Methods Of Meditation On Scipture (part 2)

I want to mention the website here at this last break, which is

biblicalspirituality .org.

Biblicalspirituality .org, there are, with a lot of places, there are hundreds of pages of free materials there.

You can download the handouts from the website there under the

Conference Topics button.

Also, there on the home page, that's where you get the link to the secret, review

of the secret.

There's a section on all my books there where you can order those, get information about those.

There's a free sample chapter you can download for all the books.

There's a place for bulletin inserts, and there are dozens and dozens of those already formatted in Microsoft Word, so

they can be used as bulletin inserts or handouts and classes or things like that.

I also have a newsletter, and I'm going to pass around this legal pad in case anyone has an interest in that if

you don't get enough emails and other things.

I put things that I've written.

Like, the next thing I expect to put out is this review of the Tully book, A New Earth,

and some things others have written.

It's not too long.

But over on the left, the reason I do this, over on the left, I put where I'm going to be speaking in the near future.

When I started traveling like this, getting on 100 airplanes a year, I realized a lot of people used to pray for me

every day weren't praying for me anymore.

They're praying for their former pastor.

I mean, their future pastor, not their former pastor.

Their next one, not their last one.

So the idea of traveling like this without prayer was pretty scary.

So I trust there are some people praying for me and for you right now, because my last

newsletter said that I would be coming to Bethlehem Bible Church here in West Boylston.

So that's what I get out of it.

I hope you get something of benefit, things I've written, others have written.

And in return, I trust that among the thousands of people who get the newsletter, some of those people pray for me and indeed pray for you.

So I'm going to pass this around.

If you would just print all of these first and last name and email address, and it is only

by email,

but I ask this, that you go out of your way to print carefully.

You see your name and email address all the time.

So even if you scribble it out, you know what it is.

Kind of like you ever have someone leave you voicemail, they give you the message and say, so please call me back

at 502 -897 -4002.

What?

What?

Their phone number is so familiar to them, when they say it, they just blurt it out because it's just like second nature to them, forgetting that you've never

heard it before and you're trying to write it down.

Well, sort of that way with your email address and your name.

You know what your name and email address is, but I don't.

When I pass this along to the woman who manages my website, sometimes she says, did you ask those people to write with their feet?

So please, just go out of your way to print very carefully, because I don't know your name and email address.

And I tell you what, when it comes around to you, if you can't read the one right above yours, I can't read it.

So send it back.

I don't know who the person is you even need to send it back to.

You probably would.

So I know many of you, you're not internet active or just passing around.

You don't have any interest.

But if you do, please print your name and email address on there.

And if I forget that, just mail those sheets to me later on.

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So if you'd like to get my newsletter, click here.

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You won't get more junk email.

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And it's about every six weeks, two months.

It's not very often.

But you'll get stuff that I've written, maybe some others have written.

And we also put, for those who care, some family news and notes, pictures of my wife in

her beekeeping suit, and tell you how my blueberries are doing, and that sort of thing at the end, for

those who care about us.

Like last year, I baptized my daughter.

There's a picture of me baptizing her up there and telling the story about that and so forth.

But right on the front of that, on the left -hand side, is where I'm going to be speaking and that sort of thing.

So yes.

Biblicalspirituality .org.

I'll try to put it up here, though.

You may not be able to read it from very far.

But I have to use this board here in a minute.

Obviously, www and then

Biblicalspirituality

.org.

Or if you don't remember that, just Google my name.

I did find the other day, somewhere, there's someone, Don Whitney Ministries.

And it's very different, let me tell you.

You'll know you've gotten the right one.

And you'll see my picture there on the front.

It's a little rotating slideshow, three or four different pictures with my family and so forth.

So just Google my name, and you should find it there.

Biblicalspirituality .org.

Anything else there?

All right, now we're going to talk about how do you do this thing called meditation?

And this does not pretend to be some exhaustive list.

I don't believe there is one.

But I do want to give you some different ways of doing this.

I use all of these some of the time.

I don't use any of them all of the time.

Some of these will appeal to you more than others.

And that's why I'm giving you so many.

But the starting place is, after you've done your Bible reading, choose a verse or phrase for meditation.

So if you're reading through the Bible, pick a verse after you're reading.

And go back and meditate on that verse.

So it may be as simple as a verse or phrase that stood out to you.

You have a handout that has a gray rectangle at the top.

And underneath that is a broad oval.

This one, all that is on here.

So you're reading along.

Suddenly, a verse just jumps off the page, grabs you by the throat.

Well, after you're reading, go back to that verse and meditate on that verse.

Very simple.

But sometimes you read and no verse really stands out.

So pick a key verse from the passage.

If you're reading John 3, nothing really stands out.

Then what are the key verses?

What are the big ideas?

Well, John 3, 3, unless a man is mourning in, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven.

John 3, 16 is a big idea.

John 3, 17 is a big idea.

John 3, 27, a man can receive nothing unless it's been given him from heaven.

These are the big ideas.

These are the theme verses.

If nothing stands out, then choose the big trunks and branches of scripture.

Excuse me.

The big ideas.

So that you emphasize the major ideas, the big trunks and branches, not the more obscure

leaves.

If God called your attention to an obscure leaf, meditate on that.

There is great beauty and glory in some obscure leaf that God has created, if

we'll pause to look.

But while all the Bible is equally inspired, it's not all equally important.

This leaf is not as important as this trunk is.

Not that one leaf compared to that one big trunk.

All the Bible is equally inspired.

It's not all equally important.

For example, there's a verse in the law that says, though he is bald,

yet he is clean.

Well, that's a verse that's become increasingly important to me over the years.

But it's not as important as John 3, 16.

There's a verse in the law that says, if an unclean man spits

on a clean man, the clean man becomes unclean.

Well, if some of you pastors here this morning aren't sure what you're going to preach on yet tomorrow, there's a suggestion for you.

Now, that's as inspired as 2 Corinthians 5, 21.

But it's not as important as God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us,

that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

So all the Bible is equally inspired.

It's not all equally important.

So if you read a chapter, nothing really stands out to you as the one that gets your attention that

day.

Just look and say, what are the big ideas?

What are the key themes, the key verses here?

That helps us focus on the majors of Scripture and not the minors.

For we never think enough on the big themes of Scripture.

We never think enough on the cross, for example.

So it's very simple.

It's very subjective.

There's no scientific way to do this.

You just read the Bible.

If something stands out, go back and meditate on that.

And if nothing stands out, then just pick a verse.

It's all worthy of your consideration.

It's all inspired.

So just pick a verse and go back.

And there's profit in meditating on every text.

So having done that, how do we actually do this?

Here's one method of several we're going to cover now in the last 45 minutes here.

What are methods?

One way is just simply repeat the verse or phrase with emphasis on a different word each time.

Think of it as just sort of taking your text and squeezing one

word of Scripture at a time.

For example, in John chapter 2, this is where Jesus turns the water into wine.

There's a wedding at Cana in Galilee.

Perhaps it was some relative because Mary's invited over there and Jesus is invited to be there.

And as you know, they run out of wine.

And for some reason, the head steward comes to Mary and says they've run out of wine.

And she comes to Jesus and says they've run out of wine.

And he says, what does this have to do with me?

My time has not yet come.

So Mary goes back to the head steward and says this.

Whatever he says to you, do it.

Now just think of the different angle

you can get on that just by emphasizing one word at a time.

So just think of this as squeezing this verse one word at a time.

Whatever he says to you, do it.

Whatever he says to you, do it.

Whatever he says to you, do

it.

Whatever he says to you, do it.

Whatever he says to you, do it.

Whatever he says to you, do it.

Same words, but you got a little different flavor each time through didn't you

anybody can do that high IQ low IQ much education little

education brand -new Christian the most mature Christian anybody can do that with

profit each of those words is inspired

and the benefit of this is it keeps you from rushing through the text and that's a temptation for all of us.

Okay I've just got 10 minutes here all right.

Here's my verse here's my verse.

Okay what is it where is it what where's what's what am I supposed to get out of this what's the problem come on what is it what is it.

This force it forces you to slow down and not overlook anything but to

look at every single inspired word in the

text.

This is a method that will help you do that now once again if you're familiar with

hermeneutics you know that you can just emphasize one word and thus make the Bible say something just the opposite of what

it actually teaches.

Well the other side of that is called context and it's very important.

What place does that word having that phrase that phrase having that verse that verse having that paragraph that paragraph in the chapter that chapter

in the book that book in the Bible.

That's for another time you have time to deal with that.

I just want to acknowledge that but once again there is no foolproof method of anything that's going to

keep people from misunderstanding or misapplying the Bible.

That's just going to take time line -up online teaching guidance when there is mistakes and

so forth.

I acknowledge all of that right now we're talking about.

I'm having to deal with every kind of Christian there is and having that Christian get into the Word of God on a daily

basis.

So with all those limitations I'm just saying here's a way that anybody can do just go through it.

One squeeze one word at a time chew on this word and chew on the next word.

And anybody can do that.

Anybody can do that.

Here's another method rewrite the verse or phrase in your own words.

Now surely I want to imply that we can improve upon the inspired original text.

We certainly cannot.

However this is a way to reinforce the text in your

mind.

From his very earliest days we know at least by seven years old Jonathan Edwards did all of his thinking he said with a pen.

His dad had taught him that he he never thought without a pen in his hand.

Well similarly by taking this verse of Scripture and say

how would I say that verse in my own words.

You have to understand it before you can say it differently.

In other words imagine yourself taking that verse and you wanted to send an email or a letter to someone in which you communicated the

message of that verse.

But you were not permitted to use the words of that verse.

So how would you say how would you communicate John 316.

But you couldn't use the words of John 316.

Well the process.

Okay I take this phrase.

How would I say it.

Okay I said like this all right.

Next phrase how would I say that.

That process of deciding how to say it is meditation.

So it causes you to think about what it does say before you can say it differently.

You can paraphrase it or communicate the same idea in another way.

Here's another way look for applications of the text.

If you'll say to yourself I am NOT going to close my Bible until I know at

least one thing God would have me do with this text.

You'll meditate.

So you ask yourself what should I do in response.

John 316.

How does God want me to do John 316.

Is there something I'm to believe.

Is there something I'm to pray about something.

I'm to start something I'm to stop something I'm to say to someone what does he want me to do with this verse.

The Bible says to become a doer of the Word of God.

Okay how do I do John 316.

How do I become a doer of this part of the Word of God.

This is the Word of God John 316.

How do I do the Word of God in John 316.

So if you say I will not close my Bible until I know something I'm to do

in response you will meditate.

Here's another method of meditation on Scripture.

Pray through Scripture.

One of the reasons I love praying through Scripture which is what we talked about last night is that it is not only a method

of prayer it's also a method of meditation.

Some of you last night mentioned that fact and I said let's hold that till today.

And now you see why I love praying through Scripture.

It's the best way to pray for me as I understand it biblical way to pray.

But it's also a method of meditating on the text of Scripture.

Because you're just you take a verse instead of reading it for two seconds.

You think about it.

Talk to God about it.

Look at it again.

Think about it some more.

Pray about it some more.

You're just soaking in that verse or that phrase when you talk to God about it.

Now let me illustrate the point.

I'm gonna ask you to raise your hands.

And the majority of you I think we said or at least half of you were not here last night.

So we'll keep that in mind.

I'm gonna ask you raise your hand.

But don't worry I'm not gonna call on anybody.

Just want to illustrate my point.

First of all let me ask you if you were here last night just raise your hand up and down.

All.

Right.

Maybe it's more than I thought.

Okay of those of you raise your hand.

Now I'm gonna ask you to raise your hands again in just a moment.

If you can remember at least a phrase from what you prayed through last

night.

You may not remember what Psalm it was.

But you could tell me at least a phrase if not a whole verse that you

prayed through last night.

If you can remember let me see your hands.

Look at that.

That's a great majority of people who were here last night.

Now I'm gonna ask for volunteers.

Now you don't have to tell me the very you don't say.

Well I think it was Psalm.

So -and -so just tell me the phrase if all you can remember is the Lord is my shepherd.

I just want you to say the Lord is my shepherd.

So just call out.

What are.

What do you remember.

My heart is not proud the shelter of his wings.

The Lord reigns wherever you are.

What's that.

Wherever I go.

So for glory the lamb.

Okay.

Someone else loving kindness.

Great word.

Yes.

Walk in your way.

Someone else do not boast in the back back row.

Okay.

How frail.

I am inclined my heart I heard yours already.

Okay.

Good now did you try to memorize that.

You did.

You did.

And I'm sure there are more of you.

Well more of you.

Raise your hand then volunteer that you can remember a phrase that you prayed through last night.

And folks that was 14 hours ago.

And you've slept since then.

And it was the tiredest time of the week.

As we said late on Friday night you spent how much

time in it.

I know you didn't spend more than seven or eight minutes.

That was the total time.

And I so I'm sure that what you just meditated you just raised your hand about that was just a part of that.

Right.

That was just one or two minutes.

At most of that seven or eight minutes you actually enjoyed it.

And you didn't know you're gonna have a pop quiz on it.

And here you are.

14 minutes later you've still got it.

Which means you are able to take that and meditate on it.

How often day and night driving home here in a few

minutes you could just say now what was that verse from that Psalm last night.

Oh yeah about how frail and I am it was about his loving kindness.

And you can enjoy that.

You can dwell on that you can pray about that.

You can meditate on that on the way home in that great

not only can you do this you did it and you actually

enjoyed it and you did it in just a very brief time

you still got it so easy.

That is it has to be easy it has to be simple.

Now a child may not get as much out of it as an adult.

A new Christian may not as get much out of that text as a more mature adult.

But they all can do it.

It's so simple.

So I want you to be encouraged when you thought well I don't know if I'm really capable of meditating on scripture and all that you've already done it

and it's stuck.

14 hours later you were tired when you did it.

You've slept since then you spent one or two minutes on it you enjoyed it

and you still got it.

It's got to be simple and it's got to be doable by us.

And it is what a wonderful thing.

So once again I love praying through scripture because in a very short period of time not your heart is kindled it

moves you to real conversation with a real person.

But it's also you're meditating on the Word of God.

Because you take that text you think about it talk to God about it think about it some more pray about it some

more.

And let's say that that verse you just called out let's say you did that maybe for a

minute last night that's still

60 times longer or 30 times longer than you would have

spent on that verse.

Because if you spent two minutes reading of two seconds two seconds reading a verse about how frail I am

and you go on you don't remember it.

But if you spend one minute thinking and praying about how frail you are that's

30 times longer than otherwise.

See how doable this is.

You can do this.

You've done it way to go.

But you're not only praying you're meditating on scripture.

So that's why Mueller talked so much about that.

We mentioned him last night he would walk pray he said.

I realized that the greatest thing I needed was not prayer but to have my soul nourished by the Word

of God.

And here again he said not the simple reading of the Word of God so that it passes through our minds.

Like water passing through a pipe he said.

And we've already acknowledged.

That's just what happens.

We close our Bible.

We don't remember a thing.

Moreover the water pressure in that pipeline is increasing every day.

So we must absorb the water of the Word of God.

And that's where praying through scripture can help us do that.

So that after you've done that if you drive to work you can still meditate on it.

Speaking of driving let me pull a number of these things together here with that when

you leave church.

Well let me back up.

What makes the radio or CD player come on in your vehicle.

The key right.

The ignition.

Most of us you turn the key on the radio comes on.

Right.

Very few of us are in danger of wearing out the little on off button on the radio CD

player.

It's just a habit.

Turn the car on music comes on stays on until turn the key off.

Right.

You can hear the greatest sermon ever preached.

And you walk out of here to the parking lot.

You turn the radio on.

Turn the car on radio comes on.

And the greatest sermon in the world is down the pipeline.

And the Red Sox or the

Patriots or the Celtics are the weather or the

news.

At least on the drive home.

Meditate.

Perhaps discuss.

You have someone else in the vehicle with you.

In the early days of our country they would go home that not only home but at the table.

They would they would quiz the children.

The children were required to repeat the points of the sermon.

Well at least on the way home talk about it.

You know what's what did you hear this one.

What's one thing you got out of that today.

What's one illustration you remember.

Because otherwise the investment of time you heard listening to the Word of God it's gone.

And it can mean the greatest sermon ever.

You say oh I just can't remember.

Very well.

We didn't try.

We had something else grab our attention.

And what was there.

Was something.

Or perhaps professionals.

A team of professionals spent uncounted amounts of money to grab your attention for 30 seconds and

hold it.

Followed by another one where a team of professionals with a great deal of money work together for

weeks to get something to hold your attention for 30 seconds.

And you have a series of those you're gonna forget the great sermon or even the poor sermon.

The problem is it's lost.

Meditation has to be intentional again.

My grandparents in 1919 went to church heard a sermon.

They were on a wagon coming home.

Not a lot of distractions not enough.

You know any music or news they could think if they chose to do so

we have to be intentional.

What a blessing.

We can get traffic reports weather and use instantly right there.

But it can also keep us from focusing on the Word of God things that really last and matter

all right.

Let us proceed.

Here's another method the Philippians 4 8 questions.

Now you have a handout with the Philippians 4 8 questions.

I was reading through Philippians chapter 4 one day and came across verse 8

which says.

Finally brethren whatever is true whatever is honorable whatever is right

whatever is pure whatever is lovely whatever is of good repute.

If there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise let your mind dwell on.

You have a marginal note there think on meditate on these

things.

And it occurred to me the Bible explicitly says think on meditate on these things.

This is a good list of questions to use to aid in meditation.

So I took these things that we're told to meditate on and turn them into these questions.

So whenever meditating on an event and experience a thing an encounter something outside of Scripture

or especially Scripture itself ask these questions.

Remember we said with our definition meditation can start outside of Scripture but you bring it to Scripture or you can

start with Scripture and bring it to life.

That's what I mean in this section here.

But in either case ask what is true about this or what truth

does it exemplify

and what I would normally do.

But I'm not going to take the full time to do it.

What I normally do at this point is I'll have someone give me a text which I'm going to ask for in just a moment and I would write the answers

to these questions.

So let me do more to an abbreviated version of this.

This is either this either is usually it's a great risk.

It's either a total bomb or it's a great illustration.

But I'm gonna dare to try.

Let's collectively we are going to become a brain.

Each one of you is a brain cell.

So someone someone give me a text just to show you nothing up my sleeve here.

No trick.

Just give me a text which says

okay Romans 116.

For I'm not ashamed of the gospel for yet the gospel is the power of God and the salvation to everyone who believes.

Let's just stop right there it goes on.

But that's enough.

I'm not ashamed of the gospel is the power of God salvation to everyone who believes.

All right.

If I was going to use this method I'd say what is true about this.

Well that you know it's sort of an awkward question in one sense.

If what.

If the verse was God is love.

What's true about it.

Well God is love.

That's it you know.

Or what truth does it exemplify.

So in this case what truth is exemplified here.

Or what is true about this.

Come on brain.

Okay.

That the gospel is the power of God in salvation.

Not what you do after you preach the gospel.

Or how you communicate gospel.

The gospel is the power of God in salvation.

Right.

Anything else you want to emphasize there.

All right.

All right.

We should not be ashamed of the gospel.

And sometimes we're tempted to do so.

Maybe you confess sin at this point.

All right.

Gospel sin for everyone.

What is what is honorable about this.

Now that's the word honor is not a phrase or word that we use a lot though it's in the scripture about the only time we

hear it today is it relates to the military.

An honorable discharge.

Dishonorable discharge.

But it's an important biblical word.

We're to honor our father and mother.

A Roman says we should outdo one another.

And showing honor proverb says honor is not fitting for a fool.

I think we should teach this because it's a biblical idea.

We should warn our young people about dishonoring themselves and their reputation.

Show them how to show honor to people.

How important it is to be an honorable man an honorable woman.

And what that means.

So in light of that what is honorable about.

And if you need it in front of you what is honorable about this.

It honors God.

Okay.

It honors God to communicate the gospel and then not be ashamed of it.

Honors God because it says that's the truth.

This is the way people are saved.

I'm not going to dishonor the one who authored the gospel by being ashamed of it.

It honors God to be unashamed of the gospel.

All right.

You could you could write a lot more there.

Let's go on.

What's right about this.

Are we know it's the truth for one thing the only truth.

What is right about.

I'm not ashamed of the gospel.

It's the power of God in the salvation.

It's not right to be ashamed of it.

Is it.

Yeah.

All right.

What is pure about it.

Or how does Romans 116 exemplify purity.

What's it.

Okay.

It's the way of salvation.

And so that's a pure.

It's the pure one pure way of salvation.

Right.

You can try to work your way but that's an impure way isn't it.

It's not going to get you there.

The one pure way of salvation is the gospel.

What's lovely about this.

This is not a question men would ask a lot probably.

But why should we ask a question like this.

Man.

Why should we ask a question sometimes.

What is lovely about this.

Yeah.

Hold on there I'm asking now why should we ask even ask a question.

What is lovely.

Well because the Bible says to Philippians 4 8 says if anything is lovely think on these things.

So to ask about it.

Okay now your answer.

What is lovely about this.

Okay.

It's the loveliness of the gospel that saves not our winsomeness or our abilities.

Right.

Okay.

God is love.

Yeah that people are saying that's a lovely thing isn't it.

What a lot is there any lovelier thing in the world than a sinner being made acceptable before God.

Great.

What is now.

This was a little tough because different translations say different differently.

What is admirable.

Commendable our reputation.

Strengthening about this.

Some things you can do damage your reputation.

Some strengthening your reputation.

Romans 116.

What's admirable.

Commendable.

A reputation strengthening about this.

Yes.

Okay.

Very good.

It is an admirable thing to be unashamed of the gospel isn't

it.

And admirable to see God

has got a power.

Our next one is excellent about this.

Now I need to pause here because when we use the word excellent today we normally think of it as very good.

Say that was an excellent meal.

Meaning it was very good meal.

But excellent is a is a comparative term.

Okay comparative term.

Let me see what you have in your hand.

Right.

There.

In your right hand.

The thing in your right hand.

Yes all right.

This is a pen.

This is a pen.

This excels this.

Okay.

I would be ashamed to use something

like this.

Okay.

This is a real pen.

Gets ink from a bottle like it ought to.

Okay.

Excellent is a comparative term.

Okay.

We have a him love divine.

All loves excelling.

Okay.

There's a love of a man for a woman.

There's a love of a parent for a child.

There's a love of a friend for a friend.

Those are good and right and godly.

But there is one love that excels all others when you compare them there's one that

excels although and that's God's love.

All right.

What's excellent about.

For I'm not ashamed of the gospel for its power of God and salvation.

Everyone who believes there you go.

The power of the gospel does what nothing else can do.

What the secret can't do.

What totally's a new earth can't do.

What no philosophy no other religion can do.

Only the gospel can do.

Very good.

Right in itself the pure gospel again.

That's right.

Or watering it down.

Very good.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's an eternal impact.

There you go.

Now look at that.

We spent five or six minutes on that.

If we had written that down I mean you'd have pages of stuff.

And how did we come up with all those insights all those things.

We ask questions.

Kinds of things the Bible says we ought to think about.

So there's a method of meditating on scripture.

Ask the Philippians 4 8 question.

Similarly you can ask the Joseph Hall questions.

You have a list of these that Joseph Hall questions now.

Joseph Hall was a Puritan.

He was an Anglican bishop in Norwich in Northeast England in the

late 1500s and early 1600s.

He wrote a book in 1607 called the art of divine meditation.

The art of divine meditation.

I'm told it's recently been reprinted.

It's only about 50 pages long.

You can find it on the internet and print the whole thing.

And it's worth it.

If you will go to Google

and you know at the top on Google it says you got four or five options here web

images.

What else.

Maps videos

news men as something like.

Then it says more.

If you click on more then you know about 50 things drop down.

One of those is books.

If you'll go to Google books type in the art of divine meditation.

I think the whole you'll you can get a scan

photocopy of the whole book.

It's just 50 pages.

So it's only probably 25 actual print page.

It's worth having.

That book was like the secret in its day.

I mean it went through some 80 to something different printings which remember the printing press has been in England less than 100 years at this time.

So a book that sells like that is a blockbuster.

Everybody had it everybody read it.

All the Puritan ministers would have read it.

I think it explains a lot of their methodology.

I think that one book explains why everything the Puritans wrote or preached on.

They did it to death.

You know I mean they were just so thorough it was exhaustive and exhausting.

And in that book he has these questions.

He'll have a question in several pages about that particular question.

I've sort of modified it modified and updated them for our understanding and and our sort of terminology.

But and incidentally let me add you ever have to write a paper.

You ever have to make presentations at your work.

This is an information generating machine.

So apart from meditating on scripture I mean you have to writing sermons Sunday school lessons.

This will produce far more information than you will ever use just by answering these

questions.

But if you're taking notes on this you want to put by number one.

This is by far the hardest but the most important question.

Because it's so hard you tend to give up.

But if you know it is the hardest once you get that down the rest of them are a lot easier.

But you need to know that it's the hardest and the most important.

It is the key to everything else.

Because notice that you define or describe what it is.

If you don't know what it is all the rest of them have to do with it.

So if you don't know what it is you can't answer questions two through nine.

So once again someone give me a text.

Well I need one verse in particular or part of a verse.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I mean we could illustrate that way.

But it'd be more complicated.

Let's just take because I'm advocating when you do your daily Bible reading you're with read a chapter or three chapters.

Go back and pick one verse.

Yes in the back.

Okay.

They worship me in vain.

A lot more to that verse.

People honors me with their lips their hearts.

Far from me they do.

They worship me teaching his doctrines the principles of men.

Let's just talk about that one phrase though.

They worship me in vain.

Okay brain.

Let's meditate on that using this or let me get you started here.

Let me kind of do the first one to because it is the more difficult.

And of course you've given such a we have such a brief and concise verse here.

Let

me see if I can do it on that particular verse just off the top of my head very quickly.

Here it would have been more illustrative to take all two verses that relate to that.

But let me see if I can do it in this condensate condensed part.

Okay.

Well thank you.

Well let me think just a minute.

I'm gonna see if I can do it with.

They worship me in vain.

Jesus

says it is.

Jesus says that some people worship God in vain.

Okay there's my it.

Let me write that down up here.

Because that's that's really what we're focusing on.

Here's my answer to question one.

Jesus says that some people

worship God in vain.

All right.

So I'm defined by I'm doing number one.

I'm defining or describing taking my verse.

I'm meditating on what is it.

I'm defining or describing what's there.

So here it is.

Jesus says some people worship God in vain.

Second what are its divisions or parts.

Do you remember that first method where we talked about squeezing one word at a time.

And the benefit of that was you don't miss anything.

You tend to be in a hurry and overlook things that forces you to take every part.

That's really what this is.

You want to take your it and atomize it.

You want to break it down into the every possible part.

So you don't overlook anything.

So without being too pedantic here what are the divisions or parts of this.

It's something who says this is very important right.

Jesus said this all right.

What else it's talking about worship.

Yeah vain worship.

Okay all right.

Worship God.

You can literally almost take every word.

That's the whole point.

So you don't overlook anything.

If some people not everybody look when we get that we say well everybody does sometimes

even Christians.

But some people worship him in vain all the time.

Okay.

So literally every word here just about you could break down and and again it's like

helps you focus on each part of this.

What causes it all right.

In this case we'd want to say well what caused Jesus to say this context.

There you look.

It was the Pharisees.

Okay.

So you look at the context in this case.

What causes some people to worship in vain.

Substitute man's tradition for Scripture.

Man's ideas.

Yeah.

Their hearts cause them to worship God in vain.

Their wrong view of God causes them to worship God in vain.

A number of things contributed to this right.

All right.

What does this.

Is our it now.

What does it cause.

Or what are the fruits or effects of this.

Well first book of Jesus said it should cause conviction.

Right.

That should be to make sure I don't want to worship God in vain.

So what do I need to do.

But some people do worship God in vain.

What are the fruits and effects of that.

Yeah I mean it can be a false sense of security

legalism.

All sorts of things come out of worshiping God in vain.

Right.

So then you see you were branching out.

We got all sorts of things.

We've written just an answer to that.

Number four.

All right.

Number five.

What is its place location or use.

In other words think of cubbyholes of thought.

Where does this fit in as this fit into my financial life.

Does this fit into my married life.

Does this fit into my work life.

Does this fit into my parental life.

What cubbyhole or box does this fit into.

In one sense it relates to all.

Doesn't it.

Then a lot of biblical truths are like that one since we could say it has to do with my worship life.

Right.

That's the real focus here.

So this has to do.

This makes me evaluate worship my worship life.

What are its qualities and attachments.

If if my it happened to be a data projector I was gonna meditate on

that.

What are its qualities attachments.

Well its qualities are.

What is that.

You know some sort of plastic case glass electronics or qualities of it.

Electricity light heat fan noise is one of its qualities.

What are its attachments.

Well has a cord.

It's usually attached to some supporting kind of thing.

So that's what we mean.

What are the qualities of that.

Yet.

And and what if you have that yet what do you always have your we always have a cord.

You always have electricity.

You always have something supporting it.

This doesn't you know hover in midair.

It's always attached to something else.

So if this is our yet what are the qualities.

Are attachments of this yet a broad

road of religion.

What else.

Qualities are attachments.

What worship in vain.

There's usually some tradition involved with that.

Right.

Some man -made kind of ideas or qualities of that false anticipation

waste of time.

It's in vain because it's in vain.

They're often false idols is not the right view of God.

So what kind of God are they worshiping.

That's a that's attached to that.

Isn't it wrong words can be

wrong motives.

Okay.

What's that.

Yeah.

They're deceiving themselves as being acceptable to God.

They're deceiving others.

There's a lot of stuff they can be qualities or attachments of that.

Right.

Yeah.

There's no benefit because it's in vain.

God is not honored.

God is not pleased.

Well you see how this generation is all sorts of it can be attractive to the flesh.

Very good.

All right.

What is contrary contradictory or different.

In other words often we we learn what something is by saying what the opposite of it is.

So if this is our yet what's contrary contradictory or different to this worship in

spirit and truth.

The context immediately tells us their worship in spirit and truth is the opposite of this

and all those things we just said.

But a lot of the opposites of those things.

God is pleased with the opposite.

Okay.

And so we could spend a lot of time on that.

Yes John 424.

All right.

What compares to it.

Now sometimes we learn what something is by the opposite.

It's not this.

It's not that.

But we also learn by analogy.

Don't we.

It's this is like this.

So what compares to worship in vain.

Yes worshiping false gods.

Anything else you can think of is compared to this.

I'm sorry idolatry wasting your time compares to this.

All right.

What are its titles or names.

Idolatry is one title of this.

False religion.

False worship.

Yeah.

Sometimes you talk about something.

You say you know really what we're talking about here is the doctrine of so -and -so there's a there's a theological or historical title to

it here.

False worship idolatry.

It's easy.

What are the testimonies or examples of Scripture.

Okay now we look at Baal worship.

Now we look at the Pharisees.

You see how those ten questions you realize how much information we just produced

in one verse.

I mean if you had written this out pages and pages we spent ten minutes or less on this.

This isn't.

This is an information producing machine.

And the same thing will be true if you're if you're going to make a presentation and work or writing a paper for school.

These questions can can benefit you in this regard.

It'll make you think about things in ways you normally wouldn't think.

Now a lot of what we just said you already knew.

Didn't you.

But what tends to happen is you'll produce so much information.

One thing will grab you one of those thoughts will be a zinger

and stick in your soul like a burr.

But with the Philippians 4 8 questions with the Joshua Hall questions.

What we've done is simply taken a pre -set list of questions and answered them.

So you can write these in the back of your Bible.

You could print these off somewhere and laminate them put them in your in your wallet.

You could type them into your PDA.

You could make them a computer file open it up cut and paste those into a journal or something else and then answer

them there.

But you know what.

The benefit of answering of having a list of questions like this is for meditation.

It's a lot easier to answer questions than just generate information off the top of

your head.

For instance if I said are going to be done about five minutes here.

But before anybody can leave take out a sheet of paper.

Before you can leave you have to write a one -page essay about the chair you're sitting in

go that sounds like a

professor.

That's a dumbest thing I ever heard in my life.

But what if I said this I you still have to write a one -page essay before you can leave.

But tell me this is the chair comfortable.

Why am I not.

It costs so much money.

So do you think that's a good value.

How could it be improved.

What do you think about the fabric in particular.

Different color different fabric.

How can you know.

So forth.

That's a little easier essay to write now.

I could say do you have any special memories associated with that chair.

Maybe your life was changed sitting in that chair.

You remember that very chair.

God saved your child.

You heard a sermon that saved your marriage.

You heard a sermon that changed your life.

Sitting in that chair.

You had a meaningful encounter in prayer in that chair.

And you could write about that.

That's a lot easier essay to answer now.

To write now isn't it.

What's the difference.

One thing answering questions rather than generating information off the top of your head.

You go your Bible.

You read your Bible.

You pick a verse.

Okay I'm gonna meditate on this verse.

If you're sleepy you're tired.

You think what am I gonna meditate on.

But when you have a list of questions you just answer those questions.

You've got a place to go.

It's easier to answer questions than the generate information off the top of your head.

Come up with your own list of questions.

If you don't like these a list of who what why when where and how questions.

Some other questions.

But it's a lot easier to answer questions.

Just come at something out of the blue.

Here's another method.

Discover a minimum number of insights into the text.

A number that you set in advance.

First time I ever did this I had I was in end of Romans.

I mean Hebrews is at 12 there for our God is a consuming fire.

And I said I'm gonna set the bar at 10.

I'm gonna try to find 10 comparisons between God and fire.

Okay here we go.

Fire gives off light.

The Bible says God is like there's one fire gives off heat.

We speak of God is warming our souls are warming our hearts.

I mean sometimes.

So there's two all right.

A fire sometimes is used for cleansing in the law.

Some more things were cleansed by water some by fire.

We talk about a prairie.

Fire cleanses the prairie.

God is the one who cleanses our heart.

Good.

There's a third one.

Fire in the Bible is emblematic of judgment.

The worst judgment.

God is the judge.

Hey I got four things there real fast.

How come I got them so quickly.

I already knew them.

Didn't I have I learned anything yet.

Have I grown yet.

What does my flesh want to do.

Yeah.

Quit smug.

In the satisfaction I've come up with four comparisons between God and fire.

Aren't I something.

But I set the bar at 10 which forces me to put my

head back in the text and to keep looking.

I was doing this somewhere and talked about this by the time we finished.

A few minutes later somebody gave me this front and back single spaced comparisons between God and fire.

See.

An infinite mind inspired that text.

And there's always a lot more there to see than I've yet seen.

So believing if I look there's at least ten things there.

I keep looking now.

This is real life.

I'm not gonna stop.

You know I'm not gonna be there for three hours stuck at number nine sweating bullets.

I gotta get one more.

I'm not gonna do that.

But I'm not gonna quit at four.

I'm gonna keep looking.

There's a famous illustration of God.

Nick theology class study of fish being a biology zoology kind of

class.

They have labs Tuesday Thursday afternoon.

So they come in lab.

Prop puts a stinking dead from out loud smelling fish out there.

You know all right class for the next two hours.

I want you to write as many observations as you can about this fish.

All right has two eyes

has scales has fins stinks.

I'm done.

Comes over.

Looks good good.

Keep looking.

Two hours.

He writes a few more long as two hours of his life.

Finally classes over.

So they come back on Thursday.

Keep writing observations about this fish.

Can I put a stick in my instead and go home.

Oh he starts looking.

You know.

After a while he begins to see all those scales don't go in the same direction.

That's kind of interesting.

You know sort of a gradation in color.

It's darker at the top lighter at the bottom.

And those and those fins you know kind of do this webbing sort of thing like that.

That's interesting.

So does a tail.

Little rascals got teeth look in there.

That's why he just writes pages and pages and pages.

Because he began to see looks.

We have an infinite mind inspired every verse.

And there's always more there to see than you get seen.

There's a legendary assignment in a Bible study methods class at Dallas Theological Seminary taught by Howard

Hendricks.

I've had at least four of my colleagues have confirmed this illustration.

He comes into this class gives them acts 1 8 in their English Bible.

You shall receive power of an oldie spirit has come upon you.

And you should be my witnesses both in Jerusalem Judea Samaria the outermost part of the earth.

He said.

Now class.

I want you to come back tomorrow with at least 25 observations about

this text.

Oh by the way in all my 50 -plus years of teaching at Dallas Theological Seminary I've never had one student

who couldn't come back with at least 25 more.

25 of these.

So what are you going to do.

You're gonna get them.

Right.

So they come back the next stage.

You get yours.

You had took me three hours.

Like at 25 observation you get them.

Class.

Yes prophet God.

All right.

Your assignment for the next class is come back with 25 more observations on this text.

And by the way and all my 50 -plus years of teaching at Dallas Theological Seminary I've never had one student who couldn't come back with at least

25 more.

So what are you gonna do.

You're gonna get them if they kill you.

Right.

You don't even come back next year and say.

And all my 50 -plus years of teaching Dallas Theological Seminary I've never had one student except Dan Rathman

who couldn't come up with at least 50 observations on this text.

So they come back next day.

You know like this.

You get yours.

Yeah it's up all night.

But I got him.

Did you get him.

Class.

Yeah.

All right.

Your assignment for the next class is.

And they hold their collective breath.

You know to come back with as many as you can.

Oh good.

They're thinking I might come back with 51.

You know.

Oh by the way the all -time record is over 600.

See you tomorrow.

600.

Well are you gonna do.

You may not come back with 600.

But knowing that some smart Alec did.

You're not gonna come back with just 51.

Are you knowing that somebody is saying 550 things in that text you've not

seen.

Convinces you.

There must be more there than you have yet seen.

So what do you do.

You keep looking folks.

An infinite mind has inspired every verse of Scripture.

And I don't care how familiar you are with it.

There are riches.

There are insights there at least applications you have never seen before.

If you'll come with that view you will continue to see.

Well time is gone.

My best illustrations are about this one here.

If you just read one chapter.

If I try to find a link or common thread if you read many chapters small over the Bible.

When I read through the book through the Bible at the beginning of the year I try to read in five different starting places and

they each have different section of the Bible.

If five is too many then read in the green.

Three in the green you read equal amounts.

You'll finish them all about the same time.

And so my illustration usually is the what.

If you read you know a chapter in each one of these and they're completely unrelated.

How do you.

How do you do this.

How do you find a link or common thread between all the chapters that you read.

I would normally this kind of terminology is bad.

But it's a good thing here when I say look at those through a grid.

First of all the grid I would suggest being Christ.

In other words look at all of these chapters.

How can I find Christ.

And all those chapters we're look at the Bible Christo centrally.

How can I find Christ.

If this is Abraham offering up Isaac.

And I'm in Joshua.

I mean judges here say Joshua kills a lion with his bare hands.

I'm in Psalm 51.

I'm in Sennacheribs invasion here and Jesus heals blind Bartimaeus.

How do I see Jesus in all those passages.

Or maybe I look at my current crisis.

It may be about being a dad.

It may be about finances.

How do they speak now.

Maybe only two of them do and and none of them

specifically speak of finances.

Well maybe Psalm 51 convicts me to confess to God how I've been using my money.

But even in the passages where I don't see any illustration or any teaching or any

application what am I doing.

I'm looking.

I'm saturating in the text.

I'm scouring the text looking.

Is there anything here in the story of Abraham and Isaac that can help me with finances.

Is there anything there.

I normally I wouldn't go there because that's not a passage on finances.

But God knew from the foundation of the world that my life would be in this place today.

And he knew I'd be reading these five chapters today.

So I want to look here to see if there's anything that affects me here.

If I'm going to look at finances in particular go to the passages on finances.

But in my devotional reading I look and say is there anything here that specifically applies to

my crisis today.

You'll be amazed at how many things you will find you would not have found before because you weren't looking for them

that there's some application some illustration something that will give you some insight your current crisis.

But you never would have seen it without looking well

like say more about that.

But I don't this one.

It could take another two or three hours to talk about that.

If you're interested this is one of five most influential books in my life.

I think you have this information at the bottom of the page.

Don't you.

You don't.

Well then here it is the mind that book.

It's not a Christian book.

It's not an anti -christian book.

It's sort of like your lawnmower manual.

You know it's not a Christian book an anti -christian book.

But this if you think about this thing if you look at it just think of taking his method of putting down your

thoughts and put your meditations on scripture down in his way.

It's a more graphical way.

Some of you have seen this illustrated in other places before.

It's just a different way.

Instead of instead of words on lines like this it's more of a graphical thing with pictures and color

and that sort of thing.

Think of using his method of putting down your met your thoughts your meditations on scripture.

Write him down his way.

And that's the idea behind that all.

Right.

Let's come back to that person that we started with who said Don

some days the best I can do is chisel out ten minutes for my Bible reading.

And God knows that God knows that some days I can't do more than that.

I work two jobs.

I'm a single mom.

I sleep five or six hours a night at best.

And if I can get ten minutes some days that's the very best I can do.

And you're telling me that that's not enough that reading alone won't do it.

In addition to reading we have to meditate.

That reading is exposure to scripture.

Meditation is the absorption of scripture.

But I only have ten minutes.

This is a burden.

You're making me feel guiltier.

Because what I hear you saying is if you'll do more you'll be better.

I know that.

But I don't have time for more if you only have ten minutes don't

read for ten minutes.

Read for five minutes.

And then do what for five minutes.

Meditate for five minutes.

For it is far better to read less if necessary.

Now you hear me I'm not advocating reading less of the Bible.

In almost every one of my books advocate reading through the Bible on an annual basis.

Jesus said man does not live by bread alone but by what what word

what word every word.

How are we going to live by every word if we haven't even read every word.

So I advocating reading the Bible a lot.

But on a given day it may be necessary to read less in order

to meditate more.

It is far better to read less if necessary and remember something than to read more and remember

nothing.

Right.

Far better to read five minutes.

Close your Bible.

I mean and meditate for five minutes.

Then close your Bible.

Walk away knowing you met with God.

You heard from God and you've got something.

You can meditate on day and night.

Then to read three times as much.

Close your Bible and remember nothing.

And it's so simple.

Anybody can do it.

You just have to be intentional if you only have ten minutes.

Don't read for ten minutes.

Read for five.

Meditate for five.

You'll be able to meditate day and night.

Let's pray together father I pray.

You'd cause each of these to be meditators on the Word of God.

As the psalm says in his law he delights and

in his law he meditates day and night.

It becomes like a tree firmly planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in its season.

Its leaf does not wither.

And whatever he does he prospers.

Make each Christian here that kind of meditator on the Word of God.

I ask in Jesus name and for your glory amen.