Good morning, everyone. Turn to Joshua 1, verse 8. This will be our sermon text for today. Joshua 1, verse 8. Give heed to the word of God. This book of the law must not depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night so that you may act carefully according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way successful and you will be wise. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of God lasts forever. Christian, do you meditate? Young adults, do you meditate? Every day? Every morning? How about every evening? What is meditation? What does the Bible mean by meditation or to meditate on God's law and His word? Well, first off, just to get out of everyone's mind, it is not the Eastern form of meditation, nor that of the New Age movement. What then does God mean when he tells us to meditate on his law day and night, as we have read in Joshua 1, verse 8, and as the many Psalms teach us? I've chosen Joshua 1.8 because this is the very first occurrence of the Hebrew word that we translate as to meditate that is given with a command. Here is a command to meditate. The passage also tells us on what to meditate, which is his law. How long to meditate, day and night. How to meditate, very carefully. and the result of meditation, which is success and wisdom. So today, by the Lord's help, we'll learn the following five points. One, what is meditation? Two, how should we do it? Three, why should we meditate? Four, the frequency of meditation. And five, the benefits of meditating upon God's word and on Christ. So, first off, what is meditation? Again, by Christian meditation, we do not mean some sort of New Age mysticism or Far Eastern style of spiritualism. And it is not the Star Wars, you know, empty your mind, do not think, just do style of meditation. It's none of that. All of that is self-centered and does nothing to promote biblical maturity and sanctification in Christ. What a Christian strives to do every single day in this blessed duty of Christian meditation is much more Christ-centered and conducive towards Christian piety and holiness. It is not focused on you as a person, but on God and His law, His word, that has as a benefit your growth in Christ that leads to true success and wisdom. So it is important to know that most of the time that the scriptures call us to meditate or to engage in meditation, and it has to do with the law of God, and then with who God is, his character, and his works. So this act of worship is so important to a Christian's life that the Puritans themselves wrote 41 books on this topic alone. Yet when we look for a concise definition of this duty, it is not found in the confessions or the catechisms of either Westminster or the Three Forms of Unity. The Countenance of Dort mentions the word in Article 14, and the Westminster Larger Catechism mentions it in Questions 112, 157, and 171. But neither really define the term and how it is to be employed. So this may be part of the reason why today Christians have not performed this duty as often as they should or have misused it. So it is my prayer in this sermon that a small help may be given to you towards this duty and obligation that God has called you to perform daily in your worship. So the Hebrew defines meditation, or to meditate, as follows. So here's a list of definitions. Thoughtful contemplation. Sign, like, talking in a murmur. To mutter. Discourse. Praise. Lament. Instruct. Teach. And to speak enthusiastically. So how do we put these definitions together? How do we read them in the context of the scriptures in which they are found to give us a fuller definition of how we are to employ this Christian duty? The Puritan Thomas Watson defines meditation as follows, meditation is the soul stirring of itself so that by serious and solemn thinking upon God, the heart may be raised up to heavenly affections, end quote. The Dutch reformer, Wilhelmus Abrakel, stated it in a similar fashion. Quote, this is a spiritual exercise in which a godly person, having a heart which is separated from the earth and lifted up toward heaven, reflects upon and engages his thoughts toward God and divine things with which he was already previously acquainted. He does so in order to be led further into divine mysteries, to be kindled with love, to be comforted, and to be stirred up to lively mysteries." So it is a spiritual exercise by the godly done with contemplation upon the things of God in order to get a better understanding of God and His Word. the act of meditation inevitably leads to an act of worship on the part of the Christian, which is our daily and reasonable service unto God through Jesus Christ. For who can dwell upon the things of God without spontaneously erupting into worship unto God? without thanking Christ for the salvation He has purchased for His people after considering the depths of our vile, sinful, and wicked ways in which we live in light of Christ's most gracious sacrifice. See, meditation is much more than just memorization and study of the Word. It is an experiential act, which takes what you have memorized and studied concerning the things of God and are planted in the heart of your soul, which when watered daily, bears a great deal of fruit for your weary soul in this earthly pilgrimage. This presupposes, then, that you read the word of God and are familiar with it. This is a necessary and essential prerequisite for meditation. As Joshua states, he says, read the law and then meditate upon it. It is one thing to open a glass of wine and smell the rich aromas that seep out. It is quite another to taste it. Meditation is tasting the wine of Christ's blood in your soul. How delicious it is to walk next to a bakery and smell fresh baked bread. Much more tasty is the eating of fresh baked bread. So tasting the bread of life is so much more tasty than just reading of it. Any scholar can read a word of God. A poor godly janitor eating the bread of Christ in his soul gains much more nutrition than the PhD that does not have Christ's spirit. The godly uneducated man will have much more wisdom and success in godly living than the most learned PhD that has yet to taste the richness of Christ's grace. So my brethren, take note that meditation is a spiritual exercise involving the Word of God seeping into the very marrow of your soul that gives as a return worship unto God and greater blessings in your spiritual walk with Christ. It is not an emptying of your mind to nothingness so that you do not think. Purge that out of your head. Purge these false and pagan notions that are prevalent in our society regarding meditation. Because meditation is a careful contemplation of God's law that involves your thinking. So our second point, how should we meditate? It is important to note that there are two ways to meditate, and the scriptures are very clear about this. One is spontaneous meditation, and the other is deliberate. So with deliberate meditation, we should set aside a time and separate our hearts and minds from the things of the world so that we may be focused upon this act of worship. So being apart from others helps us to be more engaged, Genesis 24, 63, we read that Isaac went out in the evening to meditate in the field. Our person is most conducive to this act when we are doing our daily private worship. So when you're worshiping privately, that's a good time to meditate. After you read the scriptures, ponder, consider, chew on what you have read and meditate upon the text. How? Well, what have you gleaned? How do you apply what you have read to your life? How does the passage call you to change your way of life, your manners, your speech, your character? See, Joshua tells us, and the Psalms reinforce this, that the law of God is the foundation of our meditation. Psalm 119, 97 states, oh, how I love your law. It is my meditation all the day. How does the passage you read interact with his law as it applies to your life? Apply the text of scripture to your life throughout the day. Such meditation will lead to another act of worship, which is prayer. It will bolster your prayer. As you meditate, ensure that you allow the Word to uncover your sin. Thinking upon the sinfulness of your sin towards God. That will lead you to pray to your Savior for forgiveness, seeking the grace of true repentance. So we are afraid to delve into the sins of our own lives, and we dismiss them as little things. Meditate, why is this sin so wicked against God? But do not focus too much on the sin so that you're carried away and sin against God even further by delighting in it. See, the scripture throughout commands us and encourages us that a huge portion of our meditation should be upon the law of God itself. So brethren, how often do you meditate upon the law, upon His law. Do you even read it so that you may meditate in it? Do you interact with it deliberately? Do you mutter it to yourself while you contemplate each one and how you measure up to it? Do you use it as a mirror? It is the measuring stick of your duty towards God as one saved by grace. So how often have you used it to measure up your daily walk with God? Have you argued with yourself over it? You see, God told Joshua that such meditation will lead to success and wisdom. Of course, this does not mean material riches. It speaks of spiritual blessings that are beyond what the riches of this world can offer. As you see the law of God, it should drive you closer to Christ, even as a Christian. Because then you will uncover more of your sins against Him. And the closer you are in recognizing how sinful you are, the more you realize just how holy God is. and the more of a greater need you will have of Christ. You see, it's not self-centered, because it all points your need of Christ. Psalm 119 verses 99 and 100 tell us this, I will have, I have more understandings than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the elders, because I keep your precepts." When you give yourself to this type of meditation, you'll be driven ever closer to Christ, crying out for His grace to continually cleanse you by the works of His Holy Spirit. Then you will see the precious benefit that this spiritual exercise will bring to your Christian pilgrimage. you will see ever more clearly the beauty of Christ's law, and see that is no burden or form of legalism that many make it out to be. You will see it as true liberty in Christ, for the law, when you're a Christian, is true liberty. We have sung this many times, brethren. Do you sing this out of conviction or out of just mere form? Psalm 119 verse 47, 48, and 97 reads, and we sung this many times in the past, I will delight in your commandments, which I have loved. My hands I will lift up unto your commandments, which I have loved. I will meditate on your statutes. Oh, how I love your law. It is my meditation all the day. Brethren, the law of God is honey to be consumed. We are called to dwell upon it day and night for our benefit and to be closer to God. This will also lead to a deeper sense of worship and a profound prayer life. Do you love His law? Or do you find it a burden? If you need help to get you started in meditation, which if you haven't started, you should start today. Look to our shorter, larger catechisms. The questions and answers are an excellent place to engage in this daily duty. These are our authoritative standards anyways, and so what is written in these catechisms are 100% biblical. So you gain a two-fold advantage using them as a help towards meditation. One is getting more familiar with these authoritative standards that agree with God's Word. And secondly, the mature thoughts and words that form both catechisms are a great aid in meditation. Not to mention the scripture proofs that go along with them. So I encourage you, start using the catechisms if you need help in meditating. So the other type of meditation is spontaneous. This occurs when you happen to be about your daily affairs, and some event, big or small, or even trifling, may suddenly strike you and cause you to dwell upon the things of God and of His holy law. An example I will give is that, let's say you're out at night, and you look up at the stars, and you see how bright they are, and how they shine in the midst of darkness. Like tonight, last night, you can see Jupiter right next to the moon, bright. And you think upon that and then you think, Christ is the light of the world. He is the light in the midst of darkness. So we see all this darkness of this present evil world, but we see the light of Christ outshining this darkness and giving us hope. This should then lead you to ponder on His promises He has given, such as, He will never leave you nor forsake you, no matter how dark things get in our country, in our society, in your family, or in your life. Or you may be looking at something of creation, be it at a museum, and there's a bunch of free ones down the street, or some sort of other media, Let's say, talk about the physical world and how it operates, or some new discovery of the intricacies of how an animal moves about and lives, trifling things, right? Or maybe a new discovery in space that is profound, then you reflect upon these things. And you see that God, being the creator, and that all this just points to His wondrous works, knowing that we have yet to discover so much about His creation that only serves to highlight His majesty. You see, everything around us highlights His majesty, that He is the Creator, that He created all things. And we have sung this before in Psalm 145 verse 5. where the Psalms tells us, I will speak of the glorious honor of your majesty and of your wondrous works. How about Psalm 77, 12? I will meditate also on all your work and ponder on your mighty deeds. So then these are two ways to meditate throughout the day, which then lead us to our third point. Why should we meditate? See, yes, I mentioned the Puritans wrote 41 books on the topic, but you know, this is not some Puritan rule, some 16th, 17th century outdated piety that is no longer for today, that some may dismiss as old stuff. No, my brethren, it is an everlasting command of God towards you, Do not easily, so easily just dismiss it out of hand. See, the Lord bids you, Christian, to set time apart to meditate upon His law, His works, His majesty. You see, this is all the way, this command comes from Joshua. How many thousands of years is this? See, this is a command of your king. Will you then obey His word? to you this day? Will you offer up this act of worship to your God each day? Or will you be lazy and cast it aside to appease your own comfort? Who will you choose to serve? God or your appetite? You are to meditate for it is your reasonable service to render unto your Savior. You are a citizen of His kingdom. As a citizen of His kingdom, this is a duty required of you. It is not an option. So what is your delight? That answer to that question will discover who you are to yourself. What is your delight? Psalm 1 verse 2, which we will sing in a moment, states this. But His delight is in the law of the Lord. And in His law, He meditates day and night. Is the law your delight? Do you meditate on it day and night? The law of God reflects the holiness of God. Do you want to learn about the holiness of God? Read the law. Do you want to know how holy God is? Read the law. Or do you despise the law and therefore despise His holiness? You see, God charged Joshua to meditate on God's law. Was that just for Joshua? Well, the rest of God's Word is pretty clear that this is an act of worship that every single Christian, godly person, that is what a Christian is, is to partake of. It's not an Old Testament command that no longer applies today. Philippians chapter 4 verse 8 commands us the following, Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are... And my pages went blank. Lovely! Whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, meditate on these things. Christian, do not find this a hard burden. It is a delight. If you want true success and wisdom, seek to meditate upon God's law. and His person, and you shall be greatly blessed." See, Christ has made the way for us to be greatly enriched in Him. You saw we read that in Matthew 6 today. Seek Him through meditation of His Word and deeds. When you read about Christ in the Gospels, and what He did, and what He suffered, because of our sins. Do you meditate on that? Do you see the beauty of Christ's sacrifice? The innocent setting his life aside for the guilty. So seek Him through meditation of His Word and His deeds, His works. Here you will learn the discipline of self-denial. Our Savior calls us to this discipline. Deny yourself and bring yourself to the feet of Christ for nourishment. Martha wanted to cook up a meal, but Mary sat at His feet. Sit at Christ's feet. Deny yourself. You see, meditation is one of the graces that we can employ to take heaven by storm. for meditations and exercise, and it takes a spiritual violence to subdue ourselves, to take heaven, and to be victors in Christ. For meditating, it is a hard work. You must employ violence upon yourself to subdue your flesh, to carve out that time to meditate on his law, on his word, on his deeds, just like prayer. If you find prayer very easy to set aside 30 minutes, either you've been doing it for a long time and praise God, but if you are starting out, you will know that it is a wrestling. It is hard. You must subdue yourself. Christ told his disciples, could you not watch and pray for me for one hour? And what happened when they didn't? What did Peter end up doing? denied them three times. We are to take heaven by violence and one of these methods is by meditation. Psalm 119 verse 15 states, I will meditate on your precepts and contemplate on your ways. Christian, is this you? When you sing this, again, is it true? Or do you just go with the flow of singing? We are called to sing with understanding in our heart. Point four, the frequency of meditation. So how often should we meditate? Joshua 1.8, as we just read, states day and night. Psalm 1.2 states day and night. Psalm 63 verse 6 states during the night watches. In other words, meditation is to be a constant activity. This is especially true of spontaneous meditation. Carve out a time for deliberate meditation, but throughout the day you should be meditating upon what you have read in God's Word, or what you have heard in the preaching of His Word. See, when I'm done preaching and when Pastor Joe's done preaching, that doesn't mean the sermon is over. Throughout the week you should be chewing upon the sermon and meditating upon it. When you are having doubts of God, bring to mind the Word of God and His promises. When you are being tempted, begin to argue against the temptation using the Law of God as a form of meditation. When you have set time aside to engage in this act of worship, meditate upon the subject you have chosen, and do not cease until the Lord has given to you what you have sought from Him in the contemplation and instruction you have sought from Him in this exercise. You see, wrestle with God until He lets you go. When it is the dead of winter and you have been outside for a long time, and seek to warm yourself by the fire inside your home? How long do you sit by the fire before you're warm and the cold has fled from you? So too when you meditate, sit by the warm fire of Christ's word until your soul is warmed by his testimonies and truth. So then will your Christian walk be all the more effectual and sure in Christ. My last point, the benefits of meditating upon God's word and on Christ. Bible reading and study are excellent and necessary essential daily duties that we should never get away from. Yet, how do you get that great hand knowledge into your heart? It is by meditation. Meditation allows the Word to settle in the midst of your heart and your mind, so it makes a home in you. If you read and then turn aside to your daily duties of life without giving much further thought to His Word that you just read, it is as if a seagull came and ate the bread from your head. It is lost. And I choose seagulls because we are all very well aware of how aggressive they are with bread. Don't let the seagull come and take the bread of life from you. Meditate on his word when you've read it. Allow the meditation to turn that honey in the comb of your soul. Then you will find God's law even more sweeter. The Puritan Henry Scudder stated a benefit regarding utilizing meditation with knowledge gained from Bible reading when he wrote this, quote, your knowledge will be an experimental knowledge, meaning practice, practical. It is only this experimental knowledge that will make you skillful in the duties and trials of the Christian life, end quote. Read then and meditate upon what you read. Apply it to your daily life. We talk about orthodoxy, how about practice? Practice, that is what meditation brings. Thomas Watson said that it, quote, it is better to meditate on one sermon than to hear five sermons. Many complain that they do not profit from sermons. This may be the chief reason, because they do not chew the cud. They do not meditate on what they have heard." End quote. Do you find the sermons here at Trinity unprofitable? Do you grumble within yourself or with others over them? Could it be then that the real cause of your dissatisfaction is your lack of meditation? your failure to perform your duty of listening to God's word by meditating upon what has been preached? Do not be an unprofitable listener, Christian. Before you judge God's servant, judge yourself. Have you done your part to digest the sermon? Or are you too ready to judge? Or are you too ready to go to your nap, to your worldly recreation, thereby casting off the manna that was received? Here is how you lose the benefit of the preached Word. Like I said, when a sermon is done, it doesn't mean the sermon is done. The whole week you should be meditating upon the sermon. Do not despise your fellow brother or sister that will seek you out to discuss the sermon afterwards. Rather, joyfully accept such discussion to then help you later during the week to meditate upon it. Then you will see the prophet as such a godly exercise. Instead of talking about things of life today, talk about the sermon. When the pastor preaches, after, during lunch, talk about the sermon. How is your prayer life? Is it weak? Meditations like gas to the furnace, it will give fuel to your prayers. One of the Hebrew definitions I gave a meditation is sighing. Here then is a great help for your prayers. Sigh forth a psalm, a verse in your prayer, and then grab it and give it great contemplation, and your prayers will take off like a winged eagle to the throne room of grace. I will make one last remark on this benefit. The early church fathers all called meditation the nursery of piety, a treasure house for the godly, the key to the tabernacle of God's presence. Christian, we are called to live a holy and pious life. See, piety is not a bad thing if you belong to Christ. It is to be a badge of who you are in Christ. You are a royal priesthood and upon your head the world should read this, holiness unto the Lord. How then can this be if you do not meditate upon God's law? It is your lamp. Seek to perform this good duty. It is oil to you, and it is your duty by Christ's command that you do it. Be his faithful soldier. And when you sing of this duty, sing it not in vain, nor to follow a set form. Sing it as a covenant commitment unto your King and your Savior. And if you are here today, and have not tasted the riches of Christ, have not believed upon His name, then I call you to repent, to turn away from your sins that you have committed against the holy law of God and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe on His name and you will live. Read His Word for the sake of your life, and then you will see true wisdom and true life that is found only in Jesus Christ, who died, was buried, and physically rose from the dead, ascended into the high places, and now sits at the right hand of the Father, ruling as mediator over the nations. Amen. Let's pray.