WELCOME
Good morning First Baptist. We welcome you to worship this morning. Be sure to remember your brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the week as you pray for them, and as the Holy Spirit brings their faces to your mind. Be sure to also connect with them in the ways that are possible. And if you have any questions or would like to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to contact the church through the church telephone and leave a message. (519-733-4144)
Songs
Call to Worship
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.
Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. – Psalm 5:7–8
GOOD MORNING FBK & WELCOME TO WORSHIP!
Songs
Prayer
Prayer of Confession & Assurance
The act of confessing our sin is not simply a recitation of our faults and wrongs, but also an opportunity to receive God’s mercy and share in that abundant grace. Confident of God’s love for us, let us offer our prayers, first in silence.
We listen to the stories of Scripture and find them interesting but unrealistic. When we look at our own lives, we believe that we could not leave everything to follow someone we didn’t know. We have many responsibilities and ties which keep us from following. But God, you are persistent. Mighty Father, you understand our confusion and doubts. And God you continue to call us to be in ministry and mission in this world. It may not mean leaving everything behind, but it does mean being willing to serve wherever you calls us. That’s hard. We want to place conditions on service, and usually those conditions are “if we have time”, “if we have energy”; ” if we can just try serving You for a little while to see how it all works out”. Still God, you call to each of us. Lord, this is difficult. Forgive us, for the very many times we turn our backs on serving you and focus on our own comforts. Forgive us when we look the other way when people are in need. Forgive us our angry attitudes and actions which hurt rather than heal. Wrap your arms around us, healing our wounds, binding us to you, in your name. AMEN.
Assurance of Pardon:
Do not be afraid. God is with you! That is good news. You do not have to go through life alone, wondering if anyone cares about you or knows your heart. God knows and God loves you. That’s how it is , has always been, and will continue to be. God’s love for you is eternal. AMEN.
Psalms of the Seasons
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Life
Today's Message: Pastor Dave Page
For a long time in my life now, I have found The Psalms to have a wonderful capacity to capture the reality of our human experience.
Repeatedly for me, they express the emotions, personal feelings, attitudes, gratitude, and interests of a lot of what we experience every single day. One reason people come to love the Psalms is that we can each usually identify the verses of the Psalms with our own experiences. If you spend any time at all in this book of poetry and wisdom, I promise you that no matter how deep the pain or how great the frustration or how exhilarating the joy, you can find psalms which echo your innermost being, Psalms which God uses in our lives to comfort or to affirm.
Before we jump headlong into this book, we need to talk a little bit about literature again…or things as we read them and discuss are not going to make sense to us….
Hebrew Poetry
The Psalms, like the other wisdom literature of the Old Testament (Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes), is Hebrew poetry – Ancient Near-Eastern Poetry. Unlike English poetry, which emphasizes rhyme and rhythm – ‘Mary had a little lamb…” Hebrew poetry relies on other characteristics for its impact like imagery and figures of speech. If you take figures of speech as an example, like the Hebrew language itself, Hebrew poetry uses vivid images, similes, and metaphors to communicate thoughts and feelings.
That’s not how we communicate today so we need to understand some of that and adapt that style of writing to our contemporary understanding and modern-day circumstances if they are to truly be valuable to us. That’s our purpose for studying this book together this year….to pull from the pages of Old Testament Scripture the nuggets of wisdom that can help you on the journey, in the here and now.
Now, let’s address a question that I get asked a lot about the Old Testament and yes, the Psalms too.
That question is this – Since Jesus has come, is the Old Testament even relevant ? What difference does the coming of Jesus Christ make to the meaning of a Psalm? – That’s a great question and a really big challenge too.
The Psalms were written before Christ came. But now he has come. The Incarnation has happened, the Lord has lived a flawless human life, he has died his atoning death to pay the penalty for sinners, he has been raised in his body and ascended to the Father’s right hand on high. This makes a huge difference, right?? Well, yes, it makes a massive difference.
Our appreciation of The Psalms will be too narrow and shallow if we think they are mostly about us, or even about David. They are not. They are much, if not mostly about David’s Son and David’s Lord whom David foreshadows. In other words, we are meant to see Jesus standing over The Psalms, casting his shadow upon them in such a way that we see shapes, hints, contours, and glimpses of him everywhere.
Interestingly, the original psalmists did not know all these connections; but they longed to. And later, we learn from Jesus himself and the apostles that Old Testament prophet-writers often did not know what their own words meant. So true was this that they studied their own writings to figure out more about the Messiah-King to come. (1 Peter 1:10-12). We can say that they wrote Spirit-inspired words (2 Peter 1:20, 21), and then read them and wondered: “Who is this about and what does it mean! It cannot be just about me! I know I’m writing about a greater person – a King – who is going to suffer greatly, but then be exalted even more greatly. What do these things mean?” Please understand this, they knew that they were writing (and in the case of the psalmists, praying and singing) about Someone yet to come; one who turned out to be none other than our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
And so, if you think again about this question: What difference does the coming of Jesus Christ make to the meaning of a psalm? It makes all the difference because in so many places, the psalmists are giving us an early, albeit blurry look at the Jesus to come …and when He does come, he affirms all their writing….
One Author I’ve read from said, “Beneath and behind and throughout The Psalms, there is Jesus – either in his sufferings or in his glory. Look for Jesus everywhere…”
Traditionally, Psalm 1 and 2 have been long recognized as a type of introduction, not to just the collection of Psalms but also to the two major themes of the Psalms and so this morning we’ll look at Psalm 1 and next week Psalm 2 to conclude our introduction to this book….
Scripture Reading: Psalm 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,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
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.4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
This first Psalm stands as a kind of introduction to the rest of the Psalms. Its subject matter is very general and basic, but it touches on two subjects that continually occur throughout all the Psalms. It declares the blessedness of the righteous and the misery and future of the wicked.
In this Psalm, our spiritual life is presented both negatively and positively, figuratively and literally.
It presents two ways of life: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. However, one of the things I want you to see in this first psalm is that the key subject is the centrality of God’s Word to the life and fruitfulness of the righteous person.
Two great themes that are going to become very familiar to us flow out of this:
- the importance and absolute necessity of the Scripture, and
- the changed character, stability, and fruitfulness it promises to those who make Scripture the core of their lives.
Note how this Psalm uses contrasts to get its message across.
There is the way of the godly and their blessedness in contrast to the way of the ungodly (1:1-6).
The way of the godly is shown by way of a contrast: negatively, what the godly do not do (1:1), and positively, what the godly do (1:2).
Then there is the contrast between the results of the two ways of life; the godly are stable and fruitful, but the ungodly are unstable and face sure judgment. So, what you have developing here in just these opening verses is this age old contrast between character and destiny. Seem relevant to our lives today….sure it is!!!
Psalm one is a wisdom Psalm. There are praise Psalms, lament Psalms, and enthronement Psalms and all contain wisdom, of course, but as an introduction and door to the rest of the Psalms, this Psalm declares in just a few words some of the most basic but profound truths and propositions of the entire Bible.
In essence, God says there are two ways of life available to you: one means blessedness, happiness, and fruitfulness, but the other means cursedness, unhappiness, and judgment. And as God is so good at doing, He leaves the choice up to us.
Dave, here are the two roads, the choice is yours.
The Road of the Godly (1:1-3)
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! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 And 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.
“HOW BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO … ” Women – this means you too!
By position in this opening statement and its context, the Hebrew is exclamatory. It means, “Oh, the blessedness.” It stresses this as a fact to those who fulfill the conditions of what the Psalmist is saying…
“Blessed” is plural in the Hebrew and literally means, “Oh the blessednesses, or the many blessings.” We might paraphrase with something like, “Oh how very, very happy is the one who …”
You see, one thing I’ve been taught and have come to know in my life is that true blessing comes from my spiritual growth in understanding the plan of God through relationship with Him and through His Word. While we know we have a place in Heaven and an eternal inheritance secured by the work of Jesus Christ, the experience of our blessings, the increase of our capacity to appreciate Jesus our Lord, and our experience of happiness and joy is directly proportional to our knowledge and application of God’s Word. So, what did I just say there –
SPEND TIME WITH GOD AND WITH HIS WORD AND YOU WILL EXPERIENCE JOY, NO MATTER WHAT’S GOING ON IN YOUR LIFE.
It’s that simple, but it’s our choice.
Now do not hear me say this in the sense of legalistic obedience to a set of rules and principles, like a prescription or a formula, that’s not how relationship works, and God wants relationship with us.
Instead, this promised blessing to those whose lives are characterized by certain qualities as the outcome of faith and relationship with God.
The principle the Psalmist is laying out here is that certain things corrupt, they tear down and destroy. Other things build up, develop, make fruitful, and give the capacity and means for happiness through trust and fellowship with God. This is the message of this Psalm.
Now, what are those things?
Negatively: Things to Avoid (1:1)
There are three things the one who is blessed must avoid. It’s interesting how the author develops this because as it is presented, it demonstrates a downward spiral, which always occurs when we are not advancing in God’s words and way of life.
Verse, one portrays this truth in three degrees of degeneration, each a little more permanent and embedded into one’s life.
- There are three degrees of habit or conduct: walk / stand / sit.
- There are three degrees of openness, fellowship, or involvement in evil: counsel / path / seat.
- There are three degrees of evil that result: wicked / sinners / scoffers.
See how that in each of these there is regression from God’s way and progression into sin and Satan’s way. It warns us how we are all prone to turn away from God, little by little and become more and more entangled in the web of sin. We get easily influenced by the way of the world in its attitudes and actions…remember, for most people, actions follow attitudes.
So, how can we avoid this? Psalm 1:2 is our answer! The one who experiences great blessing is one who has a love affair with God’s Word. He/she is a person of the Scriptures.
Remember we said Psalm 1 is an introductory Psalm, a kind of gateway to the rest, where all kinds of qualities are mentioned. This is the one quality which is of singular importance. Why? Because here is the root – God’s word is the root! Everything else is the fruit, i.e., the result of one living close to God by living in His eternal, infallible, sure, true and tried Word.
The church is not a social club, a welfare organization, a religious or a ritualistic institution. It is a spiritual body, an organism of living people whose lives grow and maintain stability in a rough and tumble world through the teaching of God’s Word. Remember, it’s this book that tells us everything in the church is to flow from and around this emphasis and activity. Its organization, its fellowship, its works, testimony, witness, and giving. This does not deny the ministry and work of the Holy Spirit or other valid functions of the church like music, but central to everything is the Word of God. (Jam. 1:19f).
Positively: The Key to Blessedness (1:2)
“BUT HIS DELIGHT IS IN THE LAW OF THE LORD”
“But” is K’a]m in the Hebrew text – “but rather.” So here we have a strong contrast showing positively what the person of blessing does in contrast to verse 1, what we do not do.
“But his delight is in …”
“Delight” in the Hebrew has this basic meaning, which is obvious, but if you dig a little deeper to see exactly what this means, something else emerges. This world came from an Arabic verb (a sister language) which meant “to be mindful of, attentive to,” and so it came to mean, “keep, protect.”
Now think about this with me, when something delights us, we become preoccupied with it, and we tend to protect and guard it.
The Theological Word Book of the Old Testament points out this word may be used for that which a person wishes strongly to do or have. – It means “to feel great favor toward something.”
The word “delight” was also used to mean that which one takes delight as in one’s business, pursuits, or affairs of life.
The principle here is that the study of God’s Word is to be one of the key purposes and affairs in our life in which we delight and to which we give careful attention.
“In the law of the Lord.” This is the object of our delight because it contains the authoritative principles and instructions which are to guide our lives.
“AND IN HIS LAW HE MEDITATES DAY AND NIGHT”
“Day and night” is an idiom which means “constantly, consistently, and regularly.” This means the person of blessedness is occupied with God’s Word. It is always on his mind and in his heart in every situation and area of life (2 Cor. 10:4-5).
What is the outcome of this focus in our lives ?
Vs. 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.
Remember the use of contrasts however….
The Character and Destiny of the Wicked (1:4-6)
The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.
At verse 4 we come to a very strong contrast. The way of the righteous is contrasted with the way of the unrighteous.
Let’s talk about this phrase “The wicked.” This is a key word in the Psalms. In our passage it occurs four times (verses 1, 4, 5, and 6). This is the primary word by which the Psalmist describes the unrighteous. This Hebrew word means the restlessness within those who are out of touch with God, whose hope and trust is not on the Lord, and who, in their unsatisfied and agitated state, are propelled forward in a search for whatever it is they think will give peace, satisfaction, security, and significance (cf. Eph. 4:17f).
If you study of the word r`sh`u (used over 255 times in the Old Testament) you would find that one of the key characteristics of the wicked is this looseness from God. It means at least an apathy and even a choice to reject God and His Word. That choice results in moral instability, which is the fruit of the root problem, a failure to care about God.
Note the contrast with verse 2 “but his delight is in the law of the Lord … not so the wicked”
Church family, this is not complicated to understand. The issue is simply that if you choose to leave God out of your life, then you also choose to leave His blessing and relationship with Him out of your life too.
Notice this repeated contrast shown to us in the use of the words righteous and wicked. These words contrast two lifestyles:
The righteous cling to God, love His Word, and as a result are restrained, stable, upright, and just.
The wicked forsake God, ignore His Word, and as a result are unrestrained, oppressive, and unjust.
This is the point of Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.”
These words also contrast the results of these different lifestyles:
- The righteous are stable, fruitful, and will be rewarded.
- The wicked are unstable, unfruitful, and will be judged.
The way of the wicked ultimately loses because it is left to itself. The way of the wicked dies because they have left God out and even their temporal life loses real meaning and value. Rejection of Jesus Christ and His Word means no access to eternity….it means loss of rewards and a failure to use this life as partnership with Him in His Kingdom on earth. However, the believer, who is kept by the power of God, will be in eternity with the Lord.
One thing we are going to ask you to consider each week is to spend time in that week with the Psalms we look at. As you reflects back on this wonderful introductory Psalm, it is clear that the central issue is God’s awesome and holy Word, the Scripture. The man or woman of blessedness and spiritual stability is one whose life is built on and drenched in the Scripture.
But why?
How can the Bible have such a stabilizing effect on a person’s life?
Because of the nature of the Bible as God’s inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word to man, and because of its total sufficiency to meet every need of a person’s soul. In other words, as Peter teaches us in 2 Peter 1:3, it contains all that man needs for life and godliness, or about truth and righteousness.
What is it, then, that the church needs? It needs the Bible!
What is it that pastors and leaders ought to be doing? They need to be preaching and teaching the Scripture.
Remember what Paul told his protege Timothy ? First, he told him,
“Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13).
Later he wrote,
“preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and instruction,” and then he quickly warned, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:2-3).
Where is the world and culture around us today? It has turned aside from the Word as its authority and sufficient source for life and righteousness. And what does the world look like today? Well, it certainly does not look like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in its season. Friends, the Church is not immune from this either.
The research efforts of Gallup, Barna, all indicate that we in the church are, for the most part, growing as secular in our orientation as non-Christians. The data reveals, among other things, an astounding degree of theological illiteracy:
- 84 percent of those who claim to be Jesus followers embrace the notion that in salvation God helps those who help themselves,
- 77 percent believe that human beings are basically good and that good people go to heaven regardless of their relationship to Christ, and
- more than 50% of those surveyed affirmed self-fulfillment as their first priority. It’s all about me!! An equal number had a difficult time accepting the concept of absolute truth.
In plain and simple terms, the forces of our modern society have replaced the centrality and priority Scripture.
That’s why we make sure that in this church, we provide lots of opportunities to get deep into the word of God. My family, if in this new year already, you have not committed to make God’s word the foundation of your life and work and ministry – can I plead with you to do that!! It’s essential and I promise you it will be more rewarding than you can possibly imagine.
Application
- What are the practical steps you can commit to deepen your relationship with God’s Word and grow in wisdom? – Bible Study, reading plan, etc.
- Consider a commitment to daily meditation on Scripture for spiritual nourishment.
Let me close with this interesting illustration of the power of the Word.
George Whitefield, the great eighteenth-century evangelist, was hounded by a group of people who called themselves the “Hell-fire Club.” They poked fun at his work and mocked him. On one occasion one of them, a man, was mimicking Whitefield to his pals, delivering his sermon with amazing accuracy, perfectly imitating his tone and facial expressions, when he himself was so affected that he sat down and was converted on the spot.
God’s word says this – For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Do you want to live a blessed life – it’s all in this book.
Prayer
Boundless God, When we feel that our lives are being blown off course, our hopes dispersing like chaff in the wind, we pray for your reassuring love.
Soothe us and all who struggle through days distorted by stress and uncertainty. Help us to let go of the worries outside our control and to find release by bringing our anxieties to you in prayer. Remind us of your care for us and the power of your love that embraces all things. Lessen in us the urge to try and control our world, and grant us peace.
Strengthen us and all who have their lives overwhelmed by sickness or infirmity. Be with those undergoing tests or treatment, that they might receive good advice and guidance. Support those working in healthcare and research, that their gifts and presence may ease the suffering in our world. Help us to grow in patience and endurance, and grant us peace.
Comfort us and all who suffer at times engulfed by anger or shame. Remind us of your everlasting forgiveness, and encourage us to offer that compassion to those around us, and also to ourselves. Inspire us to treasure and accept those around us as children of God, and recognize that blessing also in ourselves. Help us to welcome you into our hearts, and grant us peace.
Song
Benediction
Go out into this new week, nourished by the grace of God. May God’s love sustain you through the challenges you face and inspire you through the blessings you encounter. In every moment, may you bear the fruit of this eternal love, offering up praise, thanksgiving and encouragement. Amen.
Blessings, Have a great week!