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Turn to and read Ephesians 1:1-14.
While it is important that we meditate in the Word of God, it is equally important that we know what to focus on when we meditate in the Bible.
The Bible has so many topics and subjects that it’s hard to know what we should look for when we read it?
On what are we to focus when we meditate in the Word of God?
Allow me to suggest several topics to consider.
Should we focus on:
Holiness
It’s a command.
It’s important.
So, should we focus on holiness as we meditate in God’s Word?
What about..
Love
It’s a command.
It’s important.
So should we focus on loving God and loving others as we meditate in God’s Word?
What about...
The Word of God
It’s a command.
It’s important.
In fact, here, in the 21st century it’s never been easier to study God’s Word.
So should we simply focus on knowing God’s Word as we meditate in God’s Word?
What about...
Rules & Regulations
It’s a command.
“…That thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein...” There’s even a promise that goes along with that: “…For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
All of these are important.
However, none of them is to be our focus.
They are not the purpose for which the Bible was written.
That begs the question:
Why was the Bible written?
Any ideas?
The purpose, for which the Bible was given, is to reveal God to man!
Now, to place all of this in its proper context, we need to go back to the basics and ask one of the most foundational questions of all human existence:
What Is man’s ultimate purpose in life?
What say you?
Man’s ultimate purpose in life is to glorify the Lord and to please Him in all we do.
Let’s look back at Ephesians chapter 1:
I could preach an entire message on the importance of glorifying the Lord; and perhaps if we have an invitation, many of you would come forward and say: “That’s what I want!
I am committing myself to glorify the Lord!” Then you would leave, determined to glorify Him.
But at point you would become frustrated.
Why?
Because you don’t know how to glorify Him.
This leads to another question...
How do we glorify the Lord and please Him?
What say you?
We glorify the Lord by being holy.
(Turn to and read Ephesians 1:4-6.)
But what is holiness?
Is it not going to the movies, cursing and not being immoral?
Is it going to church, witnessing and praying?
No! These are mere outward deeds that we often mistake for holiness.
True holiness is within.
It is what you are - your motives, your attitude, your heart.
Notice that Ephesians 1:4 says that we are to “be” holy, not just do holy things.
Further, we are to be holy “before Him.” Actually, this means we are to be holy under His penetrating gaze.
That is, when God looks at us, He doesn’t focus on our outward actions; He looks through us and sees us on the inside.
He sees our hearts and our motives.
If our hearts and our motives are not right, all the outward “holiness” in the world will not bring God any glory!
We could preach on “holiness” until we all came under conviction, came forward, and declared, “Starting now, I’m going to be holy!”
But, that brings up another question:
How do we get to be holy on the inside?
We can’t just “talk ourselves into it.”
Just because we go forward in church and make a decision to be holy doesn’t make us holy on the inside.
We can change our outward actions, but what about our spirit, our attitudes, our motives, our heart?
How did I reach inside and change them?
The answer is: by falling in love with the Lord.
What are the last two words of that verse?
“In love.”
We are to be holy before Him (in His sight) “in love.”
That is, it is love for Him that causes us to become holy on the inside.
As our love grows, we are able to grow pure and holy and filled with the fruit of righteousness.
Thus, love produces inner holiness.
Thus, as we fall in love with the Lord, we become holy.
And as we become holy, we glorify Him.
So, does that mean the we should just concentrate on trying to love Him?
I could preach on loving God until we all fell under great conviction and said: “That’s it!
Starting today, I’m going to love the Lord!”
But that raises another question...
How do we fall in love with the Lord?
Can we simply “will ourselves” to love God?
What about this question: “How can I love someone whom I cannot see?”
What say you?
The answer simply is: to know Him is to love Him.
When an individual first puts there faith in Jesus Christ, their love for Christ is based upon what He has done for them - He saved them!
He forgave their sins!
He’s made them a child of God!
He has given them an eternal home in Heaven!
Why wouldn’t an individual love Him!?!?
However, our love for Christ must continue to increases.
Beyond salvation, our love for Him is based upon our knowledge of Him.
The more we get to know Him, the more we will admire Him and love Him.
Notice, again, Philippians 1:9-11:
This is the reason why there is so much emphasis in God’s Word to growing in our knowledge of Jesus Christ.
But this brings us to another question:
How do we get to know the Lord?
This also brings us, now, full circle to where we started.
God’s Word was not given primarily to make me holy or to cause me to love Him.
Rather it was give to enable me to get to know Him, that I might love Him, in order that I might become holy, so that I would naturally glorify Him.
Thus, the bottom line of the Christian life is knowing God by meditation on Him in the Word and in His works in our lives.
So...
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