congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. This is the word of the Lord. Amen. You may be seated. Let's pray together, shall we? Father, thank you for your word. Thank you, as we read earlier, it's able to make us wise unto salvation. It's able to make us completely furnished to do your will. We pray, Father, now that your word will have its way in our hearts and lives. We ask, our Father, that through the Word and Spirit, that you would speak to people today. Meet them where they are. Maybe they need Christ. Maybe they just need to say, you know what? 2025 is going to be the best year of my Christian life. Father, wherever it meets us, meet us there, our Father, and then give us the faith and the grace to be able to do what your word says. Father, we'll give you the thanks and praise because we ask it all in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, let me start this morning with three questions, three very important questions. And it's really the same question, just asked in a different way. Is prosperity a legitimate ambition for a follower of Christ? Let me ask it another way. Do Christians have the right to assume that their devotion to the gospel will ensure success in this life. Let me ask it another way. Does the pursuit of prosperity rightly correspond to authentic Christianity? And what is the answer? The answer is yes. Let me share with you a couple of passages of scripture. First of all, what Moses said in Deuteronomy chapter 30 in verse 9. It's up on the screen if you want to just look there. It says, "...the Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as He took delight in your fathers." What about Joshua? What does he have to say? This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have great success." Let's talk about David's instructions to Solomon while he was about to die. It says in 2 Kings 2, verses 1-4, When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, I'm about to go to the way of the earth. Be strong and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in His ways and keeping His statutes, His commandments, His rules, and His testimonies, as is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do, and wherever you turn, that the Lord may establish His Word that He spoke concerning me, saying, If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart, with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel." Let me look at one more passage of Scripture dealing with Uzziah. In 2 Chronicles chapter 26, Uzziah was 16 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jechaliah of Jerusalem, and he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah had done. He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper. Now, would you agree with me that this is not an idea that is scarcely mentioned in Scripture? Prosperity is promised to the righteous. But let me ask you another question. Does that idea set well with you? You getting a little nervous? Where you going with this, pastor? Let's look at another passage of Scripture in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 12 and verse 1. Righteous are you, O Lord, when I complain to you, yet I would plead my case before you. Now here's the case he pleads. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive? Have you ever shared that sentiment? Why is it that those rascals thrive and prosper? And so we ask the question, what do we do with these promises of prosperity to the righteous? Well, here's the answer. We must learn not to define prosperity through the canons of our culture, but by the context of the Word of God. As Americans, we try to read our culture into prosperity. Now, the Hebrew word translated prosperity has very little to do with economic abundance in social standing. Did you know that? It means to fulfill the purpose for which a person or thing has been created. And in the Old Testament, the word for prosperity is used about weapons. It's used about undergarments. It's used about trees. And you say, well, pastor, how can a weapon prosper? How can an undergarment prosper? Listen to the answer. This is important. They prosper by fulfilling the purpose for which they have been made. They prosper by fulfilling the purpose for which it has been made. Now, let me give you an example that we're all familiar with from Isaiah chapter 55, Verses 10-11. Again, it's on the screen. God's Word says, For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out of my mouth, it shall not return to me empty But it will accomplish that which I purpose, and it shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. God's word is characterized by prosperity. It fulfills its purposes. It won't return void. Now folks, this is the biblical concept for prosperity. The fulfillment of the purpose for which a person or thing was created. And that's how we are to understand the Bible's promise related to our prosperity. Folks, listen. It's not the fulfillment of our wildest dreams and imaginations. That's not what God created it for. In fact, let me follow up on Why did God create us in the first place? Now, I don't want you to get used to that screen, so take your Bible and turn with me to the book of Revelation chapter 4 and verse 11. It fits well with that song we just sang. Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power. For You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created. You were created for God and by God. In fact, that's the reason why we're here today. And that's the reason why we live, is that we might bring glory to God. What's the chief end of man? To love God, right? Chief end of man is to love God and glorify Him forever, right? That's why God created us. So is prosperity a legitimate ambition? Yes. But folks, listen. That makes the American dream seem tawdry when we put it into context, doesn't it? And to be devoid of that ambition is not to be a Christian. So, let me ask you, given God's definition, are you a prosperous person? a successful Christian. And listen, if you're not sure, I'm glad you're here this morning, because this is the subject of this psalm. Now the structure of this psalm leads us to a very heart of the psalm. And I've explained this before, but let me try to explain it again. This psalm is what we call Hebrew Kaiism. Alright? Think of it this way, you have A, you have B, you have C, then you have B and then you have A. And so on the ends you have A, B it gets a little more serious, C is the main message that the psalmist is wanting you to get. So if that be the case, alright, we see here in this text two characterizations. between the righteous and the wicked, and two comparisons between a righteous tree and a wicked shaft. In all this to frame the middle stanza, which communicates the very heart of the text. And what is that? Here it is. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so. And that's where the psalmist wants us to focus this morning. So, is prosperity indicative to your life today? How do Christians achieve prosperity? How can you achieve the purpose for which God made you? Well, in this psalm, two lifestyles are set before us. One that leads to prosperity. and one that leads to truth. And from these two lifestyles, two practical implications emerge. Implication number one is the Christian achieves prosperity by following the lifestyle of the righteous. Let's go back to our Verse 1 of Psalm 1 says, Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. First, notice how the prosperous man is identified. He's a happy man. He's a blessed man. It speaks about an inner experience brought on by something that they have done. And listen, they have taken steps that have taken them to this place in their life. They are cooperating with what God said makes you happy. And it speaks of someone who is genuinely happy. and eternal contentment that cannot be touched. The happiness that Jesus spoke about in the Beatitudes. Blessed is the man. Now how does that come about? How do you get to that place where you're just happy and you're blessed and you're full of joy? Well, the psalmist is going to tell us. Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is important stuff, you see. We're about to start a new year. Let's start it right, you see. It speaks of that contentment that cannot be touched. In fact, listen, this kind of contentment will take anything that the devil throws at you. And that person will back up and say, well, wait a minute. I know God loves me and I know God wants the best for me. So God's bringing this into my life to change me and grow me to become more like his son so I can be happier. This is good stuff. This lifestyle though is distinguished by two characteristics. Number one, he avoids all the influence of evil. So let's look again at verse 1. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of the sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scoffer. Now notice three terms that refer to the same group. Wicked, sinners, scoffers. A word used in the proverb of an absolute consummate fool. That's what a fool is wicked, sinners and scoffers. He is arrogant. And he refuses instruction. Just writing that on my paper this week, made me feel kind of bad. Because I have a tendency to think I'm always right. But a fool is someone who does not want to be instructed. Let me ask you, you know anybody like that? So what is it about the man that makes him so happy? Well, he avoids the influence of evil. He also avoids the influence of evil people, especially those who scoff at the Word of God. Now who would want to have a relationship with someone who is against God's Word? Then you go to counseling and you want to listen to somebody that hates God with a passion and you think, oh this is a good concept, let's teach that to our kids. Avoid the influence of evil people. Now this means that he refuses to yield to the ideas, to follow their pattern of behavior, and he doesn't join the scoffers. He does not take on their attitude. Now folks, listen, we gotta have a balance here. This is an issue, this issue is not association but assimilation. And there's the two ditches on the side of the road. You know how I like to go there, right? On the one ditch you have cultural gluttony. And all you want to do is just take in what the world says as much as you can get. But on the other end you have cultural nothing. Cultural anorexia. You don't want nothing to do with it. And ladies and gentlemen, listen, it's easy to jump in one of those camps or the other. Man, the world can just draw you in in a heartbeat, can't you? You know, to shame myself, my kids were open, my grandkids were opening their presents on Christmas. I was sitting over there in my nice leather chair. And all of a sudden I got onto those little shorts And I'm just looking at one right after the other. And 30 minutes went by and all I did was look at shorts when my grandkids are opening up their presents. We knew what they were because we bought it but but you know how that works, right? But on the other end, you don't just want to devoid yourself of all culture, right? I mean, I'm thankful for my cell phone and that that all the things that I can do with But listen, the happy man is not the disengaged man. He's a discerning, engaged man, and he's an influencing man. So let me get another character of this man. His lifestyle is not only defined by the negative, what he doesn't do, rather his deeds and abiding happiness is due largely by what he does. And what does this text say that he does? Well, his life is characterized by absorbing the revelation of God. Look down with me in verse 2. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. Here's the guy who absorbs God's Word. who gets into God's Word and devours it. Who is the guy that is consumed with the very Word of God? And the Bible says, the law of the Lord. What is he talking about? He's saying, it is my delight. I love the law. And notice that this devotion is emotional, intellectual, and perpetual. Emotional, it is His delight. If I was to ask you the question, what do you delight in, how would you answer that? Well, the happy man, the blessed man, the guy who is full of joy is the guy who says, my delight is getting into God's Word and finding out what it has to say. And it's interesting that if you were to read through Psalm 119, and if I counted correctly, Nine times, David says, it was the delight of his life. So emotionally, we just love God's Word. That's why we're here today, right? We want to hear God's Word proclaimed. Having a conversation with someone earlier who had attended another worship service for the Christmas Eve with family, no word was proclaimed. They were kind of like, wow, what's up with this? Lot of good stories, though. But not only is it emotional, but it's intellectual. But His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law, He meditates on it day and night. It's not just reading, my friends. His mind is engaged. He's thinking about it. He's meditating on it. Now let me ask if I'm the only one that's ever been guilty of this. I have a routine in the morning where I read a certain amount of passages of Scripture. You ever got done like I have a few times, or more than a few times? Just read God's Word, and if the Holy Spirit was to ask me, what did you just read there, Robert? I don't know. Because it's easy, isn't it, sometimes to read God's Word and be thinking about something else and not really digesting it. He's engaged. He's thinking about it. He's meditating on it. Folks, this is not a person who balances a checkbook during a sermon. They come to church so they might sit under God's Word and listen to God's Word so they can do what God's Word says. Now I know there's people out there that are multitaskers. But you know most of us aren't. And so if you're a multitasker when you come to church, just concentrate on the Word of God so you won't mess anybody up. He comes under it. He places Himself under it. And listen, that's why that person is so happy. And that's why some are not. Let's just be honest. He meditates. It means to mutter, vocalization. And as we vocalize God's Word, it cleanses our mind. I'll have you a couple of 3x5 cards there with some verses that mean a lot to you. And when you're praying and you're spending time with God, just keep going through those cards. And as you're going through them, you're beginning to memorize them. God's Word is just cleansing you. Things are beginning to change in your motivation. You're just excited about the things of God. So it's emotional. It's intellectual, but it's also perpetual. How often do we do it? But his delight is on the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night. Day and night. Well, you know I'm real good in the morning, not so good in the evening. He meditates on it day and night. This is how he relates with his Bible. No wonder he's a happy man. He absorbs the Word of God. You say, well, if you absorb the Word of God, to what end then? Well, let's look at verse 3. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. For what purpose is a fruit tree created? To bring forth fruit, correct? So the point is, this is what the man of God is like. Because of his emotional and intellectual and perpetual devotion to the Word of God, this man will attach himself to the source to achieve the purpose for which he was created. And don't you love that illustration? I mean, you ever been on the back of an 80 acres that was next to our place? There was a stream that went through it and the trees beside the stream were huge. Why? Because their roots went right down into that stream bed and they were never thirsty. And God says when we get into the Word, and we meditate on the Word, we're right there at that place where we can get all the resources that we need for life, for doing what God created for us. Therefore, whatever He does, it prospers. He fulfills God's purpose for His life. which why he is so happy. Here's how you get prosperity. By following this guy. By following the lifestyle of the righteous. Avoiding the influence of evil, avoiding the influence of evil people, and by absorbing the revelation of God emotionally, intellectually, and perpetually. Now let's look at the contrast real quick. Notice with me verse 4. It says, The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Not so for the wicked. The righteous man meditates on God's Word, not the wicked. The righteous man is like a tree planted by the river, Not the wicked. The righteous man prospers. He fulfills God's purpose for his life. Not so for the wicked. And ladies and gentlemen, listen, this contrast couldn't be any starker. If the righteous is likened to the prosperous tree, then what is the wicked likened to? Well, what does our text say? The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Now my guess, most of you have never whittled grain in harvest time. All right? Some of you have. I know we got some farmers out there. But when I was a kid, my parents would grow their own popcorn. And it was white popcorn, not yellow. All right? And it was good. And my mama could take care of the popcorn. My wife makes a recipe that she has. Oh, man, it's good. Right, Patricia? Caramel corn. But whenever we would harvest that popcorn, we would have an old-fashioned sheller, and we would shell it by hand. put their kernels in. We had to really adjust it because the popcorn was real small kernels. And then after we did all that, we would set up a big-time fan. And we would take the popcorn, and we would, over the fan, drop it into the bucket, slowly. And as it dropped, the wind would throw the shaft away. I can't say that word. I'll just try my best. Buster. Now, how many of you ever ate popcorn and got something stuck in your mouth? That's the useless part of the popcorn that's no good. That's the chaff that is blown away. It's worthless. It's good for nothing. And listen, this is what God says. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Folks, I am so glad that this is here. And what I want you to do is mutter this to yourself over and over and over again, like chaff that the wind drives away. Now folks, you know what, when you look around and people who are prosperous towards the American definition of prosperity, you think, oh, man, they're so happy. They're so full of life. They're so full of vigor. And on the outside looking in, it looks like things are wonderful for them. Well, folks, I've counseled those people. And that's not true. In fact, they are some of the most dissatisfied people in all of life. And we get this idea that if we just have everything we can think about and dream about, then life is going to be good. I mean, the big lotto was over a billion dollars. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who would think what would I do with 1.2 billion, then give half to the government and still have 600 million dollars to work with. Then I would be happy. Not. Not. He's not happy. What makes us happy, ladies and gentlemen, is doing what God has made us to do. And that's to bring him glory and honor, you see. But there's a second reason to forsake this lifestyle. Look what it says in verse 5. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. The wicked will not survive the judgment. The sinner will not be in the congregation of the righteous. Or, because of their worthlessness found out at judgment day, they will not be among the people of God. And then look at verse 6. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Folks, I don't know if it gets any better than that, but man, what's that text says? For the Lord knows the way of the righteous. The Lord takes care of the righteous. God takes care of His own. Aren't you glad for that? But the way of the wicked will perish. Prosperity or catastrophe. Now, what are we going to do about that? Well, Joshua, remember what he says, choose you this day who you will serve, but as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. But I want you to do me a favor, take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Matthew chapter 7. And what I want you to be reminded of before I read this text is this. We have just got the greatest sermon that's ever been proclaimed. Jesus starts off with a beatitude and then he tells you this is what you should look like in the kingdom. But I want you to notice how he ends this sermon. Listen to what he says in verse 24. Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat down that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who builds his house on the sand. And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against the house and it fell. And great was the fall of it. You see what Jesus is saying here? You got the Word. You know what it says. Then build your life on a rock. And when the hard times come and the wind blows, it's going to stand. If you build it on the sand, it's going to fall. Here's how Jesus put it in John chapter 3 and verse 16, where God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. You believe on Him, you have eternal life. If you don't believe on Him, you'll perish. Now let me just share one more thing before I close. Do you remember what Jesus said just before He ascended into heaven to the two on the road, to Emmaus and then to His disciples? What did He teach? to those two on the road to Emmaus. He taught them that the Old Testament was about who? It was about Jesus. Alright? It's about Jesus. Now He didn't actually say that to the two on the road to Emmaus, but, well He did say that to the Old Testament, but when He talked to His disciples, He even added the Psalms. And so this Psalm is about who? Who's the righteous man? Who's the only one that's ever done what this text said? It's the Lord Jesus Christ, isn't it? It's Christ. You say, okay, I understand. I have not lived up to that. I am not that righteous man. So who is this prosperous man? Who does this psalm speak of? Well, you know, it's interesting that in verse 1, the Hebrew word is gender-specific. It doesn't say Adam, it says Ish. And it's a particular man completely engaged with the Word of God. Emotionally, intellectually, perpetually. And what did this Jesus say? Well, take your Bibles and turn with me to Psalm chapter 40. Look with me starting at verse 7. Let's get the context and go back to verse 6. He says, "...in sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, Behold, I have come in the scroll of the book. It is written of me. I delight to do your will. O my God, your law is within And isn't it interesting when we get over to Hebrews chapter 7 that the writer of Hebrews says, this was Jesus. He come to do the will of the Father because his law was in his heart. Then what's the last thing that Jesus said, do you remember? As his arm was stretched across on that cruel cross, he cried out to Testalon, it is finished. And just in case we didn't know that indeed it was Jesus, the son of God, and that he paid for the sins of the world, Jesus is then resurrected from the grave. And God puts his stamp of approval on it. You say, pastor, why are you telling us all this? because not a one of us can live Psalm 1. We're not righteous. We need an alien righteousness. We need a righteousness outside of ourselves. You say, well, how do you get that? You put your faith and trust in Jesus, and he takes his righteousness and infuses it to you. And now God doesn't see you in your sin, As someone who is wicked, he sees you in his son, someone who is righteous. And everything changes. He gives us the spirit of God. He seals us until the day of redemption. Listen, if it's prosperity that you seek, you need a righteous man. You need the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is how we achieve righteousness. And if you're here without Jesus, all you have to do is tell God you're sorry for your sin you repent, and you want to put your faith and trust in his son and receive eternal life. But my brothers and sisters in Christ, listen. The means to happiness is to delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night. And I've had people say to me, well, I wish I could be like so-and-so, or I could be like you, pastor. Listen, I'm not the best illustration to begin with. But if you want to be truly happy, and you want to be truly prosperous, you want to do what God has called you to do, then you do what He asks you to do. 2025, a year of the Bible, and get in intellectually, and emotionally, and perpetually, and let God do His work. And He'll do His work, and He'll conform you to the very image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But listen, it's not going to come from just hearing a sermon on Sunday morning. And folks, it's not even going to come from listening to good preachers, because I know there's good preachers out there to listen. It comes from you, emotionally and intellectually and perpetually, getting in God's Word and letting the Spirit work in your life. That's the means. So either you're going to be happy, blessed in 2025, or you can try to get something that's alternative. But listen, the alternative doesn't bring happiness. You can have all the money you want and everything you ever wanted. The only way that's gonna bring happiness is having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray together. Our Father, we're so thankful for your word. It's easy for us to understand and grasp. And we're so thankful, Father, that if you ask us to do something, that You empower us to be able to do. At the end of the day, when we do right, it's because You did something right in us. It's always Your work. But Father, the Bible very clearly teaches us that we have to cooperate with Your program. And that cooperation looks like Psalm 1. But His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law does He meditate day and night. So Father, if there's somebody here without Jesus, Open their eyes to the glorious gospel of Christ. Maybe years ago they thought they trusted Christ, but deep down they know they don't have a relationship with Him. Show that person that they need Christ. And then, Father, for those that know You and love You, may we commit in 225 to the means that You've taught us. so we can be prosperous, so we can do what you've taught us to do. We pray this in Jesus name.