Meditation Week 2

We are on page two of your notes and um we're talking about meditation in Joshua 1:8. He told him to meditate and that God would bless him in Psalms 19:14 says, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable my sight, oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer." So, we talked about last week that the term uh the words of my mouth that um the term hagath in the Hebrew means to reflect, moan or murmur. Uh to ponder, to repeat the words, it's the idea of of thinking about something over and over again, whether you repeat it out loud or kind of talk to yourself in your mind about what you're studying, what you're reading.

And so, it's the words of our mouth uh to think. The word uh amuse is in Psalms 39. We looked at that and the word muse means to think on. Amuse means not to think. We live in a society that's big into amusement. Don't want to think. I want the radio on. I want the TV on. I want the internet on. I want to look at reals or whatever else. So, we don't have to think. But if you're going to learn to meditate, you've got to give yourself that opportunity, that time to think. And um and and I I have found the best meditation time I have is um the time that that my hands are busy but my mind's not like when I'm driving uh or when I'm uh doing uh yard work or other times really is a productive meditation.

There are times where you just got to sit down and meditate. And uh but I find it's one of those kind of things when I try to think about it I I can't think of anything. Then when I put it in the back of my mind, let my mind go to work on it, then all of a sudden all the ideas come out. And and so you learn to use that that free time, that uh empty time to to benefit from that. And uh there are times where you actually need to stop and say, I'm going to think about this uh and and and doing that as well. And so um music we talked about is an important part of meditation, memorizing, visualizing, personalizing, and talk about the word.

And we stopped at letter B, the meditation of my heart. Uh be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And um and so it's what we think about. It's the transformation comes on meditating on thinking about these things. The Bible talks about thinking in our mind, but it also talks about thinking in our heart. Uh thinking our mind is a mental process, but when we think in our heart, it's a spiritual process. And so we have to put the two together in meditation. And um and in Proverbs chap 23 and verse number 7. Proverbs chapter 23 and verse number 7. The Bible says, "For as he thinkketh in his heart, so is he.

Eat and drink saith he to thee, but his heart is not with thee." So there is a difference between thinking in your mind and thinking in your heart. And and meditation brings the two of them together. You've got to get the the the thinking in your mind to think through the intellectual um aspect of it to study out like look up what words mean to look up other Bible verses to look up things on Google to find out about it and and then to think in your heart is really to write really the Holy Spirit speak to you and help you to understand it as well. So you got to bring your thoughts into control. Look at 2 Corinthians chap 10 and:es 5 and 6.

2 Corinthians chap 10 and:es 5 and 6. The Bible says, "Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing to captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ, and having readiness to revenge all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." And and so it's learning how to bring your thoughts into captivity. Uh to bring them under control. Uh a lot of times our thoughts just take off in whatever direction. And many times it's in a wrong direction. And so it's bringing that back and say, you know, I don't want to think about that. And it's not just thinking about sinful things and bad things, but worry.

If you worry too much, you're not going to learn to meditate. You got to bring that worry under control. You you've got to bring it into captivity. and um and then and and then to bring that to obedience and and and to take control over your thoughts. And so it's very very important in that process. Look at Philippians chapter 4 and verse number 8. Philippians chapter 4 and verse number 8. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things.

And so, uh, the word think there means to it it it it literally is an accounting term in the Greek. It it can carry the idea of deposit these things. And so the more I deposit the things in my life that are right, that are true and lovely and of good report and so on, the more I deposit those things, then I have that to draw upon in my thought process. And and so you've got to you've got to bring your thoughts into control. And part of that again is what you allow in. Um a lot of my meditation I I don't meditate when I'm listening to something else. And so like if I got the radio on listening to the news, which I am a news addict.

My wife always gives me a bad time about that. I like to watch the news as much as I'm able to and and doing that. And so I love the news. Uh but but if I'm listening the news, I'm not going to be thinking about these other things. And and so but there are also times where I'm watching the news and what I see on the news will bring my thoughts. Okay, what about this? and it'll help me like when we was teaching esquetology a lot of things in the news help me to understand that and and so it's bringing those thoughts into control it's depositing these things that are good and lovely and true and so on into your life that you it will help you to learn how to meditate now go to Psalms chapter 49 and look at verses 3 and 4.

Psalms chapter 49 and verses three and four. It says, "My mouth shall speak of wisdom and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. I will incline mine ear to a parable. I will open my dark sane upon the harp." So I've got to meditate with understanding. It means I I I've really got to stop and think. So a big part of meditation is like when you're reading a Bible verse, first of all, understand all the words. One of the things that helps me with meditation is understanding what the words mean. And and so when you're reading a Bible verse, look up the words, you know, even words that you don't know.

If you don't know what a word means, you might as well just take a black marker and blot it out because all the word if you don't know the definition, it's just ink on a page. And so you should always take time to look up the words that you're reading. And especially if you don't understand, don't know what that word is. But also, even if you know what it means, it's still good to look it up to see if there's something further because sometimes what one author calls familiar friends, they're words that we recognize, but they're used differently in this in the context of the scripture. And so, it's good to look it up and look it up in the English or whatever your native language is.

And then along with that to look it up in the Greek and and uh that's something you and I have today that they didn't have a 100 years ago. You can look it up on a computer. You can get a a Bible computer program and you can click on the word. You don't have to know the Greek. It will tell you what the word means. And with the Greek language, this is like with the Hebrew. When I know what that the Hebrew word for meditate is hagath, I don't have to know how to pronounce it. But I know that word means to moan or murmur or to ponder or to repeat the words. That opens up my understanding of the word meditation.

And uh and and that happens in the Hebrew but especially happens the Greek. A lot of our English words are based on a Greek foundation. Uh and and so like when you look up the word in Timothy where it says to exercise the self rather than godliness, you look up the word exercise, it comes from the Greek word gymnazo. And that's where we get our word gymnasium from. And so it's the idea of physical exercise. So I now now I can start thinking okay spiritual exercise is like physical exercise. What's important in physical exercise? Repetition uh building your muscles. Uh you know there's certain things that that help you in physical exercise and that same principle applies to spiritual.

So now I'm meditating and applying that in that way. We going through the series on love on Sunday morning. And I talked about love suffereth long. You know when we read the word suffer that's a familiar word but that that doesn't mean you suffer with somebody. It's macroia which means to burn long. And so when I read that then I started thinking okay burn long. What burns long? And I thought of a long fuse like on a piece of stick of dynamite. And you know people talk about I have a short fuse but I get over it quickly but so does dynamite and it makes a mess. Uh, I I think of a a candle that keeps lighting back up when you blow it out.

That didn't just come easily. That came through meditation. But I wouldn't have thought of that if I didn't understand what the words meant. And so, it's it's is doing with understanding, looking up the words, understanding what they mean, thinking about the words mentally, and then think about it in your heart. See, again, we think with both our mind and our heart. So as I'm going along I okay I understand what the word means now how does my heart apply that what can I go further my understanding and so we want to use our understanding the average person they say uses 10% of their brain capacity uh as an observer of human nature I think that's very optimistic for some people I know uh and uh we got a lot more brain capacity but we don't exercise it we don't expand it and meditation will help you to increase your your thinking ability And then it takes patience.

Look at Psalms chapter 25 and verse number five. Psalms 25 and verse 5. Lead me in thy truth and teach me for thou the God of my salvation on thee do I wait all the day. He says, I want you to lead the truth, but it's going to take all day. See, we want to read it, understand it now, and be done with it. You know, when I when I preach a message on Sunday morning, that's involved at a minimum of 8 to 10 hours of of study and meditation and work, and that's my active work at my desk. That's not counting the time I'm driving and thinking about it or home and thinking about it or whatever else. It's not an immediate process.

And and and it's a it's a learned art. When I first started in the ministry, I I didn't have the the meditation ability I have today. It's something that I've learned and expanded on and is still growing in in my life. And and so you got to have patience with it as well. And uh and again, it takes time to kind of research it out and think it through and apply it in that way. So it's uh it's the words of my mouth. And then number two, there meditate there in day and night. Look at Psalms 119 and verse number 15. Psalm 119 and verse number 15. I will meditate thy precepts and have respect unto all thy ways.

Um, and that's there's another verse talks about day and night. I'll get you that one later. I didn't write that one down. But it it's it's it's not just a one-time thing. It's all day long. It's in the morning, in the evening, you know, throughout the process. Uh, and and it's he talks about here to meditate on the precepts. So, it's it's going beyond just the words that are there, but what is he trying to teach me? What is he trying to show me? Uh, in doing that, look at Isaiah chapter 26. You know, on your your computer or your phone, it has the uh default setting, so to speak. So, if I don't use my computer for a while, it'll go back to that main picture.

And and and and that's what you need to have as your you need to have a default setting in your mind, in your heart. Look at Isaiah 26 and verse number three says, "Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trustth in thee." You know where is your default setting in your mind? When you're not actively thinking about some something else, what does your mind think about? A lot of us it's thinking about the you know sports people's thinking about the latest game or other people's about the show they're that they like to watch or it's about all kinds of things. Our default setting when we're not actively thinking about something else should be to come back to God, to come back to the things of God.

And so what you want to do is in your like when you have your devotions in the morning, you want it to be throughout the day when you're not actively thinking about something else, you kind of go back to that remember that verse I read this morning and think about it again. That's your default setting and that's what you got to learn to do. And so uh it's it's working on developing that to meditate there in day and night and and look at Psalms 119 again. Psalms 119 and verse number 48. Psalms 119 and verse 48. My hands also I lift up unto thy commandments which I have loved. I will meditate in thy statutes.

Now here's here's a just real quickly. Now, we're not going to go into this, but what's the difference between commandments and statutes? What's the difference between commandments and statutes? See, that's what you could meditate on. That's what you have to stop and think. Why does he use two different words? Are they the same thing or are they different? So, what would be the difference between commandments and statutes? I'm not going to give an answer to that because I want you to medit but that's what meditation involves. That's why if I look at these words, I understand them. Well, what is the difference between these two words?

Okay. And then look at verse number 97. Verse number 97, it says, "Oh, how I love thy law is my meditation all the day." So again, it's that meditating therein and on the law is what I put in the parentheses there on the law. The psalmist all they had was Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. That's all they had. And he said, "I love thy law." Now I I I if you never you know you've ever read Genesis is a great book to read some stories. And again when I'm reading Genesis I don't just want to read the words about the life of that person. I want to imagine what would have been like to be Abraham.

What was I try to picture him in my mind. I try to give him a face. I I try to give him a a character a personality. Now I don't want to read more into the Bibles there but I want to make him a living person. And that's gonna help me meditate on him and what would that have been like and how would he, you know, and and the whole process of that and try to make it come alive in your mind. When you watch TV, TV puts pictures in your mind. But when you read a book, you've got to get the pictures got to come from in here. And so you you got to make them come. That's part of meditation, making those people come alive, reading it, and trying to understand the culture.

And that's where you got to go back maybe do a little work again and understand what was the culture like back then what was the history of that time period what was you know what was he going through and trying to understand that but Genesis is fun book Exodus pretty good Deuteronomy you know Leviticus and those books not so not so fun you know uh they got all the so and so begat so and so and they got all the it's so many cubits by so many cubits and and and yet there's this this author is saying, "I love this. It's my meditation." And so, we've got so much more. We didn't they didn't have the Psalms to meditate on.

They wrote it. And we've got the New Testament, all the rest of it. So, um, to meditate, first of all, go to 2 Timothy 4:13. You can't meditate if you're not reading. If you're not reading 2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse number uh 13, he says, "The cloak that I left at Trrowaz with carpass when now come bring with thee and the books, but especially the parchments." And so he said, "Listen, I I want you to bring the books." Readers are leaders. And I believe the more you read both fiction and non-fiction, the better meditator you'll be. When I read fiction again, I'm having to I'm getting a visual picture of my mind.

I I remember I read Chronicles of Narnia and I loved the series as a, you know, as a young person. I I read that whole series and I loved it. Then they came out with the movie and watching the movie I said that's wrong. That's wrong. That's not what they look like. Because I'd already I'd already developed that in my mind. You see, I had to build pictures in my mind. And that's a big part of meditation. And so fiction, good fiction reading, there's a lot of bad fiction, but good fiction reading will help you develop becoming a better meditator. And then reading non-fiction will help you to think because I when I read a non-fiction book, it forces me to think and and to listen to what the author is saying and well, do I agree with that?

Do I agree with that? And so on. And so it's very important that you you become a a a reader. That's a big part of the process with that. And uh and and you can jot this down in 1 Timothy chapter 4 in in verse number 13. It says, "Till I come, give attent to reading to exhortation to doctrine." And I use the acronym read. Reading R exhortation, E for and doctrine. All of those are part of the process of it. And so you got to be a reader. But he said, "Bring me the books, but especially the parchments." What were the parchments? Scriptures. He said, "I especially want my Bible." Now, you know, you you and I think, well, he didn't have a copy of the Bible.

Remember, in that day, copies were they were handwritten. They were expensive. They were big scrolls, not little books. And so, he he was in prison. And and so, he wanted to have his own copy of scriptures, which tells me, by the way, he had to memorize a lot of scripture because he didn't have a copy of it for himself. And so, a lot of it, we had an evangelist friend, Dr. Ron Comfort was was going blind he and uh later on he got a cornea plant transplant was able to recover his sight but the doctors told him at that time there was no hope you're going to lose your sight in so many years and so he began to memorize scripture he memorized whole books of the Bible because he said I I want to be able to have the scriptures even if I can't read them with my eyes and and so it's reading and then exhortation uh look at while we're in 1 Timothy vers 15 meditate upon these things give thyself holy to them that thy prophetying may appear to all.

So again, reading and you got to read in order to meditate. Exhortation is primarily preaching. Second Timothy chapter 4 and verse number two, it says, "Preach the word. Be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering doctrine." Exhortation is things that are challenging you, challenging me in my beliefs, challenging me in my my life, challenging me in my actions. So, it's it can be reading books on how to have a better marriage. It can be reading books on how to be a better Christian. They're really things that are exhorting you. The word exhort, and again, this is looking up words.

Again, the word exhort is a word which means to come alongside. And so, you know, if if somebody comes beside me and puts my arm around and says, "Hey, you can do this." That's exhortation. And so, I want to read things that are going to encourage me to do even what I already know to do. Uh most time when I preach on Sunday morning, most of my sermons think you you guys already know. I'm not telling you anything new, but I'm telling you, hey, are you doing this? And so, it's exhortation. And then doctrine. is primarily teaching. Go to Isaiah chapter 28. Isaiah chapter 28. Doctrine is primarily teaching.

It's where I'm learning. Like what we're doing now is I'm teaching you. You're learning things. That's doctrine. Uh second Isaiah 28 19 and 9 and 10, I'm sorry. Uh whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Then that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breast. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little. You got to get beyond the milk of the word. You got to get the bread and the meat of the word. And part of that is repetition. You know, I preach on passages that I've known all my life.

I preach on passages I preached before, but every time I preach them, I want to go back in there and say, "What what can I learn new? What can I learn fresh?" no matter what the passage is, there's something else I can learn there. And so, you're always trying to learn. Now, never be satisfied with that. And so, you're learning doctrine. And and that's important to meditation. And then to meditate day and night. Go to Psalms chapter 1. Psalms chapter 1 and verses 1 and 2. Blessed is man that walketh not in the counsel ungodly, nor standeth the way of sinners, nor sedfull. Okay, let's stop again.

Words. What three words do I need to stop and meditate on there? What's the difference between standing, walking, and sitting? You know, so he standeth the way sinners, nor sly scor or walketh not in the counsel ungodly. So what's the difference between those three words? See, that's meditation. Don't just read it. Stop and think about what's the difference with walking. And we talked about that. I think I mentioned it last week. You know, when you're walking, you're going the same direction as somebody. When you're standing, you're stopping to talk to them. And when you're sitting, you're being taught by them.

So like when I'm sitting in front of the TV, what am I doing? I'm sitting in the seat of scornful because what's the TV do and the internet do most time? Scorns God. Scorns the things of God. But what I, you know, so you know, he's given three different levels here. And and so you learn that. And and in verse number two, but his lies in the law of the Lord, and his law he meditate day and night. So again, it's it's got to be day and night. Look at Psalms chapter 10 and verse number four. Psalms 10 and verse number four. The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God. God is not in all of his thoughts. Now, I'll be honest with you. God's not in all my thoughts. I'm not always thinking about God in every little situation. But again, is he that default position?