Series: The Holy Bible

Sermon 7 of 7: The Miracle of Meditation

Speaker: Robert Morris

Date: December 19, 2009

Luke Chapter 2 and I Timothy 4. If you will put a marker at I Timothy Chapter 4. We have been
in a series for 8 weeks now, actually. This is the eight messages in this series and we’ve been
talking about The Holy Bible, Beyond Words that God’s word is beyond any word on this earth.
And I want to end this series with a message called The Miracle of Meditation.

Luke Chapter 2 is the Christmas story, Verse 1-14, the Christmas story is normally read, I want
to start at Verse 15.

Luke 2 Verse 15

So it was when the angels had gone away from them to the heavens that the shepherds said to
one another, let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the
Lord has made known to us. And they came to a place and found Mary and Joseph and the
babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the thing that
was told them concerning this child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which
were told them by the shepherds.

Verse 19

But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. This word ponder is a word that we
would describe as meditation. She meditated, she gave serious thought, she gave focused
thought to what God had spoken to her. That’s what we want to do with the word.

Let me read you a few other verses.

Joshua 1:8

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate in it day and
night. You shall meditate in this word day and night; that you may observe to do according to
all that is written. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good
success. You will prosper and have good success, in your family, your relationships, health,
finances, in every area, not just finances is what He’s talking about here, with your life.

Psalm 1:2-3
His delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law…now watch this…he meditates day and
night. He…the one who meditates on the word…will be like a tree planted by the rivers of
water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither and whatever he
does shall prosper. Whatever he does shall prosper.

Now I’ve just read two verses to you that if you will meditate on the word of God you will
prosper in everything you do. Whatever you do will prosper and you will be successful. That’s
incredible to me. This Hebrew word, meditate; I know this may be a long definition to write
down, but maybe you can go back and listen to it. The word means to ponder. We just read
about Mary, to ponder. Let me go on with the definition. It means to give serious thought and
consideration to selected information; to give serious thought and consideration to selected
information. And then the definition goes on to say, with an implication of speaking to review
the material; with an implication of speaking to review the material. In other words, just to give
you a few ideas on how you can meditate on God’s word. You could write a scripture in the
morning on a note card and meditate on that scripture all day and think about it and focus on it
and spend some time. You could, as we say, take your lunch hour and spend an hour
meditating on the word of God. Now some of you might think, well I just don’t know if I could
spend an hour meditating on one thing. What about two hours? Could you spend two hours
meditating on the bible? I just don’t think I could do that. Well I’ve got a question for you. You
ever been to a movie? You spent two hours meditation on ____. You say, yea but the movie is
entertaining. Excuse me. The best book ever written is not entertaining? See that’s a lie of the
enemy. If we will take some time and just meditate on God’s word, I’m telling you that
something miraculous happens in us when we do that. Something supernatural will happen to
you if you will meditate on this book.

Now, why, why does something supernatural happen when you meditate on the Lord? Well, I
have three reasons for you.

1. God’s word is seed. God’s word is seed.

I Peter 1 Verse 23

Having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, through the word of God
which lives and abides forever.

Having been born again, not of corruptible…that would be, another word for that would be
perishable seed but of imperishable or incorruptible seed through the word of God. God’s
word is a seed. When I read God’s word, when I study God’s word, when I meditate on God’s
word, when I put God’s word in my heart, I’m actually putting a seed in there and that seed is
going to produce. Think about when you take a seed and put it in the ground, that seed
doesn’t look anything like the picture on the package that it came out of. They’ve got real
pretty flowers on the front, or some vegetable you’re trying to grow and you pull the seed out
and it doesn’t look anything like that, but if you put it in the ground that seed has the potential
to produce that picture, to produce that fruit or that vegetable right? It’s the same way with
God’s word. Here’s what Jesus said, when you put the seed in and He said this in Mark 4, the
sewer sews the word and that word can produce a 30, 60 or 100 fold interest. So when I
meditate on the word of God, I am meditating on something that’s a good seed that’s going to
produce good fruit in me.

Psalm 119, let me just read you just a few verses. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the bible,
it talks about God’s word, but it calls God’s word several different names: statutes,
commandments, precepts, laws. Let me read you a few verses from Psalm 119.

Psalm 119:15

I will meditate on your precepts and contemplate your ways.

Verse 23

Princes also sit and speak against me, but your servants meditate on your statutes.

Verse 48

My hands also I will lift up to your commandments which I love, and I will meditate on your
statutes.

Verse 78

Let the crowd be ashamed for they have treated me wrongfully with falsehood, but I will
meditate on your precepts.

Verse 97

Oh how I love your law, it is my meditation all the day.

Verse 108

My eyes are awake through the night watches that I might meditate on your word.

Now here he’s talking about all through it, David says, I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m
going to meditate on God’s word, I’m going to meditate on God’s word. Then he makes this
statement. I’ve even been done wrong. I’ve got people talking about me and saying
falsehoods about me, and they did me wrong, but instead of meditating on what they did, I’ll
meditate on that. Do you realize that we already meditate on things? Here’s the problem,
when we’re in bondage to something, we actually meditate on the bondage. We meditate on
the lie that holds us in bondage, instead of the truth that sets us free. We actually meditate on
the wrong thing. A man who is in bondage to lust, meditates on lustful thoughts. He gives it
serious thought and consideration and focuses on it. A person who is in bondage to bitterness
actually meditates on the hurt that have been done to them. Meditates on the bad things and
on all the things…you think about it, when you have had an argument with someone, how
much time do you spend thinking about it? You think about all the things that you should have
said and that you will say next time. We just meditate on it, instead of meditating on the word
of God. God’s word is a seed, that when we meditate on His word, it’s going to produce
something in us. That’s one reason that a miracle happen.

2. God’s word is alive.

Okay listen, meditate on the Lord, a hot babe. I’m just saying, I’m just saying. If you’re a young
person, the best thing you can do is meditate on God’s word and let God take care of the hot
chick.

Let’s keep going. Here’s the third reason something miraculous happens to us when we
meditate on God’s word.

3. God’s word is Jesus.

This is where we started this series.

John 1 Verse 1

In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. He, Jesus,
the word. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, without Him
nothing was made that was made. Do you realize that if you just meditate on that for a moment
and personalize it, all things in your life come from Him, and without Him nothing happens,
nothing happens without Him.

Verse 10 Here’s a sad verse in my opinion.

He was in the world and the world was made through Him and the world did not know Him.

Can you imagine Jesus walking around in the world He made and the didn’t even know Him?
They didn’t even know He gave them life and breath.

Verse 14

And the word became flesh and walked among us.

If you don’t understand that Jesus is the word, I don’t know how you can read these verses.
And the word became flesh and walked among us.

Revelation 19:13

His name is called the word of God.

Why does something supernatural happen to me when I meditate on the word of God?
Because I’m actually meditating with Jesus. All things are created by Him and are held
together by Him. I think there are some things that Jesus would like to create in your life. And I
think there are some things that He would like to hold together. But here’s what we must
understand, yes you accept Jesus, He becomes your Lord and Savior, listen to me, you
determine how much of His life you’re going to let flow through you. Let me tell you one way
you determine it. By how much time you spend in the word. You put as much time as you can
in the word of God, you fill yourself with the word of God, you meditate on the word of God,
you memorize the word of God, and as you do you’re releasing the life of Jesus in your life and
something supernatural happens.

Philippians 4 This is the last scripture and we’re going to end our series with this scripture. I
think it’s kind of amazing that the Lord gave me this scripture to end this series.

Philippians 4 Verse 8

Finally brethren…for us we could put, after 8 weeks…finally brethren, whatever things are
true…now many of us are familiar with this verse, but before we go on I want to help you
maybe see this in a different light. I want to ask you a question. Is God’s word true? Think
about this verse now in maybe a different light…whatever things are true, whatever things are
noble…this means to be above others, obviously God’s word is above others, whatever things
are just…God’s word is just…whatever things are pure…God’s word is pure…whatever things
are lovely, whatever things are of good report, good news…God’s word is…if there is any
virtue…watch this…if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. I promise you, if
I could convince you I would do everything I could to convince you today and that’s what I’m
doing. I promise you if you will meditate on the word of God, something miraculous will
happen to you.

I want you to bow your head and close your eyes. What’s the Holy Spirit saying to you? You
got up and you came to church and you worshiped and you heard God’s word. Now you have
to do something. You have to decide to receive it, to accept it, to put it into practice in your
life, or you have to decide to reject it. I don’t believe you came to decide to reject it. I believe
you already, just by coming, you decided to receive from the Lord today. We’re going to end
our year and we’re going to start our year with Jesus. We’re not going to just read our bible,
during the series on the bible, we’re going to read God’s word, meditate on God’s word and
let God then, let His seed, let His light, let His Son be birthed in us.

If you’re here today and you need prayer for any thing in your life we want to pray for you.
Maybe you came to the Christmas program last week and you wanted to give your life to Jesus
and you didn’t give your life to Jesus. Or maybe you gave your life to Jesus and you would like
to talk with someone about his new life. Maybe you are going through a difficulty right now in
your family, your finances, your health, your relationship with God. No matter where you are,
we want to pray for you.

Now I want you to understand that what we’re about to do is not embarrassing. That would be
the lie of the enemy to try to keep you in bondage. In just a moment at both campuses and in
the overflow, we’re going to stand in just a moment and when we stand we’re going to have
leaders at the front in every place, Southlake, North Richland Hills, and the overflow will have
leaders. Here’s what I want you to do, if you need prayer for any area of your life, when we
stand up, just come to one of the leaders and let us pray for you, let us help you. Please make
up your mind that you’re going to come. If you need prayer that’s what church is for. It is not
embarrassing, it really isn’t. There will be other people coming. You will see, as soon as we
stand up people will start coming. So if you need prayer for any area of your life, no matter
where you are right now, if you need prayer, as soon as we stand up I want you to just come to
the front, come to one of the leaders. I feel the need to say to those at the NRH campus,
please don’t hold back, if you need prayer and you’re at the NRH campus as soon as we stand
up, come on, you just stand up and come to the front and let us minister to you.

Holy Spirit, I pray that you will draw every person that has any prayer need, in Jesus’ name.
Amen.