Think About These Things!

Introduction

Around the world, today is known as Palm Sunday. It is the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey colt. People laid palm branches, their cloaks, and anything else they could in front of the donkey carrying Jesus, all while yelling, “Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Have you ever wondered how the crowd could go from this extreme—Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord to the opposite extreme yelling Crucify him, Crucify him, Crucify him—all in less than a week? They are like us! They were fad followers!

Over the past three weeks we have been going through “Basic Training.” So far, in our “Basic Training” we have looked at two activities that we need to develop in our lives.

1. Talking to God.

The first step in our basic training we looked at the beauty of how we can approach God. Last week I shared with you a simple acrostic to help you know how to pray. We used the acrostic—ACTS—which stood for:

A—Adoration—thanking God for who He is and how great He really is.

C—Confession—if we confess our sins, He [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

T—Thanksgiving—we need to thank God for all that He has done; is doing; and will do!

S—Supplication—asking for the needs of others and for our own needs.

ACTS!

2. Getting into God’s Word

Last week we looked at how to study the Bible and to get into God’s Word. We encouraged you to spend seven minutes with God.

1/2 Minute to prepare your heart.

4 Minutes reading God’s Word.

2 1/2 Minutes in prayer using ACTS.

We suggested that as you read you ask the normal literary questions of: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How, and How Much. Then once you have an understanding of these things ask the final question: So What—So what does this mean to me.

And finally, we reminded you to think of the Bible as a “library” of books. So when you begin studying, you don’t have to begin at the “beginning.” If you’re new to the habit of studying God’s Word, we suggested that you begin with the story of Jesus. The Gospel of John is a good place to begin your study.

Think On These Things

Today we are going to look at the third aspect of our Basic Training—Think On These Things.

This step of Basic Training involves two key activities. This morning we want to take a quick look at both of them. These two key disciplines are:

Scripture Memory

Meditation

1. Scripture Memory

One of the most famous passage on scripture memory is found in Psalm 119:11. There David writes:

Psalm 119:11 NIV84

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

To really understand this verse we need to look at it in context. To see the context we are going to need to back up and begin reading at verse 9, and read all the way to verse 16.

Psalm 119:9–16 NIV84

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

Psalm 119 is a unique psalm, because each sections begins with a different letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. This section (beginning with verse 9) is the Hebrew letter Bet—or the second letter in the Hebrew alphabet. And this sections begins by asking a question.

Question:

How can a young man keep his way pure?

Live according to God’s Word.

Seek God with all your heart.

Don’t stray from God’s commands.

Hide God’s Word in your heart.

Learn God’s decrees—prescribed behaviors.

Recite God’s laws.

Follow God’s laws.

Meditate on God’s Word

Delight in God’s commands—enjoy God’s commands

Do not neglect God’s Word—keep doing these things every day!

Memorizing God’s Word helps us stay focused on God. Staying focused on God helps keep us from sinning.

2. Meditation

One of disciplines that can help us memorize scripture is Meditation. Now before you get nervous or scared, I’m not talking about being tied up like a pretzel! I’m not talking about some kind of Yoga that encourages you to empty your mind. I’m talking about a focusing of your mind on God and on His word.

One of my favorite passages is Joshua 1. In this passage we see a new leader taking the helm of Israel. He is scared, unsure, and apprehensive about taking over from the great leader Moses.

As we begin this passage God tells Joshua some discouraging news! Right there in Joshua 1:2, God says, “Moses my servant is dead.” Talk about letting the steam out of Joshua. Then God goes on to tell Joshua, “Now then, you and all the people get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land that I am about to give them —to the Israelites.” First God says, “Moses is dead!” then He say, “tag, you’re it! You’re now the leader of Israel.” As God tells Joshua the plan, God tells Joshua three different times “Be strong and courageous” (1:6, 7, 9). Right in the middle of God telling Joshua to be strong and courageous, He tells the new leader,

Joshua 1:8 NIV84

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

1. Keep the Book on your lips!

When I first began studying this passage the beginning of this verse was strange to me. A first I though it meant that Joshua was to never speak about God’s Word. But that couldn’t be the correct interpretation, because that would be incongruent with the rest of God’s Word.

Then I thought it meant that God was not going to give Joshua any more laws. Moses had given the people the entire Law of God. While this is true, that’s not really what the verse is saying.

Finally, I came across a different idea! It was found in a Jewish custom. Throughout the ages, practicing Jews, especially Jewish teachers, made a practice of repeating the Word of God over and over again as a way to memorize a passage. As they went through their day they would constantly repeat a passage out loud, over and over again so that it would become in grained in their memory!

God is telling Joshua to constantly repeat His Word so that Joshua would have a working knowledge of God’s Word! He was to never stop doing this! This would naturally lead into the next step:

2. Meditation

The definition of Biblical meditation is simple:

“Biblical meditation is the process of allowing God's Word to fill our minds so that, in time it not only occupies our thoughts, but it also governs our every word and action.”

Verse 8 carries out this idea—“meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything that is written in it.”

3. The promise

This practice comes with a promise. That’s right, if we keep God’s Word on our lips and meditate on His Word all the time, Joshua was told: “Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Maybe one of the reasons so many followers of Jesus are not seeing success in their Christian life is because they fail to keep God’s Word on their lips and flowing through their minds all the time!

3. Focus Your Thoughts

As you Memorize Scriptures and as you Meditate on it day and night, you will come to the point that you will need to use what you have memorized and meditated on. In Philippians 4:8 Paul tells us how we can use these two disciplines. Look at this great little verse.

Philippians 4:8 NIV84

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Paul gives us 8 things that we need to focus our minds upon.

True—this is the opposite of something false, or a lie, or dishonest.

Noble—what is worthy of respect, or dignified, it is honorable, or of good character.

Right—just, correct, innocent, proper.

Pure—innocent, holy, without defect.

Lovely—beloved, dear, pleasing.

Admirable—commendable, worthy of praise or approval.

Excellent—goodness, virtue.

Praiseworthy

Paul says we need to think on these things! One of the biggest problems in our culture today is that feelings rule over everything else. In this section we are told that we need to take charge of our “feelings” with a cognitive thoughts. Thoughts that are: true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy—these are the things that we are to focus on day-in and day-out.

Conclusion

Our third Basic Training works to keep us from becoming “fad followers!” This week’s discipline is made up of two things: Scripture Memory—Hiding God’s Word in our heart and mind. And Meditation—focusing our heart and mind on all that God and what He has to say! Filled with God’s Word in our heart, and thinking about it day and night will keep our hearts and minds focused on all that God deems good. And it will end up controlling our entire attitude!

This week, I want to encourage you to keep practicing the discipline of prayer—2 1/2 minutes in the morning with your 7 minutes with God and 2 1/2 minutes at night as you finish your day.

Then I want to encourage you to spend 7 minutes with God in the morning—1/2 a minute preparing your heart. 4 minutes reading the Scriptures. And 2 1/2 minutes in prayer using the A.C.T.S. method—Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication.

And then I want encourage you to take a verse—you can use the one on the front of your bulletin—begin by repeating it over and over again as you go through your day (I would suggest saying it out loud). And commit it to memory. So you will be memorizing and meditating on God’s Word. Keeping our focus might just keep you out of the latest fad, or useless argument.