Pastor Wayne Hu.
Recap: Psalms 1 is a Wisdom Psalm.
Comparison and Contrast of the way of the Wise and the way of the Wicked.
Written to those who seek Wisdom of how to live.
This Psalm is a PLEA for you to choose God's way over the World's Way.
In Verse 3, as a tree is dependent upon the water, we are dependent on the Word of God.
Today: Verses 4-6 give us the description of the opposite of the Happy-Righteous Man; The Wicked-Ungodly Man. Comparing and contrasting the way of the Righteous and the Way of the Wicked allows us to choose the right way.
Psalms 1
1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.
Verse 4 is what the blessed man is not like.
This is catered to those critical thinkers out there. Compare and Contrast.
What if you could be a tree? But if there was a flying tree, you would choose the later. We would choose what was better.
Job 21
7 “Why do the wicked still live,
Continue on, also become very powerful?
8 “Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes,
9 Their houses are safe from fear,
And the rod of God is not on them.
10 “His ox mates without fail;
His cow calves and does not abort.
11 “They send forth their little ones like the flock,
And their children skip about.
12 “They sing to the timbrel and harp
And rejoice at the sound of the flute.
13 “They spend their days in prosperity,
And suddenly they go down to Sheol.
14 “They say to God, ‘Depart from us!
We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.
15 ‘Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him,
And what would we gain if we entreat Him?’
16 “Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;
The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
Doesn't it seem unfair that the Wicked prosper in this world?
The Wicked choose to insult God, their creator.
The "Wicked" is the title given to unbelievers in general.
The Psalmist in Psalms 1 says that "time will tell" who is who.
We do not define who is "Wicked," God defines the term "Wicked."
Evaluate yourself, not horizontally, but vertically.
Psalms 1:4 The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
Chaff: Always dead, no matter what season.
Fruit: Useful for life.
This verse teaches us to evaluate our decisions in light of eternity.
Psalms 1:5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
The final judgement will come (1st a vertical judgement and 2nd a horizontal judgement).
The wicked will not survive the judgment. Clearly guilty. No escape. No defense. No Savior. Deserving of Hell.
The wicked will not be in the community of His people. Our relationship with God affects our relationships with other people. If you are right with God, you will not be separated apart from the people of God.
He is our Loving Savior, but also is the Wrathful Executioner .
Matthew 3:11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
No other option: Either you are saved or not.
Sheep vs. Goats
Wheat vs. Tares
Believers vs. Unbelievers
Satan's greatest lie in Genesis: There is no consequence for sin and rebellion.
Psalms 1:6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.
What is the main difference of the righteous?
A: Your relationship with God.
A: Your relationship with God.
And the Lord continually knows them; a lasting relationship with those that believe.
"The way I do not know, but well do I know my guide.
I don't know where I am going, but I know the one who is holding my hand."
- Martin Luther
"The way I do not know, but well do I know my guide.
I don't know where I am going, but I know the one who is holding my hand."
- Martin Luther
Our ultimate security is that we know God and that He knows us.
The wicked will wander off and perish.
Their lives and their legacies will ALL be destroyed and quickly forgotten.
The wicked will wander off and perish.
Their lives and their legacies will ALL be destroyed and quickly forgotten.
Psalms 9
5 You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked;
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins,
And You have uprooted the cities;
For the wicked, the very memory of them has perished.
"What we do in life echos in eternity" - Gladiator
But that is not true for unbelievers.
But that is not true for unbelievers.
WARNING.
Ask yourself: Does God. KNOW. you.? Are you His Child? His Redeemed?
Or, will He say to you on the day of separation and judgement, "I NEVER knew you, depart from Me you workers of lawlessness."
What will your legacy be?
Ask yourself: Does God. KNOW. you.? Are you His Child? His Redeemed?
Or, will He say to you on the day of separation and judgement, "I NEVER knew you, depart from Me you workers of lawlessness."
What will your legacy be?
