Blessed is the Man

The original temptation I want to know right has to know I have to know the Lord would have a simple concerning evil. I would get up but what would I have you wise into that which is good but simple concerning evil. Romans 6.19 I like to say when somebody asked me a question that I’m pop cultural illiterate I don’t know the mutant the movies the music the current theme of the world. I just don’t know it. I also tell them I’m full of useless information which is also usually true. But I am pop culture illiterate because I don’t need to know what the world has to know. I’m not going to stand in the way of sinners.

So when you’re standing in the way of sinners I mean there’s even more peer pressure as soon as you stop and stand as soon as you allow for the possibility that you are going to engage in what they want you to do. That’s where the pressure is going to be brought to bear. If you’re just if you’re stopping and standing then they think that they can get you to fall. It says wherein they think that it is strange that you run not with them to the same excessive riot speaking evil of you. First Peter 4.4. We used to have my brother and I when we used to work as regular officers we used to have they would do things they would stuff our lockers full of bad material so that we’d open them so they could make fun of us and all sorts of things which was very fun then when I became promoted because it all stopped. But they used to do these things and they would they would ridicule hey your brother said he was coming to the club with me if you would. You know that’s not happening. But they would do those things there’s all that peer pressure. I remember somebody stopped and said to me come drinking with us. I said why would I want to do that.

And they said we will pay for you and take care of you. So that sounds like lots of fun. If I have to be taken care of. And they looked at me and they said well that’s the best offer we could have given you and could have given anyone. What do you mean we pay for you and take care of you. I just have no desire to do it right. But they think it’s strange that you run not to the same excessive riot. So nor standeth in the way of sinners and then nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. So the place of compromise. Sitting in the seat of the scornful. You’ve walked in the path of convenience. You’ve sat you’ve stopped at the point of curiosity you’ve stood there now you’re sitting in the seat of the scornful and you’re at the place of compromise. And Satan loves to do this here’s as a side note he loves to go hey you’ve already blown it so you may as well enjoy it right. Has anyone ever been there. You’ve gotten to yourself to the place of compromise and Satan comes and says why are you trying to find your way out of it you’ve already blown it so you may as well enjoy it. Satan’s a liar. Satan loves to lie. But it’s the logic of the devil.

You’re already here I’ve gotten you stopped. Case study for this would be a lot. He pitched his tent towards Sodom right. He was going towards Sodom and he ended up in sitting in the gate. And it becomes harder and harder at each stage walking in the council of the godly standing in the way of sinners sitting in the seat of the scornful to extra Skype yourself and to take a stand is harder and harder when when lot finally got to the place where he could say no more. They were still pushing they were pushing harder than ever because it becomes harder and harder to come back to your stand. Lots out in the gate of Sodom and when he they were coming to the door and they said stand back and they said again this one fellow came into sojourn and he needs be a judge. Now what would you do with the than with them. So he had gone to the point where there he is stand no longer had any effect. Second Peter 2 7 says and deliver just lot vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked for that righteous man which we would think was the stretch right. Dwelling among them in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds. And the Lord made an example of Sodom that’s what he showed that he showed he showed what he thought of that it was the first time that he showed what he thought it was it was the first mentioned principle so to speak for that incident. He tells what he thinks about that in Jude if you if you look that’s the reason why it wasn’t pride arrogance see how they try and some people try and take from Ezekiel who don’t want to talk about it. It was the Lord judged that sin. But that sin. He found himself right in the middle of it because he sat in the seat of the scornful sitting in the gate of Sodom. So the progression again we have the you know the point of the path of convenience walking in the council of the ungodly or the lust of the flesh the place of compromise sitting in the seat of the scornful the lust of the eyes. No I’m sorry the point of curiosity standing in the way of sinners the lust of the eyes and the place of compromise sitting in the seat of the scornful the pride of life and you say where’s the pride of life come into it. Well what do people call the their most evil parades. What are they always saying.

They’re proud of it. And the funny thing is that they can’t they can brook no criticism right. Because if you they already their consciousness is accusing them and they are honest they are not comfortable with their own deeds. And so to have anyone else say so reinforces what their conviction and they cannot bear their conviction. And so that’s why they try and surround themselves with people who will not only not oppose it but celebrate it. You are not allowed to quietly stand by you must celebrate and have pride in their wickedness because they’re doing that to make themselves feel OK with their sin. Their conscience they’re having to sear their conscience with a hot iron. So the pride of life. So it says so the example here the enemies of the cross of Christ whose whose end is destruction whose God is their belly and whose glory is in their shame who mind earthly things. And that’s Philippians 3 19. So they turn something that they should be ashamed in into their pride. And no doubt. Lot sitting in the gate of Sodom had to give lips to sit in the gate of Sodom had to give lip service at least not opposition because you see the point at which he opposed they had never been opposed before. But he had to give lip service to it because he was sitting in the seat of the scornful. So blessed in his So blessed in his eschewing blessed in his ensuing which is a wonderful word right out of First Peter 3 let him eschew evil and do good let him seek peace and ensue it. The Bible is the best dictionary for itself because that’s a quote of Psalm 34 14 to part from evil and do good seek peace and pursue it. So ensue just means to pursue but it’s a nice 10 cent word for my alliteration. So seek peace and ensue it. He’s blessed in his ensuing but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night. So the light in the Lord Psalm 1 19 97 says oh how I love thy Lord is my meditation all the day. It carries a picture of you know satisfaction or admiration from observing a perfect thing. Here is the law of the Lord.

If you read the rest of Psalm 19 the law of the Lord is perfect. He goes on a list of superlatives because he is enjoying the law of the Lord. He’s delighting himself in the law of the Lord. And the meditation factor actively thinking about God’s word. Think about it is the direct opposite of what the world defines as meditation right. Meditation you clear your mind and allow you know put all your thoughts out of your mind and have an empty mind. That’s the words world’s definition of medication. God’s definition is exactly opposite. You’re going to actively think about the word of God. Now why does the devil want you to think about nothing and open your mind. Well so he can fill it right. And so that’s what he brings for if you if your mind is full of the word of God the devil has no opportunity has no stronghold has no point of entry to tempt you to sin. And the Lord knows that. And the devil more importantly knows that as well. Walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the less of the flesh. So when you have that meditation actively thinking about the word of God it carries the idea of you know the the rumination the chewing the cud going over and over and enjoying it and finding more and more meaning out of it every time you look at it and every time you read the Bible you find something new. You make another connection you say OK I didn’t realize that he’s quoting this verse. So in the context of this verse this is what this now means.

It’s a wonderful discovery that you have. Of course you all know the verse first Joshua 1 8 this book the law shall not depart out of my mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that that thou mayst observe to do according to all that is written therein. For then thou shalt not make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success.” And so I’ve had people ask when we were talking about meditation and when I, you know, having this discussion with coworkers and bringing the Bible into your discussion whenever you can, well, do we have to memorize it?

That’s not really the point. Did you have to memorize your favorite movie line? Did you have to memorize your favorite song? Did you actively set out to do it?

I would think not. It comes naturally because if you’re thinking on it all the time, the memorization just follows as a matter of course. And of course, the more you memorize, the more you retain, the more you can think about it. But the idea is that you’re so engrossed in the word of God that it becomes, you memorize it anyway. So I mentioned the idea of meditation.

I’m just gonna, the world’s idea of meditation, turn with me to Matthew 12. Matthew 12 verse 43. Satan wants you to empty your mind, right? The Lord wants you to fill it with his word and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth. But Satan wants it empty because Matthew 12, 43, when an unclean spirit has gone out of a place, he walketh through a dry place, seeking rest and findeth none.

Then he saith, I will return to my home from once I came out. And when he has come, he findeth it empty, swept and garnished, nothing there. Then goeth he and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there, and the last state of that empty spirit dwells there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. Now the context is, sign of Jonah, he’s given them, he’s preached and they have not believed, there’s unbelief. But to follow the world’s idea of meditation, you empty your mind. If you empty your mind, the devil will be waiting to fill it. And so the idea behind meditation, best in his ensuing, blesses in his ensuing, or blessed in his pursuit, and his pursuit is the word of God.

So not only do we see blessed in his eschewing, what he puts off, walketh not in the counsel of ungodly, standeth in the way of sinners, sitteth and seeeth the scornful, blessed in his ensuing, his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night, he’s blessed in his establishment. And he shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season.

His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. So I want you to think about the symbolism of a fruit tree. Who can tell me what a fruit tree symbolizes? What was the first fruit tree symbolizing?

Tree of life. And out of the ground, may the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree also in the midst of the garden, the tree of knowledge, the knowledge of good and evil. Symbolism of fruit that’s two nine and then in Revelation 22, two, in the midst of the street of it, and on the other side of the river, there was there a tree of life, which bear 12 men are fruits, and yielded her fruit every month.

And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. How are we to be a tree of life? Proverbs 11, 30 says, the fruit of the righteousness is a tree of life, and he that win his souls is wise. What kind of fruit are we supposed to bring forward? We’re supposed to bring forward, as I heard someone say one time, the Lord’s command both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, go out and make life happen.

Replenish the earth, he told Adam and Eve, he told that the same to Noah, and then he turned around and said, go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them. Make life happen. The Lord is all about life. The devil is all about death. If you don’t believe me, just go look, go to Lowe’s, go look at all the celebration that we’re having during this month. I’ve never understood why people love death so much.

It baffles my mind. The devil is all about celebrating death. And the Lord is all about making life happen. So let’s think about that. He’s a tree planted by the rivers of water, it’s planted, it’s rooted, it’s established. So source of establishment, the Lord said, I am the vine, ye are the branches.

Apart from me, you can do nothing. If you abide in me, you shall bear much fruit. And the results of being of that planting, of that rooting, of that establishment, John 15 verse 16, you have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go forth and bear much fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever ye ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

So the Lord’s desire is that we would have fruit, and our fruit would remain. Contrast that with the ungodly. So blessed in his eschewing, blessed in his ensuing, blessed in his establishment, blessed in his escaping. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. So Hebrew poetry is a type of thinking poetry. They like to juxtapose things. Here’s a list on one side, here’s a list on the other.

One of these things is not like the other. If you’re reading Hebrew, the Psalms, any times that you’re talking to the Hebrews, they love to look and say, what is different from one to the other? If you’ll turn over with me to Hebrews 6, 7.

Hebrews chapter six, verse seven. For the earth which drinketh in the rain, that cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth herbs, meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God. Verse eight. But that which vereth thorns and briars is rejected and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burbed. So Hebrews have obviously written to the Jews, he’s using the same format. So the earth, both of them have the drinking of the water into the rain which cometh off upon it.

One bringeth forth fruit that is meet to them by whom it is dressed and receives a blessing. So there’s fruit that’s useful and there’s blessing. The next verse, the other bringeth thorns and briars and is rejected, there’s worthless, and there’s cursing, nigh unto cursing, and there’s a third thing that’s not there in the first previous, whose end is to be burnt. And so he juxtaposes both of them and says, here’s what you have on one side, here’s what you have on the other side, now what thing is different and what can you learn from that?

And then you see the same thing in Psalm chapter one here where he’s talking about the ungodly are not so. So you had a tree planted by the rivers of water, established, it’s permanent, bringeth forth its fruit in his season, it’s useful, whose leaf also shall not wither, it’s alive, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper, it’s blessed. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

So what’s missing? You’re missing the permanence, you’re missing the blessing, you’re missing the usefulness, you’re missing the prospering of the Lord. So when you look at that, you have the wicked have no permanence, the idea of the chaff, chaff is not very heavy, it has no impact, right? Chaff is not useful, it’s not even useful for animal feed, so it’s useless, there’s no utility. Because the wind can drive it away, there’s no permanence.

This idea of permanence in the Jewish psyche endures to this day. The idea of not having a name to yourself. Think about Zechariah, when John the Baptist was brought, they called him Zechariah after the name of his father, because obviously you need a name to pass on. Think about the ridiculous example of the Sadducees, right? They came, one brother died in the next tatter and in the resurrection, and speaking of which, aren’t you glad that we don’t have that custom?

Some real family meetings before marriages would be going on there. But you’ve got, at least my wife laughs, but you’ve got the idea of the name, even with the Lord Jesus, right? Who shall declare his generation? And of course, because he was cut off, the result is that God has given him a name of every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow with things in heaven, things in earth, things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father, but the name is important.

If you think about Absalom, he had no son, so he went so far, and this is what always cracks me up about people, they’re all the same. What’s important to them, they will go at any lengths to accomplish. 2 Samuel 18, 18, now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the Kingsdale, for he said, “’I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.’ And he called the pillar after his own name, and it is called unto this day, Absalom’s place.”

So it was so important to him that his name would be remembered. They raised up a stone. To this day, the Holocaust Museum, there are 4.8 million names in the database that they know of. And there’s an exhibit, I’m told, I’ve never been there, obviously, but there’s an exhibit in which the names are just being read, spoken. There’s actually a ceremony in which people will get up and read the names, obviously not 4.8 million, but they will get up and read a portion of the names because to not be named means that you are forgotten.

And so the idea of having no sense of permanence is really the highest judgment that the Lord could pronounce upon the ungodly. And those who were reading this and the first recipients of this in the culture understood this perfectly. It was the worst thing that you could do. You know, don’t, no shame to my name. They’ll go through all sorts of inconvenience and hardship to not have shame on their name because their name is that important.

So the ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveeth away. No permanence, no remembrance, no legacy. Proverbs 10, seven, the memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot. And you see this when every dictator is toppled. You had Lenin and you had Saddam Hussein. You think of all the, you know, when they pulled down the statues of Saddam Hussein, no one could speak a word against the name of Saddam Hussein while he was in power.

But as soon as he was deposed, the name of the wicked shall rot. They were pulling it down with trucks and bulldozers. They could not wait to erase them. And that’s what happens to the wicked. So the ungodly are not so, but are like this chaff which the wind driveeth away. So blessed in his eschewing, blessed in his ensuing, or pursuing, blessed in his establishment, and blessed in his escaping.

Now we have blessed in his exclusivity. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. And what is implied is the godly will stand in the congregation of the righteous, and the godly will stand in the judgment because the Lord will wipe away all tears. We are not judged at the great white throne because our name is written in the book of life.

We’re judged at the judgment seat of Christ. So blessed in his exclusivity, God is a righteous God, he’s a just God. He puts a difference between the clean and the unclean, between the holy and the unholy.

In Leviticus 10, 10, he says that, in that you may put a difference between the holy and the unholy, and between the clean and the unclean. And the context was of course, Nehud, Nadab, and Abihu who’d offered strange fire. And the interesting context also is this command comes right after you’re told that the priest should not drink strong drink, wine nor strong drink. Not saying that that is inferring that Nehudab and Abihu were drunk, but it doesn’t say that they weren’t.

They went before the Lord and offered strange fire. If you think about, the pastor just mentioned, Uzzah who put forth his hand to the Ark of God to hold it, for the oxen shook it, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God smote him there for his error, and therefore he died by the Ark of God. God wants to be worshiped only in the way that he commands.

He is a holy God, he puts a distinction between the way that the world does things, and the way that he does things. He wants there to be a difference. And so when he says, the ungodly shall not sin in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous, God only wants those to come, those that worship God must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Can’t have truth without repentance, right? The Lord wants us to come to him. We can come as we are, but we cannot leave as we were, right? We can’t, that’s why religion, false religion is so popular, right? You don’t have to change. You can go out on Friday night and go to confessional on Saturday, and confess all the things you did, and continue to live the same wicked lifestyle that you have, there’s no change.

But the Lord demands a change. You will not truly meet with the Lord and come away the same way that you were. Now, the wicked and the righteous, the contrasts. So Revelation 6 10, how long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth, the martyrs crying out from beneath the throne of God about the wicked.

But when you think about the context of planted by the rivers of water, rooted with permanence, the Lord is long suffering towards usward. Of course, he’s not willing that any would perish, but think about Matthew 13 29. Shall we root up the wheat with the tares? And he said, no. Nay, lest while you gather up the tares, you root up the wheat with them. So the Lord is not slack concerning his promise.

There’s no, God has not marked you’ll reap what you sow, but the Lord is long suffering. But he puts a difference between the clean and the unclean, between the righteous and the wicked, between the holy and the unholy. And he expects that difference to be in our life in order that we should praise him. Because we cannot come to God in mercy and truth. He has mercy on us, but he expects truth from us.

And the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth, much more the wicked and the sinners. The Lord has his own time for when he’s going to be judging the earth, but we don’t always understand why he takes his time, the way he takes his time. We don’t always understand why, you know, we see somebody who’s wronged us and we think, Lord, do you not judge, Lord?

I do, but I judge in my time. And we don’t understand that. Who knows whether the wicked man that did you wrong has a little daughter at home depending on him, and the Lord’s gonna judge him, but not before he’s fulfilled his obligation to her and raised her so that she has a roof over her head and clothes on her back and food on her table. We don’t know the time that the Lord is going to judge, but the Lord is not mocked, he always will.

So we have blessed in his eschewing, blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. We are blessed in his ensuing what he pursues, his light is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. We have blessing in his establishment, his leaf also shall not wither, a tree planted by the river’s water, his leaf also shall not rither, whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Blessed in his escaping, the ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Blessed in his exclusivity, he is going to stand in the congregation of the righteous, he is going to stand in the judgment, and the ungodly shall not. Finally blessed in his exaltation, for the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. The Lord knows the way of the righteous.

Turn with me to Psalm 91. Psalm 91 is one of those wonderful chapters in the Bible that has an easy outline, but the final portion of that Psalm, verse 14, is where it switches to the Lord speaking. It has been somebody else, the psalmist has been speaking up until verse 14, and now the Lord interjects and speaks in the first person. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him.

I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation. The Lord knows the way of the righteous, because the way of the righteous is to know the Lord. The way of the ungodly shall perish.

So he’s blessed because he knows the Lord. The Lord says that in those days, no more shall men teach each other, know the Lord, because all of them shall know me from the least until the greatest. The Lord has come and the Lord wants to have a personal relationship with you, and that is the blessing of the Lord. The blessing of the Lord maketh rich, and the blessing of the Lord will be rich.

The blessing of the Lord, the blessing of the Lord maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with it. And so the ultimate blessing in every case is to know the Lord. I remember my brother, my older brother and I, and my sister, we were going into a mall, which was a thing back in the 90s. I know some of you don’t know what a mall is. But we were going into a mall and we were talking about what we were gonna buy with our allowance money and da da da da.

And my sister says, I’m gonna buy this. And we looked at her and said, you don’t have any money. What are you going to buy? And she said, I’ve got money. And we said, what money do you have? Show us your money. And she said, I’ve got daddy.

She had money. We may not have all the things that we think we want, but we have exactly what we need, and we have the one who can give us everything that we do need. We may not have it all in the world’s eyes, but we’ve got the Lord.

He says, the results of having fruit remain. Remember he said, whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name that he may give it to you. What should we ask for?

What does the Lord tell us to ask for? Look in Psalm two, verse eight. Ask of me and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. We don’t need anything because we have the Lord. Blessed is the man.