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Church Improvement: Building a Church That Honors God and Loves People By
Seeking Success and Happiness through the Council of God
Date: January 29, 2006
Occasion: River Hills Community Church
Scripture Readings: 2 Peter 1:3-9, Romans 12:1&2, Psalm 1
Text(s): Psalm 1
Seeking Success and Happiness through the Council of God
OPENING PRAYER
INTRODUCTION
The modern culture that we live in is caught up in a preoccupation with obtaining success and happiness quickly. If you have ever had a touch of insomnia and happened to turn on the TV late at night you will be inundated with infomercials trying to sell you methods of obtaining success and happiness; how to make money in the stock market with out even trying; how to get rich by buying and selling real-estate with no money down. Yet it is not just late night television, there are truck loads of books catering to this cultural drive to become happy and successful; How to win friends and influence people; how to loose forty pounds in a month while still eating everything you want; how to invest in the stock market; how to become a millionaire; how to make money on the Internet with very little effort. I could go on and on. Psychological and emotional success and happiness are the focus, and there are a lot of contemporary formulas out there for how to accomplish it.
Success and happiness are catch words for our society, just look at the commercials that are on during any TV program. They tell us that if we us their product, and pay of it of course, that we will be happy and successful. Even though it is not really true that is how it gets presented no matter what the product is; whither it is pants, whitening tooth paste, alcohol, or automobiles. Who is it that proclaims these messages to us? It is the popular, and successful, actors and sports figures who oddly enough are rarely happy in their materially successful lives.
Many of us view success as reaching a certain level of education, or a specific position with in a company, a certain amount of economic stability, or the ability to retire early. Basically our American culture defines success as having a rolling tide of good circumstance in your life which evokes a good feeling. I think that we have all fallen into this at one time or another; finding our selves saying “If we just had that house, or that job, then we would be happy.” But how does this idea of success and happiness correspond with a Biblical view of success and happiness? I think that in Psalm 1 we find our answer. Here we find a definition of happiness and success, as well as a formula to how they can be achieved. Psalm one and two together form the introduction to the book of Psalms, so if we can understand this Psalm along with Psalm two then we move closer to understanding the whole book of Psalms.
According to this Psalm;
We are to seek true success and happiness by. . .
- First resisting the council of the world.
BODY
I. Resisting the council of the world. (v. 1)
Verses one to three give us an important element to success and happiness. Let’s look at them together.
1 Blessed [or happy, you could translate that either way the connotation is more one of happiness] [how happy] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Here the first element in happiness and success is not something a person does but in something a person does not do. Notice the very beginning of verse one “Happy is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.” What is this happiness? The Hebrew world could be used for emotional happiness like we use the word in our culture, but it also is used to denote a deep spiritual disposition; a disposition that even in the midst of suffering does not permit us to despair but to take confidence in the Lord. For example in Psalm 119 verses 1 to 5 we find this same word, often translated blessed, and that gives us an idea of what that happiness is. It is realizing that we are in a special position that is a growing relationship with the Lord. Listen to Psalm 119:1&2 “How happy [or blessed] are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. How happy are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.” Their heart is in a relationship with the Lord, and that relationship is growing which is the basis of their happiness or blessed state. Verse three says; “They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.” Verse ten; “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.”
See, this blessed state is rooted in a relationship with the Lord not so much emotional happiness. This is probably what is meant in Psalm one as well. A life characterized by knowing the Lord and walking close to Him; living a life doing what will please Him, because we desire to please Him. Emotional feelings may or may not follow, but there is a joy or confidence in the relationship that can be held ironically in the midst of tears. The point is that we are a people who don’t live only on the basis of material circumstances, but on our relationship to God and His word.
In the next part of verse we see why this person is so happy. It is rooted in something that he does not do. Notice he does not “ walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.” Does this mean that we should just separate from unbelievers? Are we not to have friends who are not believers? This can’t be the answer for in Jesus’ prayer in John 17 He says that He is sending us out into the world. This is not talking about separation from unbelievers, but what is it talking about? It is talking about living out our life in the council of the ungodly, being influenced by the council of the ungodly world. That is a very different thing then just being among the unsaved in the work place or when we go through our day.
Notice there is a three fold progressive lifestyle of sin that this person avoids. He doesn’t “walk in the counsel of the wicked” nor standing “in the way of sinners.” There is a little more permanence in that from walking, and finally, sitting “in the seat of mockers.” Here is the progression in the development of a sinful lifestyle. If you don’t check it at the council of the ungodly, if you don’t try to get away from it – that is to not follow it – then you will begin to be more identified with it. You will begin to stand, not just walk with that council. Then if you don’t check it at that point you will become the ungodly world. In fact it is interesting to look at these words “council,” “way,” and “stand.” As I said earlier, I think that Psalm one and two form the introduction to the whole book of Psalms. So lets look at Psalm two and look at the contrast and the similarities to our passage.
Psalm two verse 1; “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?” Why are they thinking about things which are no more substantial than a cloud of warm breath on a cold day? Let’s keep going; “The kings of the earth take their stand.”-This is the same word as the stand in Psalm 1-“and the rulers gather together” -a better translation would be to “take council” because it is the same word that is used in Psalm one. So what is the council we are to stay away from? Listen to the end of verse two and then verse three; “against the LORD and against his Anointed One.” What is their council? "’Let us break their chains,’" they say, "’and throw off their fetters.’" They are saying; “We don’t want to do their will because we don’t know them and we don’t want to know them. Therefore we don’t want to do their will.” What happens to such people? Look at verse 12; “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way,” Remember the way from Psalm one, this is the same word here. And if you stand there one will perish in that way.
As we go back to verse one of our text the word for wicked here has to do with the idea of those who have no forgiveness. If you look at its typical usage in scripture it refers to a person who has not trusted in the Lord and therefore does not have forgiveness. This word council is not just the advice that the world gives, but the goal to which that advice or council is directed. What is that goal? Not to know the Lord. That is the goal. This council has to do with the design or purpose of the world. The idea is that the godly person does not align their lives with the disobedient purpose of the world. What is that purpose but to ultimately glorify ourselves, to have life revolve around ourselves and not to honor the God who created this world.
“ Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners” this word for sin is used in a very mundane way in the Hebrew Old Testament. It is often used of stone throwers; when they threw their stones it would say that they were so good that they didn’t even sin the target. They didn’t miss the mark. That is the idea here those who sin spiritually miss the target of the high calling of God’s word and law. This is a lifestyle of missing the mark of the standard of God’s word.
So, happy people don’t live out their lives in the council of the ungodly world. Who are you and I choosing to influence us? Who are those we are choosing to give us council? Are they those whose life’s purpose is to please the Lord, or those who are either indifferent or openly antagonistic to Christ or the scriptures? It is certainly Biblical to have unbelieving friends, what this Psalm is talking about is those whom we choose council from. Those whom we choose to listen to and gain moral direction for life from.
We need one another’s encouragement as Christians. I once heard Dr Greg Beale define worldliness as anything one particular culture does to make sin seem normal and godliness seem strange. The world is telling us six days a week that we are strange. We need to come together, at least once a week, and encourage one another that we are normal and the world is strange. That is why when people don’t do that they begin to think that church is strange, and that the Bible is strange. Because they have been listening to the council of the world as to what is normal.
Abraham Kyper, a theologian and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands at the end of the 1800’s, said that if you put a normal person on an island where only insane people live, it might takes some time but eventually the normal person will begin to take on the traits of the insane community because of the inherent human trait to want to conform to something, to the community that we are in. When you begin to walk in the council of the ungodly and you don’t check it you will become more identified with it. Then you will stand, and then sit with them.
We should desire to be a part of the community of faith. That expression ought to show itself at least once a week; so that we can be encouraged that our Christian commitment is not strange but is indeed the most normal thing in the world.
We are to seek true success and happiness by. . .
- Resisting the council of the world.
- And embracing the council of the Lord.
II. Embracing the council of the Lord. (vv. 2-3)
Well having described the happy person as one who does not live out their life in the council of the ungodly, verse two goes on to describe what can be done positively to gain real happiness. It is in contrast to verse one, in that it is moving to the positive here. Verse two begins;
“2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
This is the second ingredient for happiness. Now it is something that we do, not something we don’t do. Here we find that happiness and success come from living out our lives in the council of the Lord and in His word. How does that happiness first begin? It begins of course when the Lord changes our hearts and draws us into relationship with Him by faith. Then how does it grow? That is what we see here in verse two; it begins to grow by delighting in His word.
This word for delight found here in verse two is used in other places to describe when a man looks upon a woman and he can’t take his eyes off of her. He wants to spend the rest of his life married to her. It is used in this way in Ester 2:14. When the king wanted to find a wife and all of the beautiful women are being paraded before him, Ester comes – yes she is beautiful – but there is something more about her. Some of her character comes through and he delights in her and wants to marry her. The idea is of a desire from with in. You and I if we are really believers should have a desire to be with the Lord and in His word. It is not a legalistic thing or a duty. Instead it is a desire a delight.
Some people feel obligated to read the word and pray, but there should be an inner motivation to spend time in God’s word in order to get to know Him. It is true that some times we have to start back with resisting the influence of the world’s council, and say “no this is a good thing” and then get into the word of God even though you don’t yet delight in the activity. It is like one of the pictures C. S. Lewis painted in one of his The picture is one a group taking a tour of heaven, things are hard and difficult; some things were to heavy to even move. And the guide tells the people that they can stay but they will half to believe that the things they see here are the best things to obtain. Even though it doesn’t feel like it yet because they are not yet accustomed to things yet. If they were willing to stay he promised that they would see everything as being desirable.
In our Psalm, happiness continues to develop not just from a desire, but by action. Look at the end of verse two; “on his law he meditates day and night.” It is not just a desire but you actually have to get into the word. Meditate here is used in Proverbs 25 verse 4 where it talks about sifting out the dross from the silver. There isn’t dross in the word of God, but it denotes here a through sifting process. We are to thoroughly sift the word of God so we can understand it. There is work involved in it. Yet, as C. S. Lewis described, if we are willing to trust that these things are worth knowing we will find the delight.
Again Psalm 119 says about this verse 97; “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.” Verse 72; “The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.” Verse 103; “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter that honey to my mouth!” Do you like sweet foods and deserts? The Bible better than that. You like to have money? The Bible better than that.
Going back to Psalm one verse two, we need to see that this is not just the occasional thing we do. It says it is day and night at the end of verse two, it is continual. It means that it is a characteristic of who we are. Now verse three tells us what the result of characteristically meditating on God’s word is. Let’s look at verse three;
“3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”
See by desiring and meditating on God’s word continually our lives are spiritually nourished and they become successful. We have here an illustration of what the meditating person is like. It could also be translated this way; like a tree transplanted by canals of water. The idea here is of irrigation system operated by a farmer. The tree has a sure supply of nourishment and the sure care of a Gardner . So it is with the meditating person. We are secure in the Lord.
That’s not all, it goes on to say; “which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.” Some people read this as proof of some form of a health and wealth gospel. If you are a faithful person then God will bless you materially in this life. That is not what this is talking about, but at first glance it sure sounds like it. The key here is to let the Bible interpret the Bible instead of us interpreting it apart from other passages of the Bible. You see this very phrase is used in Ezekiel 47 and there it is describing the reappearance of Eden in the New Heavens and New Earth. Just listen to Ezekiel 47:12; “ 12Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing. ” It is also apparent that this is talking about the New Heavens and Earth because Revelations 22 verse 2 quotes this passage in Ezekiel. It says; “down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”
What does this say then about our passage in Psalm one? This person has come into relationship with the Lord, has begun to become a part of the true life with God and that life will find its completion in the New Heavens and the New Earth. So in a way it is a health and wealth gospel, but not on this side of the New Heavens and Earth but the other side. Just think about it, there is nothing healthier than being raised from the dead and given eternal life. But it is not focused here on this side of the New Heaven and Earth; you may not always see the prosperity or success on this side. It is a prospering now that may not be seen materially but will be evidentially.
So as the water is the nourishment of the trees life so is God’s word the source of our nourishment and abundant life that will be completely realized in the life to come. The last phrase of the verse emphasizes how everything with this person will be brought to successful conclusion. Let’s look at it here in the end of verse three; “Whatever he does prospers.”
I remember when I was a kid just loving storms; especially thunderstorms, with the wind and the sound of the rain pounding down on the roof. One time I remember after a particularly violent storm being sent out by my parents to do the normal stick patrol. As I was going around the yard picking up the limbs that were blown down in the storm I noticed that the tree in the field next to our house had actually been blown over in the storm. It was the oddest things since I didn’t think that the storm had been really that strong, and it didn’t look like any other trees were affected. When I went over by the tree I could see that when the tree had gone over it had actually pulled up the ball of its roots. For some reason the tree had never really had a deep root system. Before the storm came the tree had looked healthy and strong, but in reality when the winds blew it was shown not to be able to stand.
So too it is with us if we go to the scriptures only occasionally our spiritual roots will not be sunk deep. Then when trials come we won’t have a deep faith to face it. We will look at it and say “the Bible doesn’t help me.” We need to be continually by the water of God’s word so that our roots will be sunk deep, and we will bear spiritual fruit. When this happens we grow closer to our Lord, which is really what true happiness is. To be taking joy in our close relationship with Him.
Godly people find happiness and success in not following the council of the world, but in following the council of God in His word.
We are to seek true success and happiness by. . .
- Resisting the council of the world.
- Embracing the council of the Lord.
- And being known by the Lord.
III. Being known by the Lord (vv. 4-6)
Now let’s look at verses four to five which tell us something differently. There is a contrast here that we are to learn from. Verse four; “4.Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.” So how are the wicked not so? They are not like the happy meditating person since their lives do not have foundation or purpose. They walk in the way in the council of the wicked, stand in the way of sinners, and sit in the seat of mockers. They detest the law of God and do not meditate upon it. They do not bear fruit, nor will they – as we will see - ultimately prosper.
In fact notice Psalm two verses one; “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?” That word conspire here is actually the same Hebrew word translated meditate in Psalm one verse two. What do they meditate on? God’s word will never pass away, but they meditate on being free of God’s law and following their own goals. In the end these will be as insubstantial as your breath on a cold day. That is what it means to follow the council of the world. What we seek will fade and we will be disappointed.
Notice that because this person has no root, how are they described in the last half of verse four; “They are like chaff that the wind blows away.” Every year in the fall after the leaves fall the get little bits and pieces of dried leaves get all blown around our yard. These pieces seem to get all dragged into our house in the Fall. Yet, those bits or dried leaves are not worth anything but to be thrown away. Look at verse nine of Psalm two; “You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” You will cause them to be in little pieces, dust to be cast away on the wind.
What is you life based on? Is it structured around the council of the world, or the word of God? One of the reasons in our discovery groups we have been going through Paul Tripp’s book is to get us to think about this whole issue of council.
There is only one foundation or basis for life and that is Jesus Christ the crucified and raised God man. And to trust Him that he took your sins and nailed them to the cross and transfer to you His righteousness. Our identification with Him is the basis for life. There are may people in churches who claim to have such a faith relationship but they don’t seem to live lives characterized by a life lived in the council of His word. It is like they are engaged to Jesus Christ, but for some reason don’t want to live their life out with him. If you knew a couple that was engaged but one of them didn’t want to be with or live their life with the other you would call it strange. Some people say that they have received the gift of salvation, yet they don’t desire the gift of being with the Lord and His word. Sometimes it is because people need to grow in their faith and they don’t yet see the need. Yet, it could also be that they only have a cognitive or intellectual faith and haven’t received Christ. We need to examine our selves as 2 Peter 1 says make sure of your election and calling.
Do we read our Bibles most everyday? If not why not? In your families do we have a time where we look at the Bible and pray together? If not why not? If you haven’t been in the word it may sound like a daunting task, but you need to see that knowing God through His word is vital. I have seen so many people’s view of the Bible change over the years often simply because the joined a Bible study and got into the word. After a while they are acting surprised and amazed at the treasures that they are finding. May of us may not have these times because we are too conformed to this world because we get caught up striving after its goals, or distracted in business.
Now verse five tells us the result of those people who don’t have a spiritual foundation for their lives. It says; “ 5.Therefore [on the basis of everything that has been said, but especially on verse four] the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.” On the basis of verses one through four, at the judgment the wicked will not be confirmed with the righteous. Why? Because they have no foundation. It is like those two trees we talked about earlier. There is going to be a great wind storm at the judgment and only those who have been transplanted and have roots will be able to stand. But those which have not been transplanted will, even if they claim to have been, will be blown away.
Further more, just as the godly and the ungodly were not associated on earth, look at the end of verse five; “nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.” God is giving an almost ironic judgment, He is saying to the ungodly, “you did not want to be with me and my people in this life, I will give you what you want in the next life.” From a certain perspective people get what they want, even unbelievers. So they will be separated from God and his people in the next life. Punished by means of their own sin. So what ever other suffering is involved, the pain of separation from God will be paramount.
This also reinforces the whole idea that the prospering in verse two has to do primarily with the next life. It is being able to stand in the judgment and being able to continue on into the next life.
The climax of the Psalm is stated in verse six; “ 6.For the LORD watches over [or knows] the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” One the basis of verses one through five it can be concluded, which is the main point of the Psalm, that God has intimate acquaintance with the righteous resulting in life, but he does not know the wicked and will consequently suffer punishment. What is that punishment, He is saying since you didn’t know Me in this life you won’t know Me in the next; separation from God eternally.
If we delight in God’s word and we meditate on it and we show fruit of it, then it show that we know Him. So also verse six says that it shows that He knows us. True happiness and success comes from living out our lives in the council of His word, and only unhappiness and judgment come from living out our lives in the council of the world.
CONCLUSION
What is the basis of our lives? Are we conformed to the ungodly council of the world or are we conformed to the council of His word? Romans 12:2 gives us a New Testament equivalent to this Psalm. It says; “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is— his good, pleasing and perfect will.” If we want to know what God values as important and what He would have us do or say in the situations of our lives, then our think must be transformed. We need to be regularly in His word so that our thinking becomes more like His. Then we will be able to test and approve God’s will. And we will have discovered that a relationship with Him nourished by the Word of God is the true road map to Success and happiness.
We are to seek true success and happiness by. . .
- Resisting the council of the world.
- Embracing the council of the Lord.
- Being known by God.
© Copyright 2006 Derek Perdue
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