Solitude • Psalm 1:1-6

Do you have a Bible you can open up to a Psalm chapter one? If you were here last week with us? We began to talk about isolation and Solitude and how those seem sumbit synonymous in a way in which we would use them but they actually entail two very different ideas behind them. And so we're going to give just a brief recap to catch you up to speed on some differences there and then launched into why it's important to have Solitude with the Lord. We looked last week and really to probably more negative examples of isolation in the people of Elijah and Jonah both guys that God used mightily for example in Elijah. He there the story We particularly looked at was with the prophets of Baal and went to in a sense of war with them and God prevailed Yahweh moved and work in a very powerful way. And when he was done on that Hillside on that Mountaintop going to battle with them he comes down and this queen named Jezebel says I want to kill Elijah and he begins to run into a place of isolation in which there is fear coming over him. There is trembling and even worse inside of him is this idea of kill me now self-loathing self-pity began to overtake this man and as he then cried out to God in that place of isolation the gracious goodness of God began to meet him Jonah was in a similar boat. Didn't want to go to Nineveh found himself in Nineveh. Anyways preached one of the greatest revivals that we read there in the Old Testament then goes and complains that I knew your gracious God. I knew your kind and if they would repent you would honor that I did against to go into A place of self-pity and self-loathing and he's alone and he's in isolation isolation is all horrible place to live in isolation is a place that we're often driven to because of outward circumstances or inward feelings. It's a lonely place and it's a place in which many in the Western World actually live in and as we noted last week, we've never been more connected as a society more connected. We've never written more and actually said less meaningful things in an entire history of the world and we're a lonely group of people. Isolation is not healthy. But Solitude Solitude is Solitude comes with intentionality Solitude is purposeful. Solitude is saying I'm going to break away from the busyness of the world in the busyness of life to meet with God. It's an intentional Endeavor a quiet in our heart and our so in order to sit before God and what I want to do today is make a cased for Solitude and there's a few things we looked at last week. If you want to get to know me or you want to get to know someone what are some ways we can do in order to know somebody we can get online. We can Google them we can maybe look them up and read about them. And that's one way you can learn facts about a person or see pictures about a person and what their life looks like are you can draw some conclusions that maybe you know a little bit about me by looking online and that is one way. You can know me but you could also call me up and we could go out to lunch or coffee and you'll learn things about me as we have conversation as we talked with one another and you can begin to put those two things that you've learned about me together. You can go and talk to other people about me and you can learn a lot about me by talking to other people. Also, if you really want to get to know me you have to see me when I'm interacting with my wife who knows me best or with my kids are with my friends. We sure this a months and months ago. But CS Lewis was talking about how he had these three other good friends that met regularly. And when one of them had passed he said it's not that we're just going to miss. I think his name was Jim but that Jim Drew something out of each and everyone of us that we don't drop out of each other. So the whole group is actually going to be missing something. If you want to know somebody you need to spend time in many different forms and ways with them and if that's true on a human level how much more so God. Yes, we common We Gather and we learn and we hear about God on Sundays. Yes, you have the opportunity to read the scriptures, but she does is important aspect in which were to draw away from the busyness of life in order to spend time with the god of the universe to know that in that you are being transformed into His Image as we spend time sitting before him and this is one of the more difficult things to do in our busy society today. To be still and know that he is God. We don't sit still. Well who was here last week Michael. Let us into a wonderful time of worship book before and after butt after he had this moment where the room went silent no music. Guitar plucking and you could almost for the first 30 seconds feel how uneasy Americans are with silence.

We got to feel the sun's going to feel the voice and it was so neat because I asked her about 30 or 45 seconds beginning to come a little bit more comfortable but it just shows how difficult it is to still ourselves that what we tend to do is when we get into a position of trouble, will you get in then to run to God and we say Lord, here's my problem. I'm finally ready to sit still before you I'm finally ready to read. I'm finally ready to hear you. I'm finally ready to come and steady my heart so you can speak to it but we're being called to install the church is not something we're driven to because of problems but something that we're choosing to engage in do you spend time with the god of the universe? To break away with him to cultivate a daily habit of sitting before God and also to a tree out of times longer moments of sitting still before God we can see that Jesus made this a habit in his own life. And here's the deal Solitude when I was thinking about 21 22 years old. I had this moment where I said, I was working at a church. I took some time away and I was going back to school and the Bible College I'd gone 2 years ago called me up and asked me to come to see the men of the dean of men. I don't know who called the twenty-two-year-old to be the dean of men s that's how you ever cuz my maturity level was no greater than a 15 year old at that time. Okay, so we're just we're just going to be really honest and I had this great idea, but I knew I wanted to go to school. I love Lenny where I was at and I still serving at the church that I was at. In fact, I step down to probably Just as much my brother got a great deal and all that. I sent you. I'm going to go spend some quiet time with the Lord because I got this problem and I want to hear from you God and so I went out into the Wilderness to Smith Rock at a campground. I didn't bring any food. I was going to pray and fast and I sat there is my journal and I just opened it up and open the Bible and after about eight hours. I'm still sitting there like. Are you going to tell me what to do? I'm doing this. Right? Right. I haven't eaten and I know I'm hungry and I'm out here in the wilderness seeking you and I remember waiting hour after hour in the next day. I go home after my camping trip and some people so how was that and I said, I didn't get the answer I wanted but the honest honest truth is I know that God is with me and what I choose he reminded me of his presence and in fact the job I didn't take with a job Michael Watson. He was here last week. He took that job for a year and he had some fun there. Eden last year. So so 22 year olds shouldn't be dean of man's at 5 when we're in trouble or we need a decision to go to you really really quick but in the wilderness when Jesus was driven to it, he still had pressures and problems happening in his life Nancy DeMoss and her last name is wilmoth. She said Joe is not the absence of trouble. It's the presence of God.

I kind of want to seek God when I got all this trouble going on in my life and problems and I think Lord he just sees the problems. Then there will be Joy. But as we said before God does not promise you a crisis free life, but a crisis proof life there for when we go through difficulties we go through problems and there are trials that come our way. We know the god of the universe is actually with us. And so what I want to do today is look at someone and look at reasons for Solitude. It says in verse 1 blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked nor stands in the way of Sinners North sits in the seat of scoffers. But his Delight is in the law of the Lord and on his lofty meditate day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yield its fruit in its season and if you leave does not wither and all that he does he prospers the wicked or not. So but are like Chaff the wind drives away there for the wicked will not stand in the judgment and or the seat sinners in the congregation of the righteous for the Lord knows the way of the righteous. But the Way of the Wicked Will perish what we're going to do this morning is we're going to look at Solitude for soul formation. You have an inner man that needs to be fat and the Sinnerman really depict so much of how my wife is actually lived out. We don't live from the outside-in We Live From the Inside Out we're going to see Solitude for reflection and meditation that leads to refreshment in the Lord and Solitude for self-examination. We all know. Especially in today's diet crazed and nutrition kind of society that what we put into our physical bodies impacts our lives, right? We all have food that if we eat it our entire day my dad and I we have a healthy appetite for Chan any better than a chance. Any more because it just zaps. My mood weather is the MSG or whatever is in the earth's just the biggest plate of chicken for 495 and I eat it all and it's so I can't either because I know what it does to me. It wrecks. My energy levels depletes me windows with so many other Foods in the things that we put into our bodies physically and I want you to think about this. You are a physical being correct also a spiritual being We're not going to separate out those two weird whole being a human being that God has created there for what we put into our soul we take in with our mind what we put into our heart is going to impact how we live our lives.

Call Trip one of my favorite teachers. He gives his great analogy and he takes a water bottle like this and he talks about the importance of what is in our lives in this water bottle represents the outer shell and you know, what I can have all kinds of different things in this water bottle. It's clear. There's all kinds of clear liquid so that you can put in here. You don't know what this is. All right, spits water. I found it downstairs. So I'm not going to drink it. Okay, here's the deal. You won't know what's in this until what? AR get shaken When you shake this. What's inside comes out? Sea life from seasons of shaking a trouble of Trials and what we're pouring into US is what's going to come out of us. Therefore Soul formation is an incredibly important part of being a follower of Jesus and what we read in the Psalms is really this prayer book a different people who are going through different situations in there crying out to God but someone is unique among them all because of an introduction to all of the songs and it begins with this blessing talking about blessed hole fulfilled is the man who does what doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked but is meditating on the word of God and begins to talk about this as a practice. It's not a prayer all throughout scripture in what we read this morning in the Psalms are these prayers to God but here to enter What this looks like this is this is a practice that we are to engage in head is not Eastern mysticism. It's not the monastic practices that were being developed later on in early church history is this idea of studying and slowing down so we can actually hear and receive from God because we live in a busy age and it's not slowing down.

So we have to actually begin to practice habits of coming before God. I'm waiting and listening now in Western culture. We so surprised everything on production. Don't we do love to be productive who loves to be productive. I love I love the checklist getting knocked off. I love the chore list getting knocked off aisle of the grocery list getting knocked off and we see that done and we move to the next thing how many of you feel like slowing down and sitting before God is productive. Not a lot of us. I mean if we're honest with ourselves, we feel like she will have a lot of better things. I could be doing with my time right now. There's some helping I need to be doing there's some stuff over here and then I will actually be ready to slow down. This is ingrained into us that productivity. Somehow has the highest value within our culture today so I can show you my value and I can show you my work by what I get done. You can actually look at what I made and take credit than for it all your wonderful. You're great. But if I spend 5 hours would be a ton in an afternoon and Trey are you today? And the enemy Whispers In how is that profitable? How is that productive? What is that doing in your life?

Samus here is talking about this practice and he seemed blessed. Are those who sit in the presence of God because it's forming your soul and Deuteronomy 4:9. We read only take care and keep your soul diligently lest. She forget the things that your eyes have seen less they depart from your heart all the days of your life taken careful watch of your soul. I thought about Soul Care today. My wife's name to think of hair care today, cuz she said I was getting Shaggy this last week had to go get that cat. We think all about self-care. It's the Rave. It's the talk and it's good. Don't hear me wrong on Matt's importance What About Soul Care this morning? What is that even begin to look like in our lives because the reality is not external circumstances not situations that are having their lives. Not even our thoughts or our feelings, but our soul is what runs Our Lives your inner man your heart is what is running your life today? You think of the words of Jesus when he's talking to the Pharisees and he says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks what's inside of you is in what comes out of you? What you put into you and hatred and anger and Malice deep within our hearts as cuz we're feeding it with the wrong ideas. It's probably idolatry and things that replacing above God that are more important to us. Their foreheads were feeding that into our lives. It's what comes out when we get shot. That's when the pressure and the heat comes on our lives. We talked about Sunday at the store were talking at the command center of a human being.

Just think about the last week when you've been bumped rub the wrong way what comes out now? Being a follower of Jesus does not mean that we are perfect a man.

Flash you're still these human tendencies that are far from the heart of God. What we do know and believe is that following Jesus means your whole life has been reordered and things that you used to love. You. Don't love the same way things that you didn't love now, you do love and it looks vastly different goddess reordered our lives where he sits on the throne of our heart and he's to be directing your attitude and our actions and our thoughts and I understand fully we don't do that perfectly. But no human is going to walk in the way that they ought to walk and every moment of every second of their lives and the grace of God covers and washes us first John says that if you confess your sins, he is faithful to forgive you. There's an acknowledgement but we must understand is that in becoming a follower of Jesus. There is a hard shift your knowledge in these facts about God's because actual in your life that is a new present reality a power outside of yourself as come upon you which is utterly change you and your desires and part of that then is this God saying get to know me. It's so hard at times, isn't it? He says draw near to me because you have been made new. I'm not going to read it for lack of time. But Ephesians 2 1 through 10 and Ephesians 4:17 through 24. You can take note of the scriptures they talk about how you were want this way because of a crisis done in you now walk in this but this play out in your lives. How does that happen? Will the gospel Romans 1 says is the power of God to save its God moving on our hearts and when it's received and believed it begins to move on each and every one of us.

Get to know him and Isaiah 30-15 we see Solitude for building trust and getting strength says in Repentance and rest is your salvation in quietness and trust is your strength. Quiet in our hearts quiet in our souls to realize who our strength actually is.

I mean I can do kind of guy I can do it I can do it I can do it. At some point our strength run spin. It Wayne's it goes out and hear Isaiah saying, you know where you find true strength is in God that he is able and Lamentations Jeremiah crying out to God. It's a wonderfully sad book. He says the Lord is good to those who hope is in him to the one who seeks him. It is good to wait quietly for the Salvation of the Lord is good for a man to Bear the Yoke while he is Young let him sit alone in Silence. The lord has laid it on him. There's words that pop out in there helping seeking waiting quietly, but you can trust him that he protects you that you don't have to go out and do it all on your own. Reading a book by Dallas Willard on the spiritual disciplines and he says this in the person with the well-kept hearts, the soul will be itself properly ordered under God and in harmony with reality the outcome will be as we have said a person who's prepared for and capable of responding to the situations of Life the ways that are good and right for such a person the human spirit will be in the correct relationship to God with his assisting Grace. It'll bring the saw into subjection to God and the mind thoughts and feeling into subjection to the saw what Willard is saying is if point is that Solitude is incredibly important to build this trust with God in our soul is being formed by God as we sit before him the well-kept hearts. You want a well-kept home you want well kept children. You want well-kept finances, but you want order in your life. What about your heart today? Is it well kept I know they're going to Sherman after sermon priest on this we got this pendulum that at one point said here's the list of things to do. If you grew up in youth group get up early read your Bible pray do these things and how do I yes? Yes. Yes. Now I'm exhausted and tired of that meth feels like legalism. It's just about relationship with Jesus, right? Correct. So we swing it over here and we say don't worry about the spiritual disciplines don't engage in those things. You know, what just love Jesus and it's okay and what we need to do is see that in the middle that our love for God drives his desire to spend time with God my love for my wife and my children coming. I say no to a lot of other fun opportunities in life. Why because I love them and want to spend time with them. How about with God?

It's not legalism. It's reminder this morning the way that this God loves and cares for us and has called us into deep relationship with him. Be encouraged. That's why this idea of then reflection and meditation for the psalmist declared. I will meditate on the word the word bless in Hebrew is a much richer word in the words that we use in English where I can say, I'm so blessed or apparently in the South. It's a negative turn like oh bless your heart sweetie. They messed up on something right? That's how it gets you use down there besides a blessed. It means fulfillment complete well-being. How do we get that? Where does it come from any answer we can see is actually in this song. Now. There are two kinds of prayers are ways that we approach in prayer one is calling for are the others answering prayer. Here's what I mean by that calling prayers, like what I shared about when I spent some time and Solitude I had this big decision and I dialed up God I didn't open the word frisson a distant Lorde. Here's my issue. Here's my problem. Tell me what to do. I directed that whole weekend. I told God I wanted things to happen. Listen to me calling prayer is not wrong. There are times in our life for all we can do is fall to our knees and ask God for strength because of our circumstances and situations. There are times in our life was the most depressing thing in the moment calling prayer is fine. I also want to talk to you guys about answering prayer here this morning. What is answering prayer. It's what the song is often does. Answering prayers letting God direct our prayer answering prayer is coming before the scriptures and reading and seeing. How is God directing my conversation with him today. What would look like in this passage? What does it mean to not sit in the counsel of the wicked?

Because she actually let the words of God directs the conversation today. Media really good at that you can sit one-on-one with somebody and you can let them direct the conversation others of you your drivers of conversations and you need to learn how to be the answering kind of person when it comes to prayer. What it means is response to something that God has said in his word is prayer on the basis of listening to God. It's prayer that answers what God is speaking letting him direct drive and start the conversation and the subject matter. Now this kind of prayer takes you towards him not towards yourself.

Kind of prayer that called out. She says deeper into ourselves. My needs my wants my desires. Make every Suffocation we all these prayers going to God. We're not diminishing that but I want to share with you the importance of answering prayer because it actually drives us deeper into God not into ourselves. She's solid to let us focus on God because we've intentionally gotten away. Let me show you some things in here Psalm 119 9 through 11. How can a young man? Keep his way pure by guarding it according to your word with my whole heart. I seek you. Let me not Wander from your Commandments. I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you as you read a scripture like that. We see that guarding your heart according to God's word train my heart will SECU meditation. I've actually started up in my heart. My delight is in you. Oh Lord. Let me think on you. Let me spend long lingering time about what your word has to say. What we do in Western Christianity is we quickly open our Bibles with a cup of coffee in the morning and we read for a little bit and then we pray what we often skit is this idea of meditation and it's not legs crossed and hands folded and sounding noises that are being made it's time to actually process and think through with the scriptures just said to you when you can answer God In Prayer according to his word. You can say for this is what you think about these situations. This is what you think about this that's going on and it allows us to actually contemplate and steady yourself to think and let him drive and direct. Let me help you with this. What does this look like when you open your Bible? The first thing we say is what is this going to say to me? When you came to church today, the first thing we say is what is this going to do for me? Rump first thing when you open your Bible in the morning, what is this reveal about God? This word history. We've been invited into it. What does it say about God's character in nature? How does this then shape My Views about God? Then how does the shape My Views about myself?

import notice first having an understanding of who God is what this says about God and then allowing that to direct us to Solitude. Let's ask the question.

I was hanging out with Joe is actually teaching our kids today and he's in the education industry. We were talking about math and you guys have probably heard through the Common Core. There's a big uproar and all this stuff and maybe some of us still hate it and then we just accept it or whatever we're talking about this because Brett we learn to just memorize facts two plus two is four move on 3 + 3 is 6 move on. What we are trying to do is to get kids to ask the question. Why does 2 plus 2 equal for this this example is meditation. To actually think god or goddess aine. We built such a rationalistic society that we even Bible study want to move to this is what God says. This is what it means to move on to. The next thing doesn't allow for us to actually process what God is trying to get at in our hearts, but God wants to hear we take this approach that the Bible says it that's I believe it and that settles it we have that approach. It says it that settles it I believe it we should actually be saying why why is God saying this? Why does God want this in our lives? Let me quote the Prince of preachers Charles Spurgeon, he says there are times when Solitude is better than Society all my introvert said amen. And silence is wiser than speech again introverts. Yes, the Bible Spurgeon Bay. Love you. Better Christians if we were more alone. Getaway be yourself you extrovert you need to leave. Charge of an introverted way waiting upon God and Gathering through meditation on his way. Spiritual strength for labor in the service. We out to Muse upon the things of God because we dust get the real nutrament out of them. Why is it that some Christians? Although they hear many sermons make but slow advancements in the Divine Life. Because they neglect the closets that you not thoughtfully meditate on God's word. They love the wheat, they do not grind. It would have the corn but they will not go forth into the field to gather the fruit hangs upon the tree, but they will not pluck it the water flows at their feet, but they will not stop to drink it from such Folly Deliver Us. Oh Lord. Meditation is not Bible study. Not printer. It's been fluent of a to the bridge between the two. It's an overlap. Give an example for two Psalms Psalm 42 David says, why are you downcast? Oh my soul. Who is David talking to? Is he talking to why are you downcast? Oh my soul. He's talking to himself. He's asking himself a question about his present circumstances not talking to the people in say God. Why are you why is my soul downcast? He's actually meditating think you know, nothing about this Psalm 103 praise the Lord. Oh my soul. Who is David talking to he doesn't say praise the Lord O U congregation praise the Lord me and OU congregation, praise the Lord. Oh my soul. Forget not all his benefits. He's preaching the Good News of God to himself. He forgives your sins. And he healed your disease is 50 crowns you with love and kindness. We will say over and over again. You must preach the gospel to yourself. This is exactly what day it is doing here. He is taking the scriptures that he's taking what he knows about God and he's having a conversation with himself. That is what it looks like you meditate on the word of God. It's not to read Just memorize it took this fact that you pull out. Its you actually understand it and we move from Reading to Quick rationalization to a quick prayer to God. He wants you to silence your soul and sit before and Ponder these things. Usain Bolt intervene an interesting of this is And this text that my sins are forgiven good thing. I'll just move on he say actually process what that means. My sins are forgiven. How should I forget? How should I treat those who harm me? How should I live if this is true about God, how should this impact me in society in with my friends. What you're doing a meditation is not actually trained, but you're taking in processing thinking through number 3 Ramos done with each other soon lamentation 3:40. Facts about to search your heart and examine yourselves. That's really hard to do in a group of people. That's even really hard to do when I'm speaking at you. That's the kind of thing that gets done in quietness and in solitude. That's when we can come to God and say what lies my believe in about myself. Let me search my own heart what's sinful attitudes and patterns am I behaving in? And then rejoicing and what God has done for us. Listen, self-examination is not just navel-gazing and looking down all day or self and being Eeyore and woe is me and pitiful but actually taking a look at inside of our hearts not to be self-absorbed or self-obsessed are to have this deep introspection cuz somehow we're going to plumb the depths of Our Song and really figure out what's wrong with me. You know, what's wrong with you? It's a three-letter word sin. That's it. That's what's wrong. But we want to do if you want to see God Work move and change and to do that. We ignore legit and repent of it before him. Nikki McNally wrote this self-examination should be an interest should not be an introspective self-obsession but a humble clear-minded assessment of ourselves through the gospel. It means looking to the scripture and see God's command is the holy spirit points out the sins. We Harbor that are contrary to the truth. We should regularly engage in a process of self-examination so that we grow and self-awareness that we don't measure up to God's standards for them to come under the good news of the Gospel. Self evaluation is so you. Don't forget your grateful perspective. We look at ourselves and self-examination we can say and I'm just like the center next to me. She we have this tendency to develop a religious snobbery about us. I wish they didn't send like me there in that situation because the things that they participate in I'm such a better person false. False and we have self examination. We begin to realize I am just as needy. Committee for the foot of the cross as every other person out there. Then I get to rejoice and what God has done. It kills religious snobbery and it lets us see the beauty of the Gospel that God has called us that God has changed us a God is working in us and it what it does. The drawers is deeper into who he is. The gospel brings pardon to our examination search my heart. Oh Lord, see if there be any wicked thing at all. He has he does and he's paid for it. Paid for it. He's dealt with it. We know that if we look at ourselves we can then honestly come before God and more forgiving the gospel brings perception to our examination most important things that we need to know about ourselves or not found by looking at ourselves. But by looking at Christ, if you look at yourself is what you're going to hear you're not lovely. You're not worthy. You're not deserting your rights. You're a failure. You're a loser. You always mess up. These are the voices that are loudest in our ears because of the voices that are constantly coming out us whether it's through Society in the success. We see out there. They don't outright say it but it's what we outright feel in our hearts and our lives. We hear the Whispers that were good for nothing and will never amount to what we thought we would When you let the gospel in the scriptures speak truth to you. What do you hear? You hear that? Somebody would actually die for you that they love you in such a way that they would give their lives for you. They would redeem you. They would place you in their family that God has adopted you and brought you in but he's been giving you a church family to come around you but you're not to be isolated and alone. There's a heavenly father who deeply Loves You this is what the gospel speech over you and you begin to examine yourself it could hurt but then we're reminded of what God has done. The gospel brings power to our examination and it revolutionizes and changes us. I know it's a busy world. I know our hearts in this busy World, it can be hard to get away. I need solitude. You need to bring them to Solitude in the morning and the afternoon and the evening. If it's your lunch break figure it out to where we can step away from the busyness of life and sit still before God and actually contemplate his word his scriptures. I'll leave you with this last quote GK Chesterton said the Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting it has been found difficult and left untried Acknowledges, this is hard. Absolutely. But if you pursue God in this way is James says he is faithful to dry near I'm not talking about his means of Salvation or obtaining Grace or earning favor with God. I'm talking about growing and human flourishing because you're underneath the king and he's working directing guiding our house as we spend time with him. We begin to look at liked him that are transformed into His Image redeemers take time carbon out of your schedule practice Solitude knowbe4 your flourishing the flourishing of if you're married your spouse or children your community your place of work your friendships as we spend time with God. It will make impact not only an us. Is it works in us and changes us and we're shook up those around us will experience something different. That's private. Thank you Lord for the good news of the Gospel.

Sinners weary broken beat up alienated far from you because of Christ we have reconciliation and we have hope you have called us into deep relationship and want us to walk in that. Moving our hearts moving our lives this morning, and we responded to song and praise We Lift Your Name up and Worship You amen.