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TEXT: Psalm 1
SUBJECT: Kids’ Sermon #40: What the Happy Person Doesn’t Do
Kids, listen up please!
Today is the second Sunday of the month and time for another sermon—just for you. Last month we started a new study of Psalm One. Before we move on, you need to remember some things,
Now that you remember these things, we can move on with our study. Today, we’re going to look at v.1, and find out what the happy person does not do.
When I say he "does not do" some things, I’m not saying he never, ever does them. No one is sinless, but the Lord Jesus Christ. The holiest person will do bad things at times, but he won’t keep doing them over and over again. When he falls into sin, he prays for forgiveness and he tries to do better. The first verse tells us what the happy person does not do. He does not…
WALK IN THE COUNSEL OF THE UNGODLY
This means he doesn’t listen to bad advice. He stays away from people who try to talk him into sinning against the Lord.
Has anyone ever done that to you? For example, has a friend ever tried to get you to:
If you want to be unhappy, listen to the people who want you to join them in their sin. But, if you want to be happy, don’t listen to them! Proverbs 1:10 says,
"My son, if sinners entice you,
do not consent".
That means: Don’t let them talk you into doing something wrong. Say No to them. And, more than that, don’t listen to them at all!
Remember Joseph in the Bible? Once Potiphar’s wife tried to get him to commit a very great sin. She was after him all the time. What did he do? Discuss it with her? Listen politely? No, he didn’t. He ran away from her! He knew that, if he listened to her evil words, he might give into them. So he got away from her—and her ungodly counsel—as fast as he could!
If someone tries to talk you into sin, do what Joseph did. Don’t talk about it, don’t think about it, don’t pray about it, don’t listen to it, just leave!
An old preacher once said,
"Whoever says a bad word has the devil on his tongue;
whoever listens to a bad word has the devil in his ear".
He was right. The Bible says so, I Corinthians 15:33 says,
"Do not be deceived, evil communications
corrupt good morals".
When the Bible was written, about the only way you could "Walk in the counsel of the ungodly" was by listening to bad friends. That’s no longer true. Now, we have TV shows, movies, music, and things on the Internet that try to talk us into sin. What God says about bad friends is also true about bad programs, CDs and downloads. If you want to be happy, you cannot listen to them! Or let them talk you into sinning.
That’s the first thing the Happy Person doesn’t do. He doesn’t "walk in the counsel of the ungodly". The second thing he doesn’t do is…
STAND IN THE WAY OF SINNERS
This means he doesn’t "fit in" with bad people. He doesn’t enjoy their company; he doesn’t like what they talk about; and he’s not comfortable doing what they do. He may have to be with them, at times, but he’s not one of them.
They think he’s conceited or stuck-up. But that’s not true. He doesn’t fit in with bad people because he’s good. He’s not comfortable with kids who steal or lie because he’s honest. He doesn’t fit in with kids who gossip and fight because he’s kind.
Does the Lord want you to "stand in the way of sinners"? No, He doesn’t. He commands you to "Come out from among them and be separate". He says, "Make no friends with an angry man and with a furious man do not go".
Do you want to know what kind of person you are? Look at your best friends. If they’re mean or selfish or deceitful, you are too! But if your friends are like this, you’ll never be happy. Because the happy man does not "Stand in the way of sinners".
There’s one more thing he doesn’t do. He doesn’t…
SIT IN THE SEAT OF THE SCORNFUL
The "scornful" are people who mock at God; they sneer at His Law and laugh at His Gospel. Do you know that many kids are scornful? You can see it on their faces. When their parents try to correct them, they roll their eyes. They laugh through the sermon at church. They make family worship into a joke.
They don’t take God seriously. They’re like those kids who mocked Elisha,
"Go up, you bald head!
Go up, bald head!"
To "sit in the seat of the scornful" means to join them. Or to agree with them. Or to make a mockery of God and His Word.
Does the Happy Person join the mockers? No He doesn’t. He knows what happened to the kids who laughed at the Prophet—two bears tore them to pieces! He knows where mockery comes from,
"A proud and haughty man--
Scoffer is his name;
He acts with arrogant pride".
He knows where scoffing will get you. It will get you in trouble—in this life. And in the life to come.
"Judgments are prepared for scoffers,
and beatings for the backs of fools".
"Surely, He scorns the scornful,
but gives grace to the humble".
Scorners laugh at God. But the happy person does not. No, he fears the Lord and loves Him. If you’re a scoffer—or a friend of one, you will never be happy. Don’t confuse laughing all the time with being happy. They’re not the same thing.
SUMMARY
How many of you kids want to be happy?
If you want to be happy, what three things must you not do?
Is this my opinion? Or God’s Word?
What does that mean?
CHALLENGE
If Psalm 1:1 is true, it means you have to choose your friends carefully. If they tempt you to sin or behave wickedly, or laugh at God and His Word, you should drop them. Even if they live next door or have "cool things" at home. As long as they remain your best friends, you cannot be happy. And God will not be happy with you.
Doing this, won’t leave you lonely—at least not for very long. Because there are other kids out there who are looking for good friends. And they’ll be far better friends than the ones you dropped.
Why? Because they won’t tempt you to sin, but will encourage you to live a holy life. Good friends help you get to heaven. Bad friends push you on to hell.
Choose your friends wisely.
And parents, you need to help them. Most kids are not mature enough to select their friends wisely. You need to meet their friends and get to know them. You also need to see what effect they have on your kids. If it’s bad, you need to do something about it.
Above all, we need to pray for good friends, look for good friends, and keep our good friends.
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