SPEAKER_00: Well, over the last week we have found out what it would be like to live inside a campfire, haven't we?
SPEAKER_00: We've got the nice air-filtered church here.
SPEAKER_00: Nice to be here out of the smoke.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe this last week has reminded you of the importance of fire prevention.
SPEAKER_00: Imagine that you've decided in light of the big fires up in Canada, that you need to ensure that your house is protected from being engulfed in flames.
SPEAKER_00: And imagine that you went out and bought a fire extinguisher.
SPEAKER_00: Imagine that you did all the research to find the most effective one that's available.
SPEAKER_00: Imagine that you then went out and purchased the largest, most expensive, and most effective fire extinguisher on the market.
SPEAKER_00: Imagine that you got that fire extinguisher.
SPEAKER_00: Imagine that you mounted it and placed it prominently in your kitchen.
SPEAKER_00: Imagine that you brag about your fire extinguisher to others.
SPEAKER_00: You tell people about your great big fire extinguisher that is available for use.
SPEAKER_00: Imagine that you have people come over and you point them and direct them to come look and observe and enjoy the fire extinguisher.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, you're saying this is getting a little ridiculous.
SPEAKER_00: You know, I could go on a little bit longer if I had been left a little more time to preach this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Hey, that was great.
SPEAKER_00: Like I love when we take time to seriously pray for our missionaries.
SPEAKER_00: Amen to that.
SPEAKER_00: Like the work of prayer as a church lifting up our missionaries.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Scott, for doing that for us this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Imagine, though, that you have this giant fire extinguisher, and imagine that one day a grease fire breaks out in your kitchen.
SPEAKER_00: And now the moment has come and you realize in horror that you actually have no idea how to use the fire extinguisher.
SPEAKER_00: You've got this great big effective fire extinguisher and it's useless.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because you've never actually done the research or done the practice or figured out how to effectively use it to combat fires.
SPEAKER_00: Now, why do I say all this?
SPEAKER_00: Because for us as believers, one of the most effective weapons at our disposal to fight sin is right here.
SPEAKER_00: It's right here.
SPEAKER_00: It is one of the most effective weapons you've been given to fight sin.
SPEAKER_00: And yet I think the sad reality for many Christians is that they simply don't know how to use the Bible effectively to win the war that's going on, the spiritual warfare that you're engaged in, the fight against sin.
SPEAKER_00: How many Christians know how to wield the sword that's been given to them?
SPEAKER_00: And so this morning, what I'd like us to do is I'd like us to take some time.
SPEAKER_00: My hope is that after the morning's sermon today, that we're gonna leave today.
SPEAKER_00: And remember, we're really getting into the practical side of how to fight sin, how to engage in spiritual warfare by fighting sin.
SPEAKER_00: And my hope is that after today, that we are, that we are better equipped to learn how to become better users of the word to fight sin.
SPEAKER_00: That's my hope this morning.
SPEAKER_00: That's the goal.
SPEAKER_00: So let's pray and then we'll get right into it.
SPEAKER_00: Father, we pray this morning that you would help us, help us to uh better learn and understand how to utilize your word in our fight against sin.
SPEAKER_00: I pray that this would just be the starting point, that this would just be the stepping stone, but that uh we would be serious in our fight against sin and be serious in how we devote ourselves to your word throughout the week, from day to day, week to week, and month to month in our battle against sin.
SPEAKER_00: So help us this morning, help us to uh for this maybe to be a fresh start for some of us.
SPEAKER_00: Uh a fresh start to a new routine, a new habit, a new rhythm of life that equips and enables us to fight more effectively against sin.
SPEAKER_00: It's in Jesus' name I pray.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: All right, we need to establish this morning, first and foremost, that the word of God is indeed a weapon against sin.
SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna go through this pretty quickly.
SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna have you turn to these verses, but I am going to just simply have you take note that the word of God is indeed a weapon against sin.
SPEAKER_00: It is a weapon.
SPEAKER_00: In Ephesians chapter 6, in the passage on spiritual warfare, where Paul rehearses the different components of the armor in our fight, he mentions the word of God, and it's interesting to note that that is the only offensive weapon in the list of armor to fight against sin.
SPEAKER_00: He refers to the Word of God as the sword of the Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: We notice in the book of Psalms, in Psalm 119 and verse 11, we're gonna turn to this verse a little bit later, but just note here that David writes that he has hidden the word in his heart, with the resulting effect that he might not sin against the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: So David understood that the more he internalized the Word of God, the more equipped and enabled he was to fight against sin.
SPEAKER_00: And finally, in Matthew chapter 4, we notice that this is the passage on the wilderness temptations of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Again, there's a lot there we could dig into, but all I really want us to take note of this morning is that Jesus, being the divine Son of God, when faced with temptations from the devil, could have simply commanded the devil to depart.
SPEAKER_00: Could he not?
SPEAKER_00: In fact, we notice he does this with demons that he deals with in his earthly ministry.
SPEAKER_00: He commands demons to leave and they must yield, they must obey because he is the divine Son of God.
SPEAKER_00: But we notice what's interesting in Matthew 4 is that Jesus instead allows himself to be tempted by the devil.
SPEAKER_00: Now, there are some, I think, interesting theological reasons for why Jesus does this, but I also think there are some helpful practical reasons for why Jesus does this.
SPEAKER_00: And I think what the helpful practical ramification of all of this is that Jesus, as the Son of Man, faces down the full frontal assault of the temptations of the devil, and how does he fight against those temptations to sin?
SPEAKER_00: What does he do in each temptation?
SPEAKER_00: What does he do?
SPEAKER_00: He takes out the sword.
SPEAKER_00: He takes out the sword of the Spirit, and he utilizes the Word of God to fight against the temptation to sin.
SPEAKER_00: Now, I think that's very instructive for us today.
SPEAKER_00: I think that's instructive for us to know and to understand that we as believers can follow the example of Jesus in our fight against sin, and we can utilize the word of God as a means by which to defeat the temptations of the enemy.
SPEAKER_00: So, in all of these contexts, these all point to the same concept that believers are called to use the word of God as a weapon to fight against sin.
SPEAKER_00: The question then becomes, how?
SPEAKER_00: How do we do this?
SPEAKER_00: And what I would like to submit to you this morning is that believers wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, through the practice known as biblical meditation.
SPEAKER_00: Biblical meditation.
SPEAKER_00: And what is biblical meditation?
SPEAKER_00: Well, that's what we're gonna talk about this morning.
SPEAKER_00: What is biblical meditation?
SPEAKER_00: Well, we get this terminology from several different words and passages in the scripture.
SPEAKER_00: Scripture is permeated with this concept of meditation.
SPEAKER_00: We see it in several places.
SPEAKER_00: Again, we're not gonna turn to all of these verses, but I do want to take for you to take note.
SPEAKER_00: The verse itself is on the screen for you.
SPEAKER_00: In Psalm 1, 2, we notice there that the blessed man delights in the law of the Lord, and on his law or on scripture, he meditates day and night.
SPEAKER_00: The Hebrew word there is haga.
SPEAKER_00: It's interesting, when used for inarticulate sounds, it refers to a low-pitched moan or growl, something that's kind of deep inside of you, the sound that comes out.
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's reused to refer to like a dove or a growl of a lion.
SPEAKER_00: When used to refer to articulate speech and thoughts, the idea is of meditating or musing on something.
SPEAKER_00: Again, this inner quality of musing.
SPEAKER_00: In negative contexts, it's used to refer to the plotting and scheming in the hearts of wicked men.
SPEAKER_00: And in positive contexts, it's used to refer to reflecting on and delighting in the Word of God.
SPEAKER_00: Psalm 119, verse 97, Siakh is the Hebrew word, which means to lovingly rehearse or to go over in one's mind.
SPEAKER_00: We notice there, how I love your law, it's my meditation all the day.
SPEAKER_00: The psalmist is loving the word, and because he loves the word all day long, he's meditating on it, reflecting on it inside of him.
SPEAKER_00: And then the related term suak later on in Psalm 119 is to carefully ponder or chew over matters of the soul.
SPEAKER_00: And we see there, my eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise.
SPEAKER_00: So the concept is very prevalent in the Old Testament.
SPEAKER_00: We notice especially in the worship manual of the Old Testament, the Psalms, which is interesting.
SPEAKER_00: But this isn't just found in the Old Testament.
SPEAKER_00: We notice this concept in the New Testament.
SPEAKER_00: Philippians chapter 4, verse 8, if there's any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
SPEAKER_00: So we're directed to set our minds on certain things.
SPEAKER_00: And logizomai is the word there.
SPEAKER_00: It's to give careful thought to a matter or to let one's mind dwell on something.
SPEAKER_00: Colossians 3 2, we notice there, set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.
SPEAKER_00: And in that context, in Colossians, Paul gives the definition in the next few verses on the things that are earthly, which would be sin.
SPEAKER_00: He's referring to sinbearer.
SPEAKER_00: And so he says, instead of allowing your minds to wander into sin, set your mind on what is above.
SPEAKER_00: The word there is freneo, to give serious consideration to something or to fix one's attention on something.
SPEAKER_00: And then in Revelation chapter 2, 5, we have NEMANE'uo, where we get the word, in our English words, a mnemonic device, which refers to a memory device or a memory technique, like uh like the words, what are those words called, where each letter represents something?
SPEAKER_00: An acronym, yeah, that's a mnemonic device.
SPEAKER_00: That's something that is specifically uh structured to help us to remember.
SPEAKER_00: That's where we get our English word.
SPEAKER_00: But here the idea is to recall information from memory.
SPEAKER_00: So each of these passages highlights a different component or concept or idea that is related to the general overall idea of biblical meditation.
SPEAKER_00: So if we take all of these components and put them together, what would we, what would come out to the other end, the equation?
SPEAKER_00: Well, I've got a couple of definitions.
SPEAKER_00: These are from a couple Puritans, and the Puritans really did a nice job of developing this in their writings and explaining it.
SPEAKER_00: And so you have one guy, Thomas White, who said, divine meditation is a serious, solemn thinking and considering of the things of God.
SPEAKER_00: To the end, we might understand how much they concern us, and that our hearts thereby may be raised to some holy affections and resolutions.
SPEAKER_00: And then John Ball wrote, Meditation is a serious, earnest, and purposed musing upon some point of Christian instruction tending to lead us forward toward the kingdom of heaven and serving our daily strengthening against the flesh, the world, and the devil.
SPEAKER_00: So notice John Ball mentions here the essential nature of meditation in our daily strengthening against our enemies, the enemies of the Christian.
SPEAKER_00: So if we were to take biblical meditation, we really can break it down into two components.
SPEAKER_00: I think when you look at Scripture, you look at how it teaches these things, there's two components to biblical meditation.
SPEAKER_00: The first is that meditation is intellectual, it requires a serious use of the mind.
SPEAKER_00: And so this would be the difference between when you do your devotions, between what we could call the microwave method versus the marinade method.
SPEAKER_00: The microwave method says, here's my daily reading, here's my devotions for the day.
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna read through it, skim through it maybe as fast as I can, especially if I'm in, you know, the book of Isaiah or the book of 2 Chronicles, I'll kind of skim through those verses quickly, check it off my checklist, and move on to the rest of my day.
SPEAKER_00: And that will be the that will be microwave devotions.
SPEAKER_00: Quick, easy, efficient, and you're done.
SPEAKER_00: Whereas the marinade method, we all know, the highly more superior method of cooking, when you place a piece of meat in a marinade, you can't just marinade for 30 seconds and then and then expect it to be done.
SPEAKER_00: No, if you're going to marinade the meat, it must remain in the solution, ideally, for multiple hours.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: So that the flavor of the marinade can work itself into and penetrate into the meat.
SPEAKER_00: And when we think about biblical meditation, when we talk about the intellectual side, a serious use of the mind, we we're talking about more than simply microwaving our devotions quick.
SPEAKER_00: We're talking about slowing down and marinating on the text.
SPEAKER_00: Or maybe better, to better state it, letting the text marinate in us.
SPEAKER_00: Letting our minds reflect on, think about what we read.
SPEAKER_00: This is the process by which we read, just not only or we read the text and not only read the text, but we study the text in order to understand the correct meaning.
SPEAKER_00: Taking time to think about what does this actually mean?
SPEAKER_00: Am I understanding and comprehending what I'm reading?
SPEAKER_00: There are some passages where that's easy, there are some passages that are more difficult.
SPEAKER_00: When we're talking about a document that the earliest portions were written 2,000 years ago in a different language with different cultures and different customs, there's things that sometimes will present challenges to comprehension.
SPEAKER_00: So biblical meditation takes time to make sure I'm comprehending what I'm reading, I'm understanding it.
SPEAKER_00: But then beyond that, it's a serious reflection and meditation on that meaning.
SPEAKER_00: How does this text intersect with my life?
SPEAKER_00: How do I take the Word of God and how do I bring it to bear on my life?
SPEAKER_00: And meditation is the process by which you intellectually work through that.
SPEAKER_00: But we would say it's not just intellectual.
SPEAKER_00: The second component to genuine biblical meditation would be affectional, which is a working upon the heart.
SPEAKER_00: Biblical meditation takes the word of God and it takes it from here, takes it from here to here down to here.
SPEAKER_00: And it brings the word to bear on my affections, how my heart is shaped, where my loves are shaped.
SPEAKER_00: And and the word of God, uh by allowing it to work on our hearts, we're allowing it to shape, fashion, mold, and change our hearts.
SPEAKER_00: Another Puritan, William Bates, wrote, If our meditation be merely speculative, or just appear, it is but like a winter sun, which shines but doth not warm.
SPEAKER_00: And we here in Michigan are very familiar with the winter sun, aren't we?
SPEAKER_00: You wake up that January morning, and one of those rare mornings where it's a clear blue sky out, and that sun is up there blazing, and it's deceiving, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00: It looks like it's gonna be a beautiful morning with the warmth of the sun finally breaking through the clouds and shining out on us.
SPEAKER_00: But then you go out that morning and reality hits you, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_00: In the form of bitter cold.
SPEAKER_00: That's a bright shining sun that isn't warming anything.
SPEAKER_00: And I love the illustration.
SPEAKER_00: Isn't it appropriate when we think about if our Bible reading is simply intellectual, if all we're doing is reading and maybe we're even comprehending, but it's all an exercise of the intellect, it's all an exercise of the minds.
SPEAKER_00: Without allowing that to travel down to here, to shape our hearts before the Lord, then the word of God is a winter sun in your life.
SPEAKER_00: It shines, but it doesn't warm you to the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: So biblical meditation is the practice of, it's an intellectual practice and it's an affectional practice.
SPEAKER_00: So then, thinking in terms of the context of spiritual warfare, how do I effectively utilize meditation to then battle sin?
SPEAKER_00: What does it look like to engage in biblical meditation to fight sin?
SPEAKER_00: Well, there's a few verses I want us to look at, so so get ready to turn now to a few different pages of scripture.
SPEAKER_00: Haggai.
SPEAKER_00: Haggai towards the very end of the Old Testament, Haggai chapter 1.
SPEAKER_00: This was one of the prophets that ministered in Israel, really Judah, the kingdom of Judah, post uh captivity.
SPEAKER_00: So the Israelites were taken captive, the kingdom of Judah was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians, and then under the Persians, 70 years later, they were allowed to return to the land.
SPEAKER_00: Haggai was a prophet that ministered in the land during this time.
SPEAKER_00: And during this time, notice, notice what he says in chapter 1 and verse 5.
SPEAKER_00: Now, therefore, actually, let's go to verse 2.
SPEAKER_00: Thus says the Lord of hosts, these people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet.
SPEAKER_00: Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins?
SPEAKER_00: Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, consider your ways.
SPEAKER_00: So we notice here in the context of Haggai, the people of Israel had returned to the land, and we noticed a mixing up of priority.
SPEAKER_00: And the Lord is speaking through Haggai, and he's really challenging them and saying, You've come and you've made it a priority to make your life comfortable here.
SPEAKER_00: And you've built these beautiful homes, and you've you've really sought to make to make your life and your livinghood here the priority.
SPEAKER_00: But but he says, direct your attention to my house, which has not been built.
SPEAKER_00: And the Lord is challenging the people of Israel to say, You've built your houses.
SPEAKER_00: What about my house?
SPEAKER_00: What about the temple which lies in shambles?
SPEAKER_00: And so, how does he challenge?
SPEAKER_00: What's the challenge here to the people?
SPEAKER_00: What does he say?
SPEAKER_00: Consider your ways.
SPEAKER_00: What's he calling them to do?
SPEAKER_00: Biblical meditation.
SPEAKER_00: This is biblical meditation.
SPEAKER_00: We we effectively utilize meditation to battle sin by taking time in our devotions to examine ourselves, to consider our ways in the light of the word of God.
SPEAKER_00: And we notice this this principle is stated in several other places in Scripture.
SPEAKER_00: The book of James refers to the Word of God as a mirror by which we see our own sin through the Word of God.
SPEAKER_00: We see ourselves reflected in the Word of God.
SPEAKER_00: The author of Hebrews describes the word as a sword that pierces our innermost being and lays us bare before the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: These are concepts we find in Scripture that challenge us to take the Word of God.
SPEAKER_00: God and to consider our ways in the light of what God's Word says.
SPEAKER_00: And when we approach the Word with humility and examine ourselves in its light, it should produce what Paul refers to here as godly sorrow in the book of 2 Corinthians.
SPEAKER_00: Paul refers to this as godly sorrow.
SPEAKER_00: So one of the ways in which meditation helps us to fight sin, meditation produces and deepens repentance.
SPEAKER_00: When we consider our ways before the Word of God, we think, we use our intellect, we allow that to travel down to our hearts, we examine ourselves in the light of Scripture, it should produce in us a deeper sense of sorrow over our sin, which leads to a genuine and deepening repentance before the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Could I ask you, when's the last time you sorrowed over your sin?
SPEAKER_00: Genuinely, deeply sorrowed over your sin.
SPEAKER_00: Godly sorrow.
SPEAKER_00: Time in the Word of God, taking time to meditate on the Word of God, produces this deeper sense of repentance.
SPEAKER_00: It produces in us a godly sorrow over sin that results in genuine repentance.
SPEAKER_00: One author describes this as letting loose a hunting hound to chase down a rabbit.
SPEAKER_00: And think of the word of God as the hunting hound.
SPEAKER_00: And as you take time in the Word of God to read and think about what the text is saying, it's like you're letting the hound loose.
SPEAKER_00: And that hound is chasing down your sin in your heart.
SPEAKER_00: But you've got to let it loose.
SPEAKER_00: You have to let the hound loose in your heart to chase down that sin, to hunt it down, and produce that deep, genuine repentance.
SPEAKER_00: So one way we use meditation to battle sin is by digging into the word and allowing it to shape our hearts towards the Lord and deepen our repentance before the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: How about Psalm 119, verse 11?
SPEAKER_00: We looked at this already at the beginning of the sermon.
SPEAKER_00: Let's go back.
SPEAKER_00: Psalm 119, verse 11.
SPEAKER_00: Meditation equips you to fight sin.
SPEAKER_00: So it deepens repentance.
SPEAKER_00: Secondly, it equips us to fight sin.
SPEAKER_00: Psalm 119, verse 11.
SPEAKER_00: I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
SPEAKER_00: Think of this as going into battle.
SPEAKER_00: Think of yourself as an ancient warrior going into battle with an empty quiver.
SPEAKER_00: You have a bow but no arrows.
SPEAKER_00: How useful are you going to be in the fight?
SPEAKER_00: How effective are you going to be at fighting the enemies if you have a bow but no arrows?
SPEAKER_00: And so think of this as when you store up the word of God, when you engage in the practice of biblical meditation, internalizing the word of God, you are, in a sense, you are filling up your quiver with arrows to prepare you and to equip you so that when temptation comes, you're ready to fight.
SPEAKER_00: You're ready to fight.
SPEAKER_00: If you don't know the word, if you haven't internalized the word, then when temptation comes, you are weak and feeble and not ready to turn down those temptations.
SPEAKER_00: So let me just give you an example of what I'm talking about this morning.
SPEAKER_00: I'm just going to tell you, like this is, I'm just telling you exactly, this is a real life example for me of how I do this.
SPEAKER_00: Alright, so uh when I'm fighting seeds of discontentment, when I'm feeling discontent, and the temptation is coming to allow that discontentment then to then to produce some kind of sinful attitude or condition in my heart, or maybe sinful words or sinful thoughts.
SPEAKER_00: When I'm battling discontentment, how do I use this principle?
SPEAKER_00: Okay, well, I go to Matthew chapter 6.
SPEAKER_00: And in Matthew chapter 6, I'm reminded that God knows my needs and that he promises to abundantly provide for them.
SPEAKER_00: And he challenges me.
SPEAKER_00: He says, concern yourself with pursuing the kingdom and the righteousness of God.
SPEAKER_00: And don't concern yourself with the things that you need, because I know that you need them.
SPEAKER_00: And he knows the needs of the sparrow, and the sparrow doesn't hunt or gather or till the field, and the Lord provides for the sparrow, and the Lord clothes the grass of the fields with beautiful flowers, more beautiful than anything that Solomon even had to wear.
SPEAKER_00: And these these illustrations and examples that Jesus gives point me and remind me to the fact that if God takes care of the grass and the bird, how much more so can I trust Him to provide for my needs?
SPEAKER_00: And so this is what happens when discontentment comes.
SPEAKER_00: I go, I know, I've internalized Matthew 6.
SPEAKER_00: I know it.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, maybe I can't memorize it word for word.
SPEAKER_00: I can, I can, I can state some of it word for word, but I know what I know what Jesus said.
SPEAKER_00: And so I take that and then I take it from my mind and then I push it down into my heart.
SPEAKER_00: And I go before the Lord and I say, Lord, I don't need to worry about paying this bill or or providing for this need.
SPEAKER_00: I don't need to allow these things to consume me with worry or produce discontentment because God, you are such a great provider, and you love me more than the birds and the grass, and so, God, I trust you to provide for my needs.
SPEAKER_00: And that's like I'm taking out the arrow and there comes discontentment, and you know, and it's dead.
SPEAKER_00: I killed it.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because I hid God's word in my heart, and I took it out when the time came to fight against sin.
SPEAKER_00: We can I can do I can do this all day.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, Ecclesiastes chapter 2.
SPEAKER_00: Solomon is is testing the pleasures of his heart, then he fills himself up.
SPEAKER_00: He's got the most power, the most money, the most authority, he's got everything.
SPEAKER_00: And he fills himself up with these pleasures.
SPEAKER_00: And the conclusion to all of it is he says it's vanity.
SPEAKER_00: I wasn't happy, I wasn't satisfied.
SPEAKER_00: None of these things satisfied me.
SPEAKER_00: And I go to Solomon and I say, Yeah, I know, God, that these things I think I need to be happy.
SPEAKER_00: I know that I don't.
SPEAKER_00: That's not the key to being satisfied in you.
SPEAKER_00: The key is choosing to be satisfied in what you've given me.
SPEAKER_00: You've given me everything I need, and so contentment in you is all I need to be satisfied in this life.
SPEAKER_00: And Philippians chapter 4, Paul receives the gift from the church, and he says, Hey, guess what?
SPEAKER_00: I thank you for the gift, but it's kind of, it's still funny how he responds, and he says, But I actually didn't need it.
SPEAKER_00: Thanks, but I actually didn't need it.
SPEAKER_00: We're like, Paul, you're in prison.
SPEAKER_00: He says, Thanks, but I didn't need it.
SPEAKER_00: I've learned in the school of plenty.
SPEAKER_00: I've learned in the school of little.
SPEAKER_00: I've learned how to be content.
SPEAKER_00: What does he say?
SPEAKER_00: The key to contentment is Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: I've satisfied myself in Jesus, and so I'm content in all situations, all circumstances.
SPEAKER_00: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
SPEAKER_00: What's that verse talking about?
SPEAKER_00: Contentment in any situation or circumstance in life.
SPEAKER_00: Because I've satisfied myself in Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: It's 1133.
SPEAKER_00: We're way past time.
SPEAKER_00: I just want you to know this is what I'm talking about.
SPEAKER_00: This is what we can do as believers.
SPEAKER_00: It takes work.
SPEAKER_00: It means you have to fight your heart.
SPEAKER_00: You've got to fight your heart when the temptation to sin comes up.
SPEAKER_00: But this is how you do it.
SPEAKER_00: This is how you do it.
SPEAKER_00: You internalize the word of God and you bring it to bear into how you're living your life every day, and then you've got the sword ready to fight sin by believing the truths of scripture.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, we'll just do this really quick.
SPEAKER_00: Meditation in flames, affection for the Lord, Psalm 103, verse 1.
SPEAKER_00: David says in 103, verse 1, Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name, bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
SPEAKER_00: David is challenging his own soul, his own inner being to remember the benefits and blessings of the Lord, which then will produce blessing for the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: So as you take time, as you meditate on the word of God, reflect on the goodness of God, reflect on his character, reflect on his blessings.
SPEAKER_00: And as you do these things, you will stir your heart up to love the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: That will inflame your heart with affection for the Lord as you take time.
SPEAKER_00: Have you done that?
SPEAKER_00: Have you been in the Word and just been confronted with just such goodness of God, such incredible blessings from God, that you just like, God, I love you.
SPEAKER_00: God, thank you.
SPEAKER_00: I'm so happy in you.
SPEAKER_00: That's what is supposed to be produced in your heart as you do this.
SPEAKER_00: This this holy affection, like John Ball said, this holy affection for the Lord, this love for the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: As you meditate on the Word of God, your hearts are drawn to the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so really practically then, how do I start?
SPEAKER_00: How do I do this?
SPEAKER_00: Well, number one, you must be deliberate and plan for daily, unhurried meditation.
SPEAKER_00: You must be intentional.
SPEAKER_00: Biblical meditation will not happen unless you plan to do it, unless you add it to your agenda and to-do list for the day.
SPEAKER_00: So take time.
SPEAKER_00: Make a plan to when you're gonna open up the word, and you need more time than just to read it quick.
SPEAKER_00: You need time to think, to reflect, to turn off your phone, and give the word of God your undivided attention.
SPEAKER_00: When's the best time to do it?
SPEAKER_00: When's the best time for this?
SPEAKER_00: Well, according to another Puritan, Thomas Watson, we already read him.
SPEAKER_00: Thomas Watson said, morning is the best time because it's be quote, before worldly occasions stand knocking at the door to be let in.
SPEAKER_00: Don't you like that illustration?
SPEAKER_00: Like an obtrusive guest that's knocking on the door to interrupt your day.
SPEAKER_00: And Thomas Watson says, You need to get this done before all the daily busyness and the activities and who even knows, like the things that come up that you don't even plan for before, because they're knocking on the door.
SPEAKER_00: They're ready to be let in and take up your time and take up your attention for the rest of the day.
SPEAKER_00: And so before those things happen, before you're let away, do this.
SPEAKER_00: I think that's good advice.
SPEAKER_00: I think you look at the example of Jesus, and when did he go spend time before the Lord?
SPEAKER_00: When did he do that?
SPEAKER_00: Early in the morning.
SPEAKER_00: And the other thing Jesus did is he went and found solitude.
SPEAKER_00: He found solitude.
SPEAKER_00: Find a time and find a place where you can be alone before the Lord uninterrupted.
SPEAKER_00: And uh maybe it's not morning for you, maybe there's a better time a day, but this that's the key is finding a time where you can be unerupted, unhurried, attentive to take time to spend in the Word.
SPEAKER_00: How much time?
SPEAKER_00: Last question.
SPEAKER_00: How much time?
SPEAKER_00: I think oftentimes we like to find Bible reading plans to help us with how much scripture to read every day, and those can be helpful.
SPEAKER_00: Um however, my suggestion would be to meditate on the scriptures until you have fanned the flames of affection for God.
SPEAKER_00: And don't stop until you've done it.
SPEAKER_00: Spend time in the Word.
SPEAKER_00: And so sometimes, I'll tell you what, sometimes that's one verse.
SPEAKER_00: That's one verse sometimes.
SPEAKER_00: I'm reading through the Psalms right now.
SPEAKER_00: I've been reading through the Psalms for the last year.
SPEAKER_00: I'm halfway.
SPEAKER_00: My Bible reading plan went out the window.
SPEAKER_00: But there are times where you're just reading and you're just hit by a truth in a single verse.
SPEAKER_00: Stop.
SPEAKER_00: Just stop right there.
SPEAKER_00: Reflect on it.
SPEAKER_00: Think about it.
SPEAKER_00: Allow your heart to be drawn to the Lord through it.
SPEAKER_00: And if you're not getting to that point, then keep reading and keep reading until your heart has been stirred with a, or it's been warmed, not by the Michigan winter sun, but by the Michigan summer sun.
SPEAKER_00: Allow your heart to be warmed to the Lord, stir those affections for the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Bring the word of God to bear on your heart.
SPEAKER_00: Meditation is not a mechanical step-by-step process.
SPEAKER_00: It's not a list of do these seven things and you're guaranteed these results.
SPEAKER_00: Meditation is the means by which you maintain a loving, growing relationship with your Lord and your Savior.
SPEAKER_00: So, my challenge to you this morning, do it.
SPEAKER_00: Do it.
SPEAKER_00: Go home, go home today and make a plan or modify your plan.
SPEAKER_00: And commit to daily time of meditation, implementing these principles and these practices.
SPEAKER_00: And I promise you, I promise you that you will grow more effective in your fight against sin.
SPEAKER_00: The more you take up that sword, the more effective you'll be at using it.
SPEAKER_00: The more you take time to develop your meditation in the Word, the better equipped you will be to fight sin, grow in holiness, and grow nearer and closer to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Father, thanks for today.
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for this opportunity we've had to open up your word and to take some time thinking about this practice of biblical meditation.
SPEAKER_00: We see these concepts and commands throughout, interspersed throughout Scripture.
SPEAKER_00: And uh it's it's amazing that your word is so plentiful today.
SPEAKER_00: Many of us have multiple Bibles, and we all have access to different versions and study Bibles and tools and resources.
SPEAKER_00: And yet are we are we really equipped and enabled to use your word to fight sin?
SPEAKER_00: And we recognize this morning that it's something we need to be deliberate about.
SPEAKER_00: We need to take time out of each day to meditate on your word.
SPEAKER_00: And we're thankful that as we do so, as we engage in this practice, Lord, it uh draws us closer to you.
SPEAKER_00: It loosens uh the hold of sin by deepening our repentance and by equipping us to fight the temptations of sin with the truths of your word, by bringing your word to bear on our hearts, allowing it to shape and mold our hearts away from sin and towards you.
SPEAKER_00: But it's something we have we have to do it.
SPEAKER_00: We have to do it, we have to put it into practice.
SPEAKER_00: And so help us, help us to do it by your enabling grace.
SPEAKER_00: We know we can.
SPEAKER_00: And uh pray that you'd help us with these things.
SPEAKER_00: It's in Jesus' name I pray.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.