May 26, 2024
How Did I End Up Here?
Psalms 1:1-6
Have you ever ended up lost? I mean really lost and you have no idea how you got so lost? Think about it. When you started out on that journey you didn’t start down a path you thought would get you lost in the first place. You thought it was a way that would get you to where you wanted to go, and you probably never thought you would have ended up where you ended up. When you just go out adventuring and end up lost, it might be fun and when it’s all over you end up with some funny stories. If you are here this morning you were able to get yourself out of that situation or you wouldn’t be here. What if it wasn’t just a trip that got you lost, but rather the decisions you have made in your life, those times aren’t as fun. When you started down the path you are on now, it seemed that you were on the right path. However the longer you travel that path in life you might never have known that the path you were on was wrong until some tough consequences came along. Then you realize that you were living out Proverbs 14:12. You find yourself asking “How did I end up here?” and you probably don’t know how to really get out. This morning we are starting a new sermon series entitled “Summer in the Psalms”. We will be looking at the very first Psalm and see what the Bible says about and to those who end up asking themselves in their lives, “How did I end up here?”
It Happens Gradually - Psalms 1:1
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
The Psalmist starts out this wisdom psalm with an exclamation of Blessed! It’s lost in the English translation, but there is a pause after this declaration for the reader or hearer of the psalm to think about what that means to them. Joy, peace, blessing and happiness, those are all terms that would fit well here. All these things must be acknowledged as coming from God, given to understand the exclamation the Psalmist makes to open this, Psalm. Therefore the writer doesn’t tell us in a positive fashion what a blessed man does, but rather he tells us what he doesn’t do. It’s in this approach that we see how many ends up in places they never wanted to be and don’t understand how they got there.
The Christian Music Group Casting Crowns has a song based on the first Psalm titled “Slow Fade”. That is a perfect description of what the Psalmist is describing here in this first verse. He is showing a gradual digression of a person's life, a person who first finds themselves walking along with, standing with, and finally sitting with sinners. Literally the Psalmist is saying the person who is not blessed is someone who first listens to and takes advice from those who are not Christians. They find themselves being close friends with sinners letting them have influence over their lives, and then finally they find themselves indistinguishable from sinners when you look at both of their lives. The reason we can find ourselves on poor paths and not know how we got there is because the changes that the Psalmist mentions here are very subtle changes that most won’t notice unless they are diligent in living their lives for Jesus. It’s usually a slow fade when we fall into the path of sinners, but that’s not to say that it sometimes can’t happen very quickly as well. That's what happened with Lot in the Book of Genesis. If you remember his story is told in Genesis 13, he seemed to fall right into the path that is described here in the 1st Psalm. We were first told that he was looking toward Sodom (The city of unimaginable Godlessness) and then he went and set up his tents close to Sodom. Then in the very next chapter we are told he was living inside the city gates of Sodom and had to suffer the consequences of doing so, more than once.
Our Christian lives are ones that take much diligence as we walk along the straight and narrow day by day. We must be careful of many things and the advice we listen to and the company we keep is one of those areas we must be very careful in. We need to make sure that the things we are listening to when it comes to how we live our lives, are not of this world, but of what is written in God’s Word. We also need to look at our friends and answer the question, “Are they building us up in Christ or are they tearing us down?” If they are tearing us down or moving us away from Jesus, are they really our friends in the first place? How can we make sure that our path is the correct one and not one which will lead us to a path of destruction? Or maybe we know we are on the right path, so how can we get out of this path that has led us into a place where we aren’t quite sure how we got there, and we are not quite sure how to get out?
There is a Way to get Back on Track - Psalms 1:2
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
The man who is blessed, is the man who doesn’t fade into the world's habits, but rather is set apart from this world. A writer once said that a Christian life is like a fish ― dead fish go with the flow, but a fish who is alive swims against the current. A Christian is someone who has trusted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and through Jesus Christ they are dead to sin and alive in Christ. A man who is on the right path or wants to be on the right path because they have realized they are heading to a dead end are going to find themselves going against the culture and they do so by being obedient to God and His Word. That’s what is happening here. The blessed man is one who delights in the law of the Lord. Jesus said in Matthew 6:21 that, “where your heart is there your treasure will be”. This blessed man’s heart is totally sold out to God and that’s why he is delighting in the law of God because of his love for God. It’s like your sweetie writing you a letter or a note because you love them, you read it repeatedly, thinking about their words day and night. That's what this blessed man is doing here. Because it’s God’s Word and not just other humans, there is more that we are called to do to find ourselves with the same blessing as this man.
How all of us here today live this out is also going to be a bit different from the blessed man that is talked about here in the Psalm. It’s not the law of the Lord we delight in, but the entirety of God’s revelation that is revealed in the Bible. It’s the entirety of God’s Word that we delight in and meditate on. God has blessed us with more than the Psalmist had and we are even under a new covenant that is found through Jesus Christ. What does this delighting, and meditation really look like in our own lives? Well, like we said before, delighting in something means to read it over and over and cherish it. It’s not just reading God’s Word over and over that is required for the blessing promised. The key here is to meditate on it and not just once. The verb here is in the imperfect tense which means we keep meditating on it continually. The meditation spoken about here is not the eastern religious idea of transcendental meditation as many false religions promise salvation through, but rather it means to think hard about it and to think about what the Scripture means for your life and how to live it out. It’s when we do this that the truth of Proverbs 3:6 comes through. He will correct our path and make our paths straight, but that’s not all that happens. When we delight and meditate on God’s Word, as a matter of fact when we submit to God and His truth in all parts of our lives, others reap the benefits as well.
There is a Joy to be Shared - Psalms 1:3
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.
The Psalmist goes on to say that the blessed man is like a tree, it’s firmly rooted and thriving when it’s planted beside a stream of water. This blessed man is firmly rooted because the water of life (Revelation 22:1-2) is his source of strength. His leaves will not wither because he is in Jesus and that is where his life is found. We are also told whatever he does prospers. Prosperity here doesn’t mean prosperity like many might think of. It doesn't mean immunity to failure or guaranteed health or wealth, but rather that the fruit we produce will be approved of by God and will be good by His standards. That’s the focus of verse 3 ― the fruit that this tree produces. Like any tree’s fruit, this fruit that is mentioned here by the Psalmist is not for us. Sure we will get benefits out of a life that is rooted in Jesus Christ, but the fruit that is the focus here is a blessing for others. It’s when we start being the hands and feet of Jesus to those around us by living out God’s Word through our attitudes, motivations, and actions, that all those things become fruit in our lives. That will be a blessing to others that will only come when we are committed to being rooted in Him and delight in His Word. Can you imagine the blessing that your spouse and kids will receive when you get back onto the right path and commit yourself to Jesus and His Word? What a blessing it will be for your other family members. What a blessing it will be to those you work with. What a blessing to your community. What a blessing you will be to everyone when you are someone deeply rooted in Jesus Christ.
Those Without Christ - Psalms 1:4-6
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 leads to destruction.
The Psalmist then contrasts the blessed man with those that are not rooted in Jesus Christ. They are rootless, blown around by the winds of change, and they are destined for the fire. These are the ones whose lives are truly and fully like vapors in the wind, for when this life is over there is no eternal life for them, only eternal damnation. This conclusion to the Psalm is a warning not only for those who are left wandering out on the wrong pathways in life, but for believers as well. For the believer these are the ones whom we need to bless with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is their only hope. We need to tell them about Jesus. That's how we carry out the Great Commission and connect those dead in their sins to Christ. These are the ones whom we are called to reach. The Psalmist also mentions that God is watching the path of those who have called upon His name as Lord and are living a life that delights in His Word. Their way is watched, guarded, and approved by God, but not so for those who are not. They are on a path that just leads to nowhere ― a path that will ultimately lead to destruction. This needs to be a motivation for us and we need to be the one who leads them out through the power of the Holy Spirit. We need to lead them to a life committed to Jesus and firmly rooted in Him.
I love when the person of Christ is so well represented in the Old Testament scripture. Jesus said in John 14:6 that He “is the way, the truth, and the life and no man shall come to the Father except through Him”. That’s exactly what we see here in Psalms 1. In verse 1 we see that Jesus is the way to get to heaven. Following the world's ideas will not and can never lead you there. In verse 2 we see He is the truth that is represented in His Word, the Bible. He is the life in verse 3 when this tree would have no way to thrive if it weren’t for the waters of life that come from the throne of God. No one comes to God except through Him. Just like those referenced in verse 5 they cannot withstand the judgment when it comes because they are not found in Jesus. We are promised that no one will be condemned that is found in Him. Even as Christians, we can find ourselves straying from the path from time to time. Whether you have never been on the right path that begins with Salvation, or you have strayed from the path God has for you as His child there is still time. While it’s still today, repent, delight yourself in His Word, and be set upon the perfect path Jesus has for you.
