Title: The Essential Need for Bible Meditation
Meta: Meditation is to think upon, reflect, ask questions, talk with yourself and with God; about God and His Word. There is intentional daily meditation and spontaneous regular meditation; all with the goal of knowing God and His Word more.  It is keeping Him at the forefront of our mind and in the end treasuring Him more.
Tags: Joshua 1:8,Bible,Scripture,Word,God

1
00:00:00,830 --> 00:00:02,509
If you'll open your Bibles

2
00:00:02,509 --> 00:00:05,977
to the book of Joshua 1.

3
00:00:05,977 --> 00:00:09,521
I'm going to read verses 1-9,

4
00:00:09,521 --> 00:00:14,242
and then we'll just focus in on one verse.

5
00:00:14,242 --> 00:00:16,520
Joshua 1

6
00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:18,807
The reading of God's Word.

7
00:00:18,807 --> 00:00:20,850
"After the death of Moses,

8
00:00:20,850 --> 00:00:22,669
the servant of the Lord,

9
00:00:22,669 --> 00:00:24,132
the Lord said to Joshua,

10
00:00:24,132 --> 00:00:27,523
the son of Nun, Moses' assistant,

11
00:00:27,523 --> 00:00:30,462
'Moses, My servant is dead.

12
00:00:30,462 --> 00:00:33,987
Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan,

13
00:00:33,987 --> 00:00:35,235
you and all this people,

14
00:00:35,235 --> 00:00:37,584
into the land that I am giving to them,

15
00:00:37,584 --> 00:00:39,384
to the people of Israel.

16
00:00:39,384 --> 00:00:41,991
Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon

17
00:00:41,991 --> 00:00:43,524
I have given to you,

18
00:00:43,524 --> 00:00:46,014
just as I promised to Moses.

19
00:00:46,014 --> 00:00:47,437
From the wilderness

20
00:00:47,437 --> 00:00:49,803
and this Lebanon as far as the great river,

21
00:00:49,803 --> 00:00:51,447
the river Euphrates,

22
00:00:51,447 --> 00:00:52,944
all the land of the Hittites

23
00:00:52,944 --> 00:00:54,225
from the Great Sea toward

24
00:00:54,225 --> 00:00:55,490
the going down of the sun

25
00:00:55,490 --> 00:00:57,284
shall be your territory.

26
00:00:57,284 --> 00:00:59,477
No man shall be able to stand before you

27
00:00:59,477 --> 00:01:01,402
all the days of your life.

28
00:01:01,402 --> 00:01:03,336
Just as I was with Moses,

29
00:01:03,336 --> 00:01:07,418
so I will be with you.

30
00:01:07,418 --> 00:01:10,427
I will never leave you or forsake you.

31
00:01:10,427 --> 00:01:12,321
Be strong and courageous,

32
00:01:12,321 --> 00:01:13,900
for you shall cause this people

33
00:01:13,900 --> 00:01:14,996
to inherit the land

34
00:01:14,996 --> 00:01:17,800
that I swore to their fathers to give them.

35
00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:20,568
Only be strong and very courageous.

36
00:01:20,568 --> 00:01:23,018
Be careful to do according to all the word

37
00:01:23,018 --> 00:01:25,721
that Moses, my servant, commanded you.

38
00:01:25,721 --> 00:01:28,778
Do not turn from it to the right hand

39
00:01:28,778 --> 00:01:30,171
or to the left,

40
00:01:30,171 --> 00:01:31,864
that you may have good success

41
00:01:31,864 --> 00:01:33,785
wherever you go.

42
00:01:33,785 --> 00:01:36,843
This Book of Law shall not depart from your mouth,

43
00:01:36,843 --> 00:01:39,204
but you shall meditate on it day and night,

44
00:01:39,204 --> 00:01:40,808
so that you may be careful to do

45
00:01:40,808 --> 00:01:43,207
according to all that is written in it.

46
00:01:43,207 --> 00:01:45,555
For then you will make your way prosperous,

47
00:01:45,555 --> 00:01:47,884
and then you will have good success.

48
00:01:47,884 --> 00:01:50,067
Have I not commanded you?

49
00:01:50,067 --> 00:01:51,959
Be strong and courageous.

50
00:01:51,959 --> 00:01:54,251
Do not be frightened,

51
00:01:54,251 --> 00:01:56,099
and do not be dismayed,

52
00:01:56,099 --> 00:01:57,844
for the Lord your God is with you

53
00:01:57,844 --> 00:01:59,968
wherever you go.'"

54
00:01:59,968 --> 00:02:05,412
Let's pray.

55
00:02:05,412 --> 00:02:11,669
Oh God, You are a good God.

56
00:02:11,669 --> 00:02:14,437
God, You've done so much,

57
00:02:14,437 --> 00:02:15,862
and You know our needs.

58
00:02:15,862 --> 00:02:17,292
You say You know our needs

59
00:02:17,292 --> 00:02:20,377
before we ask.

60
00:02:20,377 --> 00:02:23,005
So, Lord, I know even in our asking

61
00:02:23,005 --> 00:02:25,258
we won't even ask sufficiently,

62
00:02:25,258 --> 00:02:28,014
because our need is so great.

63
00:02:28,014 --> 00:02:30,098
But I thank You that You're a good Father

64
00:02:30,098 --> 00:02:32,553
Who desires to give good things

65
00:02:32,553 --> 00:02:34,892
to His children.

66
00:02:34,892 --> 00:02:37,613
We ask in faith, believing You are able,

67
00:02:37,613 --> 00:02:39,966
and believing You are willing.

68
00:02:39,966 --> 00:02:42,660
Lord, give to us help now -

69
00:02:42,660 --> 00:02:44,403
help to understand,

70
00:02:44,403 --> 00:02:46,248
help to see,

71
00:02:46,248 --> 00:02:49,585
Lord, the grace and unction of the Spirit to come,

72
00:02:49,585 --> 00:02:53,110
to work in our midst as my brothers have prayed.

73
00:02:53,110 --> 00:02:56,455
Lord, to do a work of transformation

74
00:02:56,455 --> 00:02:59,156
in the heart of Your people.

75
00:02:59,156 --> 00:03:01,653
And God, maybe even to draw

76
00:03:01,653 --> 00:03:03,888
some people unto You.

77
00:03:03,888 --> 00:03:06,880
We ask this in the name of Jesus our Savior,

78
00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:10,583
Amen.

79
00:03:10,583 --> 00:03:13,480
I'll tell you after hearing Brother Don preach,

80
00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:16,872
it makes me just want to stop

81
00:03:16,872 --> 00:03:18,215
and not preach right now.

82
00:03:18,215 --> 00:03:19,884
Just to sit and really think about

83
00:03:19,884 --> 00:03:22,566
what you just preached, brother.

84
00:03:22,566 --> 00:03:25,217
That's what the Word of God preached should do.

85
00:03:25,217 --> 00:03:26,831
It should stop you in your tracks

86
00:03:26,831 --> 00:03:27,957
and make you sit there

87
00:03:27,957 --> 00:03:31,090
and ponder and think.

88
00:03:31,090 --> 00:03:35,586
I'm going to focus today on v. 8.

89
00:03:35,586 --> 00:03:38,242
Beloved, if you're a genuine Christian,

90
00:03:38,242 --> 00:03:40,048
I want you to know this for sure:

91
00:03:40,048 --> 00:03:42,900
You are more than forgiven

92
00:03:42,900 --> 00:03:44,434
and reconciled to God.

93
00:03:44,434 --> 00:03:46,880
You have been made new.

94
00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:48,846
Not in any way to minimize

95
00:03:48,846 --> 00:03:51,013
Christ's work of reconciliation

96
00:03:51,013 --> 00:03:52,980
that He accomplished for us.

97
00:03:52,980 --> 00:03:55,293
All praise be to His name for that.

98
00:03:55,293 --> 00:03:58,572
But you need to know you're more than reconciled.

99
00:03:58,572 --> 00:04:00,402
You're a new creation.

100
00:04:00,402 --> 00:04:01,786
And this newness of life -

101
00:04:01,786 --> 00:04:04,329
it's a work of the Holy Spirit.

102
00:04:04,329 --> 00:04:06,112
It's a transforming work.

103
00:04:06,112 --> 00:04:08,443
We call it regeneration,

104
00:04:08,443 --> 00:04:09,706
or being born again,

105
00:04:09,706 --> 00:04:11,745
or born from above.

106
00:04:11,745 --> 00:04:14,929
You and I did not work for that.

107
00:04:14,929 --> 00:04:16,402
In fact, it's what we call

108
00:04:16,402 --> 00:04:18,738
a monergistic work.

109
00:04:18,738 --> 00:04:20,754
It means there is One at work,

110
00:04:20,754 --> 00:04:23,164
and that One is the Holy Spirit.

111
00:04:23,164 --> 00:04:25,905
In regeneration, you are worked upon,

112
00:04:25,905 --> 00:04:26,947
or within.

113
00:04:26,947 --> 00:04:28,366
But you didn't do anything.

114
00:04:28,366 --> 00:04:30,792
It is not you and God working together

115
00:04:30,792 --> 00:04:32,383
to make you new.

116
00:04:32,383 --> 00:04:33,506
It's not you saying,

117
00:04:33,506 --> 00:04:34,886
"I'll turn over a new leaf,

118
00:04:34,886 --> 00:04:36,754
and God, You do Your part."

119
00:04:36,754 --> 00:04:40,005
It is God taking a person walking this way -

120
00:04:40,005 --> 00:04:41,684
dead in sin -

121
00:04:41,684 --> 00:04:44,519
and regenerating them and turning them around

122
00:04:44,519 --> 00:04:48,468
and giving them newness of life.

123
00:04:48,468 --> 00:04:50,304
Now because we have been made new,

124
00:04:50,304 --> 00:04:53,060
we have new hearts.

125
00:04:53,060 --> 00:04:55,682
We have spiritual life now.

126
00:04:55,682 --> 00:04:57,974
We have a living and active relationship

127
00:04:57,974 --> 00:05:00,946
with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

128
00:05:00,946 --> 00:05:03,022
We can understand truth -

129
00:05:03,022 --> 00:05:05,087
something we couldn't do before.

130
00:05:05,087 --> 00:05:07,495
And with the new heart and life

131
00:05:07,495 --> 00:05:09,489
comes new desire.

132
00:05:09,489 --> 00:05:12,314
We have new desires for God.

133
00:05:12,314 --> 00:05:15,314
We have new desires for His glory.

134
00:05:15,314 --> 00:05:17,927
We have new desire for His will

135
00:05:17,927 --> 00:05:19,752
to be done in our lives

136
00:05:19,752 --> 00:05:21,540
and the world around us.

137
00:05:21,540 --> 00:05:24,480
We have desire for His Word and truth.

138
00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,650
And we have a desire for His people.

139
00:05:27,650 --> 00:05:29,468
Many of those new desires

140
00:05:29,468 --> 00:05:30,857
as a direction of life

141
00:05:30,857 --> 00:05:31,909
are the evidences

142
00:05:31,909 --> 00:05:34,226
that you've been truly converted.

143
00:05:34,226 --> 00:05:35,175
For one to say,

144
00:05:35,175 --> 00:05:37,131
I love God and have not those

145
00:05:37,131 --> 00:05:38,680
new desires and new ways

146
00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:40,094
about their life,

147
00:05:40,094 --> 00:05:41,313
can have no assurance

148
00:05:41,313 --> 00:05:44,100
that they've been born of God.

149
00:05:44,100 --> 00:05:45,066
As a Christian also,

150
00:05:45,066 --> 00:05:46,946
you want to please the Lord,

151
00:05:46,946 --> 00:05:47,973
and glorify the Lord,

152
00:05:47,973 --> 00:05:49,947
you want to know Him more.

153
00:05:49,947 --> 00:05:52,182
You want more intimacy.

154
00:05:52,182 --> 00:05:53,326
You want to be conformed

155
00:05:53,326 --> 00:05:54,978
to the image of Jesus Christ.

156
00:05:54,978 --> 00:05:57,396
I'm believing you want those things.

157
00:05:57,396 --> 00:05:59,140
I'm believing what we sang earlier,

158
00:05:59,140 --> 00:06:00,679
"Speak, O Lord..."

159
00:06:00,679 --> 00:06:02,858
We're asking Him to do that work here

160
00:06:02,858 --> 00:06:03,715
in our midst

161
00:06:03,715 --> 00:06:05,202
as the Word is preached,

162
00:06:05,202 --> 00:06:07,087
that we would be strengthened

163
00:06:07,087 --> 00:06:08,897
and renewed and stirred.

164
00:06:08,897 --> 00:06:10,757
I'm believing you want that.

165
00:06:10,757 --> 00:06:13,327
Many of you drove great distances,

166
00:06:13,327 --> 00:06:14,814
spent money,

167
00:06:14,814 --> 00:06:15,958
you're giving up work

168
00:06:15,958 --> 00:06:17,327
and time to do other things.

169
00:06:17,327 --> 00:06:18,641
So I'm believing

170
00:06:18,641 --> 00:06:20,966
that you want more intimacy with God.

171
00:06:20,966 --> 00:06:22,399
I'm believing you want to be

172
00:06:22,399 --> 00:06:25,119
more conformed to the image of Jesus Christ,

173
00:06:25,119 --> 00:06:29,327
and set apart for His purposes.

174
00:06:29,327 --> 00:06:32,596
But we do have competing desires, don't we,

175
00:06:32,596 --> 00:06:34,061
that tempt us daily?

176
00:06:34,061 --> 00:06:36,622
We are still susceptible to temptation

177
00:06:36,622 --> 00:06:39,952
even though we've been made new.

178
00:06:39,952 --> 00:06:46,914
And we have responsibility, beloved.

179
00:06:46,914 --> 00:06:48,335
We have responsibility.

180
00:06:48,335 --> 00:06:50,078
In that work of regeneration,

181
00:06:50,078 --> 00:06:51,906
you were acted upon.

182
00:06:51,906 --> 00:06:53,087
But in this growing of

183
00:06:53,087 --> 00:06:56,095
intimacy and conformity to Jesus Christ,

184
00:06:56,095 --> 00:06:58,441
we have a responsibility.

185
00:06:58,441 --> 00:07:01,071
Still utterly, totally dependent

186
00:07:01,071 --> 00:07:02,872
upon the Spirit.

187
00:07:02,872 --> 00:07:05,289
Without Him we can do nothing.

188
00:07:05,289 --> 00:07:08,837
But we do have responsibility.

189
00:07:08,837 --> 00:07:10,630
We will not grow in intimacy

190
00:07:10,630 --> 00:07:12,134
and conformity apart from

191
00:07:12,134 --> 00:07:14,389
the power of the Spirit.

192
00:07:14,389 --> 00:07:15,175
But know this,

193
00:07:15,175 --> 00:07:19,023
He does not do that work in you apart from you.

194
00:07:19,023 --> 00:07:21,673
He does not bypass you in this work.

195
00:07:21,673 --> 00:07:24,457
You're a part of it.

196
00:07:24,457 --> 00:07:26,997
I'm sure many of you have read

197
00:07:26,997 --> 00:07:28,030
Whitney's book,

198
00:07:28,030 --> 00:07:31,268
"The Disciplines of the Christian Life."

199
00:07:31,268 --> 00:07:33,051
He goes through some of what he calls

200
00:07:33,051 --> 00:07:35,712
the means of grace.

201
00:07:35,712 --> 00:07:37,940
Things that God has given to us

202
00:07:37,940 --> 00:07:40,426
that we work in

203
00:07:40,426 --> 00:07:43,167
and we have responsibility in,

204
00:07:43,167 --> 00:07:45,870
in regards to this growing of intimacy

205
00:07:45,870 --> 00:07:48,101
and growing into conformity.

206
00:07:48,101 --> 00:07:49,578
He mentions things like prayer

207
00:07:49,578 --> 00:07:51,167
as Brother Don mentioned.

208
00:07:51,167 --> 00:07:53,466
He mentions things like service with the saints

209
00:07:53,466 --> 00:07:55,002
or stewardships,

210
00:07:55,002 --> 00:07:58,002
Bible intake and worship.

211
00:07:58,002 --> 00:08:00,635
And beloved, we must acknowledge

212
00:08:00,635 --> 00:08:03,085
the means of grace that God works through.

213
00:08:03,085 --> 00:08:04,566
It's not enough for you to say

214
00:08:04,566 --> 00:08:06,512
I want intimacy.

215
00:08:06,512 --> 00:08:09,200
I want conformity.

216
00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:13,526
Whitney talks about these waterfalls of grace,

217
00:08:13,526 --> 00:08:15,432
that if you say I want that,

218
00:08:15,432 --> 00:08:17,376
then you have to subject yourself

219
00:08:17,376 --> 00:08:18,491
willingly, knowingly,

220
00:08:18,491 --> 00:08:20,682
to this waterfall of grace

221
00:08:20,682 --> 00:08:24,878
that God works in and through.

222
00:08:24,878 --> 00:08:27,527
And if we ignore the means of grace,

223
00:08:27,527 --> 00:08:30,222
then we should not be surprised

224
00:08:30,222 --> 00:08:32,648
when we're not growing;

225
00:08:32,648 --> 00:08:37,530
when we're not growing in intimacy.

226
00:08:37,530 --> 00:08:43,154
One vital thing as we begin to talk about responsibility;

227
00:08:43,154 --> 00:08:46,942
as we approach things like spiritual disciplines,

228
00:08:46,942 --> 00:08:49,656
we must be continually reminding ourselves

229
00:08:49,656 --> 00:08:51,805
what we're not talking about.

230
00:08:51,805 --> 00:08:53,806
When we talk about spiritual disciplines

231
00:08:53,806 --> 00:08:55,151
and growth in intimacy

232
00:08:55,151 --> 00:08:56,871
and growth in conformity,

233
00:08:56,871 --> 00:08:58,982
we are not talking about

234
00:08:58,982 --> 00:09:03,091
earning God's favor.

235
00:09:03,091 --> 00:09:06,044
Jesus Christ, through His death, burial, and resurrection

236
00:09:06,044 --> 00:09:07,934
and our union to Him through faith,

237
00:09:07,934 --> 00:09:09,760
has eternally secured

238
00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:11,445
God's favor towards us

239
00:09:11,445 --> 00:09:13,239
as His children.

240
00:09:13,239 --> 00:09:15,913
We are not earning or even improving

241
00:09:15,913 --> 00:09:18,419
upon God's love for us.

242
00:09:18,419 --> 00:09:20,532
God's love for His people

243
00:09:20,532 --> 00:09:22,331
came from within Him.

244
00:09:22,331 --> 00:09:23,964
It was set upon them

245
00:09:23,964 --> 00:09:26,585
despite them.

246
00:09:26,585 --> 00:09:28,084
And His love for His children

247
00:09:28,084 --> 00:09:30,582
is a perfect love.

248
00:09:30,582 --> 00:09:33,243
It cannot be improved upon.

249
00:09:33,243 --> 00:09:34,789
You cannot pray enough

250
00:09:34,789 --> 00:09:36,269
to earn God's favor

251
00:09:36,269 --> 00:09:38,661
or read enough to earn God's favor.

252
00:09:38,661 --> 00:09:41,033
If you studied from now until you died,

253
00:09:41,033 --> 00:09:43,652
He would not love you more.

254
00:09:43,652 --> 00:09:45,506
Because His love is perfected

255
00:09:45,506 --> 00:09:46,510
towards you.

256
00:09:46,510 --> 00:09:48,285
It is not based on you.

257
00:09:48,285 --> 00:09:51,454
It is not based on your performance.

258
00:09:51,454 --> 00:09:53,720
It's called grace.

259
00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:55,389
We should rejoice

260
00:09:55,389 --> 00:09:57,785
that we don't have to earn

261
00:09:57,785 --> 00:10:01,737
God's love and favor.

262
00:10:01,737 --> 00:10:03,766
This does not mean, though,

263
00:10:03,766 --> 00:10:05,610
that He is indifferent

264
00:10:05,610 --> 00:10:07,582
to how we live.

265
00:10:07,582 --> 00:10:08,770
The Scriptures do teach

266
00:10:08,770 --> 00:10:12,419
that we can grieve the Holy Spirit.

267
00:10:12,419 --> 00:10:14,018
We must understand the basis

268
00:10:14,018 --> 00:10:15,432
of His love and acceptance,

269
00:10:15,432 --> 00:10:16,789
again though, is not rooted

270
00:10:16,789 --> 00:10:20,465
in our performance.

271
00:10:20,465 --> 00:10:23,232
All that said though, beloved,

272
00:10:23,232 --> 00:10:25,087
reading,

273
00:10:25,087 --> 00:10:26,425
meditating,

274
00:10:26,425 --> 00:10:27,674
prayer,

275
00:10:27,674 --> 00:10:30,201
the disciplines of grace,

276
00:10:30,201 --> 00:10:32,919
are the means that God works through

277
00:10:32,919 --> 00:10:34,873
to magnify and reveal Himself

278
00:10:34,873 --> 00:10:36,766
to you more and more.

279
00:10:36,766 --> 00:10:39,557
To show you His promises more and more.

280
00:10:39,557 --> 00:10:42,196
And they are essential

281
00:10:42,196 --> 00:10:44,719
in our intimacy

282
00:10:44,719 --> 00:10:47,666
and the growing in grace and understanding,

283
00:10:47,666 --> 00:10:49,829
in the growing of our faith

284
00:10:49,829 --> 00:10:53,891
and our conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ.

285
00:10:53,891 --> 00:10:57,977
My desire, my prayer, for you in this conference:

286
00:10:57,977 --> 00:10:59,802
One, if you're lost, my prayer for you

287
00:10:59,802 --> 00:11:03,289
is that you would be saved during this time.

288
00:11:03,289 --> 00:11:06,057
My prayer if you are saved by God's grace,

289
00:11:06,057 --> 00:11:07,959
is that you would grow

290
00:11:07,959 --> 00:11:09,638
in intimacy and understanding

291
00:11:09,638 --> 00:11:11,951
and conformity to Jesus Christ.

292
00:11:11,951 --> 00:11:13,690
That's my desire for you.

293
00:11:13,690 --> 00:11:15,778
I know that's Nate's, Mack's, Don's desire.

294
00:11:15,778 --> 00:11:17,352
If you are in a local church,

295
00:11:17,352 --> 00:11:19,106
and I'm hoping that you are,

296
00:11:19,106 --> 00:11:20,718
that is your pastor's desire,

297
00:11:20,718 --> 00:11:22,656
that you mature in these things

298
00:11:22,656 --> 00:11:27,600
and that you grow in these things.

299
00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:33,077
Let's read verse 8 again.

300
00:11:33,077 --> 00:11:35,783
"This Book of Law

301
00:11:35,783 --> 00:11:38,775
shall not depart from your mouth,

302
00:11:38,775 --> 00:11:41,487
but you shall meditate on it day and night

303
00:11:41,487 --> 00:11:43,152
so that you may be careful to do

304
00:11:43,152 --> 00:11:45,738
according to all that is written in it.

305
00:11:45,738 --> 00:11:48,428
For then you will make your way prosperous

306
00:11:48,428 --> 00:11:52,085
and then you will have good success."

307
00:11:52,085 --> 00:11:53,215
I want to focus in

308
00:11:53,215 --> 00:11:56,756
on biblical meditation.

309
00:11:56,756 --> 00:11:59,413
This will, obviously, in this short amount of time

310
00:11:59,413 --> 00:12:02,132
not be all inclusive.

311
00:12:02,132 --> 00:12:04,449
It will be more of an introduction

312
00:12:04,449 --> 00:12:06,366
and an exhortation.

313
00:12:06,366 --> 00:12:07,934
I want to look at four aspects

314
00:12:07,934 --> 00:12:09,352
of biblical meditation.

315
00:12:09,352 --> 00:12:11,049
First, we just want to understand

316
00:12:11,049 --> 00:12:12,132
what is it.

317
00:12:12,132 --> 00:12:13,724
So, we'll attempt to define

318
00:12:13,724 --> 00:12:16,278
biblical meditation.

319
00:12:16,278 --> 00:12:17,863
Second, we will look at

320
00:12:17,863 --> 00:12:22,024
what is the focus of meditation.

321
00:12:22,024 --> 00:12:23,785
What is the focus of meditation.

322
00:12:23,785 --> 00:12:26,845
You could say: the object of meditation.

323
00:12:26,845 --> 00:12:30,423
Third, what is the frequency of meditation.

324
00:12:30,423 --> 00:12:31,796
The frequency.

325
00:12:31,796 --> 00:12:34,535
And fourth, what is the fruit?

326
00:12:34,535 --> 00:12:35,965
So, we'll define it,

327
00:12:35,965 --> 00:12:37,396
and then the focus of it,

328
00:12:37,396 --> 00:12:38,662
the frequency of it,

329
00:12:38,662 --> 00:12:41,317
and then the fruit of meditation.

330
00:12:41,317 --> 00:12:44,416
Let's start with what is meditation.

331
00:12:44,416 --> 00:12:46,189
When we say the word "meditation,"

332
00:12:46,189 --> 00:12:49,426
for many of us, it's not a word that we use

333
00:12:49,426 --> 00:12:52,014
very often.

334
00:12:52,014 --> 00:12:57,533
And sadly, it's something that we practice even less.

335
00:12:57,533 --> 00:12:59,965
We often associate the word meditation

336
00:12:59,965 --> 00:13:03,047
with things like Eastern mysticism.

337
00:13:03,047 --> 00:13:04,806
We've let our culture

338
00:13:04,806 --> 00:13:07,075
take this word away from us.

339
00:13:07,075 --> 00:13:10,333
We think about people maybe in weird poses.

340
00:13:10,333 --> 00:13:11,977
Maybe chanting things.

341
00:13:11,977 --> 00:13:14,026
The emptying of their mind

342
00:13:14,026 --> 00:13:16,408
as they search for inward peace

343
00:13:16,408 --> 00:13:18,335
to be found within.

344
00:13:18,335 --> 00:13:19,327
And quite honestly,

345
00:13:19,327 --> 00:13:21,422
when we think - if that's the understanding

346
00:13:21,422 --> 00:13:22,561
we have of meditation,

347
00:13:22,561 --> 00:13:24,516
then it makes complete sense

348
00:13:24,516 --> 00:13:25,513
why we would say,

349
00:13:25,513 --> 00:13:30,288
well, I'm not going to practice meditation.

350
00:13:30,288 --> 00:13:34,344
But meditation's a biblical word.

351
00:13:34,344 --> 00:13:36,798
It's a biblical practice.

352
00:13:36,798 --> 00:13:38,395
The Lord says to Joshua here,

353
00:13:38,395 --> 00:13:42,210
you shall meditate.

354
00:13:42,210 --> 00:13:45,001
And in many places throughout Scripture,

355
00:13:45,001 --> 00:13:48,393
a lot in the book of Psalms,

356
00:13:48,393 --> 00:13:52,891
we see meditation and meditation practiced.

357
00:13:52,891 --> 00:13:56,810
All of us are familiar with Psalm 1.

358
00:13:56,810 --> 00:13:58,313
Blessed is the man

359
00:13:58,313 --> 00:14:00,931
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

360
00:14:00,931 --> 00:14:04,714
nor stand in the way of sinners

361
00:14:04,714 --> 00:14:06,910
nor sit in the seat of scoffers.

362
00:14:06,910 --> 00:14:09,618
But his delight is in the law of the Lord

363
00:14:09,618 --> 00:14:12,330
and on His law, he does what?

364
00:14:12,330 --> 00:14:15,642
He meditates day and night.

365
00:14:15,642 --> 00:14:16,936
There are two other places

366
00:14:16,936 --> 00:14:17,738
in the Psalms.

367
00:14:17,738 --> 00:14:19,086
You can just listen to them

368
00:14:19,086 --> 00:14:20,628
and write the references down.

369
00:14:20,628 --> 00:14:22,287
I'll read them to you here.

370
00:14:22,287 --> 00:14:28,518
Listen to Psalm 63:1-8.

371
00:14:28,518 --> 00:14:30,800
"Oh God, You are my God.

372
00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:32,653
Earnestly I seek You.

373
00:14:32,653 --> 00:14:34,641
My soul thirsts for You.

374
00:14:34,641 --> 00:14:37,393
My flesh faints for You

375
00:14:37,393 --> 00:14:39,098
as in a dry and weary land

376
00:14:39,098 --> 00:14:40,813
where there is no water.

377
00:14:40,813 --> 00:14:42,361
So I have looked upon You

378
00:14:42,361 --> 00:14:43,924
in the sanctuary,

379
00:14:43,924 --> 00:14:45,914
beholding Your power and glory.

380
00:14:45,914 --> 00:14:47,797
Because Your steadfast love

381
00:14:47,797 --> 00:14:49,804
is better than life

382
00:14:49,804 --> 00:14:51,793
my lips will praise You.

383
00:14:51,793 --> 00:14:53,884
So I bless You as long as I live.

384
00:14:53,884 --> 00:14:56,059
In Your name, I lift up my hands.

385
00:14:56,059 --> 00:14:57,817
My soul will be satisfied

386
00:14:57,817 --> 00:14:59,352
as with fat and rich food,

387
00:14:59,352 --> 00:15:00,782
and my mouth will praise You

388
00:15:00,782 --> 00:15:03,246
with joyful lips.

389
00:15:03,246 --> 00:15:06,149
When I remember You upon my bed,

390
00:15:06,149 --> 00:15:08,374
and meditate on You

391
00:15:08,374 --> 00:15:12,452
in the watches of the night."

392
00:15:12,452 --> 00:15:14,795
When will he do all those things?

393
00:15:14,795 --> 00:15:17,440
When he remembers Him upon His bed

394
00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:21,370
and when He meditates upon the Lord.

395
00:15:21,370 --> 00:15:27,144
Listen to Psalm 119:145-149.

396
00:15:27,144 --> 00:15:28,978
"With my whole heart I cry,

397
00:15:28,978 --> 00:15:30,719
answer me, O Lord!

398
00:15:30,719 --> 00:15:32,361
I will keep Your statutes.

399
00:15:32,361 --> 00:15:34,198
I call to You, save me,

400
00:15:34,198 --> 00:15:36,410
that I may observe Your testimonies.

401
00:15:36,410 --> 00:15:39,325
I rise before dawn and cry for help.

402
00:15:39,325 --> 00:15:40,976
I hope in Your words.

403
00:15:40,976 --> 00:15:42,485
My eyes are awake

404
00:15:42,485 --> 00:15:44,916
before the watches of the night."

405
00:15:44,916 --> 00:15:46,247
Why are his eyes awake

406
00:15:46,247 --> 00:15:49,021
before the watches of the night?

407
00:15:49,021 --> 00:15:50,765
"That I may meditate

408
00:15:50,765 --> 00:15:53,409
on Your promises."

409
00:15:53,409 --> 00:15:54,937
"Hear my voice according to

410
00:15:54,937 --> 00:15:56,671
Your steadfast love,

411
00:15:56,671 --> 00:15:58,802
O Lord, according to Your justice,

412
00:15:58,802 --> 00:16:01,696
give me life."

413
00:16:01,696 --> 00:16:03,904
Christian meditation, beloved,

414
00:16:03,904 --> 00:16:05,598
is commanded in Scripture

415
00:16:05,598 --> 00:16:07,357
here to Joshua.

416
00:16:07,357 --> 00:16:09,252
It's practiced in Scripture.

417
00:16:09,252 --> 00:16:10,621
And it's practiced as we see

418
00:16:10,621 --> 00:16:12,673
all throughout church history.

419
00:16:12,673 --> 00:16:15,829
Probably most notably among the Puritans.

420
00:16:15,829 --> 00:16:16,720
Those were people

421
00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:19,642
that learned how to meditate.

422
00:16:19,642 --> 00:16:21,491
And one of the things that we glean

423
00:16:21,491 --> 00:16:23,274
so much from those people

424
00:16:23,274 --> 00:16:26,371
is because they spent so much time

425
00:16:26,371 --> 00:16:28,140
meditating.

426
00:16:28,140 --> 00:16:30,808
Unfortunately, many genuine Christians

427
00:16:30,808 --> 00:16:32,190
of our day,

428
00:16:32,190 --> 00:16:35,095
do not read the Puritans.

429
00:16:35,095 --> 00:16:36,589
Why?

430
00:16:36,589 --> 00:16:37,935
Because just reading upon

431
00:16:37,935 --> 00:16:39,715
what they meditated about

432
00:16:39,715 --> 00:16:42,707
requires quite a bit of time and meditation.

433
00:16:42,707 --> 00:16:44,479
It's not easy reading.

434
00:16:44,479 --> 00:16:46,308
But these people spent hours

435
00:16:46,308 --> 00:16:47,751
before the Lord,

436
00:16:47,751 --> 00:16:50,602
drinking in the Word of God.

437
00:16:50,602 --> 00:16:53,647
They were given to meditation.

438
00:16:53,647 --> 00:16:55,616
So, where cultural meditation

439
00:16:55,616 --> 00:16:57,503
involves the emptying of the mind,

440
00:16:57,503 --> 00:17:00,635
but Christian meditation is just the opposite.

441
00:17:00,635 --> 00:17:04,112
It's the filling of the mind.

442
00:17:04,112 --> 00:17:06,696
Remember, the Lord works through means, beloved.

443
00:17:06,696 --> 00:17:09,251
He works through our mind

444
00:17:09,251 --> 00:17:10,564
and our understanding.

445
00:17:10,564 --> 00:17:11,764
As our brother noted,

446
00:17:11,764 --> 00:17:14,245
He surpasses it, no doubt.

447
00:17:14,245 --> 00:17:16,186
But He doesn't bypass it.

448
00:17:16,186 --> 00:17:17,478
That's a big difference.

449
00:17:17,478 --> 00:17:19,011
To surpass is to go beyond

450
00:17:19,011 --> 00:17:20,972
what we can comprehend or imagine.

451
00:17:20,972 --> 00:17:22,921
But He does not bypass us.

452
00:17:22,921 --> 00:17:24,768
He doesn't say disengage your mind.

453
00:17:24,768 --> 00:17:26,296
I'll do some work over here,

454
00:17:26,296 --> 00:17:28,325
and then you'll get this intimacy.

455
00:17:28,325 --> 00:17:29,198
You'll grow.

456
00:17:29,198 --> 00:17:33,230
No, He works through our understanding.

457
00:17:33,230 --> 00:17:37,400
He works through our mind.

458
00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:39,261
The word here in Joshua 1:8,

459
00:17:39,261 --> 00:17:42,642
"meditate" means to murmur.

460
00:17:42,642 --> 00:17:45,017
It means to mutter.

461
00:17:45,017 --> 00:17:46,617
To ponder upon.

462
00:17:46,617 --> 00:17:49,168
It's kind of like having a conversation

463
00:17:49,168 --> 00:17:50,752
with yourself.

464
00:17:50,752 --> 00:17:52,256
And God's instructing here

465
00:17:52,256 --> 00:17:55,634
Joshua to murmur with himself,

466
00:17:55,634 --> 00:17:57,356
to ponder with himself,

467
00:17:57,356 --> 00:17:59,479
to weigh things,

468
00:17:59,479 --> 00:18:02,549
to muse over something.

469
00:18:02,549 --> 00:18:03,896
It has the understanding

470
00:18:03,896 --> 00:18:07,232
of carefully thinking through something,

471
00:18:07,232 --> 00:18:10,403
asking questions of it,

472
00:18:10,403 --> 00:18:13,663
and talking with yourself through it.

473
00:18:13,663 --> 00:18:16,566
To weigh something carefully.

474
00:18:16,566 --> 00:18:18,609
Now right before we see this,

475
00:18:18,609 --> 00:18:21,963
meditation is going to require something.

476
00:18:21,963 --> 00:18:26,246
It's going to require time.

477
00:18:26,246 --> 00:18:29,364
It's going to require a slowed down

478
00:18:29,364 --> 00:18:33,059
thinking and musing over things.

479
00:18:33,059 --> 00:18:35,150
And beloved, I want you to know this.

480
00:18:35,150 --> 00:18:37,359
Nearly everything today

481
00:18:37,359 --> 00:18:39,165
in our fast-paced,

482
00:18:39,165 --> 00:18:42,393
technologically advanced culture,

483
00:18:42,393 --> 00:18:47,247
is working against Christian meditation.

484
00:18:47,247 --> 00:18:49,872
We have a society today

485
00:18:49,872 --> 00:18:51,546
and have been trained in something

486
00:18:51,546 --> 00:18:55,320
called instant gratification

487
00:18:55,320 --> 00:18:56,882
where we have access

488
00:18:56,882 --> 00:18:59,568
to so much information at our fingertips,

489
00:18:59,568 --> 00:19:00,987
but we want things that are

490
00:19:00,987 --> 00:19:04,353
instantly gratifying to us.

491
00:19:04,353 --> 00:19:06,207
And we can see it even we look

492
00:19:06,207 --> 00:19:09,665
at people on their devices.

493
00:19:09,665 --> 00:19:11,520
When it slows down,

494
00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:13,330
when the network slows down,

495
00:19:13,330 --> 00:19:15,070
when the entertainment is not

496
00:19:15,070 --> 00:19:16,490
coming fast enough,

497
00:19:16,490 --> 00:19:18,917
how upset do people get?

498
00:19:18,917 --> 00:19:21,467
And I'm talking about genuine Christians.

499
00:19:21,467 --> 00:19:23,068
Can I tell you something?

500
00:19:23,068 --> 00:19:24,839
I'm not against technology.

501
00:19:24,839 --> 00:19:26,368
I'm not someone that says

502
00:19:26,368 --> 00:19:28,871
go hide in a cave and shut yourself in

503
00:19:28,871 --> 00:19:29,979
and go live like you're

504
00:19:29,979 --> 00:19:31,500
"Little House on the Prairie."

505
00:19:31,500 --> 00:19:33,120
I'm not for that.

506
00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:34,902
But I am for recognizing what is

507
00:19:34,902 --> 00:19:37,688
helping you versus hurting you.

508
00:19:37,688 --> 00:19:40,351
And I want us to recognize something here.

509
00:19:40,351 --> 00:19:43,654
This is hurting you in regards to this call

510
00:19:43,654 --> 00:19:45,608
and this biblical means of grace

511
00:19:45,608 --> 00:19:49,870
called meditation.

512
00:19:49,870 --> 00:19:51,996
Many, if not most, of our young people

513
00:19:51,996 --> 00:19:55,302
cannot sit still for a few minutes anymore

514
00:19:55,302 --> 00:19:58,727
without fast paced entertainment.

515
00:19:58,727 --> 00:20:01,076
The thought of stopping and sitting quietly,

516
00:20:01,076 --> 00:20:04,781
or pondering something is dull to them.

517
00:20:04,781 --> 00:20:07,431
And if we are not mindful personally

518
00:20:07,431 --> 00:20:09,404
of what's happening to us,

519
00:20:09,404 --> 00:20:10,751
parentally, what's happening

520
00:20:10,751 --> 00:20:11,737
to our children,

521
00:20:11,737 --> 00:20:13,267
and pastorally, what's happening

522
00:20:13,267 --> 00:20:14,609
to our congregation,

523
00:20:14,609 --> 00:20:17,592
it will be to our spiritual detriment,

524
00:20:17,592 --> 00:20:20,321
if it hasn't already.

525
00:20:20,321 --> 00:20:21,977
I've given you a brief definition

526
00:20:21,977 --> 00:20:23,489
of meditation.

527
00:20:23,489 --> 00:20:27,028
To murmur, to mutter, to ponder, to weigh.

528
00:20:27,028 --> 00:20:28,472
As we further define it here,

529
00:20:28,472 --> 00:20:29,998
I'm going to help you look at

530
00:20:29,998 --> 00:20:32,501
the object or the focus

531
00:20:32,501 --> 00:20:34,000
of our meditation.

532
00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:35,573
Look at the verse again.

533
00:20:35,573 --> 00:20:38,323
"This Book of Law shall not depart

534
00:20:38,323 --> 00:20:40,142
from your mouth.

535
00:20:40,142 --> 00:20:42,615
You shall meditate on it."

536
00:20:42,615 --> 00:20:46,774
What is God calling Joshua to meditate upon?

537
00:20:46,774 --> 00:20:48,688
The Book of Law.

538
00:20:48,688 --> 00:20:50,194
The Word of God.

539
00:20:50,194 --> 00:20:51,598
Scripture.

540
00:20:51,598 --> 00:20:53,172
Saints, I want you to know this,

541
00:20:53,172 --> 00:20:56,396
we, here, today, in this time

542
00:20:56,396 --> 00:20:59,402
are a very blessed people.

543
00:20:59,402 --> 00:21:03,996
We live in a time of the full revelation

544
00:21:03,996 --> 00:21:05,683
that God has given to us.

545
00:21:05,683 --> 00:21:08,939
We live in a time where we can see

546
00:21:08,939 --> 00:21:12,299
promise has been revealed and fulfilled

547
00:21:12,299 --> 00:21:16,119
in the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

548
00:21:16,119 --> 00:21:18,574
We see the large picture.

549
00:21:18,574 --> 00:21:21,670
And we anticipate His return.

550
00:21:21,670 --> 00:21:22,621
I want you to notice

551
00:21:22,621 --> 00:21:24,491
the Scriptures from beginning to end

552
00:21:24,491 --> 00:21:26,211
tell us Who God is.

553
00:21:26,211 --> 00:21:29,412
The Scriptures tell you who you are,

554
00:21:29,412 --> 00:21:32,223
and they tell us what God is doing.

555
00:21:32,223 --> 00:21:33,834
And what is God doing?

556
00:21:33,834 --> 00:21:36,786
He is redeeming a people unto Himself

557
00:21:36,786 --> 00:21:40,206
through His Son Jesus Christ.

558
00:21:40,206 --> 00:21:42,438
The Scriptures are full of hope,

559
00:21:42,438 --> 00:21:44,666
but they're also full of warning.

560
00:21:44,666 --> 00:21:46,022
They are full of promise,

561
00:21:46,022 --> 00:21:48,638
and again, there is one main story

562
00:21:48,638 --> 00:21:51,755
being told all throughout revealed Scripture,

563
00:21:51,755 --> 00:21:53,509
and that is God's redemption

564
00:21:53,509 --> 00:21:56,119
through His Son Jesus Christ.

565
00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:56,955
Do you know this?

566
00:21:56,955 --> 00:21:58,951
That all other stories in the Bible -

567
00:21:58,951 --> 00:22:01,209
and it's full of stories -

568
00:22:01,209 --> 00:22:02,554
do you know that every story

569
00:22:02,554 --> 00:22:04,643
finds its ultimate significance

570
00:22:04,643 --> 00:22:06,864
as it relates to and points to

571
00:22:06,864 --> 00:22:09,275
the one main story of Scripture -

572
00:22:09,275 --> 00:22:13,533
the redemption of God's people through Jesus Christ?

573
00:22:13,533 --> 00:22:15,322
Can I give you a little bit of hint

574
00:22:15,322 --> 00:22:17,897
on your Bible reading?

575
00:22:17,897 --> 00:22:22,214
Interpret your Scriptures as the apostles did.

576
00:22:22,214 --> 00:22:24,012
They interpreted the Scriptures

577
00:22:24,012 --> 00:22:27,501
through the Person of Jesus Christ.

578
00:22:27,501 --> 00:22:29,485
Interpret your Scriptures through

579
00:22:29,485 --> 00:22:31,916
the lens of Jesus Christ.

580
00:22:31,916 --> 00:22:34,241
And you know what that does for you?

581
00:22:34,241 --> 00:22:36,836
It makes stories that are not explicitly

582
00:22:36,836 --> 00:22:38,540
about Jesus Christ,

583
00:22:38,540 --> 00:22:41,525
but do point to Him or His coming in some way -

584
00:22:41,525 --> 00:22:43,571
it makes them Christian,

585
00:22:43,571 --> 00:22:46,269
rather than just some moral stories.

586
00:22:46,269 --> 00:22:47,927
Haven't you grown up so many times

587
00:22:47,927 --> 00:22:50,409
hearing Old Testament stories?

588
00:22:50,409 --> 00:22:53,242
And they were just told on the basis of what?

589
00:22:53,242 --> 00:22:54,489
Morality.

590
00:22:54,489 --> 00:22:56,418
And one of the things we need to learn

591
00:22:56,418 --> 00:22:57,583
how to do as people

592
00:22:57,583 --> 00:22:59,882
is understand the bigger picture

593
00:22:59,882 --> 00:23:01,612
and how all the smaller stories

594
00:23:01,612 --> 00:23:03,344
point to the bigger story.

595
00:23:03,344 --> 00:23:05,112
Because your understanding

596
00:23:05,112 --> 00:23:08,118
of Old Testament Scriptures

597
00:23:08,118 --> 00:23:10,934
should be understood in such a way

598
00:23:10,934 --> 00:23:12,849
that people who are not Christians

599
00:23:12,849 --> 00:23:15,237
can not say amen to them.

600
00:23:15,237 --> 00:23:16,982
You see, if you just teach morality,

601
00:23:16,982 --> 00:23:18,906
a Muslim could say amen to

602
00:23:18,906 --> 00:23:20,760
the morality side of that.

603
00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:22,445
But if you help them see

604
00:23:22,445 --> 00:23:24,879
how the smaller story here

605
00:23:24,879 --> 00:23:26,827
points to and finds its fulfillment

606
00:23:26,827 --> 00:23:29,329
in the bigger story of Jesus Christ,

607
00:23:29,329 --> 00:23:31,959
now it's a Christian story.

608
00:23:31,959 --> 00:23:33,517
That's completely different

609
00:23:33,517 --> 00:23:35,875
than a moral story.

610
00:23:35,875 --> 00:23:40,425
But Scripture teaches us all of these things.

611
00:23:40,425 --> 00:23:41,896
So we meditate on Scripture -

612
00:23:41,896 --> 00:23:43,212
the written Word of God.

613
00:23:43,212 --> 00:23:45,877
And if we understand it correctly,

614
00:23:45,877 --> 00:23:48,069
we'll be meditating and seeing

615
00:23:48,069 --> 00:23:51,292
the living Word of God: Jesus Christ.

616
00:23:51,292 --> 00:23:53,317
He is the object and focus

617
00:23:53,317 --> 00:23:56,473
of the genuine believer's desire.

618
00:23:56,473 --> 00:23:59,550
And it is He Who the Holy Spirit

619
00:23:59,550 --> 00:24:02,869
magnifies and points to.

620
00:24:02,869 --> 00:24:04,851
Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit

621
00:24:04,851 --> 00:24:07,421
as a Helper, as a Comforter.

622
00:24:07,421 --> 00:24:08,598
And He gave Him to us,

623
00:24:08,598 --> 00:24:11,362
and it says that the Spirit magnifies

624
00:24:11,362 --> 00:24:15,136
or points to Jesus Christ.

625
00:24:15,136 --> 00:24:16,906
This is important here.

626
00:24:16,906 --> 00:24:18,586
Meditating, beloved, although

627
00:24:18,586 --> 00:24:20,171
it's done upon Scripture,

628
00:24:20,171 --> 00:24:24,464
is more than Bible reading.

629
00:24:24,464 --> 00:24:28,563
Meditation is more than Bible reading.

630
00:24:28,563 --> 00:24:30,165
You may be saying to me,

631
00:24:30,165 --> 00:24:31,708
well, Jesse, I read the Bible

632
00:24:31,708 --> 00:24:34,508
every single day.

633
00:24:34,508 --> 00:24:36,132
And if I'm honest, I must confess

634
00:24:36,132 --> 00:24:39,463
I'm not growing in intimacy

635
00:24:39,463 --> 00:24:41,158
or conformity to Christ

636
00:24:41,158 --> 00:24:43,605
like I would like.

637
00:24:43,605 --> 00:24:46,540
What's wrong with that?

638
00:24:46,540 --> 00:24:49,640
Listen, we need to read the Bible daily.

639
00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:51,358
I'll borrow Jerry Bridges' words.

640
00:24:51,358 --> 00:24:52,735
Jerry Bridges said that

641
00:24:52,735 --> 00:24:56,255
reading gives you a breadth of Scripture.

642
00:24:56,255 --> 00:24:58,947
You need to have a breadth of Scripture.

643
00:24:58,947 --> 00:25:01,003
You should be systematically reading

644
00:25:01,003 --> 00:25:03,240
through the Word of God.

645
00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:06,608
But you also need the depth of Scripture.

646
00:25:06,608 --> 00:25:08,600
And that depth of Scriptures comes

647
00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:11,658
through meditation.

648
00:25:11,658 --> 00:25:14,940
So this is more than Bible reading.

649
00:25:14,940 --> 00:25:16,508
We are fed through the reading

650
00:25:16,508 --> 00:25:17,711
of the Word of God,

651
00:25:17,711 --> 00:25:20,516
but meditation - pondering,

652
00:25:20,516 --> 00:25:21,452
musing,

653
00:25:21,452 --> 00:25:22,291
weighing,

654
00:25:22,291 --> 00:25:23,352
asking questions,

655
00:25:23,352 --> 00:25:24,997
talking with ourselves about it,

656
00:25:24,997 --> 00:25:26,365
carefully examining it,

657
00:25:26,365 --> 00:25:31,333
is also needed in our spiritual growth.

658
00:25:31,333 --> 00:25:33,147
You can see here how we're back to

659
00:25:33,147 --> 00:25:35,774
again the problem I mentioned earlier.

660
00:25:35,774 --> 00:25:41,256
Slowed down, careful consideration.

661
00:25:41,256 --> 00:25:45,169
What's the problem we have then?

662
00:25:45,169 --> 00:25:48,851
When I do pastoral visits with the church,

663
00:25:48,851 --> 00:25:50,693
and sit down with people individually

664
00:25:50,693 --> 00:25:52,083
and begin to talk with them

665
00:25:52,083 --> 00:25:53,739
about how they're doing,

666
00:25:53,739 --> 00:25:55,393
one of the questions that I will

667
00:25:55,393 --> 00:25:56,457
talk with them about

668
00:25:56,457 --> 00:25:57,640
is how they're doing

669
00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:00,963
in Bible reading and meditation.

670
00:26:00,963 --> 00:26:02,790
Do you know what inevitably,

671
00:26:02,790 --> 00:26:04,420
I think, in almost every single

672
00:26:04,420 --> 00:26:06,317
pastoral meeting I have,

673
00:26:06,317 --> 00:26:08,405
what the issue is that people have

674
00:26:08,405 --> 00:26:11,728
with Bible reading and meditation?

675
00:26:11,728 --> 00:26:14,512
They don't have enough what?

676
00:26:14,512 --> 00:26:16,811
Time.

677
00:26:16,811 --> 00:26:18,792
I'm just too busy.

678
00:26:18,792 --> 00:26:20,528
I don't have enough time.

679
00:26:20,528 --> 00:26:23,088
I see the importance of these things.

680
00:26:23,088 --> 00:26:24,502
I know they are essential

681
00:26:24,502 --> 00:26:25,950
in my growth,

682
00:26:25,950 --> 00:26:28,327
and my growth in intimacy and conformity,

683
00:26:28,327 --> 00:26:29,886
but quite honestly, pastor,

684
00:26:29,886 --> 00:26:33,185
I just don't have the time.

685
00:26:33,185 --> 00:26:35,938
And again, I believe that many of you

686
00:26:35,938 --> 00:26:36,801
if not most of you

687
00:26:36,801 --> 00:26:38,506
are reading through the Word.

688
00:26:38,506 --> 00:26:40,572
But I'm trying to convince you that reading

689
00:26:40,572 --> 00:26:44,958
is not enough.

690
00:26:44,958 --> 00:26:47,058
We have made some time to read,

691
00:26:47,058 --> 00:26:49,428
but many don't have enough time to meditate;

692
00:26:49,428 --> 00:26:51,769
to weigh our hearts in light of truth

693
00:26:51,769 --> 00:26:57,203
and cultivate intimacy with the Lord in the Word.

694
00:26:57,203 --> 00:26:59,725
As lovingly as I can say this to you,

695
00:26:59,725 --> 00:27:01,557
if that's the state and the reality

696
00:27:01,557 --> 00:27:03,588
of your life,

697
00:27:03,588 --> 00:27:04,620
I'm going to tell you

698
00:27:04,620 --> 00:27:08,104
what I've just told myself recently.

699
00:27:08,104 --> 00:27:11,782
And that is this: Stop.

700
00:27:11,782 --> 00:27:13,800
Stop what?

701
00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:18,040
Stop everything.

702
00:27:18,040 --> 00:27:20,236
Everything.

703
00:27:20,236 --> 00:27:22,593
Because if intimacy with Jesus Christ

704
00:27:22,593 --> 00:27:26,088
and conformity to Him,

705
00:27:26,088 --> 00:27:29,080
which brings glory to His name,

706
00:27:29,080 --> 00:27:30,404
is our great desire -

707
00:27:30,404 --> 00:27:32,447
which I believe that it is -

708
00:27:32,447 --> 00:27:33,974
and this is a means of grace

709
00:27:33,974 --> 00:27:36,799
God has given for that to be a reality

710
00:27:36,799 --> 00:27:38,061
in your life,

711
00:27:38,061 --> 00:27:39,517
and you turn around and say,

712
00:27:39,517 --> 00:27:41,152
I can't do it;

713
00:27:41,152 --> 00:27:44,742
I don't have enough time.

714
00:27:44,742 --> 00:27:47,668
I'm too busy living life.

715
00:27:47,668 --> 00:27:49,277
I would like to ask you this:

716
00:27:49,277 --> 00:27:52,431
what is life?

717
00:27:52,431 --> 00:27:53,964
Paul tells Timothy regarding

718
00:27:53,964 --> 00:27:55,477
the wealthy of this age

719
00:27:55,477 --> 00:27:58,605
that there's a true life.

720
00:27:58,605 --> 00:28:02,636
And that true life is Christ.

721
00:28:02,636 --> 00:28:06,409
If we're so busy living this life,

722
00:28:06,409 --> 00:28:07,894
that we don't have time

723
00:28:07,894 --> 00:28:10,029
for the very means of grace

724
00:28:10,029 --> 00:28:11,994
that God has given for us

725
00:28:11,994 --> 00:28:14,829
to grow in intimacy and conformity to Christ,

726
00:28:14,829 --> 00:28:18,804
we have - not a time problem,

727
00:28:18,804 --> 00:28:21,607
a priority problem.

728
00:28:21,607 --> 00:28:22,991
What have we done?

729
00:28:22,991 --> 00:28:25,346
We have prioritized other things

730
00:28:25,346 --> 00:28:27,371
that we call life

731
00:28:27,371 --> 00:28:32,533
ahead of that which is true life.

732
00:28:32,533 --> 00:28:34,882
I won't speculate as to what those things are

733
00:28:34,882 --> 00:28:35,763
in this room,

734
00:28:35,763 --> 00:28:37,474
because I'm sure they're as diverse

735
00:28:37,474 --> 00:28:41,765
as the number of people in here.

736
00:28:41,765 --> 00:28:43,228
So I'll ask you this,

737
00:28:43,228 --> 00:28:45,244
what have you given your life to

738
00:28:45,244 --> 00:28:47,308
that is keeping you from intimacy

739
00:28:47,308 --> 00:28:50,643
with the Lord through meditation?

740
00:28:50,643 --> 00:28:54,122
What is it?

741
00:28:54,122 --> 00:28:55,870
If I could give an analogy

742
00:28:55,870 --> 00:28:57,376
that may help you discern

743
00:28:57,376 --> 00:29:00,545
the difference and the need

744
00:29:00,545 --> 00:29:03,859
for reading and meditation...

745
00:29:03,859 --> 00:29:06,059
My co-pastor in Texas

746
00:29:06,059 --> 00:29:08,163
is a farmer as well.

747
00:29:08,163 --> 00:29:10,047
He's got cattle.

748
00:29:10,047 --> 00:29:12,107
And if you were to go out to his farm

749
00:29:12,107 --> 00:29:14,235
and look at his cows,

750
00:29:14,235 --> 00:29:15,211
you would watch cows

751
00:29:15,211 --> 00:29:16,985
and they're always doing something.

752
00:29:16,985 --> 00:29:18,412
You know what they're doing?

753
00:29:18,412 --> 00:29:20,551
They're always eating.

754
00:29:20,551 --> 00:29:23,546
Cows eat continually.

755
00:29:23,546 --> 00:29:25,356
And if you understand a little bit -

756
00:29:25,356 --> 00:29:26,912
I'm not claiming to be an expert

757
00:29:26,912 --> 00:29:28,133
on how a cow eats,

758
00:29:28,133 --> 00:29:29,950
but what a cow does is it chews up

759
00:29:29,950 --> 00:29:30,921
some of the grass

760
00:29:30,921 --> 00:29:32,262
that it's eating,

761
00:29:32,262 --> 00:29:33,440
and it swallows it.

762
00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:34,974
And from that initial chewing

763
00:29:34,974 --> 00:29:36,239
and that initial eating,

764
00:29:36,239 --> 00:29:37,478
there are some nutrients

765
00:29:37,478 --> 00:29:40,026
that pass through its digestive system

766
00:29:40,026 --> 00:29:43,097
and it is given strength.

767
00:29:43,097 --> 00:29:44,681
But a cow is not done

768
00:29:44,681 --> 00:29:47,830
with that piece of grass.

769
00:29:47,830 --> 00:29:49,491
This may sound kind of gross,

770
00:29:49,491 --> 00:29:50,722
but what the cow does

771
00:29:50,722 --> 00:29:52,631
is he regurgitates that.

772
00:29:52,631 --> 00:29:53,532
It has been mixed

773
00:29:53,532 --> 00:29:55,167
with some digestive juices now.

774
00:29:55,167 --> 00:29:56,759
It's what they call "cud."

775
00:29:56,759 --> 00:29:59,044
And he brings the cud back up -

776
00:29:59,044 --> 00:30:00,461
the chewed up grass -

777
00:30:00,461 --> 00:30:03,674
but see there are more nutrients.

778
00:30:03,674 --> 00:30:05,241
There's more to get out

779
00:30:05,241 --> 00:30:07,267
of the grass.

780
00:30:07,267 --> 00:30:08,719
So it brings it back up

781
00:30:08,719 --> 00:30:10,833
and it begins to chew again,

782
00:30:10,833 --> 00:30:13,093
for up to 8 hours a day,

783
00:30:13,093 --> 00:30:16,350
you will find a cow chewing on its cud.

784
00:30:16,350 --> 00:30:17,350
What is it doing?

785
00:30:17,350 --> 00:30:19,326
It's getting the nutrients,

786
00:30:19,326 --> 00:30:20,447
the strength,

787
00:30:20,447 --> 00:30:24,133
that it can pull out of that grass

788
00:30:24,133 --> 00:30:29,457
and then swallows it again.

789
00:30:29,457 --> 00:30:32,665
Well, very similarly, in a like manner,

790
00:30:32,665 --> 00:30:35,211
many of us - like the cow -

791
00:30:35,211 --> 00:30:39,404
chew the Word of God and swallow.

792
00:30:39,404 --> 00:30:41,567
I would correlate that to your reading.

793
00:30:41,567 --> 00:30:43,075
You will get some nutrients.

794
00:30:43,075 --> 00:30:46,184
You will be strengthened some.

795
00:30:46,184 --> 00:30:48,873
But there are so many more nutrients

796
00:30:48,873 --> 00:30:51,461
and so much more to be strengthened.

797
00:30:51,461 --> 00:30:54,153
And that comes, like the cow

798
00:30:54,153 --> 00:30:55,655
bringing it back up,

799
00:30:55,655 --> 00:31:01,502
the meditation upon the Word of God.

800
00:31:01,502 --> 00:31:05,697
How many of you enjoyed Don's sermon?

801
00:31:05,697 --> 00:31:08,003
I loved it.

802
00:31:08,003 --> 00:31:09,876
You know what I'm afraid of

803
00:31:09,876 --> 00:31:12,304
and for my own heart right now?

804
00:31:12,304 --> 00:31:14,935
I was moved by it.

805
00:31:14,935 --> 00:31:18,226
I discerned a working of the Spirit in the room.

806
00:31:18,226 --> 00:31:20,896
I understood what he preached.

807
00:31:20,896 --> 00:31:24,709
I want that to be more of a reality.

808
00:31:24,709 --> 00:31:27,799
But now I'm coming up here to preach.

809
00:31:27,799 --> 00:31:28,637
And then tonight,

810
00:31:28,637 --> 00:31:29,654
I'm going to go home

811
00:31:29,654 --> 00:31:31,185
and I'm going to prepare again,

812
00:31:31,185 --> 00:31:32,467
and I'm going to go to bed,

813
00:31:32,467 --> 00:31:33,712
and I'm going to wake up

814
00:31:33,712 --> 00:31:34,885
and we're going to hear

815
00:31:34,885 --> 00:31:36,021
other brothers preach,

816
00:31:36,021 --> 00:31:37,476
and we'll be fed again.

817
00:31:37,476 --> 00:31:39,127
And it will be stirring.

818
00:31:39,127 --> 00:31:40,526
They'll preach truth.

819
00:31:40,526 --> 00:31:43,149
We're praying and believing the Spirit's going to come.

820
00:31:43,149 --> 00:31:45,569
We'll want the realities that they preach of.

821
00:31:45,569 --> 00:31:47,843
But then, we'll hear another sermon.

822
00:31:47,843 --> 00:31:50,040
And quite honestly, not because of anything

823
00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:51,572
these men have said,

824
00:31:51,572 --> 00:31:53,660
and not because the Spirit isn't working,

825
00:31:53,660 --> 00:31:55,403
but we move on so quickly

826
00:31:55,403 --> 00:31:57,844
to the next sermon.

827
00:31:57,844 --> 00:31:59,236
And we're fed a little bit.

828
00:31:59,236 --> 00:32:00,819
We get a little bit of nutrient,

829
00:32:00,819 --> 00:32:02,231
a little bit of strength.

830
00:32:02,231 --> 00:32:03,513
And then we move on again.

831
00:32:03,513 --> 00:32:04,619
And one of the things,

832
00:32:04,619 --> 00:32:06,501
I'll tell you this, I love conferences,

833
00:32:06,501 --> 00:32:09,496
but one of the things I don't like about conferences is that.

834
00:32:09,496 --> 00:32:11,001
Now the beauty of technology -

835
00:32:11,001 --> 00:32:12,636
here's where I'm for technology -

836
00:32:12,636 --> 00:32:15,563
you're going to be able to go back.

837
00:32:15,563 --> 00:32:17,242
And I want to tell you this.

838
00:32:17,242 --> 00:32:18,995
If you do not go back

839
00:32:18,995 --> 00:32:22,511
and listen to these sermons again,

840
00:32:22,511 --> 00:32:25,203
or focus on one aspect

841
00:32:25,203 --> 00:32:27,282
where the Spirit pointed you

842
00:32:27,282 --> 00:32:29,498
and focused you or convicted you,

843
00:32:29,498 --> 00:32:31,748
and you sit before the Word

844
00:32:31,748 --> 00:32:33,695
and you chew on the cud

845
00:32:33,695 --> 00:32:35,537
of the truth of God's Word,

846
00:32:35,537 --> 00:32:37,657
praying for the increase of the Spirit,

847
00:32:37,657 --> 00:32:39,586
in the privacy and the meditation

848
00:32:39,586 --> 00:32:41,201
of your own home,

849
00:32:41,201 --> 00:32:42,422
I want you to know this,

850
00:32:42,422 --> 00:32:44,022
if that doesn't happen,

851
00:32:44,022 --> 00:32:45,897
then all that's going to happen here

852
00:32:45,897 --> 00:32:47,567
this weekend,

853
00:32:47,567 --> 00:32:51,737
is a pep rally.

854
00:32:51,737 --> 00:32:54,025
Man it was good to be with those people.

855
00:32:54,025 --> 00:32:55,843
Likeminded,

856
00:32:55,843 --> 00:32:57,447
united in Christ,

857
00:32:57,447 --> 00:32:58,711
truth was preached,

858
00:32:58,711 --> 00:33:00,984
the Spirit was working,

859
00:33:00,984 --> 00:33:02,177
but man, I'm just busy,

860
00:33:02,177 --> 00:33:04,396
I've got to work Monday.

861
00:33:04,396 --> 00:33:05,971
Kids Monday.

862
00:33:05,971 --> 00:33:07,559
Soccer Monday.

863
00:33:07,559 --> 00:33:10,245
Workout Monday.

864
00:33:10,245 --> 00:33:14,229
All the things we do.

865
00:33:14,229 --> 00:33:16,374
I don't have time to go back

866
00:33:16,374 --> 00:33:19,061
and sit before that Word

867
00:33:19,061 --> 00:33:22,951
and marinate in it.

868
00:33:22,951 --> 00:33:26,414
I'm beginning to ask questions of my life.

869
00:33:26,414 --> 00:33:30,827
Why am I not given to prayer like that?

870
00:33:30,827 --> 00:33:33,137
Here's what most Christians do,

871
00:33:33,137 --> 00:33:34,750
they hear truth,

872
00:33:34,750 --> 00:33:36,228
I heard amen's through here,

873
00:33:36,228 --> 00:33:37,271
I said amen.

874
00:33:37,271 --> 00:33:39,063
Oh, that was a good word, brother.

875
00:33:39,063 --> 00:33:41,232
I was convicted, brother.

876
00:33:41,232 --> 00:33:43,000
And then we walk out of here

877
00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:46,588
into the fast pace of life,

878
00:33:46,588 --> 00:33:49,058
it's gone.

879
00:33:49,058 --> 00:33:52,201
And this is where your responsibility comes in.

880
00:33:52,201 --> 00:33:54,455
Listen, we are praying for the Spirit to work.

881
00:33:54,455 --> 00:33:55,533
Amen?

882
00:33:55,533 --> 00:33:57,906
We cannot do this without the Spirit.

883
00:33:57,906 --> 00:34:00,270
We need the power of the Holy Spirit to work.

884
00:34:00,270 --> 00:34:01,422
I'm not talking about

885
00:34:01,422 --> 00:34:02,968
you doing something on your own

886
00:34:02,968 --> 00:34:04,393
apart from Him.

887
00:34:04,393 --> 00:34:06,593
But I'm acknowleding what Scripture says.

888
00:34:06,593 --> 00:34:11,082
The Spirit works through means.

889
00:34:11,082 --> 00:34:13,729
He works through this book.

890
00:34:13,729 --> 00:34:15,206
It's not just intellectual,

891
00:34:15,206 --> 00:34:16,792
as my brother said.

892
00:34:16,792 --> 00:34:18,327
It's a working of the Spirit.

893
00:34:18,327 --> 00:34:21,460
But you have an active role in it.

894
00:34:21,460 --> 00:34:23,515
Don't just get excited about truth.

895
00:34:23,515 --> 00:34:25,363
Don't just be convicted about truth.

896
00:34:25,363 --> 00:34:27,790
Don't just wish for that truth to be reality

897
00:34:27,790 --> 00:34:29,349
and then move on.

898
00:34:29,349 --> 00:34:32,385
Because you won't grow.

899
00:34:32,385 --> 00:34:35,030
"Some of you should be teachers by now."

900
00:34:35,030 --> 00:34:36,719
Remember that verse?

901
00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:39,492
Why aren't they teachers?

902
00:34:39,492 --> 00:34:42,556
They're not trained in discernment.

903
00:34:42,556 --> 00:34:44,108
What does that take?

904
00:34:44,108 --> 00:34:46,461
Time.

905
00:34:46,461 --> 00:34:49,072
Priority.

906
00:34:49,072 --> 00:34:50,387
I'll tell you right now,

907
00:34:50,387 --> 00:34:53,843
there is no shortcut for biblical meditation.

908
00:34:53,843 --> 00:34:56,101
There is no shortcut.

909
00:34:56,101 --> 00:35:02,275
There is nothing you can do but do it.

910
00:35:02,275 --> 00:35:04,698
If that cow did not bring that grass

911
00:35:04,698 --> 00:35:06,730
back up as the cud

912
00:35:06,730 --> 00:35:08,605
and get more nutrients out of it,

913
00:35:08,605 --> 00:35:10,856
it would be malnourished.

914
00:35:10,856 --> 00:35:12,819
It would have a little bit of energy,

915
00:35:12,819 --> 00:35:15,090
it would survive, it would get by.

916
00:35:15,090 --> 00:35:17,746
But it would be malnourished.

917
00:35:17,746 --> 00:35:20,090
You know what I'm afraid of?

918
00:35:20,090 --> 00:35:22,779
Malnourished Christians.

919
00:35:22,779 --> 00:35:23,911
They're alive,

920
00:35:23,911 --> 00:35:24,792
they see truth,

921
00:35:24,792 --> 00:35:26,255
they want truth,

922
00:35:26,255 --> 00:35:29,345
but they're so busy,

923
00:35:29,345 --> 00:35:33,649
and so wrongly prioritized,

924
00:35:33,649 --> 00:35:35,032
and many of them

925
00:35:35,032 --> 00:35:38,931
with very good things -

926
00:35:38,931 --> 00:35:44,056
like ministry.

927
00:35:44,056 --> 00:35:45,303
See, ministry makes you

928
00:35:45,303 --> 00:35:48,595
feel like things are going well.

929
00:35:48,595 --> 00:35:50,012
But it may not be the reality

930
00:35:50,012 --> 00:35:52,524
of the state of your soul.

931
00:35:52,524 --> 00:35:53,841
Ministry cannot do

932
00:35:53,841 --> 00:35:56,310
what sitting alone with God

933
00:35:56,310 --> 00:35:57,254
with the Word open,

934
00:35:57,254 --> 00:35:58,279
quietly,

935
00:35:58,279 --> 00:35:59,924
praying,

936
00:35:59,924 --> 00:36:04,509
questioning, murmuring, pondering can do.

937
00:36:04,509 --> 00:36:06,154
You know the people around you

938
00:36:06,154 --> 00:36:07,107
that you look at

939
00:36:07,107 --> 00:36:09,994
that are just spewing truth?

940
00:36:09,994 --> 00:36:12,031
Not because they're trying to show off,

941
00:36:12,031 --> 00:36:13,781
but just because it's what's in them

942
00:36:13,781 --> 00:36:15,298
and it just keeps pouring out?

943
00:36:15,298 --> 00:36:22,510
You see them growing in joy and intimacy.

944
00:36:22,510 --> 00:36:24,681
Go ask them if they meditate.

945
00:36:24,681 --> 00:36:27,139
I bet you they do.

946
00:36:27,139 --> 00:36:28,937
I don't know anyone that I look at

947
00:36:28,937 --> 00:36:31,729
and I see the work of God like that

948
00:36:31,729 --> 00:36:32,608
in their life,

949
00:36:32,608 --> 00:36:34,684
that I don't sit down and speak with them

950
00:36:34,684 --> 00:36:36,458
and find out what's going on.

951
00:36:36,458 --> 00:36:37,996
I remember Brother Paul Washer

952
00:36:37,996 --> 00:36:39,819
used to talk about that a lot.

953
00:36:39,819 --> 00:36:40,914
He did a sermon once

954
00:36:40,914 --> 00:36:43,594
where he's like, "Oh, Paul, tell us what it is."

955
00:36:43,594 --> 00:36:45,267
And he talked about the revelation,

956
00:36:45,267 --> 00:36:46,658
just the beauty of Christ,

957
00:36:46,658 --> 00:36:47,886
but you know this?

958
00:36:47,886 --> 00:36:49,785
One thing I do know about that brother

959
00:36:49,785 --> 00:36:52,468
is that he sits alone with God with the Word of God open

960
00:36:52,468 --> 00:36:53,683
and he meditates.

961
00:36:53,683 --> 00:36:55,047
You see, everyone's looking

962
00:36:55,047 --> 00:36:56,438
for this secret verse,

963
00:36:56,438 --> 00:36:58,023
that if i just read this verse,

964
00:36:58,023 --> 00:37:00,283
I'm going to grow exponentially.

965
00:37:00,283 --> 00:37:02,492
(Incomplete thought.)

966
00:37:02,492 --> 00:37:04,502
It's not.

967
00:37:04,502 --> 00:37:05,640
You have to cultivate

968
00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:08,115
a relationship with God

969
00:37:08,115 --> 00:37:16,066
through meditation of Scripture.

970
00:37:16,066 --> 00:37:18,101
Richard Baxter said it this way,

971
00:37:18,101 --> 00:37:19,760
"A man may eat too much,

972
00:37:19,760 --> 00:37:23,697
but he can't digest enough."

973
00:37:23,697 --> 00:37:26,147
I talk to some young Christians

974
00:37:26,147 --> 00:37:28,470
that will come and visit the church sometimes

975
00:37:28,470 --> 00:37:30,226
or at conferences.

976
00:37:30,226 --> 00:37:31,521
And when I talk to them,

977
00:37:31,521 --> 00:37:34,602
they'll be quoting off these 50 pastors

978
00:37:34,602 --> 00:37:35,783
they're listening to.

979
00:37:35,783 --> 00:37:37,376
I'm listening to this sermon and that sermon,

980
00:37:37,376 --> 00:37:38,812
and this sermon and that sermon...

981
00:37:38,812 --> 00:37:41,000
and they listen to thousands of sermons,

982
00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:43,979
and they're as immature as can be.

983
00:37:43,979 --> 00:37:45,607
You know why?

984
00:37:45,607 --> 00:37:49,218
They don't meditate.

985
00:37:49,218 --> 00:37:50,435
One brother said this.

986
00:37:50,435 --> 00:37:52,525
I'd rather you listen to one sermon

987
00:37:52,525 --> 00:37:53,614
and meditate,

988
00:37:53,614 --> 00:37:54,972
than a thousand sermons

989
00:37:54,972 --> 00:37:58,344
and not meditate.

990
00:37:58,344 --> 00:38:00,163
I'm going to try to help you see why

991
00:38:00,163 --> 00:38:03,307
from this text why it's so crucial

992
00:38:03,307 --> 00:38:06,746
to meditate.

993
00:38:06,746 --> 00:38:09,857
Meditation in the Word

994
00:38:09,857 --> 00:38:11,692
is the means the Holy Spirit

995
00:38:11,692 --> 00:38:12,629
works through

996
00:38:12,629 --> 00:38:14,166
to teach us, remind us,

997
00:38:14,166 --> 00:38:15,328
strengthen us,

998
00:38:15,328 --> 00:38:19,075
and stir our hearts concerning Christ.

999
00:38:19,075 --> 00:38:22,618
This is the means.

1000
00:38:22,618 --> 00:38:25,327
Do you remember in Luke 24?

1001
00:38:25,327 --> 00:38:28,181
We were talking about it earlier today.

1002
00:38:28,181 --> 00:38:30,058
Jesus is resurrected.

1003
00:38:30,058 --> 00:38:31,459
He's on the road to Emmaus

1004
00:38:31,459 --> 00:38:32,478
with some disicples.

1005
00:38:32,478 --> 00:38:33,851
And they're talking to Him,

1006
00:38:33,851 --> 00:38:35,392
but they don't recognize Him.

1007
00:38:35,392 --> 00:38:37,129
And He calls them

1008
00:38:37,129 --> 00:38:40,431
slow of heart to believe,

1009
00:38:40,431 --> 00:38:43,478
because they weren't understanding the resurrection.

1010
00:38:43,478 --> 00:38:45,688
And then He does something here.

1011
00:38:45,688 --> 00:38:47,897
And I want you to listen to what He does.

1012
00:38:47,897 --> 00:38:49,903
Listen to v. 27.

1013
00:38:49,903 --> 00:38:52,284
"And beginning with Moses,

1014
00:38:52,284 --> 00:38:54,734
and all the Prophets,

1015
00:38:54,734 --> 00:38:56,687
He (being Jesus)

1016
00:38:56,687 --> 00:38:58,780
interpreted to them,

1017
00:38:58,780 --> 00:39:01,031
in all the Scripture,

1018
00:39:01,031 --> 00:39:05,860
the things concerning Himself."

1019
00:39:05,860 --> 00:39:09,106
Wouldn't you have like to be on that road right there?

1020
00:39:09,106 --> 00:39:13,405
He opened up the Scriptures to them.

1021
00:39:13,405 --> 00:39:16,002
That's more than reading.

1022
00:39:16,002 --> 00:39:17,646
He took time on this walk

1023
00:39:17,646 --> 00:39:20,724
and opened up the Scriptures to them.

1024
00:39:20,724 --> 00:39:23,507
What was the fruit

1025
00:39:23,507 --> 00:39:25,974
when Jesus Christ opened up

1026
00:39:25,974 --> 00:39:28,611
the Scriptures to these disciples?

1027
00:39:28,611 --> 00:39:30,765
Listen to verse 32.

1028
00:39:30,765 --> 00:39:33,144
"And they said to each other,

1029
00:39:33,144 --> 00:39:37,268
'did not our hearts burn within us

1030
00:39:37,268 --> 00:39:38,916
while He talked to us

1031
00:39:38,916 --> 00:39:40,442
on the road?

1032
00:39:40,442 --> 00:39:44,298
While He opened up to us the Scriptures?'"

1033
00:39:44,298 --> 00:39:47,090
Why is meditation so important?

1034
00:39:47,090 --> 00:39:48,917
Because it's through meditation

1035
00:39:48,917 --> 00:39:50,345
that the Holy Spirit

1036
00:39:50,345 --> 00:39:52,576
opens up the Scriptures,

1037
00:39:52,576 --> 00:39:54,351
and reveals to you

1038
00:39:54,351 --> 00:39:57,827
the glory and beauty of Jesus Christ.

1039
00:39:57,827 --> 00:39:59,641
And tell me it's not true,

1040
00:39:59,641 --> 00:40:01,557
when you come to hear a sermon preached

1041
00:40:01,557 --> 00:40:03,588
or you read something in the Word,

1042
00:40:03,588 --> 00:40:05,686
and it's opened up to you

1043
00:40:05,686 --> 00:40:07,895
and your heart begins to burn.

1044
00:40:07,895 --> 00:40:09,623
And in that moment,

1045
00:40:09,623 --> 00:40:10,704
you look at the world,

1046
00:40:10,704 --> 00:40:12,243
and it's empty to you.

1047
00:40:12,243 --> 00:40:14,308
It doesn't mean anything to you anymore.

1048
00:40:14,308 --> 00:40:16,117
You want to give it all away.

1049
00:40:16,117 --> 00:40:17,705
You just want to run for Christ

1050
00:40:17,705 --> 00:40:19,033
in that moment, don't you?

1051
00:40:19,033 --> 00:40:20,376
Your heart is burning.

1052
00:40:20,376 --> 00:40:26,605
It's the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1053
00:40:26,605 --> 00:40:31,213
Do you know you have access to that?

1054
00:40:31,213 --> 00:40:36,144
Every single day.

1055
00:40:36,144 --> 00:40:38,834
Aren't we to live and see the world

1056
00:40:38,834 --> 00:40:40,616
through the lens of Jesus Christ

1057
00:40:40,616 --> 00:40:42,931
in the Gospel?

1058
00:40:42,931 --> 00:40:45,036
Beloved, that's not going to happen

1059
00:40:45,036 --> 00:40:47,324
in a five minute reading per day.

1060
00:40:47,324 --> 00:40:49,447
I'm not trying to be legalistic with you

1061
00:40:49,447 --> 00:40:51,135
and try to give you this long list

1062
00:40:51,135 --> 00:40:52,763
of things you have to do,

1063
00:40:52,763 --> 00:40:54,220
and how you have to do them.

1064
00:40:54,220 --> 00:40:55,638
I'm telling you this though,

1065
00:40:55,638 --> 00:40:59,597
this is the means that He works through.

1066
00:40:59,597 --> 00:41:01,037
If you're too busy,

1067
00:41:01,037 --> 00:41:03,231
you need to stop whatever you're doing.

1068
00:41:03,231 --> 00:41:05,104
You need to stop right now,

1069
00:41:05,104 --> 00:41:06,071
and you need to say,

1070
00:41:06,071 --> 00:41:09,739
what is the essential I need in my life?

1071
00:41:09,739 --> 00:41:11,663
It's Christ.

1072
00:41:11,663 --> 00:41:13,212
And what is the means of that?

1073
00:41:13,212 --> 00:41:15,131
Well, it's the gathering of the saints.

1074
00:41:15,131 --> 00:41:16,662
Is that a priority in your life?

1075
00:41:16,662 --> 00:41:18,079
It better be.

1076
00:41:18,079 --> 00:41:19,376
It's prayer.

1077
00:41:19,376 --> 00:41:20,417
We need prayer.

1078
00:41:20,417 --> 00:41:21,467
What does that take?

1079
00:41:21,467 --> 00:41:23,020
Time.

1080
00:41:23,020 --> 00:41:24,475
We need reading.

1081
00:41:24,475 --> 00:41:26,112
Breadth of Scripture.

1082
00:41:26,112 --> 00:41:27,357
And we need meditation.

1083
00:41:27,357 --> 00:41:29,198
And those aren't all the disciplines,

1084
00:41:29,198 --> 00:41:30,595
but you need those things.

1085
00:41:30,595 --> 00:41:32,291
And those take time.

1086
00:41:32,291 --> 00:41:34,857
And beloved, if you're not doing that right now -

1087
00:41:34,857 --> 00:41:39,125
literally, clear everything off the calendar.

1088
00:41:39,125 --> 00:41:43,025
Prioritize those realities.

1089
00:41:43,025 --> 00:41:46,559
And then live around them.

1090
00:41:46,559 --> 00:41:48,581
You say, oh, I want to be seeing

1091
00:41:48,581 --> 00:41:49,847
and beholding Jesus.

1092
00:41:49,847 --> 00:41:51,571
I want my heart to burn.

1093
00:41:51,571 --> 00:41:53,636
I going to go meditate.

1094
00:41:53,636 --> 00:41:55,933
And I'll just fit it in.

1095
00:41:55,933 --> 00:41:57,788
No, you won't.

1096
00:41:57,788 --> 00:42:00,359
You won't fit it in.

1097
00:42:00,359 --> 00:42:02,390
You have to begin with prioritizing.

1098
00:42:02,390 --> 00:42:06,080
Literally, putting in on the calendar.

1099
00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:12,255
And then you live around that.

1100
00:42:12,255 --> 00:42:14,845
It's in meditation of the Word

1101
00:42:14,845 --> 00:42:17,152
that the Holy Spirit opens up the Word

1102
00:42:17,152 --> 00:42:27,745
and reveals Christ to us.

1103
00:42:27,745 --> 00:42:31,235
Can I encourage you in something as a pastor?

1104
00:42:31,235 --> 00:42:35,496
I talked about meditating on a sermon there.

1105
00:42:35,496 --> 00:42:37,724
I exhort the congregation in Dallas

1106
00:42:37,724 --> 00:42:39,723
every single Sunday.

1107
00:42:39,723 --> 00:42:40,951
I give them sermon notes,

1108
00:42:40,951 --> 00:42:42,461
and I say you go home now,

1109
00:42:42,461 --> 00:42:46,797
and you meditate.

1110
00:42:46,797 --> 00:42:49,307
Because I hear a lot of amen's on Sundays

1111
00:42:49,307 --> 00:42:50,400
when we preach,

1112
00:42:50,400 --> 00:42:52,295
"Amen, amen, amen..."

1113
00:42:52,295 --> 00:42:53,300
We talk afterwards

1114
00:42:53,300 --> 00:42:54,744
and people are excited about,

1115
00:42:54,744 --> 00:42:55,880
oh, that's so good.

1116
00:42:55,880 --> 00:42:57,011
That was so convicting.

1117
00:42:57,011 --> 00:43:00,770
I want that to be a reality in my life.

1118
00:43:00,770 --> 00:43:02,690
And then they go eat lunch.

1119
00:43:02,690 --> 00:43:04,866
About half of it's lost.

1120
00:43:04,866 --> 00:43:06,991
Then they go home and work in the yard.

1121
00:43:06,991 --> 00:43:09,025
About half of it's lost.

1122
00:43:09,025 --> 00:43:10,833
And then they wake up in the morning

1123
00:43:10,833 --> 00:43:13,203
and it's gone.

1124
00:43:13,203 --> 00:43:14,671
(incomplete thought)

1125
00:43:14,671 --> 00:43:17,034
Listen, we read in Ephesians 4,

1126
00:43:17,034 --> 00:43:19,455
God gave gifts to the church, right?

1127
00:43:19,455 --> 00:43:21,075
Pastors and teachers.

1128
00:43:21,075 --> 00:43:23,561
That's a gift of the Lord.

1129
00:43:23,561 --> 00:43:25,813
But you have a responsibility with that.

1130
00:43:25,813 --> 00:43:28,836
It's not just to show up on Sunday and sit there.

1131
00:43:28,836 --> 00:43:32,700
You see, the Puritans used to talk like this:

1132
00:43:32,700 --> 00:43:34,757
When the preacher said amen

1133
00:43:34,757 --> 00:43:36,684
at the end of the sermon

1134
00:43:36,684 --> 00:43:40,212
is when the sermon actually began.

1135
00:43:40,212 --> 00:43:42,774
You know when it is for most of us?

1136
00:43:42,774 --> 00:43:44,788
He said amen.

1137
00:43:44,788 --> 00:43:47,053
We're done.

1138
00:43:47,053 --> 00:43:49,553
And you sit there and you affirm the Word;

1139
00:43:49,553 --> 00:43:51,076
you believe the Word,

1140
00:43:51,076 --> 00:43:52,547
and you want its reality,

1141
00:43:52,547 --> 00:43:54,164
but the problem for most of us,

1142
00:43:54,164 --> 00:43:55,374
I think if we're honest,

1143
00:43:55,374 --> 00:44:00,367
is that's the end of the sermon for us.

1144
00:44:00,367 --> 00:44:04,867
What would happen if you went home that night

1145
00:44:04,867 --> 00:44:07,439
and you took out your notes and that verse

1146
00:44:07,439 --> 00:44:11,329
and you began to sit before the Lord quietly?

1147
00:44:11,329 --> 00:44:14,269
And you said, "Oh Lord, now teach me more."

1148
00:44:14,269 --> 00:44:16,504
Oh God, I was convicted in the sermon,

1149
00:44:16,504 --> 00:44:19,387
but conviction isn't enough.

1150
00:44:19,387 --> 00:44:22,080
I am to confess and repent.

1151
00:44:22,080 --> 00:44:23,626
I am to turn.

1152
00:44:23,626 --> 00:44:25,165
You know Edwards' resolutions.

1153
00:44:25,165 --> 00:44:26,962
That would be a great time

1154
00:44:26,962 --> 00:44:28,708
when you are seeing truth,

1155
00:44:28,708 --> 00:44:32,033
to write a resolution right then.

1156
00:44:32,033 --> 00:44:33,820
I purpose now, by God's grace,

1157
00:44:33,820 --> 00:44:36,346
to do this now instead of that.

1158
00:44:36,346 --> 00:44:38,608
That would be a good time.

1159
00:44:38,608 --> 00:44:39,712
But for so much of us,

1160
00:44:39,712 --> 00:44:41,024
the preacher says amen

1161
00:44:41,024 --> 00:44:42,602
and that's the end of the sermon.

1162
00:44:42,602 --> 00:44:43,974
Beloved, it does need to be

1163
00:44:43,974 --> 00:44:46,369
the beginning of the sermon.

1164
00:44:46,369 --> 00:44:49,039
That's when the real work of the sermon begins.

1165
00:44:49,039 --> 00:44:49,948
Right then.

1166
00:44:49,948 --> 00:44:51,389
Because pastors and preachers

1167
00:44:51,389 --> 00:44:56,448
are not here to just give you a pep really -

1168
00:44:56,448 --> 00:44:58,352
a good feeling for a little bit.

1169
00:44:58,352 --> 00:45:00,662
Our desire is conformity,

1170
00:45:00,662 --> 00:45:03,133
for us and you.

1171
00:45:03,133 --> 00:45:06,525
One of the blessings of preaching

1172
00:45:06,525 --> 00:45:09,001
is I have to meditate.

1173
00:45:09,001 --> 00:45:12,471
I consider that one of the greatest blessings of preaching ever

1174
00:45:12,471 --> 00:45:16,361
is that I have to be given to meditation.

1175
00:45:16,361 --> 00:45:19,230
What a blessing!

1176
00:45:19,230 --> 00:45:22,077
You've read Ephesians 3 before.

1177
00:45:22,077 --> 00:45:24,361
I know you have.

1178
00:45:24,361 --> 00:45:25,691
And have you ever noticed

1179
00:45:25,691 --> 00:45:27,217
when someone like Don comes up

1180
00:45:27,217 --> 00:45:28,354
and reads Ephesians 3.

1181
00:45:28,354 --> 00:45:30,215
You've read it a thousand times.

1182
00:45:30,215 --> 00:45:31,826
And then he preaches and you go,

1183
00:45:31,826 --> 00:45:33,673
Oh yes, yes, yes, that's true!

1184
00:45:33,673 --> 00:45:34,489
That's true!

1185
00:45:34,489 --> 00:45:35,816
I haven't seen that before.

1186
00:45:35,816 --> 00:45:37,539
You have two things at work there.

1187
00:45:37,539 --> 00:45:38,607
Number one is this:

1188
00:45:38,607 --> 00:45:40,623
the Holy Spirit opening you up

1189
00:45:40,623 --> 00:45:41,672
to the Scriptures.

1190
00:45:41,672 --> 00:45:42,898
That's a glorious thing.

1191
00:45:42,898 --> 00:45:44,426
Amen. Praise be to God.

1192
00:45:44,426 --> 00:45:46,328
You know what the second one is?

1193
00:45:46,328 --> 00:45:48,231
You may say well how did he see that?

1194
00:45:48,231 --> 00:45:51,611
All glory to the Spirit of God,

1195
00:45:51,611 --> 00:45:54,009
but remember He works through means.

1196
00:45:54,009 --> 00:45:55,650
When's the last time you spent

1197
00:45:55,650 --> 00:45:58,584
fifteen hours before a text?

1198
00:45:58,584 --> 00:45:59,418
Twenty hours?

1199
00:45:59,418 --> 00:46:02,087
Whatever it is - I'm not saying it has to be that.

1200
00:46:02,087 --> 00:46:04,162
When's the last time we spent five hours?

1201
00:46:04,162 --> 00:46:06,830
An hour meditating upon the sermon

1202
00:46:06,830 --> 00:46:08,822
Sunday night or Monday night?

1203
00:46:08,822 --> 00:46:10,745
Do you think there would an increase?

1204
00:46:10,745 --> 00:46:13,380
Do you think God would meet us there and do a work?

1205
00:46:13,380 --> 00:46:15,258
Listen, He wants your conformity more

1206
00:46:15,258 --> 00:46:17,513
than you want conformity.

1207
00:46:17,513 --> 00:46:18,857
He wants intimacy with you

1208
00:46:18,857 --> 00:46:20,216
more than you do,

1209
00:46:20,216 --> 00:46:22,737
but He works through means.

1210
00:46:22,737 --> 00:46:25,750
Beloved, if you meet Him there,

1211
00:46:25,750 --> 00:46:28,922
in obedience and prioritizing meditation,

1212
00:46:28,922 --> 00:46:30,746
He will meet you there.

1213
00:46:30,746 --> 00:46:44,970
He will grace that time.

1214
00:46:44,970 --> 00:46:48,029
What's the frequency of meditation?

1215
00:46:48,029 --> 00:46:49,034
"This Book of Law

1216
00:46:49,034 --> 00:46:50,709
shall not depart from your mouth,

1217
00:46:50,709 --> 00:46:52,505
but you shall meditate on it,

1218
00:46:52,505 --> 00:46:55,908
day and night."

1219
00:46:55,908 --> 00:46:58,113
Same thing that the psalmist writes in Psalm 1

1220
00:46:58,113 --> 00:46:58,960
isn't it?

1221
00:46:58,960 --> 00:47:00,548
"Blessed is the man whose delight

1222
00:47:00,548 --> 00:47:01,884
is in the law of the Lord,

1223
00:47:01,884 --> 00:47:03,485
and on His law he meditates

1224
00:47:03,485 --> 00:47:05,307
day and night?"

1225
00:47:05,307 --> 00:47:07,021
Is this implying everyone in here

1226
00:47:07,021 --> 00:47:08,295
quit your job?

1227
00:47:08,295 --> 00:47:10,069
Forgo responsibilities?

1228
00:47:10,069 --> 00:47:11,936
Sit before the Word day and night.

1229
00:47:11,936 --> 00:47:12,779
You're done.

1230
00:47:12,779 --> 00:47:14,464
No.

1231
00:47:14,464 --> 00:47:16,146
What it's speaking to us here

1232
00:47:16,146 --> 00:47:20,342
is the daily consistency and need we have

1233
00:47:20,342 --> 00:47:22,895
to be before the Word of God

1234
00:47:22,895 --> 00:47:26,113
in a quiet place meditating.

1235
00:47:26,113 --> 00:47:27,438
On His law we meditate

1236
00:47:27,438 --> 00:47:29,933
day and night.

1237
00:47:29,933 --> 00:47:32,417
What I'm talking tonight about

1238
00:47:32,417 --> 00:47:33,909
is what we would call

1239
00:47:33,909 --> 00:47:35,884
intentional meditation.

1240
00:47:35,884 --> 00:47:38,330
This is where you have a place that you go.

1241
00:47:38,330 --> 00:47:39,441
And I would recommend

1242
00:47:39,441 --> 00:47:41,686
in practical wisdom here,

1243
00:47:41,686 --> 00:47:43,588
pick a place that's quiet.

1244
00:47:43,588 --> 00:47:46,120
Pick a place that you can consistently go to.

1245
00:47:46,120 --> 00:47:47,611
Pick a time.

1246
00:47:47,611 --> 00:47:49,738
Not fit it in - pick a time and go there.

1247
00:47:49,738 --> 00:47:51,919
That is called intentional meditation

1248
00:47:51,919 --> 00:47:54,194
where you come to a specific place

1249
00:47:54,194 --> 00:47:56,552
at a specific time and you meditate.

1250
00:47:56,552 --> 00:48:01,404
Can I tell you what intentional meditation leads to though?

1251
00:48:01,404 --> 00:48:04,146
It leads to spontaneous meditation.

1252
00:48:04,146 --> 00:48:05,365
You know why?

1253
00:48:05,365 --> 00:48:06,871
Because the truths of Christ

1254
00:48:06,871 --> 00:48:08,934
are at the forefront of your mind.

1255
00:48:08,934 --> 00:48:09,924
They're there.

1256
00:48:09,924 --> 00:48:11,251
They're readily available.

1257
00:48:11,251 --> 00:48:13,193
You're looking through the lens of that.

1258
00:48:13,193 --> 00:48:14,830
Thinking through the lens of that.

1259
00:48:14,830 --> 00:48:15,998
And that leads to you

1260
00:48:15,998 --> 00:48:18,211
being able to meditate on these truths

1261
00:48:18,211 --> 00:48:19,746
day and night.

1262
00:48:19,746 --> 00:48:21,334
And little things that we could

1263
00:48:21,334 --> 00:48:22,908
begin to practice, beloved.

1264
00:48:22,908 --> 00:48:24,346
Do you ever go anywhere

1265
00:48:24,346 --> 00:48:25,840
where there's a long wait?

1266
00:48:25,840 --> 00:48:27,867
Like the DMV?

1267
00:48:27,867 --> 00:48:29,535
Long wait there, right?

1268
00:48:29,535 --> 00:48:31,818
What do you see if you walk in there right now?

1269
00:48:31,818 --> 00:48:33,243
Tell me what you see.

1270
00:48:33,243 --> 00:48:35,173
You see this, right?

1271
00:48:35,173 --> 00:48:36,366
It's almost comical.

1272
00:48:36,366 --> 00:48:37,127
And I'm guilty.

1273
00:48:37,127 --> 00:48:38,539
Everyone does this.

1274
00:48:38,539 --> 00:48:40,117
Let me exhort you in this.

1275
00:48:40,117 --> 00:48:42,460
What if you put that down?

1276
00:48:42,460 --> 00:48:44,708
And because you meditated that morning,

1277
00:48:44,708 --> 00:48:46,571
the Word you were studying

1278
00:48:46,571 --> 00:48:47,793
or an attribute of God,

1279
00:48:47,793 --> 00:48:50,234
or the sermon that Don preached,

1280
00:48:50,234 --> 00:48:52,408
and instead of this,

1281
00:48:52,408 --> 00:48:54,993
you begin to think about that again.

1282
00:48:54,993 --> 00:48:56,351
And you spent twenty minutes

1283
00:48:56,351 --> 00:48:58,757
prayerfully considering,

1284
00:48:58,757 --> 00:49:00,381
what does it mean to be filled

1285
00:49:00,381 --> 00:49:03,085
with the fullness of God?

1286
00:49:03,085 --> 00:49:04,516
How much more would that be

1287
00:49:04,516 --> 00:49:16,362
of benefit to our lives?

1288
00:49:16,362 --> 00:49:18,889
Can I rebuke myself and you

1289
00:49:18,889 --> 00:49:22,097
for a moment real quick?

1290
00:49:22,097 --> 00:49:25,330
Who's this given to?

1291
00:49:25,330 --> 00:49:28,786
Who is chapter 1:8 written to?

1292
00:49:28,786 --> 00:49:30,116
Joshua, right?

1293
00:49:30,116 --> 00:49:33,280
Contextually, it's to Joshua.

1294
00:49:33,280 --> 00:49:35,336
He is instructed by God

1295
00:49:35,336 --> 00:49:37,614
to meditate on the Law

1296
00:49:37,614 --> 00:49:40,741
day and night.

1297
00:49:40,741 --> 00:49:44,811
Who's Joshua?

1298
00:49:44,811 --> 00:49:46,827
Leader of who?

1299
00:49:46,827 --> 00:49:48,870
God's people?

1300
00:49:48,870 --> 00:49:51,782
He's going to lead God's people?

1301
00:49:51,782 --> 00:49:57,847
How many people is that?

1302
00:49:57,847 --> 00:49:59,675
Hundreds of thousands?

1303
00:49:59,675 --> 00:50:02,995
A million?

1304
00:50:02,995 --> 00:50:04,600
Who wants to stand up and say

1305
00:50:04,600 --> 00:50:06,866
I have more responsibility on my plate

1306
00:50:06,866 --> 00:50:11,190
than Joshua has on his plate?

1307
00:50:11,190 --> 00:50:13,721
I don't think you do.

1308
00:50:13,721 --> 00:50:17,029
And God felt it so necessary to tell him,

1309
00:50:17,029 --> 00:50:18,943
you need to meditate day and night

1310
00:50:18,943 --> 00:50:21,455
on My Word.

1311
00:50:21,455 --> 00:50:23,950
Beloved, we have time.

1312
00:50:23,950 --> 00:50:27,494
We have a priority problem.

1313
00:50:27,494 --> 00:50:29,485
It means you're going to have to say no

1314
00:50:29,485 --> 00:50:31,353
to a lot of things.

1315
00:50:31,353 --> 00:50:32,792
But I want you to know this:

1316
00:50:32,792 --> 00:50:36,749
It is so worth it.

1317
00:50:36,749 --> 00:50:39,763
Intimacy with Jesus Christ,

1318
00:50:39,763 --> 00:50:42,744
growing in conformity to Jesus Christ,

1319
00:50:42,744 --> 00:50:45,937
is the joy of the believer.

1320
00:50:45,937 --> 00:50:48,353
Everything else that you are skipping this for,

1321
00:50:48,353 --> 00:50:51,368
which you are searching for life or joy in,

1322
00:50:51,368 --> 00:50:53,585
can never give you what God can give you

1323
00:50:53,585 --> 00:50:55,264
through this.

1324
00:50:55,264 --> 00:50:58,197
We're not busier than Joshua.

1325
00:50:58,197 --> 00:51:03,575
We do have time.

1326
00:51:03,575 --> 00:51:05,847
The greatest priority we have as Christians

1327
00:51:05,847 --> 00:51:09,152
is to guard and nurture our own soul.

1328
00:51:09,152 --> 00:51:10,612
There's a selfish aspect

1329
00:51:10,612 --> 00:51:11,821
to the Christian life,

1330
00:51:11,821 --> 00:51:14,450
which means if your heart is not right,

1331
00:51:14,450 --> 00:51:17,160
if you're not guarding and nurturing your soul,

1332
00:51:17,160 --> 00:51:20,827
of what value do you bring to your wife?

1333
00:51:20,827 --> 00:51:23,087
To your children?

1334
00:51:23,087 --> 00:51:24,689
To the church?

1335
00:51:24,689 --> 00:51:26,540
To the lost world?

1336
00:51:26,540 --> 00:51:28,724
I'm not saying things have to be perfect.

1337
00:51:28,724 --> 00:51:29,741
But the way God works

1338
00:51:29,741 --> 00:51:31,003
is He works in you

1339
00:51:31,003 --> 00:51:32,507
and then the overflow of that

1340
00:51:32,507 --> 00:51:34,218
is to be the outward.

1341
00:51:34,218 --> 00:51:35,919
So one of the things we have to do,

1342
00:51:35,919 --> 00:51:37,545
is we have to guard and nurture

1343
00:51:37,545 --> 00:51:38,417
our own soul.

1344
00:51:38,417 --> 00:51:40,116
Above all else, guard your heart.

1345
00:51:40,116 --> 00:51:43,231
We have to guard this carefully.

1346
00:51:43,231 --> 00:51:45,187
We have to say no to things,

1347
00:51:45,187 --> 00:51:48,029
because we recognize the importance

1348
00:51:48,029 --> 00:52:00,464
and the essential of these things.

1349
00:52:00,464 --> 00:52:04,763
There is no shortcut.

1350
00:52:04,763 --> 00:52:06,649
Well, finally, here it says,

1351
00:52:06,649 --> 00:52:09,195
we've defined meditation.

1352
00:52:09,195 --> 00:52:13,206
We've looked at the focus

1353
00:52:13,206 --> 00:52:14,552
or the object of meditation

1354
00:52:14,552 --> 00:52:15,691
being the Word of God

1355
00:52:15,691 --> 00:52:17,317
and that focus being Jesus Christ.

1356
00:52:17,317 --> 00:52:19,675
We've looked at the frequency of meditation

1357
00:52:19,675 --> 00:52:21,200
being a daily consistency,

1358
00:52:21,200 --> 00:52:22,559
day and night.

1359
00:52:22,559 --> 00:52:24,539
And now for more motivation,

1360
00:52:24,539 --> 00:52:25,598
let me encourage you

1361
00:52:25,598 --> 00:52:28,218
with the fruit of meditation.

1362
00:52:28,218 --> 00:52:29,990
"This Book of Law shall not depart

1363
00:52:29,990 --> 00:52:30,817
from your mouth.

1364
00:52:30,817 --> 00:52:32,699
You shall meditate on it day and night,

1365
00:52:32,699 --> 00:52:34,454
so that..."

1366
00:52:34,454 --> 00:52:36,139
When you read words like "so that"

1367
00:52:36,139 --> 00:52:38,516
in your Bible, stop and make note of it.

1368
00:52:38,516 --> 00:52:39,661
They're important words

1369
00:52:39,661 --> 00:52:41,173
and they're going to tell you

1370
00:52:41,173 --> 00:52:44,481
what preceded it leads to.

1371
00:52:44,481 --> 00:52:45,593
"Meditate day and night

1372
00:52:45,593 --> 00:52:47,739
so that you may be careful to do

1373
00:52:47,739 --> 00:52:52,854
all that is written in it."

1374
00:52:52,854 --> 00:52:54,060
If you're a believer,

1375
00:52:54,060 --> 00:52:56,408
you want to live in accordance with

1376
00:52:56,408 --> 00:53:00,263
the revealed will and Word of God.

1377
00:53:00,263 --> 00:53:03,585
We don't want to be hearers only, do we?

1378
00:53:03,585 --> 00:53:05,276
We want to be hearers and doers.

1379
00:53:05,276 --> 00:53:06,965
In fact, the Scriptures teach us

1380
00:53:06,965 --> 00:53:09,249
that one who is a hearer only

1381
00:53:09,249 --> 00:53:12,411
deceives himself.

1382
00:53:12,411 --> 00:53:14,182
There's a little bit of deception

1383
00:53:14,182 --> 00:53:17,287
happening with us if we're honest, I think.

1384
00:53:17,287 --> 00:53:18,762
Because on most Sundays,

1385
00:53:18,762 --> 00:53:20,003
what do we do?

1386
00:53:20,003 --> 00:53:21,921
We hear the Word preached.

1387
00:53:21,921 --> 00:53:24,519
We even affirm it.

1388
00:53:24,519 --> 00:53:26,395
But it seems to me that this link

1389
00:53:26,395 --> 00:53:28,369
between being a hearer of the Word

1390
00:53:28,369 --> 00:53:31,674
and a doer of the Word,

1391
00:53:31,674 --> 00:53:38,014
finds its rest here in meditating on the Word.

1392
00:53:38,014 --> 00:53:39,786
Again, acknowledging our great need

1393
00:53:39,786 --> 00:53:41,448
for the Spirit.

1394
00:53:41,448 --> 00:53:45,634
But the Spirit works through the means.

1395
00:53:45,634 --> 00:53:47,195
Meditate on it day and night

1396
00:53:47,195 --> 00:53:48,977
so you may be careful

1397
00:53:48,977 --> 00:53:51,724
to do all that's written in it.

1398
00:53:51,724 --> 00:53:53,364
It's one thing to sit in the pew

1399
00:53:53,364 --> 00:53:54,318
and feel convicted.

1400
00:53:54,318 --> 00:53:56,492
It's a whole other thing to go home

1401
00:53:56,492 --> 00:53:57,486
and to acknowledge

1402
00:53:57,486 --> 00:53:59,259
what you were convicted about.

1403
00:53:59,259 --> 00:54:01,215
To confess that to the Lord.

1404
00:54:01,215 --> 00:54:02,818
To repent of that,

1405
00:54:02,818 --> 00:54:04,229
and to make changes,

1406
00:54:04,229 --> 00:54:07,484
so that you can stop living that way.

1407
00:54:07,484 --> 00:54:10,081
You're careful to do...

1408
00:54:10,081 --> 00:54:12,389
We all get convicted so easily,

1409
00:54:12,389 --> 00:54:15,042
but changing and being conformed

1410
00:54:15,042 --> 00:54:16,379
and growing in intimacy -

1411
00:54:16,379 --> 00:54:18,085
there's a work there.

1412
00:54:18,085 --> 00:54:19,383
So maybe there's an issue

1413
00:54:19,383 --> 00:54:21,412
of not only a lack of prioritizing,

1414
00:54:21,412 --> 00:54:24,554
but just a laziness that we have at times.

1415
00:54:24,554 --> 00:54:32,672
Just hard work here.

1416
00:54:32,672 --> 00:54:35,223
When by grace, we are hearing and reading truth,

1417
00:54:35,223 --> 00:54:36,383
meditating on truth,

1418
00:54:36,383 --> 00:54:38,560
aided by the Spirit,

1419
00:54:38,560 --> 00:54:40,084
and then we carefully do

1420
00:54:40,084 --> 00:54:42,338
all that is written in it,

1421
00:54:42,338 --> 00:54:44,136
look what it says next:

1422
00:54:44,136 --> 00:54:46,593
"For (when you're doing those things),

1423
00:54:46,593 --> 00:54:48,599
you will make your way prosperous

1424
00:54:48,599 --> 00:54:52,054
and then you will have good success."

1425
00:54:52,054 --> 00:54:54,892
If Joshua does what the Word of God

1426
00:54:54,892 --> 00:54:59,016
tells him, he will prosper and have success.

1427
00:54:59,016 --> 00:55:02,193
Beloved, if we sit before the Word

1428
00:55:02,193 --> 00:55:04,712
and meditate upon the Person of Jesus Christ

1429
00:55:04,712 --> 00:55:06,031
revealed through the Word

1430
00:55:06,031 --> 00:55:07,787
by the increase of the Holy Spirit,

1431
00:55:07,787 --> 00:55:09,110
I want you to know this,

1432
00:55:09,110 --> 00:55:10,311
spiritually speaking,

1433
00:55:10,311 --> 00:55:12,038
you will have a prosperous life

1434
00:55:12,038 --> 00:55:14,283
and a successful life.

1435
00:55:14,283 --> 00:55:15,768
Why?

1436
00:55:15,768 --> 00:55:19,191
Because you'll be full of promise and hope.

1437
00:55:19,191 --> 00:55:21,284
You'll be living in light of the Gospel,

1438
00:55:21,284 --> 00:55:22,904
which was what we read earlier

1439
00:55:22,904 --> 00:55:25,438
in Ephesians 4.

1440
00:55:25,438 --> 00:55:26,815
Live then in this way,

1441
00:55:26,815 --> 00:55:28,761
in light of all these glorious truths.

1442
00:55:28,761 --> 00:55:30,980
Well, those truths are revealed to you,

1443
00:55:30,980 --> 00:55:32,488
they're stirred in your heart,

1444
00:55:32,488 --> 00:55:33,784
they burn in your heart,

1445
00:55:33,784 --> 00:55:35,835
through this work of meditation

1446
00:55:35,835 --> 00:55:37,336
upon Scripture

1447
00:55:37,336 --> 00:55:43,180
and the increase of the Holy Spirit.

1448
00:55:43,180 --> 00:55:44,422
Let me, if I could, then

1449
00:55:44,422 --> 00:55:47,599
just end with maybe six or seven

1450
00:55:47,599 --> 00:55:50,339
practical aspects for you to consider

1451
00:55:50,339 --> 00:55:52,904
while meditating.

1452
00:55:52,904 --> 00:55:54,658
Number one, let me do this,

1453
00:55:54,658 --> 00:55:57,058
if you're not meditating today...

1454
00:55:57,058 --> 00:55:58,561
if you say, if I'm honest,

1455
00:55:58,561 --> 00:56:01,233
this really has no part in my daily life,

1456
00:56:01,233 --> 00:56:06,138
then I'm going to tell you begin immediately.

1457
00:56:06,138 --> 00:56:08,021
So often we say that's a great thing

1458
00:56:08,021 --> 00:56:09,088
and let me begin that

1459
00:56:09,088 --> 00:56:10,245
and we put it here,

1460
00:56:10,245 --> 00:56:11,819
and we move on.

1461
00:56:11,819 --> 00:56:13,092
I want to encourage you,

1462
00:56:13,092 --> 00:56:15,941
begin it immediately.

1463
00:56:15,941 --> 00:56:20,003
Immediately.

1464
00:56:20,003 --> 00:56:21,856
Number two,

1465
00:56:21,856 --> 00:56:23,217
when you come to meditate,

1466
00:56:23,217 --> 00:56:24,220
begin with a prayer

1467
00:56:24,220 --> 00:56:26,541
in acknowledgement and confession of the need

1468
00:56:26,541 --> 00:56:28,721
of the Spirit of God.

1469
00:56:28,721 --> 00:56:31,723
I need the Spirit to help me here.

1470
00:56:31,723 --> 00:56:34,241
And ask Him to meet you there.

1471
00:56:34,241 --> 00:56:35,016
Number three,

1472
00:56:35,016 --> 00:56:38,513
set aside specific time every single day

1473
00:56:38,513 --> 00:56:40,314
for meditation.

1474
00:56:40,314 --> 00:56:41,549
When should you do it?

1475
00:56:41,549 --> 00:56:42,820
I would say this to you,

1476
00:56:42,820 --> 00:56:44,977
whenever you're most alert.

1477
00:56:44,977 --> 00:56:46,768
For some of you that's the morning.

1478
00:56:46,768 --> 00:56:48,531
That's when it is for me.

1479
00:56:48,531 --> 00:56:49,730
Get up before anyone else

1480
00:56:49,730 --> 00:56:50,782
in the house gets up.

1481
00:56:50,782 --> 00:56:53,149
I love that time.

1482
00:56:53,149 --> 00:56:54,207
I guard it.

1483
00:56:54,207 --> 00:56:55,204
And I get up early

1484
00:56:55,204 --> 00:56:56,705
and I meditate by God's grace.

1485
00:56:56,705 --> 00:56:58,511
And that is wonderful.

1486
00:56:58,511 --> 00:56:59,816
There's realities -

1487
00:56:59,816 --> 00:57:02,116
we may have children and different things.

1488
00:57:02,116 --> 00:57:04,357
We have to work around some of these things.

1489
00:57:04,357 --> 00:57:05,475
I understand.

1490
00:57:05,475 --> 00:57:07,194
But to the best of your ability,

1491
00:57:07,194 --> 00:57:08,426
a specific time

1492
00:57:08,426 --> 00:57:09,935
in a specific place,

1493
00:57:09,935 --> 00:57:14,689
as much as you can.

1494
00:57:14,689 --> 00:57:16,794
Then, choose something to meditate on.

1495
00:57:16,794 --> 00:57:19,188
You have some liberty here.

1496
00:57:19,188 --> 00:57:21,267
I would meditate on your pastor's sermon

1497
00:57:21,267 --> 00:57:22,374
after Sunday.

1498
00:57:22,374 --> 00:57:24,407
That's a good starting point for the week.

1499
00:57:24,407 --> 00:57:26,207
Maybe Sunday night or Monday morning.

1500
00:57:26,207 --> 00:57:27,782
You meditate upon that sermon.

1501
00:57:27,782 --> 00:57:29,621
That might take you two or three days

1502
00:57:29,621 --> 00:57:30,746
of meditation

1503
00:57:30,746 --> 00:57:32,279
as the Lord works in your heart,

1504
00:57:32,279 --> 00:57:33,808
you begin to pray and confess

1505
00:57:33,808 --> 00:57:36,226
and write out resolutions.

1506
00:57:36,226 --> 00:57:38,195
You can meditate on an attribute of God.

1507
00:57:38,195 --> 00:57:40,168
You can meditate on something you're reading.

1508
00:57:40,168 --> 00:57:41,509
You're going through your breadth of reading

1509
00:57:41,509 --> 00:57:42,727
and something captures you.

1510
00:57:42,727 --> 00:57:45,508
Maybe meditate upon something that you're struggling with.

1511
00:57:45,508 --> 00:57:47,124
Struggling in an area of the Christian life.

1512
00:57:47,124 --> 00:57:48,192
Meditate upon that.

1513
00:57:48,192 --> 00:57:50,218
Meditate on an attribute of God.

1514
00:57:50,218 --> 00:57:51,607
You have some liberty there,

1515
00:57:51,607 --> 00:57:55,724
but Scripture must guard and govern this.

1516
00:57:55,724 --> 00:57:57,748
Number three, we have to recognize this,

1517
00:57:57,748 --> 00:58:00,255
it takes time.

1518
00:58:00,255 --> 00:58:02,582
So give it time.

1519
00:58:02,582 --> 00:58:03,732
It may be hard at first

1520
00:58:03,732 --> 00:58:05,005
if you have not done it.

1521
00:58:05,005 --> 00:58:06,399
But I want you to know this,

1522
00:58:06,399 --> 00:58:08,588
meditation breeds meditation.

1523
00:58:08,588 --> 00:58:09,678
The more you do it,

1524
00:58:09,678 --> 00:58:11,199
the more you want to do it.

1525
00:58:11,199 --> 00:58:13,062
The closer you grow in intimacy,

1526
00:58:13,062 --> 00:58:15,451
the more you want of Jesus.

1527
00:58:15,451 --> 00:58:20,425
So meditation will breed meditation.

1528
00:58:20,425 --> 00:58:21,181
Remember this,

1529
00:58:21,181 --> 00:58:23,216
the goal is to work through the mind,

1530
00:58:23,216 --> 00:58:27,026
but the stirring of the affections for Jesus Christ.

1531
00:58:27,026 --> 00:58:28,008
OK?

1532
00:58:28,008 --> 00:58:29,962
This isn't intellectual work only.

1533
00:58:29,962 --> 00:58:31,999
We acknowledge He works through the Word,

1534
00:58:31,999 --> 00:58:33,185
by the Spirit,

1535
00:58:33,185 --> 00:58:34,377
through the mind,

1536
00:58:34,377 --> 00:58:36,513
but we're praying for that stirring,

1537
00:58:36,513 --> 00:58:38,230
that burning of the heart

1538
00:58:38,230 --> 00:58:41,039
in the revelation of truth in Jesus Christ.

1539
00:58:41,039 --> 00:58:42,701
Confession though.

1540
00:58:42,701 --> 00:58:44,064
That doesn't happen though

1541
00:58:44,064 --> 00:58:47,109
every time I read the Bible and meditate.

1542
00:58:47,109 --> 00:58:48,523
It doesn't.

1543
00:58:48,523 --> 00:58:50,319
So what do you do?

1544
00:58:50,319 --> 00:58:52,274
Confess that to Christ.

1545
00:58:52,274 --> 00:58:54,257
And come back again.

1546
00:58:54,257 --> 00:58:56,849
Just confess it and come back.

1547
00:58:56,849 --> 00:59:00,794
Christ saved us from imperfect meditation as well.

1548
00:59:00,794 --> 00:59:03,069
Confess that and move on.

1549
00:59:03,069 --> 00:59:05,460
And then, constantly remind yourself

1550
00:59:05,460 --> 00:59:07,290
of this daily,

1551
00:59:07,290 --> 00:59:08,830
and the Word will do this

1552
00:59:08,830 --> 00:59:11,333
as you meditate upon it:

1553
00:59:11,333 --> 00:59:17,413
We are not earning God's favor here.

1554
00:59:17,413 --> 00:59:20,153
We have the favor of God

1555
00:59:20,153 --> 00:59:22,089
through our union with Jesus Christ

1556
00:59:22,089 --> 00:59:24,248
through faith alone.

1557
00:59:24,248 --> 00:59:25,770
God loves us.

1558
00:59:25,770 --> 00:59:27,618
Do you know what's happening here?

1559
00:59:27,618 --> 00:59:29,772
We're growing in the revelation

1560
00:59:29,772 --> 00:59:31,477
of that favor,

1561
00:59:31,477 --> 00:59:33,430
of what Christ has accomplished,

1562
00:59:33,430 --> 00:59:35,373
and we're growing in revelation

1563
00:59:35,373 --> 00:59:36,722
of God's love for us

1564
00:59:36,722 --> 00:59:38,056
through Jesus Christ

1565
00:59:38,056 --> 00:59:39,508
as we meditate.

1566
00:59:39,508 --> 00:59:40,848
And what does Paul tell you

1567
00:59:40,848 --> 00:59:43,933
in 2 Corinthians 5?

1568
00:59:43,933 --> 00:59:46,416
That that love - when you begin to see it -

1569
00:59:46,416 --> 00:59:49,228
it constrains you to no longer

1570
00:59:49,228 --> 00:59:53,077
live for yourself.

1571
00:59:53,077 --> 00:59:55,063
And then you start obeying,

1572
00:59:55,063 --> 00:59:58,125
because you stop living for yourself.

1573
00:59:58,125 --> 00:59:59,940
It's glorious.

1574
00:59:59,940 --> 01:00:01,575
So, I pray you see the blessing,

1575
01:00:01,575 --> 01:00:02,478
the benefit,

1576
01:00:02,478 --> 01:00:04,695
and the essential need for meditation.

1577
01:00:04,695 --> 01:00:06,234
And my prayer, again, is that

1578
01:00:06,234 --> 01:00:08,409
you begin this immediately.

1579
01:00:08,409 --> 01:00:18,744
So, let's pray for God's grace.

1580
01:00:18,744 --> 01:00:21,265
"Father, in the name of Jesus,

1581
01:00:21,265 --> 01:00:23,328
God, You so desire,

1582
01:00:23,328 --> 01:00:27,022
demonstrated by the giving of Your Son,

1583
01:00:27,022 --> 01:00:29,642
intimacy with Your people.

1584
01:00:29,642 --> 01:00:30,768
God, You've changed us

1585
01:00:30,768 --> 01:00:32,516
and given us the desire to know You

1586
01:00:32,516 --> 01:00:34,916
and to glorify You.

1587
01:00:34,916 --> 01:00:37,371
But You work through means, God.

1588
01:00:37,371 --> 01:00:38,980
Help us not to ignore the means

1589
01:00:38,980 --> 01:00:40,539
You've chosen to work through,

1590
01:00:40,539 --> 01:00:42,173
for they are good.

1591
01:00:42,173 --> 01:00:44,280
God, in my own life and my own heart,

1592
01:00:44,280 --> 01:00:46,321
Lord, convict us all,

1593
01:00:46,321 --> 01:00:49,534
of the things we've given greater priority to,

1594
01:00:49,534 --> 01:00:51,591
to knowing You more.

1595
01:00:51,591 --> 01:00:53,404
Let us repent of these things, Lord.

1596
01:00:53,404 --> 01:00:56,297
Give us wisdom in decision making.

1597
01:00:56,297 --> 01:00:57,254
Let this lead, Lord,

1598
01:00:57,254 --> 01:00:59,081
to changes in our lives.

1599
01:00:59,081 --> 01:01:01,541
We don't want to just affirm truth, God.

1600
01:01:01,541 --> 01:01:03,194
We want to be doers of it.

1601
01:01:03,194 --> 01:01:04,701
So work that into our hearts,

1602
01:01:04,701 --> 01:01:06,008
each of us here, we pray.

1603
01:01:06,008 --> 01:01:07,947
We ask for these things for Your glory,

1604
01:01:07,947 --> 01:01:09,073
in the name of Jesus,

1605
01:01:09,073 --> 01:01:10,446
Amen.