Happy Is the Man

Q: What does the Bible say about contentment?

The Bible teaches that true contentment is found in a relationship with God, rather than material possessions. Biblical contentment is not linked to external circumstances or material wealth, but is instead rooted in one’s relationship with God. In Psalm 1, we learn that the truly blessed or 'happy' man is the one who does not seek advice from the ungodly or partake in their ways. Instead, his delight is in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night (Psalm 1:2). This understanding outlines a profound spiritual truth: our contentment and joy come from our connection to God and His Word, rather than from transient earthly goods which can easily fade away over time (1 John 2:17).

Q: Why is the happiness of a Christian different from the world's happiness?

Christian happiness is rooted in God's promises, not in fleeting pleasures or material gains. The happiness experienced by Christians is fundamentally different from that which the world offers. While the world often equates happiness with material prosperity, health, or social status, the Bible teaches that true happiness—blessedness—comes from a deep relationship with God and an understanding of His grace and forgiveness. According to Psalm 1, the blessed man’s happiness is found in his delight in God’s law, contrasting sharply with the transient nature of worldly happiness (Psalm 1:1-3). This means that a Christian’s joy can remain steadfast even amidst trials or lack of material wealth because it is anchored in the eternal and unchanging nature of God.

Q: How can one find true peace according to the Bible?

True peace is found in resting in God’s Word and trusting in His sovereignty. The Bible teaches that true peace is not contingent upon external circumstances but is rooted in a believer's faith in God and His guidance. Psalm 1 outlines that the blessed man meditates on the Word of God day and night, indicating that true tranquility comes through immersing oneself in Scripture (Psalm 1:2). In doing so, believers can experience peace regardless of life’s storms, knowing that they are planted by the rivers of water, which symbolize the sustenance provided by Christ (John 7:38). This peace assures the believer that their lives are in God's hands and that all things work together for good (Romans 8:28).

Q: What does 'blessed is the man' mean in Psalm 1?

'Blessed is the man' signifies a state of true happiness that comes from walking with God. 'Blessed is the man' in Psalm 1 signifies an individual who finds joy and fulfillment in a life aligned with God’s will. This psalm emphasizes that true happiness is characterized by one's rejection of the counsel of the ungodly and delight in the law of the Lord (Psalm 1:1-2). This indicates that such a person's contentment is derived from their relationship with God rather than from worldly sources. Constant meditation on God’s Word leads to a spiritually fruitful life, much like a tree planted by the rivers of water, producing its fruit in season (Psalm 1:3). The blessed man possesses a lasting joy that is not shaken by life's challenges.

If I needed some reassurance and confirmation
of my subject tonight, it was amply provided during the song
service. Each hymn that Ronnie selected,
and that on a moment's notice, I'd forgotten that Mike was not
going to be here tonight, and I asked him to lead the singing
at 726, and he came up and picked out those songs that we sang,
and each one, and then Sonia, that special, she always chooses
Christ-glorifying hymns, but that one just fit my message
perfectly. I'm speaking tonight on contentment,
peace of heart, rest in Christ. The title of the message is Happy
is the Man. Let's turn to Psalm 1. Now, God's
Word has a lot to say about contentment. And I'm sure the reason it has
so much to say about contentment and rest and peace in Christ is that the impossibility of
our ever attaining perfection in that area during this journey. I think we can grow in that area,
and we can find more contentment. But then when we feel that we
are most content, something comes along to upset that contentment,
and we have to start all over. But maybe the message will be
helpful this evening in that respect. You know, the people
of the world, the people with whom you work and the people
who live about you in your neighborhoods, and even some of your friends
that you are involved with in school affairs and other activities,
they have their ideas about what constitutes happiness and contentment. You can ask them and they'll
readily tell you to have a good job, to earn a top salary, to
have a nice home, to be materially prosperous, that to them is to
be content. And if that's not disturbed,
if it can keep... Of course, they have to have
a little more all the time. Someone asked a fellow one time,
what would it take to make you perfectly satisfied? He said,
just a little more. And then someone else will come
along and say, well, to have all my children healthy and happy
and successful and well-adjusted, that would make me content because
my children are an extension of myself. And when they grieve,
I grieve. When they're upset, I'm upset.
When they're in ill health, then I'd rather ten times be in ill
health than have them So if they can be well situated and successful
and happy, well, I'd be content. Someone else will say to have
beauty, to have strength, to have influence, for people to
know my name, to have freedom from care and worry, would be
to be content. But you know, all of these things
have one thing in common. All of these things that I've
mentioned, no use to go over them again. You remember them
because, let's be honest, we all enjoy these things. Now let's,
let's don't ever, when we're dealing with subject like this,
before one another and before God, let's always be honest. Because God's not going to bless
hypocrisy. And let's be honest, every one of us enjoy these blessings. Those things contribute to my
contentment and happiness, and you'd best be honest, now they
do. And when those things are not right, I've got to fight
hard to rest and be content. And we enjoy temporal blessings,
we enjoy comforts of this life, but all of these things have
one thing in common, they're temporary. You're not writing
to every one of them temporarily. They're not lasting. And therefore,
these things cannot and will not bring contentment. Can't do it. Just cannot do it. I hate to use an illustration
like this, but it'll carry some impact. Six months ago, Magic Johnson
had every one of these things. I mean, if there was any young
man on top of the world, what we call the world, the material
secular world, with the world at his feet, it was that young
man, 29 years old, 29, 30, something like 31, 2. But there isn't a
person in this world in his right mind that would change places
with him right now. He still has many of these things,
but there isn't a person in this world, in his right mind, that
would change places with that man. Not a one. Therefore, true happiness and
true contentment must be found somewhere else. Got to be. It's not in any of these things.
It's got to be found somewhere else, and it's got to be found
in something that does not change. See, what's wrong with these
things? They change. What's wrong with every one of
these things? They're here today and gone tomorrow. What does
Paul say? The fashion of this world faded
away. So whatever is going to bring
me real rest and peace and contentment has got to be that which is not
temporary, that which does not change. Change and decay in all around
I see. Swift to its close ebbs out life's
little day. Earth's joys grow dim and they
fade away. Change and decay in all around
I see. O thou that Change does not abide with me. I need Thee. I
need Thee. That's what we're talking about.
So turn to Psalm 1. Let's see what David says about
who is the contented man, the happy man, the blessed man. Now,
if I say blessed, don't fall out with me. I've been saying
that all my life. It's hard to change habits. People
sometimes say blessed. I say blessed. He says blessed
is the man. Blessed is the man. What's this
expression mean? B-L-E-S-S-E-D. Blessed. Or blessed is the... The word
means truly happy. Truly happy. Fortunate. Well-favored. Blessed of God. That's what David's talking about
here. forever blessed. In other words, he uses this
phrase frequently in the scripture. I just ran over some. Brother
John read one of them tonight. Listen to these psalms. I won't
have you turn to them, but David uses this phrase, oh, blessed
is the man. All right, Psalm 2, he says,
blessed are all they that put their trust in the Lord. Fortunate, happy, fortunate,
well-favored. Listen to this, Psalm 32, blessed
is he whose transgressions are forgiven. Blessed is the man
unto whom the Lord will not charge sin. That's the happy man. Psalm 34, blessed is the man
that trusteth in him. Psalm 40, blessed is the man
that maketh the Lord his trust. Psalm 65, blessed is the man
whom thou choosest and causes to approach unto thee. Psalm
85, blessed is the man whose strength is in thee, not in himself,
but in thee. Psalm 89, blessed are the people
that walk in the light of thy countenance. Psalm 94, blessed
is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teacheth thy way. Psalm 112, blessed is the man
who fears the Lord. Psalm 118, see it goes on and
on. Psalm 118, blessed be he that
cometh in the name of the Lord. Psalm 118. Psalm 119. Blessed are they that keep his
commandments. So it would seem that when I
read a while ago the different things that people say would
make them content and make them happy, seems to me that they're
totally out of touch with this man after God's own heart. He
didn't name any of those things. Somebody's out of touch, aren't
they? Somebody's got the wrong goal. The world is totally out
of touch with God and out of tune with what He calls happiness,
what He calls contentment. In other words, when I read this,
went through the Psalms looking at these phrases, blessed is
the man, blessed is the man, I found that in every, in every
reference to true contentment Every reference to true happiness
had something to do with our relationship with God. Every
reference had something to do with our relationship with God.
Our Lord said that. Listen to what he said over here
in Matthew 5. Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn,
they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, they shall
inherit the earth. Blessed are they that hunger
and thirst after righteousness, they shall be filled. Blessed
are the merciful, they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the
pure in heart, they're going to see God. Blessed are the peacemakers,
they'll be called the children of God. Blessed are they who
are persecuted for righteousness. There it is,
the kingdom of heaven. Every reference through the Psalms
and through the Beatitudes which our Lord gave us, he says that
person is blessed according to his relationship with God. Now
in Psalm 1, let's go on a little further, blessed is the man.
He doesn't say blessed is the king. That's what the world says. He doesn't say blessed is the
scholar. That's what the world says. He
doesn't say blessed are the strong, blessed are the rich, blessed
are the powerful, blessed are the prosperous. He said blessed
is the man. Man, man, man like me, man like
you, woman like you, ordinary people. People who are subject
to infirmities, infirmities of the flesh, not without their
faults, not without trial and sorrow, not without desires,
but this man has seen the Lord, and this man has a new heart
and a new life in Christ, and he has found in Christ wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, and he's blessed.
Whomever he may be, blessed is the man." Our Lord looked at Simon Peter
and he said, uh, whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? And Peter replied, well, some
say you're John the Baptist, returned from the dead, some
say you're that prophet, One of the prophets, Elijah, one
of the prophets. Some say you're this, that, and
the other. But he said, whom do you say that I am? And Peter
said, Thou art the Christ. Thou art the Christ. The Redeemer,
the Son of God. And he said, Simon, son of Barjona,
blessed to you. You're blessed. You've seen something. You've learned something. You're
blessed. Blessed is the man. Well, look
at the next line. Where this blessedness, this
contentment, this happiness is not found. Listen. This man does
not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Blessed is the man that
walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. What, just exactly
what would you say is the counsel of the ungodly? The counsel. We know the Bible talks about
the counsel of God. He, Christ, is the counselor.
And we hear about the counsel halls of eternity, preachers
talk about. What is the counsel of the ungodly?
Well, the counsel of God is his wisdom, is it not? It's his wisdom. So the counsel of the ungodly
is their so-called wisdom. It's the understanding, the counsel
of the ungodly is the wisdom and understanding of the natural
mind. The natural mind, the natural
man rejects the scriptures, he rejects God's counsel, and he
applies his thoughts and his ideas on every subject, from
religion to whatever. That's his counsel. We hear Nahum giving his counsel. that he'd come out and do this,
that, and the other. We hear it said over and over again in
the Scripture. There's a way that seems right to man. That's
his counsel. Well, our Lord says here through
David his servant, happy is that man, blessed, fortunate is that
man or woman who can see by the grace of God the foolishness
of human wisdom and the foolishness of human counsel. and human thoughts. The wisdom of man is what? Foolishness
with God. Where is the wise? Where is the
scribe? Where is the debater of this
world? Hath not God made foolishness the wisdom of this
world? And happy is that man who has
escaped by the grace of God and does not walk in the counsel
and the thoughts and opinions and ideas of that old natural
mind. Your thoughts are not my thoughts,
God says. Your thoughts are not my thoughts.
As the heaven is high above the earth, so are God's thoughts
higher than our natural thoughts. Brother Walter Gruber was giving
an exam to the preachers down in Mexico in a preacher's class.
He was planning on introducing a new subject to the preacher's
class. And he said, before I teach the
subject, I'm going to find out what you know about it. Remember
him telling us about it. He said, now, here's the test
already written out, some questions. Whatever comes to your mind first,
he said, that's wrong. That's Walter. But that's wisdom. Whatever comes to your mind must
be wrong, and that's man's counsel. That's Sona. And I know there are a lot of
fellas in this world, they've excelled and they've succeeded,
and I take my hat off to them. I was riding over some of these
freeways yesterday, Tuesday, and today, and it baffles my
mind how men can sit down on paper and draw those highways. And they'll even start building
them over here and over here and they'll come together and they'll
meet smack in the middle not a quarter of an inch off. And
that baffles my mind. But the problem is, the big problem
with those fellas, it's true of your doctors and your lawyers
and your dentists and your professional people, a lot of school teachers
and professors, they think that because they have excelled and
succeeded in these secular material subjects and energies and accomplishments
that they can carry it over into this. And that's where they make the
big mistake. Because this and that are as far apart as east
and west. That's natural. And that wasn't
affected so much in the fall. See, when man fell, he died not
materially, not naturally, not mentally, he died how? Spiritually. That's right. And he can, it's amazing what,
we haven't used this mind yet to its full capabilities. Nobody
has. You talk about those computers
you work that send things all over the world, it's that other
store's thing. There's a computer here that
that thing can't touch. when God makes it perfect. I
try. But don't make the mistake of
trying to carry that over into this. It won't work. Now you
can carry this over into that. But don't you think because you're
intelligent up here that it helps you down here a whole lot. It
won't do it. It won't do it now. And so don't be awed by them. I just get upset when God's little
children are awed by these powerful, powerful folks of this world.
Don't be awed by them. God's going to make Kenwood out
of them someday. So don't walk in their counsel.
It's foolishness. Secondly, it's not found by standing
in the way of sinners. Sinners have a way. There's a
way that seems right unto men. Your ways, he said, are not my
ways. What's the way of the rebel?
What's the way of the ungodly? What's the way of this? That's
a way of self. I, me, and mine. Ego. His whole world revolves
around himself. The whole world. Every time he
looks at a crowd, he wonders what they're thinking of him.
What's their opinion of him? He just, his whole world revolves
around himself. It's the way of self, it's the
way of greed, it's the way of covetousness, it's the way of
materialism, and usually it has a religious form to make it acceptable. Christ said, I'm the way. I am
the way. There's the I that you can worship. There's the I that you can exalt. There's the I in which you can
boast. I am the way. Happy is the man
who does not stand in the way of sinners, but rather, having
done all, he stands in the way of God. Yes, don't you love,
I love Martin Luther's courage and boldness. He said, standing
in front of that huge crowd of the most powerful, powerful ecclesiastical
and political men of his day standing alone, he said, here
I stand, I can do no other. I'm not standing with you, I'm
standing with him. Isn't that great? That's the happy man. Oh, they'll
shoot at him, but he's still happy. They'll mistreat him and
harass him and persecute him and agitate him, but he's happier
than they are. Oh, he's happier. And what's
this? And he doesn't sit in the seat
of the scornful. What's the seat of the scornful?
Well, you meet them every day. The scorner has a seat. He has
a seat. He has sat down on the seat of
human opinion. And he sits there. He's not teachable. You find so many folks like that
with your religious relatives and your religious friends. You
can't teach them. They're unmovable. They're hard. They're hardened. Gospel-hardened. They're hardened and set like
concrete in their ways. They're confirmed in their position. And where the believer says,
I'll not be moved from Christ, they say, I'll not be moved from
where I stand in my position. That's the seat of the scornful.
They're not walking, they're not standing, they're flopped
down, Ronnie. They're seated. And that's where
death's going to find them, and that's where judgment's going
to meet them, and that's where hell's going to keep them. Right
there, in the seat of the scornful, the critic, the scornful. And the thing they despise above
all things The thing they despise above all things in this world,
you know what it is? It's the sovereign free grace
of God in salvation. Someone told me about a young
lady that is enamored with a young man. She's a believer in grace. And he is an Armenian preacher's
son. And I told that person, there
isn't a more fatal mistake she could make in this world than
to marry into that kind of situation. That's right. Now she could be
a Catholic and they'd accept her. She could be a Pentecostal
and they'd accept her. She could be a Jew and they'd
accept her. But they're not going to accept this message, salvations
of the Lord. They will not accept it. It will
not mix. Errors, ten thousand errors can
walk together, and they may quibble a little, but they'll get along.
But truth cannot walk with one error. Can't do it, it won't
work. It will not work. You just can't
do it. You can't sit in the seat of
the scornful. He's hardened, he's set, he's
not going to be moved. And that which he despises above
all things is that which brings glory to God in the salvation
of a sinner. And that's so. And happy is the
man who rejects human opinion, human wisdom. Happy is the man
that rejects the ways of the flesh. Happy is the man who will
not sit in the seat of the scornful. But he's always, no matter how
old he gets, he says, Lord, I'm a child, teach me. Open mine eyes that I might see,
glimpses of truth thou hast for me. Place in my hands that wonderful
key that unlocks thy word and sets me free. Brother Mann, how
does a man or woman come to this hardened, place of the scorner,
that seat, that where death finds them and judgment meets them
and hell keeps them, unteachable, unmovable, cemented in form and
tradition of religion or secularism or whatever. I'll tell you how.
First, he walks in the council of the ungodly. Brother Maynard,
how does a man or woman come to this hardened place of the
scorner, that seat, that where death finds them and judgment
meets them and hell keeps them, unteachable, unmovable, cemented
in form and tradition of religion or secularism or whatever. I'll
tell you how. First, he walks in the council
of the ungodly. He moves in that circle. He's
moving in that circle. He just touches base with them,
either for advantage or for influence, or for social good time, or for
some other reason, but he finds his company in that direction.
He walks with them. He touches base with them. He
has some rapport with them. Nothing permanent, just, you
know, kind of like passing the way, walks with them. And then
he makes the fatal mistake of stopping and listening. and standing still. That's right. He stands in the way of sinners.
And then the next step is to sit down with them. That's how
it becomes that way. And that's the reason he says
here, happy, blessed, fortunate is that man that does not walk
in human wisdom. He doesn't have any time for
it. He doesn't have any ear for it. He doesn't have any reason
for it. He's committed to Christ. He's
committed to the gospel. I told the people at Fairmont,
Brother Scott and I were talking about this. You watch this. A
preacher or whomever, a person who is forever changing his message,
altering, altering his message, or changing his message, or taking
the edge off his message, you can write this down, he's not
sure about his message. If he's sure about it, he wouldn't
move. And somebody's influencing him. He's touching base with
somebody that's got him upset. Somebody's, he's walking in counsel
of human wisdom. And watch this, I told them this,
you watch this, the man that's always changing his methods,
always trying something new, always bringing in something
different, something that will attract the eye or the ear or
the attention. He's always changing the way
he does things in the pulpit or in the message or in the church
or congregation. He's not sure about his methods. He's not sure that it's all up
to God. He thinks we have to maybe contribute
something to this thing. We need to get men's attention.
We need to do something to get people's out. We've got to make
something happen. God's not making it happen, let's
just make it happen. He's not sure of his position.
That's right. And he'll walk with them, and
he'll stop and listen to them. And you know the next step? He'll
sit with them. Oh, blessed is the man. You know,
the scripture says evil communications correct good manners. What's
that word communication mean there? Evil what? Companions. That's the word. Evil companions
corrupt good manners. Good apples don't affect bad
apples. But bad apples sure will affect
good apples. Just touching them. You never
seen a good apple turn a bad apple into a good apple. He put
them side-by-side. But I've seen a many a good apple
yet turned overnight into a bad apple just sitting side-by-side
with that one. Isn't that true? Happy's the
man. Happy's the man. He knows who
he is. He doesn't have to prove anything. I was visiting somebody one time
and some fella gave me a The wildest looking goth hat you've
ever seen in your life. It had more colors than the rainbow.
And we was going gothing that day, and I put that hat on, and
one of the fellas said, you're not going to wear that out in
public, are you? And somebody over there said,
yeah, he will, because he's not trying to impress anybody. He
knows who he is. That's a compliment. Isn't it,
Richard? That's a compliment. Can you
say that, Jeffrey? Are you trying to impress anybody?
You know who you are. You're God's Son. You don't have
to cater to this outfit. I was going to burn it up. I
don't want any interest in it. I'm not going to dust in it.
I'm not going to buy stock in this world, or anybody running
it. Happy is the man who knows who
he is, who God is, who Christ is, and where He's going, and
stays on that road. and doesn't let the song of the
sirens turn his ear. Read on. Where is his happiness? Well, his delight is in the law
of the Lord. Now that word law, that's the
word of the Lord. My delight's not in thou shalt
not, thou shalt not, thou shalt not. I'm thankful for God's law. But my delight is in the word
of God. See, his delight is in the word
of God. The word of God is the children's
bread. The Word of God, that's the green
pastures. John got up here and read Psalm
40 tonight, and I'll tell you, that was such a blessing. See,
you stand here and here, you read that Word that God wrote
through the lip, through the pen of David, and how applicable
it is to every one of us, and how it refreshes us. Didn't you
find that to be true, Funt? How refreshing. It's our green
pastures. You just rolled around in it,
didn't you, while he was reading, just enjoying it. And the Word
is the sole rule of faith and practice, and the Word is the
revelation of the Father's promise, and the Word is the revelation
of the Father's purpose in Christ, and the Word is our comfort,
comfort one another with these words, and the Word is our strength
in trial. I'll tell you, when things are
about to blow up, if you honestly, I'll tell you this from experience,
just be still and be quiet, And sit down and open this book. Try it. Try it. What's that poem, Starshop, if
you can keep your head when all about you losing theirs and blaming
it on you? Take out the word. God will comfort
you. Speak peace to your soul. It's
our strength, it's our source of faith. Listen to this poem. laden with guilt and full of
fear, I fly to Thee, my Lord. And not a trace of hope appears
but in Thy blessed Word. The words of my Father's grace
doth all my fears relieve, as I behold my Savior's face in every word on every page. Thy word is everlasting truth,
how pure in every page. This word shall guide me every
step of life and support me in my old age. God's word. Watch this. His delight is not
in the counsel of men or the way of setters or the critics,
but His delight is in the word of God, and in that word doth
He meditate every Sunday morning. In that word, does he meditate
every Bible conference? No. In that word, does he meditate,
think upon, feed upon, delight in day and night, committed to
memory? A friend of mine told me yesterday,
I'm losing my eyesight. I said, can you still read? He
said, I can read my Bible. It's got large print. But he
said, I can't read the hymn book. He said, I have to sing. for
memory. I said, aren't you glad you memorized
them? Oh, he said, yes, I am. May come
a time right half when we'll not be able to read it, but if
it's in here, that'd be all right with us. You can delight in it
day and night. Call to mind and memory. those
precious promises, because it's not in the letter, it's not in
the doctrines, it's not in the creed, it's in the living Word.
It's Christ the Word. And then what does this happiness
bring? Let me move along, verse 3. And he, that blessed man,
he shall be like a tree, not a weed that sprung up, not a
a bush or a wild shrub, like the tumbling weeds that roll
across the prairie. But he's a tree what? Planted. He is established. And it's planted
by whom? By the Father. Every plant which
my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. But not this
one. This man's like a tree. Planted. Planted where? By the rivers
of water. Why does he say rivers? Because
there's no limit. There's plenty of it. Rivers,
rivers, rivers of water. That's Christ Jesus. That's where
we're planted, in Christ Jesus. I went out to Comanche, Texas,
back in the early fifties to preach a meeting. And they hadn't
had a drop of rain in months. It's up in northwest Texas. That's
jackrabbit country. I mean, that's barren, dry country. And they hadn't had any rain.
Everything, dust I know was two or three inches thick. Everywhere. Everything was dead. We were
driving one day, and I looked over in the distance, and there
was a whole line of green trees. Just a whole line of them. I
said, look over there. He said, that's a river. Everything's
dead that's not by the river. And that's true right here. Everything's
dead that's not by Christ. Planted by the rivers. Now watch
this. Planted by the rivers. And He
brings forth His fruit. It'd be alright to say His fruit
because it is His fruit. And it's His fruit. But what's
his is yours, what's yours is his. Brings forth his fruit when? In his season. In his season. What's that talking about? Well,
you know what the fruit is. Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness,
faith, meekness, temperance. Well, he brings forth fruit in
his season. Love when love's needed. Joy in time of sorrow. When sorrow is all around, if
there's any joy, I'll tell you where it'll be. You'll be in
that man that's planted. That's where the joy will be
found. If there's a whole lot of them, you'll be a whole lot
of joy. He'll bring forth peace when trouble brews. He'll be
a peacemaker. That's right. He's not going
to be the one causing the problem. He's going to be the one putting
oil on that water. He in his season. Patience in
time of trial. Gentleness where cruelty abounds. Or he may have to get himself
set. When the first blow hits him,
he may want to hit back, but then when he backs off, you know,
and takes the situation over, that's when the fruit begins
to back. Faith, forever doubt, meekness,
and success, and temperance in all things. You understand what
I'm saying about sometimes you have to kind of When you get
stuck in the mud, kind of back up before you go forward. But
it'll be there when you need it. Now watch this. And his leaf shall not wither.
God's trees are evergreen. No winter wind will change the
leaf. No dry summer shall cause him
to wither. And whatsoever he doeth shall
prosper. Now, what a promise. Whatsoever
he doeth shall prosper. If this is true of him, whatsoever
he doeth shall prosper. What on earth could that mean?
Well, it couldn't be materially, because the apostles didn't have
anything. It couldn't be outward prosperity,
because the martyrs even lost their heads. It couldn't be excellence
of position and power and influence, because the missionaries have
even left their country for strange lands. So how can you say whatsoever
he doeth shall prosper? It's the same as in Romans 8,
28. All things work together for good to them that love God,
who are called according to his purpose. In other words, we're
talking about soul prosperity and spiritual prosperity, and
everything he sets his hand to, led by God and directed by God,
will prosper because the pleasure of the Lord shall what? Prosper. in his hand. That's right. That's right. The pleasure of
the Lord shall prosper. Joseph followed his life of trials
and troubles, but he prospered in all that he, to which he set
his hand, right? That's right. He said, you meant
all this for evil. God meant it for good. But sometimes
our worst things are his best things. And I'm just saying that
whatsoever he does shall prosper. It may take fifty years for it
to be realized. It may not be realized while
he lives. But Samson slew more Philistines
in his death than he ever did in his life. Is that not correct?
When he took those pillars down, they came down on him too. And
he died. But in his death, He glorified
God and accomplished God's purpose. Are we willing to prosper in
that fashion? That's commitment. And that kind
of commitment brings contentment. Because whether I live, I live
unto the Lord. Whether I what? Die, I die unto
the Lord. So whether I live or die, I'm
the Lord's. And His pleasure, if that relationship
exists, everything to which I set my hands will prosper. Thanks
be unto God that causes us to always prosper. Now the conclusion of this psalm,
on which I'll spend just a moment or two, addresses the ungodly. Verse 4, the ungodly are just
not so. The things you've been saying,
preacher, do not pertain to the ungodly. They're not trees planted. What are they? They're like the
chaff. What's the chaff? Dry, dead leaves and and branches
and sticks and waste, they're like the chaff without life,
without substance, without root. They're like the chaff which
the wind bloweth away. And the wind of death drives
them clear out of existence. The wind of judgment can blow
on that tree, on to that tree. You ever watch pine trees? I
was over in North Carolina. Last week I told Rupert the wind
was so strong that day and pine trees all around his house, big
old fifty foot pine trees, and it looked like they were moving
four feet in both directions. Seemed like they do. But when
the wind stopped they stood straight up. But the leaves and those
things in the yard were gone. Blown away. Just blown away. I had to cover my eyes, the leaves
and the dust and everything, blowing the chaff, blowing all
around me. I kept looking at those trees, and boy, they gave
a little bit. They swayed a little bit, but
they never moved. Ungodly like chaff, which the
wind blows away. Therefore, the ungodly shall
not stand in the judgment. Now wait a minute. They'll stand
there to be judged. Every man will stand before God.
But they'll not be able to stand. Get it? Get that, Jim? They can't
stand. And having done all to stand,
they can't stand before the charges. They can't stand before the challenges. They can't stand. They're going
to be swept away. But the believer will stand because
Christ is standing right in front of him. I'm going to stand. Let the law, let the books be
open and hurl every charge you want to hurl. And I'm not going
to move. Because Christ has already taken
them all in his blessed body. And I'll stand. But the unbeliever
can't stand. He's got to go down. Got to go
down. And he shall not stand in the
congregation of the righteous. He may stand among them on the
earth. He may stand and sing with them, O how I love Jesus.
On this earth. He may stand when they read the
scripture. Stand when they pray. Stand among them. But he's not
going to stand in that congregation of the righteous, because they're
righteous in Christ. And he has not on a wedding garment.
And the Lord's going to say, take him away. For the Lord knoweth,
verse 6, the way of the righteous. Well, what is the way of the
righteous? It's Christ who said, I am the way. The Lord knows
the way of the righteous. He knows Christ. And having known
Christ, He knows you. What's the way of the righteous?
It's the way of faith in Christ. What's the way of the righteous?
It's that new and living way. He opened through the veil. That
is to say His flesh by which we come to God. That's the way
of the righteous. The Lord knows that way. He doesn't
know any other way. He knows the way of the righteous. It's the way He seeks for pardon.
It's the way of the cross. The Lord knows the way of the
righteous. He knows it because He ordained it. He purposed it.
He provided it. He purchased that way. He knows
that way. Thank God we know that way. Don't you thank God? Don't come
any other ways. He that cometh any other ways
a thief and a robber. The way of the cross leads home.
No other way but this. Never get sired to the gates
of life. if the way of the cross, but the way of the ungodly, shall
perish. So blessed is the man who walketh
not in the counsel, opinions of the ungodly, nor standeth
in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful,
but his delight is in the word of the Lord, and in that law
doth he meditate day and night. And he'll be like a tree. planted
by the rivers of water, which bringeth forth his fruit in his
season. His leaf also shall not wither,
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." All right, Ronnie,
let's have one more hymn, if you would.

Happy Is the Man

What does the Bible say about contentment?

Why is the happiness of a Christian different from the world's happiness?

How can one find true peace according to the Bible?

What does 'blessed is the man' mean in Psalm 1?

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Happy Is the Man

What does the Bible say about contentment?

Why is the happiness of a Christian different from the world's happiness?

How can one find true peace according to the Bible?

What does 'blessed is the man' mean in Psalm 1?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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