Reflective Meditation

Well, good morning again, brethren. It's always a delight to be able to come up and see you Sabbath morning. And I missed doing that last week. I missed seeing you. I'm always glad to hear what Dr. Hasselton has to say. Because he's a good example, in some ways. I'm sure there are areas that I'm unaware of that I don't really know about. But what he covered today was really very important, very significant. And I think it also exemplifies kind of what I want to talk about today. Because I believe he does this quite well. I think it's obvious from his speaking and his reflecting on what the Word of God says, and then what we can learn from that, what we might use in our day-to-day lives. I think Brian does a very, very good job of doing that. And yet, I know all of us know that we all have a certain amount of time every day. We all have the same amount of time. How we use that is really up to us. And we've been encouraged here a couple of months ago, as I mentioned. We were encouraged to fast. We know that we should pray. We know we should study the Bible. And yet, I want to point out something today that certainly is not new. But I know it can energize our prayer and our Bible study. It can make our study of the Word of God more meaningful. Because sometimes it can be just kind of blah. It shouldn't be, but sometimes it is. It ought to be very meaningful when we read the Word of God and learn what God really wants us to learn.

Actually, if we use this tool, our Bible study and our communion with God in prayer can be more inspiring. Instead of just, again, kind of on a superficial level. What I'm referring to is, and we covered this in part several weeks ago when we were talking about, when I talked about, you know, seeking God's ways and God's thoughts. Completely, God says, different than our thoughts and our ways. But how we do that, I want to encourage us to utilize the tool that the Bible reveals of reflective meditation. Reflective meditation. Now, some people use meditation in different ways to try to calm down or to try to benefit physically, health-wise.

And yet, I'm talking about meditating in a reflective way on the Word of God and being able then to be inspired. I mean, we know that God has given us His Word. We also know that God has blessed us with His calling. He has extended His grace and mercy to us. But we have to do our part. We have to, and I want you to look at Luke 8 in this parable of the sower and the seed and the soil. You have several categories there, and I want to focus only on verse 14.

Because sometimes, you know, this is a consideration that I have, that I don't want to be in this category. Obviously, we want to be in the last category, the fourth category. But this is the third category in verse 14. Luke 8.14, as for the seed that fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear, but as they go on their way, they get choked. They get choked by the cares and the riches and the pleasures of this life. And then their fruit does not mature. Could that happen to you? Could that happen to any of us? Well, as we read this parable, I'm sure Jesus was giving it as a reminder that clearly, you know, the fourth group who is truly bearing fruit, and bearing fruit at different levels and maybe different degrees at different times in our lives, He's pointing us to that clearly.

But He's also showing us, well, we better be sure that we don't get choked. That we don't allow other things, and this ties together with our sermon out, that we don't allow other things to choke us out. Because we know. We know what God is doing. We know what He's going to do. We don't know exactly when He's going to bring all of it to pass, but we do know what He's doing. And we don't want to get choked by, as it says, the cares and riches and pleasures of this world. So this can help us, as I mentioned about meditation, it can help us to keep from being choked. It can help us to be uplifted and to be inspired.

And so, you know, there are a number of verses, of course, that point out the need to meditate. And we're familiar, I'm sure, with some of those. Psalm 119, actually the whole psalm is the longest psalm in the book here. It has numerous different admonitions to meditate on different things. But here in Psalm 119, verse 37, it says, Turn my eyes from looking at vanities, or looking at worthless things, and revive me in your way.

Give me life in your ways. See, that's an encouragement that, well, sometimes we're just going to be focused on things that are not really terribly uplifting, just common ordinary things of living. But then there are some incredibly inspiring things that are actually here in this book.

You know, there's some amazing things that, again, we're familiar with, we read, we're aware of. But if we are truly meditating in a reflective way, see, that's what Dr. Hasselton did on Mark 1, verse 35 through verse 38. You know, that little section about Jesus went out to pray has more to it than I had thought about. And clearly, Jesus was having to prioritize what He was doing. Because clearly, all His time could have been taken up trying to heal people. And it's amazing when you read through particularly the Gospels, because obviously, they're an account of Jesus' life, of the awareness.

The awareness that He portrayed of His reason for living, His mission, His understanding of the problems that people had, His perception, even of the inclinations of human nature. It's revealed numerous places how perceptive He was. And yet, it's amazing to me, and I was telling Pat about this yesterday.

It's amazing to me when you read through John 13, which of course is a section that we'll read through, dealing with the foot-washing service that we'll have here in a couple of months. When you read through John 13, you see that Jesus clearly set the example of serving other people, being willing to wash the feet of the disciples. And yet, it says in one of the verses that as He did that, or as He concluded that, He began to talk to Judas. It says He was troubled in spirit. Why? Well, obviously, Judas had a real problem. The problem then that he was going to betray the Son of God, but also, his problem was that the devil was going to possess Him. And Jesus very clearly understood what was happening. And yet, the disciples were clueless. They had no idea! Is it me? I mean, who's going to betray you? That's crazy! And they didn't seem to have any sense at all about the problems that clearly Judas had, and had revealed over and over again, but that clearly right in John 13, it says, as Jesus discussed, would go and do what you are intending to do, which was predicted to be done, as He knew.

But he was aware of the presence of evil, the presence of the devil in this case, more than all the disciples. The disciples were just kind of clueless. They were unaware. But whenever you read it, it's fascinating to see the awareness that Jesus had. And He would later say, as Judas is, in a sense, gone or expelled, then Jesus said, now is my Father glorified. He hadn't even finished the job. That would eventually come in the next few days or next day, and then through His being in the grave and ultimately being resurrected from the dead. That's what you would think is kind of a conclusion, but He said now, My Father is glorified. His awareness of spiritual things was incredible. And it's not just that you can read it right there. You can read it throughout the whole discussion, the life of Jesus in all of the Gospels. And yet, we have to, in a sense, kind of read and then reflect on what it is was really funny. How it was that Jesus had told His disciples several times, I'm going to die. I'm going to be taken. I'm going to be put to death. I'm going to be in the grave three days and three nights. I'm going to be resurrected from the dead. They didn't get that at all. Each time He told them, they'd say, did you hear that? They just couldn't comprehend that. And even again in John 13, as He later would tell them, you've got to learn to love one another as I have loved you. This is what your destiny is. This is what you, as the children of God, as the family of God, this is what you are going to exemplify.

And of course, we want to do that. We read it. We know that's what I want to do. But see, this is what Jesus said, the divine family of God with the divine nature of God is like. You want to be like me? You want to be like my Father? You want to be like the family? And of course, then He talked to Peter, and Peter didn't get it at all. He didn't get it because he was yet to fully receive the Holy Spirit. He was yet to be aware of the implications of all the things he had been seeing and learning. And yet, as Jesus said, where I'm going, you can't come. Peter said, oh yeah, yeah, no, I'll go wherever you want me to go. No, you're going to betray me here shortly in a way that you are going to be ashamed of. Peter had to be thinking, what's he talking about? I don't understand. I don't comprehend. See, Jesus' awareness of the plan of God, of the purpose of God, of the Word of God that He spoke.

And in John 15, He says that Word needs to be in our heart and in our mind. That's why not only do we have services every week, that's why we come before God and ask for His blessing and His direction. But we want to be encouraged to reflectively meditate on the words that we read in the Bible. So what is meditation? Well, it's meditating, as we might think of that term. Or you could say just thinking about something, or communing, or pondering, maybe imagining or remembering. It's really, as I mentioned to you several weeks ago, focusing our thoughts, focusing our mind to think on these things. What are we encouraged to do here in Colossians 3? Colossians 3, verse 1 says, that so if you have been raised with Christ, see, that's talking about you being baptized. You've gone down into a watery grave, and then you've been raised in a similar way that Jesus was raised from the dead. We've been raised from putting to death, at least symbolically, our old way and our old man. He says, if you've been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father.

And so in verse 2, He says, set your mind. Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth. So that deals with the most intimate, the most complex, the most incredible essence of our being. What we think about, what we are asking God to transform, what we think about. Going back to Psalm 119 again, let's read. There are several admonitions here that I want to go over. Psalm 119, starting in verse 15, this appears to be what it was that David and others would be doing if they were able to draw close to God, which clearly David was with the help of the Holy Spirit. Now, did he use this appropriately all the time? No. He was off the track some of the time. And yet, what God, that's a good example for us. Sometimes we're off the track. Sometimes we need to get back on the track. Sometimes we need to be reminded of where the track is. We need to be mindful of what the Word of God says. And as it says here in verse 15, it says, I will meditate on your precepts. I will fix my eyes on your way. Now, that's clearly a direct statement about what I'm talking about here. If we drop down to verse 23, it says, "...even though princes sit plotting against me..." And that seemed to be the condition David found himself in, some of the time at least. Others who had problems with him, chasing him around or giving him trouble. "...Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes." So he said, I'll think about your precepts. I'll think about your statutes. In verse 47, he says, I find my delight in your commandments because I love them. And in verse 48, I revere your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate. I will meditate on your statutes. So here he's mentioned, I'm thinking about your precepts, your statutes, your commandments. Verse 97, "...O how love I, thy law, it is my meditation all day long." Some of these we could quote. Verse 99, "...I have more understanding than my teachers, for your decrees are my meditation." And finally here in verse 148, it says, "...My eyes are awake before each watch of the night." And so, if we can't sleep at night, there's something we can do that can help us anyway because it can benefit our spiritual development and our growth. My eyes are awake before each watch of the night that I can meditate on your promises. See, this psalm reveals meditation of numerous things that are clearly biblical, that we want to try to keep in mind. Now, I guess I could summarize this. Maybe I should have. We could have just fellowshiped. I can summarize this sermon by reading one verse here in Psalm 46. That could be a one-verse summary of the sermon. Psalm 46, verse 10. About reflective meditation. About thinking about the things that God wants us to set our mind on. That He wants us to be considering at all time. Here in Psalm 46, verse 10, it says, Be still. Be still. See, that almost says to get away from all of the distractions, as we've already heard described, getting up, making coffee, making breakfast, dressing the kids, cleaning up, cleaning the bathroom.

Those are distractions, and obviously those need to be done. Or traveling to work, or working at either driving a truck, or something else that we may need to do. But it says, Be still and know that I am God. And I'm going to be exalted. I am exalted among the nations. I am exalted. On the earth, or in the earth. See, that could be a one-verse summary of what I'm asking us to think about. To consider not just studying, not just praying, not just at times fasting, but truly meditating in a reflective way on what God says we ought to think about. Now, the Bible tells us, we've read some of the verses already, but it tells us what to meditate about. In Philippians 4, verse 8, the verse again we're probably familiar with. Philippians 4, verse 8 says, Finally, brethren, whatever is true and honorable and just and pure and pleasing and commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Too easy to think about many negative things. But here it's showing us, well, we want to focus on the positive things. And so, let me just point out three things the Bible very clearly tells us to meditate about. Clearly, the positive things are mentioned here. But first of all, God wants us to meditate about our Creator and Maker. Most of us are familiar with the proofs of God's existence of being the Creator and the Lawgiver and the Lifegiver.

The Sustainer, the Fulfiller of Prophecy, the One who Answers Prayer. The one out of that grouping that I didn't mention that seems to be actually first is the Designer. Before God created, whether it was the angelic realm or the physical universe, or even whenever He reshaped the earth for man, and then created man in a certain way where male and female would exist in order to produce a human race that would have a capacity and an ability to relate to the Creator God. Before God did that, and we've been going on now for 6,000 years since then, and we can read the history of man in the Bible. We can read it from Genesis to Revelation. We can know that 2,000 years ago Jesus lived, and in a few years, the conclusion in chapter 19 and beyond of Revelation is going to bring the kingdom to the earth. But see, who designed all that? Who designed that plan? Well, the Father in the Word, the Great Almighty God in the Word. See, if we contemplate God's incredible power, if we contemplate His ability to know, it even says Jesus knew what some of the thoughts were of the people around Him, of His disciples. It says that He knew what was in man. He knew He had been involved in the creation of human beings. But if we think about the incredible omnipotence and omniscience, we think about how all loving and all merciful God is. Just to sit back and think about, be still and know that I am God. Now then, we're going to benefit from that. We're going to, in essence, be in awe. One of our songs earlier today talked about every head going to bow, and every knee is going to bend. Whenever we are praying to God, often that's what we're doing. We sometimes are praying standing up or sitting. But if we're on our knees, then every knee, at least our knees, are bending and bowing our head before. And everyone is going to ultimately do that. That's going to ultimately be the requirement. To be a part of the eternal family of God, everyone will have to be yielded to God. Here in Romans 1, one verse that we could go to, Romans 1 of course talks about the way that man has corrupted his own way, and the way that man lives in opposition to God. And in many ways, you see a description of human nature here in Romans 1, 28, 29, and 30.

Verse 32, it says, they know God's decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die yet. They not only do them, but they even applaud others who practice them. That's a description of the world that we live in. Amazingly, it seems to be so incredibly nonsensical to see the insane things that people do. And yet, it says back in verse 20, ever since the creation of the world is eternal power and divine nature invisible, though they are.

See, that is true. God is invisible. God is not seen. God is not heard. Jesus says, no one has seen or heard the Father. But it says, even from the beginning of creation, His divine nature and eternal power have been understood and seen through the things that He has made so that people are without excuse. See, people can make excuses, but there is no excuse. For not relating to the Creator God, the Creator and the Maker of us. So clearly, that's one thing that we should very much meditate on. The second thing is that God wants us to meditate about His law. See, we're familiar with the Ten Commandments.

We know that it defines our lives. It defines how we are to live. It shows us we should be able to enumerate those without even thinking about it. We should be aware of what they are. But we often have to think about, well, how is the application of each one of those, in a sense, expanded by Jesus because He did expand and magnify that law. Here in Psalm 1, this was clearly aware, or people were aware in Israel, of what it was that God's law involved.

And here in verse 1 of Psalm 1, it says, So that's what we see on television or here everywhere around us. But in verse 2 it says, Happy are those whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law they meditate day and night. See, if we think about how that God says, I wish to be worshiped. Don't put anything before Me. Don't bow down to any idol or serve an idol. Don't take My name in vain because that name is holy.

Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. See, if we think about each one of those, then there's more to it than just the wording. Of course, the other six will deal directly with men and even in some ways with God. And so, as it says here in Psalm 1 too, they meditate day and night. See, why is that a good deal? Why is that important? Why is that significant? Because somehow God is going to write His law on our heart. If we don't think about it, I doubt that God is just going to cram it into our mind.

Now, He might help us, and it clearly says the Holy Spirit does help us to learn or to remember. But how is it that the law of God is going to be written on your heart if you don't meditate on the law? In Joshua 1, obviously Moses had an incredible role as God had not only put Israel into Egypt, He brought them out through the use of His servant Moses.

But as Moses was going to die and the children of Israel were going into the Promised Land, Joshua had a big job. He had an incredible task. And God told him here in Joshua 1, verse 6, He says, Be strong and courageous, for you shall put this people in possession of the land. And in verse 8, He said, This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. You shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that's written in it.

For then you will make your way prosperous, then you will be successful. Say, we want to be successful, we want to be prosperous, we want to be blessed. Well, here it tells us exactly what to do. Meditate on the law of God.

And as we already read in Psalm 119, verse 97, Oh, how love I, thy law, it is my meditation all the day. Those are clear instructions, and yet, how have we done? Are we continually reflecting on the words of God? And like I said, reading the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life, portray an example of a perception of a human being. See, why was it that Jesus told His disciples in John 14, I don't want your heart to be troubled.

You don't have any reason to be afraid, because I'm going to give you my peace. And He said, I'm going to go away, and then I'm going to come back. But then He said, I'm going to go away to the Father, and actually, you should rejoice that I'm going to go away, because it's going to help you. I'm going to send the Holy Spirit. But He said, I'm going to go away, and I'm going to ... You should rejoice because ...

What does He say? He says, because the Father is greater than I am. What does that mean? How significant is that? Does that have any meaning to us? Well, it clearly shows that the Son of God is in subjection to the Father. He is in voluntary submission to the Father, and yet they have both eternally existed. Now, what was Jesus saying right then at that point, when He was on the verge in the next day of being put to death? Why did He say the Father is greater than I am? Well, He was pointing out the fact that I have nothing to fear either.

Even as a human being, knowing that I'm going to go through an excruciating death, the Father is going to resurrect me. He has power over the grave. He's going to resurrect me, and I'm going to once again be glorified. He was expressing the Father is greater than I am because I am completely, again as a human being, as the Son of God, I am completely dependent upon the Father raising me from the dead. See, that's our example. That's what He wants us to meditate on. Finally, the third thing I'll mention is just that we read here in the Psalms mostly and in other places about the need to meditate not only on God as the Creator and Maker and not only on His law, but on what He has done, what His works are. Here in Psalm 63, Psalm 63, here in verse 6, Psalm 63 verse 6, When I think of You on my bed, and I meditate on You in the watches of the night, verse 7, You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. Obviously, in this case, David was writing this, and there were times when he would look up at the heavens, he would think about the help that God had already provided him. He knew that God had rescued him from the bear and from the lion and from Goliath and from Saul in many different situations. And yet he said, I thought about that. I thought about Your promises.

I thought about how blessed it is to be under the shadow of Your wings. And whenever you think about that, that's great. You know, as we drive back and forth, we usually pray for protection. We ask God to preserve us, to protect us, to keep us safe. Sometimes, you know, we might be in a situation that doesn't seem very safe. And yet, you know, does God want us to think about the times He has helped us? If we jump over to Psalm 77. Psalm 77, verse 11. This is not David, but Asaph writing this psalm. And he's writing about being in trouble and crying out to God. But in verse 11, after he's thought about the problems that I'm in right now, I guess we could say in verse 9, he's saying, Has God forgot to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion? I mean, Asaph is feeling, you know, God's forgotten me. He's not helping me in my grief in verse 10. I say that the right hand of the Most High has changed. He's turned his back on me. But in verse 11, he says, I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord. I'll remember what He has done.

I'll remember your wonders of old. See, for them, they were familiar with the story of their ancestors. They were familiar. David was familiar living around 1000 B.C. He was familiar of the 300 or 400 years of history of His people, His forefathers having been brought out of the land of Egypt in great power. See, now, for the most part, even for us today, 300 or 400 years ago, we don't know too much, I don't know hardly anything about the 1600s. Not here in this country at all. And certainly in other parts of the world. I know almost nothing about it, but David was clearly aware, and others in Israel were clearly aware of how it was that God had brought Israel out of Egypt. Of how it was that He had not only accomplished that miracle, and of course you could go back further and think about Noah and the Flood, but the Exodus was the thing that they would keep in mind. How they had been rescued. And then, how numerous other kings had been overcome. First under Moses' direction, and later Joshua was more so in the land of Canaan. And you see an entire list of all these victories. Elvis is in the building. The Bible fucked it up a thousand times. The spoken word. The spoken word. Okay. We're reading the written word, and now we have the spoken word. But clearly, in verse 11, I remember you're wonders of old. Now, again, we can think back, and historically we understand what the Bible teaches us and shows us. What we read about even the miracles that Jesus performed, and that He needed to do in showing the compassion and the love and the care and the mercy of God upon others. And even as He did heal the man who had been blind from birth, He had never seen. And so there was a lot going on there with this re-creation of His vision.

Or not a re-creation, an original creation of His vision, because He had not seen. And yet, we can think of those things, but then we can also think of things that have happened in our own lives. The miracles that God has blessed us with, if we can't enumerate those, then maybe we ought to think about them. We ought to think about them more to see just what it is. What are the deeds of God that He has performed for us? Here on another page here in Psalm 78, you see here in chapter 78 a kind of a history story of Israel, and telling everyone to pass on information to their children, grandchildren, to share that information. And of course, unfortunately, when you read the history of Israel, it's one of rejecting and revolt and rebelling, just not obeying, not paying attention. Why? Why did they? They were the recipients of the blessings that God had given. Why wouldn't they do that? Well, in verse 42, it says, They did not keep in mind His power, or the day when He redeemed them from the foe. See, in essence, they were negligent of remembering what God had done.

And so, it led to them being ignorant and being rebellious, and unfortunately, in a sense, cursed because of their neglect. And here in Psalm 143, the last one I'll mention here in this section, Psalm 143, right toward the end of the book of Psalms, if I can find it. It says in verse 3, I will remember the days of old. Psalm 143, verse 5, I will remember the days of old. I'll think about all your deeds. I'll meditate on the works of your hands, and I stretch out my hands to you. See, if we really think about what God has done for us, then we have reason to glorify and praise and worship and exalt and honor our Creator God. So, for us to think about not only the spiritual tools that God gives us of prayer and fasting, of Bible study, but also thinking about the benefit of meditation, the benefit of remembering our Creator and remembering His law and remembering His deeds. That's going to cause us to be uplifted. It'll cause us to be inspired. As I said earlier, the New Covenant talks about the law of God being written on our heart. And I think we certainly want to exemplify what we read here in Psalm 19. Psalm 19, the last verse of Psalm 19, verse 14 says, "...Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer." Now, that is a confident, that is a secure, that is an assured human being who can say, like, the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O God. See, that's what we each want to do. That's what we want to be. And if we learn to meditate in a reflective way on what God has given us, then I think we can find that our drawing close to God can be enhanced. So I encourage that. I ask you to think about how that that could benefit you. And as we also were reminded earlier, you know, we want to have a right type of balance in our lives. And if we do that, then God will surely provide us what we need.