One Thing--HOW (pt. 4)

3. Reflect

The third (and most important) step in having God’s word abide in you is to reflect (meditate) on it. It’s similar to the four compartments in a cow’s stomach. Every time the food goes into a different part the cow gets more nutrition from it. In the same way, if we “chew the cud” of God’s word regularly (meditate) we will extract more and more nutrition from it.

Fill in the blanks with the word(s) from the verses that show how to reflect.

●               ___________: Philippians 4:8 (use it or lose it)

●               ___________: Psalm 19:14 (not just for Buddhists)

●               _________________: Eph 5:18-19 (schizophrenic conversation)

●               ___________: Psalm 143:5 (very entertaining)

●               ___________: Luke 2:19 (it didn’t start on Bonanza)

●               ___________: 2Tim 2:7

Fill in the following blanks with the following italicized words that shows what to meditate upon: godly teaching, works, word, God.

●               Psalm 63:6—_____

●               Psalm 119:48—God’s ____________

●               Psalm 77:11— God’s ____________

●               1Tim 4:1-15—_____________ ________________________

Discussion

What are some “dead” times during the day when you can meditate? Shower, walking to and from the car, washing dishes, computer crashes,

4. Request

The fourth step in having God’s word abide in you is to request it (ask--prayer).

Jms 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. ⁶But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. ⁷For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. ⁸A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

James says “ye have not because ye ask not.”

5. Research

The fifth step in having God’s word abide in you is to research (study) the Bible. Whereas general reading shows how the whole Bible fits together, study dissects (divides) the Bible so you can understand its parts.

2Tim 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

This is done by searching the scriptures about specific topics. Again, this is not passive—you must apply your heart.

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Eccl 12:9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. ¹⁰The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.

One Thing--HOW (pt. 3)

2. Retain

The second step in having God’s word abide in you is to retain (keep) it in your heart.

Prov 4:1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. ²For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. ³For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. ⁴He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. ⁵Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. ⁶Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. ⁷Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. ⁸Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. ⁹She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. ¹⁰Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. ¹¹I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. ¹²When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. ¹³Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

This is what most people call memorizing.

2Pet 1:12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. ¹³Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; ¹⁴Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. ¹⁵Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.

Fill in the blanks with the word(s) from the verses (below) that show how to retain God’s word.

●               ________: Psalm 119:11	●               ________: Proverbs 3:3
●               ________: Proverbs 3:1	●               _____________: Prov 3:3
●               _____________: Prov 3:1	●               ________: Proverbs 3:3
●               ____________: Prov 3:21	●               ____________: Prov 4:13
●               ____________: Prov 6:20	●               ____________: Deut 11:18
●               ________: Proverbs 6:20	●               ____________: Col 3:16

This is how you make sure God’s word doesn’t just go in one ear and out the other. The goal is to have God’s word “handy” (in your heart) for instant use whether or not you have a Bible in your hand. Only then are you ready to “teach and admonish” others. But notice that it must dwell “richly” in your heart. In other words, you must have more than you need for your own personal use so you will have some left over for others.

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

One Thing--HOW (pt. 2)

Now let’s look at each step in more detail.

  

1.             Receive	Hear: ear	Read: eye
2.            Retain	Keep/Hide: heart
3.            Reflect	Meditate: heart
4.            Request	Cry: mouth
5.            Research	Study: head

1. Receive

The first step in having God’s word abide in you is to receive it.

Prov 8:10 Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.

But the most important thing in this step is not your actions but your attitude.

1Th 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

There are two ways you can receive God’s word.

A. Hear

One way to receive God’s word is to hear (parents, pastor, teachers, etc.).

Isaiah 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

But you must pay close attention so you can hear clearly.

Prov 4:20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.

Prov 7:24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.

Exod 15:26; 2Chr 24:19; Neh 9:30; Isa 1:10: 28:23; 32:9; 42:23; 51:4; Hos 5:1; Joel 1:1

That’s why Solomon says that “attendance” is so important—you can’t hear it if you aren’t in the teacher’s presence. Notice that it also impacts your children after you.

Deut 31:12 Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: ¹³And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

B. Read

The second way to receive God’s word is to read the Bible.

1Tim 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

Not just on Sunday morning at church but every day at home so you systematically go through the Bible on a regular basis.

Deut 17:18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: ¹⁹And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: ²⁰That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

This will help you learn to fear the Lord (vs. 19), obey the word, and be humble (vs. 20). During this time you should focus on gaining a general understanding rather than mastering all the intimate details of each verse (which you will do later).

Neh 8:8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

This will give you a good overview of how the Bible fits together so you get “the big picture”.

One Thing--HOW? (pt. 1)

Now that we’ve established WHAT needs to be done (renewed spirit) it’s necessary to determine HOW to do it. (It does no good to tell someone they need to build a house—what—without also telling them HOW to do it.) Paul’s instruction sets us on the right path.

Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

This is another way of saying what you learned last time—be renewed in the spirit of your mind. But it can also be stated a third way.

Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

But even these verses only tell you what to do in a pictorial way. You need something more concrete to work with. That’s where the wisdom of Solomon comes to the rescue. In Proverbs 2:1-5 he details exactly how to be renewed in knowledge/filled with the Spirit/have God’s word abide in you.

  Fill in the blanks (on the left) with the following italicized words that show the five steps necessary for having God’s word abide in you: request, research, reflect, receive, retain.

1.    [______________] ^1a My son, if thou wilt receive my words, …

2.   [______________] ^1b… and hide my commandments with thee;

3.   [___________] ²So that thou incline thine ear [________________] unto wisdom, and apply thine heart [_________________________] to understanding;

4.   [______________] ³Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

5.    [____________] ⁴If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

⁵Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

Fill in the extra blanks in verse 2 above with “practical application” or “pay attention” to show what the previous phrase means.

Next time we will look at each step in more detail.

One Thing--WHAT?

In the movie City Slickers the grisly old cowpoke told Billy Crystal that there was only one thing that mattered in life--and he was right! Unfortunately, he thought everyone had to choose that one thing on his own. But is that what the Bible says?

For lost people that one thing is obviously salvation--without it they have no hope. No other decision matters if you aren't saved. But what about after you're saved? What one thing is the most important thing in your life. I don't mean vague platitudes like "turn your eyes upon Jesus" or "give him your heart". I mean down to earth, practical, day-to-day advice and action that changes you, not just touches you. If you had to choose one thing that influences and determines all the other things in your life (as a believer) what would it be? 

According to King David the one thing every believer needs is renewal of the spirit.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Paul teaches that the spirit is contained in your mind [as pictured by the Old Testament tabernacle—the holy place (first sanctuary) and the holy of holies (second sanctuary) were inseparably joined. You couldn’t enter the second (holy of holies) without going through the first (holy place)].

Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

The renewed mind is God’s avenue to bring about total transformation.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but BE YE TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

But this doesn’t happen automatically, without any effort on your part. It only occurs as you gain the knowledge of God.

Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

The final result is a new man (on the inside) that has God’s divine nature.

2Pet 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, ³According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: ⁴Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the DIVINE NATURE, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

2Cor 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

God’s instrument to give you that knowledge is his word.

Psalm 119:98 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. ⁹⁹I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. ¹⁰⁰I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.

But the scriptures alone are not enough. It also takes enlightenment by the Holy Ghost.

Tit 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, ⁵Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the HOLY GHOST;