Valley View Baptist Church Pastor Curt Audet
6N656 Route 25 December 28, 2025
St. Charles, IL 60174 Page 1 of 6
“Walk With The Word!”
Psalm 1
BI: We increasingly walk with wisdom as we increasingly walk with the Word of God.
Here in these last four days of 2025, and the beginning of a new year, we have the opportunity to reflect. We can reflect and ask ourselves some questions going forward.
- What blessings can I give thanks to God for in the last year?
- What areas of growth can I build on?
- What mistakes can I learn from?
- How can I better serve the Lord?
- How can I better love those with whom I get to live among?
- How is God developing wisdom in my life?
Wisdom is similar to knowledge, but wisdom is not knowledge. Knowledge is the growing body of information we have about various subjects in life. Wisdom is what we must do with the knowledge we accumulate. Wisdom is the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment converging on the moment hand. I pray for wisdom more than anything else in my decades long walk with the Lord. One of the most important things that the Word of God does in our life is to train us in wisdom. Proverbs 3 tells us what the value of wisdom is from the perspective of the one blessed enough to possess it. Proverbs 3:13-18 says,
“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding,
14for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. 15She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. 16Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.
This morning we are considering Psalm 1 as a guide as we pursue wisdom in 2026. We will be seeing that we increasingly walk with wisdom as we intentionally, increasingly walk with the Word of God.
Psalm 1 will be posing to us some choices that we have to make. You can see the text of Psalm 1 in your own Bible and on the notes for today. Psalm 1:1-6 says,
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. 3He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
4The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Here God’s Word distills all the choices we make in life into two possible options. The proposed preferred option to pursue is to be a ‘blessed man’ or ‘blessed woman’. In this context, to be ‘blessed’ is to have the hand of God’s favor at work in our lives. This will bring the deep sense of joy at the soul level in life that transcends the ups and downs of the individual days.
The default option is intense and jars our senses as we see is that of a wicked person. To be wicked is to live your live with either no interest in the law of God or in distinct opposition to the law of God. The stunning reality is that places within our capacity to choose which path we will walk in. We can either walk the ‘road to redemption’—that is called here, ‘the choices of the blessed man’ or the ‘road to perdition’, or here identified as the way of the ‘wicked’.
Jesus spoke of these two paths too. Matthew 7:13-14 says,
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
The Blessed Man experiences the joys of the Narrow Road for an eternity. The Wicked Man experiences the pleasures of sin to some extent on the Broad Road in his life and separation from God for an eternity.
DO I WANT TO BE A ‘BLESSED’ PERSON? (1:1-3)
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. 3He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
It seems like a rhetorical question. Who wouldn’t want to be blessed? Even better to be ‘blessed of God’? But this is where the choices play a part. The ‘blessed person’ who refuses to do three life altering things and steadfastly chooses to do three things. It is in these choices that the seemingly obvious question and positive answer is actually made. Its in the day to day that these choices are made. And as we look at these, you will see yourself; how did you choose in 2025? And perhaps you will see more clearly where you will choose for 2026.
The blessed man walks not in the counsel of the wicked. This man consciously, specifically and intentionally chooses to avoid like the plague the ‘counsel of the wicked’. Often in our formational youth we learn this hard lesson. A wicked person is someone who says in his heart, ‘I neither believe in or care about the God who made me. I do as I please. I follow my heart. Period.’
The man or woman seeking to follow the Lord and to gain wisdom does not seek the counsel of the wicked. Consider God’s law and the wicked person’s counsel to reject His law. Exodus 20 says,
1 – I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me.
2 – You shall not make for yourself idols and worship them.
3 – You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4 – Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5 – Honor your father and your mother.
6 – You shall not murder.
7 – You shall not commit adultery.
8 – You shall not steal.
9 – You shall not lie.
10 – You shall not covet.
Beware of the man or woman that mocks God’s law or dismisses it outright. They are ‘wicked’. And stay far away from their counsel.
The blessed man stands not in the way of the sinners.
The blessed man sits not in the seat of the scoffers.
The blessed man delights in the Lord.
The blessed man delights in the Lord’s Law.
The blessed man meditates day and night on God’s Word.
Do you want to be like this blessed man or woman? Then go after it in 2026. I have a challenge that will help you with this goal.
DO I WANT TO BE A ‘WICKED’ PERSON? (1:4-6)
4The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Notice here that there are no further choices required to be in the ‘wicked’ designation. Why is this? Its because the Bible warns us all that until we come to Christ by faith and for forgiveness, we are all lost sinners, living in hostility toward God and facing eternal condemnation. When we turn from our sin, and turn to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are given His righteousness in the place of our wickedness.
The sobering truth is that everyone is ‘wicked’ until we are born again. The joy filled truth is that everyone who calls upon the Lord will be saved.
The wicked man is ‘chaff’.
The wicked will not stand in the Day of Judgement.
The wicked will not be saved into eternity.
The wicked will face the second death.
Do you want to be like this wicked man or woman? Then turn from your sin, follow hard after Christ as His disciple go in 2026.
You increasingly walk with wisdom as You increasingly walk with the Word of God.
You increasingly walk with Gods Favor as You increasingly walk with the Word of God.
You increasingly walk with God’s Blessing as You increasingly
walk with the Word of God.
I have two challenges that will help you with this goal.
TAKE THE BIBLE PLUNGE CHALLENGE
1. Download Bible.com
2. Find the ‘Chronological Bible’ plan.
3. Begin Reading January 1
4. Read the readings each day.
5. Finish reading the Bible on 12/31/26!
PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCIPLESHIP WORKSHOP 1/17/26
1. Let me know that you want to come.
2. 10 am on 1/17/25 in the Everett Room.
3. Be ready to grow together!
Closing Prayer / Communion / Aaron’s Blessing / Junior Sermon
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