Hope Community Church
June 21 2026

      • Psalm 1:1–4NKJV

  • Psalms I: Chapters 1–41 (King James Version) Psalm 1: How to Be Happy and Blessed in Life, 1:1–6

    The United States’ Declaration of Independence proclaims that God has endowed all men with the “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

    We all want to be happy!In a world filled with so much sadness, hurt and suffering, we all could get a break from the albatross of the world we live in.
    the songs we sing reflect that:
    Happy by Pharrell Williams
    Walking in Sunshine
    Lovely Day by Bill Withers
    Songs like these just do something for us….
    They release these things called endorphins.
    Endorphins are natural chemicals in the brain that promote a sense of well-being and joy. While happiness involves several factors, endorphins help explain why people experience pleasure, contentment, and emotional uplift.
    We spend billions as a culture trying to tap in to this biological phenomenon, pursuing the happiness of the world that has disappointed us time in and time out.
    The pursuit of worldly happiness often leads not to fulfillment, but to addiction, depression, and a host of other maladies that adversely affect our lives. Many spend their days chasing pleasure, success, or approval, only to find themselves empty and dissatisfied. 
    Psalm 1 presents the pathway to true blessedness, showing that genuine happiness is found not in following the world’s counsel, but in delighting in the word of God..
    When we learn to embrace this Psalm, it can put us back in a state of spiritual balance with the King of Kings… There are a few things we need to point out about this psalm.How do we get the O in our soul this morning? Let us look at the text church…
    1 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. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That bringeth forth his fruit in his season; His leaf also shall not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
    Point1- The Behavior of the Righteous (v1-2)
    Psalm 1:2 ESV
    2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
    You and I this morning must stop at the door of psalm 1 and make a decision.
    In Psalm 1:2, the word “but” is a crucial conjunction that marks a sharp contrast with verse 1.
    The word “but” (Hebrew: כִּי אִם – ki im) is more than a simple contrast. It introduces an exclusive alternative. It can carry the sense of “rather,” “instead,” or “on the contrary.”
    The blessed man is not merely avoiding evil influences; he is actively choosing something better.
    Verse 1 tells us what he rejects; verse 2 tells us what he embraces.
    A.- He rejects the counsel of the wicked, but he delights in the law of the Lord …
    He guards his ears from wicked counselors of this world, and he embraces, his delight is in the Torah of the Lord…the instruction of the Lord…the first 5 books of the Lord..
    Psalm 112:1 ESV
    1 Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!
    B.-He rejects standing in the way of sinners…
    This is the middle stage and shows a deeper level of progression:
    The phrase actually describes a deeper level of entanglement than merely hearing wicked counsel. Standing in the way of sinners represents a step beyond listening to the world’s advice—it means beginning to follow the example of sinners and taking one’s stand with them3. By adopting the advice and value system of the wicked long enough, one eventually stands in their way in the Hebrew sense—adopting their lifestyle
    Proverbs 4:14–15 ESV
    14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. 15 Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.
    1 Corinthians 15:33 ESV
    33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
    The blessed man refuses to take his place among those who disregard God because he knows that the path we stand in today becomes the destination we arrive at tomorrow.
    This Blessed man not only rejects their cousel nor adopt their ways, but he also…
    C- guards his heart..Nor sit in the seat of the scornful;
    The “seat of scoffers” represents the final and most entrenched stage of spiritual decline—a position of settled, deliberate opposition to wisdom and truth. This phrase completes the progression from passive exposure to active rebellion.
    The scoffer embodies arrogance and haughtiness, acting with deliberate pride
    Proverbs 21:24 ESV
    24 “Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride.
    to sit in that seat is a seat of defiance; its more than a disagreement, a scoffer refuse to listen to correction.
    Proverbs 13:1 ESV
    1 A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
    Don’t be dismayed fathers when your grown kids refuse to listen to you…they don’t want correction…
    Proverbs 15:12 ESV
    12 A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise.
    His Joy, His delight is in the instruction of Torah….Show me someone who is teachable, who is willing to learn, and not think they have the corner on instruction.
    Just like in school they told us …
    If your happy and you know it clap your hands, stomp your feet, wave your hands … O the Happiness is the man or woman who not just say that he is righteous, but live like it.
    Point 2- The Look of the righteous
    Psalm 1:3 ESV
    3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
    Deion Sanders' most famous and signature catchphrase is:"If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. If you play good, they pay good."
    How you Look, take care of yourself physically and more so, spiritually, impacts how you and I can impact this world for Christ.
    The text describes an Illustrative way how the righteous man is like..
    He is described as a tree planted by the rivers of waters.
    The Psalmist is taking us back to another tree in :
    Genesis 2:8–9 ESV
    8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
    The tree of life was fed by 4 rivers…
    according to Genesis 2:10 “10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers.”
    The tree of like is a tree of abundance
    John 10:10 ESV
    10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
    The devil still want you to eat from the wrong tree, but Jesus wants you to have life ….where the Life of God can flow through you…
    Isaiah 55:1 ESV
    1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
    John 7:37–39 ESV
    37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
    You and I are not just blessed and highly favored for us, were blessed to be a blessing to our jobs, our homes, our city, our nation…
    Do you have the Look of the Righteous this morning?
    Ezekiel 47:12 ESV
    12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”
    Revelation 22:2 ESV
    2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
    Not only does the tree looks good, but its stable…
    Its Planted by the river…Its rooted. Life comes sometimes come at you real hard, but when your planted, you stay the course…When the winds of advewrsity begin to blow, make sure your anchor is sure in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost…Even in the winds of adversity, the blessed person is still being fed…
    Psalm 3:1 ESV
    1 O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
    Psalm 4:1 ESV
    1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
    You can keep on reading, chapter 5, 6, and 7 until you get to your praise in Psalm 8.1
    Psalm 8:1 ESV
    1 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
    Once you get to Praise, you know you look good because your dressed in the righteousness of the saints.
    Revelation 19:7–8 ESV
    7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
    Closing
    Church, the blessed man doesn’t just talk right—he looks different because he is rooted in a different source. The world chases appearance, but the righteous possess substance. Like a tree planted by rivers of water, their strength is not found in themselves but in the life of God flowing through them.
    When drought comes, they still stand. When storms come, they still endure. When others are withering, they are still bearing fruit because they are connected to the Source of life.
    Can I ask you this morning: What are you connected to? What river is feeding your soul? The blessed man is not sustained by the opinions of men, the pleasures of the world, or the strength of his flesh. He is sustained by the Word of God and the Spirit of God.
    And one day, all those who have been planted in Christ will stand beside that eternal river, where the Tree of Life bears fruit forever and the leaves are for the healing of the nations. Until that day, keep drinking from the waters of grace, keep your roots deep in God’s Word, and keep bearing fruit for His glory.

      • Psalm 1:1–3NKJV

      • Psalm 1:2NKJV

      • Psalm 112:1NKJV

      • Proverbs 4:14–15NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:33NKJV

      • Proverbs 21:24NKJV

      • Proverbs 13:1NKJV

      • Proverbs 15:12NKJV

      • Psalm 1:3NKJV

      • Genesis 2:8–11NKJV

      • John 10:10NKJV

      • Isaiah 55:1NKJV

      • John 7:37–39NKJV

      • Ezekiel 47:12NKJV

      • Revelation 22:2NKJV

      • Psalm 3:1NKJV

      • Psalm 4:1NKJV

      • Psalm 8:1NKJV

      • Revelation 19:7–8NKJV

      • Psalm 1:1–3NKJV

Hope Community Church
hopeccchurch@hopecchurch.org
(443) 759-9277
http://hopecchurch.org
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