The Prize for the Blessed Man (Psalm 1:5-6) | Worship Service

Welcome to Kootenai Church this morning. We're glad you're here. As folks are coming in to find a seat, would you please scoot into the center?

We're having a little bit of room issues today. If you don't mind, if there's an open seat next to you, we have plenty of people in the back to come on forward.

Would you please stand as we begin our service this morning? We're going to have a call to worship from Psalm 145.

In verses 1 -8 it says, I will exalt you, my God, O King, and I will bless your name forever and ever.

Every day I will bless you and I will praise your name forever and ever. Great is

Yahweh and highly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall laud your works to another and shall declare your mighty deeds.

On the glorious splendor of your majesty and on the words of your wondrous deeds I will muse.

Men shall speak of the strength of your fearsome acts, and I will recount your greatness.

They shall pour forth the memory of your abundant goodness and will shout joyfully of your righteousness.

Yahweh is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and great in loving kindness.

Let's sing together Psalm 145, how great. I'll bless your name,

O God, each day that I await. From dawn to setting sun, your greatness

I'll proclaim. Your glory far exceeds all human thought, so with each breath

I'll bless your name, O God. Your name will be revered by children yet to come.

As generations sing of wonders you have done, your strong and mighty deeds are always near.

O God, most high, your name will be revered.

How great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.

How great is the Lord our God. How great is the

Lord, and greatly to be praised. You're gracious and provide for all who live and breathe.

Your mercy runs to find the helpless and the weak.

When we call out to you, you hear our cries.

And all our needs your gracious hand provides.

How great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.

How great is the Lord our God. How great is the

Lord, and greatly to be praised. Forever without end, creation will rejoice.

When works of wicked men you finally destroy.

Your power will proclaim till Christ is sent.

And you will reign forever without end.

How great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.

How great is the Lord our God. How great is the

Lord, and greatly to be praised. And greatly to be praised.

In Christ alone my hope is found.

He is my light, my strength, my song. This cornerstone, this solid ground.

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace.

When fears are still, when striving cease. My comforter, my all in all.

Here in the love of Christ I stand. In Christ alone who took on flesh.

Fullness of God in helpless faith. This gift of love and righteousness.

Scorned by the ones he came to save. Till on that cross as Jesus died.

The wrath of God was satisfied. For every sin on him was laid.

Here in the death of Christ I live. There in the ground his body lay.

Light of the world by darkness slain. Then bursting forth in glorious day.

Up from the grave he rose again. And as he stands in victory.

Since curse has lost its grip on me. For I am his and he is mine.

All with the precious blood of Christ. Built in life, no fear in death.

This is the power of Christ in me. From life's first cry to final breath.

Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man.

Can ever pluck me from his hand. Till he returns or calls me home.

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand. No power of hell, no scheme of man.

Can ever pluck me from his hand. Till he returns or calls me home.

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand. But love could remember no wrongs we have done.

Omniscient, all -knowing, he counts not their sum. Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore.

Our sins, they are many, his mercy is more.

Praise the Lord, his mercy is more.

Stronger than darkness, new every more. Our sins, they are many, his mercy is more.

What patience would wait as we constantly roam. What Father so tender is calling us home.

He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor.

Our sins, they are many, his mercy is more.

Praise the Lord, his mercy is more.

Stronger than darkness, new every more. Our sins, they are many, his mercy is more.

But riches of kindness he lavished on us.

His blood was the payment, his life was the cost. We stood in the debt we could never afford.

Our sins, they are many, his mercy is more. Praise the

Lord, his mercy is more.

Stronger than darkness, new every more. Our sins, they are many, his mercy is more.

Praise the Lord, his mercy is more.

Stronger than darkness, new every more. Our sins, they are many, his mercy is more.

Our sins, they are many, his mercy is more.

Amen and amen. You may be seated. Before we get into the announcements, will you open your

Bible to the Book of Psalms, to Psalm 119. We'll be reading from that here in a moment.

We're going to be reading beginning at verse 73. Just a couple of announcements.

First, today is the last day to sign up for the Women's Brunch, which is next weekend, I think. So if you are wanting to attend that, ladies, then take advantage of the sign -up sheet that is on the table out in the foyer so they know how much food to prepare and how many people to expect.

And then second, just a quick sort of programming note, I'm not going to be here for the next two

Sundays. So today we're finishing Psalm 1 and then I won't be here next weekend. We're going on a trip that our family has been planning for about a year.

And then the weekend after that, I'm speaking at G3 Regional Conference in Oklahoma City.

So if you remember me, if you show up here and you're like, oh, Jim's not here, remember me just to pray for me,

I would appreciate that because it's a huge thing for me and I'd be lying to you if I said

I wasn't just waking up in the middle of the night in cold sweat over that. So I'll be gone the next two weeks.

Gordy Hunt's preaching next week. I think continuing a series in Galatians and then Dave Rich the following Sunday. Psalm 119 is our text for reading this morning, beginning at verse 73.

Your hands made me and fashioned me. Give me understanding that I may learn

Your commandments. May those who fear You see me and be glad because I wait for Your Word.

I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are righteous and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.

O may Your lovingkindness comfort me according to Your Word to Your servant. May Your compassion come to me that I may live for Your law is my delight.

May the arrogant be ashamed for they subvert me with a lie but I shall meditate on Your precepts.

May those who fear You turn to me, even those who know Your testimonies. May my heart be blameless in Your statutes so that I will not be ashamed.

My soul languishes for Your salvation. I wait for Your Word. My eyes fail with longing for Your Word while I say,

When will You comfort me? Though I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget

Your statutes. How many are the days of Your servant? When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?

The arrogant have dug pits for me, men who are not in accord with Your law. All Your commandments are faithful.

They have persecuted me with a lie. Help me. They almost destroyed me on earth but as for me,

I did not forsake Your precepts. Revive me according to Your lovingkindness so that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.

Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations.

You established the earth and it stands. They stand this day according to Your ordinances for all things are

Your servants. If Your law had not been my delight then I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget

Your precepts for by them You have revived me. I am Yours. Save me for I have sought

Your precepts. The wicked wait for me to destroy me. I shall diligently consider

Your testimonies. I have seen a limit to all perfection. Your commandment is exceedingly broad.

Will you stand with me as we pray? Let's bow our heads.

Our Father, forever Your Word is established in heaven. You have honored Your Word as Your own name.

Your testimonies and Your statutes are true. Your faithfulness is new every morning. You revive us according to Your Word.

You sanctify us in Your Word. You teach us and instruct us in the way. The heart of the righteous, the blessed man and woman is

Yours and You bend it to do according to Your will. We pray that You would make us to delight in Your Word this morning.

That Your Word may be honey to us, sweeter than the honeycomb. That we would delight in Your Word and in Your truth.

That we would rejoice in Your statutes and Your commandments and that we would delight ourselves in all of Your precepts.

We pray that Your Word would accomplish in the hearts of Your people all that You have determined to do for us for our eternal good, blessing and prosperity for our temporal sanctification while we are here and that You may accomplish the salvation of Your people through Your Word as it is preached and as it is proclaimed as You are honored through it.

We pray that You would fill our hearts with gratitude and affection for Christ for what

He has done in securing our salvation. We thank You that though our sins are many and though we deserve every affliction that You have not counted our sins against us but instead

You have reckoned us righteous because of the work of Your Son. And so we stand in that grace and in that righteousness and we are grateful for the work that You have done to secure our salvation and then to bring us to everlasting glory.

We thank You that You have promised us a gracious and infinite reward for our faithfulness here and for all of our afflictions and for our sufferings that we endure by Your grace and under Your hand and we pray that You would strengthen us to do so, to run our race well and to do so for the glory of Christ in whose name we pray.

Let's sing together Psalm 99 God is King Forever God is

King Forever Let the nations tremble

Thrown above the cherubim By all the earth adored

He is great in Zion High above all peoples

Praise Him with fearful voice Holy is the

Lord Merciful as mighty

He unites in justice For He reigns in righteousness

And rules in equity Worship and exalt

Him Bowing down before Him Perfect in power

And holiness is He Holy man of old

In Him alone He redeemed their sins

Although they felt His chastening rod

In His holy temple Worship and adore

Him Faithful and holy Is the

Lord our God In 1 Peter 1 verses 18 to 21

It says, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold

From your futile conduct Inherited from your forefathers But with a precious blood

As of a lamb unblemished And spotless the blood of Christ He was foreknown

Before the foundations of the world But appeared in these last times For the sake of you Who through Him are believers in God Who raised

Him from the dead And gave Him glory So that your faith and hope are in God Let's sing together the song

My worth is not in what I own My worth is not

In what I own Not in the strength

Of flesh and bone But in the costly

Woods of love Half the cross My worth is not

In skill or name In win or lose

Or pride or shame But in the blood

Of Christ that flowed Half the cross I rejoice in my

Redeemer Greatest treasure Wellspring of my soul

I will trust in Him No other My soul is satisfied

In Him alone As summer flowers

We fade and die Fame, youth, and beauty

Hurry by But life eternal Calls to us

At the cross I will not boast in wealth or might

Or in wisdom's fleeting light But I will boast

In knowing Christ At the cross I rejoice in my

Redeemer Greatest treasure Wellspring of my soul

I will trust in Him No other My soul is satisfied

In Him alone Two wonders here

That I confess My worth and my unworthiness

My value fixed My ransom paid At the cross

I rejoice in my Redeemer Greatest treasure

Wellspring of my soul I will trust in Him No other

My soul is satisfied In Him alone I rejoice in my

Redeemer Greatest treasure Wellspring of my soul

I will trust in Him No other My soul is satisfied

In Him alone You may be seated

And now turn in your Bibles to Psalm 1 Psalm 1

And we're going to read together this whole Psalm All six verses Before we pray Psalm 1

How blessed is the man who does not walk In the counsel of the wicked Nor stand in the path of sinners

Nor sit in the seat of scoffers But his delight is in the law Of the Lord and in his law

He meditates day and night 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 whatever he does he prospers

The wicked are not so They are like the chaff which the wind drives away Therefore the wicked will not stand

In the judgment nor sinners In the assembly of the righteous For the Lord knows the way of the righteous

But the way of the wicked will perish Let's pray together Our Father we ask that As we meditate upon this

Psalm, this gateway to the Psalter That our hearts and our minds May be not just informed

By Your truth but That we would be conformed To the image of Christ by it

We thank You that there is A blessed man who has never walked In the counsel of the wicked nor stood

To identify with sinners Nor sat in the seat of scoffers But whose delight was always

In the law of the Lord And in that law he meditated day and night That is Christ And our hope is in Him And as we reflect upon what

Your word Promises The prize for the righteous And the perishing, the doom of the wicked

We pray that our hearts Would be molded and shaped By this truth that Those who are here on the path

That leads to perishing may be Warned and take heed And those whose delight is in Your law

That we may be encouraged together By the prize and the reward And the promise that You have given to us

So we pray for Your Blessing upon our study and Your Presence here with us by Your Spirit for the glory of Christ In whose name we pray,

Amen It is the mark of Wisdom literature to compare Two separate paths whereby wisdom

Is seen when the Way of wisdom is contrasted With the way of foolishness

And that is a kind of comparison That not just marks Wisdom literature it is one of the distinguishing

Features of wisdom literature In the scriptures and we see this Throughout the book of Proverbs in the book of Proverbs You have these pithy little concise

Statements where two things are contrast I'm going to read to you five Proverbs and I want You to listen for the contrast

In each one of these you can see And these are all together by the way Proverbs Ten one through five and each of Them contrast different things in different Ways Proverbs ten

A wise son makes a father Glad but a foolish son Is a grief to his mother

Ill -gotten gains do not profit But righteousness delivers from death The Lord will not allow

The righteous to hunger but he will reject The craving of the wicked Poor is he who works with a negligent

Hand but the hand of the diligent Makes rich he who Gathers in summer is a son who acts

Wisely but he who sleeps in Harvest is a son who acts shamefully So you see there's

The different actions contrasted Of the son the activities of a Son a father and mother

Ill -gotten gains as opposed to righteousness The righteous and the wicked The diligence and the lazy

The one who gathers the one who cares little These are contrasted all the way throughout Those Proverbs sometimes

The contrast is between Behaviors that are compared Sometimes the contrast is between Motives where the motive of one

Action and the motive of another are compared Sometimes it is the moral quality That is compared or and sometimes

It is the outcome and wisdom Literature and scripture whether we find it In the Psalms Ecclesiastes or Proverbs Is intending and directing

Us to observe two different Paths and then to choose wisely Which one of those two paths we will

Set our feet upon There is a path which seems right to A man but its end is the way of death

Proverbs 14 says and that Tells us that you can set out On one path that seems like The logical the rational the good the moral

The right the reasonable path To take but there is a way which Seems right to a man but the end of That way is death and the wise man

Will look at the end of an action The end of an activity and not just Meditate upon or consider

The things in the moment it is the fool Who considers everything in the moment What feels good now what seems

Good now what seems right now That's the path of folly it is The righteous one who Zooms out as it were

And looks beyond the now the Moment the momentary And considers the end result

Of his conduct looks ahead and Says what will be the outcome of this He foresees good or he foresees evil

He foresees where his path is Going to take him psalm one is A wisdom psalm that compares the

Blessed man with the wicked and it Is a series of contrast we've looked at Two of them so far the final

Contrast is a comparison of the Final outcome for both the righteous And the wicked so we've read

Psalm one there to our text today is Verses five and six in verses one And two just to catch you up in case

You weren't here or in case you got Distracted this last week and forgot what I Preached on last week

Verses one and two contrast the Path of the blessed man with the Path of the wicked man there is the Council of Yahweh and there's the

Council of the wicked in verses Three and four there's a contrast Between the prosperity of the

Blessed man and the barrenness Of the the wicked the blessed Man is like a tree that is

Planted it's fruitful it Flourishes it does not wither Whereas the wicked man is like the

Chaff which the wind drives away Unprofitable barren fruitless Useless and destined for Judgment now in verses five and Six we see the prize of the

Blessed man contrasted with the Perishing of the wicked man here's The final end of the wicked

Described and here is the final Ultimate vindication of the Righteous that is promised and the

Key phrase you see in verse six it Is the first phrase of verse six For the Lord knows the way of the

Righteous the Lord knows the way of The righteous that is the key to These last two verses since that Is true since the

Lord knows the Way of the righteous then verse Five the wicked will not stand

And since the Lord knows the way Of the righteous verse six the Wicked will perish two different Statements that help contrast the

Outcome of the life of the wicked And the life of the righteous Because the Lord knows the

Righteous therefore verse five the Blessed man will stand when the Wicked are removed and because The Lord knows the way of the

Righteous therefore verse six the Blessed man will be remembered When the wicked are forgotten and That is our outline verse five

The blessed man will stand when The wicked are removed let's look At verse five let's read it again

Therefore the wicked will not Stand in the judgment nor sinners In the assembly of the righteous Now you'll notice that there is a

Different word that is here used To describe the blessed man the Author now chooses the word

Righteous instead of the word Blessed and don't think for a Moment that the author is Introducing us to a third

Character as if you have the Righteous man the blessed man the Wicked and now the righteous man

He is equating righteousness here With the blessed man the blessed

Man of verse one is the righteous Man of verse five and the Righteous man of verse six so he's

Not introducing another character Instead he is describing now the Blessed man in terms of Primarily two things his

Judicial standing before God but Also his moral standing and Conduct in this world and that's

How the word righteous is used Here righteousness is a judicial Declaration before God it is also

A moral designation of how we Live before men and the Righteousness that this man in Verses five and six enjoys is not

A righteousness that comes as a Result of him meditating on the Law of the Lord in verse one in Verse one and two keep that in Mind let me say that again the

Righteous designation that he Enjoys in verses five and six is Not the result of him meditating

Upon the word of God in verse Two in other words the delight In the law of God does not create

Within us the righteousness that Makes us righteous this type of Righteousness an aspect of Righteousness is a divine

Declaration a judicial Declaration how is the blessed Man made righteous does he obey

And keep the law can Righteousness come by obedience To the law if this sinner

Were to meditate upon the law of God day and night and do nothing But read that can that make the

Sinner righteous and the answer Is no and all of his attempts to Obey the law only result in Condemnation and not righteousness

Paul says in Galatians 2 21 if Righteousness comes through the Law then Christ died in vain

Paul says in Galatians 3 21 if There had been a law given which Could give life then

Righteousness would have indeed Been based on the law so you Have a description of the blessed

Man is one who meditates on the Law of God day and night and yet The scriptures declare that there

Is none righteous no not one what Must take place for one who is Not righteous to be made

Righteous there must be a divine Declaration of righteousness And an imputation of divine

Righteousness that comes to the Man on the basis of faith so The blessed man is a man upon Whom God has worked and moved

To create faith within and To impute to him divine Righteousness on the basis of That faith and therefore the

Meditation on the law of the Lord day and night of the Righteous man is not a meditation

That brings righteousness it is The meditation that flows out of That righteousness in other words

The one who is regenerated and Declared righteous in the sight of God is the one who then will walk

In righteousness so righteousness Is not just a divine declaration Something that is yours by faith

In Christ but this righteousness Is also a moral designation Something that is lived out in the

Eyes of the world righteous Describes one who walks in Obedience to the commandments of Yahweh he strives after Yahweh's commands and Yahweh's Words he he strives to live

Immersed in the word of God Loving that word obeying that Word being conformed by that Word that imputed righteousness

Of Christ is worked out in a Practical righteousness that is Lived out in the eyes of men and These two things go together

If one is imputed the righteousness Of Christ and declared righteous That is to be redeemed and regenerated

And saved he will live a different Life and there will be fruit in that Life but the one who is not so Changed no matter how well you

Know scripture you are an empty Vessel and chaff that will be Blown away there must be not only

The divine declaration of righteousness But also that will always be accompanied By a life that issues out

Impractical righteousness so that Righteous living according to the Righteous word is the delight of the

Righteous man these two things go Together and that righteousness Is a necessary quality for One to stand in the judgment notice the

Context of verse 5 and 6 is Judgment verse 4 Says the wicked are like chaff that The wind blows away verse 5

Says the wicked will not stand in the judgment So how is it then that the Blessed man can stand in the judgment

The blessed man stands Before the judgment bar of God because he is righteous

And to go back to our imputed Righteousness he is righteous not Because he has done deeds of righteousness

That save him and give him any Kind of merit before the judgment Bar of God he is righteous because God has declared him righteous

Taken away his sin and imputed Or credited a righteousness to Him that he does not deserve and Could never earn therefore the righteous

The blessed man is righteous and is Able to stand in the judgment Not because he has righteousness

Of his own but because he has the righteousness Of another that one blessed Man who never walked in the council of the

Ungodly or stood in the path of sinners or Sat in the seat of scoffers namely the Lord Jesus Christ that perfect righteousness

Is imputed to the blessed man So the psalmist says Blessed are those whom the

Lord Chooses and calls to himself Gives them the righteousness of his Son so that by that righteousness

He can stand in the judgment This judgment here Must describe the final judgment

It is not a temporal judgment There are some commentators who see this Judgment as being sort of an earthly or temporal

Judgment where say a nation would Invade Israel and the idea is that God would bring judgments upon the nation

The wicked would be carried away and the righteous Would stand but historically The righteous when a

Nation is judged unfortunately When the nation is judged sometimes The righteous get the shrapnel from that Judgment as God pours out his wrath upon the

Wicked so if we Are here when this nation is judged we're Going to experience some of that shrapnel

That's just the nature of reality So I don't think it is describing here Any kind of temporal

Earthly temporary judgments I think this is the final judgment that is being Described when the wicked are fully

And finally judged when the books are open And the wicked are judged according to the Things written in the books

That's the judgment that is described here Revelation 20 verse 12 It's that final judgment When the wicked are resurrected

And they stand before the judgment seat of Christ Or they stand before that great white throne I should say They stand before that great white throne

Judgment of Christ and there they are judged according To their deeds the wicked will not stand In that judgment The word stand here by the way is not the same

Word in Hebrew that is used in verse 1 You'll notice in verse 1 there is The idea of standing and you might be

Tempted to think that there is an Antithetical kind of parallel between Verse 1 and verse 5 where The righteous or the blessed man does not stand

In the path of sinners but the wicked Do not stand in the judgment and there is sort of An antithetical contrast there

It's a different word in verse 1 you remember a couple Weeks ago I said this is in verse 1 It describes a taking your stand with A identifying with I'm taking my stand

I'm planting my flag These are my people this is the Path of the wicked and I'm going to stand here

In it that's the idea of verse 1 Here the idea is rising Up or raising oneself up The wicked will not rise

Up in the judgment and it's not A reference I don't think to resurrection There because scripture teaches that The wicked will be resurrected to Face judgment but I think that it is

Here describing The action of one who imagine standing In the courtroom of God and You're sitting on a chair and The judgment the court is called into Session or actually let's just take this out of The divine courtroom for just a second imagine you're

Standing in an earthly courtroom and you're standing Before the judge and and the Verdict is about ready to be pronounced

And the evidence has been brought forward and you Know that you're guilty everybody knows that you're Guilty and the bailiff steps in and says

All rise and the wicked man the accused Man stands up to receive his judgment It's that idea the wicked

Will not stand up in the judgment That is to say when he stands Before God he will not rise up To give a defense for his of the

Accusations against him he will not Rise up to speak his case There will be no case to speak

The accusations will be read He will be judged according to the things That are written in the books and it will

Be guilty it will be obviously guilty And there will be no defense there will be no Defense attorney there will be no pleading the

Case no excuses no No explanations no have you Considered this if only you knew this lord

If you knew my circumstances if you only Knew the environment I was raised in there would Be none of that there with the wicked will not stand

Up to give a defense at all in the judgment He will not rise up To stand before God because he will not

Be able to endure it Psalm 5 verse 5 says the boastful Shall not stand before your eyes that's

The idea You hate all who do iniquity That's Psalm 5 verse 5

Psalm 130 verse 3 if you Lord should mark iniquities who could stand Right If the

Lord were to count off your Iniquities who could stand before Him who could who could rise

Up and receive that sentence get that Information see that justice handed Down nobody could

Someone verse 4 says the wicked are not so they're Like chaff which the wind drives away that's the idea They're not going to stand they're not going to persist

They're not going to last instead They are going to be blown away by the wind The second phrase in Verse 5 nor sinners in the

Assembly of the righteous is a parallel Ism there are some who stand In the judgment that is the righteous whose

Iniquities God does not count against them And there are some then they are gathered Together at the end and then there are some which do

Not stand in that judgment and that is the Wicked verse 4 says they are the chaff that is Driven away while the wheat remains

Of the harvest remember The agricultural simile that We looked at last week when you toss

The threshed grain up into the air and the Wind swipes away everything that is useless To be burned and judged and then

The grain falls to the ground and Is kept and is useful that's The idea of verse 3 and 4

The chaff are driven away and the wheat Remains so there is a gathering in Here that's the language that's used there's a

Gathering in of the righteous the wheat Meanwhile the wicked will not stand instead They are blown off in judgment

When the wheat remain I think this Is described by Jesus in Matthew Chapter 25 when he says

When the son of man comes in his glory and all the Angels with him then he will sit on his Glorious throne all the

Nations will be gathered before him and he Will separate them one from another like Wheat from chaff As the shepherd separates the sheep

From the goats and he will put the sheep on his Right and the goats on his left then The king will say to those on his right come

You who are blessed of my father inherit The kingdom prepared for you from before the Foundation of the world then he will

Also say to those on his left apart from me Accursed ones into the eternal fire which Has been prepared for the devil and his angels

So where do the righteous assemble Notice verse 5 mentions an assembly Of the righteous what is that describing

Again some commentaries Say that that is describing some sort Of a temporal assembly like today

When all of the righteous gather together and we Rejoice and we worship and we fellowship And we gather together as if This suggests that when the righteous get

Together there will be no wicked among them But that's not true There are wicked who gather amongst us on Any given

Sunday Unbelievers who still live in rebellion to the Lord Who have never trusted in Christ They are able to come here and gather with us

I think again that this is describing The end state the assembly of The righteous would be the eternal state

The kingdom the new creation However you want to describe that When there is only the

Righteous there and the wicked Are no more that is what is being Described Revelation 20

Verses 25 to 27 described the Heavenly Jerusalem this way In the daytime for there will be no night there

Its gates will never be closed and they will Bring the glory and honor of the nations Into it and nothing unclean

And no one who practices abomination And lying shall ever come into It but only those whose names are

Written in the Lamb's book of life that is the Assembly of the righteous on That final judgment there will be

No wicked there only The righteous will stand in the presence Of that holy and righteous

God To receive that reward This means then That the triumph of the wicked is

Short -lived It seems long in this life doesn't it I mean when you live in A perpetual four year long election

Cycle and that is our life It just seems like the triumph of the wicked Is everlasting and eternal

Our souls are Vexed with ungodliness and wickedness Of the fallen world around us The ungodly surround the righteous

The ungodly outnumber The righteous and the Ungodly are stronger than the

Righteous in this world That is the reality of the nature Reality and nature of the culture

And the time in which we live But listen to what James Hamilton Says in his commentary on Psalm 1

He says this the wicked may seem wise In the eyes of the world Sinners may stand strong in their ways

And scoffers may sit In what seem to be established seats But they will not rise in the judgment

The judgment will go against them In A moment The tables will be flipped

And everything will change The wicked outnumber the Righteous now

But there will come a time when the wicked will be No more and the righteous Will stand the wicked are

Stronger than the righteous now But there will come a time in an instant When that is changed and the righteous

Will rule and reign in that Kingdom which the king has prepared for them And the wicked will be no more

It seems now as if the righteous The righteous are surrounded By the wicked and we are

But there will come a time when it will only be the righteous That stand Everything will be switched in an instant

The triumph of the wicked is short lived They will not stand they cannot prosper And they will lose everything

This is a sobering reality And it should strike fear into the hearts Of all of the wicked Because the wicked who live in rebellion

And in their sin are like blind And deaf men marching Toward an abyss that overhangs

The wrath of God and they are Marching there unconcerned Unaware and undeterred

And they have No idea what awaits them And this psalm is giving a sober Warning to the wicked

And a precious promise to the righteous And there will come a time When the righteous will never be plagued by the wicked

Again Matthew There's chaff among the wheat in this life Hypocrites, pretenders, goats, apostates

Insinuate themselves among the righteous In nearly every congregation They sit among us

They walk among us They pretend to be of us But the judgment will reveal the truth on that day

Matthew Henry says this They shall not stand in the judgment That is, they shall be found guilty

Shall hang down their head with shame and confusion And all their pleas and excuses

Will be overruled as frivolous There is a judgment to come In which every man's present character

And work, though ever so artfully Concealed and disguised Shall be truly and perfectly discovered

And appear in their own colors And accordingly every man's Future state will be

By an irreversible sentence determined For eternity Put on airs, appear righteous

Look righteous Pretend to be righteous But there is coming a day when every man's True colors will be seen

And the wicked will be blown away Like the chaff Because the

Lord remembers the righteous The righteous will stand When the wicked are removed Second, because the

Lord remembers the righteous The blessed man will be remembered when the wicked are forgotten This is verse 6 The Lord knows the way of the righteous

But the way of the wicked will perish This is the reason given for this The Lord knows the way of the righteous

So the way of the wicked will perish This is a promise, it is a warning But what does it mean that the

Lord Knows the way of the righteous That is a significant phrase, I said it is the key To these last two verses

Is the reason that The wicked perish, that they are removed And that they are taken away

Remember a few weeks ago when I Did the introduction to the Psalms I told you there are a number of different ways that parallelisms

Are used in Hebrew, the different kinds Of parallelism between Phrases in Hebrew poetry

This is an opportunity For you to see a couple of them, you will notice That there are two different kinds of parallelisms

Used in verses 5 and 6 In verse 5 we have what is called A synonymous parallelism, that is

To say that the first phrase of verse 5 And the second phrase of verse 5 Are basically saying the same thing

The wicked will not stand in the judgment Nor will sinners, parallel with the wicked Stand in the assembly of the righteous

It is saying the same thing In a parallel fashion, kind of making The same point, the second one with a

Little bit of an antithetical element to it But basically it is restating it There is a different kind of parallelism that is used in verse 6

In verse 6 we have what is Called an antithetical parallelism Not a contradictory parallelism

But an antithetical one, meaning that The first statement of verse 6 Is paralleled by the

Second statement, but the second statement States something that is antithetical Or kind of a mirror image of the

First statement, so you will notice In verse 6 It is not a contradiction by the way

It is an antithesis, it is stating the opposite Thing, not a contradictory thing but an opposite Thing, so verse 6 says

The Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way Of the wicked will perish, so you will notice There is the contrast between the way of the righteous

And the way of the wicked And the Lord knows the way of the righteous But the way of the wicked will perish

So these are opposite things The way of the righteous and the way of the wicked wicked. Likewise, the knowing the way of the righteous and the perishing of the way of the wicked are antithetical to each other."

I'll get it out. They're antithetical to each other. So therefore, whatever it means to be known by the

Lord and have Him know your way is the opposite of what it means to perish. Do you catch that?

So it doesn't just simply mean that the Lord observes the way of the righteous and He is aware of it.

Like I'm aware of you sitting here. The Lord can know certain things. And when we say that the

Lord does not know in this sense the way of the wicked, we don't mean that He is ignorant of their devices or their schemes or their activities.

He's not observing it. He's unaware. If you ask Him about what the wicked are doing, hey, what's going on in Washington DC today?

The Lord says, I don't know. I don't know the way of the wicked. So He'd be ignorant of that. That's not how the word know is used in this sense.

It's used in the sense of being opposite of perishing, which is the saving and the preserving and the keeping.

The Lord knows intimately with loving, caring, concern, and compassion the way that the righteous man takes, the blessed man takes.

The way that the wicked man takes is going to perish. It is going to be no more.

Whereas the steps of the righteous man are established and will be preserved.

This kind of knowing is an intimate knowledge that is a living and caring and concerned knowledge.

It's a knowledge that bears a relationship to the object of its knowing. In other words, this is

Scripture's way of saying the Lord is lovingly, intimately acquainted with every footstep of the blessed man.

He is not, in that sense, with the path that the wicked take and the wicked who are on it.

He does not preserve them. He does not care for them. To go back to the agricultural simile of verse 4, where I talked about the tree that is planted, it is chosen, its location is chosen, the time at which it is planted is chosen.

He cares for it. He digs the hole. He nurtures it, feeds it, waters it, tends it, prunes it, guards it and protects it so that it will bear fruit and He watches over the fruitfulness of it.

That's the imagery of verse 4 in the Psalm. This is the opposite of that. When we say that the way of the wicked will perish, we are saying

God is not planting them in the sense of establishing them and caring for them and feeding them and nurturing them and intimately acquainted with their ways so as to produce fruitfulness and blessing and prospering in their lives.

That is not what the Lord is doing with the wicked. So this knowing is a saving knowing, like when Jesus says to the wicked in Matthew chapter 7, depart from me,

I never knew you. I did not know you. This knowing is a saving knowing. Jesus said in John 10,

I'm the good shepherd and I know my own and my own know me. When we speak of us knowing the shepherd and the shepherd knowing us, we describe the shepherd knowing us, we are talking about a saving, keeping, preserving, intimate, compassionate, caring knowing.

It is a knowing that is lovingly inclined to the object of that knowledge. And the purpose of that is because the

Lord watches over for good the course of the blessed man and whatever he does, verse 3, he prospers.

And whatever he does, he prospers. God watches out for his way to make it so that everything that he has ordained for the steps of the righteous will result in the righteous man's good, his prospering, his ultimate good, his salvation, his keeping, his preservation, his fruitfulness, his usefulness, his ultimate and eternal blessing.

That is what God is after, not our temporal happiness and our temporal ease, but our eternal good and our eternal prosperity and blessing.

That is what is in view. Matthew Henry said this, God must have all the glory for the prosperity and happiness of the righteous.

They are blessed because the Lord knows them. He chose them into it, inclined them to choose it, leads and guides them in it and orders all their steps.

Therefore, the ungodly perish because the very way in which they have chosen and resolved to walk leads directly to destruction.

It naturally tends toward ruin and therefore must necessarily end in it."

So the wicked pursue a way that God must oppose. They are swayed by a counsel that God will overturn.

They stand in a path that God must judge and they sit in a seat that God will destroy. And because the wicked do that, they set themselves up for judgment.

They are there destined to be judged because that is where they sit, that is where they stand, that is where they walk, and God is opposed to that way.

And therefore, He has pledged that He will destroy that way. Proverbs 15 verses 9 and 10, the way of the wicked is an abomination to the

Lord, but He loves one who pursues righteousness. Grievous punishment is for him who forsakes that way.

He who hates reproof will die. So the way of the sinner, though pleasant now, is going to perish in the end.

Their joys are temporary, their pleasures are passing, their triumphs are all illusory, and in the end, it will all vanish and it will all disappear.

And notice in verse 6 what it is that perishes, the way of the wicked will perish.

Not just the wicked, but the way of the wicked will perish. That is an interesting way to phrase it, the way will perish, and this is another indication of what we're talking about here is the final and eternal assessment or judgment.

The trail that they walked, the path itself, the course, the activities, their thinking, their way of life, their behavior, the rut that they channeled out for themselves through this life, that itself will disappear.

Not just will the wicked be blown away, but the very path that they walked will perish.

The very path that they trod will disappear and be no more. And we live in a creation here where the path of evil exists and people gladly choose it.

But there is coming a new creation where the path of evil will not even exist. There will be no counsel of the wicked to walk in because there will be no wicked to give counsel and there will be no such thing as wicked counsel.

There will be no such thing as foolishness. There will be no such thing as scoffers or sinners or a path of sin to stand and identify with.

This is describing the new creation, their way will perish because God does not care for it. He is not intimately concerned with establishing it and loving it and tending it and establishing the footsteps of the wicked.

Like footsteps placed in sand out off of the beach when the tide is out, a couple of waves of God's wrath and that path will disappear and be no more.

That is the eternal state. In the new creation, there will be no one to walk in the counsel of the wicked and there will be no wicked to give counsel.

There will be no path for sinners to take and there will be no opportunity to take a sinful path.

And there will be no sinners who will be inclined to take a sinful path. There will only be righteousness. There will only be holiness for the very trail of the wicked will perish and it will be no more and it will be forgotten.

And therefore learn this lesson, this should sober us as we ever consider, if we ever consider to walk in their way, do not walk in it.

The path of the wicked is ripe for destruction. It is destined to perish. God is opposed to the proud, gives grace to the humble.

He is opposed to the wicked and he is establishing the footsteps of the righteous. There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

So here we have presented two courses of life, two ways to walk, two counsels to walk in, two instructions that we can take, the way of wisdom and the way of folly, the way of the blessed man and the way of the wicked, the counsel of Yahweh and the counsel of wicked men.

Those are our two options. And so the psalmist would call you to set your mind on a course of action and to consider the outcome of your steps, knowing, young person, old person, that when you set upon this path in life, you are making choices that have eternal consequences, eternal gain or eternal reward.

We have before us two paths. One of them is the path to the gathering in, which results in eternal blessing, eternal joy, eternal reward, where the righteous are gathered, they are assembled together.

And the other one is the path that God has promised to judge. It will be no more and it will be scattered. And those who are scattered off of that path will themselves suffer eternal loss and eternal damnation.

Those are the two paths. The stakes are eternal. So the ultimate vindication then for the blessed man is not in this world.

And that is a lesson to draw from this psalm. Your ultimate vindication, blessed man, blessed woman, is not in this world.

In this world, again, the wicked outnumber the righteous, the wicked surround the righteous, and the wicked are stronger than the righteous.

That is the way the table is set in this fallen creation. That is the way it will be until that table is overturned and the wicked and the way of the wicked perishes.

They seem strong now, but our vindication is not in this world. And once you fix your eyes on that, that your reward is in the world that is to come, and your vindication is not on this earth, but in the earth, the new creation to come, and that will motivate you to obedience and holiness and righteousness and to pursue the type of path that the blessed man pursues, meditating on the law of the

Lord day and night and walking in obedience and holiness. The path of the wicked appears strong, established, profitable, enjoyable, and easy in this life.

They're loved and adored. They're highly regarded. They're given positions of power, prominence, influence, education.

They sit in the seat of scoffers, but that seat is very near to the gate of hell. And eventually the gates of hell will open up and swallow up every scoffer and his seat, every path and the wicked who stand on it, and every counsel and the wicked who walk in it.

It appears in this life as if their counsel is good counsel, but ultimately they are going to be the objects of eternal shame.

They will be remembered for their folly and all their ways will be forgotten and erased, and there will be no more.

I'm looking forward to the day, not only when I don't have to battle indwelling sin, but when

I don't even have to be aware that there is a battle for indwelling sin. That doesn't even pop into my mind, that the thought of failure, the thought of compromise, the thought of sitting against my

God does not even come into my mind, and I don't even have to try and be on guard against it because the path is gone, the opportunity to do that is no more.

The chances of that ever happening can never happen to us. I'm looking forward to that day. The blessed man will be established in his righteousness, his way will not be forgotten, and though it seems to be ignored in this world, it will be honored in the next.

That is the blessed man's hope. That is why we seek to be the ones who walk not according to the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of scoffers, but instead delight in the counsel of Yahweh and receive his instruction and obey his instruction and delight in his instruction so that we will be like trees planted by the rivers of water.

It brings forth its fruit in its season, its leaf does not perish, and whatever we do it will prosper. Oh, remember that the wicked are not so, they will be blown away like the chaff.

Therefore the wicked will not stand with the righteous. They will not stand before the judgment. They will not be gathered in with the righteous in the end of the age because the

Lord is opposed to the way of the wicked. It will perish, but he knows your footsteps, blessed man.

He knows them, every last one of them, and he has appointed them for your good and for your joy and for your eternal and ultimate glory.

Rest in that, trust in that, find confidence and consolation in that. Before we pray,

I'm just going to close with one passage of Scripture. I've kind of been looking for a place to throw this in, so three sermons on Psalm 1, kind of get to the end,

I think, I haven't used this yet, I don't want to not use it because we're going on to Psalm 2 next, so I want you to listen to how this passage from Jeremiah 17 mirrors what we have been reading and studying in Psalm chapter 1.

Jeremiah 17, beginning at verse 5, Jeremiah says, Thus says the Lord, Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength and whose heart turns away from the

Lord. That's walking in the council, the wicked standing in the path of sinners, sitting in the seat of the scoffers.

For he, that is that man whose heart turns away from the Lord, he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes, but will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, a land of salt without inhabitant.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord, for he will be like a tree planted by the water that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes, but its leaves will be green and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield its fruit.

That's the promise. Let's bow our heads. Our Father, we are grateful to You that You have done a work of grace in the hearts of those here who have responded to that grace, to be declared righteous in the sight of our

God through the merits of Jesus Christ. We thank You that You have called us to Yourself and given us salvation by that grace.

And we thank You that You have not only promised us eternal reward, but that You have done everything necessary to secure that for us everlastingly, so that our security, our sanctification and our salvation do not rest upon our ability to fulfill and keep

Your law, but rest upon the perfect worth, the perfect work and worth and doing and dying of a

Savior who lived and died in our place so that we could have righteousness, forgiveness and eternal life.

We pray that You would conform us to His image. Give us hearts and minds that delight in Your law, in Your Word, in Your instruction.

And give us, we pray, the grace and the feet to walk in those paths for the glory of Christ. In His name we pray.

Amen. Would you please stand as we end our service this morning and sing together,

My faith has found a resting place.

It is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me.

Enough for me that Jesus saves, this ends my fear and doubt.

A sinful soul, I come to Him, He'll never cast me out.

I need no other argument, I need no other plea.

It is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me.

My heart is leaning on the Word, the written

Word of God. Salvation by my

Savior's name, salvation through His blood. I need no other argument,

I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the