Christ Church

The Lord Our Judge, Lawgiver, and King Pt. 2
Christ Church on June 30, 2025
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The Happiest Man (Psalms | King’s Cross) (King’s Cross)

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INTRODUCTION

This psalm introduces the entire psalter and establishes one of the central themes: those who seek God are happy but those who reject Him will fade away. As the old hymn puts it: “Fading is the worldling’s pleasure// All his boasted pomp and show// Solid joys and lasting treasure// None by Zion’s children know.”

The Text: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful…” (Ps. 1:1-6)

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The word here for “blessed” means “happy,” and the Psalmist says that the man is happy who does not walk, stand, or sit with those who do not seek God (Ps. 1:1). Instead, that happy man’s deepest pleasure is in the whole Word of God, and it’s in his mouth day and night, which makes him like a fruitful and prosperous tree in every season (Ps. 1:2-3).

The wicked are like chaff driven by the wind, and therefore, they will not stand in the judgment or sit with the congregation of the righteous (Ps. 1:4-5). Regardless of appearances, God knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will be destroyed (Ps. 1:6).

THE ANTITHESIS

From the beginning of the world, God has established an antithesis between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). This great war began when sin entered the world, and it will continue until

the end of the world. It is a battle line that runs through every human heart, but it is also a battle line that runs through history between those who seek the Lord and those who reject Him.

But the serpent and his seed have always wanted to blur the lines of the conflict, appearing as an “angel of light” and false teachers (2 Cor. 11:13-14), wolves in sheep’s clothing (Mt. 7:15). But what fellowship does righteousness have with unrighteousness (2 Cor. 6:14ff)? Christians must be determined not to fit in with worldliness (music, movies, fashion, politics). We have been called out and rescued from the world.

The Psalm outlines a progression of compromise: walking, standing, sitting, which runs roughly parallel to secret faults, presumptuous sins, and great transgressions (Ps. 19:12-13). People do not decide to ruin their lives out of nowhere. Big weeds grow from little ones. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God (Js. 4:4)? The cloying reply comes back: What about Jesus the friend of tax collectors and prostitutes? Yes, a true friend is seeking to rescue those who are drowning in their sin, but the kind of “friendship” many are demanding is to let them drown (and if you’re really their friend, you’ll let them pull you down with them).

We are not “friends” with the world and its cheap baubles and petty influencers because as Calvin says, the happy man of this Psalm is the one who not only studies the Word of God but finds it delicious.

WHO IS REALLY HAVING FUN?

The problem is that many Christians secretly (or not so secretly) think that unbelievers are having more fun. And this is where the fundamental question divides: is happiness found in the Triune God or is He not necessary?

Many unbelievers appear to be happy. But this Psalm says they are not really. Scripture teaches that they are miserable. They are miserable because they have sinned against God and their fellow man and cannot get rid of the awful weight of guilt and shame (Ps. 32). They are miserable because they are living lies: denying that they know there is a God when He is obviously right in front of them every day (Rom. 1). They are also miserable because they are trying to live in God’s world according to their own wisdom, but the way of transgressors is hard (Prov. 13:15). You keep doing it your own way, but how’s that working out for you?

But in God’s presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forever more (Ps. 16:11). And Who is at God’s right hand? The Lord Jesus. Jesus is the fullness of God’s joy and pleasures. And Jesus promises a joy to those who follow Him that no one can take away (Jn. 16:22). The center of this joy is the forgiveness of our sins, and the complete confidence we have to stand before God in the righteousness of Jesus Christ (plus all His gifts).

BUT WHAT ABOUT EVIL?

This Psalm says that those who turn away from the paths of evil men and seek the Lord will be happy and fruitful, but it does not always seem that way. Job was struck by the Lord. Jacob and David were persecuted. The apostles were rejected and hated. And many Christians have suffered from the effects of the Fall: disease, pain, loneliness, and many hardships. And on the flip side, many of the wicked do seem to be prospering, healthy, and wealthy.

Some Christians ignore the problem of evil and simply insist that you need more faith and then you will be more prosperous. We call this lie the “prosperity gospel.” The problem with this is that Jesus had perfect faith, and He was rejected and killed. Others shy away from the plain meaning of this Psalm: that the godly will tend to prosper in this world – and they spiritualize the whole thing. We can only expect spiritual prosperity and Heaven in the end.

But we need to hold the entire Bible together and embrace the whole message. We insist that the history of the world will vindicate the righteous. In general, those who seek God will prosper more than those who don’t. Wisdom will be justified by her children. At the same time, God is not merely interested in our physical prosperity. He disciplines us so that we might share in His holiness (Heb. 12:5-11). In many places, Scripture teaches that God has determined to do this through hardships: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (Js. 1:2-4 ESV). Holiness is a deeper happiness and more fruitful than mere material circumstances. What if you could run and not get tired?

CONCLUSION

Nietzsche mocked Christianity for what he called “slave morality,” accusing Christians of apathy, submitting to hardships and calling it “good.” But Nietzsche finished his days in an insane asylum, and according to legend, with his sister selling tickets to see him, and so are many of his cultural descendants in our day, destroying themselves with their “strong” delusions.

But we confess that Christ is the Happiest Man to ever live. He delighted in the Word of God day and night, and He was (and is) fruitful in every way. For this, they called Him insane and demon possessed, but after they killed Him, He came back from the dead and He has the fullness of life forever. And everyone who loves Him is given His happiness. Who is really having the most fun? The Lord Jesus Christ and those who follow Him.And it’s not even close.

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The Image of the Triune God (King’s Cross)

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INTRODUCTION

In the worship of our congregations, we have the practice of reciting the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Definition of Chalcedon. There are various implications of this, but one of the central things it means is that we are Trinitarian Christians. But what is that exactly? Why does it matter? And for our purposes this morning, what difference does it make in your marriage?

THE TEXT

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26–28).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

In the course of the creation week, God declared that He was going to make man. But He says it this way. First He says, “Let us.” The creation of man proceeds from an us, and it doing to result in an us. “Let us make man in our image,” He said. He will be made “after our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). Man is made in the imago Dei, the image of God. The next thing has to do with the position and task of this created image. It is dominion over everything (v. 26). So then God did what He said He was going to do. He created man (Adam) in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them (v. 27). Having done this, God blessed them, and set them to their task of dominion (v. 28).

WE MUST TAKE CARE

Christians are monotheists. We believe in one God. We are not tri-theists. We do not believe in three gods. At the same time, we hold that this Godhead eternally lives in three distinct persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These are persons, and not mere aspects or modes of one unitarian god. Now we believe that this triune God can reveal truths about Himself in the created order (Rom. 1:20), but He does this without getting tangled up in the created order. As His image, we reflect Him. We do not contain Him.

“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father [Pater] of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family [patria] in heaven and earth is named” (Eph. 3:14–15).

THE WORD IMAGE AND YOUR SALVATION

So Scripture is very clear that we were created as image-bearers. This is the way we were in our innocence. But God had placed a probationary tree in the Garden, and had prohibited them from eating the fruit of it. This they did anyway, and our race fell into darkness. The image of God was shattered, but not entirely eradicated or erased. A little later in Genesis, God assigns severe penalties for murder because the victim, whoever he was, was made in the image of God (Gen. 9:6).

Nevertheless, we know that the image was marred and defaced in us because it was the assigned task of the second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ, to restore that image. Our growth in grace is the process of that great remodel project. The image of God is being restored in us. All the pieces are being put back together.

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18).

“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:22–24).

So in our sanctification, we are not being turned into angels. Neither are we being transformed into some other kind of creature. What is God doing then? He is making us into human beings. What material is He using for this audacious project? He is using wreckage of human beings. He is using the debris field of Adam’s great crash.

THE TRIUNE GOD HAS AN IMAGE

We have no right to try to turn the glory of God into an image of man. That is the sin described in Romans.

“And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things” (Rom. 1:23).

Rather, God is establishing a glorious likeness of the incorruptible God, and He is making this image out of corruptible man. We refuse to drag God down, but we dare not refuse when He determines to lift man up.

INESCAPABLE PORTRAYAL

Now what this all means is that you all, in your marriages, are a walking Nicene Creed. Not only so, but you are also a walking Definition of Chalcedon. A godly marriage is a robust and clear statement of the truth. A marriage that is struggling along is a mumbled and garbled recital of the truth. A rancid marriage is the creed of heretics. But every marriage is doing something. It is not possible for any marriage to be silent.

A man and a woman, standing alongside each other, are saying, “This is what the triune God is like.” That is either going to be an expression of the truth, or it is going to be a lie. A man who speaking to his wife is saying through his words that this is how Christ loves the church. And that is either true or it is false. A wife who responds to her husband is saying that this is how the church is sweetly submissive to the Lord. And again, this confession will either be accurate . . .or inaccurate.

But if your marriage is resting upon the Word, and if you are trusting in Christ alone for your salvation, and if you honestly confess your sins, to God and to one another, it is not only possible for your marriage to become a glory . . . it will be a glory.

“For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man” (1 Corinthians 11:7).

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God’s Character & Covenant (Christ Church)

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THE TEXT

I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.” You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: ‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’ ” Selah

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The psalm is arranged into five sections: two small sections at the beginning and end, and three larger sections in the middle. The first section (v. 1-4) introduces the twin themes: God’s character and his covenant with David. In this psalm, his character is defined by his steadfast love and his faithfulness. Both of these words are applied in terms of his covenant with David–the promise that the seed of David will sit on an everlasting throne (v. 3-4). And this is crucial: the psalmist says he will sing of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness forever.

The psalmist then celebrates God’s majesty, might, and saving power (v. 5-16). God is incomparable; he sits enthroned among his heavenly council, but he is supreme over all of them. His dominion is from north to south, and east to west, from the highest heavens to the seas to the land. He is all-powerful, with a strong right hand and mighty arm, and his power is directed by his holy character (v. 14).

More than that, God crushes his enemies. Rahab is a reference to a dragon-demon associated with Egypt (Psalm 87:4; Isa 30:7). Crushing Rahab is linked to ruling and stilling the sea, just as God crushed the king of Egypt beneath a wall of water (Job 26:12; Isa 51:9).

This is a celebration of God’s majesty, might, and saving power, and the people who belong to God and join this celebration and walk in the light of his face are blessed (v. 15-16). God is the glory and beauty of his people’s strength (v. 17).

Then the psalmist brings God’s majesty to earth and links it to his covenant promises to David. Israel’s king is Israel’s shield (v. 18), and God is the one who found, helped, anointed, and exalted (v. 19-20). God’s mighty hand and arm? They establish and strengthen David (v. 21). Just as God tore Rahab apart, so will the Davidic king outwit and beat down his enemies (v. 23). God’s steadfast love and faithfulness will be with David (v. 24), and David will call upon God as Father, and God will make him his firstborn, the king of kings (v.26-27), and he will establish David’s offspring on an everlasting throne (v. 28-29). God’s covenant with David and his sons will endure, even if and when David’s sons break God’s law. Discipline? Yes. Rod? Yes? Rejection? No. Why? Because of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness (v. 33). God’s character has established this covenant with an oath (v. 34-35), and David’s offspring and throne will endure as long as the sun, moon, and stars–faithful witnesses in the sky (v. 36-37).

Then we have the turn. Verse 38 introduces a contrast. For the next ten verses, God’s steadfast love and faithfulness are completely absent. Instead, we see a rejected son (v.28) , a renounced covenant, a defiled crown (v. 39), breached walls, ruined fortresses (v. 40), plundered cities (v. 41), triumphant foes, rejoicing enemies (v. 42), a throne in the dust, and shame, scorn, and reproach in every direction (v. 41, 45). God’s wrath has come upon the people because the king, David’s son, has rebelled against God. And so the psalmist is confused. In light of God’s character and covenant, how can this be? How long will it last (v. 46)? If God’s character and covenant fail, then everything is futile, vain, and worthless (v. 47). Will the psalmist see God’s saving power before he dies, because no one escapes the power of Sheol (v. 48)?

The final section is an appeal to God’s steadfast love and his faithfulness to David, in light of the mocking reproach of the nations (v. 50-51). The psalmist asks where God’s covenant love has gone, begs him to remember his promise, and concludes with a triumphant hope: Blessed be the Lord forever (v. 52).

READ YOUR STORY IN LIGHT OF THE STORY

One of the great values of regular Bible reading is knowing what story you’re a part of, and being able to read your life in light of it. This psalm is filled with echoes and allusions to the big events of Israel’s history.

– The revelation of God’s name, glory, and goodness to Moses in Exodus 34:6.

– God’s oath to the patriarchs. When God wants to convincingly show the unchangeable character of his promise (Heb. 6:13), he swears by himself, like he does to Abraham after the sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22:16-18, or in Isaiah 45:23, when God swears by himself that every knee will bow and every tongue swear allegiance to him as the only righteous God and Savior.

– The Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:12-16).

WHAT IS REAL?

The gap in this psalm is between what the psalmist knows of God’s character and covenant on the one hand, and the circumstances at the present moment. Who God is (steadfast love and faithfulness) and what God has said (oath and covenant to David) seem out of accord with the reality before him (judgment, wrath, and a crown in the dust).

That is the question for all of us when the world seems confusing, futile, and vain. Do we interpret our circumstances in light of God’s character and covenant? Or do we abandon God’s character and covenant in the face of our circumstances?

God has promised the nations to Christ as his inheritance (Psalm 2:8; Matthew 28:12-20). And then we look at the state of the world, and the state of our nation, and see the rampant apostasy, rebellion, and decay around us. What’s more real? God’s character and covenant? Or sexual deviancy, political corruption, and widespread evangelical apathy and compromise?

When your kids wander, or when they get a case of the wobbles: what’s more real? God’s character and covenant? Or the wobbles and wandering? How do you pray? Do you bless God in confidence that he will hear and answer?

Or maybe it’s your own faith and holiness. When you see your abiding anger and envy, your drunkenness and lust, your anxiety and fear of man, your worldliness and selfishness, you feel the confusion and vanity. What is more real to you? Do you still sing of the steadfast love of the Lord?

This is not hypocrisy; it’s what a living faith does when confronted with the vanity of man and the discipline of God. Faith honestly confronts the facts on the ground, and then appeals to God’s character and his covenant. How much of your mental attention is devoted to rooting yourself in God’s steadfast love and faithfulness, in rehearsing his mighty deeds and covenant promises, and how much is spent fixating on the breached walls, triumphant enemies, and reproaching shame?

CHRIST’S CROWN

Christ is the offspring of David. He crushed the dragon’s head. He stilled the waves. He was strengthened by God’s grace. His enemies did not outwit him. God anointed him with his Spirit, and established and exalted him above the angels and the powers.

But Christ himself faced God’s rejection and absence. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” His crown was defiled in the dust. His days were cut short, and he was covered in shame. But Christ bridged the gap between God’s character and covenant, and the rejection and crown in the dust. In his darkest moments, he called upon God as Father, in Gethsemane (Matt 26:39-42) and at Calvary (Luke 23:34, 46).

Christ saw death…and he swallowed it whole. He crushed both Death and the Dragon. So where is the steadfast love of the Lord? Where is his faithfulness that he swore to David? It’s on a Roman cross. It’s exalted at God’s right hand, seated above every angelic and demonic power, ruling over heaven and earth, as God puts all of his enemies under his feet. That’s why in Revelation 1:5, Christ is introduced with distinctive language from Psalm 89 as “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings on earth.”

And his oath and covenant are sealed in blood. He swore by his holiness. He swore by his faithfulness. And that faithfulness is yours. “His oath, his covenant, his blood support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, he then is all my hope and stay.”

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