Spiritual Disciplines- Intake, Meditation, Application

Why Discipline Ourselves

As Christians this is what we will become-the direction we are heading

Romans 8:29 ESV

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

This is who we will become when Christ returns, but in the mean time we aren’t merely to sit around and wait for it to come but we are to grow toward it as we live out this life

How is it that we become more Christ like?

1 Timothy 4:7–8 ESV

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

We train ourselves for godliness-this is the purpose of spiritual disciplines

To become more like Jesus, to encounter him

The spiritual disciplines put us on the way/path of Jesus- like Blind Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus in Luke 18-19

As Donald Whitney would suggest when we understand this, grasp hold of this why, then spiritual disciplines will not be drudgery

Characteristics of the Disciplines

1. Corporate and Personal

2. Doing and Being

3. Modeled and Promoted in Scripture

4. Derived from the Gospel

5. Means, not the End

Scripture Intake

If we are to know God and to be like him the place we learn this is in God’s Word

Means:

1. Hearing God’s Word- preaching, media etc.

Luke 11:28 ESV

But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Romans 10:17 ESV

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

1 Timothy 4:13 ESV

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.

2. Reading God’s Word

Jesus use of the phrase “Have you not read...” implies that there an understanding of the Word of God

Reading gives us breath but study gives us depth- Jerry Bridges

3. Studying God’s Word

Ezra 7:10 ESV

For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.

Acts 17:11 ESV

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

The Bereans

4. Memorizing God’s Word

Psalm 119:11 (ESV)

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Jesus’ temptations in the desert- each time he met the temptations of Satan with scripture

Proverbs 22:17–19 (ESV)

Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips. That your trust may be in the Lord, I have made them known to you today, even to you.

5. Meditating on God’s Word

“The reason we come away so cold from reading scripture is because we do not warm ourselves at the fire of meditation.”- Puritan Pastor Thomas Watson

Meditation

Non Biblical vs. Biblical

Emptying of the mind vs. Filling the mind

Mental Passivity vs. Mental Activity

Visualization intended to create our own reality vs. Imagination is our servant to think about truth

Biblical Meditation is linked with prayer and action

Definition:

Deep thinking on the truth of scripture for the purpose of understanding, application and prayer

Understanding- this is the active, filling of the mind

Application and Prayer

Meditation is like making a cup of tea- each dunk is like hearing, or reading, memorizing, praying scripture- each dunk of the tea bag begins to transform the water- meditation is like allowing the tea bag to steep in the water until the entire cup

The Benefit of Meditation

Joshua 1:8 ESV

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Psalm 1:1–3 (ESV)

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

There is an undeniable connection between meditation and success and prosperity- what we are talking about here is primarily the prosperity of the soul

We think about that which we “delight” in so, when we delight in the Word of God we think about it

Meditation in the catalyst for the absorption of the water of God’s word

It is possible for us to experience a downpour of God’s Word, but along with our access to massive amounts of information comes a massive amount of distractions which make it harder to concentrate our thoughts

So, like in a heavy rain storm most of the water runs off, it isn’t given the time to soak in- meditation helps our souls absorb the water of God’s word

The results- Fruitfulness and prosperity- in the direction of godliness

Psalm 119:97–99 (ESV)

Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.

How To:

Select an appropriate passage

A word that interests you, something that relates directly to current life circumstances

Repeat scripture in different ways

John 11:25 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,”

Each time you read you emphasis a different word

Re-write it in your own words

We are actively engaging our minds with the Word of God

Pray through the text

Pray for the the Holy Spirit illumination, it’s an invitation to have the Holy Spirit shine his light

Go slowly- Read less to Meditate more

Look for Application of the text

This is the goal of meditation-

“Our difficulty is not understanding it’s making application for our life situation.” -Whitney

Meditation for Application

James 1:22–25 ESV

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

John 13:17 ESV

If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

The Delusion of Study Scripture

We can experience God’s word so powerfully that what God wants us to do is as clear as our face in the mirror- James 1:22-25- but if we don’t do something we have duped ourselves into thinking we have gained some practical value

The truth is that regardless of how wonderful, profound the experience of discovering that truth is that according to the words of James and Jesus it is the one who “does” that will be blessed.

The blessing comes in making application for the truth

There is that link here in to the text from Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:1-3 that reinforce this connection between meditation and soul prosperity, soul blessing

Expectation of Application

Expect application to come from your meditation

Bring the word home to yourself

We must understand how it applied then to rightly apply it now

The words of scripture must be understood to apply them but until we apply them we demonstrate that we don’t understand them

Application questions to ask

Does this text reveal something...

I should believe about God

I should praise, thank, trust God for

I should pray about for myself or others

I should have a new attitude about

I should make a decision about

I should do for the sake of Christ, other or myself

Conclusion

Meditation is a help to knowledge; thereby your knowledge is raised. Thereby your memory is strengthened. Thereby your hearts are warmed. Thereby you will be freed from sinful thoughts. Thereby your hearts will be tuned to every duty. Thereby you will grow in grace. Thereby you will fill up all the chinks and crevices of your lives, and know how to spend your spare time, and improve that for God. Thereby you will draw good out of evil. And thereby you will converse with God, have communion with God, and enjoy God. And I pray, is not here profit enough to sweeten the voyage of your thoughts in meditation? The Works of the Reverend William Bridge, Soli Deo Gloria, 1989, v. 3, p. 126.