Daily Devotional Time: Psalm 1

Psalm 1 is a passage that offers comfort and encouragement for believers:

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. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.3 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. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

A sure-fire way to live a blessed life is to follow the guidance of verses 1-2. The man who doesn't walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scornful is blessed. So many Christians forfeit this blessedness, though, because they walk in the counsel of the unGodly. Instead of turning to the Word of God for guidance and encouragement, they turn to their lost friends, who then give them worldly advice.

Christians also forfeit this blessedness by standing in the way of sinners... that is by adopting some of the practice of sinners. It begins with following their advice, the next thing you know, you are living their lifestyle. Sin carries consequences, and robs the Christian of fellowship with God.

Blessings are further forfeited by sitting in the seat of the scornful. Anger and hatred eat at the heart and the soul, and the flesh tends to latch on to those emotions easily. The Christian that turns away from those emotions and refuses to sit in the seat of the scornful will be blessed.

Now, if you go through life with a checklist of things that you shouldn't do, you'll find yourself getting frustrated and discouraged. Instead of looking at what you shouldn't do, focus on what you should do. Verse 2 says "But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."

The way you avoid walking in the counsel of the unGodly, standing in the way of sinners and sitting in the seat of the scornful is by delighting in God's word, the Bible, and meditating in it day and night. The man who spends his time in God's word has a certain stability and peace about him that the psalmist compares to a tree planted by the rivers of water... or as Charles Spurgeon put it, "A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't."

So what are the blessings that go along with a Bible-centered life? Verse 3 says, "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."

1. There is the stability that the psalmist compares to a tree planted by the rivers of water. The roots run deep, nourish the tree, and prevent the tree from being uprooted. Trees planted in moist areas have vast and extensive root systems that extend the life of the tree. Such is the case with the man who spends his time in God's word. He is well-nourished (Spiritually speaking), and his faith is deep and vast like that tree's root system. This creates a well-rounded, stable person.

2. He brings forth fruit in his season, and his leaf shall not wither. The man who is well-grounded in His faith as a result of a Bible-centered lifestyle is productive in his service to the Lord. A popular saying is that you "should not be so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good." In actuality, the opposite of that saying is true. The most heavenly minded are the most earthly good. The difference is that the things they accomplish are of an eternal value.

3. Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. This doesn't mean that you get rich, or that you are automatically successful at everything. What it does mean is that the man who is Biblically centered will follow God's will, and in doing so will succeed because God will prosper him. Nehemiah followed God's leadership, and thus was able to confidently say, "Our God will prosper us." It is okay to expect God to bless your efforts, if you are Bible-centered and following His will.

Life is not always easy for a believer, even a Bible-centered believer... but it is never pointless. So, go ahead, pick up your Bible. Read it, and meditate on what you read daily.

The Oracles of God (I preached this at the Annual Southwest Association Meeting)

SUBJECT: The Oracles of God

TEXT: Romans 3:1-2

INTRO:

A. Paul has just written that the Jews are no different than the Gentiles when it comes to sin.

1. All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.

2. All who are saved are saved by grace through faith.

B. So, what is the advantage of being a Jew?

1. Unto them were committed the oracles of God.
2. In other words, God committed His word to them.

I. Just as the Oracles of God were committed to the Jews, so have they been committed unto us.

A. God has committed His word to us.

1. The Gospel we preach is straight from the scriptures. (I Corinthians 15:3-4)

2. The scriptures that we have were given by the inspiration of God (II Timothy 3:16-17)

a. Profitable for doctrine - a system of teaching.

1. Doctrine is important.

2. Doctrine is most powerful when taken from the scriptures.

3. Preach the scriptures to make sure you are giving doctrines the same priority that God has on them.

b. Profitable for reproof.

1. No one likes to be reproved.
2. But when you reprove according to the scriptures, your reproof has authority behind it.

c. Profitable for correction.
d. Profitable for instruction in righteousness.
e. That the man of God may be perfect.

1. Perfect = complete.
2. So that we can be complete Christians.
3. The real deal... like Job. (Job 1:1 says he was perfect and upright, one who feared God and eschewed evil.)

f. Thoroughly furnished unto good works... fully equipped.

3. God has given us His word, and His authority to preach the word. By extension, when we preach His word, we are preaching by His authority. We are not alone in the pulpit.
4. God expects that we will preach His word. (II Timothy 4:2)

a. Preach it!
b. Know it!
c. Disciple people from it!

B. God hasn't just given the word to the preachers, He has given it to His people.

1. The Old Testament wasn't given to the Jewish priests, it was given to the Jewish people, and they were expected to know it and teach it to their children. (Deuteronomy 6:7-8)
2. We need to teach our people the word, and teach them to study it.

a. So they'll know it.
b. So they'll be capable of discussing it.
c. So they'll teach it to their children.

II. The Word Liberates Us

A. Romans 3:10 - There is none righteous, no not one.

1. It liberates us from working for our salvation.

a. We are sinful.

b. God knows we are sinful.

c. We can't earn salvation, and God knows it.

d. So He paid for our sins on the cross that those who repent and believe can be saved.

2. It liberates us from responsibility for others' sin.

a. They are sinful.
b. God knows it.
c. It's not your fault that others sin, regardless of whether people try to blame you for their sin.

B. Romans 3:24 - Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

1. We are sinful.
2. Despite our sinfulness, God saved us.
3. Despite their sinfulness, God can save them. Don't let the sinfulness of others deter you from sharing the Gospel.

C. The word liberates us from the responsibility of the results of our evangelism.

1. In sales, failure to close a deal is failure, period.

a. It doesn't matter if the customer absolutely does not want to buy... if you fail to sell, you are a failure.
b. Aren't you glad God doesn't hold us to that standard?

2. Romans 8:29 - For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

a. We don't have to figure lost people out.
b. God has them figured out (foreknow).
c. He has already been working His plan in their life (predestinate).
d. All He requires of us in obedience in sharing the Gospel with them.

III. The Word Grows our Faith.

Romans 10:17 - So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

A. The more we know His word, the more we know God.

B. The more we know God, the more we trust Him.

C. The more we trust Him, the more faith we have.

APPLICATION: Build your ministry around the word.