April 7, 2025 • 24 mins
Choices determine destiny. In Psalm 1, we discover a vivid portrait of two paths that ultimately lead to dramatically different outcomes. Pastors Jim and Lee unpack this powerful psalm verse by verse, revealing the stark contrast between the righteous person who flourishes and the ungodly who fade away.
What exactly makes someone "blessed" according to Scripture? It's not just casual happiness but a deep fulfillment that comes from being right with God. We explore how the righteous person avoids the downward spiral that begins with walking in ungodly counsel, then standing with sinners, and finally sitting with scoffers. Instead, they find genuine delight in God's Word, meditating on it constantly.
The most striking image in this psalm compares the righteous to "a tree planted by streams of water." We dive into what this metaphor reveals about spiritual nourishment, stability, and fruitfulness. Where are you planting your roots? This question becomes central as we consider how many Christians today want the blessings without the commitment—like wanting to be near the pool without getting wet.
While many may look at those living ungodly lives and see apparent success, Scripture presents them as "chaff that the wind drives away"—without substance, stability or lasting impact. Yet this sobering contrast isn't meant to create a smug separation between "us" and "them." As we emphasize throughout this episode, every Christian was once on that other side, which is precisely why we're called to compassionately reach others with the truth.
The path you choose matters eternally. Are you delighting in God's Word? Are you producing spiritual fruit? Or are you being blown wherever the cultural winds take you? The invitation stands: choose the path of the righteous, plant yourself by living waters, and watch as God produces lasting fruit through your life.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the podcast that takes
you deeper into the Word of Godthroughout your week with your
hosts, pastors Lee and Jim.
It's time to inspire, upliftand dig deeper.
Beyond Sunday starts now.
Hey, welcome back, everybody,to another episode of Beyond
(00:25):
Sunday.
What everybody might not knowis that myself and Pastor Lee
have been out for three weeks,so we're actually excited to be
back in this studio.
Today.
We're going to be diving deepinto a truth that we're going to
pull out of Psalm 1.
And if you've ever wonderedwhat the difference is between
the righteous and the ungodly,psalm 1 is going to give us a
(00:46):
very clear contrast.
I'm excited to go through it,and as we do go through it,
we're going to see the choicesthat each of us face in our walk
with God.
So I'm ready to get started.
Pastor Lee, do you want to goahead and read Scripture?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Yeah, absolutely, brother, and it is good to be
back.
As you mentioned, we've beengone.
I was down in Georgia at PastorJensen Franklin's church for a
little bit.
We were down together in NorthCarolina at the Billy Graham
Evangelical Training Center.
So we've had a wonderful,wonderful time away, just being
refreshed in the Lord andenjoying fellowship with one
another.
And now it's time to do it.
Let's get right in.
(01:18):
Today, pastor Jim, we're goingto be reading probably one of my
favorite psalms in the entirebook of the collection of psalms
.
It's Psalm 1.
It's a shorter psalm, it's onlysix verses, but man, it's
packed full of so much stuff.
So, psalm 1, 1 through 6, herewe go.
Blessed is the man who walksnot in the counsel of the wicked
, nor stands in the way ofsinners, nor sits in the seat of
(01:42):
scoffers, but his delight is inthe law of the Lord, and on his
law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted bystreams of water that yields its
fruit in its season and itsleaf does not wither.
In all that he does, heprospers.
The wicked are not so, but arelike chaff that the wind drives
away.
Therefore, the wicked will notstand in the judgment, nor
(02:04):
sinners in the congregation ofthe righteous, for the Lord
knows the way of the righteous,but the way of the wicked will
perish.
You know, this psalm points outthe two teams at play in our
world today.
Pastor Jim, this may take sometime for folks to understand,
maybe it won't, it may make somefolks uncomfortable, maybe it
(02:25):
won't, but you know, my style isto call it as it is Truth is a
truth and that's what we talkabout here, right?
So the two sides, or the twoteams that this psalm is
speaking of is sinners andsaints, saints being the
Christians right, those who arefollowing and walking with Jesus
Christ.
Sinners, those living in theworld with no desire whatsoever
(02:46):
to walk with God.
And saints, as I just mentioned, christians who claim Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior andthey're actually walking with
their Lord, they're growing instep with their faith, they're
reading the Word, they'repraying, they are communicating
not just with Jesus as Savior,but also with other Christians
and having relationships withinthe church and growing, but also
with other Christians andhaving relationships within the
church and growing.
(03:07):
So we're going to look at thosetwo different groups today and
just take a look at what thispsalm has to say about it, what
we can grow and how we can learnfrom it.
In a nutshell, this particularpsalm focuses on God's Word and
how those who do what it sayswill receive ultimately the
blessing of God, while those whoreject God's word are going to
wind up receiving judgment.
Yep.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
So first we're going to be introduced to the
righteous person right, andthat's the one who's blessed by
God.
And when we say blessed, we'retalking about more than just a
casual happiness right.
The Hebrew word here is esher,and what esher means is
supremely happy or fulfilled.
And I like that fulfilled piecebecause it's that contentment
(03:49):
that goes beyond circumstances.
It's about being right with God.
Period.
You could be happy in anysituation that you are right
with God in.
So here's the key.
Verse 1 tells us what therighteous man has or does not do
.
He doesn't walk through thecounsel of the ungodly, he
(04:09):
doesn't stand in a path ofsinners and he doesn't sit in
the seat of the scornful or thescoffers.
You see, there's a progressionhere.
First he's going to say theungodly counsel and then he
starts standing in the path ofsinners and then before long
he's sitting with those who aremocking God.
It's this downward spiral andit all begins with that choice.
The righteous man stays faraway from those steps.
(04:31):
He knows that the counsel ofthe ungodly can sound appealing,
but ultimately it's going tolead through this downward
spiral, so he doesn't let itshape his way of thinking.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Yeah, you know, I would like to say this Our
blessing does not come whileliving and participating inside
the parameters of sinfulbehavior, right?
So now, before one of ourlisteners tunes us out and turns
off the podcast because theythink we're being too religious,
let me put it to you like thisthis is kind of the example as I
was just preparing for today'sepisode.
(05:03):
This is kind of the examplethat the word picture, if you
will, the word image that I got.
I can go to a swimming pool andthe pool can be full of water,
right, you with me.
But I'll never get wet fromhead to toe unless I fully
commit and jump into the waterAll the way in, right?
So I know some people who don'tlike to get wet.
Right, they just like to go sitbeside the pool.
They just like to be part ofthe environment of the pool.
(05:24):
I'm just going to go sit thereand relax in the sun.
And those same people, if theyget splashed by people having
fun in the pool, well, they wantto get all upset.
They're upset because, hey,they got wet while they're
relaxing outside the pool.
But my mindset is you're at thepool.
That's one of the things thatyou could just going to have to
come in contact with is watergetting splashed outside of the
pool.
So we can relate this scenarioto what God's Word is teaching
(05:46):
us here, right, if I want theblessing, I have to go to where
the blessing flows, right.
I cannot expect the fullness ofthe blessing if I'm not doing
what it takes to receive, pastorJim, the full blessing, right?
So part of the problem that wehave today, even within the body
of Christ, within the church,we have too many Christians that
want to receive the blessing ofGod.
They just don't want to do whatGod requires of us to receive
(06:08):
the full blessing of the hand ofGod.
So we've got a lot ofChristians who just want to sit
around the pool, right, butdon't want to jump into the pool
.
They want to be around church,they want to kind of sometimes
come to church, but they don'twant to actually be involved
with church.
And really what they're notunderstanding is is that they
themselves literally are thechurch.
So their mindset is I want to bea Christian, but I don't want
(06:30):
to be too religious of aChristian.
You know, I want to get intothe house of God, but I don't
know that I want to be usedwithin the house of God, like,
hey, I want to get by the poolbut don't splash on me.
You know, I want the enjoymentof what's going on at the pool,
but don't get me wet, and thattype of person.
They enjoy the view ofChristianity.
This is how I like to put it.
They enjoy the view ofChristianity, but they will not
(06:52):
sell out and live the full lifeof Christianity.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Yeah.
So what does the righteous mando, right?
Verse 2 says his delight is inthe law of the Lord.
The righteous man delights inGod's word.
It's not this casual reading,it's like this deep, heartfelt
level of joy, you know, likewhat makes you truly happy.
And if we look at that and wesay, okay, well, what excites me
(07:16):
?
Well, for the righteous person,that answer is God's word, that
answer is God, that answer isjumping full force, pledge into
the pool and getting completelysubmerged in the Word of God and
in this relationship withChrist.
The Bible is the delight of hisheart, is what the Word says and
it's the thing that he looks tofor guidance, it's the thing
that we look to for our joy andit's the thing that we look to
(07:39):
for our satisfaction.
And he doesn't just read itonce and move on, all right.
No.
Verse 2 says he meditates on itday and night.
The righteous person is goingto fill his mind with God's word
, and this is where it getsreally important.
Meditation is not about emptyingyour mind, like some other
practices teach.
It's actually about fillingyour mind with God's truth.
(08:02):
That's a good word.
It's thinking deeply about whatthe Word of God says and then
applying it to your life andthen praying it back to God in
those quiet spaces.
Because if you really lovesomething, you don't have to
force yourself to do it right.
If you really truly lovesomething, it's going to flow
naturally.
That's how it is with therighteous person and the Word of
(08:25):
God.
He's not just reading the Bibleto check off a box, he is
meditating on it.
The Word says day and night.
And when you do that, you'regoing to begin to see fruit in
your life.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Yeah, you know, because when I think about
delighting in the Word of God,I'm thinking about how I've read
it and now, throughout my day,I'm considering what I read in
the Word that morning, in myquiet time with the Lord.
I'm considering what I read inthe word that morning, right In
my quiet time with the Lord.
I'm considering it allthroughout my day.
I am taking time and I'mmeditating on that.
I am working that in andthroughout my life as I move
(08:56):
forward in my day, and what Ifind is is that it's like that
word will stay on the forefrontof my mind Right, you know what
I mean?
Like it's not going anywhere,it's at the forefront.
So, whatever I face throughoutthe schedule of that day, that
word is sitting right up frontand that's how I need to go
about my day, so I can focus onhow to react in the day.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Yeah, and what's cool about that is you and me hang
out a lot right, just by virtueof our relationship with the
church and things that we do.
But we're friends outside ofall that anyway.
Right, that's right.
I love that you share thosethings with me, because then the
same nugget that God blessedyou with, you share it with me.
You've been stewing on it allday.
But then when you give it to me, I start thinking about it.
And guess what?
I'm thinking about it so muchthat I tell somebody else about
(09:37):
it and all of a sudden, what Godgave you in the morning, one
you gave to me and then I'mgiving it to somebody else and
it's just chain reaction?
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Absolutely, man.
And that's what's so beautifulabout a word that is alive and
well, it's living, it's active,sharper than any two edged sword
, and so you can give a verse tosomeone and it just carries
right into their life likeyou're talking.
I just think it's an absolutebeautiful thing.
But I can also look at it likethis Our faith is contagious.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
You know.
So, as the Lord teaches yousomething, or me something, we
share one another with otherpeople.
It's a contagious thing, youknow, and it grows and it
benefits and it blesses.
Verse three says he is like atree planted by streams of water
.
Speaking about this, therighteous one, right, the
righteous person who is doingwhat God has called them to do.
He is like a tree planted bystreams of water that yields its
(10:26):
fruit in its season and itsleaf does not wither.
Now, that's good news.
His leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, heprospers.
The blessing of God in my lifeand this is what I want our
listeners to understand, theblessing of God in my life is
not simply to benefit me.
That blessing is not just forme to take and hoard in my
(10:47):
pocket, right, it's not just myblessing, it is to point to God
for His glory, and it should,because of that, also be a
benefit to others around me aswell.
Just like you just shared,pastor Jim, when the Lord shares
something with me, and I'mgoing to share that nugget with
you, I'm going to share thatverse with you.
I'm not to just hold on to thatand you're not to just hold on
(11:07):
to it.
As we get it, we are to shareit.
I'm reminded when it comes tothe blessing not just being for
us.
I'm reminded of what it is atree that produces fruit for
others to enjoy, right?
I think about a farm that myfamily goes on every fall to the
mountains and they've got appletrees all over, all over these
(11:28):
particular mountains.
People travel from afar.
I've met people from outsideother states that come to this
particular farm just to pickapples off these trees.
So younger people come pick andthey're picking the branches
that they can reach, just thelower branches.
And then you've got yourmiddle-aged folks, you know that
aren't fully grown yet butthey're not young either and
they're kind of picking thatmiddle of the ground, of the
(11:50):
tree, if you will.
You know those middle branches.
And then you've got the older,taller people and they're
actually getting up, getting tothe higher branches.
But then you've got the top ofthese trees right and they're
just apple trees.
They're not huge yet, you know.
So what you see is you see dads,grandfathers, they're taking
children and grandchildren,putting them on their shoulders
for teamwork to go up and getthe tallest of the fruit right,
(12:11):
and oftentimes that's what'sleft, because these trees have
been picked over so much thatyou know you've got to be tall
to reach the good fruit that'sstill left on these trees, and I
really see that, just like theanalogy with the fruit on these
trees.
This is also how we can applythe blessing of God in our lives
.
It's not just for me, but I'mto have this fruit on branches
(12:34):
that I can give and bear toother people, as God has so
faithfully given it to me.
I want to offer godly fruit toothers to bless them, but also,
while blessing them, pointing toGod, not taking any credit for
myself, but saying it's God thatdid this and I can only give
you this fruit because he'sprovided this fruit to me.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Yeah, and when you're rooted in God's Word like that
and you're delighting and you'remeditating on it.
These are the blessings thatyou just talked about, that we
are able to not only receive forourselves but, yeah, I mean
give to others.
I love that idea of beingplanted by the river of water.
It's this image of the tree,right, that's got a constant
(13:14):
source of water that's nevergoing to dry up, so therefore
the tree's never going to wither.
And that's speaking about theWord of God.
That thing doesn't get old, itdoesn't get outdated, it's
constantly got a flow of lifesourcing through it, and so it's
always fruitful, abundantlyfruitful.
So it's not just us thatreceives, it's all those people
around us.
And that's exactly what arighteous person's life looks
(13:35):
like.
He's constantly being nourishedby the Word of God and because
of that he's going to bear fruitin the season.
And I think sometimes we can getdiscouraged when we're living
righteously and we don't see anyfruit right away.
But again, fruit comes in theseason.
There's not fruit in the winter, right, we have to wait for
spring, and then some trees doblossom in the fall, and things
of that nature.
(13:55):
But what we can't do is getinto this space where we're
discouraged because we don't seeit right away.
We need to be faithful, tocontinue to be planted by the
river so that we can be in God'sword and receive this blessing,
which is the fruit?
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Yeah, and I think it.
I think it's worth bringingthis point up.
We've touched on it just apiece but really haven't said it
in this way.
Where you plant yourself doesmatter, right, Like you put
yourself in good soil, you getyour roots down in some good
soil and it makes all thedifference in the world.
You know, I think aboutsidewalks and how sidewalks have
those expansion joints, thosecracks that are pre-cut in them.
(14:30):
Yeah, and over time a littlebit of soil gets in there, and
then you're mowing your lawn,cutting your grass, and all of a
sudden a seed from a weed orgrass throws over in there.
Some rain hits it, Somesunshine hits it and before you
know it you've got a weed comingout through that hard surface.
But that weed is only going todo but so much because it
doesn't have a good base for theroots to go down and hit.
(14:50):
So where we do plant ourselvesabsolutely matters.
If we get ourselves into achurch that's not opening up the
Bible—you know, I had somebodyjust this past week, Pastor Jim,
tell me that they know someonewho attends a church where the
pastor doesn't even bring theBible up on the pulpit.
You know, and to me that'sterrible.
What other reason are we therefor?
(15:11):
I'm not there for amotivational speech, and myself,
as a pastor, I'm not there togive anyone a motivational
speech either.
I want to give someone thewords of life that can change
their life forever, Amen.
And so I think it's importantthat we consider where we plan
ourselves matter.
I've had people tell me we wantto come to your church so bad,
(15:31):
but we don't, because we'restill going to church where
grandma goes to church, you know, but we really don't like going
to that church because it'sonly like 20 people left.
There's no children there, butwe're just going there so we
don't crush grandma's heart.
You know Well, to me I say thisin love, but I think that the
(15:53):
best thing that grandma shouldwant is her grandchildren and
great-grandchildren going to aplace where they can drop down
roots and they can really thrive, you know.
So what are we doing here?
Who and what are we living thislife for while we're here on
this earth?
It needs to be about King Jesus.
Pastor Jim, you know we've gotto know that where we drop these
roots really does matter,because that's going to be
dependent upon what type offruit we get out of our lives.
It's dependent upon where we'redropping the roots, that's
(16:15):
right, that is so, so good.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Like, where are you planting your roots?
Are you by that river offlowing water?
So, flipping to the other sideof this for a moment, though,
you know talking about theungodly.
In verse 4, it says the ungodlyare not like this.
Okay, so this chaff is thelight, worthless part of the
grain that gets blown away whenit's winnowed and it doesn't
(16:38):
have any substance.
So it's this sharp contrast ofthe tree that we just talked
about, the one that providesmuch fruit.
The ungodly might look like theyhave it all together, but at
the end, their life is actuallyempty, it's fleeting, and
they're like chaff, beingcarried away with everywhere the
wind blows and there's nostability, there's no depth, and
they might look successful, buton the outside, there's nothing
(17:00):
lasting in their lives, becauseit's a lot like what you just
said about those people who areplanted in those dying churches.
Right, and this isn't some ideato try to get people away from
wherever they're at.
What I'm saying is, if you arein a place right now where
you're grounded not by a riverof flowing life, which is the
(17:22):
Word of God grounded in Him,then at the end of the day,
there's not going to be anystability or any depth for your
roots to go down deep and grabhold of, and you're just going
to be.
You're going to wither andyou're going to be blown away.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely Can I just, you know,
let our listeners know.
I just want to remind you,folks, that we all used to be
part of that wicked team as well, right, like, none of us were
born saved already.
Right, we came out of the womba sinner, we were born into sin.
So I think it's important thatwhen we talk about, kind, of the
(17:54):
two sides that this psalmpresents to us, the two
different teams, if you will, wedon't get so close-minded that
we don't open our arms to theother team and say, hey, we're
not going to accept thefoolishness, but we love every
one of you and we want to bringyou over to this team.
We want to bring you over.
You know, I'm reminded offootball teams or basketball or
(18:15):
baseball teams.
Everybody gets their team andthey're just ride or die for
that team, and I think, asChristians, that's not what we
want to do.
When it comes to Christianityand our faith, we've got to
remember that, yes, there isthis other team that, by the way
, we used to be part of, but nowit's our job to bring them over
to this side, like someonebrought us over to this side,
(18:36):
right?
So I do want to throw that outthere that.
You know these folks are livingin sin, just like we used to
live in sin.
You know we used to be part ofthat wicked thing that was
taking place.
We were not born by that treedown by the water.
You know that we're talkingabout here in this word picture,
but we want to bring everybodythere so that they too can plant
(18:56):
their roots into that stream ofwater and they can get good
fruit as well.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
My desire, ultimately , is I want to be on a winning
team and I want everybody to winwith me.
So come get on the winning team.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Yeah, that's right, that's right.
Verses four, five and six saysthis the wicked are not so.
So we've talked about therighteous and now we're shifting
thought transition here.
The wicked are not so, but arelike chaff that the wind drives
(19:29):
away.
Therefore, the wicked will youknow we often see with the
ungodly.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
They may look like they're prospering right now and
I've actually had people say,man like well, it seems like
it's a whole lot easier not tobe a Christian.
They ain't worried about allthese things and they're being
successful.
But the truth is the end forthem is destruction.
Yeah, you know, it says thatthe ungodly are not going to
stand in judgment and the truthis it goes right back to that
foundation.
They got nothing to stand on.
(19:57):
You know they're going to befound wanting.
They may have now, but whenjudgment comes they're going to
be found wanting.
They'll have nothing solid tostand on.
They'll have no foundation tohold them up.
They won't have Christ standingin the gap for them.
They're not going to be a partof the righteous.
So their success is temporaryand their joy is ultimately
(20:19):
fleeting.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Yeah, and I think it's our job as Christians, who
have been saved from drowning inthe river, if you will, of the
world, that river of sin.
I think it's our job asChristians that we throw those
people that are still on thatside drowning a flotation device
and literally jump in and savethem.
I'm reminded of Jude, chapter 1.
(20:40):
Well, there's just one chapterin Jude.
It's a short book, but Jude,verses 22 and 23, says "and have
mercy on those who doubt.
Save others by snatching themout of the fire.
To others, show mercy with fear, hating even the garment
stained by the flesh".
(21:01):
So let's not forget, saints,that we too started out to be a
sinner.
But when I throw that life raftout there and when I go over
and I jump in and I'm going overto help them, I cannot get
caught up in participating withthe foolishness that they're
doing.
It's my job not to go overthere and hang out.
It's my job to go over there,preach the truth, try to lead
(21:22):
them to the saving knowledge ofJesus Christ and to shine the
light, to be the salt and lightand let them know, in love, that
God has so much better for them.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Yeah, we're pointing them towards Jesus, and that's
exactly what verse six is goingto tell us.
Man, for the Lord, knows theway of the righteous Right.
So what we need to do is thatthe righteous, in order for them
to rest in the same peace thatwe have, they got to know God's
way.
Yeah, right.
So they got to know that he'swatching over them, that he's
going to guide them, that he'sgoing to protect them.
(21:51):
But we need to know himintimately in order to do that,
because once we do, he's goingto preserve us.
So, the way of the ungodly itleads to destruction and they
may be on the broad path now,but at the end of the day, we
want to get them onto thatnarrow path.
So, in closing, which way areyou on?
You know it's something toreally truly consider.
(22:16):
Are you walking on therighteous path?
Are you delighting in God'sWord?
Are you rooted and bearingfruit, or are you on the path of
the ungodly, which really hasno foundation?
The choice is yours and it'snot too late to choose wisely.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Yeah, I'm reminded of a scripture that I shared in
church this morning where,matthew 28, 16, jesus is
speaking and he gives them thecall of the Great Commission.
And actually we'll just getgoing in the 17th verse, matthew
28, 17.
And when they saw him, theyworshiped him, but some doubted.
(22:48):
And Jesus came and said to themall authority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and makedisciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name ofthe Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, teaching themto observe all that I have
commanded you.
And behold, I am with youalways, to the end of age.
(23:09):
And what a blessing it is thatwe have the opportunity to go
out and to lead people, to makedisciples of all nations, to
share with them.
As, pastor Jim, as you justsaid, we're to share with them.
You know what this is all about, as someone so faithfully and
graciously shared Christ with usas well.
So that's our homework thisweek, friends.
(23:30):
That's our homework is to getout there and be Jesus for
someone else that does not yetknow who Jesus is, or maybe they
don't know how bad they're inneed of Jesus as Lord and Savior
, father.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
We hope that this message challenges the people
listening, lord, god, as it'schallenged us here sitting and
studying through your word,father.
Apart from you, god, weunderstand that we are nothing.
We understand that if we arenot on a righteous path, lord,
we need to make that choicetoday.
And, father, we want to delightin your word, we want to
meditate on your word, we wantto live in accordance to your
(24:05):
way.
Father, would you lead us in alife that is fruitful?
Would you lead us in a lifethat is secure in you?
Amen.
Well, we want to thank you forlistening.
As always, it has been anamazing time.
I love doing this.
What about you?
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Absolutely, brother, to balance with you.
As we're sitting here prayingand wrapping up, I'm actually
thinking about ideas for thenext one, you know.
So it's just soon as one's overman, just ready to do it again.
Yep.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
So thank y'all for listening and we're going to see
you next time on Beyond Sunday.
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the podcast that takes
you deeper into the Word of Godthroughout your week with your
hosts, pastors Lee and Jim.
It's time to inspire, upliftand dig deeper.
Beyond Sunday starts now.
Hey, welcome back, everybody,to another episode of Beyond
(00:25):
Sunday.
What everybody might not knowis that myself and Pastor Lee
have been out for three weeks,so we're actually excited to be
back in this studio.
Today.
We're going to be diving deepinto a truth that we're going to
pull out of Psalm 1.
And if you've ever wonderedwhat the difference is between
the righteous and the ungodly,psalm 1 is going to give us a
(00:46):
very clear contrast.
I'm excited to go through it,and as we do go through it,
we're going to see the choicesthat each of us face in our walk
with God.
So I'm ready to get started.
Pastor Lee, do you want to goahead and read Scripture?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Yeah, absolutely, brother, and it is good to be
back.
As you mentioned, we've beengone.
I was down in Georgia at PastorJensen Franklin's church for a
little bit.
We were down together in NorthCarolina at the Billy Graham
Evangelical Training Center.
So we've had a wonderful,wonderful time away, just being
refreshed in the Lord andenjoying fellowship with one
another.
And now it's time to do it.
Let's get right in.
(01:18):
Today, pastor Jim, we're goingto be reading probably one of my
favorite psalms in the entirebook of the collection of psalms
.
It's Psalm 1.
It's a shorter psalm, it's onlysix verses, but man, it's
packed full of so much stuff.
So, psalm 1, 1 through 6, herewe go.
Blessed is the man who walksnot in the counsel of the wicked
, nor stands in the way ofsinners, nor sits in the seat of
(01:42):
scoffers, but his delight is inthe law of the Lord, and on his
law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted bystreams of water that yields its
fruit in its season and itsleaf does not wither.
In all that he does, heprospers.
The wicked are not so, but arelike chaff that the wind drives
away.
Therefore, the wicked will notstand in the judgment, nor
(02:04):
sinners in the congregation ofthe righteous, for the Lord
knows the way of the righteous,but the way of the wicked will
perish.
You know, this psalm points outthe two teams at play in our
world today.
Pastor Jim, this may take sometime for folks to understand,
maybe it won't, it may make somefolks uncomfortable, maybe it
(02:25):
won't, but you know, my style isto call it as it is Truth is a
truth and that's what we talkabout here, right?
So the two sides, or the twoteams that this psalm is
speaking of is sinners andsaints, saints being the
Christians right, those who arefollowing and walking with Jesus
Christ.
Sinners, those living in theworld with no desire whatsoever
(02:46):
to walk with God.
And saints, as I just mentioned, christians who claim Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior andthey're actually walking with
their Lord, they're growing instep with their faith, they're
reading the Word, they'repraying, they are communicating
not just with Jesus as Savior,but also with other Christians
and having relationships withinthe church and growing, but also
with other Christians andhaving relationships within the
church and growing.
(03:07):
So we're going to look at thosetwo different groups today and
just take a look at what thispsalm has to say about it, what
we can grow and how we can learnfrom it.
In a nutshell, this particularpsalm focuses on God's Word and
how those who do what it sayswill receive ultimately the
blessing of God, while those whoreject God's word are going to
wind up receiving judgment.
Yep.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
So first we're going to be introduced to the
righteous person right, andthat's the one who's blessed by
God.
And when we say blessed, we'retalking about more than just a
casual happiness right.
The Hebrew word here is esher,and what esher means is
supremely happy or fulfilled.
And I like that fulfilled piecebecause it's that contentment
(03:49):
that goes beyond circumstances.
It's about being right with God.
Period.
You could be happy in anysituation that you are right
with God in.
So here's the key.
Verse 1 tells us what therighteous man has or does not do
.
He doesn't walk through thecounsel of the ungodly, he
(04:09):
doesn't stand in a path ofsinners and he doesn't sit in
the seat of the scornful or thescoffers.
You see, there's a progressionhere.
First he's going to say theungodly counsel and then he
starts standing in the path ofsinners and then before long
he's sitting with those who aremocking God.
It's this downward spiral andit all begins with that choice.
The righteous man stays faraway from those steps.
(04:31):
He knows that the counsel ofthe ungodly can sound appealing,
but ultimately it's going tolead through this downward
spiral, so he doesn't let itshape his way of thinking.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Yeah, you know, I would like to say this Our
blessing does not come whileliving and participating inside
the parameters of sinfulbehavior, right?
So now, before one of ourlisteners tunes us out and turns
off the podcast because theythink we're being too religious,
let me put it to you like thisthis is kind of the example as I
was just preparing for today'sepisode.
(05:03):
This is kind of the examplethat the word picture, if you
will, the word image that I got.
I can go to a swimming pool andthe pool can be full of water,
right, you with me.
But I'll never get wet fromhead to toe unless I fully
commit and jump into the waterAll the way in, right?
So I know some people who don'tlike to get wet.
Right, they just like to go sitbeside the pool.
They just like to be part ofthe environment of the pool.
(05:24):
I'm just going to go sit thereand relax in the sun.
And those same people, if theyget splashed by people having
fun in the pool, well, they wantto get all upset.
They're upset because, hey,they got wet while they're
relaxing outside the pool.
But my mindset is you're at thepool.
That's one of the things thatyou could just going to have to
come in contact with is watergetting splashed outside of the
pool.
So we can relate this scenarioto what God's Word is teaching
(05:46):
us here, right, if I want theblessing, I have to go to where
the blessing flows, right.
I cannot expect the fullness ofthe blessing if I'm not doing
what it takes to receive, pastorJim, the full blessing, right?
So part of the problem that wehave today, even within the body
of Christ, within the church,we have too many Christians that
want to receive the blessing ofGod.
They just don't want to do whatGod requires of us to receive
(06:08):
the full blessing of the hand ofGod.
So we've got a lot ofChristians who just want to sit
around the pool, right, butdon't want to jump into the pool
.
They want to be around church,they want to kind of sometimes
come to church, but they don'twant to actually be involved
with church.
And really what they're notunderstanding is is that they
themselves literally are thechurch.
So their mindset is I want to bea Christian, but I don't want
(06:30):
to be too religious of aChristian.
You know, I want to get intothe house of God, but I don't
know that I want to be usedwithin the house of God, like,
hey, I want to get by the poolbut don't splash on me.
You know, I want the enjoymentof what's going on at the pool,
but don't get me wet, and thattype of person.
They enjoy the view ofChristianity.
This is how I like to put it.
They enjoy the view ofChristianity, but they will not
(06:52):
sell out and live the full lifeof Christianity.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Yeah.
So what does the righteous mando, right?
Verse 2 says his delight is inthe law of the Lord.
The righteous man delights inGod's word.
It's not this casual reading,it's like this deep, heartfelt
level of joy, you know, likewhat makes you truly happy.
And if we look at that and wesay, okay, well, what excites me
(07:16):
?
Well, for the righteous person,that answer is God's word, that
answer is God, that answer isjumping full force, pledge into
the pool and getting completelysubmerged in the Word of God and
in this relationship withChrist.
The Bible is the delight of hisheart, is what the Word says and
it's the thing that he looks tofor guidance, it's the thing
that we look to for our joy andit's the thing that we look to
(07:39):
for our satisfaction.
And he doesn't just read itonce and move on, all right.
No.
Verse 2 says he meditates on itday and night.
The righteous person is goingto fill his mind with God's word
, and this is where it getsreally important.
Meditation is not about emptyingyour mind, like some other
practices teach.
It's actually about fillingyour mind with God's truth.
(08:02):
That's a good word.
It's thinking deeply about whatthe Word of God says and then
applying it to your life andthen praying it back to God in
those quiet spaces.
Because if you really lovesomething, you don't have to
force yourself to do it right.
If you really truly lovesomething, it's going to flow
naturally.
That's how it is with therighteous person and the Word of
(08:25):
God.
He's not just reading the Bibleto check off a box, he is
meditating on it.
The Word says day and night.
And when you do that, you'regoing to begin to see fruit in
your life.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Yeah, you know, because when I think about
delighting in the Word of God,I'm thinking about how I've read
it and now, throughout my day,I'm considering what I read in
the Word that morning, in myquiet time with the Lord.
I'm considering what I read inthe word that morning, right In
my quiet time with the Lord.
I'm considering it allthroughout my day.
I am taking time and I'mmeditating on that.
I am working that in andthroughout my life as I move
(08:56):
forward in my day, and what Ifind is is that it's like that
word will stay on the forefrontof my mind Right, you know what
I mean?
Like it's not going anywhere,it's at the forefront.
So, whatever I face throughoutthe schedule of that day, that
word is sitting right up frontand that's how I need to go
about my day, so I can focus onhow to react in the day.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Yeah, and what's cool about that is you and me hang
out a lot right, just by virtueof our relationship with the
church and things that we do.
But we're friends outside ofall that anyway.
Right, that's right.
I love that you share thosethings with me, because then the
same nugget that God blessedyou with, you share it with me.
You've been stewing on it allday.
But then when you give it to me, I start thinking about it.
And guess what?
I'm thinking about it so muchthat I tell somebody else about
(09:37):
it and all of a sudden, what Godgave you in the morning, one
you gave to me and then I'mgiving it to somebody else and
it's just chain reaction?
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Absolutely, man.
And that's what's so beautifulabout a word that is alive and
well, it's living, it's active,sharper than any two edged sword
, and so you can give a verse tosomeone and it just carries
right into their life likeyou're talking.
I just think it's an absolutebeautiful thing.
But I can also look at it likethis Our faith is contagious.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
You know.
So, as the Lord teaches yousomething, or me something, we
share one another with otherpeople.
It's a contagious thing, youknow, and it grows and it
benefits and it blesses.
Verse three says he is like atree planted by streams of water
.
Speaking about this, therighteous one, right, the
righteous person who is doingwhat God has called them to do.
He is like a tree planted bystreams of water that yields its
(10:26):
fruit in its season and itsleaf does not wither.
Now, that's good news.
His leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, heprospers.
The blessing of God in my lifeand this is what I want our
listeners to understand, theblessing of God in my life is
not simply to benefit me.
That blessing is not just forme to take and hoard in my
(10:47):
pocket, right, it's not just myblessing, it is to point to God
for His glory, and it should,because of that, also be a
benefit to others around me aswell.
Just like you just shared,pastor Jim, when the Lord shares
something with me, and I'mgoing to share that nugget with
you, I'm going to share thatverse with you.
I'm not to just hold on to thatand you're not to just hold on
(11:07):
to it.
As we get it, we are to shareit.
I'm reminded when it comes tothe blessing not just being for
us.
I'm reminded of what it is atree that produces fruit for
others to enjoy, right?
I think about a farm that myfamily goes on every fall to the
mountains and they've got appletrees all over, all over these
(11:28):
particular mountains.
People travel from afar.
I've met people from outsideother states that come to this
particular farm just to pickapples off these trees.
So younger people come pick andthey're picking the branches
that they can reach, just thelower branches.
And then you've got yourmiddle-aged folks, you know that
aren't fully grown yet butthey're not young either and
they're kind of picking thatmiddle of the ground, of the
(11:50):
tree, if you will.
You know those middle branches.
And then you've got the older,taller people and they're
actually getting up, getting tothe higher branches.
But then you've got the top ofthese trees right and they're
just apple trees.
They're not huge yet, you know.
So what you see is you see dads,grandfathers, they're taking
children and grandchildren,putting them on their shoulders
for teamwork to go up and getthe tallest of the fruit right,
(12:11):
and oftentimes that's what'sleft, because these trees have
been picked over so much thatyou know you've got to be tall
to reach the good fruit that'sstill left on these trees, and I
really see that, just like theanalogy with the fruit on these
trees.
This is also how we can applythe blessing of God in our lives
.
It's not just for me, but I'mto have this fruit on branches
(12:34):
that I can give and bear toother people, as God has so
faithfully given it to me.
I want to offer godly fruit toothers to bless them, but also,
while blessing them, pointing toGod, not taking any credit for
myself, but saying it's God thatdid this and I can only give
you this fruit because he'sprovided this fruit to me.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Yeah, and when you're rooted in God's Word like that
and you're delighting and you'remeditating on it.
These are the blessings thatyou just talked about, that we
are able to not only receive forourselves but, yeah, I mean
give to others.
I love that idea of beingplanted by the river of water.
It's this image of the tree,right, that's got a constant
(13:14):
source of water that's nevergoing to dry up, so therefore
the tree's never going to wither.
And that's speaking about theWord of God.
That thing doesn't get old, itdoesn't get outdated, it's
constantly got a flow of lifesourcing through it, and so it's
always fruitful, abundantlyfruitful.
So it's not just us thatreceives, it's all those people
around us.
And that's exactly what arighteous person's life looks
(13:35):
like.
He's constantly being nourishedby the Word of God and because
of that he's going to bear fruitin the season.
And I think sometimes we can getdiscouraged when we're living
righteously and we don't see anyfruit right away.
But again, fruit comes in theseason.
There's not fruit in the winter, right, we have to wait for
spring, and then some trees doblossom in the fall, and things
of that nature.
(13:55):
But what we can't do is getinto this space where we're
discouraged because we don't seeit right away.
We need to be faithful, tocontinue to be planted by the
river so that we can be in God'sword and receive this blessing,
which is the fruit?
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Yeah, and I think it.
I think it's worth bringingthis point up.
We've touched on it just apiece but really haven't said it
in this way.
Where you plant yourself doesmatter, right, Like you put
yourself in good soil, you getyour roots down in some good
soil and it makes all thedifference in the world.
You know, I think aboutsidewalks and how sidewalks have
those expansion joints, thosecracks that are pre-cut in them.
(14:30):
Yeah, and over time a littlebit of soil gets in there, and
then you're mowing your lawn,cutting your grass, and all of a
sudden a seed from a weed orgrass throws over in there.
Some rain hits it, Somesunshine hits it and before you
know it you've got a weed comingout through that hard surface.
But that weed is only going todo but so much because it
doesn't have a good base for theroots to go down and hit.
(14:50):
So where we do plant ourselvesabsolutely matters.
If we get ourselves into achurch that's not opening up the
Bible—you know, I had somebodyjust this past week, Pastor Jim,
tell me that they know someonewho attends a church where the
pastor doesn't even bring theBible up on the pulpit.
You know, and to me that'sterrible.
What other reason are we therefor?
(15:11):
I'm not there for amotivational speech, and myself,
as a pastor, I'm not there togive anyone a motivational
speech either.
I want to give someone thewords of life that can change
their life forever, Amen.
And so I think it's importantthat we consider where we plan
ourselves matter.
I've had people tell me we wantto come to your church so bad,
(15:31):
but we don't, because we'restill going to church where
grandma goes to church, you know, but we really don't like going
to that church because it'sonly like 20 people left.
There's no children there, butwe're just going there so we
don't crush grandma's heart.
You know Well, to me I say thisin love, but I think that the
(15:53):
best thing that grandma shouldwant is her grandchildren and
great-grandchildren going to aplace where they can drop down
roots and they can really thrive, you know.
So what are we doing here?
Who and what are we living thislife for while we're here on
this earth?
It needs to be about King Jesus.
Pastor Jim, you know we've gotto know that where we drop these
roots really does matter,because that's going to be
dependent upon what type offruit we get out of our lives.
It's dependent upon where we'redropping the roots, that's
(16:15):
right, that is so, so good.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Like, where are you planting your roots?
Are you by that river offlowing water?
So, flipping to the other sideof this for a moment, though,
you know talking about theungodly.
In verse 4, it says the ungodlyare not like this.
Okay, so this chaff is thelight, worthless part of the
grain that gets blown away whenit's winnowed and it doesn't
(16:38):
have any substance.
So it's this sharp contrast ofthe tree that we just talked
about, the one that providesmuch fruit.
The ungodly might look like theyhave it all together, but at
the end, their life is actuallyempty, it's fleeting, and
they're like chaff, beingcarried away with everywhere the
wind blows and there's nostability, there's no depth, and
they might look successful, buton the outside, there's nothing
(17:00):
lasting in their lives, becauseit's a lot like what you just
said about those people who areplanted in those dying churches.
Right, and this isn't some ideato try to get people away from
wherever they're at.
What I'm saying is, if you arein a place right now where
you're grounded not by a riverof flowing life, which is the
(17:22):
Word of God grounded in Him,then at the end of the day,
there's not going to be anystability or any depth for your
roots to go down deep and grabhold of, and you're just going
to be.
You're going to wither andyou're going to be blown away.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely Can I just, you know,
let our listeners know.
I just want to remind you,folks, that we all used to be
part of that wicked team as well, right, like, none of us were
born saved already.
Right, we came out of the womba sinner, we were born into sin.
So I think it's important thatwhen we talk about, kind, of the
(17:54):
two sides that this psalmpresents to us, the two
different teams, if you will, wedon't get so close-minded that
we don't open our arms to theother team and say, hey, we're
not going to accept thefoolishness, but we love every
one of you and we want to bringyou over to this team.
We want to bring you over.
You know, I'm reminded offootball teams or basketball or
(18:15):
baseball teams.
Everybody gets their team andthey're just ride or die for
that team, and I think, asChristians, that's not what we
want to do.
When it comes to Christianityand our faith, we've got to
remember that, yes, there isthis other team that, by the way
, we used to be part of, but nowit's our job to bring them over
to this side, like someonebrought us over to this side,
(18:36):
right?
So I do want to throw that outthere that.
You know these folks are livingin sin, just like we used to
live in sin.
You know we used to be part ofthat wicked thing that was
taking place.
We were not born by that treedown by the water.
You know that we're talkingabout here in this word picture,
but we want to bring everybodythere so that they too can plant
(18:56):
their roots into that stream ofwater and they can get good
fruit as well.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
My desire, ultimately , is I want to be on a winning
team and I want everybody to winwith me.
So come get on the winning team.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Yeah, that's right, that's right.
Verses four, five and six saysthis the wicked are not so.
So we've talked about therighteous and now we're shifting
thought transition here.
The wicked are not so, but arelike chaff that the wind drives
(19:29):
away.
Therefore, the wicked will youknow we often see with the
ungodly.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
They may look like they're prospering right now and
I've actually had people say,man like well, it seems like
it's a whole lot easier not tobe a Christian.
They ain't worried about allthese things and they're being
successful.
But the truth is the end forthem is destruction.
Yeah, you know, it says thatthe ungodly are not going to
stand in judgment and the truthis it goes right back to that
foundation.
They got nothing to stand on.
(19:57):
You know they're going to befound wanting.
They may have now, but whenjudgment comes they're going to
be found wanting.
They'll have nothing solid tostand on.
They'll have no foundation tohold them up.
They won't have Christ standingin the gap for them.
They're not going to be a partof the righteous.
So their success is temporaryand their joy is ultimately
(20:19):
fleeting.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Yeah, and I think it's our job as Christians, who
have been saved from drowning inthe river, if you will, of the
world, that river of sin.
I think it's our job asChristians that we throw those
people that are still on thatside drowning a flotation device
and literally jump in and savethem.
I'm reminded of Jude, chapter 1.
(20:40):
Well, there's just one chapterin Jude.
It's a short book, but Jude,verses 22 and 23, says "and have
mercy on those who doubt.
Save others by snatching themout of the fire.
To others, show mercy with fear, hating even the garment
stained by the flesh".
(21:01):
So let's not forget, saints,that we too started out to be a
sinner.
But when I throw that life raftout there and when I go over
and I jump in and I'm going overto help them, I cannot get
caught up in participating withthe foolishness that they're
doing.
It's my job not to go overthere and hang out.
It's my job to go over there,preach the truth, try to lead
(21:22):
them to the saving knowledge ofJesus Christ and to shine the
light, to be the salt and lightand let them know, in love, that
God has so much better for them.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Yeah, we're pointing them towards Jesus, and that's
exactly what verse six is goingto tell us.
Man, for the Lord, knows theway of the righteous Right.
So what we need to do is thatthe righteous, in order for them
to rest in the same peace thatwe have, they got to know God's
way.
Yeah, right.
So they got to know that he'swatching over them, that he's
going to guide them, that he'sgoing to protect them.
(21:51):
But we need to know himintimately in order to do that,
because once we do, he's goingto preserve us.
So, the way of the ungodly itleads to destruction and they
may be on the broad path now,but at the end of the day, we
want to get them onto thatnarrow path.
So, in closing, which way areyou on?
You know it's something toreally truly consider.
(22:16):
Are you walking on therighteous path?
Are you delighting in God'sWord?
Are you rooted and bearingfruit, or are you on the path of
the ungodly, which really hasno foundation?
The choice is yours and it'snot too late to choose wisely.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Yeah, I'm reminded of a scripture that I shared in
church this morning where,matthew 28, 16, jesus is
speaking and he gives them thecall of the Great Commission.
And actually we'll just getgoing in the 17th verse, matthew
28, 17.
And when they saw him, theyworshiped him, but some doubted.
(22:48):
And Jesus came and said to themall authority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and makedisciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name ofthe Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, teaching themto observe all that I have
commanded you.
And behold, I am with youalways, to the end of age.
(23:09):
And what a blessing it is thatwe have the opportunity to go
out and to lead people, to makedisciples of all nations, to
share with them.
As, pastor Jim, as you justsaid, we're to share with them.
You know what this is all about, as someone so faithfully and
graciously shared Christ with usas well.
So that's our homework thisweek, friends.
(23:30):
That's our homework is to getout there and be Jesus for
someone else that does not yetknow who Jesus is, or maybe they
don't know how bad they're inneed of Jesus as Lord and Savior
, father.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
We hope that this message challenges the people
listening, lord, god, as it'schallenged us here sitting and
studying through your word,father.
Apart from you, god, weunderstand that we are nothing.
We understand that if we arenot on a righteous path, lord,
we need to make that choicetoday.
And, father, we want to delightin your word, we want to
meditate on your word, we wantto live in accordance to your
(24:05):
way.
Father, would you lead us in alife that is fruitful?
Would you lead us in a lifethat is secure in you?
Amen.
Well, we want to thank you forlistening.
As always, it has been anamazing time.
I love doing this.
What about you?
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Absolutely, brother, to balance with you.
As we're sitting here prayingand wrapping up, I'm actually
thinking about ideas for thenext one, you know.
So it's just soon as one's overman, just ready to do it again.
Yep.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
So thank y'all for listening and we're going to see
you next time on Beyond Sunday.
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