Prosperous, to have a real good
income, high salary, no financial worries at all. I was listening
to some folks talk not too awful long ago, there was a young person
in college talking about being a school teacher and being a coach. teach young
people sports and in school. And the comment was made, there's
no money in that. Well, you can be sure that's
true. There's no money in that. Some of you all can vouch for
that. But there's some things money can't buy. And the truly
good things money can't buy, happiness and contentment. principle and accomplishments for which people
are remembered and treasured and appreciated. You don't buy
those things. But it's a blessing to be financially
secure, there's no question about that, prosperous. Someone else
would say, well, to be strong, beautiful, beautiful, famous. to have influence, to have authority,
to have some input among people. When you call your name, everybody
kind of looks up, you know, maybe asks for your autograph. Well, it's a blessing to be beautiful,
to be strong and famous, I'm sure. Someone else would say,
well, the greatest blessing would be just to be free from worry.
is not to have cares and worry and trouble, to be free from
those things. I suppose that, I know that would
be nice, wouldn't it? But you know one thing all of
these things have in common, healthy, prosperous, beautiful,
strong, family, friends, security, freedom from worry, all of them
have one thing in common, they're temporary. Every single one of
them. They're here today and gone tomorrow. The fashion of this world and
all these things have to do with the world, it fadeth away. They can be enjoyed, oh my, they
can be enjoyed but for a season, just for a season. real joy,
real contentment, real happiness. And peace cannot be found in
something temporary. It's impossible to find real
happiness and joy and contentment in anything that's temporary,
because you know it's got to go. And sooner or later it will
go, it will perish. Here David tells us, and young
folks try to listen to me, David tells us who the person is who's
truly blessed. Highly favored of God. To be
blessed. When the angel came to Mary,
the angel said, Blessed art thou among women. Blessed are you
among women. Highly favored of God. Thou hast
found favor with God. Now that's what David's talking
about here. Someone said twice blessed. Blessed in things temporal
and things spiritual. Twice blessed. Blessed in this
world and in the world to come. Well let's look at it. Psalm
1. Blessed. Blessed. I say blessed. Some people say blessed. But
that doesn't matter. Blessed is the man. That's the
very first word. Blessed is the person. The man. That's woman. Man. Woman. It
doesn't say blessed is the king, blessed is the scholar. It doesn't say blessed are the
rich, blessed are the famous. It says blessed is the man, the
person, just a person like you and me. Blessed is the person,
an ordinary man, an ordinary woman, flesh and blood. There was a man sent from God
whose name was John, just a man. John never performed a miracle,
did you know that? Never performed a miracle, John
the Baptist. Just a man sent from God. Somebody asked him
who he was, he said, I'm just a voice. Just a voice. A voice is heard and then heard
no more. A voice delivers a message and
then it's gone. Don't even give me a name, he
said, I'm just a voice, just a man sent from God. A man with
infirmities, a man or woman not without fault, not without trial,
not without sorrows, just a man. And everybody here tonight will
fit this description. Blessed is the man. You don't
need any qualifications except to be a human being to claim
these blessings. Oh, he says, blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly. That's the first
thing about this blessed person, is he walks not in the counsel
of the ungodly. What is the counsel of the ungodly?
Well, the counsel of the ungodly is the counsel of the world.
The ungodly as opposed to the godly. The natural as opposed
to the spiritual. What is the counsel of the ungodly?
It's their opinions. It's their philosophy. The counsel
of the natural man, the ungodly, the world, is the opinions and
philosophy which is contrary to the wisdom of God. Which is
contrary to the word of God. And the man who is blessed is
the man who does not give in to, does not listen to, is not
impressed with, and does not act according to this world's
opinion. This world's philosophy. That
man's blessed. In other words, peer pressure
is no problem with this man. He doesn't walk with them. He
doesn't listen to them. He doesn't agree with them. He's
not impressed. He doesn't act according to them.
He walks God's way. God's path. Listen to David over
in Psalm 27. In Psalm 27, and this is what
the girls were singing about, Psalm 27 verse 11, teach me thy
way O Lord and lead me in a way of plainness, a plain path, a
path of principle and values and honor and truth and godliness
and wisdom. Well let me listen to the voices
out here and be impressed by them. Blessed is that man who
can say no to the opinions and philosophy of this world. And
then secondly, blessed is the man who does not stand in the
way of sinners. Now the natural man has a way.
The book of Proverbs talks about this. Turn to Proverbs 14. About three scriptures over here
in Proverbs. The way of the transgressor,
the word of God calls it. The way that seems right to a man, seems
right to the natural man. Proverbs 14, verse 12. There is a way, it's contrary
to God's way, it's contrary to the scriptures, but there's a
way that seems right unto a man. A natural man. But the end thereof
are the ways of death. Turn to Proverbs 16. Proverbs 16. And usually this
is the way. What way? It's the way of self.
My way. That's a popular thought. I'll
do it my way. It's a way of pride. It's a way of materialism. It's
a way of covetousness. In religion, it's the way of
form. It's a way of ceremony. It's a way of works. It seems
right to a man. This just seems right to me. And it's the ways of death. Look
at Proverbs 16, verse 25. There is a way that seemeth right
unto men, unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Now, Proverbs 21. In Proverbs 21, he says in verse
1, the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. Aren't we thankful
for that? As the rivers of water God will
turn it whether so ever he will. And every way of a man, now here's
what I want you to see, every way of a man is right in his
own eyes. Of course he justifies himself. Of course what he does and what
his opinion is, what his belief is, is right in his eyes, but
the Lord ponders the hearts. God said my ways are not your
ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts.
Moses prayed in Exodus 33, Lord show me your way, teach me thy
way. And blessed is the man who is
not impressed with the world's counsel and wisdom and does not
walk in the way of sinners. Now look at the third thing it
says about him in verse 1. And he doesn't sit in the seat
of the scornful. You meet the scornful every day.
The media, that's the scornful. They make fun of precious things,
honorable things. They're scornful people, cynical
people. The scornful, the entertainment
world. They can turn things around and
ridicule and make a comic, a comical thing out of serious things of
principle and truth, make fun. Your colleges and universities
are full of people standing up lecturing and teaching classes
that are scornful. Colleges and universities are
filled with businessmen, scornful. cynical, medical people. And these scornful are usually
the intellectuals and educated people and so-called wise people,
they're scornful. They're cynical, they're critical
of everything spiritual, they're critical of the gospel, the word
of God. And these scornful people are
not teachable. They know so much more than the
simple folks. It's like these Pharisees, our
Lord was speaking and one of them said to him, where did you
get your learning? This man has never been to school,
this man has never been to our accepted universities, how did
he get this learning? He said that about Christ himself. They're not teachable. They know so much more than simple
folks. And they're seated in a place, it says they're seated.
Now, this is interesting. How does a person come to this
place? First, they're walking. And then
they're standing. And now they're seated. It's
like Christ is seated, never to be moved. He's seated on the
right hand of God. He's seated having finished his
work. He's seated, nothing's going to be changed. These people,
they walk in the council, in the opinions, in the philosophies
of the world, and then they stand and listen and agree, and then
they're seated. How did they come to this place,
that they're seated in a hardness of heart? hardness of heart, they are seated
on the throne of human opinion, they're not teachable, they're
not movable, in other words Christ said of them, leave them alone.
The disciples said to our Lord one day that the Pharisees didn't
like what she said, he said leave them alone. Leave them alone. They're blind leaders of the
blind, leave them alone. How did they get to that place?
They just suddenly hear these young people are like the girl
saying, teach me thy way. Tender, teachable, young, like
clay pliable, teach me thy way. Well now, maybe these very girls,
maybe you, maybe some other young person, someday, like some young
men and women I know that used to sit here. But there they are,
cynical, scornful, unteachable. He just didn't suddenly get that
way. He didn't go from tonight to tomorrow. But I'll tell you
how it happened right here. First of all, they walked with
him. They moved in that circle. They
passed along the way and listened to him. Listen to their opinions, listen
to their teaching. We're impressed with it. But
they're just passing by, you know. They still heard this message,
but they heard this other. They tuned their ears to this
other. And then one day, they stopped
and stood still and listened. And they were persuaded. And
they began to question this book. They began to try to find things
wrong with it. Maybe things they didn't agree
with. They were impressed with these
people. These were poor people. Believe in this, these are rich
folks. These are not too educated. These folks are professors. They've
got degrees. These folks were simple and they
were people that just ordinary folks.
And these folks were important. So they stopped and stood with
them. And then one day they sat down.
And that's where they're sitting and that's where they're going
to stay. That's right. So blessed is that man. Blessed
is that man when he comes to the full maturity of age. He's not impressed. He's not tuned into. He's not
in agreement with. He's not in accord with the counsel
of this world. He's God's man, going God's way. And he doesn't stand and listen
to them, and take part with them, and he doesn't sit in the seat
of the scornful. But I'll tell you another thing
about him, verse 2. Here's the blessed person. His
delight is in the word of the Lord. Now that word law, sometimes
in the scripture it means ceremonial law, sometimes it means the moral
law, sometimes it just means the word of God. David said,
I delight in the law of the Lord. He doesn't delight in rules and
regulations, he delights in the word of God, delight in the word
of God. And this man, this blessed man,
he delights in the word of God. You know, the Lord said this
about his word. I was trying to find it a moment
ago, but I couldn't turn to it. But I know it says this, he exalted
his word above his name. God exalts his word above his
name. That's the reason that that I
turn, when I want to preach to the young people on the blessed
man, I turn to see what God says about you, verse by verse. When
we preach about the priesthood, we go to Hebrews and preach verse
by verse. The Word of God is exalted above all things. It's above all things. The Word
of God is the children's bread. The Word of God, the Word of
God is the green pastures. He said he leads us in the green
pastures, makes us lie down in green pastures. That's his word.
Caesar was reading Philippians 3. Have you read that? How many times have you read
it? Rest your heart, it was brand new. It's just so refreshing. Just say it ourselves, reading
the word. It's the children's bread. It's
the green pastures in which we lie down and wallow. It's the
still water by which he leads us. He leads me by the still
waters. The counsel of this world is
uproariously disturbing. They can't even advertise anything
on TV. They're just like wild people,
you know. Talk so fast, I can't hear them
anyway. Maybe I'm blessed more than you
are. But they're wild people. What's blessing is the still
waters. I want preachers to calm down.
Tell me what you're saying. Still waters. Comforts and teaches and gives
me counsel and faith and encourages me. Read the word to me. Read the word to me. The Word
is our assurance. The Word is our source of faith.
The Word is our strength in trial. The Word is our comfort and solace.
The Word is the lamp to my feet and the light unto my path. Some
things are precious. The Word is one of them. To you that believe He's precious,
He's the most precious thing. He is the most precious. But
His blood is precious. We're redeemed with the precious
blood. This faith he gave us is precious. Precious. The death of the believer is
precious. But you turn to 2 Peter 1 forward
and read this. 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 4. Whereby are given unto us 2 Peter 1 verse 4, Whereby are
given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by
these, by these precious promises, you and I might be partakers
of the divine nature. That's how we're partakers of
the divine nature, these precious promises. Having escaped this
corruption, of the counsel of this world, the way of sinners,
the way that seems right to man, but the end is death and the
seed of the scornful. You want to escape it? Get in
the green pastures. Get by the still water. Get in
the word of the Lord. Lay hold of the precious, precious
promises of the precious Savior who shed his precious blood to
give you precious life and faith and to make your death precious.
That's the blessed man. His delight is in the word of
God. And listen, and in that word
does he meditate. He doesn't read it to argue.
He doesn't read it to prove a point. He doesn't read it to get smarter
than everybody else. He's like an old cow that just
eats and eats and eats and eats and eats and eats and eats and
burps it up and chews it. choose the good. He enjoys, he
meditates in the Word of God, meditates on the Word of God.
Not just on Sunday morning. Have you opened it this past
week? Or did you have to get it out
this morning and bring it to church for the first time all
week long? This man delights in God's precious
promises, and he delights in them day and night. Day and night. Commits them to memory, commits
them to heart, meditates. I just know this, and some people
talk about, they sometimes compliment me
that I can teach the Word. And God does give us some gifts
to teach the Word. But I tell you the way you learn
the word is to study it and read it and crown to God for an understanding. Teach me. Show me your way. Don't let me be wrong. Don't
let me deceive people. Teach me. We're not trying to
argue. We're not trying to be right
and prove everybody else wrong. That's not the goal. That's not
the objective. It's to know Him and His Word. Know Him. Meditate on the Word of God. Day and night. Meditate. That's what the disciples said
to the deacons when they ordained these deacons. They said, you
take care of these things and we'll give ourselves to what?
Prayer and the study of God's Word. And I do right to expect God
to Send an arrow into my head and
say this is the truth. I've got to study it, meditate
upon it. I've got to seek his face, pray. I'll tell you another thing about
this man. This man, he'll be like a tree. Like a tree, not
a weed springing up to be cut down. Not a seasonal flower that'll
vanish in the wind. Not a tumbleweed that's blown
from place to place. The Lord selects, this way is
a tree. I walk down to the park a lot
and I'm impressed by these trees. I say to Doris, look at that,
I bet that was 150 years old. Just think how deep that root
is, how long it took to grow that tree. That tree has seen
a lot of things come and go. Well this man, this blessed man,
is like a tree. Planted. Planted. He's planted. Somebody planted
him. He didn't grow up in the night
like a tar. He didn't grow up like a weed.
He didn't spring up like a bluebell. He was planted. Planted by God. Let me show you a couple of scriptures. Turn to Matthew 15. What I'm teaching is this, that
every believer, every child of God is planted by God on purpose,
he's elected, he's chosen, he's planted by God. Where he is,
God plants him. In Matthew 15, our Lord says
this in verse 12. Then came the disciples and said,
knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended when they heard
this saying? He answered and said, every plant which my heavenly
Father hath not planted shall be rooted up, every one of them. Leave them alone, let them alone.
The blind leaders of the blind, if the blind lead the blind,
both will fall into the ditch. But my Father plants these trees,
like a tree planted. I turn to Jeremiah, this is important,
Jeremiah 17. Jeremiah 17. This blessed person, this blessed
man, is a tree planted. In Jeremiah 17.5, did you find
it? I want you to look at it with
me. Jeremiah 17.5, Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that
trusteth in man. make his flesh his arm, whose
heart departed from the Lord. He be like the heath in the desert,
that's a little shrub, has no fruit bearing, no fruit, has
no seed, the dictionary says, no seed, it's just a heath in
the desert, in the dry parts of the desert, like a tumbleweed
I guess. He be like the heath in the desert, shall not see
when good cometh, but shall inhabit the parched places of the wilderness,
and the salt land not inhabited, but blessed is the man, blessed
is the man, woman, young person, boy or girl, that trusteth in
the Lord, whose hope the Lord is. He'll be like a tree planted,
planted by the waters that sprayeth out her roots by the river. He'll
not see when heat cometh, heat has no effect on him. Her leaves
shall be green, evergreen, never dies. Shall not be careful in
the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
Oh boy, a tree planted. Now here's one more scripture,
Numbers chapter 24. This tree planted, Numbers 24. This is interesting, this is
so beautiful here in Numbers 24. Numbers 24 verse 1. Now when Balaam saw, Numbers 24 verse 1, that it pleased
the Lord to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times,
to seek for enchantments, but he set his face towards the wilderness.
Lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents.
He saw the people of God. According to the tribes, and
the Spirit of God came upon him, he took up his parable, and he
said, Babam, the son of Beor, hath said. And the man whose
eyes are open, hath said. He hath said. The man which heard
the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling
into a trance, but having his eyes open, he said, How goodly
art thou tense, O Jacob. Talking about spiritual Israel.
Thy tabernacles, O Israel, as the valleys, as the valleys are
they spread forth, as gardens by the riverside as the trees
of lime aloes lime aloes which the Lord hath planted this is
Jacob this is Israel the trees of lime aloes what are those
trees? well here's the definition the
aloe tree grows in Arabia grows in India it's worth its weight
in gold grows about eight feet high. It's used for perfuming
garments, perfuming rooms, and as a medicine, worth its weight
in gold. That's God's people. They don't
just spring up in the night like a stinkweed. There are trees
of lime aloes which the Lord had planted as in cedar trees
beside the waters." Listen, this blessed man, this blessed man,
he's not tuned to the counsel of the world. He's not impressed
with the way of the center. He's not sitting around to see
the scornful. There's lights in the law of
God, the word of God. In that word does he meditate
day and night, and he's like a God planted him. Where'd God
plant him? Well, let's see where God planted
him. God planted him by the rivers
of water. He's got an inexhaustible source
of life. Inexhaustible source of nourishment. The Lord Jesus said to the woman
at the well, if you drink of this water, you'll thirst again
and again and again and again. If you drink of the water I give
you, you'll never thirst. Never! He said to those people
in Jerusalem, if any man thirst, let him come to me, and out of
his belly shall flow rivers of water, rivers of water. This he spake to the Spirit, rivers of water. His root will never, never, never
be without nourishment within. And then he brings forth fruit. He perfumes the place where he
grows. He's like medicine where he grows,
like the trees of a lion's aloes. He brings forth fruit in his
season. Whose season? Well, God's season. That's God's season. But also,
he has a time. He has a time when God will use
him. God raised him up for a purpose.
God didn't plant that tree just Just to be planting a tree, he
plants that tree for his glory. That tree will give somebody
some shade someday. That tree will bear some fruit
that will bless somebody. That tree will be a shelter in
the storm for somebody. In his season, in his time, God
will bless him. He'll show love when love's needed.
Joy when sorrow comes. Peace when trouble brews. Patience
in time of chaos. gentleness when hardness abounds,
goodness in faith in time of doubt. He'll encourage. God uses
men and women for such time as this. Man for all seasons. Remember
that? Bring forth fruit in his season.
A man for this season. A woman for this season. And
he'll bring forth fruit. He will bring forth fruit in
his season. Paul in Galatians, when they
were having that dinner, and Peter, and Peter was Paul's friend,
and co-laborer, and disciple of Christ. But Peter was wrong. Peter left the table of the Jews,
of the Gentiles that went over there and sided with these Jews.
And Paul, Manifest, that's Caesar. And the only man that said anything
on that occasion, he said, Peter, you're wrong. He said, I will
study these things. That's hard to do. That's hard
to do. But he said, he's wrong. Now,
if we're saved by the grace of God, and not being caused by
Jews, We're not going to separate ourselves from these Gentiles.
Now you get back over there. Now here's the thing. He'll bring
forth his fruit in his season. In that time of God's season,
and he's a person for that season. And here are these things I'm
trying to teach are not just doctrine. They're living experiences
that someday God will bring back. God will bring forth to you,
and God will use you for that hour. You bring forth fruit,
and the fruit is the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace,
patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance. And then
his leaf will not wither. God's trees that he plants by
his grace, he elects, he chooses them, plants them, plants them
in Christ, they live in water, redeems them by the blood of
the Son of God, justifies their leaf will not wither. You see, if people talk about
a man being saved and losing his salvation, the tree God planted
falling down, well that's ridiculous. A tree God planted withering?
These are evergreen. They're a source of life planted
by the rivers of water of Christ. I tell you it doesn't matter
if it's a A strong trial, a hot, dry summer, a persecution, or
a cold winter, a solitary age, that tree's not going to fall.
Now then, every tree which my father had not planted is coming
down. You say, I know people who've
left the gospel. They never were in the gospel.
They never were the trees the Lord planted. They never were
planted of the Lord. Is that right? That's right.
They never were. You thought they were. They thought
they were. Everybody else thought they were.
God never planted them. He said, I never knew you. You
remember what he said to them in Matthew 7? They said, yeah,
we preached in your name and did many wonderful works. I never
planted you. I never knew you. You were never
trees of the Lord, lying aloes, sweet-smelling medicinal trees. I never knew you. Every plant
my Heavenly Father hath not planted, it shall be rooted up. No question
about that. Maybe in time, but in eternity
it will be rooted up. But this man, his leaf shall
not wither. Nothing can separate us from
the love of Christ. And listen, what shall he do?
He'll prosper. What he does, from the time of
his birth to the day of his death, everything that occurs in his
life is decreed and designed and purposed by his Heavenly
Father for God's glory, for his good, and for the Church's happiness. whatsoever he does will prosper.
Because he does it in faith. He does it out of love for God
and others. He does it for the glory of God
alone. He does it in the name of and
for the honor of Jesus Christ and God's going to bless him.
God raised him up for that purpose. I'd like to say that to every everyone who enters the ministry, makes an effort to establish
some kind of witness or some kind of church. I'm just saying
this, if God raised a man up, God planted that tree, God called
that If what he does is for the glory
of God Almighty, not for himself, not for personal gain, not for
personal glory or recognition for God's glory. And he does
it out of love for God, out of love for the people to whom he
preaches, soul and completely. And he does it for the glory
of God, he does it in faith. Believe in God, believe in his
word, in the name of Jesus Christ. He shall prosper. Write it down. God always causes us to triumph
in Christ. Now then, here's the close. The
ungodly are not so. They're not blessed. The ungodly are not so. Nothing
that I've said here applies to them. They're not like a tree,
they're like chaff, which the wind blows away. Without life, without substance,
without root, like dead leaves. Blow them out of the yard. Therefore the ungodly shall not
stand in the judgment. Oh, they'll stand before God
all right. Because the sea gave up its dead, and death and hell
delivered up the dead, and every man stands some day before God. But what this is saying, They'll
not be able to stand. They'll not be able to stand. They're wither and foul. They'll
not be able to stand the charges. They'll not be able to stand.
They're foul. The judgment, the overflowing
scourge of God's wrath will sweep them away. And sinners, unbelievers are
not going to stand in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord
knoweth the way of the righteous. Their way is his way. I am the
way, the truth, and the life. Their way is the way of faith,
not of works. Their way is the living way,
which he opened for us through the veil, that is to say, his
flesh, where we come boldly before the throne of grace. Their way
is the way of the cross. I must need to go home by the
way of the cross. There's no other way but this.
I'll never get sight of the gates of life. The way of the cross
I miss. Teach me thy way. Oh God, teach
me thy way. But the way of the ungodly, it'll
perish.