The Rewards Of Meditation - Part 2

Welcome to the intensified Catholic child Stanley December 3. The key to trusting the Lord is knowing and knowing God is the result of meditating on hand and on his word here is the final message in our series meditation. The power of silence. We kill a great deal about how to Roy about reading the prayers of God sort.

One of my favorite prayers is not first chapter of Colossians, which I believe that if anybody said to me what you want me to pray for. I can always say Colossians 1 beginning of verse non-use one of you will put in about what is fun if you just pray that prayer if you want to know how to pray the best way to learn is to find these prayers in the Bible where God's man cried out to God in times of difficulty and hardship and you learn how to pray and if you don't know any other way to do just to come out and read him and to say, the Lord, I want you to show me how to pray is these men prayed you'll find yourself pray less about yourself more about the greatness and abiding majesty of God, and more about other people because that's the way they pray, but all the Scriptures you find men who knew how to sit before the Lord and listen and be quiet and meditate upon him. Well David is certainly a beautiful example that reading the Psalms you know that he didn't understand what it meant to meditate upon the Lord. Back to second Samuel chapter 7 and you recall this passage. The Bible says that David, the king went in and sat before the Lord, and he said who MRO Lord God, and then we have his prayer as he talks to God. David knew how to meditate. David knew how to sit before the Lord and absorbed God. He knew how to think upon the Lord, and absolve the things that God was saying to him, and so we talked about. There are several recommendations that are found in this passage. First of all, that he reviewed his past and then he reflected upon God. And then he recalled the promises of God and then he made his request to God. The last time we talked about the different requirements of real meditation which were things like season of time. Silence and stillness and seclusion and self-control and being submissive to God because we don't just learn to meditate was saying.

I just want to meditate but it takes time and it takes sensitivity to God's word and one the best things you can do is get in the book and read a prayer and a lots of them in here prayers that Jesus prayed the 17th chapter of John. But somehow the Old Testament they have been the most rewarding to me personally to read these prayers and then the pray and ask God to teach me how to pray. The way these men prayed because you can read this print and know that these men were getting hold of God. They were talking to God as if they expected God to hear and answer them a cause and all these prayers, he certainly has done well what I would like to do in this message is simply say, here are the rewards that come to anybody and everybody who makes meditation in times of prayer along with him in silent, secluded, being still in thinking about him and absolving him here the things that you can expect to happen in your life. So when you jot them down and my feeling is if I was sitting at his and somebody told me that if I learn to meditate upon the Lord and to focus upon him, and to spend time alone with him and to cry out to him and the listen to him and to obey him at all these things would take place in my life. You couldn't keep me off Monday's listening and meditating upon him for the first one is this the first reward of meditation is naturally our own personal intimacy. There is no other way to build intimacy with him, except in his word meditating upon is no way to build intimacy with her with a spouse, then spending time talking and listening to one another, and building that intimacy and so it is with God. One of the rewards of being quiet listening and being still being secluded and being away for everybody else and being in the word is what this intimacy begins to develop and I want to say this again when people say to me what how how do you grow in the Lord. I'm telling this is the way to do it your people. They want some real difficult something you don't anything difficult is just a sample is so simple that a child can begin to build intimacy with God early in life.

If and when the given time alone and be still be silent in the word and listening and sharing my heart and being open and being transparent telling him exactly what I feel. Well, there's another ward and that is it is a very purifying effect that happens to us when you and I really spend time with him. What happens is, he puts his finger on those things in our life do not belong there. What happens, and I think this is one of the reasons that most people don't spend time with God and his word because you see, if you spend time in the word with him anything in your life in my life.

It's not like I guarantee you it's coming up. He will surface it anymore take him long you will have say will God please show me something. Forget it.

He'll show you. It'll it'll come up and you will have to wait long. He will surface those things in our life do not belong there and he's going to keep on surfacing because this is he wants to get rid of those things that do not belong there. Now let's think about David for a moment.

He is a man who really and truly love God but look at it. He lied he murder he committed adultery.

He violated the laws of God. He but he violated things that God told him not to do. Did anyway but there's not a man in the Scriptures who is more beautiful example. And David becomes the meditation you know why is the reason he was always quick to repent of his sin was for your wonderful passage grimacing which one on universe.

Let's go to second Samuel 24 first that three pastors. I might mention here. Here is the heart of this man about whom God says that he's a man after his own heart because David was a man in whose life meditation everything is centered around his relationship to God.

Listen in the 24th chapter God had told him not to number the men of Israel to find out how many soldiers had been the reason God told not to do this because he wanted God wanted David to trust God, not in his army. Well he violated that this 24 chapter and when Joab one of his generals questioned him about. He said do it anyway and then that he found out that they had 1,300,000 valiant soldiers, but this is what happened in the 10th verse look at this that David's heart trouble him after he numbered the people.

So David said to the Lord, I have sinned greatly and what I have done. But now, Lord, please take away the iniquity of thy servant, for I have acted foolishly. Go to Psalm 51 the 51st song is the expression of David's heart after his adultery with Bathsheba and if you notice what he says in his 51st Psalm, he starts out by asking God to be gracious to him and then he says according thy greatness about compassion blot out my transgressions. He's not trying to solve prevalent blot out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly for my iniquity, cleanse me from my sin. I know my transgression and my sin is ever before me against the. The only have sin, and so he goes on in verse seven he says purifying me wash me, make me to hear joy hide that case, my sins blot out my iniquities. Verse 10 create in me a clean heart. Renew a steadfast spirit within me restoring the joy of my salvation for Stanley with a willing spirit deliver me from blood guilt is and on he goes here is a man who knew how to confess and repent sin go with you will to Revelation 22. This is very significant. Not only did he say of David. He is a man up the mountain heart man whom we love.

When the Lord Jesus Christ was speaking to the beloved John Dahl of Patmos and giving him the Revelation. The last book of the Bible. Listen to what he says Jesus in verse 16 of Revelation chapter 22. He says I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star. I think about this here is Jesus giving John a valid Patmos. The last final revelation of Scripture and how does he identify himself, he says I'm of the offspring of David, you mean that liar and murder and adultery. Yes yes yes that's right, but the man after my own heart whose life was life of meditation and prayer and devotion to me when he sin he was quick to confess and repent of that sin. You see, it isn't what we do and what we don't do it is our attitude about what we do and you see when you and I are in the word of God. We will deal with those things that God brings throughout heart and so somebody says will how my going to know that I'm confessing the right thing, your and once was a my sins will suppose I miss something.

You don't have to worry about that God is a miss anything.

If you get in the word. He will bring to your mind and your heart and mind. Those things that don't belong. One of the rewards of spending time alone with him is a pure heart, then two more nutso number seven and that is a passion to obey (limitation. You will never develop a passion to obey God until you learn and are willing to spend time with you see when you and I love him we will have a passion to obey and any form of disobedience is going to drive us quickly to her face to ask him. God forgive me this sin does not fit who I am. It doesn't fit you.

It doesn't fit our relationship. It's a fallen element in my life we going to be quick like David to repent of our sin, because obedience and sin don't mix and a passion to obey him. That is this deep yearning burning driving hunger to obey God.

How does that come into a person's life isn't listening to sermons that may stimulate something. I'll tell you how is it spending enough time alone with her heavenly father and growing a love for him that we want to do what he wants us to do a passion to obey him is one of the rewards in our life of meditation, spending time alone with we just we love and wheat. We just want to is it's the difference between a person who has a problem. For example, let's say, watching things on television that are not good enough. So not edifying in upbuilding and uplifting of the two different ways to do that person says I do cut that off for wants that other person says I don't even want to watch you know why because my love and devotion to him is such I know that doesn't fit who I that is the fruit of reading this book and being in it one last one. And that is, there will be power in your living and power in your service when you spend time alone with him. Listen, if you spend time alone with the Lord you will be able to hide it. Folks will know that something a little different about you is from heaven there will be authority in your words that were not there before.

What you say will have impact that he didn't have before. What you do will make a mark deeper than you made before because his was happening when you and I spend time with him. The spirit of God begins to operate in our life on a level that he cannot operate unless listen unless we are daily feasting and feeding and absorbing and meditating and just becoming one with him.

This I don't how to send in any other way than to say that there is no substitute for the does nothing else you can substitute and people talk about power and authority in serving God. It isn't because of training is because of education is because of eloquence, and isn't because of charisma is because many of those thing is just spending time alone with God.

If you want authority and power and fruitfulness in your life.

There is now given you about eight rewards. There are probably others.

I'm sure but, as I think about in my own life and things that I've discovered is the most important time of the day is the most important activity of the day. I want to say again, if you want to be a success in whatever gods called you to do. There is the solution. There's the answer is almost student same thing what they say you meditate this book day and night is he so you get all A's know but he said you'd succeed. Let me ask you something. Give us anybody who flunked out of college who is in the word of God in the morning and the evening anybody.

I have the I can't witness Ahmed have the word of God, then I can't witness now you can know you I can say that you know why because God my friend has made the Christian life. Just that simple.

If you and I will be in this book meditating upon it day and neither does mean all day and all night, but at least morning and evening getting my direction for the morning check and myself. I might see how well I've done during the day, but as governor correct is what he says thou shall make thy way prosperous, I just want to challenge you do this, I will challenge you to read the first Psalm is just a few verses look at it now returned to just a moment like this first song don't anybody tell me you don't have time to read six little versus his will and challenge you to do. I will challenge you to take these six verses and read them for one solid week with a pad such and every time you read it you ask God, the Lord, what are you saying to me today in this passage, but I will want to challenge it is to read every morning and every evening, one week seven days now me to say this if you really want God to change your life that Psalm you holidays you have 321.

If you read the first Psalm 21 days, morning and evening and meditate upon that. I guarantee you God will change your life. You say watch 21 days I don't even know but I can tell you this. Whatever you do 21 days for transforming and asking him if you want to be a success. I challenge you add dear you to try 21 days in the first day and night with a pad beside you, asking God to speak to your heart about what that Psalm is saying about business family, you name it and see what happens… Is just six verses table is the real close of this. How blessed is the man does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law he meditates day and night, and he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither and whatever he does, he prospers the wicked are not so there like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment of sinners in the assembly of the righteous but the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the will of the wicked will perish.

How many of you do not have time to read that never read that meditate upon it, I might read like that and then I would slow down his whatever I read the first part. How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked noticing me by walking in the counsel wicked sons asked myself the question, look it up in the concordance something.

Whatever you choose to do.

But if you meditate upon that passages from heaven. If you never look at the concordance you will have as you read that passage over and over and over again.

God will give you understanding and he will show you how to plot. I challenge you for the first seven days and I challenge you to read it twice a day for 21 days and see what happens in your life.

Father, we thank you for making it so simple and so plain and loving. We will analyze it. We are absolutely totally inexcusable and we confess that to you and father I pray in Jesus name that every single person here before they go to bed tonight either kneel down beside their bed or sit in the chair. Whatever they choose to do. Read this passage in some translational maybe more than one and ask you to give them understanding of how to apply that to their life. God how I do pray that the above I love these folks and I want the best for them and I know this is good.

I know it's the very best they can happen to them and so that's my prayer for every single morning Lord, would you just so the tension in their mind and heart bring that to their attention every day that Psalm one is the key to their success and uses no ready waiting to bless those who willing to meditate about it in Jesus name, amen. Thank you for listening to part 211, three words in meditation. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley for intense ministry insects that OIG is typecast as a presentation in intact ministries