Sunday, August 09, 2009 PM
Slide 1 THE POWER OF THE WORD Psalm 1:1-3 Wouldn't it be wonderful if we had an infusion of spiritual power during our sleep? Then we could wake up in the morning and be spirit-filled Christians without any effort at all. You know that’s how many Christians approach holiness. They want to be HOLY IN A HURRY or not at all. Guess what? It always ends up not at all when you approach holiness in that way. Slide 2 But right living depends on right thinking. And right thinking demands discipline. If we are serious about growth in the Christian life, we have to experience what Paul called "the renewing of our minds." And that can only happen through a determination to receive God's Word into our hearts. And that takes effort. Slide 3 OUR MIND SHAPES OUR LIFE -- "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." As the saying goes, You aren't what you think you are, but what you think, you are. All throughout God’s word, we are commanded to meditate on God’s word. Without the discipline of meditation it is not possible to grow in our Christian experience. Meditation involves studying a passage of scripture, memorizing it, praying about it, and deciding to live by it. Many Christians say they are meditating in the Word when they are simply reading it. As crucial as that is, it is not meditating. It is wonderful to just read through the different stories of God’s Word, but to meditate is more emotionally deep.
is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Psalm 1:1-3 The Hebrew word translated "meditate" speaks of what a cow does after grazing all day. As she chews the cud over and over again, she extracts every nutrient. In other words, to meditate means to ponder a section of the Word day and night, extracting more from its inexhaustible supply each time (Jon Cursor). In this message this evening I want to show you some of the benefits of meditation and hopefully motivate you to meditate on God’s Word. Slide 4 I. HE IS PLANTED BY WATER Slide 4 "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water." As you visualize this tree in your mind, notice that it has the signs of life in the midst of drought. Slide 4 Where did the fruit come from?
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his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. James 1:18 In other words the spiritual life that gives us stability was implanted in us by God. His Word gave life and that's why we become so different from our surroundings. Slide 5
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The same word of God that created the heavens created the life of God in our hearts. THIS TREE HAS STABILITY BECAUSE IT HAS DEEP ROOTS. Horticulturalists tell us that the roots beneath the ground are the same size as the trunk and branches above the ground. A tree that has its roots firmly planted beside a stream can withstand the winds of adversity. In fact the more powerful the wind the deeper the roots. Illustration: I read about a man whose wife was dying of cancer, he accepted this tragedy with a sense of calmness and peace. His wife endured excruciating pain. His pastor asked him how the both of them were able to handle the anger and anxiety that normally accompanies terminal illness. He said that he would read the Bible to his wife, page after page; then they bought the New Testament on tape and played the Word of God in their home throughout most of the day. In his own words, "The Word of God squeezed out the fear, the anxiety, and the anger from our lives." "A tree planted by the rivers of water." Slide 6 II. HIS PRODUCE IS WITHIN Slide 6 "A tree that bringeth forth his fruit in his season." Slide 6 What is fruit? Fruit is the expression of an inner nature. You don't have to be a horticulturist to recognize an orange tree; just look for oranges. Apples grow on apple trees and pears on pear trees. Slide 7 THE FRUIT THAT GOD SEEKS IN OUR LIVES IS THE EXPRESSION OF HIS INNER NATURE -love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance, faith, etc.
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Slide 8 Fruit cannot be manufactured; it can only be grown. Illustration: During baseball's off-season (between the Fall of 1998 and the Spring of 1999) Orel Hershiser, famous for pitching the L.A. Dodgers to a World Series win, taught Sunday School in Orlando. He invited Payne and Tracey to his class at the First Baptist Church. Because Payne was taking off more time from the Tour, he and Tracey attended occasionally. Before Orel left for spring training in 1999, he gave two devotional books to each class member. They were Handbook to Prayer and Handbook to Renewal, both by Kenneth Boa. Payne started to read them faithfully, and the Bible, too. The Scriptures were the most powerful influence in his life. He didn't have a great knowledge of the Bible, but he was learning. He was very much a Christian in progress, but his faith was real. In April 1999, Aaron came home from school with several bracelets bearing the initials, W.W.J.D., meaning "What Would Jesus Do?" This was the theme of Charles Sheldon's classic, In His Steps. Aaron showed his dad a bracelet and asked "Here, Dad. Why don't you wear one?" "O.K. I will," Payne answered. "Thanks, Aaron," he said as he fastened the bracelet around his wrist. He wore it everywhere, social occasions, golf tournaments; he wasn't ashamed to be seen with it. Payne was killed in a plane crash soon after that event and one of the few items that survived that crash was the bracelet. That Is how growth occurs in a Christian. 10For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: Isaiah 28:10 Slide 9
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The Fruit-Bearing Is a Process "brings forth his fruit in his season." Although we like to see results overnight, FRUIT IS A PROCESS. It is in the season in which we need love means that love is available; when we need joy, it in turn becomes available. And of course, growth needs both sunshine and darkness. During the day trees derive energy from the sun; at night the energy is conserved and the tree is given rest. Similarly, we need periods of sunshine and darkness; times of encouragement as well as pain. Slide 9 The Fruit We Bear Is Permanent Jesus said that we can "bear fruit that remains." When we die, we will have something that will survive into eternity. And apart from bearing such fruit, there is no other purpose in life. That's why Christ said that those branches that did not bear fruit were thrown into the fire and burned. Slide 9 Of course such Fruitfulness Demands Pruning. The sharp knife cuts back the twigs and the leaves in order to increase the strength of the branch. You see all the waste lying on the ground, and you can't help but think of the pain the branches endured. But all this was necessary that the true fruit might be manifest. Slide 10 III. HIS PERSEVERANCE WITHSTANDS Slide 10 “His leaf also does not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Even when the drought comes, the tree planted close to the stream can survive. When we are between jobs;
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when we have been unjustly fired; when our expectations have been dashed even then our leaf can continue to stay green. When we are disappointed by our friends; and when we have had to live with broken promises -- even then we have inner strength to cope. We can even survive the hail and the final windstorm. When the doctor tell us things about ourselves that we thought could only be true of someone else; when our children bring us news that we hoped to God we would never have to hear -- even then God is with us. Survival is possible when we stay close to the stream. And the stream is there even when the climate changes. The person who has found hidden resources can survive. I called a friend of mine who is in a difficult marriage and asked him how he was doing. He responded, "All that I can do is persevere." That, my friend, can only happen because he has found inner resources to cope with the outward pressures. Those are the benefits of meditating in the Word, but how do we do it? Slide 11 IV. HIS POWER IS THE WORD It is not true to say, "A chapter a day keeps the devil away." Often we can read the Bible and forget what we have read. Slide 11 “…in his law doth he meditate day and night.” Slide 12 TWO WORDS COME TO MIND WHEN I THINK OF MEDITATION. Slide 12 MULL which means "to ponder, to think about."
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Slide 13 When we read, we must ask the text questions: Slide 13 ● What does it teach me about God? Slide 13 ● What does it tell me to do? Slide 13 ● What thought can I take with me for the day? Unless we answer such questions and take some thoughts with us for the day, very probably we have read it in vain. Illustration: In Europe a couple bought a jewelry box that they were told would glow all night. When they brought it home, they were disappointed because it did not seem to glow at all. Then they sought a friend who was able to read French and told them that the instructions read, "Put me in the sunshine all day and I will glow in the night." They discovered that the box was as good as the promises made about it. The truths that we absorb into our minds and hearts will stick with us throughout the day if we absorb God's promises and principles. Slide 14 MEMORIZE Many people think they can't memorize, but of course they can. Illustration: Imagine if someone were to say to you, "I will give you $100 for every verse that you memorize next week." We might be surprised at how much Scripture can be memorized by any one of us. We can begin by memorizing the select verses that relate to temptations and problems that we encounter in our lives. If our problem is anxiety, we memorize verses about faith and peace.
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the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philip. 4:7 If we are filled with fear, we memorize verses that assure us of God's presence and His love.
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to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. Isaiah 35:4 If our problem is moral impurity, we learn those verses that speak about a clean heart. 10Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 Such memorization will help us to be pure and focused on Christ. And whenever necessary, we must use Scripture against Satan even as Christ did. Three times He said, "It is written..." And Satan returned. And in the end we read, "The devil left Him waiting for a more opportune time." Satan never gives up on us; but the more consistent we are in rebuking Him, the more His power will be diminished. Slide 15 MY FRIEND, IS YOUR LIFE PLANTED BESIDE A STREAM OF WATER? Illustration: Some years ago I read about a group of men who went door to door selling evergreen trees that they promised to plant in the boulevard along the street. The neighbors accepted their proposal so that the entire street might be lined with these beautiful trees. As agreed, the men came and did their work and were paid for planting the trees. But weeks later, despite repeated watering, all the trees began to wither. In desperation one of the neighbors pulled one out of the ground only to discover that it had no
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roots at all. The men had not planted trees, they had only pushed branches into the ground. Christ said, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted shall be uprooted." If we have not been planted by God, we shall prove to be shallow, even as the chaff which the wind drives away. Blessed are those who are planted beside a stream so that they might bear fruit even in a time of drought.
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