Listen to sermons at FreeGraceRadio.com

Sermon #2085[i]                                                              Miscellaneous Sermons

      Title:                                 The Blessed Man

      Text:                                  Psalm 1:1-6

      Subject:               Christ the Blessed Man

      Introduction:

Let’s read the first Psalm together — Psalm 1.

Psalms 1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

I’ve got to be honest with you. This Psalm gives me some trouble. I can, I believe, enter into the blessedness pronounced upon poor sinners in this world. I can identify with the one God calls “blessed.”

Matthew 5:1-12 1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart[1]: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers[2]: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

These things I can identify with and say, “Yes, thank God, I am a man blessed of God.”

According to the Book of God, there are some people in this world who are truly blessed, blessed of God, blessed from eternity, blessed now, and blessed forever in Christ, blessed with all the blessings of grace here and all the blessings of everlasting glory hereafter (Ephesians 1:3). There are some sons and daughters of Adam who truly are blessed of God. Who are they?

• Those who were Chosen in Christ in Eternal Election (Ephesians 1:3-6).
• Those who Trust the Lord (Jeremiah 17:7; Luke 11:27-28).
• Those who Fear the Lord (Psalm 128:1).
• Those whose Sins are Forgiven (Psalm 32:2-3; Romans 4:8).
• Those who are Not Offended by Christ (Luke 7:23).
• Those who Endure Temptation (James 1:12).

When I read of these things, I rejoice to say with confident faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior, my Substitute, my Covenant Head, my Mediator, my Redeemer, “I am a blessed man!” But when I read this first Psalm, this divinely inspired description of a truly blessed man, I am compelled to confess with honesty, “This Psalm does not describe me. This Psalm is talking about someone else.”

Of whom does this Psalm speak? Who is this blessed man?

Psalms 1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Proposition: In this instructive Psalm it is our Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man who is set before us as the blessed man, the man who is blessed, the man who has earned blessedness, the man who has blessedness, and the man who makes us blessed.

The title of my message is — Christ the Blessed Man. If I read this first Psalm correctly, and I am sure I do, the hymnbook of the church begins with a shout of praise to the Lord Jesus Christ. — “Oh, the blessedness! Oh, the blessedness of the God-man, our Savior!”

Christ Pre-eminent

As in all other portions of Holy Scripture, our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is pre-eminent throughout the Psalms. Jonathan Edwards said,

“The main subjects of these songs were the glorious things of the Gospel, as is evident by the interpretation that is often put upon them, and the use that is made of them, in the New Testament. For, there is no one book of the Old Testament that is so often quoted in the New as the Book of Psalms. Here Christ is spoken of in multitudes of songs.”

Without question, as we read the Psalms, we are to recognize that the various penmen were writing from their own life experiences. David and Solomon, like the other psalmists, wrote of their own experiences of God’s goodness, grace, mercy, and love in Christ, and of their own experiences of abandonment, chastisement, sorrow, and deep trouble. Yet, when we read the words of the men who wrote the Psalms as they were moved by God the Holy Spirit, we cannot help thinking, “Behold, a greater than David is here!” — “Behold, a greater than Solomon is here!”

The Intent

There is good reason for that. It is the intent of God the Holy Spirit in these Psalms to reveal the Son of God to his people. Like Psalm 1, there are many other passages in the Psalms that cannot be strictly applied to any man other than the God-man our Savior. The fact is the Book of Psalms is a Book of Praise to Christ for the blessedness found in him.

·      The first word in the first psalm is “Blessed.”

·      And the last word in the last psalm is “Hallelujah” — “Praise ye the Lord!”

Everything from the first word to the last word in these 150 psalms reveals the blessedness found in Christ’s glorious Person and saving work, and calls for everlasting praise to him who is the Lord God our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Tonight, I want us to look at this 1st Psalm just briefly. May God the Holy Spirit, who inspired these words, now write them upon our hearts.

Divisions: — In verses 1-3 the Holy Spirit describes the blessed man. In verses 4 and 5 he gives us striking contrast, describing in these two verses the ungodly. Then, in verse 6, he assures us of two facts we ought ever to remember while we make our pilgrimage through this world.

The Blessed Man

Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

Anytime we read any description of humanity in perfection in the Word of God, we are compelled to understand it first and foremost as a description of the only perfect Man who ever walked upon the earth — The God-man Christ Jesus, our Mediator and Savior. Such portions of Holy Scripture may be applied to us only because of our union with him.

The holiness and perfection of that blessed Man spoken of in the first three verses of this Psalm cannot be applied to any fallen son of Adam with even the smallest shadow of truth.

The language of this first verse is much stronger than our English translation. It be far more accurate to translate verse one — “O the blessedness, O the happiness, O the honor of that one adorable Man, who has never walked in the counsel of the wicked, and has never stood in the way of sinners, and has never sat in the seat of scorners!”

Who is the man, where is he to be found, that has never walked in the counsel of the ungodly, who has never stood in the way of sinners, and has never sat down in the seat of scorners? No son or daughter of Adam could ever lay claim to such blessed behavior, to such blessed conduct. No fallen man could ever claim such personal holiness. But when we read these words as a description of our ever blessed and infinitely holy Savior, they perfectly fit him. He alone is that Man who is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. Therefore, he is made higher than the heavens.

The first man, Adam, went away after the counsel of the Wicked One, transgressing the command of God. Christ, the last Adam, though tempted in all points like we are, never did.

Our God-man Mediator came into the world to save sinners, took sinners into his arms of grace, took the place of sinners, died for sinners, and receives sinners into his kingdom. But he never stood in the sinner’s way. — He knew no sin. His did no sin. Neither was guile found in his mouth.

And he never sat in the seat of the scornful, the hurtful, the proud, the haughty, and the self-righteous. He was and is the very righteousness of God.

He took the place of the lowest, and served the needs of our souls, that he might save us by his obedience unto death as our Representative and Substitute. Of whom can these be spoken, but of him who cried, “Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me” (Psalm 40:7)?

·      Christ is the Man who is truly happy and blessed, because he alone is the Man who is perfect.

·      He has all blessedness in himself.

·      He is the Man in whom, by whom, with whom, for whom, and from whom we are blessed.

·      This One Blessed Man is the Man in whom we walked before God in the perfection of manhood!

Read on…

Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Again, these words can be applied to no man other than the God-man. Of whom can these be spoken, but of him who cried, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8)? He and he alone is altogether holy, clean, and obedient.

Day and Night

What a truly blessed Man our Savior is! While he walked on this earth, he meditated in the law (the will and the Word) of his Father day and night, without ceasing.

·      In the day, he went about fulfilling his Father’s will.

·      When he lay down in the night, his holy heart was still set upon our salvation by his obedience to his Father’s will.

·      In the daytime, he said to his mother, “I must be about my Father’s business.”

·      In the night of great sorrow, he said to his Father, “Not my will, thy will be done.”

Robert Hawker wrote…

“Do not forget who it was that said, I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart; or, as the margin of the Bible more strongly expresses it, in the midst of my bowels, meaning in his very nature, being that Holy Thing the angel described to Mary. See Psalm 40:8 and Luke 1:35. Sweet view of Jesus this!”

Christ’s True Character

Behold in this account of our all-glorious Christ, the true character of our Redeemer. This is that holiness and purity of nature, without which we can never see God (Hebrews 12:14). This is he who of God is made unto us “Wisdom, and Righteousness, and Sanctification, and Redemption!”

In his righteousness we are made righteous. By virtue of our union with him and interest in him and in all that concerns him, being joined to Christ and one with Christ, we are blessed with the very blessedness of perfection in Christ.

·      Let us ever seek to follow his example, walk in his steps, and in all things imitate him.

·      But let none who know their own hearts’ corruptions (not to mention the acts of evil by which we betray what we are) ever dream of applying such language as this to themselves (1 John 1:7-10).

1 John 1:7-10 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

The Tree Planted

Psalms 1:3 “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

Yes, Christ is here! Who but Christ is the Tree of Life, firmly planted in the Paradise of God by the rivers of water? Of whom can it be said, without reservation, condition, or qualification, He “bringeth forth his fruit in his season,” but our dear Savior?

·      There is no other tree whose leaf never withers.

·      There is no one else of whom it can be said, “whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

·      The pleasure of the Lord prospers in his hand.

·      Of him, and of him alone it is written, “He shall not fail!”

Branches

God’s elect are branches in this great Tree of Life, Christ Jesus. We live and thrive in him, and we bring forth fruit in him. He said, “Because I live ye shall live also.” But, though we live in him, and by him, and from him, we live and derive all life and nourishment, moisture and fruitfulness, in due season only in union with him and by virtue of him, the self-existing, life-giving Tree in the midst of the Garden of God, who is the same yesterday, to day, and forever, Jesus Christ our Lord (Hebrews 13:8). In him and in him alone there is no fading and no falling, but constant blooming, both in blossom and fruit for his people.

The Contrast

Psalms 1:4 “The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.”

What a sad contrast! All that are not grafted into Christ, the true and heavenly Vine, are like chaff. Their leaf and its blossom will wither to dust and shall be blown away to everlasting destruction. Our Savior said, “Every plant, that my Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up” (Matthew 15:13). The ungodly, that is all the sons and daughters of Adam, all who are without Christ, are as empty and meaningless as the dust of chaff. — “What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:28).

(Psalms 1:5) “Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.”

In that great Day of Judgment when God shall winnow his floor, as he gathers the wheat into his garner, he shall burn the chaff with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:12). For now, our Master commands us to “let both grow together unto the harvest.” But even now, he is gathering the tares into bundles for the burning of that day (Matthew 13).

·      By Providence

·      By the Preaching of the Gospel

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. 15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

Two Assurances

In verse six the Holy Spirit shows us the meaning and application of all that we have seen in the first five verses of this first Psalm.

Psalms 1:6 “For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

“For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous.” — What is the Way of the Righteous? Our Savior said, “I am the Way.” Christ himself is the Way of the righteous. His people are the people of the Way. He is the Door by which we enter into life everlasting. And he is the Way in which we walk in life. And the Lord knows, approves of, this Way. He says, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased.”

“The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his.” — And as Christ is “the Way, and the Truth, and the Life,” in him the Lord approves of all that are in him and accepts us in him. The Way of every saved sinner, every justified believer in the Lord Jesus is known and approved of by God. That is to say, all who are in Christ are accepted in the Beloved.

·      Eternally Accepted

·      Entirely Accepted

“But the way of the ungodly shall perish.” — The way of seducers, the ungodly, waxes worse and worse, and shall perish forever. That way that seems right to all men, the way of free will works salvation, the way of Babylon, shall end in everlasting destruction. When Babylon falls all who are in Babylon shall fall with her.

Christ Alone

Let us ever remember that Christ alone is our Righteousness. As we look up to him in the holiness of character with which he is set before us in this Psalm, let it be our delight and our joy to tell God our Father, what a perfection of beauty, glory, and holiness, there was and is in him, who is our Mediator and Savior. Let our souls be found always rejoicing in the contemplation of his holy Being and glorying in him alone as that Holiness with which we hope to see God face to face in eternal glory.

·      His righteousness is for us, his people.

·      His obedience and delight in the Father’s law, is the justification of all the redeemed.

·      And in his holiness, we are made holy before God.

·      Our God and Father looks upon Christ as our glorious Head and beholds us complete, perfect, righteous, and holy in him.

Christ alone is the Lord, our righteousness! He alone made of God to us Wisdom, and Righteousness, and Sanctification, and Redemption.

All blessedness is in Christ and rightly belongs to Christ. But all the blessedness of God heaped upon his darling Son is ours in him (John 17:5, 22; Ephesians 1:3-14). —— “All things are yours, for ye are Christ’s!”

Ephesians 1:3-14 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Looking on Christ by faith, I can read this first Psalm and say, “Yes, thank God, yes, by the grace of God, that’s me!” Trusting Christ, I can look in the mirror and say, “Oh the blessedness! Oh, the happiness! Oh, the honor of that man!”

Would you be blessed of God? — Trust my Savior! Come to Christ; and go home blessed, forever and in all things blessed of God in Christ Jesus!

O Holy Spirit of God, our Divine Comforter, grant us grace to know that in him we are perfectly safe and secured forever. Give us grace to flourish in our Savior, and from him, and with him, the Tree of Life planted by the River of Life ever flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb! Then, our souls shall be as the well-watered garden, whose waters fail not, springing up unto everlasting life!

Amen.

Don Fortner

Pastor Fortner’s

Audio Sermons

Video Sermons

Books

Event Calendar