Which Way Shall It Be #3

Bruce is the truth pulpit with doing green teaching God's people. God's word from God's perspective, the wicked are just like chaff.

Those who do not love God's word are useless to believe that only to be gathered and a disposable byproduct of the greater goal of gathering together good brain.

What distinguishes a believer from a nonbeliever.

It's a matter of the heart can anyone but God discern which is which. Well as Pastor Don Greene points out today on the truth pulpit, there are definitely some outward characteristics like their relationship to Scripture high on bill right and we're wrapping up the message. Which way shall it be dog will focus on the way of the wicked what they resemble and what they receive.

Finally, he'll consider the way of the Lord, how he provides for the righteous. Once more, will turn to someone and join our teacher now in the truthful, 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 is older. 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. When you read it in the original. It says this not so the wicked not so not them, but in 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 sinners 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 in the first three verses so as we look at the way the wicked. Let's look at what he resembles the wicked are not so and so when he says wicked or not. So he saying they do walk in the counsel of the wicked, they do stand in the path of sinners. They do sit in the seat of scoffers. They do not delight in God's word. See, I'm always grateful there so many faithful people to come to truth community. Week after week, and I know you that for most of you come because you love God's word and you're the you're the object of the blessing of the first three verses and I just thank God that that he's been good and is pouring that blessing on you and not everyone in this room is like that some of you are in this second path you're here because you have to be somebody made you come or it just seemed like the right thing to do, but at heart.

You do not love God's word.

It is a burdensome yoke on your neck so you dismiss it outwardly. You go through the motions but inwardly you dismiss it you don't love it.

You don't delight in it. Here's what I want you to see this. The second half of Psalm one is talking about you and here's what it says, the way of the wicked what he resembles is what we want to see verse for the wicked are not so but they are like chaff which the wind drives away. There's a tree in this chaff chaff is a word we don't use a whole lot here, but it was something very common, something well-known a part of daily life. When this was written.

Let me give you just a little bit of the picture a little bit of an explanation of chaff because it's describing what the wicked are like so matters these people who reject God's word chaff was a byproduct of harvest time they would they would pull their grain together and the grain would be mixed with dust and dirt tend husks and debris and they had to separate the good grain that they could eat from all that dirty byproduct and they had they had a means by which they did that they had a pitchfork like instrument called a winnowing fan what they would do they stand up on the hill where their threshing floor was there BS there be a good firm wind blowing through what they would do is I would shovel this mixture of grain and straw and chaff made throat up in the air and the wind would blow the chaff away. And the good grain would fall back down to the floor and so they would just do this repeatedly, the wind blowing the chaff away into into a pile away from the grain separating it and then they would eventually burn the chaff. The chaff was useless. It was a hindrance. It was a waste.

It was a byproduct that had no value that needed to be destroyed. It had to be separated from the debris and eventually it was gathered and it was burned, you realize what a what a horrific picture this paints of wicked people. What this says about those who love the world and those who reject or dismiss, in whatever form the word of God. Those that are actively hostile to it that scoff at it. Those that simply say not my cup of tea. I don't care about the Bible the same Grouped together, they don't delight in the word of God. Whatever way they manifest that in open sin or quiet rebellion there all lumped together in this one group called the wicked in Scripture says that there like chaff, what God's word is saying to us from God's perspective, the wicked are just like chaff. Those who do not love God's word are useless. Debris fit only to be gathered and burned a byproduct of a disposable byproduct of the greater goal of gathering together good grain. This is this is an arresting phrase this is. This brings you up short because were to use to word to use to as human beings, especially in this day and age were to use the patting each other on the back and congratulating each other on how important we are talking in the most broadest sense, and that there are multiple paths to God. You have your truth. I have my truth. Look the word of God rejects all of that says those who don't delight in the word of God or debris verse five verse five with me, which describes what this wicked person receives.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous John the Baptist term but turn to Matthew chapter 3 John the Baptist use this exact same phrase he talked about it in the exact same way as he talked about the coming ministry of Christ.

Matthew chapter 3 in verse 11, he says. As for me, Matthew three verse 11 as for me, I baptize you with water for repentance that he who is coming after me is mightier than I.

Is talking about the Lord Jesus Christ there. He says I am not fit to remove his sandal.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire watch what he says in verse 12. His winnowing fork is in his hand and he will thoroughly clear his threshing floor and he will gather his wheat into the barn but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

The choice to ignore the choice to spurn, Scripture leads to that outcome. If you are indifferent to God's word. If you had the man who rejects God's word and substitutes human wisdom his own opinion over what Scripture says is a man who is choosing his own destruction.

A man who is manifesting his own worthlessness.

Useless debris to be cast out, separated from the good grain in Scripture makes this point with a number of metaphors.

The wheat will be separated from the tears the goats will be separated from the sheep.

There will be a separation coming in the judgment. One path leads to heaven. One path leads to hell you're on one of the other. It's that severe.

It's that serious. It's that consequential and you can't avoid this, you can avoid it. The blessing that we who know the Lord have certain we can be avoided the judgment that awaits those who continue to spurn God's word is unavoidable. Why is that how can you say that was such a definitive dogmatic certainty.

Verse six we seen the way of the righteous.

The way of the wicked. Now in verse six were going to see the way of the Lord. Look at this. This is cool for there's a lot that hangs on that word for at the beginning of verse six. Why is it that the man of God's word is blessed. Why is it that the wicked are driven off into judgment. It's not because there is some kind of self-fulfilling power in our choices behind all of this is the power and the omnipotence and the righteous judgment of God. We can know for certain that the man of righteousness is blessed we can know for certain that the man of wickedness will be cursed for because verse six the Lord knows the way of the righteous.

The Lord his most holy name the covenant keeping God.

The Lord knows the way of the righteous.

How can I guarantee the ultimate blessing of God on your life if you're the man of the righteousness it's because the Lord knows your way, the Lord understands. The Lord cares. The Lord provides the Lord directs the man who loves his word and and this frees us up from all manner of anxiety about what the future holds. You know the outcome of any of the circumstances, you just have to know okay the Lord knows the way of the righteous, and I have set my heart on his word. Therefore, somehow, the outcome for me is good and I am confident I am strong I am courageous you say to yourself, because this is the path of blessing that God himself has ordained and I trust him to be true to his word. He knows the way of the righteous Lord knows my heart, Peter said in John 21 Lord you know all things you know that I love you if you can say that Lord you know of you know my failures, you know, my sense of this past week. You know how many times I've fallen short. Lord, you know that the bottom of it all on the man I'm a woman who delights in your word, then you have every prerogative every reason every hope to look at verse six and say this applies to me. The Lord knows my way. I will be that blessed man in the end, no matter the sorrows that intervene between now and the outcome of friends. If you are indifferent to God's word you young people.

I can't help but talk to you by years can go by pretty quick. And you're going on your are going to outlive me. I'm gonna lose the opportunity one day to keep saying things to do, something to say it because I care about your souls. If you are indifferent to the word the Lord knows your way to if in light of someone you still stubbornly go your own way resisting resenting God's word you are choosing your own destruction and it won't be anyone's fault but yours God will not accept the blame because the way of life in the way of death was set before you, and you said I don't care about this word you say. I will drive on the wrong side of the road. I'm sick of this Department of Transportation. I want to drive on that side of the road really really the outcome of that foolishness is unavoidable. You will be you will have a collision with a Mack truck known as the judgment of God, and I ask you why would you do that. Why would you do that why on on what possible basis of self interest. Even, could you justify that attitude it's laid out before you look at the end of verse six. Every one of you look at the end of verse six the way of the wicked will perish. Unavoidable. Here's the thing, I realize it's me, and I realize these kinds of things really start and there's a certain weightiness to them is as it should be. God didn't give us eternal souls so that we could try for with them right. Why would he do that I would be foolish realize its weighty but even in evening. Even in the name of your own self-interest. Why, why would you turn away from this. Why would you spring God's word, knowing that it brings certain destruction. Knowing that think about it this way. Picture as it were, all of the people in this room being gathered up and tossed up into the air like the threshing example the threshing simile that is used in the song, and that most of us will come back down in the hand of God to be gathered up into heaven, into his kingdom of safety and yet there are some of you rather than coming down and that that will be blown away separated from the rest of us falling into a pile where you will simply be waiting to be gathered up and burned. Why would you do that please don't. Please resolve in your heart right now I've got to pursue this word, I will seek out this word. I don't understand everything about Christ and salvation, but I know that I must be, a person of this word and I will start today. God unveiled yourself God, make yourself known to me through your word and take the path of blessing, but no, for certain that if you harden your heart once again and you walk out and say I will not be that man. I will not be that person know that you're just grabbing the keys and saying I'm going to be on the left side of the road going home. Those of you that know Christ love his word.

Take heart, this is you are a tree planted by water, nourished by the goodness and providence, and protection of God's blessings on you. Our lives are good and they come out good in the end, better than we think. The dividing line is God's word.

If you won't embrace it, you will collide against it in the outcome will be that you will perish. It's that clear. It's that simple. It's that direct which path will be for you. It's for her father, we thank you for the blessing that you promise to those who love your word and we seen it. Lord, we've experienced it in our own lives you've given fruit to our lives we've prospered and what we've done with experience the joy of the spirit and a clear conscience that comes from the forgiveness of our sins.

Your blessing just rains down on us and the tree grows deeper and broader by the day. Thank you for your goodness to us and may those who are truly in Christ who have heard this message father take great nourishing encouragement from the fact that you know the way of the righteous, and you will bless them might sustain them through the sorrow and the discouragement that they felt over these past many days.

May this be water that revives the plant of grace in their hearts father for those that are not so who push away Christ who don't care about your word father, I beg you to work in their hearts so that they would take your word seriously that when you describe them like chaff as those that will not stand in the judgment as those who will perish as those will be gathered up and burned that you're not bluffing that you're not kidding. Father may there be a holy fear that takes root in their heart that persuades them to humble themselves under your word and to receive your word. The written word and the incarnate Word of our Lord Jesus Christ is the defining affection in the defining authority in their hearts. There's too much at stake father and we set all that we can say now we look to your spirit. To do that hidden work which only he can commit all of this to you in Christ name two pads to entirely different outcomes. One leads to eternal life in Christ. The other two judgment. We hope you will be motivated to share this truth with others you meet in the course of your day. Pastor Don Greene will have more from the word of God.

Next time you're on the truth pulpit.

So the plan now to be with us right now though Don's back in studio to offer some pastoral encouragement. My Christian friend in light of this wonderful Psalm that we've just concluded our study of I would ask you this question with a lot of sympathy in my heart. Are you walking with Christ, and yet you find that the way is full of sorrow. I want to encourage you to take heart, my friend not give up and not despair. Remember this about our Lord Jesus. He himself was a man of sorrows, and he was acquainted with grief. What was the outcome of his life.

His death, his resurrection, God raised him to glory and take heart from that. The Lord knows the way of the righteous. He will not abandon you to your sorrow and your tears forever.

But just as he raised Christ to glory.

If your faith is in Christ, for your salvation, so also he will raise you in glory as well.

The outcome for you will be like it was for Christ.

So keep looking to your Savior, my friend, he will comfort you in time and he will bless you in the end, and one day you and I who believe in Christ, we will see him in glory. The tears of this life forgotten in the wonder and bliss of heaven ours for all of eternity. Thanks, Don, and friend. We hope you will visit the truth. Pulpit.com to learn more about our ministry. That's the truth.

Pulpit.com Don Greene until right inviting you to join us again next time.

As Don continues in his ministry of teaching God's people. God's work