After the Sermon Part 4

Driving home: Meditation is described by McLaren as quote the habit of patient protracted brooding on the revelation of God's will as found in the scriptures the habit of patient protracted brooding on the revelation of God's will as …

Alexander McLaren's description of meditation as 'patient protracted brooding on the revelation of God's will' is explained with the metaphor of a hen sitting on her eggs to hatch them or gathering chicks under her wings to protect them, illustrating the nurturing and protective nature of meditation on truth.

of the biblical teaching listen to Alexander McLaren who in his comments on Psalm 1 described meditation in a very helpful way meditation is described by McLaren as quote the habit of patient protracted brooding on the revelation of God's will as found in the scriptures the habit of patient protracted brooding on the revelation of God's will as revealed in the scriptures and if you look up the word brood in your dictionary you'll find that its first two and major meanings

23:56 - 24:39 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin illustrates meditation through David's experience in Psalm 39. David, under God's discipline, resolves to be silent but finds his heart growing hot while 'musing'…

David's experience in Psalm 39:3, 'while I was musing, the fire burned,' is used as a metaphor for the internal spiritual activity of the mind and soul, akin to a fire being stoked, growing in intensity and leading to fervent expression.

meditating the fire burned then spake I with my tongue and now he's confident as the fruit of sober intense meditation called here musing that what he speaks will not be ill-advised speech but it will be that speech which breaks forth out of a mind and heart that has given due reflection to the realities before it while I was musing the fire burned a beautiful example or illustration or imagery

36:30 - 37:15 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin illustrates meditation through David's experience in Psalm 39. David, under God's discipline, resolves to be silent but finds his heart growing hot while 'musing'…

Jeremiah's experience of God's word being 'as a fire shut up within my bones' when he tried to be silent is recounted to further illustrate the intense, internal spiritual heat generated by God's truth, similar to David's 'fire burned' during meditation.

his prayer is now disciplined by the impact of his musing there's a beautiful example of a man meditating he is bringing to his mind certain realities and mulling them over and turning them over until they become as a very fire within his breast perhaps you've already thought of similar words when Jeremiah every time he opened his mouth he got into trouble and he said I've had it I'm just tired seeking to be the Lord's mouthpiece and every time I speak I get nothing but rebuffs and rebukes and hardship and persecution I've had it I'm going to be silent

38:44 - 39:28 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin illustrates meditation through David's experience in Psalm 39. David, under God's discipline, resolves to be silent but finds his heart growing hot while 'musing'…

The analogy of a temporary lightning flash from God's truth becoming the deep, glowing coals of a burning fire through meditation is used to show how meditation transforms fleeting impressions into sustained spiritual warmth and impact.

instead of it being but the bright quick flash of a lightning bolt it may become like the deep glowing coals of a burning fire such as you might find in a fireplace in the middle of winter when someone has well cured hardwood logs and they've reached that stage where they're one massive glow and heat that's what we read in Psalm 39 there's an example of meditation now I want you to turn to a new testing example so all we're trying to do now is to look at a couple of biblical examples and we're going to look at a couple of examples of people who meditate

40:57 - 41:39 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Mary in Luke 2 is presented as a beautiful example of meditation. Despite the demanding circumstances of being a young mother in a crude society, she continually 'kept' and…

Mary's meditation in Luke 2:19 is highlighted by contrasting her demanding life as a young, nursing mother in a crude society (no modern conveniences) with her consistent discipline of pondering God's sayings, demonstrating that meditation is possible amidst real-world responsibilities.

of meditation and I've chosen this for a number of reasons remember she was probably only in her late teens this was her first born child there was no infant meal no other kind of prepared formula she had to be a nursing mother of a newborn according to the witness of the gospels other little ones came along quite regularly because she was the mother of many other children they said your brothers and your sisters are without seeking for you and he says who is my mother who is my brother who is my sister she didn't have anything other than a crude scrub board no Kenmore

44:36 - 45:21 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Jeremiah's declaration in Jeremiah 15:16, 'Your words were found, and I did eat them,' is used to illustrate meditation as a spiritual digestive process. Martin explains how…

Jeremiah 15:16, 'Your words were found, and I did eat them,' is used as a metaphor for spiritual digestion, where God's word is taken in, chewed, swallowed, and assimilated into one's being, becoming a part of who they are.

now the imagery the prophet uses is very very striking and yet understandable to the youngest church and child here he says your words were found how were they found they were found when God spoke to him the prophet didn't make and create his own message the burden of the Lord the word of the Lord would come to the prophet and he says when the word came my response had analogous elements to that which is found when a man sees a meal prepared and takes it into his mind mouth chews masticates it swallows it and in the digestive processes he

51:07 - 51:52 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is not the amount of spiritual food spread on the table in the exposition and application of the word of God in preaching and teaching which determines your spiritual growth and health it is not the amount of food tha…

The process of physical digestion, from putting food in the mouth to its assimilation into the body (fingernails, skin, etc.), is used as an analogy for how meditation allows God's word to be absorbed and become an integral part of one's spiritual constitution.

food and we eat it well we start by putting it into the mouth and as I have to say to a friend of mine who inhales his food I constantly remind him that digestion is supposed to begin in the mouth there certain enzymes go to work along with just breaking it up into small enough pieces to be able to get it down here and then in the stomach other juices and other things go to work on it and further out the digestive process and then as it makes its way into the small intestines things get absorbed out into the system and at the end of the day what I eat ends up as part of my fingernails part of ...

53:21 - 54:05 Read in full sermon

The point: Engage in meditation upon the preached word, in addition to repetition and supplication, to truly profit from it and allow it to be assimilated into your spiritual constitution.

The analogy of a 'spiritual bulimic' is used to describe someone who carefully listens to the preached word (chews and swallows) but then vomits it out through worldly conversation or preoccupation, failing to allow it to be digested through meditation.

one of the great concerns of any thoughtful and perceptive family physician who knows you well is if you came in for a regular check up and you seemed sallow and listless and you would obviously lost an excessive amount of weight in a short time the first question he'd ask is what in the world is wrong with you and if you were to lay out what you were eating and it was evidence you were eating a well balanced diet and consuming sufficient calories with balanced intake that this was on your table and in your mouth and initially going into your stomach he'd say something's wrong something is sho...

57:08 - 57:53 Read in full sermon

The point: Engage in meditation upon the preached word, in addition to repetition and supplication, to truly profit from it and allow it to be assimilated into your spiritual constitution.

The scenario of a family physician observing a sallow, listless patient who eats a balanced diet but shows signs of malnutrition is used to illustrate how a lack of meditation (a 'hang up in their spiritual small intestine') can prevent spiritual nourishment despite regular exposure to God's Word.

one of the great concerns of any thoughtful and perceptive family physician who knows you well is if you came in for a regular check up and you seemed sallow and listless and you would obviously lost an excessive amount of weight in a short time the first question he'd ask is what in the world is wrong with you and if you were to lay out what you were eating and it was evidence you were eating a well balanced diet and consuming sufficient calories with balanced intake that this was on your table and in your mouth and initially going into your stomach he'd say something's wrong something is sho...

57:08 - 57:53 Read in full sermon

Driving home: constant thoughts are operative thoughts if a hen straggles out from her nest she brings forth nothing her eggs chill so when we do not set a brood upon holy thoughts see the concept of brooding again so when we do not s…

Thomas Manton's quote, likening a hen straying from her nest to transient holy thoughts that do no good if not 'brooded upon,' emphasizes the necessity of sustained, focused meditation for spiritual fruitfulness.

cherishes love meditation is the life of all the means of grace and that which

60:52 - 61:00 Read in full sermon

Driving home: constant thoughts are operative thoughts if a hen straggles out from her nest she brings forth nothing her eggs chill so when we do not set a brood upon holy thoughts see the concept of brooding again so when we do not s…

Martin humorously anticipates listeners thinking he's advocating giving up cars for horse-drawn carriages by talking about meditation in the 'media soaked madness' of modern life, highlighting the perceived difficulty of the discipline in contemporary society.

of that truth and to see it expressed in practice this duty must have its turn also if you will ever manifest affection and increase affection you must take some time to meditate and season your thoughts bare hearing leaves but little impression unless we debate and revolve it in our minds now I know and as I sat at my desk I thought lo and behold people will think Pastor Martin you may as well advocate that we all give up our cars and go back to horse drawn carriages to get to church to talk about meditation in the media soaked madness of

63:14 - 63:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Consider and meditate upon God's words, especially if you are one who casts them behind you and forgets God, lest He tear you in pieces.

God likening Himself to an 'angry lion' who will 'tear you in pieces' if His words are cast behind you is used to convey the severe consequences of neglecting meditation and despising God's instruction.

what have you to do to declare my statutes and take my instruction into my covenant into your mouth seeing you hate instruction and cast my words behind you rather than making them the concentrated focus of delightful thought and reflection they cast the words of God behind them to such God says in verse 22 now consider this now think upon this now meditate upon this concentrate your thoughts upon this you who would throw the words of God behind you consider this you that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver

66:57 - 67:40 Read in full sermon

The point: Consider and meditate upon God's words, especially if you are one who casts them behind you and forgets God, lest He tear you in pieces.

Martin critiques the 'God of modern evangelicalism' as a 'toothless tiger' or 'toothless clawless pussycat' that only purrs and cuddles, contrasting this with the biblical God who is righteous in judgment and demands serious engagement with His Word.

God likens himself to an angry lion and he says he'll tear you in pieces and none will deliver you out of his jaws I am weary with the God of modern evangelicalism who is not even a toothless tiger he's a toothless clawless pussycat that can only purr and cuddle up to anyone regardless of the disposition of their heart and they can feel comfortable with God that's not the God of the Bible my friend you treat with disdain his holy words and cast them behind you

67:40 - 68:25 Read in full sermon