Living a Godly Life

December 28, 2024/
The Voice of Hope
The Voice of Hope
Living a Godly Life
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Psalm 1

The beginning of a new year is often a time for looking ahead. What are you anticipating in 2025? The future can be exciting; it can also be scary. There’s so much you and I can’t know in the future, and sometimes the unknown is frightening.

You and I have fears of bad things happening to us. Maybe there are fears of nuclear war. Or perhaps a fear of having an accident that will leave us unable to care for ourselves. Possibly, your age is advancing, and you fear memory loss or a decrease in physical strength. Or maybe the dreaded word, cancer, is a real fear for you. 

But let me remind you, those kinds of fears don’t come from God. No, those fears come from the devil. He wants to use those fears to discourage, distract, and defeat you. He wants to do the same to me. So, he sends all kinds of fears, real or imaginary. He wants to remove our focus from God and put it on ourselves.

In contrast to the doubt and fear the devil brings us, God gives us peace. Now, that doesn’t mean bad things won’t happen to us. But it does mean that God is with us whatever we face. Romans 8:28 tells us; “And we know that all things work together for good, to them that love God and are the called according to His purpose.” Some people think that is a tired cliché, but I assure you, it is a promise we can count on!

Today, I have some words of HOPE for you from the Holy Scriptures. If you are a follower of Christ, these words should comfort you. If you are not a follower of Christ, this message should strike fear into your heart. And I pray that fear will motivate you to become a follower of Christ. Nothing would bring me more joy than to have you become a child of God. And God spells out for you in His Word how you can learn to know Him in a personal way.

Today, we go to the book of Psalms for encouragement. I’ve titled my teaching “Living a Godly Life.” Listen carefully as I read the First Psalm.

Looking at this Psalm, I want you to see three DIFFERENCES between the godly and the wicked that will help you know the joy of “Living a Godly Life.”

The first Difference is

Express a Different Delight

Notice the contrast in verses one and two. The ungodly person accepts the advice of the wicked. When he has a decision, he seeks the advice of those who will tell him what he wants to hear. He approves the behavior of those who regularly disobey God. He holds them in high regard as his friends. And he delights in those who mock God and His laws.

But if you’re a godly person, you’re different. You shun the advice of the ungodly; their wickedness is a grief to you. And you have only pity for the scornful because you know their end. Your delight is in God’s law; that’s God’s Word. When the Psalmist wrote these words, all he had were the books of Moses. That delight puts you on a completely different path than the wicked. In God’s Word, you find direction for life’s choices for all of us.

Let’s think about some of these differences. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 57:20, “The wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.” They have no peace because they’re constantly seeking some new form of wickedness to delight in. Sin never satisfies the human heart’s longing for satisfaction, fulfillment, peace, joy, and acceptance. That’s why the actions of the wicked become increasingly unnatural and depraved.

Wicked people delight in each other’s company. They urge each other on, each one trying to outdo the other. And when there are no immediate consequences from civil authorities or God, they scoff at the thought of judgment. Ecclesiastes 11:8 says, “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”  We can see the results of this in our society.

We expect wicked people to show contempt for God’s law. But what grieves me is that we find contempt for God’s law even among those who profess to follow Christ. So many leaders in organized religion are stumbling over one another in their haste to accept all forms of behavior as acceptable to God. Adultery, divorce and remarriage, sodomy, covetousness, gluttony, and a host of other sins increase in the church. Anyone who calls these leaders back to God’s standard of righteousness is accused of taking the Scriptures too literally or being harsh, unloving, or out of touch with the times.

But as I said earlier, the godly person is different. He delights in God’s law. He knows that following the desires of his flesh is not freedom but slavery. I can tell you that from personal experience! A godly person discovers the commands God has given for living are for the blessing of mankind, not for his destruction. He knows that the physical life is only a moment compared to eternity. He understands that the choices he makes now have eternal consequences. He ponders the truth of God’s Word and asks the Holy Spirit to reveal areas where he needs cleansing and growth. His delight is in becoming more like his heavenly Father.

Which of these persons represents you? Have you identified yourself with the ungodly? Do you mock God and those who choose to follow in His way? Or maybe you appear on the outside to be a follower of Christ, yet secretly delight in the ways of the wicked? I hope and pray that it doesn’t describe you. Because if it does, you’re only fooling yourself. God can see right into the core of your heart and mind. He knows your thoughts. You can’t hide anything from Him. If what I just said describes you, I hope you’ll keep listening to the end of the message. There, you will learn the fate that awaits you unless you repent.

Or do you delight in God’s law and use it as a guide for daily living? I hope that’s your choice. Do you make it your goal to please Jesus in everything you do? Do you cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He performs His work of transforming your desires? None of us is perfect, but are you developing a spirit of wanting to do what’s right? If that’s your experience, there are great things ahead for you. You are learning to express a different delight. That delight will result in you living a godly life.

The Second Difference is,

Expect a Different Development

The following contrast between the godly and the wicked is found in verses three and four. The godly person, who delights in God’s law and lives by its commands, is described as a tree planted by the river. The waters of the river nourish them. Their roots sink deep into the fertile soil, gathering the nutrients that bring stability, growth, and fruitfulness. The winds of life do not easily sway them because they’re anchored in the truth.

Jeremiah describes the godly this way. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease yielding fruit,” Jeremiah 17:7-8.

Their fruitfulness is perpetual; it doesn’t end. Their leaves do not wither because continual life flows through their inner being. Their delight in the Lord sustains them when all around is drying up from lack of water. Whatever they do moves them toward the goal; their reason for living is to be more like the Heavenly Father. Does this describe you?

If you’re godly, you have a favored position because of your delight in the Lord. I’m reminded of the words of Jesus in John 14:23. “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him.” There’s no greater joy than having the presence of God Almighty living within you.

The True and Living God, the God of the Bible, is holy. Because He is holy, He cannot stand sin. Sin is an offense to Him, and it must be punished. His anger, His wrath against sin was satisfied at Calvary when Jesus died on the cross. He is a God who loves you so much that he sent His son Jesus to die in your place. Jesus took the punishment that you deserve!

Now, when you accept, by faith, the sacrifice Jesus made for you, you can be accepted into God’s family. You can belong to him in a personal way. He forgives your sin, you become His child, and He becomes your Lord and Master. Your life will be fruitful and worthwhile; it will have meaning and purpose. It will count for something. That’s the development of the righteous.

That doesn’t mean your life will be easy; no, indeed! From beginning to end, the Scriptures remind us that the godly will suffer persecution at the hands of the ungodly. Historically, the apostate church has persecuted the true church. Think of the 1500s and the Reformation when many reformers were drowned, burned at the stake, or executed in some other brutal form.

But what about the wicked? Our text says they’re like chaff. Chaff! It’s the outer husks that cover the kernel of grain. What’s it suitable for? Nothing! It’s waste. Worthless! Blown away by the wind when the grain is winnowed. Dusty, irritating, something to be discarded. That’s the description of the wicked. That’s what they have to look forward to. That’s the development from delighting in wickedness.

Not only that, but the Bible tells us that the chaff will be burnt with fire. “Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.” That’s Isaiah 5:24.

All the pleasure, all the fun, all the excitement, all the thrill of the forbidden, all gone in a moment. No lasting fruit. And then what? We move to our final difference now.

The Final Difference is;

Accept a Different Destiny

Look at verses five and six. Oh, the tragedy of foolish choices, of identifying with the wicked for a moment of pleasure. The tragedy of thinking there is safety in numbers. It all comes to nothing at the judgment. And make no mistake, judgment will come. Hebrews 9:27-28 tell us, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment: so, Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” 

That’s the contrast. The Psalm writer says the ungodly shall perish. Not maybe, not perhaps; THEY SHALL PERISH! They will stand condemned by their own choices. Even some of those who thought they were following Jesus will “go away into everlasting punishment.” And John the Baptist spoke these words at the baptism of Jesus. “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire,” Matthew 3:11-12.

But the righteous, what about them? Verse six says the Lord knows the way of the righteous.  Second Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” I pray you’re one of those whose heart is loyal to the Lord.

 Because the righteous refused to delight in the way of the wicked, God now delights in them. He knows them as His very own. Because the blasphemy of ungodly men grieved them, they now rejoice in the commendation of their Father; “well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord.”

God accepts the righteous because they have chosen in faith to obey His Word. They were willing to come to the cross of Christ and voluntarily confess their sin and their need for a Savior. They surrendered the control of their lives to Him. He became their Master and Lord. Because they delighted in Him through the trials and struggles of life, He will delight in them and give them a home with Him in heaven. And they will live and reign with Him forever and ever. Oh, what a glorious destiny awaits those who delight in the Lord.

What a stark contrast, my friend. Eternal punishment or eternal glory. And today, you can still choose. If you’re living an ungodly life, you can change by the power of God. If you’re already a follower of Christ, you can be challenged to draw closer to Him. To delight in Him more fully. That’s what I want.

You can choose what you will delight in – the wicked or the way of the Lord. But once you make that choice, your life will take on a predetermined development and destiny. If you choose the way of the ungodly, sorrow and heartache will be the fruit that develops in your life. Unless you repent, destruction will be your end.

Or you can delight in God and His Word. You can experience the development of lasting fruit, righteousness, peace, and joy. And you will reach the destiny of the righteous. A glorious eternity will be your reward. 

Now you know how to live a godly life. The choice is yours. It’s not a choice to be made lightly. Eternity hangs in the balance. I pray you will choose wisely.

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