Pulpit Magazine

(By Nathan Williams)

Tom Pennington will be our preacher for the second session this afternoon. Tom serves as the senior pastor of Countryside Bible Church in the Dallas area. Pastor John introduced Tom by explaining that there is no one in ministry he trusts more than Tom. High words of praise from John Macarthur.

Tom began by explaining how difficult it was to have to preach in between two sermons by John MacArthur.

Tom began by asking us to ask ourselves the important question, why are we here at the Shepherds Conference? Many come for encouragement and to refocus on life and ministry. At least in some part we come for fellowship, food and books. We are all basically here because we want to have an effective and succesful ministry — a ministry defined by spiritual life, vitality and fruitfulness.

A passage that will teach us to have this vitality in life and ministry is Psalm 1. This Psalm is written as an introduction to the book of Psalms. This Psalm is a wisdom Psalm and is intended to guide us in the path of divine wisdom. After reading the Psalm, Tom explained that the theme of this Psalm is to contrast the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked.
 
In verse 1, we find something unusual. The normal word for blessed is not used here. The word used here gives us a picture of one human making a judgment on another human. The sermon on the mount uses the same Greek word that is used in the Septuagint as is used here in this Psalm. This word teaches us that there is an objective state of well-being which is accompanied by a subjective state of delight.
 
Verse 3 defines what it means to be “blessed” as the word is used here. The point of this analogy is that the righteous man has life. He bears fruit and is alive. This man has spiritual fruit and vitality; unlike the wicked, who have no life at all. The tree described in verse 3 has also been carefully cared for and planted by someone. This is a picture of sovereign grace. God has changed the character of this righteous man into something that will grow strong and spiritually healthy. This righteous life described in verse 3 is also a life of significance. He benefits those around him and has permanence and endurance.

The point of all this is that the enviable man of Psalm 1 enjoys a state of well-being that is filled with significance and satisfaction. Tom then addressed us as conference attendees and explains that this is the reason we are here. We want to be the permanent man found in Psalm 1. But here is the tragedy, we can pursue these worthy ends in the wrong way. Every few years, popular Christianity gives us some new way to attempt to pursue these things.

Do you want to be a person and a pastor who enjoys the type of life and prosperity that this Psalm describes? There are only two paths in life and ministry. The way of the righteous is the way of the Bible, the way of the wicked is everything else.

In Psalm 1-2 the Psalmist explains two foundational truths to enjoying the blessed life.

1. Abandon Every Human Way. (vs. 1)

These three verbs used in verse 1 point out that in the whole of his waking life, the righteous man has nothing to do with the wicked way. The righteous man abandons 3 things.

First, he abandons the counsel of the wicked. By the counsel of the wicked, the Psalmist means those who regularly break God’s law. We all follow the counsel of those around us in harmless ways. We follow hair styles because we are following the advice of those around us. This is not a problem. The problem comes when we follow the advice of unbelievers when it comes to our ministries. We can be tempted to follow the philosophies of our day. Whatever form it takes, the righteous man abandons the advice of the wicked at every level.

Second, he abandons the path of sinners. “Sinners” describes those who miss the mark and fall short of the standard. The righteous person does not stand in the path of sinners. The Hebrew word for “path” is a very important word. This word refers to the paths or ruts which come from passing over ground again and again. It speaks of habits and predictable patterns of behavior. We are not to continue in the patterns of behaviour in which sinners live. We must not adopt the lifestyle of sinners.  In Proverbs 4:14 Solomon warns his sons to not pass by the path of wicked men. What could be more appropriate for us as pastors? We are urged by many to adopt the sinful ways of the culture in the name of contextualization. Some others may struggle with a secret life of shame or laziness. All of these are ways in which we fall into the ruts of our sinful culture. If you are tolerating increasing pattern of sin, then you are standing in the path of sinners.

Third, he abandons the seat of scoffers. This has to do with our belonging. The word seat sometimes refers to an actual seat, but here it refers to an assembly and a gathering. To sit in the seat of scoffers means to connect ourselves to them in such a way so as to become one of them and to belong. In Psalm 26:4,5 David reiterates this statement. It may sound old fashioned, but this is the path to the enviable life. How are we tempted to sit in the seat of scoffers? Joining the local ministerial association when there is no unity on the fundamental doctrines of the faith.

The nouns mentioned in verse 1 include all unregenerate men. The main point of verse 1 is that the righteous man completely abandons every path of all of those who live in rebellion against God. If this is not your commitment, your life and ministry will never prosper in the sight of God.

2. We must embrace only God’s Way (vs. 2)

The Psalmist reduces his entire positive description of the righteous man to his response to Scripture. The righteous man finds his delight and his meditation in the law of God. The word “law” means instruction.

First, the righteous man delights in God’s Word. This is an attitude. He longs for and craves God’s Word. In Psalm 107:30 this word is used in the context of sailors who have completely exhausted their skill and are caught at sea, their chief delight is to return to land. The righteous man finds his delight and happiness in the Bible. (Psalm 119:14;24;35;47;72;77;97;143;174) Do you really think about the Bible in the way Psalm 119 describes passion for God’s Word? Can you truly say that you find delight in the Word of God? Or has your approach to Scripture become cold and academic? Do you find more joy in blogs than in the Bible? 
 
The answer is simple. Spend more time in the Word. The Bible is like salt water…the more you drink it, the thirstier you get.

Second, the righteous man meditates on God’s Word. The word “meditate” describes one talking to himself about Scripture or one quietly reading it. The main point of this word is what happens in the heart, not what comes out of the mouth. In the context of Psalm 1, this word means to reflect, think or have an internal discussion about the Scripture. There are two goals of meditation. The first goal is to understand the meaning of the text. Meditation brings insight into what the text means. (Psalm 19:18) This is illumination.

The second goal of meditation is application, planning how to actually practice it. We devise a plan to carry it out in life. The righteous man’s life reverts to the Word whenever he has a free moment. This is the true test of whether you delight in God’s Word. It is hypocritical to claim to delight in the Bible and then not spend the time necessary to prepare to preach. We fail in meditation by not personally applying the text to our own lives. We can be easily tempted to rely on the works of others. The righteous love the law of God and think about it all the time so they can understand it and do it. This is a reality in some degree for every righteous man. It is a reality we all continue to strive after.

Christ alone is the only perfect pattern of a righteous man. Psalm 1 calls on every person who would approach God in worship to choose between two ways. Are you willing to abandon every human way and embrace God’s way? Tom ended by challenging us as to what path we are on personally and what path is our church on corporately.

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