Focus
CCCAG March 26th, 2017
Scripture: Psalm 1:1-3
There is a story from about 100 years ago of a city boy spending the summer with his grandparents on their farm. Being from the city, he wasn’t used to having to do chores all day like you have to on a farm. One of the chores he didn’t like was getting a large bucket of water from the well for his grandmother to use throughout the day. HE hated doing it-It was heavy, and the well was far away from the house, and it was the first thing he had to do everyday.
Sunday’s was church day at his grandparents, and as they walked back home his grandparents were discussing the sermon- about why reading and studying the bible were important to the Christian. In his life in the city, the boy didn’t go to church but twice a year so he asked why this idea of studying “That old book” was so important.
His grandfather replied, “I’ll show you when we get home.”
When they got home, grandpa asked the boy to fetch some water from the well, but this time use the coal bucket. The boy said, “But the coal bucket is filthy, we don’t want to drink water from that.
“Now you mind me boy and just do as you’re told was the grandfather’s response.”
The boy picked up the coal bucket from it’s hook next to the stove and walked out to the well. He pumped, and he pumped, and he pumped that well handle, fill the bucket, and start walking back to the house by the water kept running out the many cracks and holes in it. Finally, after 15 frustrating minutes of trying to fill the bucket, he went back to the house and told his grandfather this isn’t going to work.
His grandfather said, look at the inside of the bucket. The boy looked and he saw all that coal dust had gotten washed away from inside it, and it was pretty clean.
His grandfather said, “That is why we read and think about and study the word of God over and over again. The Word of God is like that water, and we need the water of God to flow through us because we leak even worse than that bucket, so we need to keep the water flowing so we can be clean on the inside, because what is inside us will always find a way out- for good or for bad.”
That’s a pretty wise grandpa.
Today we are going to talk about mediating on God’s Word. We are going to start in Psalm 1, but look at several different scriptures to really see what the bible has to say about this idea of meditation from a biblical perspective.
Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Prayer
The story we started out with today illustrates the primary reason we need to read, think, and meditate on the scripture.
This is not an eastern meditation practice. I want to be very clear.
We are not talking about chants, transcendental meditation, spirit guides, or accessing different planes of reality.
That has strong ties with Hinduism and new age practices which are directly forbidden in scripture. From the Christian perspective, that would be categorized under the heading of witchcraft.
Witchcraft is simply defined as using extra biblical ways of accessing the spiritual realm.
We will be looking at what the bible calls mediation, and why it is important for us to practice it today.
There are several keys that are important to both or survival and our growth as a Christian that meditation helps with.
We will look at a few today.
I. Focuses us on God
The scripture in Psalm 139 that we read from last week about God’s focus on us continues with this thought-
Psalm 139:17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.
Meditation is important to our overall focus in life.
That is a principle that we really need to grasp this morning, and that is-
A. Focus Determines Reality
I know that idea sounds like something you see on a motivation poster at work, but it is very true in our lives.
This has both a positive and negative connotation-
First the negative- We can focus on things that are very destructive
There was a story out of Great Britain last week about a women that had read a news story about an Islamic man that had burned his daughter with acid because of a some type of slight to the family’s honor.
For some reason, this woman became obsessed with this story. She researched other acid attacks by men against woman, and it became an obsession and addiction with her that she couldn’t stop thinking about. She bought some sulfuric acid and began experimenting on pouring it on sausage and other meats to watch it’s affects.
Then one day, her boyfriend did something to anger her, and while he slept, she took ½ liter of that acid, and poured it over his face, making sure she covered it.
Obviously the man was severely burned and horribly disfigured, and has needed dozens of surgery’s to correct the damage, much of which will most likely be permanent.
I use this story as an extreme example of how wrong thoughts can take root, and cause great harm to you and to those around you.
Prov 23:7 KJV “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he”
Remember what the old farmer said- What you allow to dwell on the inside always makes to the outside.
1. Principle in computers that is also true spiritually- Garbage in, Garbage Out
You can’t play in the world’s systems and expect your Spirit to be healthy. You can’t party with the devil and expect the mind of God to rule in your heart.
Doing so is like being surprised that you get sick from drinking poison, or that you can’t have joy when you focus on the negative all the time.
Enough about the negative- The positive side of meditation is that
B. Focusing on God brings Joy (Psalm 119:15-16)
15 I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
16 I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.
What this tells us is that
1. Truth always brings joy,
Notice I’m using the word joy, and not happiness. That is intentional.
Much of what is wrong with both our society and us as individuals is the pursuit of happiness.
Well, what’s wrong with pursuing happiness? I did some research on this nebulous idea of what happiness is-
Last year, there were a little over 4 billion prescriptions filled in the United States. Of those 4 billion prescriptions, I looked at the top 50 prescribed medications, and of those 50, over 15 are directly related to treating depression, anxiety, or for mood stabilization?
Of the other 35, the vast majority of those prescriptions had to do with controlling cholesterol, diabetes, blood pressure, and heart disease- most of which are caused by lifestyle choices- tobacco use, poor diet and lack of exercise, 2 out of three I’m guilty of myself
Why do we do these things to our bodies?- the pursuit of happiness.
We feel down, tied or depressed, so we eat cookies and ice cream and chocolate- whatever your favorite binge food. Even in our normal diets apart from the snacks, Most of us eat way too many calories.
We get overwhelmed, so we sit on a couch and soak up TV programs and movies that worsen the problem because there isn’t much in the popular media that is healthy for our spirit, instead of doing something active.
Sometimes, people even turn to a substance to make them feel better or be happy- believe it or not marijuana use is skyrocketing among Christians in states where it is legal. There is a small civil war even in our fellowship right now about drinking alcohol between the under 40 y/o population and the over 40’s.
I know you are thinking, wait a second, you are supposed to be talking about the positive aspects of meditating on God.
I had to make these points to make this one- and to make sure we are talking about the right thing.
God’s word never tells us to pursue happiness.
It commands us to filled with joy- and that is what meditating on God and His Word does for us.
Joy is not another word for happiness.
Happiness is an emotion that is temporary and dependent upon your immediate circumstances.
Joy is dependent upon what you place your faith in- it’s the result of a promise made to you.
Welfare Check illustration- (if time)
Wedding at Interlaken
Grandma takes shuttle back to villa
Welfare check called
Dead for hours- have to wait for coroner
Tell family- Happiness gone, joy of the marriage is still intact.
Joy is never dependent upon circumstances. Joy is based on believing in the promise, and for the believer in Jesus it’s having faith in the promises of God.
That’s why the understanding of joy is so important for us.
Joy is the spiritual gift that comes from the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
When we accept Jesus as Lord and savior and are born again, we die to our old ways of thinking and are transformed in the renewing of our minds.
The Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts, and HE brings with Him the entirety of the Godhead, and that enables us to allow
faith to form our thoughts, forcing fear away
hope to fill our hearts instead of unbelief
and truth to guide our actions instead of being driven by our passions into doing things that are harmful to our lives.
The result of which is joy.
When we have joy, it shows us and the world around us that our spiritual eyes are fixed on God.
And the focus on God will determine a much different view on reality than a person who doesn’t have that focus…doesn’t it?
Meditation on God and HIS Word focus’ us back to where are brains and spirits should be focused, and that is on who God is. When we do that, we have an additional benefit of
II. Improve Discernment
Discernment means having the ability to judge what is right, and what is wrong.
You may have noticed that the church has lost it’s prophetic voice over the last 30 years. One of the reasons the church that has happened is the disparity between liberal and conservative churches on the subject of truth.
Many denominations have left the traditional view of God’s word which states that the bible, in it’s original languages, is directly inspired by God and is our absolute rule of faith and conduct.
Instead, they say that the bible spoke only to the world it was written to, and that it’s ideas have to evolve to fit within our societal context.
Now you don’t have to be a theologian or philosopher to understand how that can be very dangerous.
For example-
If the society we lived in determined that if you didn’t want your child anymore, it is completely ethical and legal to shoot the child in the head with a pistol, hopefully all of us would agree that it is wrong to do such a horrible thing.
In fact, I dare say that most people surveyed on the street given that scenario would say that is an unspeakable evil to do such a thing, and whoever did it should be tried in court, found guilty, and executed for their crimes.
Either way, I’m glad that doesn’t happen.
However, if we say that this child had yet to be born, but the mother didn’t want the child anymore so we will thrust a needle into its brain to kill it, it’s called woman’s rights and that it is completely ethical, moral and legal.
Furthermore, the church and the bible needs to evolve it’s understanding of what the bible says about this, and get behind this “right” so that women can live happy lives.
Sadly, many church’s not only support a women’s right to an abortion, but the even encourage it because it is expedient, and affects the women’s future happiness!
In fact, Dr. George Tiller who performed 10s of thousands of abortions, including thousands of late term abortions was a past board member, and an usher in his church, a church that is a major denomination in the United States.
That’s why we need to meditate on God’s word. We also need to understand a few things about what the bible says about itself-
King David-
A. Psalm 119- God’s word is fixed
Psalm 119:89 Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.
91 Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.
Paul echoes that in the New Testament
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
(2Ti 3:16-17)
Most importantly, Jesus said this about God’s word-
For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
(Mat 5:18-19)
The bible does not change to fit society- the society needs to change to fit the bible.
Therefore we have to focus and mediate on the bible as our source of truth.
Not what seems fair
Not what is popular
Not what we think is right
We need to look at the word with scriptural eyes- using that lens to interpret the reality around us.
This lens show us what the scripture plainly reveals as to the truth of every situation or issue.
IF we learn to trust this Word, then we will be like the tree planted by a stream of living water- healthy, joyful, and growing.
Meditating on God’s word also helps us
B. Within the church realm- judging Rhema/prophecies
Those of us in the charismatic or Pentecostal church’s believe in the prophetic gifts.
This idea that the prophetic gifts are still used of God today is important because God has not changed since the 1st century- His gifts are still alive and available for us today.
Saying that, occasionally they can be abused or misused. IF someone stands up in a church meeting and says something that does not line up with the bible, it’s clear what we should do-
Paul says in Galatians
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
God is His word. The bible reveals who God is, and therefore when a person who claims to be under divine inspiration leads people away from the truth of this book, the condemnation should be swift and unmistakable.
That’s why we need to know this truth, but not just know it, but meditate on it. Meditate is to focus our complete attention to it, and let it work it’s way into our spirits so that it’s so a part of who we are that we can’t fooled by the enemies schemes.
The third and final point on the importance of meditation on God’s word
III. Guides our Actions
A. Back to Psalm 1.
Within Hebrew poetry, there is a truth statement, that is then followed by supporting ideas.
Verses 2-3 explain verse 1.
Here we have the truth claim-
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
The question is then inferred- “How do we live blessed and in God’s favor?
2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Do you want to live blessed? Consume this word.
B. Struggle with Sin
Growing up, pornography was everywhere in the house. Magazines, video tapes, pictures, where everyone. It’s something that I struggled with for a long time. When I first got called to the ministry, I was talking to my pastor about why I thought God couldn’t be calling me because I had this struggle with sin in my life. HE recommended a program to help with that that I have recommended for others, and it involves confronting the sin, confessing it to those who it affects, and then memorizing scriptures that deal with our thought lives to make them pleasing toward God, especially in the realm of sexual sin.
I can tell you- there is great healing through that.
God’s word is powerful. It penetrates to the dividing of soul and spirit, joint and marrow, and judges the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts.
When our focus is on God’s truth found in the bible, what comes out of us will be blessed.
Finally, I’m going to leave you today with a small illustration
Musicians if time
C. Garbage in, Garbage out (PPT slide)
You can see that I tried to type the first verse of Psalm 1 without looking at the screen, but typing as fast as I could as I read it.
A few mistakes there.
Dumb word processor…making all of those mistakes.
Is it the computer’s fault that what is on the screen is jumbled?
Or did it have garbage coming in, and therefore what was produced was garbage?
Everyone stand
You wonder why you have so many problems?
Look at what you are putting into your minds, your hearts, and your spirits. Filter it through the truth of God’s word. Be obedient to 2 Cor 10:5-
Taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ.
In other words, meditate on God’s word.
Prayer/altar call.
