Is Christianity the Harder or Easier Way?

Is Christianity the Harder or Easier Way?

Psalm 128
Pastor Terry Wilcox

“A song of ascents” NIV
“A song of the stairway” TPT
“Pilgrim songs” Beacon Commentary

Psalm 128:1-6

Blessed means , wholeness, sense of completing God’s purpose.  Here it is the plural denoting a sense of 

The amazing truth is that those who  God are happy.

Being a Christian is what we are designed for.

Being blessed and being a blessing has always been God’s plan for us:

• Genesis 1:27-28
• Genesis 12:1-2
• Genesis 49 & Genesis 50 – Jacob blesses his son Joseph, his sons, and the 12 tribes constituting Israel.
• Matthew 5:3-12
• Revelations promises blessings from start to finish –
  Revelation 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7; 22:14.

What does it mean to be blessed?

1.  The people of faith will  of their labor.
   1. The world’s perspective
      “The world” = the society of proud and arrogant humankind that defies and tries to eliminate God’s rule and presence in history.

      Dr. John MacArthur received national attention with his Palm Sunday message in reference to Romans 1:18:

      “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness…”

      “God gave them over to a reprobate mind, a non-functioning mind. When you see a nation deep in sexual sin, pervasively affirming homosexuality, and the insanity of a reprobate mind, where they make laws to criminalize righteousness and to legalize gross evil, you know that nations under judgment.”

   2. Biblical perspective is to .
      John Calvin preaching in Geneva Switzerland said Christians must develop better and deeper concepts of happiness than those held by the world, which makes a happy life to consist in ease, honors, and great wealth.

      Much of the world’s happiness depends on taking from others to satisfy the appetites for more and more luxuries, and higher and higher standards of living.

      John Wesley said, “Earn all you can, save all you can, and  all you can.”

2. The blessing of . Psalm 128:3 
   In Hebrew culture, a standard sign of happiness was a wife who had many children.
   1. Verse 3 TPT “Your wife will bless your heart and home.”
   2. The blessings do not exclude the  inherent to life in .
3. The blessing of children. Psalm 128:3 
   Verse 3b TPT “Your children will bring you joy as many gather around your table.”

1. 1. They provide emotional satisfaction, , labor, continuation of the .
   2. Psalm 128:4 Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord.”

      The children don’t need to be  to bless you, nor you  to bless them.

      The greater community benefits when people love God and  the road of faith, following his .

Personal Notes