It is often said of a man who is well off with good health and good family that he is a “blessed” man. But, that man could be missing the true meaning of being blessed. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1561/29?v=20251111
Blessed is the man! Don’t you love the way the book of Psalms begins? Let’s start right there and see the results when a man is blessed. That’s today from the International Gospel Hour. Stay with us.
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Hi, this is Jay Webb for International Gospel Hour.
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Welcome to our broadcast today. For over 90 years, churches of Christ have proclaimed God’s Word through our broadcasts. Just ahead is another Bible-based lesson with Jeff Archie of International Gospel Hour. Let’s begin.
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Well, thank you always to our J-Web for his kind words. You’ll hear from Jay throughout our broadcast with our free materials that we make available unto you. And greetings to all of you for joining me today for our broadcast here from the International Gospel Hour. As of this broadcast, we are in our 92nd year of radio broadcast. So wherever you are listening to our broadcast, we thank you for helping us press onward. Our text today is Psalm 1. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. From this text of Psalm 1, just from the outset, can it begin any better than the word blessed? A word that means praised or therefore happy because he has God’s approval. Not happy in his own way or happiness based on circumstances or things. One remains blessed by God from faithful living no matter the sad moments that may come, no matter the challenges. They’re met with the blessings of God and one remains blessed when one is in Christ according to Ephesians 1.3. So today from Psalm 1, let’s see when a man is blessed. We’ll be back in 30 seconds.
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Friends, a man is blessed when he walks in the words of the Lord. Now, while we see where he is not walking from this psalm, We also see where he is walking. You know, when we think about where not to walk, first of all, what about Proverbs 4, 14 and 15? Do not enter the path of the wicked and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it. Do not travel on it. Turn away from it and pass on. Don’t even get near it. Friends, he finds delight in the ways of the Lord. Many translations see this good word as a pleasure or an interest that moves this one toward the things of God or moves this one toward the things that be of God. He’s finding delight. He’s moving toward that. He wants to know more. And friends, you’re going to see how this develops. Ecclesiastes 12, 10 and 11, the preacher sought to find acceptable words and what was written was upright words of truth. The words of the wise are like golds, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails given by one shepherd. Friends, in other words, the law of the Lord is it. The precepts, instruction, commands of God, there’s no time for anything else. This man is blessed when he walks in the words of the Lord. And how they are indeed like well-driven nails, which means they hold tight their upright words of truth. And a man is blessed when he walks in the words of the Lord. But now watch, this Psalm 1 continues to build. Number 2, a man is blessed when he meditates within the words of the Lord. Now friends, don’t laugh at this, but… This idea of meditates means he’s talking to himself. Now, sometimes we say thinking out loud. There are the occasions that I will be saying something and Renita, my beloved bride, will say, What did you say? I said, Honey, I’m thinking out loud. Now, when you dig more into that Hebrew word, it has a basic meaning of a low sound and also a chewing of the cud like a cow. Have you ever heard or said that? Let me chew on this. Well, you get the idea. You’re taking it and you’re meditating and you’re thinking on it. It’s a situation where the blessed man says, I want to know this. And God is making it possible that I understand this. Oh, that brings to mind 2 Timothy 1 and verse 12. When Paul said, for this reason I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep what I have committed to him until that day. We move into 2 Timothy 2 and verse 15 that says, Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Older translations say, Study to show yourself approved unto God. Well, in being diligent, we want to study, and we want to rightly divide or accurately cut with the word of truth. You see, we’re blessed when we walk in the ways of the Lord, but we meditate in those ways, and we keep chewing on those ways. There’s no other way to go. Well, have you ever considered, no, no, no, I haven’t considered. I’m going to walk in the way that I am sure. How about third? From Psalm 1, a man is blessed when he is rooted in the words of the Lord. See, he walks in it, he meditates within, and he roots himself. He’s like a tree by the water, rooted and planted. When we see this in the text of Psalm 1, you cannot help but to recall Jeremiah 17, 7 and 8. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is in the Lord. Or, blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is the Lord. There we go. 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 from yielding fruit. You see, the tree is planted by the waters. It is set to endure what’s ahead. When the heat comes or there’s a drought as mentioned, it’s still near the river and the roots will draw near. You know, that brings to my mind when I was a boy and I grew up near a river and when there would be storms that would come through, a lot of times the floodwaters would rise up and would cause a number of trees on the bank to fall over. And we would walk the bank as the waters would subside and settle down. We would walk the bank. And if you found a tree that had fallen over, those roots were still down into the water. It was amazing to see some trees that had fallen still bring forth their leaves. And we loved to fish where the roots were. Because the fish, the little perch that we called them, and they’re called a number of things… But a small little perch, if you will, they would be down around those roots. And we would drop our line just off the bank. I guess you could call us perch jerkers. But anyway, how we would look at the root and how those trees would still draw from the water. It was amazing. Well, see, a man is blessed when he’s rooted in the Word of the Lord. And that brings to mind Colossians 2, 6-8. As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. You see, there’s no need to look anywhere else. Don’t take philosophy and empty deceit. Don’t think those things that are according to the tradition of men, and they’re not according to Christ. You see, this man is blessed because not only does he walk in the words of the Lord, and he walks in the words of the Lord because he’s obedient. And how he is obedient through believing in those words and repenting of his sins, confessing Christ and baptized into Christ and added to his church. And he meditates within the words of the Lord and he’s going to be rooted and he’s going to grow. That’s such a beautiful thought. So friends, this is when a man is blessed. And we’d like to encourage you today to be as that blessed man. who not only walks in the words of the Lord and meditates within, but is rooted within. But we realize there are a lot of traditions out there that actually mislead people, that seem to be covered up as religious matters, but in reality they’re not. With that being said, we have a very special gift for you, and here is our J-Web with the details of how you can receive that wonderful booklet, Something is Wrong, But the Bible is Right.
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In a world of division and even confusion in the religious world, friends, please know this. The Bible is always right. The free booklet, Something is Wrong, But the Bible is Right, is available from International Gospel Hour. Please call us toll-free at 855-444-6988 and leave your name, your address, and just say, Bible Tract. That’s it. You may also go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the Contact tab, and leave us the same information, name, address, and type Bible Tract in the message box. We will get it to you right away.
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So, friends, blessed is that man indeed. He walks in the Word, chews on it, grasps it as he meditates upon it, He’s rooted in the Word of God. What a great psalm, Psalm 1. Some years ago it was penned, Jehovah knows the way of the righteous. He takes notice and approves it, for the Bible clearly teaches that the Lord carefully watches over and encourages every person who lives in accordance with His will. The writer of Hebrews says that, For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward his name, and that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. Hebrews 6 and verse 10. Wonderful thoughts of Psalm 1. We’ll continue our studies together at another time, but for now, thank you for joining me today here from the International Gospel Hour. I’m Jeff Archie, and friends, keep listening.
