Which Way are You Going, The Way of the Godly or the Wicked? – Pt 2 – Psalm 1:1-6

Which Way are you Going, Pt.2

Introduction:

• Which way are you going?   Begin again w/ the same question?
• Is your life being lived with a nagging sense that somehow there should be… there must be so much more to it.
• Is there a sense that you have the capacity for a life so much higher, sweeter, joy-filled, enthralling to your soul – Yet you’re trapped, & feel chained to a mediocre, shallow existence
• You feel Like a Ferrari that’s only being used to drive to the shops-back.
• All the thrills this world offers quickly fade to emptiness
• No matter how great the excitement of the New Big Thing….
• It all quickly turns to dust, fades away, rusts out, is destroyed by time and the next New Big Thing
• Let me tell you: You Indeed you were Designed and Created for infinitely more than a mediocre, humdrum existence
• I’m not talking about Adrenalin Junkie fixes – skydiving, etc.
• I’m talking about each Living all of our Lives w/ absolute Ht. of Joy & Happiness, Fulfilment and Purpose, with the expectation that Death is merely the doorway to an infinitely greater existence… But so many do not have it, maybe you don’t have it.

The Problem is, You’re going the wrong way…

• You’re on the wrong track,
• You’re going in the Foolish, Ungodly & Wicked Way of World
• When U should be going in the Wise & Godly Way of God
• This morning I want to show you and explain what the Bible Says about the Wrong way you’re Going and where it ends up
• But also How to be changed to going the Right way, God’s Way.

Now, Last week from Psalm 1, we considered the Way of the Godly

• 1st: The Godly Way Begins w/ Salvation Wrath by God’s Gra
• 2nd: The Godly Way is Sealed with God’s Blessing,
• 3rd: The Godly Way is Separated from Wicked and their ways
• 4th: The Godly Way Is Soaked in the Word of God,
  • Both Delights in it and Meditating on it.
• 5th: The Godly Way is Signalled – displayed by Fruitfulness,
• Lastly, we considered: Christ: Ultimate Example of The Godly

Psalm 1 also discusses those who’re Wicked:

• So, this morning we want to consider:
  • 1) The State of the Ungodly
  • 2) The Way of the Ungodly
  • 3) The End of the Ungodly

Which of these two Descriptions Describes you: Godly or Wicked?

• Are you the foolish, ungodly person described by the psalmist?
• Or, are you living and growing in Wisdom & Godliness
• We cannot be Both, Nor can we be Neutral: either 1 or Other
• We are either living on the way of godliness, growing in it, or…
• We are walking-living in the way of the Foolish and Ungodly
• My Friend, Which way are you Going?
• Well, having considered the Way of the Godly & Wise, last week, let’s consider the way of the Foolish and Ungodly, today

First) Notice The State of the Ungodly, from vs.1

• Most of this we will see from outside Psalm 1, returning to it…
• Notice in vs. 4, “the Ungodly are not so” – nothing he has said about the Godly applies to the Ungodly – exact opposite, so…
• 1 Just as Godly R Blessed, so Ungodly: under: Cursed Why?
• Well, what does: Bible mean by the term: “Ungodly”
• resa’im, mean: godless, wicked, guilty, evil, morally wrong
• Many today would argue: Mankind is basically Good, not evil…
• But God says: In 6:5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
• Jesus, Himself, described unrepentant humanity as Evil,
• 7:11 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, How much more… etc.
• Jesus also spoke of the Pharisees in12:34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil?
• All of us are Evil, producing Evil words, Evil thoughts,
• We’re born in Sin and Iniquity; we live in sin; We love to sin
• for that reason: Ungodly person is evil and under God’s Curse
• The State of Ungodliness comes from Evil Heart-Life Ag. God
• To be more specific…

1) To be Ungodly is to live, Sinning Against God’s Authority, (rebellion)

• 1Sam15:23a, For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry….
• An evil, ungodly, wicked, foolish heart refuses to submit to authority, we will not have anyone to rule over us.
• OT, Cain refused to submit to God’s authority, lost his place
• OT, K. Saul refused to submit to God’s authority, lost K-dom
• That Characteristic of “rebellious” described all of us.

2) To be Ungodly is to live, Unequal to God’s Holy Standard, (Iniquity)

• God’s Std. is Holy, Sinless, Morally Pure; but we’ve all failed
• 3:23 “for all have sinned & fall short of GOD’S glory”
• God designed & created us morally upright, holy, but we, in our ancestor Adam, went our own way, choosing instead to sin.
• We inherited fr. Adam & Eve a sin nature, that sins
• Because we sin in thought, word, action, we continually fail to achieve the standard God requires for us to have F-ship w/ Him
• Every person born has failed to glorify God, in everything

3) To be Ungodly is to live Disobeying God’s Commands (Transgressing)

• God says we must do, but instead we refuse, we have bettr plan
• God says: we must not; but, we immed. look for chance to do it
• God said thou shalt not eat of the fruit of the tree – they did
• God said don’t touch/steal the forbidden items, But Achan did…
• All of us are guilty of disobeying God, breaking His Command
• We have all crossed the line, that God’s Word established

4) To Be Ungodly is to be Alienated from God,

• Adam & Eve were driven out of the Garden – alienated
• People of Israel were separated fr. God, behind veils-curtains
• Paul in4:17–18, describes unbelievers as walking in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, being Alienated from the life of God,
• Just as: Godly live separ. fr Ungodly, Sinners & Mockers (vs.1)
• So the Ungodly are separated, alienated fr God, cut off, dead.

5) To be Ungodly person is to be Blinded to: glory of God & Christ

• Someone summarised Samson’s life as: “Sin Wines, Sin Dines, Sin Blinds, Sin Binds and Sin Grinds…
• Being evil, living in sin & disobedience has blinded our minds, hearts, and souls from seeing the Beauty of the Glory of God
• 2 Cor.4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

6) To be Ungodly is to be Enslaved to Sin

• To be Ungodly is to be born in sin, live in sin, die in sin,
• …and although we love to sin, we are unaware that we are also enslaved to it, even if we wanted to stop sinning,
• it is so engrained into our nature that we could no sooner stop sinning than stop breathing – Unless someone intervened.
• John 8:34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

So, To be an Ungodly person is to live continually against God

• to be completely indifferent to God’s Word & His Ways

My friend listening to me:

• That description describes all of us in the past, and unless something has dramatically changed, it also describes you: Now!
• We have all failed to perfectly obey our conscience-Law
• We all lived in continual rebellion ag. God’s Auth.
• We all lived in continual disobedience to God’s Law
• We all lived alienated from God and blinded to His Glory
• We’ve all gone our own way, done our own thing, departed from the God who created us
• The terribly bad news is that all who live in that way stand under God’s Curse of Condemnation!
• 15:9 The way of the ungodly-wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who pursues righteousness.
• But… there is yet hope – God is Gracious, as many of us have discovered, and you can discover as well…. Keep Listening…

To My Christian brothers and sisters watching – why this message?

• It is good, necessary for us to stop, remember, consider just what we have delivered and redeemed from: Rejoice, Praise God, Give thanks (6:17–18) …that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. ¹⁸ And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
• Give thanks to God, (8:1) There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
• Give thanks that now, being in Christ, everything has changed
• Give Thanks: you’re no longer rebels, but R sons & daughters
• Give Thanks: you’re no longer under Curse, but are Blessed
• Give Thanks: you’re no longer Disobedient, but R Obeying
• Give thanks: you’re no longer Alienated, but are now Reconciled
• Give thanks: you’re no longer Blind, but now U can see His Glory
• Give Thanks: you’re no longer slaves of Sin, But of Righteousn’s

Second) I want us to notice The Way of the Ungodly

• Notice: Just as the Godly refuse the counsel of Ungodly and cling to God’s Counsel (Law of Lord), so in complete contrast:

1) The Way of the Ungodly is to Live By their own Counsel

• Notice, right below in 2:1–3, we see wicked rulers in opposition to God, taking counsel together, but not from God.
• They’re wise in their own eyes, and Solomon warns us ag. that
• 3:7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear God, turn fr. evil.
• It is pride & foolishness to have all that we need for life and practise given to us, by God, our Creator, In His Word,
• but to defiantly refuse it & operate on basis of our own think.
• The Ungodly Live according to their own counsel

2) The Way of the Ungodly is to be Careless of God’s Word

• The Ungodly & Foolish are Not So, they’re Unlike: Godly & Wise who delight in God’s Word and Meditate on it: day-night,
• From vs.2 Ungodly & Foolish have No delight in God’s Law…
• Psalm 119:53, the Godly are seized with Indignation… “Because of the wicked, who forsake Your law. – God’s Law
• 1:24–25, Wisdom is speaking and it says: “…I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, ²⁵… you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke,
• In 1:28-31, Wisdom describes the sad end of: ungodly fool: “…They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. ²⁹ Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord, ³⁰ They would have none of my counsel And despised my every rebuke. ³¹ Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
• In other words, God will give them over to the things they delighted in and wanted – 1:18-32, lengthy sad descript.
• In Isaiah 30:9–11, Isaiah describes God’s unbelieving, rebellious people as Lying children… who will not hear the law of the Lord; ¹⁰ Who say to the seers, “Do not see,” And to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.
• The Ungodly refuse to hear and heed God’s Word

3) The Way of the Ungodly Way Results in Worthless Fruit

• From vs.3, just as the Godly & Wise are planted, saved by God
• So also, the Wicked are Not planted by streams of living water
• Their Fruit is worthless and destructive, fit only for burning
• Their Fruit is dried out, useless chaff, fit only for burning
• Psalm 119:119^,, “All the wicked of the earth you (God) discard like dross, therefore I love your testimonies.”
• 4:1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.
• Jude in vs 12, describes the ungodly as: “…waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted”
• God designed and created mankind to Glorify Him, to point everyone, and everything around us, to God… and, at the same time, through-out life, to know and experience the greatest highest possibility of Joy & Satisfaction, in our lives.
• The Godly bear fruit, bear evidence of God’s work in their lives
• That fruit both glorifies God who produced it and influences and enhances the lives of all those around the Godly
• Galatians 5:22–23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
• But the fruit of the Ungodly, Foolish life, characterised as Chaff, Stubble & Dross, are those things that only cause harm,
• 5:19–21 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
• Without taking time to expound those things, …all of them offend God, harm others and destroy our own lives
• They all prevent us from entering into God’s Kingdom
• The Fruit of the Ungodly is Chaff, stubble, dross, worthless and fit only to be burned up.
• So, what fruit are you producing in your life?
• Which way are you going?

We all need to pause here, and ask ourselves that question?

• The Bible calls us in 13:5 Examine ourselves, to see whether we are in the faith. Test yourselves.
• Is Christ in us? Are we striving for Godliness or Not?
• Does every sin U-I commit cause us to grieve deeply?
  • Or Are we contin. in careless disobedience to God’s Wd.
• Is there an ever increasing desire 4 Godliness & Christliken’ss?
  • Or are we trying w/ all our might to live one foot in world and one foot in the church?
  • Beware Christian, do not envy the Ungodly or Imitate their ways, it will not bring God’s Blessing or Success.
• Are you living in continual, joyful Submission to God’s authority,
  • Or do we chafe under God’s rule in our life?
• Examine Your life and ways, Christian,

Thirdly: Notice the End of the Ungodly

• Notice the Psalmist’s conclusion, vs5: the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in: Congreg. of Righteous
• Notice there is a judgement, there is great day coming, when all mankind, every human ever conceived will stand before God
• God will judge & condemn all who’re Rebellious, Disobedient to
• God will judge & condemn all who do Believe & Obey Him
• Matthew 25:31–34 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
• 20:14–15, finishes the account: “Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
• The Sheep, whom the Lord places to His Right are the Godly
• The Goats to His Left are those who’re Ungodly.
• The Ungodly, Wicked & Foolish will be cast into the Lake of Fire, for all eternity, to endure God’s unrelenting punishment against them for Sin, Disobedience, & Rebellion ag. God
• 13:42 describes God’s eternal punishment as like a:
• “…fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
• The Ungodly will not stand-survive the judgement
• nor stand with the congregation of the Righteous, the Godly…
• e., the Ungodly will not remain among the Godly, they will not enjoy tremendous Happiness of God’s Presence, w/ the entire number of: Godly, Righteous, Redeemed People

That is the Terrifying Good News of the Gospel!

• Ungodly Unrepentant Unrighteous Sinners Perishing in Judge.
• But!! The Good News is Infinitely better than the bad news!
• I said much earlier in this message
• We have all failed to perfectly obey our conscience-Law
• We have all lived in continual rebellion ag. God’s Auth.
• We have all lived in continual disobedience to God’s Law
• We have all lived, alienated from God and blinded to His Glory
• We’ve all gone our own way, done our own thing, departed from the God who created us
• Nobody is better than anybody else before God – we have all fallen short of His Glory, We were all doomed to God’s Judgmt.
• The Difference is: some of us have already been judged & condemned; the Penalty has been Paid for us, on our behalf, to save us from the wrath of God which is surely to come… How?

Lastly) But God Saves The Ungodly

• Romans 5:8–9⁸ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Since, therefore, we have now been declared righteous (justified) by his blood, much more, shall we be saved, by Him from the wrath of God.
• Our Names are written down in the Book of Life, Because Christ has Died in our Place, for our Sin, we no longer stand accused of it! – Why would God do that?
• 3:16–18 “But God loved the world in this way: He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him, should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be born-live, Truly Man; Truly God

• Christ Lived Sinlessly, as the epitome of Godliness
• Christ Lived an absolute perfect obedient life to God
• Christ was willing to be crucified, to pay our penalty of death,
• Christ’s Death is of sufficient value to pay the debt of every sinner, that ever lived… But, His Death is only efficient for those who believe Him, Turn from Sin and Obey Him
• Christ was sinless, yet, He took our sin upon Himself,
• He was judged for our sin, He was condemned for our sin,
• He died for our sin, But, Being truly God, He was raised from the dead, so that we might be Declared Righteous, by God
• God now Calls every ungodly man, woman & child, to turn to Him,
• To Forsake our sin & to Follow Christ, To Trust God to save us
• He Opens our Ears to hear the message
• He Inclines our Hearts to accept it
• He Gives us the Faith to Believe it
• He Fills us with His Holy Spirit to empower us to follow Christ, in Faith and Obedience – Why all this? – Grace, God’s Grace!
• Ephesians 2:8, “For by Grace you have been saved, through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the Gift of God…
• Final Full Realisation of our Salvation will be on the last day
  • From now, til then, by Faith, we Follow Christ
  • From now til then, by Faith, we Strive to obey Christ
• At that moment when Christ separates Sheep from Goats, we will know the full experience of salvation.

My Friend, Which way are you Going?

So, at the end of this message, Which Description Describes you?

• Are you that foolish, wicked person described by the psalmist?
  • Come to Christ, Hear the message, Believe it, Be Saved!
• Are you living and growing in Godliness & Wisdom.
  • Never Forget from what you have been saved, and into what you are being saved! – Give Thanks for such a Salv.!