Meditation
P90X for the Soul
Joshua 1:6-9
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Intro – The Cool Down
If you have ever done a workout class, or one of the P90X tapes, they always start with a warm up and they end with a cool down.
I understand the warm up, getting the muscles and your system ready to exert themselves, but why the cool down? Why can’t you just stop? You have already done the heavy lifting of the workout, why do some minor cooling down? Does it really make a difference?
Well, it turns out that the cool down is really an essential part of a physical work out.
It keeps the blood circulating to those muscles and tendons and ligaments you just worked out providing them the oxygen and nutrients they need to repair the little tears that are caused by the work out and to allow that workout to really be absorbed and not lost over the next days.
So often without a cool down, you are in more pain and unable to keep going in your workouts.
Well, today, we are going to talk about something I think is akin to the cool down that will help us benefit and retain for the long haul some of the effects of other disciplines like Bible study and prayer, and that is meditation.
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Now when I say meditation, probably in most of your minds you picture something like sitting in some uncomfortable position with your hands on your knees and making a humming sound while trying to empty your mind.
Is that what meditation is from a Christian standpoint?
Turn with me this morning to Joshua 1:6-9.
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We are going to see what God tells Joshua to do and why he wants him to meditate and consider what meditation is from a Biblical standpoint.
Background
Now, in this section, of Joshua, Moses has died and now Joshua is the leader of Israel who is going to lead them into the Promised Land. They have been in the desert for 40 years so that the unbelieving generation had died off.
Now God has called upon Joshua to lead the people and this is going to require great courage and obedience to the Lord.
In our day, we need great courage and obedience to the Lord. Each of us need to hear and heed the words of the Lord to Joshua.
Here is what He says.
Joshua 1:6-9
6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (NIV)
Pray.
Ok, I want to start by asking some questions.
First, I want to ask
What is Meditation?
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Now from this passage of Scripture, we don’t get the sense that the Lord is telling Joshua to sit in some lotus position with his hands on his knees day and night, do we?
No, that is certainly not what the Lord is communicating.
In fact, instead of emptying your mind, like we might hear in some of the eastern religions like Buddhism, Meditation from a biblical standpoint is about focusing your mind.
In fact, when we look back at the Hebrew word translated as “meditate” we find it is the word “hagah” (Ha Ga). It can mean to murmur, ponder, devise, muse, imagine or plot. It is about thinking and going over something in your mind.
So a definition that might be helpful for us today is
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Thinking and/or Dwelling upon a subject or series of subjects to seek greater understanding of the subject.
It is going over something in your mind over and over.
Meditation is connected to, yet different from Bible study and prayer.
In Bible study we are seeking to learn what the Bible says.
In prayer, we are looking to communicate with God and draw close to Him.
In Meditation, we are seeking to take what we have learned and have it cemented inside of us so that we constantly have His word and our knowledge of Him with us.
Ok, so meditation is thinking about a subject to seek greater understanding.
In meditation that the Bible speaks of, what are we supposed to meditate on?
What do we meditate on?
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I am sure there are many of us who have lived out the definition of meditation, but not from a standpoint that the Bible speaks of.
I am sure there are times we have thought and dwelt upon things and gone over and over it in our minds, but it has really not benefited us.
That is because a negative form of what we have defined as meditation is worry.
Rick Warren said if you know how to worry, you know how to meditate.
Except, in meditation that the Bible speaks of, we don’t think about the negative things that may occur; instead, we focus and think about some specific things that will be a help to us.
One of the first things we see in this passage of Scripture we just read.
The Lord tells Joshua “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night” - Joshua 1:8a
First, we see that
We Meditate on God’s Word
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As we study God’s word, we need to take time to think about it.
How do we do that?
When we read a passage or section of Scripture, we need to take time to ask questions to ourselves about it.
We need to read it over and over. We need to commit it to memory and as we do that, we seek to truly understand its meaning in the context of the passage and in the context of our lives.
We need to ask questions as we think about it.
Why did this person or people need to hear what they Lord was speaking to them? How did people respond to hearing that?
How did they apply what they heard, if at all?
What were the affects of following or not following?
What is God trying to teach me in this verse?
Is this view in accordance with the rest of Scripture?
Is there anything I need to do today or this week in light of what this says?
We need to mediate on God’s word and think about it, dwell upon it and its effect on my life.
Too often, at least for myself, I will read something in Scripture and not think about it and forget later in the day what I have even read because I didn’t think about it and meditate upon it.
James says “the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25)
Meditation helps us not forget what we have heard from God’s word and to store it away inside of us.
So, one of the things we mediate on is God’s word.
Scripture also gives us another thing to mediate on.
We Meditate on God’s Works
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Psalm 77:12 - I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.
We are to dwell upon and think about the things God has done, his mighty works.
His work of creation, his works throughout History. Those, we can read about in God’s word.
But, we also need to also mediate on the works that the Lord has done in our lives.
So often we forget when God has answered a prayer, helped us overcome a trial. We need to think on that, meditate on his mighty deeds.
It is important for us to think back over our lives and look at the milestones and markers and see how they are fitting together and see how God has in fact used those things and directed our lives to lead us to where we may be today.
Remember how God answered your prayer
It is also helpful to remember how God may not have answered something in the way you wanted at the time, but to look back now and see how God may have used that to direct you to where you are today.
Those are the times that we get to see how God can work all things for the good of those who love him. (Romans 8:28)
We may not always understand in the moment, but many times we can see as we think back and remember and meditate on it. That ultimately, helps us go forward with the Lord, to be strong and courageous when we don’t understand in the moment, but we have come to know our God and His love and his mighty works in our life.
Ultimately, we know that all the works God does good and right.
Listen to what Paul tells the Philippians.
Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.
We can meditate on those things and give praise and glory to the Lord for His truth, for his mighty deeds, for the beauty he creates, for who He is.
So ultimately, we are meditating upon the things of God, His word, His works, Who He is and what he has done.
Ok, so that is what we should meditate on from a biblical perspective, but why?
What does Meditation do?
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According to this passage in Joshua, meditation has a number of effects in our lives.
The first we have already talked about a bit.
Meditation helps us to be Strong and Courageous
Three times in this passage, the Lord instructs Joshua that he needs to be strong and courageous.
Now, we can’t be strong and courageous for the Lord in ourselves. To be strong and courageous for what the Lord wants us to do, we need to have close relationship with the Lord.
It is imperative that we are close and trust the Lord when He is leading us because we know of his love for us and how he cares for us.
When I have studied and mediated upon his word and his works, I can remember of His love and His power and know that He is trustworthy and true.
I would know and remember and believe what the psalmist writes.
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.” - Psalm 28:7
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Be Strong and courageous. Meditate upon his word and his works.
But, why do we need to be strong and courageous in the Lord?
Well, we also see in this passage that we need to be strong and courageous so that we will obey.
Meditation helps us to be Obedient
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We need to be strong and courageous knowing what God’s word tells us to do so that we can be obedient to His word.
Joshua 1:8 - Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, (WHY?) so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.
So you will be obedient to it.
There are things we can read in God’s word and know what it says, but often we don’t want to think about it because it is hard.
We can see in God’s word that we are at times called to sacrifice, but that is hard.
We can see in God’s word that we are called to serve, but we don’t because it means changing schedules or other priorities.
When we meditate on God and his word, it helps us be strong and courageous to be obedient to Him knowing He is good and directing us well.
Meditate on Joshua 1
Let’s meditate on this passage a minute.
“Be strong and courageous.”
Why did Joshua need to be strong and courageous?
After all, God is leading him.
Well, he definitely needed to be strong and courageous, because the people he was leading had a history of not following through. To lead, and not be swayed by people, he was going to have to be strong and courageous.
Not only did the people have a history of not wanting to follow the Lord, but the battle plan that the Lord was going to give Joshua, was not your typical military operation.
It wasn’t pull out your swords and I will help you defeat them.
It was, pull out your trumpets and march around the city for seven days, and then blow your trumpets and the walls will come down and then I will help you defeat this people.
Imagine having to explain and lead a people with this unorthodox plan.
Joshua was going to need strength and courage to obey the Lord.
Apply to us
How could this apply to us today?
Be strong and courageous.
What is the Lord calling you to do?
Do you need to be strong and courageous to be bold to others about your faith?
Do you need to be strong and courageous to follow something the Lord is leading you to?
Maybe he has been calling you to some life change.
A different job, a move to another place, going back to school, changing your schedule to serve Him more?
Be strong and courageous.
So often, I know that I can read something and not meditate on it and I continue on the same course I have been on, without changing because I am not strong or courageous.
If I would take some time and truly meditate on the Lord and his word and his works, I would find that He gives me the strength and courage I need through that. I would find that I know God’s word better and it is being stored away in me to direct me in my actions.
Psalm 119:11 - I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Meditation helps put his word in our heart and be strong and courageous and obedient to Him.
Finally,
Meditation helps us be Successful
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Success how?
Successful in what the Lord is calling us to do. Successful in living life to the full, in living life abundantly, in experiencing the fullness of life
Now this success is not necessarily monetarily.
Instead it is successful in accomplishing all that the Lord has in mind for us and experiencing closeness with Him.
Being successful is going through life accomplishing His will.
Being successful means hearing the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:23)
Being successful means experiencing the fulfillment that only comes through following the Lord and being blessed.
Listen to Psalm 1:1-3
Psalm 1:1-3 - 1Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
2But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
If we want to prosper in our life for the Lord, then we need to take some time and meditate on his word and his works
so that we can be strong and courageous,
so we can walk in obedience and
live a successful life in the Lord.
Communion
This morning we are going end with a time of communion. We moved it to the end of service today because we are going to take a few minutes to meditate on his word and his works with which he has provided salvation for those who trust in Him.
1 Corinthians 11:23-25
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The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
His body was bruised and broken for you
His blood was shed so that your sins might be forgiven.
I want you to take a few minutes to read this Scripture over and be asking yourself if you truly realize the implications of this.
He died so you might live.
Are we living in a way that signifies we remember His sacrifice?
Are we living in a way that glorifies Him or ourselves?
Are we living in a way that others can see and know whom we live for?
Meditate on these words for a few minutes as the worship team comes up. After a few minutes I will have the ushers begin to pass out the cups with bread and juice. As they do that the worship team is going to lead us in singing ‘Nothing but the Blood.” As the ushers pass out the bread and juice, take it and hold it and we will take it together after we sing.
The bread is in the cup under the juice.
If you have received Jesus as your savior, we invite you to participate with us. If you have not received Jesus as your Savior, you can just pass the tray as it comes to you.
Take some time now and meditate on these words and on Jesus’ work on the cross.
Worship team plays instrumentally.
Scott instructs ushers to pass trays – Worship team begins to sing “Nothing but the Blood”
Nothing but the Blood
Pray
Take communion
God is a good and great God. He deserves all of our glory forever and ever because without Him and His work, we would be lost forever.
We are going to close as we continue to worship the Lord singing
Glory in the Highest.
Glory in the Highest
Release
