Soul Rejoice

Psalm 1:3 – “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.” In studying this Psalm, we have seen what the blessed person does not do (v. 1). We have also seen what the righteous person does do (v.2). Instead of being enamored with the wisdom of the world, the blessed person delights in the Word of God. It holds his attention. It is a light to the feet (Psa 119:110). And it is always on his mind. “He meditates on it day and night” (1:2). I can see the effects of meditation on the Word in my own life. When I am regularly reading, meditating, and praying through Scripture, I find that I am more heavenly minded. But when I neglect Scripture, I am more prone to focus on the things on earth (cf. Col 3:1-2). Being a pastor now, with Sunday coming quickly every week, I am in Scripture most of the day. That is one of the benefits of always preparing sermons, blogs, devoti...

In the previous blog post , we saw that the person that is under God’s blessing does not “walk in the way of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers.” Those are characteristics that negatively define the righteous man. The first three lines of Psalm 1 tell us what the blessed person does not do. We can turn them around and make them positive. The blessed man walks in the way of the righteous, stands in the path of the godly, and sits in the seat of believers. This person follows the advice of the saints, and rejects the counsel of the wicked. This person observes the ways of the godly, but is not associated with the wicked. This person learns from believers and not from the scoffers. The blessed person does these things, because he drinks deep of the Word of God. “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night” (Psa 1:2). This blessed man discerns righteousness and unrighteousness, because he holds everything ...

I. The Righteous Live Wisely According to God’s Word (1-3) IA. The Righteous Avoid Living According to the Sinner’s Philosophy 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! People have their opinions. They come to their opinions through many influences in their life. Their parents are a big influence, especially early in life. Teachers have a lot of influence in the lives of young people, and due to the expansion of education, the influence of teachers continues well into adulthood. A person’s friends are an influencing force. The literature read and the media consumed are a major emphasis on a person’s opinions. Advertisements, whether we are conscious of it or not, shape our opinions. When we have no opinion on a matter, or we suspect ours to be wrong, we consult others to ask them for their counsel. We search the internet for blogs and forums that will help us to form an opinion on a matt...

The Bible is the revelation of God that is about God and about how He would have us live life. God is the Creator of all things, and therefore He is infinitely superior to them. There is no one like Him. No one has the infinite knowledge or wisdom that He has. We are limited by our creatureliness. He, as the Creator is unlimited. We are limited by the effects of the Fall, namely sin. He, as the pure and righteous King, is unlimited. Through His Word, God has revealed His eternal plan of redemption through His Son Jesus Christ. He has revealed that one day, Jesus Christ will return and vanquish His enemies in order to rule over a kingdom of righteousness. And He has revealed that the righteous will participate in this Kingdom while the unrighteous are thrown into the Lake of Fire. What does it mean by “righteous?” Who are the righteous ones? If “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23), and if “the wages of sin are death” (Rom 6:23); who can stand in the day of...