Prayer Meeting 31/10/2023

Biblical Meditation - Part 2

We will continue this week, drawing our teaching from the book of American an pastor called David Saxton. This book was given to me as a gift, and sat on one of my book shelves for months, or more. Saxton draws from how the puritans saw and valued biblical meditation. Saxton calls the book ‘God’s Battle Plan For The Mind’, with the content subheading: ‘The Puritan Practice Of Biblical Meditation’.

Firstly, our Puritan prayer tonight is from the book ‘Prayers Of The Reformers’, and since this is the 506^th anniversary today of the reformation, our prayer is by Martin Luther, from page 83.

Our God and Father, we thank Thee for Thine infinite goodness and love to us. Thou dost continually keep us in the Word, and faith, and prayer, that we may know how to walk before Thee in humility and in fear, and that we may not pride ourselves on our own wisdom and righteousness, skill and strength, but glory alone in Thy power; Who are strong when we are weak, and dost through us weaklings daily prevail and gain the victory. We pray Thee so to nurture us, that we may please Thee willingly, that many people may enjoy our fruits, and be attracted by us to all godliness. Write into our hearts by the Holy Spirit what is so abundantly found in scripture, and let us constantly keep it in mind, and permit it to become far more precious to us than our own life and whatever else we cherish on earth. Help us to live and act accordingly. To Thee be praise and thanks in eternity. Amen

-Martin Luther

So, in the first session on this subject, we spoke on what biblical mediation is, then how to practice it. Tonight, I want to follow on with why we need to, and then lastly the benefits. I may touch on other things, but these will be the main things.

Why do we need to meditate on God’s Word? Let me remind you what biblical meditation is.

William Fenner, an early 17th century Cambridge puritan said:

Meditation is a settled exercise of the mind for a further inquiry of the truth, that doing so affects the heart.

Thomas Watson writes:

Meditation is a holy exercise of the mind whereby we bring truth of God into remembrance and do seriously ponder upon them and apply them to ourselves.

He adds:

Meditation is the soul’s retiring of itself, so that by serious and solemn thinking upon God the heart may be raised heavenward.

Meditation is not about emptying the mind of everything. It’s about emptying the mind of ungodly thoughts and non-deliberate thoughts, and focussing that mind onto the things of God.

That is what brings change to our heart, and that is what brings a holy, heavenly peace.

We no longer are driven by feelings or emotions, but by the truth of whom God is, and whom He is to us.

To meditate on God and His ways will always lead to change in how we view things, feel things, and in turn, walk in things.

Now let me quote Watson again, but on the reason we need it, taken from Saxton’s book:

Meditation has a transforming power in it. The hearing of the word may affect us, but the meditating on it, transforms us. Meditation stamps the impression of divine truths upon our hearts.

At the start of us talking about this subject I said this, in fact I said it in a sermon weeks ago then in our pastoral interview/Q&A:

‘They receive the Word, but they spend no time digesting the Word’. Do you hear that? They spend no time digesting the Word. The Word that we hear but that we don’t go away and meditate on and reflect on, and think on is only but having a tiny snack that doesn’t fill us. We gain little from it.

If I add Watson’s thought to it, I would say: it doesn’t stamp an impression on our hearts.

In order for us to fully walk in the ways of God, to radiate His glory, to be imitators of Christ, to walk righteous and upright.

ΠεριπατέΩ ἀΚριβῶΣ – ‘Perepeteo akribos’ in the Greek…

It means to regulate one’s life, walk circumspectly, to walk accurately.

We won’t be able to do that without, as Watson says, having: ‘the impression of divine truths on our hearts.’ It’s not enough to simply hear the Word weekly. We need the divine truths of the Word impressed into our hearts, that it infects all we do.

Like we can’t touch anything, or see anything, or feel anything, or speak anything, or think anything, without God’s divine ways and truths encompassing it. This is what Watson means by mediation stamping an impression into our hearts.

The puritans never saw meditation as something that some like and some don’t. Something that was only for certain Christians, like those who preach and teach. They saw it as much a commandment as any other commandment.

Puritan Oliver Heywood wrote

The same God who commands thee to pray and believe, who forbids thee to steal and murder, doth enjoin thee to mediate.

That’s how much the puritans valued it. They saw it as a ‘though shalt do this’.

Dutch puritan Wilhelmus à Brakel wrote:

God commands it, and since we are both obligated and willing to be obedient in God in other matters, such must also be the case in this duty.

I think Brakel would say that we ought to fear not doing it. Brakel says this when talking about the fear of the Lord, I think this could easily apply to meditation also:

The fear of God is the fountain of all the holiness which delights you. Sinful lusts will lose their potency, corruptions which surface will readily be subdued, you will be stopped in the middle of sinning, and you will find yourself inclined toward the practice of all manner of virtues.

I hope as we walk through this subject you are more convicted in your need for biblical meditation.

Thomas Watson says:

Many hear sermons, and listen to Christian music, and read Christian books, yet they remain weak in holiness, love, and service. Why? The answer is a lack of serious thinking on the word, combined with a life dominated by entertainment.

Oh how true is that? Think of the time we spend on mindless entertainment of the flesh. Watching silly videos, gazing endlessly at the next purchase you’re thinking of, watching and listening to secular drivel.

How much more profitable would your life be if even a part of that was spent in God’s Word, pondering the depths of its wisdom? How much more would you be equipped for life and its many trials? How much more would godliness be impressed in your mind and heart as you go about your day?

Watson again:

A Christian without meditation is like a solider without a weapon or a workman without tools.

Over the years in the building trade, I’ve met many a man who has no respect for his tools. And it’s always, always the same spirit; a man who has no respect for his tools has no real respect, or excellence for his craft.

Meditation is the greatest weapon against sin and apathy. However, meditation is not just the antidote to remove negativity and kill sin, it is also the main component that will bring good thoughts, to bear fruit.

John 15:4-5

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Notice what makes us produce fruit, it’s in the abiding, not the visiting of God’s Word, not the visiting of Christ and His ways, but in the abiding.

The word is: Μένω- ‘meno’ - to be kept continually, to remain, to endure, (and here is this word again…), to ‘dwell’.

It’s in the dwelling, it’s in the meditating of God and His Word that we bear much fruit. Not only that: its tells us that without it, we can bear none.

Apart from me you can do nothing. Well, nothing godly.

Do you realise that all we can do when we step away from godly thoughts and deliberate living is to do ungodly things? Listen you don’t just automatically do good things without good habits. No abiding, you will simply go it alone, and bear nothing Christlike.

Okay, as much as I’ve shared on why we need to meditate, within that I have also touched much on our last point on this subject: the benefits. However, let me just share a few as we conclude this two part message.

Saxton writes:

Meditation does not only deepen one’s repentance but it also promotes positive obedience to God’s will.

If someone was to ask me what caused our reformation I could give lots of answers. However, none would be more accurate than the cause of our reformation was birthed in the meditation of God’s Word.

Henry Scudder, Cambridge puritan says we meditate…

…so that God’s will in his word and yours become one.

Again, we read this in John 15, when Jesus was teaching the disciples in the upper room.

John 15:7

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

Our abiding dictates and promotes ours desires. What you abide in, dictates your wants. If it’s God’s Word it will be God’s ways. If you want your flesh and sin to run the show, then think on it. However, if you want God’s ways to reign, think on that.

Apostle Paul, in his letter to the church in Philippi writes:

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Λογίζομαι- logee- zo-my - to meditate.

Paul uses this word 27 times in his letters. To take into account, to deliberate, to weigh up.

Paul wrote to the church in Philippi from jail, both to thank them for their faithfulness and kindness to himself, but also to warn them of the false teachers who had found their way into the assembly, and around them.

What was his great advice as he signed off? It was to meditate on the things of God. Nothing will keep you sharp, and alert, and focused more than mediating on the things of God.

Willam Bridge says meditating is a ‘heartwarming work’ Nothing keeps us more alert to the wiles of the devil like mediation.

What did Jesus tell the disciples in the garden to do? ‘Watch and pray, lest you fall into temptation.’

Okay, time has gone - I want to just finish with this: In Saxton’s book he has a chapter called ‘Important Occasions For Meditation.’

Sometimes there are occasions when we really need to spend time meditating and praying. Some situations call for that.

For instance the situation in Israel, but also for the preaching of the Word on the Lord’s day, or for our youth meetings on Fridays, or Hope Women on Wednesday.

We as believers need to give special attention to these important things we have in church.

Richard Baxter writes:

The Lord’s day is a time exceedingly seasonable for this exercise.

Nathanael Ranew wrote:

Let me meditate of this day, as the time afforded for the largest spiritual advantage, there is no day more eminent for me or my soul than this day.

The Lord’s day has all but lost its sacredness, we need to hold dear to it, and note its importance. Hence why we need to pray and meditate in advance for it.

But not only in advance, but also to find time during it. This is why we do not have 20 minute sermons, we need time to delve into the Word, and dwell in it.

Lastly, I want to say that we need to spend time in meditation when we are seeking to advance in the work of the Lord.

Amen.