Biblical Meditation & Holiness

You have likely heard about the need for prayer, bible study, meditation… but we rarely go into any depth on meditation. What is it? How do I meditate? Why meditate? Etc. Let’s do just that today

A Quick Review of Calling

When Jesus was teaching He was aware that not everyone would understand and grasp what He was saying. He spoke to tens of thousands of people… He gave them the truth… in the end He had “dozens of followers”. He knew it, the Father knew it, we (the Church of God) should think about it too.

John 6:44 to “drag” or “pull” verse 65 to grant or give. All humans have a built in need for, longing for, God their creator… many seek Him, but seek Him on their own terms (I want to worship you God, but on the day of my own choosing, I am willing to obey you… but only the matters on which I agree with you).

Called to What?

God draws, pulls, calls people to something… He grants, opens up the opportunity to participate in something. You don’t have to accept the call… God may drag or draw you but He will not force you.

• Romans 1:6-7 called to be holy (hagios)
• Romans 8:28 purpose = g4286 (pro-thesis) “to put forth”, also used to translate showbread… because it carries with it a sense of display. Therefore we are called to be His presentation or display… display of what?

• 1 Peter 2:9-10 to display His plan to bring many children to glory… presented in a human form… Think of it less in terms of “look what a righteous group of people I have gathered” and more in terms of “look what righteousness I can build in such weak fallible people… if I can do it for them I can do it for you. ”
• 1 Peter 3:15 to give people God’s roadmap or guide… how to get out of darkness. To discuss and answer people’s questions regarding the truth and the way.

• 2 Thess 1:11-12 therefore live up to the calling. Again, not called because we are worthy… we are called so He might make us worthy. God is saying “look what I can do.. I am going to make these people worthy of My kingdom and My family”.

John 17:2 you are given to Christ by the Father… to become part of the body of Christ (the Church continues to do the work of Christ in this world). Verse 17 the term sanctified means set apart for God’s purpose and the performance of His will. The word used is hagiazos, which is a verb (action word) meaning “make holy” based on the adjective (descriptive word) “holy/hagios”.

For example, the articles in the tabernacle (cups, plates, shovels) were holy… because they were set apart for God’s purpose, service related to sacrifice etc.

Making You Holy

The Father and Christ your elder brother will equip you for the service He intends. He will give you the tools and qualities you need to get the job done. He does more than declare you holy… He will make you holy. And God always does what He says…

• Matthew 10:19-20 He will inspire, give you intuition
• James 1:5-6 He will give you wisdom and discernment… “how do I apply this”
• Romans 8:14 God does His part… His Spirit but does not force you. You must choose to follow
• Jeremiah 33:3 you also should ask

Tuning In To A Spiritual Wavelength

Satan is described as the prince of the power of the air… he too is a spiritual force (whom God allows) to work all around you… for now. Imagine him as having his own radio station pumping out on his frequency at 100k watts. You can tune into his station frNom anywhere simply dial the frequency into your radio. He has lots of fancy, provocative, enticing billboard advertising along the road to remind you to tune in!

But you have been called out of all that… Eph 2:2-7

Satan may be the prince (ruler, magistrate) of the power of the air… but God is the KING. Your Father and Christ your brother have all the same spiritual broadcasting ability as Satan… you can tune into God. Why Not?

Tune In & Let Him Make You Holy

God’s pumping out His own 1MM watts of high quality power… and it’s the way you can develop and maintain a close relationship with God your Father and Christ your elder brother. TO hear Him you have to be tuned into the right frequency through prayer/study/meditation. Today let’s focus on meditation.

Scriptures on Meditation:

Psalm 119:44-48 (mentioned a lot in Psalms)… close cousin to prayer

• We are to hear, obey, perform law… but also to regularly pray and meditate upon it. (HEB to carry on a focused conversation with yourself, to mutter, to muse etc.)
• Meditate on ALL the word of God, commandments, statutes, precepts, testimonies (stories)
• Pre-supposes that you have put the word of God in your mind and heart so you can think about it…

To do this you need quietness, by yourself… you require time without a sense of hurry… you must create the right circumstances for concentration (not merely letting your mind wander). Also, you must be receptive to God Psalm 119:18

What Can You Get Out of Meditation?

1. Spiritual life and vitality
   1. Take the time and it will charge you up 2 Tim 1:6
   2. Luke 24:13-32 (paraphrase and read only verse 32) they were dejected – yet they were enlivened when scripture opened up (where meditation works together with bible study)
2. Soundly converted – Psalm 19:7 growth and development is part of a process
   1. Law is perfect (ideally suited for the purpose it was intended… there is no better)
   2. Turns us back to God if we have drifted… return us to right reason and a sound mind (wisdom, not just smart) 2 Tim 3:15-17
3. Increased faith
   1. Scripture clear that faith starts small and grows. Not a lump sum received up front.
   2. Growing faith involves remembering (reflecting upon) when God intervened on your behalf
      1. Forgetfulness is a destroyer of faith Psalm 77:4-12, 143:5

What Are The Goals of Meditation?

1. Worship of God – elevating the spiritual over the material. Detaching self from the hindering and controlling influences of the world… attaching yourself to your Father and your elder brother
2. Exchanging your ideas for God’s ??? perhaps better described as comparing and contrasting your ideas with God’s… then making modifications. Conformity vs. uniqueness
3. Monitoring and evaluating your own thoughts 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. Protects you from going astray

Pitfalls of Meditation

The bible is boring… perhaps its because you’re lazy... concentration takes effort meditation is not daydreaming (note: give yourself assignments, ex: memorize scripture)

Two Types of Biblical Meditation.

1. Reflective
2. Quiet Mind (not empty mind)

Reflective meditation – act of focusing your thought using a specific concept (from God’s word), to discern meaning, to develop a plan of action, how to apply concept in your life. This is the type of meditation we have considered so far.

Quiet-mind meditation – act of telling yourself to shut-up so that all that internal self talk does not drown out God. Stop talking and ask God… I need your guidance not my own. Note: this is not like empty mind meditation (common in eastern thought/religion). Quiet mind meditation is letting God take over the steering wheel for a while.

1 Kings 19:12 Elijah could not hear God because of the flurry of activity & his thoughts

Isaiah 30:15 / Psalm 46:10 instead of letting your mind wander and project all kinds of scenarios… disasters that may never happen etc… instead of anxious thoughts and worry… what am I going to do? What will happen to me?

Instead of these… quiet yourself… let Him take over the steering wheel for a while… remember God… His power… His works… the blessings and deliverances He has made happen for you…

Conclusion:

Meditation is thinking deeply about God’s word. What it means, how to apply it. Meditation is one of the techniques for tuning into radio God… letting Him make you holy… changing the way you think… preparing you for the glorious future He has in store for you. So, let us all use it more often and more effectively.