Celebration and Contemplation [Part 1]

Pastor, author and Bible teacher Alan Wright is of the whole book of Psalms is meditation on one side celebration side because we need faster welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light.

I'm excited for you to hear the teaching today. In this series word and spirit of unity of balance as presented in an old church in North Carolina that you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now thinking worse for your donation this month to Alan Wright mysteries. So as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you this resource. Today's special offer. Contact us at pastor@an.org that's pastor out.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright Sophie was sitting at her site, her four-year-old brother Joel who was giggling and singing and chirping and making noise and so she turned to him and said not supposed to making noise in church and he said well if I do, who's going to stop me and say she said turn around and look and said you see those two men standing back in the back of the church. He said yeah she said well they are the hucksters I don't have to hide all the time in church sometime you as a Christian life is a celebration of a great victory, but there also is in the Christian life.

A place for deep contemplation is as you celebrate a victory something in the soul that wants to meditate upon and think about what this victory means in all of its implications and what it means to us to be the people of God.

There is in the Christian life of celebration and contemplation were talking about balance. When I talked about the safe little middle place where there's not too much of either were talking about where we can have great celebration and deepest meditation and how much of a difference this will make in our lives.

I will return you today is our primary text of Psalm 145. Not so much a message Ramona go through on the line in and do a whole lot of exegesis of this particular Psalm to come here because it opens up a theme for us in Scripture to show you a number of scriptures today, but in Psalm 145 you'll see that both the spirit of celebration and meditation is coupled right here in this one song. Psalm 145 verse one. I will extol you my God and King and bless your name forever and ever. See here the celebration and every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and almost pivots right here in his greatness is unsearchable just to say something is unsearchable means it's an invitation to start searching it is this beyond. You can keep thinking about this the rest your life you'll never build search out over the steps one generation resource will commend your works to another and should declare your mighty acts on the glorious splendor of your majesty and on your wondrous works is celebration of who he is. He says I will meditate on meditate, they shall speak of the mind of your awesome deeds in the clear greatness.

They shall pour forth the fame of your Monday goodness shall sing aloud of your righteousness the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love the Lord is good to on his mercy is over all that is made all the works of your all the work shall give thanks to you oh Lord in all your saints shall bless you.

The second reason, celebration and contemplation and it is the answer for the preoccupation of our lives had this happen where your lightheaded to the kitchen to do something and on the way you walk to the family room and there are two or three things that you see the need to be done on the way to the kitchen and then you start dealing with those things and then you never make it to the kitchen or you get to the kitchen. You go why my here you know where this happens to me is just like over the smart phone and I go I need to call or text so-and-so outreach my pocket, pull out the phone and when I do there two messages that are there popping up at any and all start dealing with those really quickly and then forget why I have this phone out in the first place. What that is is preoccupation right. It's like I want my mind to be on something else but it's been put over on something else. I'm preoccupied and I think that one of the words we have for today in the in the invitation to our lives. Is that a life of celebration and contemplation is the opposite of preoccupation.

This is what becomes the heart focus of the believer and is rooted in understanding the life of the Christian is both celebration and contemplation is not one or the other. I'm sure would be confusing. The sunlight doesn't know anything about Christianity. If you are just a look at the invitations to the different kinds of Christian conferences that take place. I saw two different brochures this week for Christian conferences.

The first one was called storm revival fire international conference 2060. The theme is divine intervention and is presented by holy fire harvest international led by a prophet named Yeshua in their zone of pressure. It says the top silent retreat put on by the conventional Franciscan Friars of our Lady of consolation and the theme was to come away and rest for a while for day retreat brochure says quote due to the nature of this retreat, we asked retreat tends to refrain from talking to anyone except their spiritual director anything about Christianity have to go, but which one is it, how do you how do you grow as a Christian, what can a conference do we need holy spirit fire storm revival, or come away and rest for a while under some spiritual direction and suggested we need some of both. We really need to have those times of childlike victory celebration of what God has done for us in Christ, and we need to have space in our hearts to think deeply about what all of this means and upon. And treasury in our hearts is just here and Psalm 145. When you see the language of celebration all extol the Lord. Praise the Lord and also I will meditate. But it's interesting that you would see this really all throughout the Psalms, which is the worship book of Israel fact, if you still have your Bible open Psalm back to Psalm 150 Psalms and I was to Psalm one. In contrast to Psalm 150. The two bookends of this the Psalter of Israel book chapter 1 of the book of Psalms begins this way. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners nor sets in the seat of scoffers, but his dialogue is his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night.

He's like a tree planted by streams of water all about meditation. The whole Psalm is no mention of celebration and if you check at the end of the book of Psalms became Psalm 150. The last of the Psalm. Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary. Praise him in his mighty heavens praise him for his mighty deeds. Praise him according to his excellent greatness, praise him with trumpet sound trailer loop Park tampering dance strength pipe sounding symbols loud clashing cymbals. Let everything has breath praise the Lord all celebration so the bookends of the whole book of Psalms is meditation on one side celebration on the side because we need we need both open just before moving often just one really excellent example of this is in the Christmas story with Mary mother of Jesus, you might want to look there in Luke chapter 1 Luke chapter 1, Mary. Having conceived of the Holy Spirit is as a visit with her relative Elizabeth and Elizabeth verse 41 of Luke. One was with her degree to Mary, the baby leaped in her womb Elizabeth Brian Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry.

Blessed are you among women and blessed is a failure.

So Elizabeth has a prophetic word that is confirming that this thing that has happened.

Mary is a great blessing from God.

And there's something about just having this witness of agreement that God's done this miraculous thing that causes a song of celebration to come up out of Mary spirit and Mary said my soul magnifies the Lord in my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, now all generational. Call me blessed. She begins to sing out his song of celebration we call the Magnificat. So here's Mary and all adults celebration but then is so interesting when the beautiful lines of Scripture in the next chapter.

The shepherds have an angelic visitation and they rush over to Bethlehem to see this Messiah baby that has been born and Luke two verse 17 says when they saw it, they may know the saying and told him concerning the job and all who heard it wondered what the shepherds told him so.

The shepherds are jubilant. They are run around telling everybody in verse 19, the same Mary who just the previous chapter, we saw were celebrating with all her heart. Now we see in verse 19 but Mary treasured up all these things pondering them in her heart, in the image here is this idea of pondering is an image that is like turning something or tossing it over and over. That's what the word means it's almost the image someone is suggestion of like a treasure chest of Jules and coins.

If you found it in you to take her hand and run it through it and just watch the light hit the different Jules in the facets of diamonds and coins are often just a treasure and letting it you're feeling at your watch and a turnover and this is what she was doing with this gospel message that was in her heart. That's what life with God is it's like you're celebrating and you're contemplating in the celebration lead to contemplation in the contemplation leads to celebration it works. Impoverishment comes if there's contemplation with no celebration, something dries up on the inside of all we ever did was contemplate, but we had no celebration. Sometimes you gotta wonder about some people. Christians, as the look on her face a homiletics prophetic preaching professor was teaching his students about how important it is that your facial expressions match what you're speaking about because so much of communication is nonverbal. It was time. So when you're speaking of heaven. It should show on your face, sad smile, to be radiant when you're speaking of half and let it let it show and radiate from your face and one of the state is civil but what do we wonder what should we do when were speaking of hell is your ordinary face will do, but I said the Scripture shows that there's kind of a deep death like drying.that happens in the soul with there's no celebration is a very interesting story and second Samuel chapter 6 that tells of David who is the young king after having been persecuted for years by the jealous King Saul and David escapes with his live life, number of times and finally finally finally after all these years. David is coming to take the throne in Jerusalem and is bringing the ark of the covenant that ancient symbol of the presence of God in and David is celebrating. This is what the text says second Samuel 614, David danced before the Lord with all his might. Just pure celebration, likable child, and David was wearing a limited effect, which is the light inner garment of a priest. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord was shouting and the sound of the horn.

It just is just a festivities at this celebration out right celebration is the ark of the Lord came into the city of David McCall, the daughter of Saul, the wife of David looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord and she despised him in her heart she hated.

She hated the celebration and she hated him for his celebration, not on David returned to bless his house. All it says in verse 20, but McCall, the daughter Saul came out to meet David and said how the king of Israel honored himself today uncovering himself the day before the eyes of his servants and female servants is one of vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself and David said to McCall. It was before the Lord.

He chose me above your father, and above all the sounds to appoint me as Prince over Israel, the people of the Lord, and I will celebrate before the Lord make myself get more contemptible than this and I will be abased in your eyes, but by the female servants of whom you've spoken by them. I shall be held in honor and in the text at this very interesting. Alliances and McCall, the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death is not a commentary about the medical problem of infertility, which a number of people in the true measure of struggle with that is not a commentary, and that a statement about that is instead is a symbolic thing. It is saying that she had no fruitfulness in her life. After this, there's a relationship between the vibrancy of what's happening within us and our capacity to celebrate and those that despise the celebration and can't ever go into the celebration like the older brother wouldn't celebrate the prodigal's return are missing not only on a joy but there is a strength and a life that accompanies that the New Testament counterpart to McCall. The Pharisees, when Jesus was making his so-called triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

The text of Luke 1936 as and as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road and as he was drawing near already on the way down the Mount of olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works at Sing Sing blessed is the king who comes in the name of Lord peace in heaven and glory in the highest and some of the Pharisees and the crowd said to him, teacher, rebuke your disciples.

They can stand the celebration hated and he answered I tell you if these were silent. The very stones would cry out because God made his world to be a celebration of God and we can join in. It in so doing we are doing what were created to do all we can avoid it in the be some kind of death on the inside. Jesus told of the Pharisees is a delight whitewashed to they look pretty on the outside but absolutely no life on the hands. On the other hand, if we have only celebration in no contemplation. Then there's also a kind of impoverishment to our souls different time in your life you just you over celebrated cattle. I was thinking of the old Andy Griffith show are my favorite episodes and he ends up eating three spaghetti dinner for one night. You know that one that I think it goes like this where Andy is so so glad they have these gone out of town hope is gone. The camping trip.

He's got a night by himself at home to eat whatever you want to just shoot off and relaxed and Goober shows up feeling sorry for Andy. He feels in the kitchen fixing the spaghetti dinner and somewhere I think in the midst of a Goober Mims awaiting that somebody else invited you over tonight who was only think it was Howard so he goes over to Howard House will wasn't really Howard and Howard want to be hospitable feels a better fix Andy some dinner and families out of town and he figures ageism spaghetti dinner and easy second spaghetti dinner in the middle of it.

Goober remembers oh it wasn't Howard.

It was Helen your girlfriend she she had invited you over exposed Italian goes over to Helen's and she's fixed a wonderful dinner spaghetti faces third spaghetti dinner is just never ever had a night no time like that where you just give over celebrated one to long ago and I had a week where I have wonderful things that I was out seven nights in a row of this feast at seven nights in a row and you actually feast seven nights in a row. You could bring filet mignon lobster tail just dangle in front of my nose, and a sound care care as long as we know will read a book need some cereal. I made some playwright insert is there something that can happen. Also, it's just where there's a life that it it becomes the pursuit of celebration just for the celebration, not because of the substance of it on the Scripture speaks to this. Amos has a word of warning. Amos 60s as woe to those who are at ease in Zion was a description whether those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall goosing idle songs to the sound of the heart and like David invent for themselves. Instruments of music who drink wine and bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore, they shall now be the first month. Those who go into exile in the revelry of those who stretch themselves out till past away. Was he talking about here is another. The real issues going on the people of God. There's the real issues that need deep thought and consideration, and instead of the people are just there just celebrating for the sake of celebrating that there's actually nothing to celebrate.

And so all they're doing is just being gluttonous and drunken is interesting Paul to the Corinthians. It's very fascinating study of the Corinthian church because Corinthian church is a place with the Holy Spirit usually poured out and they just they really embrace the gifts the spirit and there's so much to the power of God was at work in the Corinthian church, and yet they really got off-line and one of the place.

Will Paul addresses as the first Corinthians 11. He says when you come together is not the Lord's supper that you refrain eating each one goes ahead with his own meal one goes hungry. Another gets drunk was he talking about here is how she can get drunk little ones will communion cups they were coming in and they were having a love feast, which was a wonderful thing in early church would come together, not as for community come together, share a meal but what happened in the Corinthian church was they were beginning to celebrate these meals, like the Romans did the Romans had a version of this in which a come together for the Roman parties and they were just gluttonous animus prided themselves on how much they drink, and everything will go along with it will somehow there's confusion the gun to the Corinthians in I thought all our freedom in Christ all this were so alive we look we know it to celebrate and that there their time looking like man on here. Paul's response in the really what's going on here in our next broadcast celebration in contemplation.

Part two is on the way you're listening to the beauty of balance and Allen Wright will be back here in the studio with us in a moment with additional insight on this for your life. The final word being filled with the Holy Spirit shutting off your mind hearing for a wonderful surprise to learn God's spirit were never meant to be separated spirit always belong together to keep your abundant life in Christ knowing your Bible. The secret of being filled with the spirit, the answer is both word and spirit subjugation studying Scripture, and some traditions emphasize the spirit to real Christian growth is both word and spirit as someone once said Pollard spirit you dry all spirit. No word both word and spirit umbrella.

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Grace filled vision for the rights of free grace and encouragement. Allen writes daily blessing is free. Just a click away and got away. Allen R series is continuing in the beauty of balance. Today the celebration, the contemplation, nor are we saying that you can have the ballot you have both at the same time we are absolutely in the Christian life. There is must be both celebration and contemplation and what we're going to be making the case is that really one without the other impoverish is the other and so will discuss you know what is celebration really about what is the role of celebration. The kingdom of God is come shared to a great wedding party, the greatest of celebrations in the Mideast and yet the role of meditation and contemplation where there is deep, deep thought is so important, so will you learn the difference between what Eastern meditation is which is dangerous and what Christian meditation really is and in the end, it is an invitation to have both a life of celebration and contemplation and I think is so so important and it's available to every believer in Jesus Christ, thanks for today.

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