Sermon 2 – Change – Meditate on the Word
T-08/27/15
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Meditate on the Word
Has the Word of God become alive to you? Not just a collection of good ideas or various
literary stories or a “bunch of old letters from two thousand years ago” as some evangelical
leaders call it. Has the Word of God become alive? Are you able to hear it speaking deep into
your spirit? If so, have you experienced its power to change your life? The Bible must no
longer just a book about what God said but what He is speaking directly to you. You must fall
in love with the Word. Study it, the Lord imparted truths to you and change will begin to take
place in your life.
God is no respecter of persons. If you put His Word first place in your life and meditate on it on
a consistent basis, it will change you.
Joshua
Joshua was about to take over the leadership role from Moses. Now, if you stop and think
about it, Moses would be a hard act to follow. Joshua must have been struggling with this new
assignment, and asking, “God, what do I do? How do I lead these people?”
The Lord said to Joshua, “The same way I was with Moses, I will be with you. Wherever your
feet trod, I’ll give that land to you.” (Joshua 1:3, 5.) God gave Joshua several promises, which
are recorded in Joshua 1:1-7. Then He continued, saying:
(Joshua 1:8) 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth…
Now, at this time all the people had, were the first five books of the Bible, the ones that Moses
had written out. Today because we have the completed Scriptures, I believe that instead of
“this book of the law,” we can say, the Bible, the Word of God…
(Joshua 1:8) 8 …shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night,
that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your
way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Let’s start at the end of this verse and work back. Most people want to be prosperous and
have good success. Yet, I find it amazing that the vast majority of people bypass the first part
of this verse. They’ll spend their prayer time asking God to “please prosper my business,
please cause my marriage to succeed, please heal my body,” but they won’t do what the Word
says. Joshua 1:8 reveals that the way you get prosperity and good success in every area of your
life is to take the Word of God and meditate on it to the degree that it saturates what you
think about, what you talk about, and how you act. When God’s Word literally begins to
control your life, you will prosper and have good success physically, emotionally, relationally,
financially—in every area.
Sermon 2 – Change – Meditate on the Word
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Focusing Your Attention
You may be thinking, “I work a job. I can’t meditate on the Word day and night.” Or you may
be saying, “I have two or three kids at home. I’m constantly running around here and there,
doing this and that. I can’t just sit there reading my Bible, and not pay any attention to what’s
going on with my children.” Most people don’t believe that you can literally meditate on the
Word of God day and night. They think that this is a totally impractical demand. They don’t
understand the true definition of meditation. Meditation is simply focusing your attention on
something to the point that it never leaves your consciousness.
Yes, you need to have a time during the day when you read and study the Bible without
distraction. However, when that devotion time ends your consciousness of the Bible should
not. The Word of God should be in your meditations day and night so that it will affect your
thoughts, actions and intentions.
Think you can’t do that? Have you ever worried your way through a day? Well, worry is
meditation. It’s just meditation on something negative or evil. Whatever your daily demands
are—watching children, running errands, cleaning the house, taking your kids places,
preparing food—you’ve gone through days accomplishing all of these activities, while at the
same time your mind was fixed on thinking, “How am I going to pay for this? What are we
going to do? Is my spouse running around on me? Are they with someone? Are we heading for
a divorce?” You were able to do all the things you needed to do, yet your mind still worried
about those other things.
In your career, you could be doing whatever kind of job you do, yet in your mind you may still
be thinking, “How is this situation going to work out?” You could be sitting there working, yet
have something else occupying your mind. You’re worrying about this issue day and night. If
you’re honest, there have probably been times when certain problems have bothered you to
the point where you dream about them. You experience a restless night of sleep because your
mind was still dwelling on, “What am I going to do? How am I going to get out of this
situation?” That’s worry, which is just a form negative of meditation.
The part of you that worries is the exact same part of you that meditates. Meditation is just
focused on positive things.
If you have children at home or you’re working a job, it’s wrong for you to sit down and study
the Word sixteen hours a day. This is not being faithful to your family, boss, or employer—to
the responsibilities you have been assigned. But you can take a passage of Scripture, read it,
and then meditate on it the rest of the day and night while attending to your responsibilities.
You can be thinking on the Word of God and considering, “How does this apply to me?” while
you’re going about your daily activities.
Sermon 2 – Change – Meditate on the Word
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“Believe!”
In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat had been faithful to the Lord and had served Him, yet
three nations came out against him. The armies of these three nations joined together into
what seemed, to King Jehoshaphat, to be an overwhelming force. There seemed to be no way
for him and his people to win. So Jehoshaphat built a platform, assembled all of the people
together, and addressed them. He stood up on the platform, lifted his hands to heaven in front
of all the people, and began to pray. He said, “God, we don’t have any help, any power,
against this great multitude that has come against us. Our only help is in You. We’re standing
here. We’re waiting on You. God, we need You to do something!” (2 Chronicles 20:12.)
At the conclusion of King Jehoshaphat’s prayer, a prophet stood up and prophesied, “You
won’t even have to fight in this battle. In the morning, assemble yourself. You will go out and
find that it has already been won.” (2 Chronicles 2:17.) After this declaration from the
prophet…
(2 Chronicles 20:20) 20 …Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of
Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so
shall ye prosper.
Jehoshaphat spoke powerful words of faith, saying, “Believe the word of God!” They arose
very early the next morning and went out to meet these three armies that were coming
against them. They didn’t just say that they believed God; they proved it by acting on their
faith and putting the singers, not the warriors, up front. (2 Chronicles 2:21.)
What a miracle! Some people read Bible stories like they didn’t really happen, or maybe they
do believe that these events actually took place, but they happened so long ago to somebody
else so far away that they just don’t connect. Don’t just read the information in God’s Word,
begin to think about it. Consider, what if you were in the position of Jehoshaphat? What would
it have been like to tell the soldiers to get in the back and to put the choir in the front? What
would it be like to be in the choir and go to the front?
How must it have sounded as they sang, “Praise the Lord for His mercy endures forever” on
their way out to meet the three armies (2 Chronicles 20:21)—over a million people armed to
the hilt? These thoughts are the beginning of meditation.
It is one thing to read a passage, but it’s another thing to go deeper and meditate on it. You’ll
find that you can read a passage of Scripture again and again for days or longer. Go back to the
same passage and spend thirty minutes to an hour reading, looking up cross references, and
gathering information. Then spend some more time meditating on what you read during the
day. You just might be surprised by how much God is speaking when you meditate on the
Word.
Sermon 2 – Change – Meditate on the Word
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All You Need
When the people of Judah came over the hill and looked, these three armies that had aligned
against them had turned on each other. Two of them had agreed to kill the third. Then, after
they wiped out that army, they began killing each other. The very last two people standing
killed each other. The armies of Judah the dead bodies of their enemies and so much gold,
silver, and clothes that it took the entire nation of Judah three days to gather the spoil.
Most people read through a Bible story like that and hastily say, “Oh, there was a victory for
trusting God,” but you can wring out of this passage tremendous truths. Here was
Jehoshaphat, his life and kingdom looked like they were just about to be snuffed out. In the
midst of that, he cried out to God. The Lord gave him a prophecy. He believed it, and less than
twenty-four hours after he began trusting God, the very thing that looked like it would be the
destruction of the nation turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened. The
people of Judah didn’t even have to lift a sword. They went out and gathered great spoils, and
Jehoshaphat dedicated all of it to the temple. Prior to that time, some other people had come
in and stolen all of the gold and silver out of the temple. Through faith in the word God had
given him, Jehoshaphat saw this situation that looked like it was going to be his destruction
turn out to be the very thing God used to supply the needed resources to refurbish the
temple.
Rather than worry about circumstances, we must began thinking that, “In the same way that
God acted on behalf of Jehoshaphat, He will act on my behalf!” The situation that looks like it
could destroy you, could very well turn out to be one of the best things that ever happens to
you.
As you meditate on the Word, faith rises. Many people miss this increase in faith because they
read the Word, but don’t meditate on it. Not every one of us may not be able to spend large
quantities of time reading the Word but everyone can meditate on it day and night.
Regardless of what your circumstances or problems are, you’re never more than one word
from God away from absolute victory. The Lord knows exactly where you are and how to get
you to where you’re supposed to be. All you need is just the slightest instruction, an
impartation of God’s wisdom. All you need is a word from God!
Meditate on the Word and you will be shaped by that Word. It will change you. It will change
the way you view your circumstances. It will change your reality!