Professional journals are very popular, in fact here is a short list of some of the most popular journals:

•       Journal of Counseling Psychology
•      Journal of Consumer Research
•      Quarterly Journal of Economics
•      Journal of Educational Psychology
•      Journal of American History
•      New England Journal of Medicine

Did you know that there was a journal of Happiness studies? People are always searching for happiness and for different ways to achieve that happiness. If you Google “how to be happy:” you will get 4.4 BILLION results. In fact the afore mention journal (the journal of happiness studies) has an article on the Top 10 ways to be happy.

Top 10 Ways to be Hapy

1. Exercise (7 minutes per day)
2. Sleep more
3. Spend more time with friends and family
4. Get outside more often
5. Help others (suggest 2 hours per day)
6. Smile more
7. Plan a trip (even if you do not take the trip)
8. Meditate
9. Move closer to work
10. practice gratitude

Psalm 1:1–6 (AV)
1Blessed 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.
2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3And 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.
4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Characteristics of the person that God blesses

1. Walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly

Paul has a lot to say about your walk

•     he wrote 13 books (14 if you count Hebrews)

•     in 9 of those books he speaks about your walk

•     that is in 70% of his books, he speaks on your walk

A few instructions on your walk according to Paul

•     Walk in Faith (Romans 4:12, 2 Corinthians 5:7)

•     Walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4)

•     Walk not after the flesh (Romans 8:1,4)

•     Walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16)

•     Walk in good works (Ephesians 2:10)

Choose your walking buddies carefully

Proverbs 11:14 AV

¹⁴ Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Proverbs 19:21 AV

²¹ There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

Proverbs 12:5 AV

⁵ The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit.

Cost of walking in the wrong counsel

•     Will never make you happy (Blessed)

•     you can not walk in the counsel of the ungodly once you have been exposed to the truth and be happy

•     Will make you miserable (eventually)

•     Will make you feel guilty

2. Does not stand in the way of sinners

Everyone is a sinner (Romans 3:23)

God makes a distinction between

•     A child of God that sins

•     A person who has not been born again

God never calls HIS people sinners

We are sinners saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9)

But we are called:

•     Saints (1 Corinthians 1:2)

•     Kings and Priests (Revelation 5:9-10)

•     Children of Light (1 Thessalonians 5:5)

we are never called sinners after salvation

The Way of Sinners

Sinners have a way of doing things

Opposite of what God intended

Proverbs 16:25 AV

²⁵ There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

They are always re-writing the rules of what God established

1.   Marriage

2.   Family

3.   Entertainment

4.   Gender

Standing in the way of sinners

Means to adopt their manner of living

•     after a while it will affect you less and less

2 Peter 2:7 AV

⁷ And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

1.   It will wear on  you

2.   It will change you

3.   It will break you down

4.   It replaces

•     Good with Bad

•     Right with Wrong

•     Godly with unGodly

Proper response to the way of sinners

Ephesians 5:11 AV

¹¹ And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

Proverbs 1:15 AV

¹⁵ My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

3. Does not sit in the seat of the scornful

Proverbs 13:1 AV

¹ A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.

Notice the progression: your start off by walking in bad counsel, then you find yourself standing with the sinners and eventually you end up sitting with the scorners. That is you will find yourself fully identifying with the wicked instead of identifying yourself with the Lord.

Scorners do not accomplish anything

•     Do not fight temptation

•     Do not take a stand

•     Do not see the importance of doing anything for God

•     They only mock those that do

Nehemiah 2:17–19 (AV)
17Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.
18Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.
19But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?

The Seat of the Scornful

•     not just the scorner sitting down

•     this is a reserved seat of authority

First mention of seat

Exodus 25:17 (AV)

¹⁷ And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

Scorners exalt their seat above God

Isaiah 14:13 AV

¹³ For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

Lucifer wanted to sit upon the mount of the congregation

• He wanted to be heard
• He wanted to be respected
• He wanted to be worshipped

If you elevate yourself to mocking and ridiculing

•      God
•      HIS Word
•      Those that try to live for HIM
  •      you will not prosper

4. Delights in the word of God

What is so delightful about the word of God?

•     It’s a Mirror (James 1:23-25)

•     It’s a Lamp (Psalm 119:105)

•     It’s a Sword (Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12)

•     It’s Milk, Meat, Bread, Honey – the list goes on and on

People that do not delight in the word of God

•     Do not realize all that it can do

So if you want to be blessed of the Lord

And enjoy true happiness….

•     Don’t walk in bad counsel

•     Don’t live a life of sin

•     don’t sit in the seat of scorners

•     Do delight in Gods word

Our hope at Irvington Bible Baptist Church is that this podcast provided some encouragement and has helped you to develop a closer relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ.