From the editor

Your listeners will have to make a number of choices in the new year, but no choice is more important than the choice between living within God's will or stubbornly pursuing one's own path. In this week's featured sermon, Dennis R. Magary urges listeners to weigh their choice carefully as the new year begins to unfold. Choosing the more godly path will make all the difference in life. As you read Magary's sermon, keep note of your own ideas for writing your own sermon that helps your congregation get off on the right foot in early 2009.

Introduction

Psalms 1 and 2 seem so familiar: the righteous will prosper; the wicked will perish; God knows the way of the righteous. Tell us something we don't know! Unfortunately, our familiarity with Scripture can prevent us from hearing it. The Psalms never waste our time with illusions. The psalmists know that life is complicated, and the world is a dangerous place. They know that being uncertain or uncommitted can cost you your life.

At the beginning of the Book of Psalms, Psalms 1 and 2 prepare us to enter the world of the psalmist—a world of intrigue, suffering, and injustice. It's a world where people often live at their worst. It's a world where things don't work the way they're supposed to. It's a world not unlike our own. Psalms 1 and 2 offer the facts: There are two kinds of people, and we choose to be one or the other. There are two ways to walk, and we will choose one or the other. There are two ends we can meet, and we choose one or the other. The overall ethos of the Book of Psalms is "choose wisely."

[In late 2006, in an effort to help people prepare themselves for 2007,] U. S. News & World Report offered "50 ways to improve your life in the new year." The editors suggested everything from renovating your local park to unplugging the television or learning to print better photos. They went on to suggest starting your own blog, upgrading your vacuum cleaner, or installing crown molding. The number one way to improve your life was to get happy. 

These suggestions were interesting, but not exactly inspiring. I would like to offer two ways you can improve your life, and it has nothing to do with blogging, vacuum cleaners, or crown molding. You can improve your life by answering the two questions raised in Psalms 1 and 2 and explored throughout the Book of Psalms. They are the two most important questions you can ask and answer as you stand at the threshold of a new year.

Choosing God's instruction or self-instruction

The very first word of Psalm 1 is blessed. Blessed is an important word throughout the Book of Psalms. In fact, this word is used 25 times in the 150 psalms. When you look at Psalms 1 and 2 together, you'll see that the word blessed frames these two psalms. It's in the very first line of Psalm 1, and it's also in the very last line of Psalm 2. Together, Psalms 1 and 2 define the blessed life. According to Psalm 1, those who constantly delight in the Word of God—those who are relentlessly attentive and receptive to what God has to say—will live blessed lives. According to Psalm 2, those who allow their lives to be ruled by God—those who take refuge in God and live in complete dependence upon him—will live lives that are blessed. The 148 psalms that follow Psalms 1 and 2 must be read with these two affirmations in mind. This view of the blessed life was shared by all the psalmists—not just David, but Solomon, Moses, the sons of Korah, Asaph, and all the others whose work found its way into this book. The words of Psalms 1 and 2 are anything but routine!

As soon as we read the first psalm, we are confronted with a profound contrast between the blessed one who is open and receptive to God's instruction and the wicked one who arrogantly refuses it. The psalmist gets our attention by defining blessed in negative terms. That's unexpected! We might even say that defining blessedness negatively seems unacceptable. But his approach sharpens the contrast between the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. The two occurrences of the word way in verse 6, along with the use of way in verse 1, make it clear that Psalm 1 is showing us two ways we can go in life. The result of which way we choose is also described in the first and last words of Psalm 1. The very first word in Psalm 1 is blessed, and the very last word of Psalm 1 is perish. Between these words of life and death are two vivid pictures. There is a picture of the one who is receptive to God's instruction. The psalmist says that person is like a tree planted beside a source of water; they will never be without the resource that sustains life—God's life-giving Word. Though fruitfulness is going to be a result, we see that the imagery emphasizes roots. The tree is stable because the roots are where they should be, right beside the source of life-giving water.

It's not that way with the wicked, though! The contrast in pictures could not be more vivid. While the righteous are like a well-placed tree whose stability allows it to live and flourish and bear fruit, the wicked are like chaff that the wind blows away. There is nothing substantial about the wicked. They have no stability, no roots, no place to stand. In the span of 11 verses, the psalmist characterizes the wicked by a variety of postures or positions—walking, standing, and sitting. They are always on the move because they're not rooted. Their non-substantial nature is further developed by the brevity of their description in the psalm. The righteous are described in three lines that consist of 17 words. The description of the wicked occupies one line that consists of just six words. In other word, there's nothing to them!

The concluding verse of Psalm 1 reintroduces the contrast between the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. What is interesting is the pattern: "Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." That sequence—wicked/righteous and then righteous/wicked—puts the wicked on the outside, where they will not stand, but perish. The righteous, on the other hand, are at the very center of God's attention. By being attentive and receptive to God's instruction, they are always sustained in life. The wicked are not receptive to what God has to say, because they believe that what he has to say is simply his opinion. The wicked are arrogant and unwilling to accept instruction, and as a result, they cut themselves off from the very source of life.

What is most sobering is how the Book of Psalms defines wickedness from the very start. Wickedness is not defined in terms of heinous acts of violence or socially deviant behavior. Wickedness is defined as being self-centered, rather than God-centered, or self-instructed, rather than God-instructed. According to Psalm 1, there are two kinds of people, and we choose to be one or the other. There are two paths we can take that lead to two different ends. 

Psalm 1 is particularly appropriate for the beginning of the new year. Some of us will be comforted by it, because there is great comfort in knowing that God's instruction can sustain our lives under any circumstance. Such stability is how some of us will even make it through this day. On the other hand, some of us will feel threatened by this psalm. We want to be in charge and are determined to be self-taught. It's our choice!

Psalm 1 poses a question that is probably more challenging and agonizing than any question we will have to answer this year: Will we be receptive to God's instruction? Psalm 1 makes it clear that our lives must be lived in such a way that we are attentive and receptive to all that God instructs us through his Word. Simply being in church does not mean we're open and receptive to what God desires to teach us. Rather, the blessed life comes from a willingness to hear and accept what God has to say. In Psalm 1, the psalmist says, "Let God teach you this year."

Choosing God's rule over our self-interest

Psalm 2 speaks of a second decision we have to make. Psalm 1 ends by saying, "The Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." Psalm 2 begins with a question: "Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?" At the very beginning of the Book of Psalms, the psalmist establishes that the nations, peoples, and rulers of this world are aligning themselves against God. In fact, they're aligning themselves against his Anointed One, Jesus. By both word and action they make it clear: the kings and rulers of the earth have no intention of recognizing their proper place in God's realm. They have no intention of recognizing God's rule and sovereignty. After reading Psalm 1, we know that doesn't bode well for them!

In Psalm 2:4–6, we see God seated in the heavens, and it is clear that he is not amused by the actions of the world. The first thing we hear from God in the Book of Psalms is laughter. It is not a grandfatherly chuckle; it is the laughter of mockery. Psalm 2:4 says, "The Lord scoffs at them;" he "holds them in derision." To those who have dismissed his sovereignty, the Lord says, "I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill." It's his king in his world that will rule. God's speech continues in verses 7–9, describing the relationship God has established with his Anointed One. The psalmist then concludes in verses 10–12 with a warning to the mouthy, mutinous leaders who speak so defiantly, and an invitation to serve the Lord with fear. The only other invitation in the Book of Psalms to serve the Lord occurs in Psalm 100:2, a psalm that concludes a sequence of six psalms that proclaim the rule and sovereignty of God.

You can't ignore this invitation in your own life. A refusal to submit to the rule of God can only result in destruction. At the very end of Psalm 2, we find ourselves back at the beginning: "Blessed are all who take refuge in him." To define blessedness in terms of refuge and a fundamental dependence upon God makes sense only in light of the affirmation that we have at the beginning of Psalm 2 and throughout the Book of Psalms: even though God's rule is constantly opposed, God still reigns.

The second question confronting us is this: Will we acknowledge God's rule this new year and live in complete dependence upon him, or will we choose to be self-interested and self-rooted and live in fundamental dependence upon ourselves? Who's in charge? It would be easy to see this year in terms of what you want to see happen. It would be easy to see the days that lie ahead in terms of what you hope you can accomplish—your dreams, the aspirations that drive you, the hopes that sustain you, and the things that are important to you. But who's in charge? Psalms 1 and 2 are harmonious in their message. Psalm 1 makes it clear that our lives must be lived in such a way that we are attentive and receptive to all God instructs us through his Word. Psalm 2 makes it clear that our lives must be committed to God's rule as our Creator, Redeemer, and King. The blessed life comes not by getting all the things that we want, but by being willing to hear and accept what God has to say. The blessed life comes not by accomplishing all the goals we have set for ourselves, but by taking refuge in God, seeking him, submitting to him, and serving him. Psalm 1 is clear: let God teach you. Psalm 2 is clear: let God rule. We should enter the new year committed to doing both.

To see an outline of Magary's sermon, click here.

Author Bio

For your reflection:

Personal growth: How has this sermon fed your own soul?

Skill growth: What did this sermon teach you about how to preach?

Exegesis and exposition: Highlight the paragraphs in this sermon that helped you better understand Scripture. How does the sermon model ways you could provide helpful biblical exposition for your hearers?

Theological Ideas: What biblical principles in this sermon would you like to develop in a sermon? How would you adapt these ideas to reflect your own understanding of Scripture, the Christian life, and the unique message that God is putting on your heart?

Outline: How would you improve on this outline by changing the wording, or by adding or subtracting points?

Application: What is the main application of this sermon? What is the main application of the message you sense God wants you to bring to your hearers?

Illustrations: Which illustrations in this sermon would relate well with your hearers? Which cannot be used with your hearers, but they suggest illustrations that could work with your hearers?

Credit: Do you plan to use the content of this sermon to a degree that obligates you to give credit? If so, when and how will you do it? (For help on what may require credit, see "Plagiarism, Schmagiarism" and "Stolen Goods: Tempted to Plagiarize".

Dennis R. Magary is chair and associate professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, and a lecturer with the U.S. Center for World Missions.