Biblical meditation is some would say that it's a lost art in the church. You don't hear a whole lot about it and some of us this may be just a refresher course. minor elementary course. But also, some of us have never heard it, and we might learn something about it that we may better be prepared when we go to read the scriptures. And we want to grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And this is one of the tools, one of the graces that God has given us to do that. And I just want to bring it up and bring it to light. Maybe it'd be like a rose that is just budding, and may it flower by the end of this message. Just a little starter, I started on this topic mainly because the pastor had mentioned something about this month we were going to go focusing on messages about the Word of God. And that is one reason why I thought about biblical meditation. I taught on it maybe several years ago, I think it was Wednesday, and there wasn't a whole lot of time to delve into it too far. But it is a vast topic and it is biblical. And I use the definition biblical meditation because there are other meditations that are not biblical. And those of us who are meditating on the word of God or those of us who will learn to meditate upon the word of God will learn that we must keep it biblical. We must focus upon the scriptures and not because our imaginations will run away from us and we want to we want to keep things scriptural. We want to prove things that are fast in the Bible. Okay, so the first one we're going to look at is, well let's give a definition of meditation. Meditation is to muse upon, to think upon, to revolve in our minds. As you have a solid piece of candy and you just keep revolving it until it's gone. Well, Spurgeon had said that he likes to take a scripture for the day and just keep it on his tongue, under his tongue, all day long, as much as he can, and muse upon it, meditate upon it, and revolve it around in his mind, and even share it with people. I would also suggest means, tools for remembering to meditate upon the Word of God are these sticky notes. We can just write the scripture down on there, stick it on your mirror in the car, the mirror when you get up in the morning, And for that fact, let's go to Genesis 6. Deuteronomy 6, I'm sorry. I'm going to try and stay with my notes, but sometimes the scripture gives me other avenues, other directions. So we're going to look at Deuteronomy 6 verses 4 through seven. And Moses is speaking, he says, Hero, Israel, the Lord, our God is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children. You shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand. That's verse 8. Bind them on the side of your hand and they shall be frontlets before your eyes. You shall write them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates. I hit verse 8 because that was in the context of what we're speaking about. And the main thing is, however you can, what he's speaking to Israel is to write the law upon their hearts and their minds. Teach them to your children daily when you get up in the morning, when you walk along the way, when you go to bed at night. And the Word of God in the Proverbs talks about when you rise, it will speak to you. And when you walk along the way, it will walk with you and speak with you. That's a paraphrase, of course. But once you have the Word of God hidden in your heart, as the psalm talks about, we want to hide the Word of God in our heart that we might not sin against Him. Right? And so we not only read the Word and hide it in our heart by memorization, but bringing it back up for revolving, musing upon, to thinking upon, and meditating upon. And this helps in evangelism as well, memorizing the word and meditating upon it. There are some who just know the scriptures, but when the person asks them a question about what they're talking about, they sometimes don't have an answer. Well, you know, I'll get back with you on that. But meditation is something that that blossoms the flower of scripture that has been memorized. And he's telling them that with them, that's the law, but with us, it's the whole counsel of God. Right. So let's go to Psalm 1. Psalm chapter 1. And I hope to get to my notes here in a minute. Psalm 1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, But his delight is in the law of the Lord. For us, our delight is in the word of God, in the gospel of God. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth its fruit and its season, and whose leaves also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper. Now, as it was told to Joshua, also, God told him, you are to meditate therein day and night, and that you make your way prosperous. And we may get to that scripture a little further in the message. But to meditate on the word day and night, there's a promise that comes with that. And it is that we shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. Now, sometimes we could be weak and weary as in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. But when we have the scripture meditated and we can bring it back up, meditation is like a cow that chews on the cud and swallows it, and then sometimes later it'll bring it back up to re-chew it. So is meditation. We can bring it back up out of the library of our mind and meditate upon it and grow thereby and share it. So meditation means the act of focusing one's thoughts, to ponder, as Mary pondered these things in her heart, to think upon, to muse. Meditation consists of reflective thinking or contemplation. J.R. Packer says in his book, Knowing God, meditation is the practice of turning each truth we learn about God into matter for reflection before God, leading to prayer and praise to God. Meditation is the activity of calling to mind and thinking over and dwelling upon and applying to oneself. That's very important. We get the scripture, we read the scripture, we pray the scripture, we meditate the scripture, and then we try to apply it to our lives. And that is part of the application of meditation, applying it to our lives. The various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God, it is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God, that we may glorify God." So we can see that meditation is an important part of our Christian life. The Puritans spoke a lot on it. It was a regular part of their ministry, regular part of their life. And Joel Beakey had a sermon, a couple of them actually, on the Puritans. He speaks a lot about Puritans if you want to hear more on the Puritans of Joel Beakey. He's one of the better pastors or preachers that I've heard on this topic. So meditation must be biblical, and by biblical I mean scriptural, the pure word of God by which we are to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly and in abundance. Here we, as God's dear children, have God's dear word. Psalm 12, verse 6 says, the words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in a furnace of the earth, purified seven times. Psalm 19, the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. Proverbs 30, verse 5, every word of God is pure and He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him. Turn with me please to John 15, 7 and 8. John 15, 7 and 8. We sing these Scriptures. That's another way we have the CD on disc with us singing the scriptures. And I put that in this morning, and I put it in the truck last week, and I just listened to it over and over again. And that's another way that we can help ourselves to think upon spiritual things. John Owen, in his book, The Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded, and it takes grace, and it is a duty of the Christian to be spiritually minded. Because he who is carnally minded is like death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. And that particular scripture in Romans 8, 7 is what he makes that whole book about. So there's a grace and a duty to be spiritually minded. And in that book, he said, if men will not be spiritually minded. They will be carnally minded. And the carnal mind is enmity against God. And it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, we're at John 15, 7 and 8. Excuse me. I get to talk now. If you abide in me and my words abide in you. I'm in the New King James right here. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what ye desire, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified that ye bear much fruit, so you will be my disciples. If you abide, that word abide is to dwell, to continue, to muse upon, to think upon. Think upon those things that are true, honorable, right, pure, and lovely, Philippians 4.8. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. It's sort of like Psalm 37. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Well, just like this, the more that we meditate upon Scripture, the more we become conformed into the image of Christ, the more that our minds are renewed in the spirit of our minds. We're renewed by the Scripture intake and meditation upon it. And so therefore, we are more in line with what God's will is, His revealed will. So, ask what you desire and it shall be done unto you. You're going to be asking things that are in accordance with God's will. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. So, the desires of the heart of one who is delighting in the Lord is in accordance with the will of God and the Word of God. As it is in 1 John chapter 5, it talks about, and this is the confidence that we have in Him, If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, we have those things that we have desired of Him. No, it just isn't a car, like I said, and it isn't fleshly things, earthly things. It's about being spiritually minded and calling for God's will to be done. So the Puritans had two types of meditation. Occasional. and deliver it. Deliberate meditation is something that you would do in the morning during your devotions. Scripture comes to light to you, or it is a scripture that's a mystery to you, and you want to meditate upon that scripture, you memorize that scripture, you muse upon it, you write it down. Like I said, the little sticky notes are a good way to do that. Stick it on the mirror, stick it on your bedpost, stick it in your car. Everywhere you go, like the Israelites, it'll be walking with you and talking with you along life's way. So that is one of the ways that we can deliberate meditation. It's something that we think about. It's something that we're going to do. And it's something that we are going to do, and we're deliberately going to do it. So it's something that we're going to do during devotion. in the morning. Some people have a clear mind at night, so you'd be at night. Some you do it day and night. But we can't always do it like at work when we're along in the work and you're doing a machinist job or something, you don't want to lose your finger as you're musing upon God's Word, right? So there is a time and a purpose for everything. So that is a deliberate meditation. The occasional meditation is something that happens just when you're going along life's way. You see the sun and it reminds you of the sun, the son of God who came to die for us. It reminds you of the light. Jesus is the light of the world. You see the lights in a room. You're sitting in a doctor's office. This is just something that we can do. Everywhere we go, we can think about what God is and what God is doing or what God's Word says. So this is meditation. This is called occasional meditation. And it's about doing it when you're walking along the way, when you're eating lunch, when you're going to bed at night. So it's occasional meditation. Meditation, someone has said, is the halfway house between reading and prayer. So we read the Word of God and then we pray, we meditate and pray. So it's all about reading, meditation, prayer. As long as the meditation is in there upon what you're reading and then pray that God would help you to muse upon it. Pray that God would help you to apply it to your life. Pray that God would help you to know more of what it says and what it means. So the end of meditation is the glory of God. We want to apply it to our lives that we may be more conformed into the image of Christ. Thomas Watson defines meditation as a holy exercise of the mind, whereby we bring God's truths to remembrance and do seriously ponder them and apply them. All three are important. We remember, we ponder, we apply them to ourselves. Another Puritan, Edmund Calame, he wrote, as to get his heart inflamed, he said, in meditation is when a man so meditates on Christ as to get his heart inflamed with the love of Christ so that the truths of God stay as to be transformed into those truths. And so meditate on sin as to get his heart to hate sin. There were four major things that come up in Joe Beekley's sermon. He talked about all the books that he read he had calculated and he wrote down was four major things that the Puritans said that they would meditate upon. And one of them was death, judgment, heaven and Christ. Christ is in heaven. That's what we would like to meditate upon. But when we meditate upon sin and what the meaning of sin is, transgression of law, it's against God. It should become exceedingly sinful, as Romans 7 talks about. And so sin is the killer of, well, we're cursed because of sin. And so meditating upon heaven. can bring heavenly thoughts. Now, there is a phrase that I remember somebody saying. It says that we don't want to be so heavenly minded that we're no earthly good. And I think that that would apply to a hypocrite, because the scripture calls us to be heavenly minded. It calls us to think upon those things which are true, honorable, right, pure and lovely, and to meditate upon those things that are above, not on things of the earth. For you have died and your life is now hidden with Christ and God. Now, when we talk about our life is hidden with Christ in God, what does that mean? Well, meditate and pray that God would share it with you. I did. And I remember out of Psalm 91 in the Amplified Version, it says, He who dwells, that word dwell is continue, abide, remain. He who dwells in the secret place, the secret place is our lives are hidden with Christ in God, in the mind of God. He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty, whose power no foe can withstand. And then two says, I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God. On him I lean and rely, and in him I confidently trust. And then there's also a promise with that. For then he shall deliver us from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence and from other things that come along the day. But I just wanted to share that with you about dwelling and being hidden with Christ in God. Oh, my dear brothers and sisters, may sin become exceedingly sinful. Calumny goes on to say that with good meditation, three doors are entered. The door of our understanding, the door of our heart and affections, and the door of practical living. Biblical meditation enhances every duty of Christian living. Like oil lubricating an engine, so meditation facilitates the means of grace in Christian lives." Now let us think about these things. Some of us can relate to coming away with reading the words of our God and forget what we just read. Dave Jeffries gave me a book in 2008. He was an elder here many years ago. Some of you remember him. And it is written by Donald S. Whitney, Simplify Your Spiritual Life. This is a great book for people who are spiritually malnourished. This is a good tool for directing our thoughts in meditation and other means of grace. It's spiritual disciplines for the overwhelmed. I just wanted to read one little part out of here on meditation. Each each chapter is just one page. So it's it's a simple little book, but there's a lot in it. Praying the scripture. Now, that's a good one. Thinking God's thoughts after him. Donald S. Whitney is the author. So Donald says Donald S. Whitney says, according to the Bible, all transformation into Christ likeness, including including transformation into simpler spiritual life, involves the renewing of the mind. Romans 12 to one of the best paths, one of the best pathways to renewing the mind and thus simplifying your spiritual life in biblical meditation. That is meditation on God's truth and meditation on life from the perspective of God's truth. Meditation on the perspective from God's truth, thinking his thoughts after him. So if you're weak and weary, as in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water, that book there may help you in more ways than I'm able to tell now. As well as that other book that I talked about, The Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded by John Owen. That's an excellent book for growing in grace and the spiritual mind. Because he comes off of that verse in Romans 8, the carnal mind is enmity against God. for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. But carnal mind is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. So again, we want to be heavenly minded. We want to be spiritually minded. And meditation is one of those graces that God has given us to be that. And it's not just us doing it. John MacArthur said sanctification is something that happens in the mind, which God does. and we participate. So it's a part of our sanctification to meditate upon the Word of God, that we may be conformed into the image of Christ and be renewed in the spirit of our mind. Please turn with me to James 1.25. James 1.25. Just that one scripture. There's a context in it. But the one scripture is what I want us to look at and concerning what we're talking about, biblical meditation. So we do not want to be a forgetful here of the word, but we want to be a doer of the word. But whosoever looketh into the perfect law of liberty, the gospel, And continueth therein, he being not a forgetful here, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. Now the same thing is said about the man in Psalm 1, verse 2. His delight is in the law, Lord, and in his law does he meditate day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth its fruit in its season, and whose leaves also shall not wither. In whatever he does shall prosper. So it's the same thing. Look intently into the perfect law of liberty and continue with therein. Now, that word continuous gives my mind another scripture. And it's in I'll just quote it. It's in the Gospel of John, verse eight, thirty one and thirty two. Jesus said to those Jews who believed on him, he said, if you continue, abide, dwell, put into practice. If you continue in my word, then you are truly my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth shall make you free or set you free in some other translations. So there are those there are many of those churches are filled with those who say they have a relationship with Jesus Christ. They don't read the word of God. They have no relationship. Because the word of God is how we know God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, according to Romans 10, 17. That's in a salvific sense, but it's also in a sanctifying sense and a renewing sense, whereas faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Our faith grows. Our faith increases as we learn about God, as we know God, as we memorize God's scripture and not just memorize it, but put it into practice. Meditate upon it. Obey it. Donald Whitney says also, he says, for if you merely read the Bible, don't be surprised if you forget most, as I said earlier, if not all of what you have read. He says the simple solution is not only prayer to prayerfully read the scriptures, but to meditate upon them. He goes on to say that reading is the exposure to scripture. Meditation is the absorption of scripture. That by God's grace, it leads to the transformation of our lives and the glory of God, its end. Charles Spurgeon says. Meditate and meditate and meditate. Simple, probably a very simple quote of Charles Spurgeon, but it says what it means there. He also says, but meditation is like learning to swim. We start by getting our feet wet. Meditate on one scripture. Pray that our great teacher, the Holy Spirit, will help you. Muse upon it. It's better to read one scripture and meditate upon that scripture than to read a whole chapter and not remember anything. So as you read, just getting your feet wet. Some who aren't used to meditating. And this is a great refresher for some of us who have forgotten to meditate. Sometimes in the hustle and the bustle of the day, our time is limited. We've got to get up and go. And we're out the door, feet running, and ain't stopped until it's bedtime. Come home, flop in bed. But I'm under flat rates at work, so it's like the clock is always looking at me. But meditating upon God's Word is a blessed thing. It's a sanctifying grace that is for us. And this is the will of God, even your sanctification. So again, meditation is part of our sanctification. Turn to Colossians 3, verse 1 through 4. Now, I quoted this earlier, but let's just get right at it there. I have the New King James open again. If then you were raised, it can be translated and better translated, since you have been raised with Christ, seek those things which are above. Why? Because that's where Christ is sitting. Where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Set your mind or set your affections on things above. Not on things of the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory. Amen. Now, that's another thing. Meditating upon being in glory with Christ is an awesome thing. Read about heaven. Get books on heaven. John Owen had one on heaven also, and there's some good literature out there that can help us direct our thoughts toward one topic, perhaps heaven, the glories of Christ, so many things that we can meditate upon and glorify God in our application of our meditation. So let's just say, for instance, you're worried, you're anxious about things. The scripture directs us by the scriptures that you have memorized and meditated upon can come to come to light when we need them. The Holy Spirit gives you remembrance. Jesus said, You will remember those things that I told you while I was with you. And so as we read the word of God and we walk away, we're meditating, musing upon the word of God. Later in the day or days later, when we need that word of God to glorify God, the Holy Spirit will bring it to our remembrance. And that is one of the graces that the Holy Spirit enables us to do is remember what we have read in times of need or in times to share. So, we're anxious about something? You can meditate and pray on Psalm 4610. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted in the earth. I will be exalted among the heathen. God is on the throne. Praise God. He is on the throne. Another one is just a real familiar one. Romans 8, 28, and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. And what is his purpose? It is to be conformed into the image of Christ. Another translation, I think it's the ASV says that verse, it says, and we know that God causes all things to work together for our good. Jeremiah 29 11 for I know the thoughts that I think toward you when when when when this was written they were they were they were in bondage they were And they were there so many years that it's like people were probably telling them. Where is your God? You know and God is saying Do not worry. Do not think because he says I For I know the thoughts that I think toward you. God is not against you. Even when the Israelites went into Egypt at 75 people with Joseph, his family, they increased under bondage, under the taskmasters. 430 years later, they merged a nation at approximately 2 million people when Moses brought them out by the grace of God. So when we read scriptures like this, we know the thoughts that God thinks toward us. It's not just them. It's not back then, but God speaks to us now through his word. He speaks thoughts of peace and not of evil and to give us an expected end. And for us, that expected end is to be conformed into the image of Christ again. Then you shall call upon me and you shall go and pray unto me and I will hearken unto you. Meditate much upon the Prince of Peace. Meditate upon the God of all comfort who comforts us in our time of need. Our God commands us to call upon him in the day of trouble. And he will deliver us and we shall glorify him. Meditate upon our substitute from the cradle to the cross. And we are now seated with him in the heavenlies. Meditate upon the attributes of our infinite God. And an attribute is just something true about God. I don't say just something true, but an attribute is something true about God. The love of God, the goodness of God, the peace of God. All these things are... There are so many things that we can meditate upon. Next time you read the scriptures, look for things to meditate upon. Write it down. Muse upon it. Keep it with you. Meditate upon Jesus, who fulfilled the law perfectly. Meditate upon us being in him when he was buried and when he was resurrected, Romans 6. As we walk in newness of life and meditate upon Christ who loved us and gave himself for us, Galatians 2.20. Meditate upon the suffering substitute in Isaiah 52, 13 through 53. Meditation is a gift to us that helps us be renewed in the spirit of the mind, our mind. And when we are commanded not to be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind, meditation is the grace that the spirit of God uses. I believe that the spirit of God works with the word of God to transform the people of God back into the image of God that was lost in the fall from God. Amen. As we prayerfully meditate on God's Word, we are, by God's grace, able to work out our salvation. We work out what God has worked in. God is sovereign, and we are responsible. They're like two railroad tracks that run all the way through Scripture, never intersecting. But we're always responsible. I would also say to those Well, let me begin here. Salvation also means deliverance. And let me just stop to say here that we are saved from the wrath of God. Thank God we are saved from the wrath to come. The Lord is not slack. concerning his promise. So I would say that the Lord is not slack concerning his promise in second Peter three nine. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but his long suffering to us were not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. In the context of that verse, in the first verse, he says, beloved, so he's speaking to the church, he's speaking to those who are the elect of God. And further down, he says, there are mockers who will come. Well, where is the promise of his coming ever since our fathers fell asleep? All things are as they are the same. Well, that's why he says this one day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as one day. But we meditate upon these things that gives us peace and understanding when we meditate and meditate and meditate. As Spurgeon talked about, the Holy Spirit gives us understanding. If you know where you live, you know your address or you know your phone number, your social security number. I'm certain that you can memorize a scripture and meditate upon that scripture. And may it be a help in a sanctifying thing for you. I tell you again, I speak to those who are unsaved that God's wrath is against you. I tell you to flee from the wrath to come as we did, and God saved us. God's wrath is kindled against you, for our great God is angry with the wicked every day. So today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Be reconciled to God, for today is the day of salvation, the scripture says, and the scripture is true. We're saved from the penalty of sin, which is death. saved from the power of sin, and in heaven from the presence of sin. For we believe in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. For we were children of wrath as others. But now we are the children of light in the Lord. We were blind, but now we see. We were naked, but now we have been clothed with the garments of righteousness. Praise God for His mercy that He has had upon us. So we can see that meditation is a great means of grace. That we can grow thereby, that we can be further renewed in the spirit of the mind and conformed into the image of Christ. Donald Whitney said the most spiritual disciplines of our Christian life are the intake of God's word and prayer. And it is through that order. Reading the word is good, but we must not stop there. For it is the meditation of God's word that we are renewed and transformed and conformed into the image of Christ, our Lord, our rock and our Redeemer. Let's pray. Father, we thank you, Lord, that we have your word.