Sunday, 5th March 2023
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
1. To Choose The Blessing 要單單選擇祝福
Psalm 1:1 says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.”
We all want to be blessed, in our health, our finance, our family, our work, our relationship… but what is the blessed man written in Psalm 1? God wants to bless us, but we must believe this truth, in season or out of season, in all circumstances, God wants to bless us no matter what. The Bible is telling us, if we choose to believe, then we will be blessed. So first we must believe, to know this truth, that God wants us to be blessed.
When we truely believe this, then we must choose the blessing. On the other hand, we must choose not to be in the counsel of the ungodly, not to stand in the path of sinners, and not to sit in the seat of the scornful. The ungodly is those who reject God, those who walk against God’s Will. When God tells us to do something, can we simply follow and wait for God’s timing? So many times we will want to walk in our own ways instead of God’s way, then we become the ungodly. When we start going against God’s Will, then we will also start going away from God’s blessings. The counsel may be ideas and suggestions for us, they might sound good but we must discern if they are from God or now. In Genesis, Satan lured Eve to eat the fruit of knowledge of good and evil.
Also who are the sinners? They are those who did not reach the target. When God tells us one thing, but we do something else, we don’t listen, we don’t follow, we don’t care, then we become the sinners. When we start becoming the ungodly people, when we don’t take God’s Word seriously, then we will be the ungodly and even become the sinners. Furthermore, we will become the scornful, who do not see God’s blessings.
When we had the storm, the cyclone, the earthquake, do we see God’s blessing and protection? Do not take everything for granted, but turn to God, give thanks and see God’s miracles in our lives. Why did God ask Noah to build the Ark for 100 years? He could easily make the Ark in our day, but God was giving people an opportunity to repent, to turn back to Him.
He is still calling us today, to turn from the ungodly, the sinners, and the scornful. We are already blessed when God made me in this world, so why do we follow the world? When we recognise that we are already the blessed, then we won’t have the worry and we will always receive the blessings form God.
2. To Live Out Blessing 要活出祝福
Psalm 1:2-3 says, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”
Our delight should only be in God, this is the only way, not to bind us but to bless us, to guide us, and to protect us. God’s Word is the light of our path and the lamp of our feet, this is the way we can be blessed. Also, we must medicate day and night the Word of God. This is not only about thinking God’s Word but also proclaiming. When we speak out the Word of God, we speak the power and authority.
Moreover, we must be planted by the rivers of water, which means the living water, the flowing water, not still water. The rivers of water are moving, flowing, living, and representing Jesus Christ. How to live in Jesus? Not just about being baptised, not just about reading the Bible, not just about coming to church… but to experience God and to encounter God every single day! God is a living God, He wants to interact with us everyday, He is the yesterday, today, and tomorrow God.
Why do we have morning devotion everyday at church? It’s not easy to come to church early in the morning, but God wants us to light up the Temple of God. When we take the action by faith, follow God’s instructions, He will be with us. Three times a year, all the men of Israel must go back to Jerusalem and offer in the Temple of God. Why can’t they just make offering on any mountain? Because this is what God says to them. This is not about being religious or not, this is about if we believe God will bless us or not.
We can experience God everyday, when we are planted by the rivers of water, and we can bear fruits. Bearing fruits will not just happen by our own time and our own schedule, but the timing of the Father. The fruits are produced from our action in the Father’s time. What is our action? It’s our lifestyle, which determines what fruits we are bearing.
Our leaves will also not wither, leaves are important for the plant, because they receive the nutrients for the plant. Everyone wants to live a blessed life, so we must choose God’s Way and to live in God’s Way everyday.
3. To Know God Knows 要知道神知道
Psalm 1:4-6 says, “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.”
Why are we struggling in life? Because we care too much about the lives of others, we compare ourselves with them, the ungodly people. The Bible tells us that the ungodly are like the chaff and the wind will drive them away. Nobody knows how long we can live in this world, but as Christians we know we have eternal life. We are still living because we have a purpose, to preach to those in need.
When we follow God, He will not only bless us but also our generations to God. He knows the ways of the righteousness, those who focus in God’s Way. Don’t look at the people who don’t follow God, don’t think they are ok, because we can only see how they are doing now and we cannot see how they next generations will be like. When we choose to follow God, we know we will be blessed generations by generations. Stop looking at others, stop looking at the world around us, but focusing on following God wholeheartedly.