Sermon Outline 9.21.25

September 20th, 2025
by Curtis Jetton

Text: Psalm 1
Title: Two Ways, One Word

Introduction: Two Roads, One Choice

I. The Blessed Life (vv. 1-2)

Verse 1 describes three steps downward:
- Walk in the counsel of the wicked (casual listening).
- Stand in the way of sinners (lingering, identifying).
- Sit in the seat of scoffers (settling in, belonging).
The blessed person is defined by what they love, not simply by the actions of avoidance.
Law (torah) means God’s instruction — not just legal codes, but the whole revealed Word.
Delight = a righteous person doesn’t read Scripture dutifully; he hungers for it.
Meditates = murmurs, mutters. Isaiah 31:4 uses the same verb as a lion growling over its prey. It’s savoring, chewing, rehearsing until God’s Word sinks in.

II. The Stable Life (v. 3)

God Himself plants the righteous.
“Streams” are irrigation channels...not seasonal rain, but constant nourishment.
The tree is marked by fruitfulness (in season), durability (leaf doesn’t wither), and prosperity (in whatever it does)
- Jer 17:7-8: the blessed man is like a tree that does not fear drought because it has roots.

III. The Empty Life (vv. 4-5)

It’s emphatic. They are the opposite of the tree.
Chaff is the outer husk, separated by tossing wheat in the air. The grain falls heavy; the chaff drifts off.
The wicked may look weighty now, but before God, they are insubstantial.
“Judgment” points to God’s final day. The wicked cannot endure His scrutiny.
They are excluded from the assembly of God’s people = the ultimate separation.

IV. The Final Verdict (v. 6)

Knows = intimate, covenantal recognition. Not just awareness, but approval, ownership
John 10:14 — “I know my sheep.”
The wicked’s path “will perish.” The present may look safe, but the end is destruction (Prov 14:12).
Jesus Christ is the Blessed Man. He never walked in sin, stood in rebellion, or sat in scoffing. He perfectly delighted in His Father’s law. At His temptation, He wielded Scripture. At His cross, He bore the curse of the wicked so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Union with Him makes Psalm 1 ours. His roots become our roots. His fruitfulness becomes ours. His life and blessedness become ours.

Overview:

The Psalms are divided into five books, echoing the five books of Moses.
Like a new Torah, the Psalms are God’s instruction but set to music.
The Psalter begins heavy with lament and ends in a burst of praise.
It’s the story of God’s people: from trouble, through exile, into hope and glory.
The Psalms come in different types:
- Laments that cry out in pain
- Thanksgivings for deliverance
- Hymns of praise
- Wisdom Psalms
- Royal Psalms pointing to Christ
- Penitential Psalms of confession
- Imprecatory Psalms (calling on God to bring justice)
Whatever season you are in, there’s a psalm for it.

Conclusion