we

feel weak

and low.

Joy

in times

of struggle

and suffering.

Assurance

when we're

afraid and

in doubt.

Confidence

that God

is working

all things

for good

as we

sang earlier.

Absolute

conviction

that nothing

can separate

us from

God's love.

peace in

times of

trouble and

trials.

Comfort

when we

lose a

loved one.

Hope

when we

are facing

death.

Eternal

life

when Christ

comes again.

All of

this wonderful

fruit in

abundance.

This is

what we

are promised

as we

meditate

on God's

word.

Joyful

contentment

whatever

circumstance

of life

we face.

True

happiness

is found

as we

delight

in God's

word.

So that

is the

path of

happiness.

But then

in contrast

we are

shown the

path of

sorrow

which is

a rejection

of God's

word.

That's the

path of

sorrow marked

out by

rejection

of his

word.

You see

the happy

person

delights

in God's

word.

Verse

four

not so

the

wicked.

Look at

the contrast

between the

path of

happiness

and the

path of

sorrow.

Go back

to verse

one.

Blessed

or happy

is the

one who

does not

walk in

the counsel

of the

wicked,

does not

stand in

the way

of sinners,

does not

sit in

the seat

of mockers.

that's the

happy

one.

But the

person whose

life ends

in sorrow,

in contrast,

again look at

verse one,

does walk

in the

counsel of

the wicked.

They do

stand in

the way of

the sinners.

They do

sit in

the seat

of mockers.

Can you

see the

progression

that's

unfolding?

They start

by walking

in their

counsel.

They listen

to what

others have

to say.

Then they

stop and

stand in

the way of

sinners.

They begin

to reflect

on it and

engage with

it.

And then

finally they

sit down

with the

mockers.

It's what

begins to

shape and

direct their

life and

how they

live.

It's a

dangerous

progression.

Walking,

standing,

and then

sitting.

You see,

when we

stop listening

to the

word,

it's because

we've started

listening to

the world.

And it

can so

easily happen

to each

one of us.

We start

listening to

the counsel

of the

world.

What does

the world

tell me?

And then

we begin

to think

like the

world

thinks.

And then

in time

over

progression,

we start

to behave

as the

world.

world.

You see,

the big

message of

the world

is simply

this,

that there

is no

God.

In fact,

it's you

who are

God.

We're all

little

gods.

So listen

to yourself.

You know

what you

want.

You know

what's best

for yourself.

So do

what pleases

you and

do what

delights in

you.

And that

is the

basis of

this

mindfulness

or meditation

that is so

popular.

other.

It's

about

giving to

yourself

everything

that pleases

you.

And if

it makes

you happy,

you do

it.

It doesn't

matter the

consequences

to anybody

else.

Whatever

you do,

do not

listen to

God.

Listen to

your own

voice.

Listen to

the voice

of the

world.

You are

God.

So do

what you

want and

what pleases

you.

it seems

very little

has changed

from the

garden of

Eden when

the devil

came to

Adam and

Eve and

said after

God had

very clearly

spoken to

them,

Satan says

did God

really say?

It's an

undermining of

what God

has said.

In fact,

what does

he say?

You will

be like

God.

It seems

so attractive

but in

the end

it will

come to

sorrow.

Again,

look at the

contrast in

verse 4.

Not so

the wicked.

In other

words,

they are not

like the

fruitful tree

of verse 3.

They're not

like the tree

planted by

streams of

water which

yields its

fruit.

Instead,

verse 4,

they are

like chaff

that the

wind blows

away.

Chaff is

that waste

that surrounds

the grain,

the kernel

of the grain.

It's of

no value.

If you

were to

go shopping

down to

Dunn's or

to Super

Value and

you're looking

for your

favourite

cereal,

you won't

find anything

called

chaffabix

or chaff

flakes.

Not very

exciting and

won't taste

very nice.

The chaff

is the

waste.

waste.

It

produces

nothing

that lasts.

Its only

value is

to be

thrown out,

to be put

on a fire

and burned.

And it's

a terrible

picture of

one who

listens to

the world

rather than

the word.

It's a life

that ends

in fruitlessness

and all

they produce

is worthless,

nothing.

nothing.

Now you

might think

well that's

not actually

true.

Because I

know lots

of people

who don't

listen to

the word

and they

listen to

the world

and they

do their

own thing

and when

I look

at their

life they

seem to

prosper.

Everything

they do

seems to

be successful.

And that's

a theme that

runs through

the Psalms.

If you look

at it Psalm 72

I think is

one.

If you read

through Psalm 72

that's the

theme.

It's saying

I looked

and the

wicked

prosper.

And the

innocent

well they

seem to

suffer.

The one

who seeks

to do

God's

will

ends up

in more

trouble.

It seems

like the

wicked

get away

with it.

And that's

the struggle

and the

tension

in life.

But

when they

stand before

God as

judge,

when we

all stand

before God

and have

to give

an account

for our

life,

well their

life will

be like

chaff.

There will

be nothing.

In fact,

it will be

an eternal

judgment.

Look at

verse 5.

Therefore,

the wicked,

those who

do not

listen to

God's

word,

will not

stand in

the judgment,

nor sinners

in the

assembly

of the

righteous.

The image

that we

are given

in verse 4

of the

chaff being

blown away

reflects the

judgment

that is

pronounced

in verse 5.

Pre-technology

farmers would

have to sort

out the

grain from

the chaff.

They would

get their

winnowing fork,

as it was

called,

they would

dig it in,

throw it up

into the air,

the wind

would blow

through,

and it

would blow

all the

chaff,

all the

waste away,

and then

the heavy

grain would

fall to

the ground,

and they

would store

the grain

and the

chaff and

everything

would be

blown away,

gathered up,

and burned.

Well,

that's the

picture of

God's

judgment that

we have in

verse 5.

Those who

reject the

word,

those who

turn away

from God,

are like

chaff.

When they

stand before

God in

his judgment,

they will

not stand.

They will

have nothing

to stand

for.

It is like

the wind

of God's

judgment

will come

in and

blow them

away,

and they

will become

nothing,

they will

perish.

In fact,

end of

verse 5,

they will

not stand,

the sinners

will not

stand in

the assembly

of the

righteous.

The

assembly is

simply the

gathering of

God's

people.

It is

where we

get our

New

Testament

word for

church.

Church are

those who

belong to

God.

It is not

the building.

It is the

people of

God who

belong to

him today

and will

be with

him for

all eternity.

And at

the end

of it all

they will

not stand,

they will

not have a

place with

God's

people in

his eternal

kingdom.

Instead of

eternal

happiness,

it will be

eternal

judgment,

separation

from him.

So the

path of

sorrow is

marked by

rejecting this

life-giving

word and

listening to

the words.

So there we

have two

paths, the

path of

happiness and

the path of

sorrow.

And the

question is,

what path

am I going

to walk?

Now we

all know

which path

we want

to walk.

But the

truth is,

with a

little bit

of looking

inwardly,

we actually

know how

we all

walk.

So often

we are

not like

the person

in verse

one.

We do

walk,

in the

counsel of

the wicked.

We do

stand in

the way

of sinners.

And we

do sit

in the

seat of

mockers.

And so

often we

are not

like the

person of

verse two.

Our delight

is not in

God's word.

We never

seem to have

time to

meditate on

it.

We're so

busy doing

other things.

And it's

hard enough

for me to

do it once

a week,

never mind

meditating on

it day

and night.

And as

I reflect

on my

life a bit

more,

well,

it's really

not like

the tree

planted by

streams of

water.

Sometimes

I find it

is fruitless.

And the

leaves do

wither.

water.

So where

does that

actually

leave us?

Well,

look at how

the two

ways are

contrasted in

verse six.

The Lord

watches over

the way of

the righteous

or the

blessed,

the person

who delights

in God's

word,

but the

way of

the wicked

will perish.

it's like

verse six

is a

sting in

the tail.

The psalm

paints the

picture of

the person

we all

want to

be.

But as the

psalm

progresses and

as we

meditate and

reflect and

think upon

it,

we come to

the terrible

conclusion that

we're not

like this

person.

We fail

far too

often.

So is

there any

one of

us who

can actually

walk the

right path?

Well,

there is

one who

has walked

the right

path for

us.

The God

man,

Jesus

Christ.

Listen to

how John,

the author

in the New

Testament,

John's

Gospel

introduces

us to

Jesus.

This is at

the beginning

of his

Gospel.

He says,

in the

beginning

was the

Word,

and the

Word was

with God,

and the

Word was

God.

He was

with God

in the

beginning.

The Word

became flesh

and made

his dwelling

among us,

and from

the fullness

of his

grace,

we have

received one

blessing

after another.

The

Word

is living.

The

Word came

to us

in a

person,

the person

of Jesus

Christ,

and he

walked this

life and

lived our

life for

us.

Where we

rejected God's

Word,

Christ

delighted in

God's Word.

Where we

have disobeyed,

he obeyed the

Word fully and

completely.

He lived a

faithful and

fruitful life

for us.

He is

the person

of Psalm

1,

the blessed

man who

did not

walk in

the counsel

of the

wicked or

stand in

the way of

sinners or

sit in the

seat of

mockers,

but delighted

in the

Word.

But more

than that,

Jesus Christ

is the one

who walked

the path

for us

and died

our death

for us.

verse 6

of Psalm

1,

For the

Lord watches

over the

way of

the righteous,

but the

way of

the wicked

will perish.

Christ

was treated

like the

wicked for

us,

so that we

might be

treated as

righteous like

him.

He took

our judgment

upon us,

so that we

would not

perish,

but prosper.

As Christ

died on the

cross,

he took

upon himself

all our

sorrow,

so that we

might experience

his happiness.

Again,

listen to

the words

of Christ,

the living

Word.

It's there

at the bottom

of the screen.

I tell you

the truth,

Jesus said,

whoever

hears my

word,

believes him

who sent

me,

has eternal

life,

will not be

condemned.

He is

crossed over

from death

to life.

Life is

found in

the living

Word,

the person

Jesus

Christ.

Now,

the way

we are to

express our

faith in

Christ,

and our

dependence

upon him,

is

delighting

in his

Word.

Go with

me,

please,

to

John

John 15 · chapter mention

chapter

15.

John's

gospel

chapter

15.

Somebody

got a

page

number?

1-0-8-3.

1-0-8-3.

John

chapter

15,

and down

in verse

7.

Again,

listen to

the living

Word,

Jesus

speaking

his

words

to

us.

Verse

7,

chapter

7,

verse

15,

if

you

remain

in

me,

and

my

words

remain

in

you.

So,

he's

talking

in

similar

language

to

Psalm

1,

if

you

meditate,

as

you

delight

in

God's

Word,

as

the

Word

remains

in

you,

as

you

think

about

it,

you

dwell

upon

it,

ask

whatever

you

wish,

and

it

will

be

given

you.

Ask

whatever

you

wish,

and

it

will

be

given

you.

Now,

again,

that doesn't

mean God

is going

to give

you

whatever

you

demand,

health

and

wealth.

No,

as we

are

nourished

by the

life-giving

word,

we can

ask

God

that he

will

produce

fruit

in

us.

Look

at

verse

8.

this is

to my

father's

glory,

that you

bear much

fruit,

showing

yourselves

to be

my

disciples.

It's

really a

prayer that we

will become

like the

blessed,

happy person

of Psalm 1,

that we

will be like

that tree

planted by

streams of

water which

yields its

fruit in season

and whose

leaf does

not wither.

as we

delight,

as we

remain,

as we

express our

faith in

Christ by

delighting in

his word,

he will

produce a

fruit in

us that

will bring

glory to

God.

So as we

delight in

the word,

as we

meditate upon

his word,

we will

experience

true happiness,

a joyful

contentment in

life,

whatever our

circumstances

are in

life.

Now, I

want to be

very practical

this morning

and help

us on that

path and

to help us

on that

journey.

As we

read through

Psalm 1

and we're

thinking,

right,

meditate,

well,

think upon,

delight in

God's word,

how am I

going to

do that?

Well,

turn back

to Psalm

119.

Psalm 119

is the

longest

psalm in

the book

of Psalms.

And you

will see

that it

starts,

it's kind

of divided

up into

little sections

of about

eight verses

in each

one.

Remember,

verses were

added a long

time,

they're not

inspired by

God.

But what is

inspired is,

you'll see at

the beginning,

there's a little

introduction,

it's got a

letter,

it's not an

English letter,

but it's a

Hebrew letter.

So it's got,

it looks like

an X,

don't ask me

what it is,

I should know

that and look

it up,

but Aleph,

right,

so the first

letter in

the Hebrew

alphabet.

And as you

read through

that,

if you're

reading the

original in

Hebrew,

then the

beginning of

every line

starts with

the first

letter of

the Hebrew

alphabet.

And then

you go on

to the

next section

where it

says Beth,

and it

starts with

the second

letter of