The Blessed Man

denied in our Bibles to Psalm 1, the first Psalm. Psalm 1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

The book of Psalms is called the church's hymn book. It is part of the scriptures that the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, told his disciples contained things written of him that he had to fulfill. And I want you to notice that in this first Psalm, The scriptures are designated in verse 2 as the law of the Lord. The law of the Lord. I'm sure you're familiar that the longest psalm, Psalm 119, is all about the scriptures and there's seven different words in that psalm that are used to speak of the scriptures and the first one that is given is the law of the Lord. And I mention this only because the term law sometimes certainly means the Ten Commandments or the law which was given to the nation of Israel on Mount Sinai. Sometimes when you're reading the scripture and it just makes reference to the law, it's talking about that law that God gave to Israel through Moses. But then many times the word law, the law of the Lord, has reference to all the scripture, all the Old Testament part of our Bible.

As I read in the Psalms, I see two things, basically. First of all, I see prophecies that speak of the Savior who was promised to come. and also I see experiences that the psalmist David had and others because some other men wrote some of the Psalms, experiences which they had that as we travel through this world as pilgrims we certainly may identify with.

Let me give us two examples. First of all, keep your places here, but turn with me to Psalm 80. And here's an example of seeing Christ, a prophecy concerning Christ. And there's so many of them, but I chose this one tonight, Psalm 80 and verse 17. Psalm 80 and verse 17.

The psalmist said, let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. Now, obviously, all of us here tonight recognize that man that God made strong, that God man, is the Lord Jesus Christ. And how strong is he? Well, he was strong enough to bear all the sins of his people. They were all imputed to him, charged to his account, and the scripture says he bore them in his own body on the tree. And, you know, there's so many references in the Psalms, through the Psalms, of the Lord Jesus Christ.

When he told those Jews, search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, but there they would testify of me. and you will not come to me that you might have life. And also, as I said, we see experiences that the psalmist had that we certainly may identify with. And one example I thought I would give tonight is Psalm 130. Psalm 130. Psalm 130, out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.

You know, it doesn't tell us what depth he was in when he cried. And aren't you thankful? Aren't you thankful tonight that it wasn't one particular depth that this man was in, but all of God's children, and we have different experiences and many times we're in the depths, depths of depression, depths of discouragement. Depths of doubt.

I mean, there's all kinds of depths that God's people find themselves in, but like the psalmist said here, out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice. Let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

That's an experience that all of us are familiar with, isn't it? We realize that if God was keeping a record of our sins, if there were not forgiveness, and another Psalm says, there's forgiveness with thee that thou mightest be feared. And thank God that our record has been erased. If the Lord kept record of all our iniquity, who could stand before God?

I couldn't. Could you? Could you? I don't think so. I don't think anyone could. But thank God the Lord Jesus Christ, through his blood that we sang about just a few minutes ago, what can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Christ. Now back to the psalm Psalm 1.

I want us to consider three things that are said here about the blessed man. I'm going to skip over the three negatives. Not that they're not important, because they are. But I will save that for another time maybe. But tonight I want us to look at the three positive things that are said about the man who is blessed.

Now if you were to ask the world, most people in the world, who is blessed? Most likely you wouldn't get any of these answers, these three answers. But I'm thankful tonight we are given them, and we are given them from God, who truly knows what it is to be blessed. Many times we think we are blessed, and what we think is a blessing turns out to be not so great a blessing.

I remember a pastor friend of mine told me this experience. One day, one of the ladies in this congregation was very happy, and she said, the Lord's blessed me and given me a job. Well, that's a blessing, isn't it, to have a job? But she said, I won't be able to come to church anymore. And a pastor said, how could you call that a blessing? How could you call that a blessing, something that's going to take you out of the worship of God, of hearing the word of God? And that's just a poor example, I understand. But we're poor judges of what are really blessings.

The world, they think riches. I was reading today an article by Charles Spurgeon, and he pointed out most people think that wellness, Being well, healthy, is a great blessing. He said it is, but there's one greater. What is it? Sickness. Now most people wouldn't say that, but he said he had learned more about the grace of God. on a sick bed than he ever had when he was well. And the sun was shining and he was healthy as far as that mattered.

But let's look tonight on three things about the blessed man. First, the blessed man delights in the scriptures. Notice what he says in verse two, but his delight, that is the delight of the blessed man, his delight is in the law of the Lord. I've already mentioned that refers to the scriptures. His delight is in the law of the Lord.

Have you ever watched a film of a colt being born or a calf or or some animal, it seems like immediately, as soon as they can stand on their feet, they know where there's food. They know where to look, where to go to start finding nourishment for their bodies. And the same is true of a person when born of the Spirit of God. As the Apostle Peter said, desire the sincere milk of the word. Dearly beloved, desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby. Look with me, if you will, in 2 Timothy, just a few minutes. 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2nd Timothy chapter 3 and verses 15 and 16.

Paul was writing to this younger pastor reminding him that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scriptures given by inspiration of God And it's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

You know, the Christian life consists basically of two things, faith and practice. Faith and practice. And the first thing that Paul says about the scripture that I would point out to us here is the scriptures are able to make a person wise unto salvation. Now we recognize, when I make a statement like that, we recognize with God's blessings, with God the Holy Spirit quickening, The word coming in power, but it is the word, the scriptures that comes in power that God uses in saving his people. The Apostle James said it like this. his own will begat he us with the word of truth that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures and then of course let me read us this verse here in first Peter chapter 1 that speaks to us about being begotten again with the word first Peter chapter 1 and verse 23 being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. It's through the scriptures, when we think about this statement, that the scripture is able to make a person wise unto salvation.

When the apostle Paul wrote the letter Romans. You know how he begins that letter, he shows how that the whole world is guilty before God, and by the whole world of course he's talking about the Jews and the Gentiles. But what does he use? How, without the scriptures, how would we ever learn our need of salvation? What did the Apostle Paul use there in Romans when he showed how the whole world is guilty before God? That every mouth might be stopped and the whole world become guilty before God, Jew and Gentile. What did he use? He used scripture after scripture. And many of the scriptures he used came from the book of Psalms. For instance, he quoted from Psalm 14 when he wrote, as it is written, and where is it written? In Psalm 14, there's none righteous, none, none. There's none righteous, no, not one.

It's through the scriptures that we learn. It's not through nature. Nature teaches us there is a God. And that is enough to make man responsible, but nature is not going to teach a man that he needs a savior, that he's guilty. Philosophy is not going to teach him that. And the wise, so-called wise man, the learned man of this world will not teach him that.

But if he comes to the word of God, and reads the Word of God with God's blessing. One thing he's going to learn pretty quick, he needs a savior. He's a sinner. The Word of God doesn't cut any corners, does it? I mean, it just clearly shows us that we are guilty before God. None righteous, no, not one. None that understandeth. On and on he goes. And then it is through the scriptures, when Paul says, are able to make a person wise unto salvation, it's through the scriptures that we learn of our need of salvation.

But just knowing our need, that's not enough, is it? It's not enough. Suppose we were sick physically. and we had a broken arm or something, and yes, we might see it dangling down, and we know our need, but we need more. We need help. We need salvation. Well, where are we going to find out about salvation? It's only through faith, as he said, faith which is in Christ Jesus. You know the scriptures reveal that without the shedding of blood there is no remission.

And that's revealed almost on the first, well it is, not the first page of scripture, but in the third chapter of Genesis, those coats that God clothed Adam and Eve with, where did he get those coats? Coats of animal skin. There was blood shed, right? Yes, almost from the very first chapter, the third chapter on, we learn and we see it over and over as we go through the law, the shedding of blood, the shedding of blood.

Every day, morning and evening, a lamb was slain. On the great day of atonement, when the high priest went into the most holy place, never without blood. First of all, blood to atone for his own sin, and then blood to atone for the sins of the nation, the people of Israel. That taught us, that teaches us the need of blood, that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. But you and I know, and the scriptures declare, that the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin.

Has to be the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And you know, it wasn't just the shedding of blood either. He shed blood when he was circumcised. His blood was shed. But it takes the shedding of blood unto death. Death was a penalty of sin. And the Lord Jesus Christ died in the place and in the stead of sinners. We're all familiar with this fact, but just remember again, when you hear the gospel preached, you will always hear substitution and satisfaction. Someone died in the place of the guilty, the innocent one, the holy one, and satisfying God's holy law.

All right, the scripture is able to make us wise unto salvation, but Paul doesn't stop there. He continues. The scriptures are profitable, he says, in these four areas. Let's just go through them quickly. First of all, they're profitable for doctrine. The word translated doctrine means, of course, instruction. instruction. You've probably heard over the years, I don't like doctrine. I don't like to hear that preacher. He's a doctrinal preacher. I like to hear practical preaching. I just want to hear how we're supposed to live. Well, the way we live comes because of what we believe and the doctrine. Scripture is profitable rather for doctrine, for teaching us, instructing us, instructing us in the things of God.

You know it is in the scriptures that we learn that God is a trinity of persons, don't we? As I said, nature will teach us there is a God, But it is the scriptures that reveal unto us that there's three persons in the Godhead. And there's no one scripture which tells us God is a trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You can look through the Bible. You'll never find that one scripture that says that. But as you read through the scriptures, what is obvious What becomes obvious if you believe the word of God, the Father is referred to as God. The Son is referred to as God. The Holy Ghost is referred to as God. Well, there's only one God, and so he must exist in a trinity of persons.

And we believe that, I do. I think this is a fundamental doctrine, don't you? Someone asked me over the years, do you believe a person could be saved and not believe in the Trinity? Well, what God is that person believing in? It's not my place to say who's saved and who's not saved, but I want to know what God is he believing in if he denies the Trinity. the person of the Lord Jesus Christ we learn and nothing could be any more important than this to know that he is absolute God and yet he is absolute man.

Over the years, church history, and I love church history, but over the years, you know, that was one of the first things, even before the scriptures were finished, were completed, there was already that teaching that the Lord Jesus Christ was not, he didn't have a real body. He just appeared to have a body.

Because the Greeks, they were convinced that anything that's tangible is sinful. And they just could not believe that he could be holy if he had a body. But you and I know from the word of God, that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the son of God. And even the devils recognized him. And he had to be a man that he could bleed, and yet he had to be God that he could satisfy. We learn these things. Scripture is profitable for doctrine, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

He's referred to as the third person in the Godhead, but I've said this before. We don't think of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We think of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They're equal. As the Father is eternal, so is the Son and the Holy Spirit. As the Father is all-powerful, so is the Son and the Holy Spirit. I mean, all the attributes of God, His omnipotency, His omniscience, His immutability, it's true of each one. Why? Because each one is God.

The resurrection. And you read 1 Corinthians 15, and it's obvious that in the church at Corinth, there were already some people who were denying the resurrection. Paul said, if there is no resurrection then we are of all men most miserable. If Christ did not rise from the dead then our preaching is vain, it's useless, and you're still in your sins.

These things Doctrine, the Word of God. Where do we go to when we ask these questions, when we have these questions and these issues come up? Where do we go to? Do we go to the Fathers? No. We go to the Scriptures, to the Word of God, to thus saith the Lord.

Yes. But notice the apostle also says they're profitable for reproof. They convict us, don't they, of sin. They convict us of sin and how certain things, maybe things that we did not realize were not right, was not the thing to do. The scriptures serve like Nathan did to David. King David, remember, Nathan came to David and said, thou art the man. And the scriptures speak to us sometimes and tell us thou art the man. Yes, profitable for reproof. And number three, they're profitable for correction. They not only show us where we have failed, but they lead us in the way that we should go. Correction.

And as I was preparing these notes, I was thinking about a young child in the second or third grade when the teachers, maybe before that, I'm not sure when they start teaching math, but if a child had a problem 2 plus 2 equal, and that child puts out there 5. Well, what if the teacher didn't correct the child? What if the teacher just said, well, you know, it's OK. And the student continued to believe that 2 plus 2 equals 5.

Well, eventually, it's going to catch up with him, isn't it? I mean, the students need correction. Children need correction. That's the reason God gives parents to correct their children. That's not an easy job, is it? Younger people here that have children. When you get older, you'll realize you wish you had done things a lot different, but you only get one chance, one opportunity. Yes. Correction. Scriptures. Good, profitable for correction.

And not only correction, but instruction in righteousness. They teach us how God would have us to live. How we might live and glorify God as we live in His world. Look in 2 Peter again with me. Thinking about instruction in righteousness. In 2 Peter chapter 1, beginning with verse 4, the apostle said, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. What does that mean? That means that divine nature, that's that new nature. It doesn't mean that God is divided up into small parts and everybody has a part of God. No, it's a new nature that is created in righteousness and true holiness.

But notice, we're to add to that. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue. Instruction and righteousness, we're to be adding to our faith, we believe, yes, but we're to add virtue and not only virtue but knowledge and knowledge, temperance and temperance, patience and patience, godliness and to godliness, brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness, charity or love. So that's the first thing about the blessed man. I'll be very brief on the second and third, but go back with me.

The second thing we see about the blessed man, not only is his delight in the law of the Lord, but the blessed man meditates in the scripture. He doesn't just read the scripture, he meditates in the scripture. Many years ago, when I was a young believer, I learned this, and eventually I stopped it, but I think it's a good practice.

Every morning, take one verse of scripture, maybe write it on a card or a piece of paper, put it in your pocket, and as you go off to work and have opportunity through the day, look at this scripture, Think about it. Ask it questions if you want to. And just through the day, think about that one scripture. And then not only will you memorize, will you lay it to your heart, but it will mean more to you. Meditate upon it. And at night, when you turn off the lights and lay down to go to sleep, turn over that scripture in your mind. Meditate. The blessed man meditates on the Word of God. Here's the third thing.

The blessed man is like a tree planted by the rivers of water. Now notice, I think there's two or three places in the Psalms where a tree is used. A tree is used to as an example of a wicked man, but a tree is used as an example of a blessed man, too. And here, it's like a tree planted by the rivers of water. need water, don't they? Plants need water. I mean, we all know that. Plants need water to live.

And Christ, he is the blessed man's life. We live because he lives. For a saved person to lose that eternal life, Christ himself would have to die. Because he is our life. Plants need water to live. Plants need water to grow. And the blessed man grows in grace and knowledge of the Lord. And plants need water to produce fruit. And the blessed man will have fruit.

He may not see it in himself, but others will see it. Fruit like that which is named in Galatians the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. How many wild men, just as wild as that demoniac of Gadara. as God saved. I mean, men who were mean and cruel, and God saved them, gave them a new heart, and they became kind and gentle. That's what the Word of God and the power of the Holy Ghost can do. Amen? Okay, let's sing this last hymn and we'll be dismissed.

The Blessed Man

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The Blessed Man

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