Greg Laurie - The Road Less Traveled
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Life is filled with lots of choices, isn’t it? You can sit down in front of a television set and have over a thousand channels to choose from. Have you ever flipped through those channels and literally not found anything worth watching? And if you’re like me, I’ll start on something-Oh, I’m going to watch this. And then the commercial comes, and now I’m gone. I leave; I’m off to something else. So I’m watching this, then a commercial comes. So I get back to the other thing I was watching until the commercial comes again. Now I go to a third thing. Sometimes I’m watching three things at the same time while scrolling on my phone. Am I the only one? All these choices in front of us. Then you have choices when you go into restaurants. Have you ever gone to Cheesecake Factory? That menu is too big. It’s like a book-page after page after page. Let’s turn in our menu to page four. I mean, it’s like, what is this? That’s why I like In-N-Out Burger. It’s so simple: hamburger, hamburger with two patties, add cheese, French fries, malts -that’s it. We’re done here. Or even Chick-fil-A. You know, you can get the spicy, you can get the regular, but not a lot of options. It simplifies life.
Well, we have choices we make that are really important in life: what career path we’re going to follow, who we’re going to marry-that’s a huge choice. The most important choice of all is what we do with Jesus Christ. Well, listen, we’re not the only ones that make choices; God makes choices too. And His choices don’t always make sense to us. But we’re starting a brand new series on the life of David. And this is a man that God chose-David. He rose from obscurity to being the greatest king in the history of the nation of Israel. They still sing about David today. There’s a folk song that’s been popular and is still sung to this present day: «Davidid Davidid Melik Israel high veam,» which means David is still the king in Israel. It’s been a long time since he sat on the throne there in Jerusalem. But think about David-a shepherd boy, a musician, a poet, a warrior, and a great king. But he also was a part of the messianic line, and that’s so significant. Because when Jesus walked this earth, He could have identified with a lot of people. He could have said I’m Jesus, the son of Abraham, or I’m Jesus, the son of another great patriarch. But He identified Himself as Jesus, the son of David. Remember blind Bartimaeus? He heard Jesus was coming, and he cried out, «Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.»
There’s more written in the Bible about David than any other Bible character. There are 66 chapters dedicated to the life of David, 59 references to him in the New Testament as well. But he was not only a shepherd and a warrior and a king; he also was an adulterer, a murderer, and a dismal failure. The story of David is not the greatness of a man; it’s the greatness of the God who gave him second chances. David’s life is a study in contrast. In battle, he was fearless; in wisdom and ruling, without peer. But he was not just some macho dude. He had a tender heart. He was a poet; he was a musician; he had a heart toward God. And he’s uniquely described in the Bible as a man after God’s own heart. Who can forget his dramatic rise from shepherd boy to giant killer?
And two other names come to mind when you think of David, and I bet you know them both: David and Goliath. And that’s it. One was his greatest victory, the other his worst defeat. But yet he was greatly loved by his people, and he had his heart turned toward God. And David kept a diary. It wasn’t a little diary with a little heart-shaped lock, you know, with a little tiny key. But he kept a diary, and the diary is what we call the Book of Psalms. In many ways, these were songs. Some of them were composed with music and sung, but they’re also lamentations. Honestly, sometimes they’re complaints, sometimes they’re declarations of praise, and other times they’re prayers. And actually, the Psalms- 150 of them in total-are songs and prayers from the history of Israel. But 73 of them were written by David. Think of the comfort and encouragement that people have received from the Psalms. Just take Psalm 23: how many people have been blessed by that psalm, especially as they’re passing into eternity?
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Such a powerful psalm! We’re going to look at Psalm 1. This first psalm is a study in contrast. It shows us that life is filled with cause and effect. You do this, and that will happen. You do that, and this will happen. So we need to think very carefully about our choices.
Last night, my granddaughter Stella was at our house, and she has a little Bible study that she goes to on Saturday nights. I thought, what a great thing for a bunch of kids to do on a Saturday night, right? And she said, «Papa,» that’s what they call me, «would you come over to the Bible study? It’ll freak the kids out.» So I went, and I had a great time talking to these kids. And so I said, «Why don’t I talk to you about Psalm 1?» Because I’d been preparing for it, and I just said, «You guys, you’re young, and you have your whole life in front of you. You’re making choices today that are going to affect you in years to come. So choose well and make the right choices.» And then we just sort of went through Psalm 1 and showed them how it applied to their lives. And that is true for all of us as well.
Here’s what it comes down to: Do you want to be a happy person? If you want to be a happy person, do the things that we’re about to read. And also, if you want to be a happy person, don’t do the things that we’re told not to do. The Bible tells us this: If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, never make a pretty woman your wife. From my personal point of view, get an ugly girl to marry you. How many of you have read that verse? It’s not in the Bible. It’s a really weird song. How many of you remember that song? Yes, you’re old, aren’t you? I remember it as well. And there’s no truth in it whatsoever because I actually married a beautiful woman. But seriously, if you want to be a happy person, there are certain things you should do, and there are certain things you should not do. And they’re laid out for us here in Psalm 1. So why don’t we read it together?
«Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor siteth in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth fruit in his season. His leaves shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Now in contrast, the ungodly are not so; they are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.»
There it is, Psalm 1. I recommend you commit it to memory too. And you can do it! «I can’t-I can’t remember anything.» Oh, stop! You can remember weird jingles on television, songs from the radio or from Spotify; you remember lines from movies that you quote. Don’t tell me you can’t memorize Scripture. You can memorize this! So, here are some points from what we have just read. If you’re taking notes, and I hope you are:
Point number one: The happy person walks the right way. Verse one: «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.» So walk. Most of us walk; some of us run. I think you notice a person more if they run-especially if you’re Tom Cruise. He’s always running. Have you ever noticed that in all of his movies? Here’s the scene where Tom Cruise is going to run really fast. Okay, you can run; you can walk. But what’s so great about this word «walk» is it just speaks of a cadence and a consistency. It’s not a spectacular thing to do, but it’s something that speaks of the Christian life.
On more than one occasion, the Bible compares our relationship with Jesus to a walk. Colossians 2:6 says, «As you received Jesus Christ as your Lord, so walk in Him.» Galatians 5 says, «Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.» 1 John 1:7 says, «If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.» Back in the book of Genesis, we read that Enoch walked with God and was not, which means that one day he was out taking a walk with the Lord, and maybe the Lord said, «Hey buddy, we’re closer to my house than yours; why don’t you come home with me today?» And he was caught up in the presence of the Lord.
But this is the idea of just consistency. I was telling those kids last night, you know, the secret to the Christian life is consistency. I think we’re all looking for the big emotional experience, and I’m going to go to church and have this encounter with God or go to that retreat, and everything’s going to change. And I’m not in any way suggesting God can’t move at certain moments in our life. But here’s what I’m saying: The real secret sauce of Christianity is daily obedience to God. One person defined it as «long obedience in the same direction.» It’s walking by faith, not by feeling. And the problem is, you know, we have these emotional highs and lows, and these ups and these downs, and we’re at the height of the mountain, then we crash and burn. It’s consistency. It’s walking with God.
If you want to be a happy person, you need to walk with God. And also, don’t walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Now when we say ungodly, it doesn’t mean that you’re necessarily an immoral or wicked person. Though people who are wicked and immoral would be ungodly, it could just be a description of what we might call a garden-variety non-believer. You know, they’re actually a nice person; they pay their bills, they provide for their families, they clean up after their dogs-I hope they do. Are you one of those people who let your dogs go and don’t do anything, leaving it there for others to step in? You could raise your hand now. Okay, nobody can! Glad to hear that.
But on the weekend, church is not a part of their plan. «Oh, we’re going to go to the mountains; we’re going to go to the desert; we’re going to go to the beach; we’ll do whatever.» But there’s just no God in their life. So in that sense, they’re ungodly. But when you’re ungodly, you don’t have any real direction in life. The ungodly are aimless. They’re not sure what right and wrong are; they’re not sure where they are going exactly. Years ago, the Beatles-that’s a band that once existed, kids — recorded a lot of songs, and one of them was called «Nowhere Man.» Do you remember that song? The lyrics were: «He’s a real nowhere man, living in his nowhere land, making all his nowhere plans for nobody. Doesn’t have a point of view; knows not where he’s going to. Isn’t he a bit like you and me?» And that’s the godless person, the ungodly person -they’re just drifting through life with no real direction, no biblical worldview, no distinct person, going nowhere fast.
I love Psalm 1 because it tells us things that we should not do and things that we should do if we want to be happy. Do you want to be a happy person? Here’s what Psalm 1 says: «Blessed, or happy, is the man or the woman who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the scornful.» Did you notice that regression? First, you’re walking, then you’re standing, then you’re sitting. Let’s say you’re on a diet, and you just happen to walk by Krispy Kreme donuts every day. So you’re walking along on your morning walk, and then you notice that the little sign is lit up, which means they’re making fresh donuts. Now you’re standing. First, you were walking; now you’re standing; you’re looking in the window. Next thing you know, you’re sitting, eating 12 Krispy Kreme donuts and washing them down with some cold milk.
Okay, that’s how sin works. You’re walking by-"Oh, there’s sin; I don’t want to do that.» But what is going on in there? What is this temptation? You’re standing. Next thing you know, you’re sitting. First, you’re walking, then you’re standing, then you’re sitting. Happy is a person who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the scornful. That’s what you should not do. But one of the things I love about the Bible is it tells us we should not do things, but then it tells us to do other things in the place of that. For instance, the Bible says, «Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.» Right? So do this; don’t do that. So instead of walking in the counsel of the ungodly, that chapter goes on to say, «But his delight is in the word of the Lord, and in it does he meditate day and night.» So the word of the Lord-that’s the Bible.
Notice it’s done day and night. You should start the day with the Bible; you should end the day with the Bible. You know, sometimes when I’m going to sleep, I just will go over Scriptures, Scriptures that I’ve committed to memory, like the Lord’s Prayer: «Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who’ve sinned against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the power, the kingdom and the glory forever. Amen.» Or maybe Psalm 23: «The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters; He restores my soul.» And on and on, great verses go. And it just sort of resets your mind. You know, start the day with Scripture; end the day with Scripture.
And by the way, the word «meditate» means to ponder. You know, in Eastern meditation, one tries to empty their mind while wearing Lululemon and sitting in a lotus position. In biblical meditation, one seeks to fill their mind with the word of God. Don’t do this-walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Do this instead-fill your mind with the word of God. If you do that, you’ll be a happy person. So happiness comes from not doing the wrong things.
The happy person walks the right way. Number two: The happy person thinks the right way. Look at verse two: «His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in it does he meditate day and night.» Now, «law of the Lord» could just as easily be translated to «word of the Lord.» Or to put it another way, he meditates in the Bible day and night. Okay, so that’s the secret! Don’t live in this ungodly way, but meditate in the word of God. He delights in it. I love that. It’s not something you have to do; it’s something you want to do. C.H. Spurgeon, a great preacher from days gone by, made this statement: «Man must have some delight, some supreme pleasure. His heart was never meant to be a vacuum. If it is not filled with the best things, it will be filled with the unworthy and disappointing.»
What do you delight in? You take joy in it. Some people delight in eating. Others delight in exercise. I don’t understand those people, but they do. Others delight in criticizing; it’s almost like a sport for them. «Oh, they love to criticize; the only exercise they get is jumping to conclusions and running down others.» Some delight in the word of God. And the happy person delights in the word of God day and night. You start the day with the Bible; you end the day with the Bible. What a great way to start your day! Before you read social media, before you check your emails, you need to read the Bible before you do it to get your heart and mind in the right place. Start your day with the word of God; end your day with the word of God.
The happy person walks the right way; they don’t walk in the counsel of the ungodly or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the scornful. The happy person thinks the right way; they meditate, ponder, contemplate, memorize the word of God. And then the happy person is rooted the right way. Look at verse three: «He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bring forth fruit in his season. His leaves shall not wither, and whatsoever he does will prosper.» You’re rooted the right way. You’re planted. Jesus said, «If you continue in My word, then are you My disciples.» And the word «continue» is also translated «abide.»
You say, «I don’t know what that means. Is that like the dude abides in The Big Lebowski?» No, not really. To abide means to stay in a given place. It’s like you plant a tree and you keep the tree there. Let’s say I planted a tree in my backyard, and I thought, «I don’t know, this isn’t a good place.» I ripped it up, put it in my front yard, planted it, and I thought, «I don’t like it there; I think the backyard was a good choice.» I ripped it up; now we go back to the backyard again. I changed my mind again. That tree is going to die.
If you want a tree to flourish and bring forth fruit, you need to leave it in a given place and let it sink its roots deeply. The same is true in the Christian life. Here’s our problem: We get rooted up. «I’m in a church; I’m actively involved; I’m serving the Lord!» «Oh, I don’t want to go to this church anymore; let’s go to another one.» Rip it up; now we go over here. «Oh, I don’t like this anymore. Oh, I used to read my Bible, but I don’t do it anymore.» And you know, you’re always uprooting yourself, and this is why you’re having all these problems. But abiding is what Jesus told us we should do.
He made this amazing promise: John 15-Jesus speaking-"If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.» From a Greek translation, it would sound something like this: Jesus speaking, «If you maintain a living communion with Me and My word is at home in you, you can ask it once for yourself; whatever your heart desires and it will be yours.» It actually says that! So we immediately gravitate toward the latter part of that verse-oh wow; whatever my heart desires.
Hold on-condition! If I maintain a living communion with Him, and His word is at home in me, you see? That’s going to change what I pray for-abiding in Christ. And what does that produce? You’ll bring forth much fruit. But what does that mean? What is fruit? Well, one answer is given to us in Galatians 5:22. It says, «The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.» If you become a Christian, you should be a more loving person! Honestly, I’m not that impressed with your theology if I don’t see spiritual fruit in your life.
I’ve met people that know their Bible very well, and they love to criticize other people, but I don’t see love in their life. I see intolerance, meanness, and harshness. And I say, «Where’s the spiritual fruit?» Not just the spiritual knowledge. «Hey, we can have both, and we should have both.» And the more I grow in the knowledge of Scripture, the more fruit I should have in my life. But as a believer, I should be a more loving person! But sometimes I’m the last one to see the fruit. Sometimes another person can tell you if you’re growing better than you can see it yourself.
The best way I could probably find out how you’re doing spiritually is to ask your wife, or your husband, or your kids. «How are they doing? Are they a godly man? Is she a godly woman?» «Well, yes.» «Oh, great!» Fruit takes time to grow. If you pulled a chair up in front of a peach tree and said, «I’m going to watch the fruit grow today,» that’s going to be boring. You will not see any discernible growth whatsoever. But if you were to set up a camera and do some time-lapse photography, you would see rapid growth. So as you abide in Christ, as you sink your roots deeply into Him, you will produce spiritual fruit in your life. That’s something we should all want.
So here’s how Psalm 1 ends: Verse four: «The ungodly are not so; they are like worthless chaff scattered by the wind. They’ll be condemned at the time of judgment; sinners will have no place among the godly. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.» There it is. There’s your choice in life: the happy road or the road to misery; the road to heaven or the road to hell; the life of the godly or the life of the ungodly; the life built on rock or the life built on sand. You can be planted, or you can be rootless. You have a choice in life.
When I was talking to those kids, I said, «You have your whole life in front of you. Make the right choices now, and you won’t regret it later!» But oh, I think of so many people who’ve made the wrong choices. You know them. Maybe you’re one of them. But here’s the good news: Even if you’ve made some bad choices, it’s not too late to change! It’s not too late to come to the Lord and say, «Lord, I’ve made a mess of my life. I’ve missed opportunities. I’ve wasted time; I’ve wasted so many things. But I’m coming to You. I’m asking You to help me, to change me, and to forgive me.»
That’s why Jesus died on the cross. Listen, someone-there’s only one person who has ever lived perfectly, and it’s me. Let me explain-that was a joke! It’s not me; no one has. But Jesus lived it perfectly. He never walked in the counsel of the ungodly; He never walked in the way of sinners or sat in the seat of the scornful. He did meditate in God’s word day and night. He was like that tree planted by the rivers of water that brought forth fruit in His season. But then He went and died on a tree, so to speak. The Bible says, «Cursed is every man that hangs on a tree.» Jesus died on the cross for our sin so we could be forgiven in life and so we could spend eternity with Him. Jesus says, «Narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there are that find it.»
Yes, it is the road less traveled, but it is the best road. And as far as I’m concerned, it’s the only road.