The whole idea of this study of the book of Psalms is to help us be better worshippers, to lean into Him and live life as an act of worship. The word “worship” means worth, it is like saying Jesus you are worth it.
If you are a citizen of the kingdom of God, how do you now live in this cultural moment? In the past weeks we looked at some lightning rod issues. After doing a series like that, we see how hard the enemy has worked to destroy the world. So, to balance that truth with grace, we will spend some time in Psalms.
Facts about the Psalms
- Psalms are called the hymnbook of the Bible
- There are 150 chapters broken up into 5 books with various themes
- There are Psalms of confession, confusion, imprecatory, messianic, and prayers.
- This is one of five books of wisdom in Scriptures.
- Half of the Psalms were written by David, 49 anonymous ones, Asaph, Solomon, and Moses.
It has a prologue, and it begins a certain way. Then the 5 books and it ends a certain way. They end with the words translated as “Praise the Lord”, but the word is actually “hallelujah”. The Hebrew word for hallelujah is “halel”, it means to dance, sing, or praise the Lord.
The prologue kicks off with Psalm 1, before it gets into the first book in Psalms. Psalm 1 is called the gateway. The way Psalm 1 starts off is a key to one of our greatest desires. The deepest desire of humanity is to be happy.
Psalm 1:1, “How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers!”
The word happy comes from the Hebrew word “blessed” and it means whole, satisfied, content, rewarded, right relationship, or flourishing.
Jesus is for your blessing. I want to make clear that we are not a prosperity gospel church. We don’t believe the bible teaches that Jesus is your genie. Having the blessing of God does not mean, He will answer all your prayers just as you wish
However, we do see in the Scriptures that Jesus is for your joy.
“A blessing is a God given opportunity or God given capacity to enjoy God’s blessing in your life”
The only place you will find this capacity to experience lasting joy is in a whole, redeemed, lasting relationship with Jesus. God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him.
Two Decisions to Finding True Joy
- Choose Friends Carefully
Psalm 1:1, “How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers!”
The word “wicked” means people with literally no room for God in their lives. The word “sinner” means someone in open rebellion to God.
This verse is talking about more than friends, it is talking about any kind of input. You can’t spend 3 hours a day listening to talk radio or doomscrolling and think it doesn’t affect you. These are your close friends; the ones you take advice from, the ones you do life with.
You need to be around those that walk with Jesus.
Proverbs 13:20, “The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.”
The wicked, the sinner, the scoffer aren’t going to encourage you to follow the ways of Jesus. The culture doesn’t think like a Christian should.
The battle is in the mind, and so it all becomes about input. Facts don’t lie. The church has been infiltrated by the ways of the world when it comes to some big area of our life.
We have allowed the individualism of our culture to infiltrate the way we think about the church. This mantra is huge these days: “The church isn’t a building, it’s a people”. True. However, this is used as an excuse to not be part of the body. We are a gathered people. It’s one of the things we are commanded to do.
When it comes to taking advice from the world, the Psalmist is saying, it’s going to lead to a bad place. We don’t take our advice from unbelievers. Yet we allow too much of the world to affect our thinking on so many issues. This is why we need to be around people that speak truth and speak life. This is the way to happiness.
The people you put around you will dictate the kind of life you will lead.
- Choose to Be in the Word Daily
Psalm 1:2, “Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.”
The word “delight” means to put a smile on your face. That’s what David is saying about God’s Word.
Spurgeon said, “Those who know it the best, love it most. Those who know it least, love it less.”
It may take some time to get going and be consistent with your time in the Word. But once you start reading and meditating on the Word, you will experience joy. The Word is life giving, it gives freedom, it revives the soul, it gives wisdom, it keeps me away from destruction.
How can I delight in the Word?
- Confess that your heart is cold towards the Lord and His Word
- Get someone to hold you accountable to being in the Word and talking about it
- Understand that whatever you look at, whatever you think on, whatever you invest in is the direction that your life will go.
Pastor Chris Williams
To learn more about Pastor Chris and his teaching, visit us on the web at fcfamily.org and make sure you subscribe to receive these weekly encouragements in your inbox.
