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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 Tenacious Apostle (Acts of the Apostle) (Christ Church)

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INTRODUCTION

A business leader once commented that nothing worthwhile “was ever accomplished by a reasonable man.” In this passage, we see once again how dedicated and how tough the apostle Paul was. And, some would say, how unreasonable. But look at what he accomplished.

THE TEXT

“And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker . . .” (Acts14:8–28).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

There was a cripple at Lystra, one who never had walked (v. 8). He was staring at Paul, who saw that he had faith to be healed (v. 9). So Paul said, loudly, stand up. And so he lept and walked (v. 10). When the people saw, they started to shout (in their own language) that the gods had come down in human likeness (v. 11). They said Barnabas was Jupiter, and Paul Mercury—because he was the speaker (v. 12). So the priest of Jupiter brought garlanded bulls out in order to sacrifice to them (v. 13). When Paul and Barnabas figured out what was going on, they tore their clothes and ran in among the crowd (v. 14). They said, “What are you doing? We are men like you, preaching that you turn from these vain things to serve the Creator of all, the living God (v. 15). In the past, God permitted this wandering (v. 16), but even then He did not leave Himself without the gracious witness of a bountiful world (v. 17). Even so, they barely restrained them (v. 18).

And then some Jews from Galatia showed up (v. 19). They stoked the crowd, stoned Paul, dragged him out of the city to leave him for dead (v. 19). The disciples were standing around Paul, and he got up, and went into town. The next day he left for Derbe with Barnabas (v. 20). They preached there, instructed many, and then doubled back through Lystra, Iconium and Antioch (v. 21). They confirmed the souls of the believers, encouraging them in perseverance through affliction (v. 22). They ordained elders in each church, fasted, and commended them to the Lord (v. 23). They passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia (v. 24). They preached in Perga, then on to Attalia (v. 25). From there they sailed to Syrian Antioch, where they had first been commissioned (v. 26). Having arrived home, they gathered the whole church, telling them all that had happened (v. 27). They remained a long time there (v. 28).

GOD’S FOREBEARANCE

When Paul and Barnabas stopped these pagans from offering up a pagan sacrifice, we can clearly see their tough-minded rejection of idolatry as “these vanities” (v. 15). They were appalled by the very thought of worshiping a creature, as can be seen by how they tore their clothes. And yet, at the same time, we can see their testimony of God’s common grace to the pagans. While He let them walk in their superstitions, He nevertheless showered them with actual kindness—rain from heaven, fruitful seasons, and He filled their hearts with food and gladness (v. 17).

We are going to see the same thing later in chapter 17. “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us” (Acts 17:26–27). Also see Matthew 5:45.

PAUL’S TOUGHNESS AND TENACITY

Paul was attacked here with true malice. Jews from Iconium and Antioch, 20 miles and 100 miles away respectively, came all that way to attack Paul. They were not interested in half measures. They stirred up a mob, stoned Paul, dragged what they supposed to be his corpse out of the city, and left him there. The disciples gathered around, probably to mourn his loss, and then Paul got up. “What’s for dinner?” He was ready to travel the next day. Derbe was about 35 miles away.

MUCH AFFLICTION

When they worked their way back through the towns they had ministered in, they spent their time establishing the believers there in their new faith. What they did was strength their souls, exhorted them in the duty of perseverance, and encouraged them by telling them how tough it was going to be. Don’t be surprised when the affliction comes. The apostle Peter tells his people the same thing (1 Pet. 4:12). Don’t be surprised at this. In order to enter the kingdom of God, we need to go through many tribulations (v. 22).

THE ORDINATION OF JOHNNY APPLESEED

Considering distances, travel time, estimated times for ministry, this stretch of the first missionary journey probably took somewhere between two-and-a-half to five months. But what that means is that when they came back through, they were appointing local church elders who had been Christians a matter of weeks (v. 23). The word for ordain here is cheirotoneo, to “elect by a show of hands.” However keep in mind that their number could have included Jews who were already steeped in the Old Testament Scriptures (Matt. 13:52). But still . . . this is a Johnny Appleseed approach to church planting.

TELLING THE STORY

When they got back to Syrian Antioch, they told the Christians all about how they had told the pagans about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (v. 27). Notice the accountability to the sending church and notice also the interest that the sending church had in the mission. Paul and Barnabas wanted to talk about what had happened, sharing their adventures, and the people back in Antioch wanted to hear about it.

How much of the Christian faith consists of telling stories! There is a place for the theological engineers, but that is not what we are to lead with. We lead with the story of Christ, the story of His apostles, and then after that the stories of our church planters and missionaries. We talk about Christ and the body of Christ, everywhere that body appears.

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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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