Christ Church Leavenworth
The First Decade of Psalms: Psalm 1
January 18, 2026
…
OT READING: Jeremiah 17:5-10
NT READING: Luke 6:43-49
There Is No Other Stream
READING OF THE TEXT
Our text this morning is Psalm 1, these are the words of God:
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 scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.
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. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the Word of our God stands forever.
PRAYER
Our Father and our God, we come before You this morning through Jesus Christ, our Lord, and in the Holy Spirit. You are the Fountain from which flows the river that makes glad the city of God. Help us to drink deeply and pour ourselves out generously for Jesus’ sake, in Whose Name we pray, Amen.
INTRODUCTION
Good morning! Today we are continuing our study of the first decade of Psalms, which are Psalms 1-10. Last week, Dr. Bray provided us with an introduction to the book of Psalms in general and this morning we will be taking a look at the first psalm in particular.
SUMMARY OF THE TEXT
Our text begins with the word, “Blest,” or “bless-ed” if you’re feeling fancy or happen to need a second syllable to match the meter of a song or poem. Blessings exist because the covenant exists. We live in a world that is saturated in covenant from top to bottom, front to back, and side to side. You cannot go anywhere or do anything that is outside a covenantal reality. Every day, you breathe in covenantal air as you walk over covenantal ground to perform your covenantal work. This is a feature, not a bug. We presbyterians appreciate this particular reality perhaps more than most and demonstrate said appreciation by bringing it up as often as we can find any excuse to do so. (like I’m doing right now, e.g.) We presbies make our PB&Js with covenantal peanut butter and covenantal jelly. But if the covenant is everywhere, why aren’t blessings everywhere? Because a covenant has conditions and blessings are merely one part of it. Curses are the other part. So, let’s define our term: what is a covenant? A covenant is a solemn bond, sovereignly administered, between two or more persons, with attendant blessings and curses. (repeat) It is on the basis of this reality that the Psalmist introduces the theme, not only of this song, but of the entire songbook: there will be blessings and there will be curses, so make sure you end up on the blessed side of history. As Hebrews 11:6 reminds us, “Whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” If you want to worship God, you have to believe that there is a God and that He is who He says He is, which in this case means believing that He gives good things to those who come to Him. Now this last part might strike some of you as odd or even a little bit problematic. You might be thinking, “We shouldn’t serve God simply so that we can get things.” And you’d be right. Yes and amen. You should not use God as a means to your ends. You were created “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever,” and so His glory must take precedent over your joy. But note that putting God first does not exclude your joy. In fact, it guarantees it. Putting God first not only makes joy possible, it makes it inevitable. Your joy must come second, but if you put God first, your joy will come. “He rewards those who seek Him.” Those are His Words. Not mine.
Consider this observation by C.S. Lewis from The Weight of Glory, “The New Testament has lots to say about self-denial, but not about self-denial as an end in itself. We are told to deny ourselves and to take up our crosses in order that we may follow Christ; and nearly every description of what we shall ultimately find if we do so contains an appeal to desire. If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
We are too easily bribed by petty pleasures and too dismissive of the pleasures offered to us by God. And that is where Psalm 1 begins. It begins by pointing out that the blessed man, the happy man, the satisfied and joy-filled man, he has not settled for cheap trinkets. He is not playing with mud pies. So, instead of the carrot, Psalm 1 begins with the stick and a frank discussion of what not to do.
WHAT NOT TO DO
:1 “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 scoffers;” Note the progression. A man goes from casually walking with the wicked to occasionally taking a stand with them to intentionally sitting down to eat off of the same menu. In our day this often looks like this: you scroll their content and like a post here and there; then you share one of their posts with one of your close friends; next you subscribe to them and begin following their content and catching up on old post; lastly, you start reposting their material for everyone to see and openly identify with them.
In John Bunyan’s classic Pilgrim’s Progress, he noted a similar process: “(1) First, they draw off their thoughts from the remembrance of God, their death, and the judgment to come. (2) Next, they cast off by degrees private duties, such as private prayer, curbing their lusts, keeping watch, and feeling sorrow for sin. (3) Then they begin to shun the company of lively and warm Christians. (4) After that, they grow cold to public duty, such as gathering with the saints to hear the Word of God read and proclaimed. (5) They then begin to pick holes in the beliefs of the godly in order to have an excuse to throw off the old religion. (6) Then they begin to adhere to, and associate themselves with, carnal, loose, and wanton men. (7) They then give way to carnal discourses in secret and are glad when they see such things in anyone else who calls themself a Christian, so that they may all the more boldly do it through their example. (8) After this they begin to play with little sins openly. (9) And lastly, being hardened, they show themselves openly to be what they have become and unless a miracle of grace prevent it, they everlastingly perish in their own deceivings.”
What began with neglecting the Word ends with openly identifying with those who oppose it. Where this most commonly manifests itself is who they party with and what the cause of the celebration is. A companion is someone you regularly share meals with. The word companion comes to us from the Latin com (meaning “with”) and panis (meaning “bread”). So, a companion is literally someone you have bread with. The Scriptures warn us in many places and in many ways to avoid feasting with fools. What’s on the table is not often as important as who is around the table and what conversations and convictions are shared by those who are sharing the meal.
Consider Proverbs 13:20 “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” If you walk with the wise, guess what? You end up wise. Where else would the wise be going? But if you spend your time with fools, guess what? You end up in Foolsville. So, be careful who you share meals with because it often ends in sharing ideas. You eat breakfast with those you spent the night with, you eat lunch with those you work with, and you eat dinner with those you live with. Do not spend the night with fools, do not spend your day on foolish work, and do not spend your evening building relationships with those who are not built on the foundation of Christ.
1 Corinthians 5:11 “I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.” You cannot share a meal without sharing other things. That is not to say that apostates have cooties or that atheism is contagious, but it is to say that you need to be careful with whom you make a habit of eating. If it is missionary work, you must remain on mission. If you don’t, you will become the convert of the lowest common denominator. If a group of people want to order an appetizer for the entire table, they have to pick the worst one that they all at least kinda like.
1 Corinthians 10:21 “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.” Meals are covenantal. This is another inescapable reality. As we already discussed, you become the companion of those you break bread with. And that is why regular attendance on the Lord’s Day and weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper are essential ingredients of the Christian faith. There are two cups and there are two tables. There is the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. There is the Lord’s table and there is the table of demons. The Lord’s Supper has a set menu of bread and wine and each is essential. The demon’s table is a buffet of personal preference. You can take as much of whatever you want and nothing of anything you don’t. That may sound appealing until you realize what some people want on the buffet. As Leo Strauss observed, "If all cultures are equal, then cannibalism is just a matter of culinary taste." Some Christians, being in the habit of breaking bread with unbelievers, are sitting down at tables that Christ has called them to flip over. If Jesus rose from the dead, and He did, and if Christ is King, and He is, then you, a citizen of His kingdom, cannot just eat and drink with whoever and toast to whatever they’re excited about.
1 Corinthians 15:32-33 “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’ But do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” If there were no resurrection from the dead, you could live it up with whoever you liked and toast to whatever felt right at the moment, because that would be the best it was ever going to get and none of it would have any impact on where you were going once it was all over with. But because there is a resurrection, you cannot just run around with degenerates without it running your morals into the ground.
Everyone drinks something from somewhere and everybody sits down to eat something with someone. You’re either drinking the Kool-aid or you’re drinking the cup of blessing. You’re either eating the bread of malice or you’re eating the bread from above. So, be careful then how you walk and with whom you walk there. Getting along to go along only gets you where someone else wants to go. Do not assume that just because someone allows you to ride shotgun that they will let you call any of the shots. They still have the wheel.
So, do not walk in the counsel of the wicked. Do not listen to their advice. Do not live by their lies. Do not subscribe to their podcasts. Do not buy their books. Do not drink from their polluted foundation or eat their moldy bread. Do not stand with sinners. Do not defend sin. Do not repeat their shibboleths. God is not mocked and everyone who snacks on sin will end up spoiling their appetite.
DINE ON THE DIVINE
Ok, so that is what NOT to do, but what do we do? That brings us to :2 “his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.” Man does not live on bread alone after all, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God. When you delight in the Law of the Lord, you dine on the divine. We are called to nourish our children with the discipline and instruction of the Lord. We cannot do that if we are malnourished. So, how often do you eat? Do you read the Word? Do you meditate on it? Do you chew on it? Do you apply it daily? You have to eat. If you don’t, you will die. Your soul is the same. If you do not feast on the Word of God, you will feast on something else from somewhere else.
C.S. Lewis said it this way, “Where men are forbidden to honour a king they honour millionaires, athletes, or film-stars instead: even famous prostitutes or gangsters. For spiritual nature, like bodily nature, will be served; deny it food and it will gobble poison.” Psalm 1 was making the same point: your soul is hungry and if you do not give it good things to eat, it will find bad things to snack on. So, if you want to avoid sitting with the scoffers, you need to sit at the feet of the Scriptures. This cannot be done by knowing a few verses out of context that you apply inconsistently. You must have the Word of God ever before you, on your forehead, in your heart, over your doorway, and superintending your entire life. If you do that, you will be deeply rooted and able to endure every difficulty.
A MIGHTY OAK IN THE ORCHARD OF GOD
: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.
The man who spends his time reading, thinking about, and actively applying God’s Word is like a mature tree. He is deeply rooted and well fed. As a result, he is able to feed others. He is grounded and so he can give life to others. A tree is not only known by its fruit, it is praised according to it as well. A good apple tree is not just one that produces apples, that merely confirms what kind of tree it is, no, a good apple tree produces good apples and a good number of them to boot. The blessed man is not merely blessed because he receives good things from God, he is blessed because he is given the honor and privilege of giving good things to others. But in order to have something to give, you must first receive something. “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” (1 Cor. 4:7) That means that the most gracious givers are first the most humble receivers. And if you want to receive, you must be planted near the living water and have roots that anchor you there. These will help you to draw up fresh grace and new mercy every day. For life is full of troubles. Trees that are not situated by the stream will wither when it is scorching hot. They will bend and crack when the winds of change blow hard. They will creak and groan whenever it storms. They will be stressed out, get sick, and stop producing fruit. They conserve all of their energy and focus on survival, or what you might call the sin of self-care. But the tree planted by the stream has enough water even when it hasn’t rained in a while. It can endure the heat of the day. It does not just survive the storm, it thrives in spite of it. It outlasts the troubles that come upon it like the anvil outlasts the hammers that bang away at it. It survives and it provides for others.
Consider Proverbs 11:25, “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” Who is blessed? The one who blesses. Who is watered? The one who waters others. Those who empty themselves will be full. Those who spend themselves will be refueled. The tree planted by the river of God turns that water into fruit for others. Its source never runs dry and its roots run deep. Every time you spend your energy making fruit for others, your roots grow deeper and you gain access to more water. The one who feeds others is well fed. The one who gives much can expect to be given more. The wicked are not like that, however.
:4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
The wicked are like cornhusks. They spend all of their energy trying to protect what they have and they end up being separated from it. If you send your kids outside to shuck corn, they will separate the husks from the cobs. And when they are done, they will not wonder which part to bring back inside. The husks will be left behind. You may even forget about them for a while. The wind might even blow them away while you’re eating that corn with some melted butter and salt. The same wind, however, would not have blown the cobs away. If you had left them out, they would still be right where you left them and if the winds were so violent that they could blow even the cobs away, you would have been sure to have brought them in. You would not have left them out. That is what the righteous are like. God will not leave His children out in the storm. He will not forget them or leave them to be spoiled. Whether you have a harvest of 30, 60, or 100 fold, He will preserve it and make sure it ends up in His storehouse. The chaff will not fare as well. God has made the chaff so light that a breeze can carry it away. So do not fret the husks. Even when it seems like they have you surrounded, keep in mind that in a moment they will be separated out and blown away by the breath of God.
:5 the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; The wicked will not stand, even If the world stands up for him. The wicked cannot be redeemed by the sympathies of the social Gospel. A church who hangs a pride flag out front or posts one on their socials in order to stand with the marginalized does not gain a standing for them in the courts of God. The only way the wicked can stand before God is if they bow before the Son. And that means turning their back on their wickedness in order to turn to the Lord. Deceit can creep into a congregation, but it cannot live there. The cockroaches scatter when the lights come on. Sinners can try to squat among the saints, but the landlord will evict them by force where He does not save them by grace.
:6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
There is nothing the Lord does not know. The word “knows” here does not refer to knowledge. This is not about information, it’s about relation. The word “know” here carries with it the idea of intimacy like when Adam knew his wife. It also carries with it the idea of bearing fruit. In Adam’s case, the fruit had names like Cain, Abel, and Seth. In our case, the fruit has names like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
So, the Lord is committed to the way of the righteous in a way that He is not to the wicked. He sees both of them and He knows what all of them are up to, but He approves of the way of the righteous and He is with them as they do it. Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus was moments away from physically leaving them. He was about to ascend to Heaven and sit down at the right hand of the Father. So, what does “being with you always” mean? It means that when we do what God has put us here on earth to do, that is, making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them how to observe all that He commanded, when we do that, we can know for sure that He is with us as we do it. He is with us in a special way when we obey Him and teach others to do the same. His presence is not just theoretical. It is tangible. It is the difference between knowing that “God is omnipresent” and knowing that “God is with me.” The first person knows the facts, the second knows the reality. It is one thing to know that the Lord is good and another to know what goodness tastes like.
THE FRUIT OF OUR LABORS
As our OT reading from Jeremiah 17:5-10 showed us, the man who puts his trust in his own strength is like a shrub trying to make a living out in the desert. Whatever strength he has is waning and wearing out. It will not be replaced or refreshed. Once it is spent, it will be done. But the man who trusts in the Lord is like a tree planted by living water. He is not afraid of the heat of the day. He is well watered and never stops producing fruit. But be careful here. Understanding this is not the same thing as being planted near the stream. The heart is deceitful above all things. Your heart wants you to think that understanding this parable is the same thing as applying it. God knows our hearts and minds and He will give to us according to our ways and according to the fruit of our deeds. So, do not deceive yourself. Hearing this and understanding this is not the same as doing this or putting it into practice. People are not fed by your right understanding unless it goes on to produce the right things. Knowing where you should be is not the same as being there. Knowing where the water is is not the same as drinking it.
And that leads us to our NT reading from Luke 6:43-49. A tree is known by its fruit. If an apple tree is not producing apples, it is a bad apple tree. If it says it’s an apple tree, but it’s producing oranges, it’s not an apple tree… even if its preferred pronouns beg to differ. Your heart is a tree and the words that come out of your mouth are its fruit. So what kind of tree do your words say that you are? Your words are not just what you say, they are who you are. So, as Jesus points out in :46, you can say, “Lord, Lord” all you like, but if you don’t “obey, obey” you’re just lying. “Christ is King” is a lot easier to say than, “at Your service.” And if you refuse to say the second, continuing to say the first doesn’t make your treason any better… it makes it worse. So, do what Jesus says. Build your life on the Rock and live next to the Living Water. If you do, you will weather every storm and you will be a blessing to those who come to you for warmth and comfort. But if you will not do what Jesus says, you are like one building a home on a sinkhole and it’s only a matter of time.
THERE IS NO OTHER STREAM
And so, we end where we began. There is a stream that makes glad the city of God. If you plant yourself by its waters, you will be well nourished and you will produce fruit for others. A tree does not eat its own fruit. It makes it for others. The tree is fed from above by streams from below. Our loved ones benefit from our roots and we benefit by watching them enjoy the fruit. So, will you drink from the river of God or will you try to find another stream? This reminds us of The Silver Chair and Aslan’s conversation with Jill.
“Are you not thirsty?" said the Lion.
"I am dying of thirst," said Jill.
"Then drink," said the Lion.
"May I — could I — would you mind going away while I do?" said Jill.
The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl.
And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience. The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic.
"Will you promise not to — do anything to me, if I do come?" said Jill.
"I make no promise," said the Lion.
Jill was so thirsty now that, without noticing it, she had come a step nearer.
"Do you eat girls?" she said.
"I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms," said the Lion.
It didn't say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it.
"I dare not come and drink," said Jill.
"Then you will die of thirst," said the Lion.
"Oh dear!" said Jill, coming another step nearer.
"I suppose I must go and look for another stream then."
"There is no other stream," said the Lion
Blessed is the man who does not wander off looking for another stream. Hear the Word of the Lord. There is no other stream.
“So, come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to the Lord, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to Him; hear, that your soul may live; and He will make with you an everlasting covenant. Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked man forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him. 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 the Word of the Lord be that goes out from His mouth; it shall not return to Him empty, but it shall accomplish all that He purposes and shall succeed in the thing for which He sent it. You shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. (Is 55:1-12)
There is no other stream. So, come and welcome to Jesus Christ.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we have tasted and seen that You are good. We have heard Your Words. We know that they never come back void. Plant our hearts near Your stream and give us good roots that we drink deeply and produce good fruit for Your glory, our neighbor’s good, and our eternal joy. We ask these things in Jesus’ name and we offer up the words of the prayer He taught us to pray singing…
No comments:
Post a Comment