Which Way Shall It Be #2

The righteous man delights in the word of God day and night.

He has rejected the way of sinners is rejected, their counsel, he has rejected their thinking for the sake of pursuing this word and the word to which this will testify. Have you received God's word as the finding affection and authority in your life.

Thanks for joining us on the truth pulpit with Don green founding pastor of truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio hi Bill, right, and today Don continues his message.

Which way shall it be a study based in Psalm one last time. Don said worth the two ways a person can go in relation to God, toward him or away from him.

The psalmist turns these directions the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. We saw that the righteous man rejects the course of this world today. Don will discuss with the believer receives and also what he or she resembles Your Bible over to someone and let's join our teacher now in the truth.

Pulpit righteous man is known by what he rejects. That's true, but he is also known in a positive way by what he receives what he rejects what he receives and we see what he receives in verse two, at its core.

This man loves the word of God it is that simple plain and evident livers to but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law he meditates day and night noticed a couple of things about this. First of all, that there is a contrast right you see that there is this there is this path of the world and yet there's this contrast. In verse two.

I've left behind. The world as I as I go into verse two. I rejected that. Now as I move into two verse two I'm moving into a different realm. I'm moving into a different realm of design your different realm of what I esteem of what my priorities are in verse one.

He's left behind what the world thinks and what the world does and what the world says he's left behind the scoffing and the mocking of the world toward the things of God. And now in verse two, as if he walked into a beautiful ballroom he stepped off the street out of the gutters of the straight knees walked into a five-star hotel room. He walked into this gorgeous ballroom with a completely different decor. A completely different set up says this is where I will set this is where I will plant my life verse to look at it with me again.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law he meditates day and night noticed that it's stated there twice in the law of the Lord and in his law that that's the focus of this of this verse, the word for law here it can refer to the first five books of Moses, the Pentateuch, the Torah is the word that you steer the can refer just to that, the more broadly, this word refers to God's instruction to God's written revelation in the Bible and that's a way that we should take this the totality of what God has revealed in Scripture. That's what this man loves. He loves a book he loves God's word. He studies it, he reads it he thinks about it, brothers and sisters. He goes further. He obeys it.

This man, this woman, this young person has his mind on the word of God day and night.

Let me say something that should convict many of you many of us should be convicted by what is about to be said in the righteous life. There is not room for the principle of compartmentalization to say I'll all be in church on Sunday but I have these worldly activities that I love these things that are kinda sinful, but I'm going to enjoy them these things that are anti-God in their in their tone and their music or whatever in their entertainment says, but you know what I don't care. I want that to work that way. There is a day and night monopoly on this man's affections on this man's thinking that comes from the word of God and the entire desire. The unifying desire of his heart is to bring the totality of his life in whole and in its parts under the authority under the blessing under the clarity under the revelation of the word of God and that is no burdensome yoke to him that he resents this man loves that. Look at verse two with me again says it says his delight is in the law of the Lord. This is this is what he wants.

This is this is what he builds his life around around the word of God. Now here's what I want you to see stepping back and taking a really big picture look at things living a righteous life starts with your mind.

It starts with your affections. It starts with the inner man. It starts with asking this question.

What have I set my heart upon and when a man when a woman sets his heart upon the Scripture. Here's what happens. Here's why. The outcome of Psalm one is guaranteed.

When you love the word of God.

When you read the word of God when you think on the word of God. When you study on the word of God. When you obey the word of God, it changes the way that you think and when you're thinking is changed, what you love what you desire is changed, the mind drives the heart and the hard drives the behavior and so a man who wants to live the blessed life.

The man who wants to know the goodness that lies at the end of the blessing of God says I'm going to set my heart and I'm going to direct my affections to seek and to pursue and to understand God's holy word that will be the desire of my heart and so the question is is you this this is a really searching Psalm. The question is do you love God's word like that do you love God's word and you know, I realize that you know were not all going to be monks in reading the Bible for 14 hours a day and all that.

That's not the point. This is not talking about a quantity of time it's talking about a quality of heart is God's word. What you have set your heart on.

Is it what you value more than anything else. If it's not, you're not in the camp of the righteous. If you don't love the Bible. The song teaches us you're not in the passive, the blessed see the blessed man the happy man rejects the world and receives God's word, it says I will set my heart on this word I want you to turn to the book of Ezra Ezra chapter 7, which is just before the songs you need to turn back before Joe before Esther before Nehemiah. It is likely that we have the book of Psalms compiled in its in this form from the hand of Ezra, but I want you to look at Ezra chapter 7 verse 10 here's here's the take away. Here's the illustration here is the model for you to follow in your own life. Compact clear, concise, understandable Ezra chapter 7 verse 10 Ezra actually verse nine is the good hand of his God was upon him. Verse 10 for the good hand of God was upon Ezra because Ezra was this kind of man he had said his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it in the teaches statutes and ordinances in Israel, look at that. He set his heart. He gathered up. He gathered up his affections and with a deliberate intent of his mind. He said my life will be pursuing this word I will embrace this word this is what I will study this is what I will think about this is the most important priority in my life is that I understand this word and I can for my life to it.

He wasn't just someone who studied it and wanted to practice it. So there is there is this wholehearted orientation of the inner man that says this book is my love.

This book is my hope this is the object of my affection. This book is that to which I give the kiss of submission and allegiance. That's the idea say to a book that this book is precious because it came from God. This book came from our Creator. This book this this written word of God is the one that testifies to the incarnate Word of God. The God who became flesh to be the Savior of man by giving his life on the cross to save us from sin and outlook. I realize I get animated about a lot when I'm up here preaching, but how could you not be happy. How could you not love this book. How could. How could anyone not love a book that comes from the infinite creator of the world. The testifies to the way that our sins can be forgiven and that is that is pure, that is true, and that leads us to the path of God's eternal blessing. How could you not love book like that and how beloved, how could you not reject how could you not separate. How could you not disown the environment that is opposed to this word. How can that be I mean we have to we have to examine ourselves we have to think about life from these most fundamental perspectives. What is it that I love what is it I'm after, you can't have it both ways that the young person. The man, the woman that wants to keep his foot in both camps need understand something you're trying to keep your feet in both camps.

One in 11 and the other understand that both of your feet are in the camp of the wicked, because the righteous man delights in the word of God day and night.

He has rejected the way of sinners, he has rejected their counsel. He has rejected their thinking for the sake of pursuing this word and the word to which this word testifies, and so do you love God's word.

Do you build your life around. That's the question have you rejected the world.

Have you received God's word as your defined thing about it this way, have you received God's word as the defining affection and authority in your life is is the word of God. The defining affection and authority in your life.

That's what this is calling us to the defining affection. The defining authority. Now, what happens to a man like that.

What's the outcome. See there's consequences. It matters whether you go left or right here at this juncture, the interstate that you choose when you're driving takes you to a destination in a far greater way. The way that you respond to this very principle determines the destination of your entire life, nay, goes further and echoes throughout your eternity so much at stake for those of you that love God's word. For those of you that that do understand. I have repented. I do reject the world. I do love God's word.

What's in it for me.

What's going to happen now. What's the outcome will those of you that if there are that kind of person and you come in discouraged drink from verse three and see what this righteous man resembles we get an illustration. There's a simile here. He compares this righteous man to a position of blessing and he describes it in verse three. So we seen what he rejects what he receives in our going to see what he resembles in verse three. What happens to this man who stands alone under the affection and authority of God's word. Verse three.

It's a beautiful picture. 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 prospers. It goes well for this man a tree planted near water will flourish regardless of the surrounding elements in the same way. The man who loves God's word in the way that we been describing is going to thrive, regardless of his life circumstances. There will be a spiritual fruitfulness to him. There will be an ever developing growing maturity of strength and courage of character.

There will be productive things that come out of his life. It doesn't define what those things are.

It states it in the most broad terms look at it at the universe. Three. Whatever he does will prosper. There will be seasons where there is just fruit coming out of his life will be in Evergreen. He's not going to shrivel up under the weight of adversity because there is a life-sustaining spiritual water coursing through the branches and leaves and twigs of his life.

There is a vitality of spiritual energy fueled by the Holy Spirit that animates everything that this man does.

Thanks, and says he is carried on eternal wings. He is borne by a spiritual current that leads to blessing. There is a power at work in him that is outside the realm of this world. The guarantees this outcome of life for him and whether whether his spiritual excellence is displayed in the quiet simplicity of being a godly family man unnoticed by the world.

Whether whether it is a spiritual excellence and gives him prominence amongst God's people, whether it is a spiritual excellence that leads him to the martyrs grave at an early age. There is excellence there is spiritual prosperity. There is a godly vibrancy about his life that transcends the external circumstances and defines the very quality of who this man is and is is you trace it all out as you see those different effects that we just described one man prominent.

Another man martyred another man just quiet faithfulness. Beloved. Here's the thing that you have to understand here's what you have to recognize from someone here's where here's what you have to discern as you understand and and make judgments about life you trace each one of those illustrations you trace them back and you find the common root that defines the different ways in which those branches have spread about across the world and you come back and you see all the common root is that was a man of God that was a man who loved God's word and you look for that common root to define and explain what you see.

It's not about the external manifestations about which particular leaves your branches uphold the spiritual prosperity described in Psalm one traces its roots back to this book that is on your when you realize the consequences of it when you realize how much is at stake in this. This speaks not only of earthly blessing and an spiritual productivity. But this, this defines blessing throughout all of eternity. You realize that that what is sitting on your lap is an instrument either of your blessing of your cursing that the what is on your lap is more powerful than the gas that fills your tank in the vehicle that you're going to drive home that there should be a sense of of reverence and respect and desire for this book that you view this with a sense of deference and respect and affection that says I I have to take this seriously, how I responded this book defines how life comes out for me how I respond to the Christ, to whom this word testifies defines my eternity. This book is of some unspeakable incalculable importance and as you look in a shoe just you should, you know, I know look most of you are probably like me you got 20 Bibles in your house. Some of you some of you more on their almost fungible items taken were leaving they get worn out throat. I get another one.

Don't let the availability of the printed product diminished your sense of respect and reverence for God's because you hold on your lap, that which determines the blessing of your life or that which will rise up and judge you in the end we have to take this seriously, how I want you to. I want you to hold that Bible on your lap and say wow this is really precious. This is really really important. I'm going to make this book the delight of my mind because I want to be that tree firmly planted. That's it. That's what Psalm one is teaching us to think about the word of God.

Now what comes next. What comes next is a jarring and a sharp contrast, beloved, listen to me.

There are times where you just despair of trying to do justice to the word of God.

And that's how I feel right now in the first three verses we saw a negative and a positive contrast of the righteous man what he rejects what he receives in the brilliance of the mind of God, which inspired the writer of the song you have another contrast going on. The righteous man is defined by contrast what he receives what he rejects. Then there's this beggar contrast were about to step into in the last three verses and whatnot the next two verses I should say that the contrast that righteous man that we've just seen with a wicked man and so they're all of these clear contrasts are going on throughout the song and what we have now is a jarring, sharp contrast, we have just seen a description of the way of the righteous. We say this is a path of blessing. He comes out like a tree flourishing.

This is so good and then you move into verse four and when you read it in the original. It says this not so the wicked not so not them. Verses four and five.

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 centers in the assembly of the righteous, who are the wicked there. The reverse of what I just described.

They are the contrasting image. They are defined by the opposite of what we just saw the first three verses will pastor Don Greene is covered. What awaits the person who follows the way of the righteous, but a stark contrast does indeed lie ahead of us as we focus on the way of the wicked next time you're on the truth pulpit. Join us as Don concludes his message and someone titled which way shall it be. But right now here's done with some exciting ministry news will my friend today. I have an opportunity to offer you something for free that goes beyond what we've done on a radio broadcast, it's a 10 message CD album titled, the Bible and Roman Catholicism to series. I recently completed a truth community church taking Scripture and evaluating what Catholics teach and believe about the Pope about Mary about the mass and about the whole nature of salvation. It's a resource that you really need to have in your hands, either for yourself or for your friends and loved ones to know how to interact with them and it's available for free at the place bills going to point you to right now. Just visit us at the truth. Pulpit.com and click on radio offers to learn more. And while you're there, you can also find podcasts to download so you can revisit Don's messages at your convenience. That's all it the truth. Pulpit.com I feel right and we'll see you back here next done on the truth pulpit