Deepening Prayer
Series: INTIMACY & AWE
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 23rd February 2019
Passage: Psalm 1:1-6
00:00:00 --> 00:00:10 In his book, Hamlet's Blackberry, William Powers likens our digital age to a gigantic room.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:15 And in the room, there are more than a billion people.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:24 And despite its size, everyone is in close proximity to everyone else.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:29 And at any moment, someone may come up to you and tap you on the shoulder.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:35 A text, a hit, a comment, a tweet, a post, a message, a thread.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:45 Some people come up to talk business, others to complain, others to tell secrets, others to flirt,
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 others to sell you things, others to give you information,
00:00:49 --> 00:00:55 others just to tell you what they're thinking or doing, whether you want to or not know it.
00:00:56 --> 00:00:57 It just never stops.
00:00:57 --> 00:01:04 And for a while, you enjoy that room immensely.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:13 Eventually, you go tired of the constant noise where you struggle to find a personal space.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:16 Someone taps you while you're eating.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 Someone taps you while you're sleeping.
00:01:19 --> 00:01:22 Someone, for goodness sake, even taps you while you're sitting on the toilet.
00:01:22 --> 00:01:33 And eventually, we decide we want to take a break, just a short one, just pause for 30 days or one week.
00:01:33 --> 00:01:37 And we decide to exit.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:45 But no one seems to know where the exit door is or even cares where the exit door is.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:50 In fact, they all seem really annoyed that you might not want to stay in the room with them.
00:01:50 --> 00:02:01 And when you eventually find the exit, you see the enchanting world through the opening,
00:02:01 --> 00:02:11 but you're not sure what life is like on the other side, stepping out of the digital room.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 It's a leap of faith.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:13 It's a leap of faith.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 You jump out and see what happens.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:20 Now, the point of his parable is fairly self-evident.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 We love the room, but we hate the room.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:32 We want to breathe the undistracted air of digital freedom,
00:02:32 --> 00:02:37 but increasingly, this room is all we know.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:43 How can we walk out when everyone else is staying in?
00:02:44 --> 00:02:55 How will we pass our time and occupy our thoughts without the incessant tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap?
00:02:55 --> 00:03:02 For many of us, the digital age is like the Eagle song, Hotel California.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:14 The scariest part is that we may not, in fact, want to leave the room.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:24 What if we, in fact, prefer the endless noise to the deafening sound of silence?
00:03:25 --> 00:03:39 What if the trivialities and the distractions of our day are not, in fact, forced upon us by busyness or not forced upon us at all?
00:03:41 --> 00:03:47 What if we choose to be busy so that we can continue to live with trivia and distraction?
00:03:47 --> 00:03:59 Power suggests that digital busyness is the enemy of depth.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:04 Digital busyness is the enemy of depth.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:15 And that we are bound to be stuck in the shallows of life as long as we are connected.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:21 In our age of distracted busyness, there is the threat of Assyria.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:33 The word Assyria had its origins in the 17th century and is roughly equivalent in meaning to the word sloth or listlessness.
00:04:35 --> 00:04:41 And in particular, the word means a spiritual and a mental apathy.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 Richard Newhouse explains,
00:04:44 --> 00:04:49 Assyria is evenings without number, obliterated by television.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:59 Evenings neither of entertainment nor of education, but of narcoticized defense against time and duty.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:09 And above all, Assyria is apathy, the refusal to engage the tragedy of our lives and of God's life with them.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:22 For too many of us, the hustle and bustle of electronic activity is a sad expression of a much deeper listlessness and apathy.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:27 We are busy with busyness.
00:05:27 --> 00:05:40 Rather than figure out what to do with our spare minutes and hours, we are content to swim in the shallows and pass our time with passing the time.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:56 How many of us, growing too accustomed to the Assyria of our age, feel this strange mix in our hearts and of our emotions,
00:05:57 --> 00:06:03 the strange mix of busyness and yet lifelessness at the same time?
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 I won't ask for a show of hands.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 Busyness and yet lifelessness.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:19 We are always engaged with our thumbs, but rarely engaged with our thoughts or our hearts.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:23 We keep downloading information, but rarely get down into the depths of our hearts.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 That is Assyria.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:31 Purposeness disguised as constant commotion.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 But then again, we want to be harried.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:36 We want to be hassled.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:37 We want to be busy.
00:06:38 --> 00:06:39 We don't have to.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:41 We want to.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 Unconsciously, we in fact want the very things we complain about.
00:06:47 --> 00:06:59 Because if we had a stillness, if we had a silence, if we had a rest, we would look at ourselves, we would listen to our hearts and see the gaping hole.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:02 And we would be terrified.
00:07:04 --> 00:07:09 Because that hole is so big that nothing but God himself can fill it.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:22 The hyperactivity of today's contemporary society and our cultural attention deficit disorder makes slow reflection and meditation a lost art.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 And it's the enemy of depth.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:38 It's one of the biggest roadblocks of us deepening our prayer life, deepening our spiritual life, deepening in such a way that we might encounter God.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:39 Because it requires time.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:41 It requires attention.
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 It requires discipline to deepen our prayer life.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:53 Because the doorway to a deeper prayer life is sustained, careful meditation on the word of God.
00:07:53 --> 00:08:04 And way too many of us are just content to have a daily devotion pop up on our screen, read a Bible passage, cook a couple of notes, say the prayer.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:08 A Bible a day keeps the devil away and I'm sorted.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 So meditation is the doorway to deeper prayer.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:21 The Psalms are the prayer book of the Bible.
00:08:21 --> 00:08:29 But it is noteworthy that the first Psalm, and in fact the first and second Psalm, which scholars would argue are one Psalm,
00:08:31 --> 00:08:39 is in fact not a prayer per se, but a meditation on meditation.
00:08:39 --> 00:08:43 Psalm 1, if you get your Bibles, it would be good if you have it open in front of you.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:50 Psalm 1 has the prime place at the beginning of the Psalms, and it's not an accident.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:57 And yet the introduction to the book of prayers is not itself a prayer, but it is preparing us to pray instead.
00:08:59 --> 00:09:00 It gets us ready to pray.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:11 Two weeks ago, I defined prayer for the Christian as continuing the conversation that God has started with us through his word and by his grace,
00:09:11 --> 00:09:14 which eventually becomes a full encounter with him.
00:09:16 --> 00:09:22 But there is this middle ground between Bible study and prayer.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:27 There is a middle ground between Bible study and prayer.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:31 And it's a kind of, if you like, a bridge between the two.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:40 While deep experiences of the presence and the power of God can happen in innumerable ways,
00:09:40 --> 00:09:54 the ordinary way for encountering God according to the scriptures is going deeper spiritually into prayer through meditation on the word of God.
00:09:54 --> 00:10:01 And according to Psalm 1, meditation on the word of God promises at least three things.
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 First of all, it promises stability.
00:10:05 --> 00:10:15 The person experienced in meditation is like a tree rooted so that wind cannot blow it away.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:27 Those who meditate on the word become people of substance, people who have thought things out and have deep convictions,
00:10:27 --> 00:10:34 who can explain difficult concepts in simple language and who have good reasons behind everything that they do.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:39 Now, notice in Psalm 1 that this tree is planted by streams of water.
00:10:39 --> 00:10:46 Now, trees by streams of water go well even if there's little rain.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:51 And you look at all the pictures of drought-stricken western New South Wales and Queensland,
00:10:52 --> 00:10:55 and you will see barren paddocks except where the river courses.
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 And there's green trees still there.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:06 This is an image in someone of someone who can keep going
00:11:06 --> 00:11:11 and in fact even grow in hard and dry times.
00:11:12 --> 00:11:16 Meditation on the word is how we get stability,
00:11:16 --> 00:11:22 how we get peace and courage in times of great difficulty and adversity and upheaval.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:26 By contrast, in Psalm 1, there's the chaff.
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 It's the husk.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:33 It's the waste bit around the seed of the grain.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 And it's lightweight.
00:11:36 --> 00:11:41 It's a little puff and a breeze and it just blows away.
00:11:41 --> 00:11:42 Anything can move it.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:48 And the way to avoid being the chaff rather than being the tree
00:11:48 --> 00:11:52 is through meditation on God's word.
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 Meditation also brings the promise of character.
00:11:56 --> 00:12:02 Chaff cannot produce anything because it's not a growing thing.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 It's in fact dead.
00:12:04 --> 00:12:09 The tree can produce fruit because it is a growing thing.
00:12:10 --> 00:12:14 Those who meditate on the word don't just have stability
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 and firm convictions about truth.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:20 They in fact have the character to match it.
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 Meditation bears fruit,
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 which in the Bible means character traits.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:30 Galatians 5, 22 and 23.
00:12:32 --> 00:12:37 Character traits is love, joy, peace, patience, humility, self-control.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:44 Biblical meditation then does not merely make us feel close to God.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:49 It's not just about having an encounter with God.
00:12:49 --> 00:12:54 It results in the transformation of our life.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 It changes who we are.
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 Finally, meditation brings blessedness.
00:13:01 --> 00:13:05 It means peace and well-being in every dimension.
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 It means character growth.
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 It means stability.
00:13:08 --> 00:13:12 And according to verse 2, it means delight.
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 Delight.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:24 See, biblical meditation moves us beyond a mere duty of reading to the word to joy
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 in encountering God and his word.
00:13:29 --> 00:13:32 Which takes me to my next point, meditation and the mind.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 Many forms of meditation,
00:13:36 --> 00:13:40 such as particularly stuff from Eastern religions,
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 but not just Eastern religions,
00:13:42 --> 00:13:45 such as transcendental meditation,
00:13:45 --> 00:13:52 have the goal of emptying your mind of all consciousness.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:57 You get every noise and every thought out of your head
00:13:57 --> 00:14:00 so that you are an empty vessel
00:14:00 --> 00:14:06 in order to discover meaning within yourself.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 Empty yourself and then you'll find meaning within yourself.
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 Seems a little strange to me on one level,
00:14:12 --> 00:14:15 but biblical meditation, on the other hand,
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 is the exact opposite.
00:14:18 --> 00:14:22 Biblical meditation fully engages the mind.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:26 When the first psalm calls us to meditate,
00:14:27 --> 00:14:30 it uses a word that literally means to mutter.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:35 It refers to the fact that,
00:14:35 --> 00:14:37 particularly in ancient times,
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 the scriptures,
00:14:38 --> 00:14:41 the word of God was recited aloud.
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 And it was recited aloud from memory.
00:14:47 --> 00:14:51 And there is no better way to meditate on a passage of the Bible
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 and draw out all of its aspects,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 all of its implications,
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 and all of its richness,
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 than in fact to memorize it
00:14:58 --> 00:15:02 and to chew it over like a good piece of steak
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 or something like that.
00:15:04 --> 00:15:08 Other words translated as meditate in the psalms
00:15:08 --> 00:15:11 mean to ponder and to question thoroughly,
00:15:11 --> 00:15:14 such as you've got Psalm 77 in front of you,
00:15:14 --> 00:15:16 verses 3, 6, and 12.
00:15:16 --> 00:15:22 The first stage of engaging the mind
00:15:22 --> 00:15:25 is to study the passage.
00:15:26 --> 00:15:29 It's to study and interpret the passage
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 so that we get to know something
00:15:31 --> 00:15:34 about what the passage actually means.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:37 You cannot reflect on or enjoy
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 what you do not understand.
00:15:40 --> 00:15:42 And so to understand a section of scripture
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44 means answering two really basic questions.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 There's more questions to ask than this,
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 but two really basic questions about it.
00:15:49 --> 00:15:49 First of all,
00:15:50 --> 00:15:53 what did the original author intend to convey
00:15:53 --> 00:15:57 to his original readers about in this passage?
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 That's the first question.
00:16:00 --> 00:16:02 Not what does it say to me first,
00:16:02 --> 00:16:04 what does it say to them,
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 the first recipients?
00:16:07 --> 00:16:07 And secondly,
00:16:08 --> 00:16:12 what role does this passage play
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 in the whole message of the Bible,
00:16:14 --> 00:16:17 of God's unfolding plan of salvation?
00:16:17 --> 00:16:20 How does it contribute to the gospel message
00:16:20 --> 00:16:26 and a move along the main narrative arc of the Bible,
00:16:26 --> 00:16:29 which climaxes in salvation in Christ Jesus?
00:16:30 --> 00:16:34 Unless you first do that hard work
00:16:34 --> 00:16:36 of answering those questions about a passage,
00:16:36 --> 00:16:40 your meditations on the passage
00:16:40 --> 00:16:45 won't be grounded in what God is actually saying
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 in the passage.
00:16:48 --> 00:16:51 Let me say that one more time.
00:16:52 --> 00:16:54 Unless you do the hard work
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 of studying the passage
00:16:56 --> 00:16:59 in its original meaning
00:16:59 --> 00:17:02 and where it fits in the Bible,
00:17:03 --> 00:17:05 your meditation on the passage
00:17:05 --> 00:17:09 will not be grounded in what God is actually saying.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 When we do that,
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 what we are doing
00:17:14 --> 00:17:16 is we are listening to our own heart
00:17:16 --> 00:17:19 or the spirit of our culture
00:17:19 --> 00:17:23 and imposing that on God's word
00:17:23 --> 00:17:27 instead of listening to God's voice in the Bible.
00:17:27 --> 00:17:30 Martin Luther said
00:17:30 --> 00:17:35 that before he could turn a biblical text
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 into praise,
00:17:38 --> 00:17:43 he first needed to understand it as instruction,
00:17:44 --> 00:17:47 as truthful information.
00:17:48 --> 00:17:51 So biblical meditation is founded
00:17:51 --> 00:17:55 on the work of sound biblical interpretation
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 and study.
00:18:00 --> 00:18:02 But secondly,
00:18:02 --> 00:18:05 meditation and the heart.
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 Biblical meditation
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 is, however,
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 more than just intense thinking.
00:18:13 --> 00:18:15 It's more than just Bible study.
00:18:17 --> 00:18:19 The Bible contains information,
00:18:19 --> 00:18:22 but it's so much more than just information.
00:18:22 --> 00:18:25 It talks about itself
00:18:25 --> 00:18:27 as living and an active agent
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 in Hebrews 4.12.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 Biblical meditation involves
00:18:33 --> 00:18:35 not just mind work,
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38 but heart work as well.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:42 When Paul talks about the word of God
00:18:42 --> 00:18:44 dwelling in us richly
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 in Colossians 3.16,
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 he's clearly talking of something
00:18:48 --> 00:18:51 which is beyond mere ascent to information.
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 He's talking about deep
00:18:53 --> 00:18:56 and penetrating contemplation
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 that enables the Bible's message
00:18:58 --> 00:19:01 to have transforming power in our life.
00:19:03 --> 00:19:06 Biblical meditation is,
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 if you like,
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 tasting that the Lord is good.
00:19:09 --> 00:19:11 It's tasting the scripture.
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 It is delighting in it.
00:19:12 --> 00:19:15 It is sensing the sweetness of the teaching,
00:19:16 --> 00:19:16 feeling the conviction
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 of what it tells us about ourselves,
00:19:18 --> 00:19:20 and thanking God
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 and praising Him
00:19:21 --> 00:19:23 for what it shows us about Him.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:25 It's taking the truth
00:19:25 --> 00:19:27 that we are engaging with our minds
00:19:27 --> 00:19:32 and pushing it
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 into our hearts
00:19:34 --> 00:19:37 until it catches fire
00:19:37 --> 00:19:41 and begins to melt
00:19:41 --> 00:19:43 and shape
00:19:43 --> 00:19:46 and mould our lives
00:19:46 --> 00:19:49 in such a way
00:19:49 --> 00:19:51 that it shapes and moulds
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 our reactions to God
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 and reactions to ourselves
00:19:53 --> 00:19:56 and reaction to the world around us.
00:19:56 --> 00:19:58 It is taking the truth
00:19:58 --> 00:20:00 into all of our relationships.
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 It's to ask the question,
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 what does this mean?
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 Now that I've understood
00:20:04 --> 00:20:06 what this passage meant
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 for the first hearers
00:20:07 --> 00:20:07 as God intended it,
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 what does this passage mean
00:20:09 --> 00:20:11 for my relationship with God?
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 What does it mean
00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 for my relationship to myself?
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 What does it mean
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 for this person,
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 my relationship with this person
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 and that person
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 and this group of people?
00:20:22 --> 00:20:25 Is this or that behaviour
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 or habit,
00:20:26 --> 00:20:28 what does it mean for that?
00:20:28 --> 00:20:30 What does it mean for my friends?
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 What does it mean for my culture?
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 Is there something
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 that I need to stop
00:20:33 --> 00:20:37 because of this passage?
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 Is there something
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 I should start
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 because of this passage?
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 Why might God
00:20:42 --> 00:20:44 be showing me this passage
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 on this day
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 in this moment?
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 What is God doing
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50 now in my life
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 would make this passage
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 relevant to me?
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 You know,
00:20:55 --> 00:20:57 if I'm constantly
00:20:57 --> 00:20:59 engaging in God's word
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 and he's constantly,
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 for instance,
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 bringing out passages
00:21:04 --> 00:21:04 about prayer,
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 is he trying to tell me
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 something about that?
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 If it's sin,
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 is he trying to tell me
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 something about that?
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 These are questions
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 that are very searching.
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 And as you work
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 a truth in,
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 you may be convicted,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 you may be humbled,
00:21:25 --> 00:21:27 you may be troubled,
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 you may be calmed,
00:21:28 --> 00:21:30 you may be comforted,
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 you may be excited,
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 you might be filled
00:21:32 --> 00:21:34 with uncontainable joy.
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 And once you've worked
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 out the truth
00:21:36 --> 00:21:38 and then worked it
00:21:38 --> 00:21:40 in to your heart,
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 the immediate results
00:21:41 --> 00:21:43 may, in fact,
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 vary.
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 Martin Luther was quite realistic
00:21:46 --> 00:21:48 when he said that
00:21:48 --> 00:21:50 sometimes the Holy Spirit
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 begins to immediately
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 preach to your heart
00:21:53 --> 00:21:55 and sometimes
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 he does not.
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 Sometimes,
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 no matter what we do,
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 we simply cannot
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 concentrate
00:22:01 --> 00:22:03 or we find our thoughts
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 to not become big
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 and we find our thoughts
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 not to become affecting
00:22:07 --> 00:22:09 but rather we
00:22:09 --> 00:22:11 sometimes will feel bored
00:22:11 --> 00:22:13 and we will feel hard
00:22:13 --> 00:22:15 and we will feel distracted.
00:22:16 --> 00:22:16 In fact,
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 I even think Psalm 1
00:22:17 --> 00:22:19 is a passage
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 that is
00:22:20 --> 00:22:22 realistic.
00:22:22 --> 00:22:25 it's a tree
00:22:25 --> 00:22:27 by streams of water
00:22:27 --> 00:22:29 sucking in the water
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 consistently.
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 It's a tree
00:22:34 --> 00:22:36 that will always
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 be green
00:22:37 --> 00:22:40 but it only bears
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 its fruit in season.
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 There are seasons
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 where the fruit's
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 just not coming.
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 And when that happens,
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 that's when we should
00:22:51 --> 00:22:53 just simply turn to God.
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 Martin Luther said
00:22:53 --> 00:22:55 we just simply turn to God
00:22:55 --> 00:22:55 and ask for help.
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 And he says
00:22:58 --> 00:23:00 that even if your meditation
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 give you only
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 a renewed
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 gracious sense
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 of your own dryness,
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 your own weakness,
00:23:07 --> 00:23:09 your own insufficiency,
00:23:09 --> 00:23:11 that's not a waste
00:23:11 --> 00:23:11 of time.
00:23:14 --> 00:23:16 This is hard work
00:23:16 --> 00:23:18 and hard work
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 is always
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 hard work
00:23:20 --> 00:23:23 and that is why
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 most prefer
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 the noise
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 of busyness
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 and distraction
00:23:27 --> 00:23:29 and entertainment
00:23:29 --> 00:23:32 to the deafening
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 silence
00:23:33 --> 00:23:35 of being alone
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 and searching
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 the depths
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 of our hearts.
00:23:37 --> 00:23:47 So how do we
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 get the energy
00:23:48 --> 00:23:50 and the motivation
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 to do this
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 hard work?
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 Some of us
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 may have been
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 studying the Bible
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 for decades
00:23:54 --> 00:23:57 but the hard work
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 thing,
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 we're being content
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 in our biblical
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 knowledge
00:23:59 --> 00:24:01 but the hard work
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 thing,
00:24:03 --> 00:24:05 that's even right
00:24:05 --> 00:24:05 now to think
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 about it,
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 it's hard work.
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 How do we get
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 the energy
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 and the motivation
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 to do hard work
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 and especially
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 when we are
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 in a season
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 where it seems
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 there isn't much
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 fruit being produced
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 or in fact
00:24:19 --> 00:24:21 we actually
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 don't like
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 what we see,
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 we don't like
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 what we see.
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 Someone tells us
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 that the godly man
00:24:32 --> 00:24:32 or woman
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 meditates on the
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 law of the Lord
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 day and night
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 and delights
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 in it.
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 The answer
00:24:39 --> 00:24:39 for us
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 in that moment
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 is to look
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 at the central
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 figure of the
00:24:43 --> 00:24:45 entire written
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 word.
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 The one that
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 John 14
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 1 calls
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 the word
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 made flesh.
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 Jesus Christ,
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 the ultimate
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 expression
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 and communication
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 of God
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 and to find
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 our delight
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 in him
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 while we're
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 doing the
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 hard work.
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 Last week,
00:25:08 --> 00:25:08 this is off
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 text,
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 sorry John,
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 just feel
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 late I should
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 say this,
00:25:13 --> 00:25:15 James took us
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 through the
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 Lord's Prayer.
00:25:18 --> 00:25:18 Let me tell you,
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 my general
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 experience when I
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 go through the
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 Lord's Prayer
00:25:21 --> 00:25:21 prayer is I
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 don't get much
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 beyond our
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 Father.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 And that
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 normally breaks
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 me,
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 our Father.
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 And all the
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 implications with
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 that.
00:25:32 --> 00:25:32 And I have
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 moments where I
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 just want to
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 praise and
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 thank God
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 that I,
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 who I am,
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 minuscule as I
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 am,
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 get to call
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 the almighty
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 God of this
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 universe,
00:25:41 --> 00:25:41 Father.
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 And I have
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 this image
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 of little
00:25:44 --> 00:25:47 John Jr.
00:25:47 --> 00:25:49 in the
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 White House
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 under the
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 desk as a
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 two-year-old
00:25:52 --> 00:25:54 while JFK's
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 having a
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 meeting with
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 all the
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 heavies of
00:25:56 --> 00:25:56 the world
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 and the
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 heavies of
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 his
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 administration.
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 No other
00:26:00 --> 00:26:00 two-year-old
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 gets to go
00:26:01 --> 00:26:01 into the
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 Father's
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 presence like
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 that.
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 And yet I
00:26:05 --> 00:26:05 do.
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 But I've
00:26:08 --> 00:26:08 gone through
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 this Lord's
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 Prayer a few
00:26:10 --> 00:26:12 times recently
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 in the last
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 number of
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 months.
00:26:15 --> 00:26:15 And it
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 happened to me
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 again last
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 Sunday.
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 As I was
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 sitting here
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 in church,
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 go through
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 the Lord's
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 Prayer.
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 Bang,
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 bang,
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 bang,
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 bang,
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 bang.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 And I
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 got past
00:26:24 --> 00:26:24 our Father
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 without tears.
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 But inside
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 of me what's
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 been happening
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 lately is I
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 get to the
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 bit,
00:26:31 --> 00:26:31 forgive us
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 our sins
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 as we
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 forgive those
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 who sin
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 against us.
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 And it's
00:26:36 --> 00:26:36 that second
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 statement,
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 those who
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 sin against
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 us,
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 that's right
00:26:40 --> 00:26:40 now is where
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 my heart's
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 leaping.
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 And I
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 think,
00:26:45 --> 00:26:47 hear what,
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 what God's
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 saying.
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 I just
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 prayed a
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 prayer,
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 forgive me
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 my sin
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 as I
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 forgive those
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 who sin
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 against us,
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 sin against
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 me.
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 In the
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 same way
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 that I
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 forgive others,
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 you forgive
00:27:02 --> 00:27:02 me.
00:27:02 --> 00:27:04 sin against
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 me.
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 And I
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 don't get
00:27:07 --> 00:27:07 any further
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 than that.
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 No,
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 God,
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 don't do
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 that.
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 Don't
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 forgive my
00:27:13 --> 00:27:13 sins like
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 I forgive
00:27:14 --> 00:27:14 other sins.
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 And he's
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 been working
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 in my
00:27:16 --> 00:27:18 heart about
00:27:18 --> 00:27:20 unresolved
00:27:20 --> 00:27:22 issues of
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22 resentment
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 towards other
00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 people.
00:27:25 --> 00:27:25 God,
00:27:25 --> 00:27:27 please don't
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 forgive my
00:27:27 --> 00:27:29 sin like I
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 have forgiven
00:27:30 --> 00:27:30 their sin
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 because I
00:27:31 --> 00:27:31 haven't.
00:27:31 --> 00:27:35 what's the
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 solution in
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 the moment
00:27:37 --> 00:27:37 there?
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 The son.
00:27:42 --> 00:27:42 Jesus,
00:27:43 --> 00:27:43 dwell on
00:27:43 --> 00:27:47 the word
00:27:47 --> 00:27:47 who became
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 flesh.
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 Jesus delights
00:27:50 --> 00:27:50 in doing
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 God's will.
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 He's the one
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 who prays day
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 and night,
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 who meditates
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 on his word
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 day and night.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 He's the one
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 who, when he
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 looks to God,
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 experiences the
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 light in his
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 father.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 he's the one
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 who meditated
00:28:01 --> 00:28:03 so profoundly
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 on scripture
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 that he
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 literally bled
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 scripture,
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 quoting it
00:28:07 --> 00:28:09 instinctively in
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 the most extreme
00:28:10 --> 00:28:10 moments of his
00:28:10 --> 00:28:12 life, using the
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 word of God,
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 even when enduring
00:28:13 --> 00:28:15 the infinite agony
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 of the cross.
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 And yet Jesus
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 is not just
00:28:18 --> 00:28:18 simply a good
00:28:18 --> 00:28:20 example for us
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 to follow.
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 If that were
00:28:21 --> 00:28:23 true, his life
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 would crush us.
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 If he was just
00:28:26 --> 00:28:26 an example,
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 his life would
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 crush us with
00:28:29 --> 00:28:29 guilt and with
00:28:29 --> 00:28:31 failure, since
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 no one could
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 meditate on the
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 scripture as he
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 does or live up
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 to what it
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 reveals about God
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 and about us.
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 Jesus is not
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 just an example
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 within the Bible.
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 He is the one
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 to whom the
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 Bible points.
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 And the main
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 message of the
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 Bible is salvation
00:28:49 --> 00:28:51 by grace through
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 Jesus.
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 He forgives me
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 my sin.
00:28:54 --> 00:28:58 It's all about
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 him.
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 The written
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 word and its
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 law can be a
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 delight because
00:29:02 --> 00:29:04 the incarnate
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 word came and
00:29:05 --> 00:29:07 died for us,
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 securing pardon
00:29:09 --> 00:29:11 for our sins
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 and shortcomings
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 for not living up
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 to God's law.
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 You cannot
00:29:15 --> 00:29:17 delight in the
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 law of the
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 Lord without
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 understanding
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 Jesus' entire
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 mission.
00:29:22 --> 00:29:22 conviction.
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 Without
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 Jesus, the
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 law of the
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 Lord is
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 nothing but a
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 curse.
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 It is a
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 condemnation.
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 It is a
00:29:33 --> 00:29:35 witness against
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 us.
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 He obeyed
00:29:37 --> 00:29:39 the law of
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 the Lord
00:29:39 --> 00:29:41 fully, so
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 now it can
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 become a
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 delight to
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 us, even
00:29:44 --> 00:29:48 when we've
00:29:48 --> 00:29:48 been brought
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 to conviction.
00:29:49 --> 00:29:54 Jesus is
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 supremely the
00:29:55 --> 00:29:57 one on
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 whom we
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 meditate
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 because he
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 is the
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 meditation of
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 God.
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 He is God's
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 truth becoming
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 real.
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 He is God's
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 truth made
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 concrete and
00:30:08 --> 00:30:10 applied.
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 Meditate on
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 Jesus who is
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 the ultimate
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 meditation of
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 God.
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 Look at him
00:30:17 --> 00:30:17 loving you.
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 Look at him
00:30:18 --> 00:30:18 dying for you.
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 Look at him
00:30:19 --> 00:30:19 rejoicing in
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 you.
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 Look at all
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 of that.
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 And he will
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 be a delight
00:30:24 --> 00:30:24 to you.
00:30:26 --> 00:30:26 And the
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 law of the
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 Lord will be
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 a delight to
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 you.
00:30:30 --> 00:30:30 And you
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 will be like
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31 a tree
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 planted by
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 streams of
00:30:33 --> 00:30:33 water.
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 And you'll
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 bear your
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 fruit in
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 season, no
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 matter what
00:30:37 --> 00:30:39 happens, your
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 leaf will not
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 wither.
00:30:41 --> 00:30:45 John Calvin
00:30:45 --> 00:30:48 wrote, the
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 word of
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 God is
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 not received
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 by faith
00:30:52 --> 00:30:54 as if it
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 flits about
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 in the top
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 of the
00:30:55 --> 00:30:58 brain, but
00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 when it
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 takes root
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 in the
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 depth of
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 the heart.
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 heart.
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 We must
00:31:06 --> 00:31:06 not settle
00:31:06 --> 00:31:08 for an
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 informed
00:31:09 --> 00:31:09 mind
00:31:09 --> 00:31:11 without an
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 engaged
00:31:12 --> 00:31:12 heart.
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 If we
00:31:15 --> 00:31:17 do, the
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 New Testament
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 calls it
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 Pharisee.
00:31:18 --> 00:31:22 the great
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 prayer by
00:31:23 --> 00:31:23 the Apostle
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 Paul in
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 Ephesians 3
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 suggests that
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 Christians have
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 blessings in
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 Christ that
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 we don't
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 experience.
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 Paul prays
00:31:33 --> 00:31:33 for his
00:31:33 --> 00:31:35 readers that
00:31:35 --> 00:31:37 Christ may
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 dwell in
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 your hearts
00:31:39 --> 00:31:39 through faith
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 in verse
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 17.
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 That they
00:31:43 --> 00:31:43 would know
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 this love
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 of Christ
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 in verses
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 18 and
00:31:47 --> 00:31:47 19.
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 And finally
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 he prays
00:31:50 --> 00:31:50 that they
00:31:50 --> 00:31:50 would be
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 filled with
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 all the
00:31:52 --> 00:31:52 fullness of
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 God in
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 verse 19.
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 They are
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 his three
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 petitions for
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 the church
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 at Ephesus.
00:32:00 --> 00:32:00 And yet
00:32:00 --> 00:32:02 this church
00:32:02 --> 00:32:02 at Ephesus,
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 these Ephesians,
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 were all
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 Christian believers.
00:32:07 --> 00:32:07 In Ephesians 1
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 verses 22
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 and 23,
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 he teaches
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 that by being
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 united with
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 Christ,
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 they already
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 have the
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 fullness of
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 God in
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 them.
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 So why
00:32:18 --> 00:32:18 is Paul
00:32:18 --> 00:32:21 asking God
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 to give
00:32:22 --> 00:32:22 Christians
00:32:22 --> 00:32:24 things that
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 they must
00:32:25 --> 00:32:25 surely already
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 have?
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 Why is he
00:32:28 --> 00:32:28 doing that?
00:32:31 --> 00:32:31 Well, at
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 one level,
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 Christians have
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 these things
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 and at
00:32:35 --> 00:32:35 another level,
00:32:36 --> 00:32:36 they haven't
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 experienced
00:32:37 --> 00:32:37 them yet.
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 It is one
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 thing to
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 know of
00:32:42 --> 00:32:42 the love
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 of Christ
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 and to
00:32:44 --> 00:32:44 say,
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 yeah, I know
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 he did all
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 that for me.
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 I know he
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 went to
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 the cross,
00:32:47 --> 00:32:47 he died,
00:32:47 --> 00:32:47 and he's
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 forgiven my
00:32:48 --> 00:32:48 sins.
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 It's another
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 thing to
00:32:51 --> 00:32:53 grasp how
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 wide and
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 how long and
00:32:55 --> 00:32:57 how high and
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 how deep is
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 the love of
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 Christ.
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 The difference
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 is this.
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 Right now,
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 I've got
00:33:06 --> 00:33:08 three daughters
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 in kids'
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 church,
00:33:10 --> 00:33:12 in somewhere
00:33:12 --> 00:33:12 out there,
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 I'm
00:33:13 --> 00:33:13 assuming.
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 They're my
00:33:16 --> 00:33:16 girls.
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 They're my
00:33:18 --> 00:33:18 children.
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 I'm their
00:33:20 --> 00:33:20 father.
00:33:22 --> 00:33:22 And that
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 is a status
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 that always
00:33:24 --> 00:33:24 exists.
00:33:25 --> 00:33:25 It will
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 always exist.
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 I'll always
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 be their
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 father.
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 They'll
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 always be
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 my girls.
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 If I
00:33:33 --> 00:33:33 walked in
00:33:33 --> 00:33:33 there right
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 now,
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 and if one
00:33:35 --> 00:33:35 of the
00:33:35 --> 00:33:36 leaders of
00:33:36 --> 00:33:36 kids'
00:33:36 --> 00:33:36 church said
00:33:36 --> 00:33:36 to them,
00:33:37 --> 00:33:37 ah,
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 Steve's your
00:33:38 --> 00:33:38 dad,
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 they'd go,
00:33:41 --> 00:33:41 yep.
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 That's
00:33:43 --> 00:33:43 true.
00:33:44 --> 00:33:45 But if I
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 walked into
00:33:46 --> 00:33:46 kids'
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 church right
00:33:47 --> 00:33:47 now,
00:33:48 --> 00:33:48 said,
00:33:48 --> 00:33:48 just excuse
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 me for a
00:33:49 --> 00:33:49 minute,
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 walked in
00:33:51 --> 00:33:51 and picked
00:33:51 --> 00:33:51 up one
00:33:51 --> 00:33:51 of my
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 girls,
00:33:53 --> 00:33:53 and hugged
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 her,
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 and said
00:33:55 --> 00:33:55 to her,
00:33:55 --> 00:33:55 I'm proud
00:33:55 --> 00:33:55 of you
00:33:55 --> 00:33:56 and I
00:33:56 --> 00:33:56 love you.
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 Don't
00:33:59 --> 00:34:00 care what
00:34:00 --> 00:34:00 anyone else
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 is doing
00:34:01 --> 00:34:01 right now,
00:34:02 --> 00:34:02 I just want
00:34:02 --> 00:34:02 you to know
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 that.
00:34:04 --> 00:34:04 Give them
00:34:04 --> 00:34:04 a kiss
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 and put them
00:34:05 --> 00:34:05 back down.
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 They would
00:34:07 --> 00:34:07 know that I
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 am their
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 father in a
00:34:09 --> 00:34:09 slightly
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10 different way.
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 objectively
00:34:13 --> 00:34:14 and legally,
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 there's no
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 difference in
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 my fatherhood,
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 in my
00:34:19 --> 00:34:19 relationship,
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 whether I'm
00:34:21 --> 00:34:21 here or
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 whether I'm
00:34:22 --> 00:34:22 there.
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 It makes
00:34:23 --> 00:34:23 no difference
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 objectively
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 or legally.
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 But in
00:34:27 --> 00:34:28 my arms,
00:34:28 --> 00:34:29 my daughters
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 experience that
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 they are my
00:34:31 --> 00:34:31 children.
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 And what
00:34:35 --> 00:34:35 Paul is
00:34:35 --> 00:34:36 talking about
00:34:36 --> 00:34:37 is the
00:34:37 --> 00:34:37 difference
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 between having
00:34:38 --> 00:34:39 something to
00:34:39 --> 00:34:40 be true of
00:34:40 --> 00:34:40 you in
00:34:40 --> 00:34:41 principle,
00:34:41 --> 00:34:42 all and
00:34:42 --> 00:34:42 fully
00:34:42 --> 00:34:43 appropriating
00:34:43 --> 00:34:43 it,
00:34:44 --> 00:34:44 using it
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 and living
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 in it.
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 In your
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 inner being,
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 in verse
00:34:51 --> 00:34:51 16,
00:34:52 --> 00:34:52 in your
00:34:52 --> 00:34:53 heart,
00:34:53 --> 00:34:54 in verse
00:34:54 --> 00:34:54 17,
00:34:55 --> 00:34:55 it is
00:34:55 --> 00:34:56 possible for
00:34:56 --> 00:34:57 Christians to
00:34:57 --> 00:34:58 live their
00:34:58 --> 00:34:59 lives with
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00 a high
00:35:00 --> 00:35:01 degree of
00:35:01 --> 00:35:02 phoniness,
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 of
00:35:03 --> 00:35:04 hollowness
00:35:04 --> 00:35:04 and
00:35:04 --> 00:35:05 inauthenticity.
00:35:05 --> 00:35:06 reality.
00:35:08 --> 00:35:09 And the
00:35:09 --> 00:35:09 reason is
00:35:09 --> 00:35:11 they have
00:35:11 --> 00:35:12 failed to
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13 move that
00:35:13 --> 00:35:14 truth that
00:35:14 --> 00:35:15 they know in
00:35:15 --> 00:35:16 their mind
00:35:16 --> 00:35:17 into their
00:35:17 --> 00:35:19 hearts and
00:35:19 --> 00:35:19 in such a
00:35:19 --> 00:35:20 way that it's
00:35:20 --> 00:35:21 not actually
00:35:21 --> 00:35:22 changed who
00:35:22 --> 00:35:23 they are and
00:35:23 --> 00:35:24 how they live
00:35:24 --> 00:35:24 from the
00:35:24 --> 00:35:25 inside out.
00:35:26 --> 00:35:27 It's not
00:35:27 --> 00:35:29 until it
00:35:29 --> 00:35:32 drops that
00:35:32 --> 00:35:32 internal change
00:35:32 --> 00:35:33 happens.
00:35:33 --> 00:35:36 up here,
00:35:38 --> 00:35:39 external
00:35:39 --> 00:35:40 change of
00:35:40 --> 00:35:40 behaviours may
00:35:40 --> 00:35:41 happen,
00:35:42 --> 00:35:43 but that's
00:35:43 --> 00:35:44 just called
00:35:44 --> 00:35:44 pharisaism.
00:35:44 --> 00:35:44 pharisaism.
00:35:47 --> 00:35:48 It's not
00:35:48 --> 00:35:48 until the
00:35:48 --> 00:35:49 affections are
00:35:49 --> 00:35:49 moved from
00:35:49 --> 00:35:49 the heart,
00:35:50 --> 00:35:50 internal
00:35:50 --> 00:35:51 change happens
00:35:51 --> 00:35:53 and outward
00:35:53 --> 00:35:54 change happens
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 as a result.
00:35:56 --> 00:35:56 And in
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57 Ephesians 3,
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 Paul is
00:35:58 --> 00:35:59 praying that
00:35:59 --> 00:35:59 by the
00:35:59 --> 00:36:00 Spirit's
00:36:00 --> 00:36:00 power,
00:36:01 --> 00:36:01 we may
00:36:01 --> 00:36:02 have our
00:36:02 --> 00:36:03 hearts and
00:36:03 --> 00:36:04 our affections
00:36:04 --> 00:36:06 engaged and
00:36:06 --> 00:36:07 shaped by the
00:36:07 --> 00:36:07 truths of the
00:36:07 --> 00:36:08 faith that we
00:36:08 --> 00:36:09 hold in the
00:36:09 --> 00:36:09 mind.
00:36:09 --> 00:36:10 Paul says,
00:36:10 --> 00:36:11 I pray that
00:36:11 --> 00:36:11 out of his
00:36:11 --> 00:36:12 glorious riches,
00:36:13 --> 00:36:13 he may
00:36:13 --> 00:36:14 strengthen you
00:36:14 --> 00:36:15 with power
00:36:15 --> 00:36:15 through his
00:36:15 --> 00:36:16 Spirit in
00:36:16 --> 00:36:17 your inner
00:36:17 --> 00:36:18 being so
00:36:18 --> 00:36:19 that you
00:36:19 --> 00:36:20 may grasp
00:36:20 --> 00:36:22 how wide
00:36:22 --> 00:36:22 and long
00:36:22 --> 00:36:23 and high
00:36:23 --> 00:36:24 and deep
00:36:24 --> 00:36:24 is the
00:36:24 --> 00:36:25 love of
00:36:25 --> 00:36:25 Christ.
00:36:25 --> 00:36:26 The word
00:36:26 --> 00:36:27 grasp there
00:36:27 --> 00:36:28 is so
00:36:28 --> 00:36:29 important.
00:36:31 --> 00:36:31 It's
00:36:31 --> 00:36:32 more than
00:36:32 --> 00:36:32 just
00:36:32 --> 00:36:33 believe.
00:36:34 --> 00:36:36 It means
00:36:36 --> 00:36:36 to get a
00:36:36 --> 00:36:37 secure hold
00:36:37 --> 00:36:38 on something.
00:36:39 --> 00:36:39 And
00:36:39 --> 00:36:41 Paul's
00:36:41 --> 00:36:41 prayer
00:36:41 --> 00:36:42 suggests that
00:36:42 --> 00:36:42 Christians
00:36:42 --> 00:36:43 need a
00:36:43 --> 00:36:45 spiritual
00:36:45 --> 00:36:45 grasping,
00:36:46 --> 00:36:46 a spiritual
00:36:46 --> 00:36:48 sensitizing,
00:36:48 --> 00:36:48 all the
00:36:48 --> 00:36:49 truths that
00:36:49 --> 00:36:49 we mouth
00:36:49 --> 00:36:50 and assent
00:36:50 --> 00:36:51 to make
00:36:51 --> 00:36:52 no difference
00:36:52 --> 00:36:53 at all in
00:36:53 --> 00:36:53 how we
00:36:53 --> 00:36:53 live.
00:36:56 --> 00:36:57 If you
00:36:57 --> 00:36:58 are exposed
00:36:58 --> 00:36:58 to the
00:36:58 --> 00:36:59 light
00:36:59 --> 00:37:01 of the
00:37:01 --> 00:37:01 Christian
00:37:01 --> 00:37:02 truth that
00:37:02 --> 00:37:02 God is
00:37:02 --> 00:37:03 holy,
00:37:04 --> 00:37:05 and if the
00:37:05 --> 00:37:06 Holy Spirit
00:37:06 --> 00:37:07 has sensitized
00:37:07 --> 00:37:08 your heart,
00:37:08 --> 00:37:09 then you
00:37:09 --> 00:37:10 not only
00:37:10 --> 00:37:11 respond with
00:37:11 --> 00:37:12 emotion,
00:37:12 --> 00:37:13 with tears
00:37:13 --> 00:37:14 or trembling
00:37:14 --> 00:37:15 or joy,
00:37:16 --> 00:37:18 but you
00:37:18 --> 00:37:18 permanently
00:37:18 --> 00:37:19 change the
00:37:19 --> 00:37:19 way you
00:37:19 --> 00:37:20 live and
00:37:20 --> 00:37:20 behave in
00:37:20 --> 00:37:20 the world.
00:37:23 --> 00:37:24 Now,
00:37:24 --> 00:37:25 no one
00:37:25 --> 00:37:27 expressed
00:37:27 --> 00:37:28 this better
00:37:28 --> 00:37:28 than
00:37:28 --> 00:37:29 Jonathan
00:37:29 --> 00:37:29 Edwards.
00:37:32 --> 00:37:33 In his
00:37:33 --> 00:37:34 sermon,
00:37:35 --> 00:37:35 some would
00:37:35 --> 00:37:36 say the
00:37:36 --> 00:37:36 great
00:37:36 --> 00:37:36 sermon,
00:37:38 --> 00:37:38 divine and
00:37:38 --> 00:37:39 spiritual
00:37:39 --> 00:37:39 light.
00:37:41 --> 00:37:41 Now,
00:37:41 --> 00:37:41 at the
00:37:41 --> 00:37:41 heart of
00:37:41 --> 00:37:42 his
00:37:42 --> 00:37:42 sermon
00:37:42 --> 00:37:44 was a
00:37:44 --> 00:37:45 famous,
00:37:45 --> 00:37:46 what is a
00:37:46 --> 00:37:46 famous
00:37:46 --> 00:37:47 illustration
00:37:47 --> 00:37:47 about
00:37:47 --> 00:37:47 honey.
00:37:49 --> 00:37:49 And
00:37:49 --> 00:37:52 he says
00:37:52 --> 00:37:52 there's two
00:37:52 --> 00:37:53 ways to
00:37:53 --> 00:37:53 know that
00:37:53 --> 00:37:54 honey is
00:37:54 --> 00:37:54 sweet.
00:37:55 --> 00:37:56 You can
00:37:56 --> 00:37:56 read the
00:37:56 --> 00:37:57 ingredients.
00:37:57 --> 00:37:58 I can
00:37:58 --> 00:37:58 tell you
00:37:58 --> 00:37:58 it's sweet.
00:38:00 --> 00:38:00 Probably
00:38:00 --> 00:38:01 there's three
00:38:01 --> 00:38:01 ways to
00:38:01 --> 00:38:01 know.
00:38:02 --> 00:38:03 One way
00:38:03 --> 00:38:03 is the
00:38:03 --> 00:38:04 ingredients.
00:38:05 --> 00:38:07 which is
00:38:07 --> 00:38:07 here
00:38:07 --> 00:38:07 somewhere.
00:38:11 --> 00:38:11 Ingredient.
00:38:12 --> 00:38:12 100%
00:38:12 --> 00:38:12 pure
00:38:12 --> 00:38:13 honey.
00:38:14 --> 00:38:15 That's
00:38:15 --> 00:38:15 not telling
00:38:15 --> 00:38:15 me a
00:38:15 --> 00:38:16 lot.
00:38:16 --> 00:38:17 What if
00:38:17 --> 00:38:17 I said
00:38:17 --> 00:38:18 to you
00:38:18 --> 00:38:19 100%
00:38:19 --> 00:38:19 bee
00:38:19 --> 00:38:19 spit?
00:38:23 --> 00:38:23 Not
00:38:23 --> 00:38:24 compelling.
00:38:24 --> 00:38:24 But I
00:38:24 --> 00:38:25 could tell
00:38:25 --> 00:38:25 you another
00:38:25 --> 00:38:26 thing is
00:38:26 --> 00:38:27 I replace
00:38:27 --> 00:38:27 this stuff
00:38:27 --> 00:38:28 with shoo.
00:38:28 --> 00:38:28 This is
00:38:28 --> 00:38:28 sweet.
00:38:28 --> 00:38:29 This is
00:38:29 --> 00:38:29 really
00:38:29 --> 00:38:29 sweet.
00:38:30 --> 00:38:30 And I
00:38:30 --> 00:38:30 could go
00:38:30 --> 00:38:31 through a
00:38:31 --> 00:38:31 chemical
00:38:31 --> 00:38:32 compound
00:38:32 --> 00:38:32 of why
00:38:32 --> 00:38:32 the bee
00:38:32 --> 00:38:33 spit is
00:38:33 --> 00:38:34 a lot
00:38:34 --> 00:38:34 more
00:38:34 --> 00:38:34 tasty
00:38:34 --> 00:38:35 than
00:38:35 --> 00:38:35 mine.
00:38:35 --> 00:38:36 I could
00:38:36 --> 00:38:36 talk to
00:38:36 --> 00:38:36 you about
00:38:36 --> 00:38:37 chemically
00:38:37 --> 00:38:37 how it's
00:38:37 --> 00:38:38 built up
00:38:38 --> 00:38:38 and you
00:38:38 --> 00:38:38 could sit
00:38:38 --> 00:38:38 there and
00:38:38 --> 00:38:39 go,
00:38:39 --> 00:38:39 well, I
00:38:39 --> 00:38:39 know that's
00:38:39 --> 00:38:40 true.
00:38:40 --> 00:38:40 It's
00:38:40 --> 00:38:40 fantastic.
00:38:41 --> 00:38:42 But what
00:38:42 --> 00:38:42 Edwards said
00:38:42 --> 00:38:43 to make it
00:38:43 --> 00:38:44 absolutely
00:38:44 --> 00:38:45 undisputable,
00:38:45 --> 00:38:46 you take
00:38:46 --> 00:38:46 the lid
00:38:46 --> 00:38:48 off and
00:38:48 --> 00:38:48 you get
00:38:48 --> 00:38:48 a spoon
00:38:48 --> 00:38:50 and you
00:38:50 --> 00:38:50 put it
00:38:50 --> 00:38:50 on your
00:38:50 --> 00:38:50 mouth.
00:38:52 --> 00:38:52 And he
00:38:52 --> 00:38:52 said,
00:38:52 --> 00:38:52 in that
00:38:52 --> 00:38:53 moment,
00:38:53 --> 00:38:54 if you
00:38:54 --> 00:38:54 do not
00:38:54 --> 00:38:55 sense that
00:38:55 --> 00:38:55 honey is
00:38:55 --> 00:38:56 sweet,
00:38:57 --> 00:38:57 I can't
00:38:57 --> 00:38:58 do anything
00:38:58 --> 00:38:58 for you.
00:38:59 --> 00:39:00 I can't
00:39:00 --> 00:39:00 help you
00:39:00 --> 00:39:01 in any
00:39:01 --> 00:39:01 other way.
00:39:05 --> 00:39:08 you
00:39:08 --> 00:39:08 can
00:39:08 --> 00:39:08 know that
00:39:08 --> 00:39:09 honey is
00:39:09 --> 00:39:09 sweet because
00:39:09 --> 00:39:10 people tell
00:39:10 --> 00:39:10 you about
00:39:10 --> 00:39:11 it and
00:39:11 --> 00:39:12 you believe
00:39:12 --> 00:39:12 them,
00:39:13 --> 00:39:13 but when
00:39:13 --> 00:39:14 you actually
00:39:14 --> 00:39:15 taste it,
00:39:16 --> 00:39:18 you know
00:39:18 --> 00:39:19 fully,
00:39:21 --> 00:39:22 mentally as
00:39:22 --> 00:39:23 well as
00:39:23 --> 00:39:24 experientially.
00:39:24 --> 00:39:25 when you
00:39:25 --> 00:39:25 move from
00:39:25 --> 00:39:26 just mentally
00:39:26 --> 00:39:27 knowing about
00:39:27 --> 00:39:27 the sweetness
00:39:27 --> 00:39:28 of honey
00:39:28 --> 00:39:29 to directly
00:39:29 --> 00:39:30 tasting it,
00:39:32 --> 00:39:33 you go,
00:39:34 --> 00:39:34 oh,
00:39:34 --> 00:39:36 now I
00:39:36 --> 00:39:36 know.
00:39:37 --> 00:39:39 Now I
00:39:39 --> 00:39:39 know.
00:39:41 --> 00:39:42 Honey is
00:39:42 --> 00:39:43 one thing,
00:39:43 --> 00:39:43 but God's
00:39:43 --> 00:39:44 another.
00:39:45 --> 00:39:45 There is a
00:39:45 --> 00:39:46 difference between
00:39:46 --> 00:39:47 having an
00:39:47 --> 00:39:47 opinion that
00:39:47 --> 00:39:48 God is holy
00:39:48 --> 00:39:49 and gracious
00:39:49 --> 00:39:50 and having a
00:39:50 --> 00:39:51 sense of
00:39:51 --> 00:39:51 the loveliness
00:39:51 --> 00:39:52 and the
00:39:52 --> 00:39:53 beauty of
00:39:53 --> 00:39:54 that holiness
00:39:54 --> 00:39:55 and graciousness
00:39:55 --> 00:39:55 in the
00:39:55 --> 00:39:56 heart.
00:39:57 --> 00:39:57 And Paul
00:39:57 --> 00:39:58 is asking
00:39:58 --> 00:39:58 here in
00:39:58 --> 00:39:59 Ephesians 3
00:39:59 --> 00:40:00 that the
00:40:00 --> 00:40:01 Holy Spirit
00:40:01 --> 00:40:02 will sensitize
00:40:02 --> 00:40:03 the hearts
00:40:03 --> 00:40:04 of the
00:40:04 --> 00:40:04 Ephesian
00:40:04 --> 00:40:06 believers so
00:40:06 --> 00:40:06 that they
00:40:06 --> 00:40:08 taste the
00:40:08 --> 00:40:08 truths,
00:40:09 --> 00:40:10 spiritually
00:40:10 --> 00:40:10 speaking,
00:40:11 --> 00:40:12 and when
00:40:12 --> 00:40:12 they taste
00:40:12 --> 00:40:13 the truth,
00:40:14 --> 00:40:15 they encounter
00:40:15 --> 00:40:16 God
00:40:16 --> 00:40:18 for who
00:40:18 --> 00:40:18 he is.
00:40:19 --> 00:40:20 And it's a
00:40:20 --> 00:40:21 prayer for us
00:40:21 --> 00:40:21 too.
00:40:23 --> 00:40:24 this is a
00:40:24 --> 00:40:25 prayer for
00:40:25 --> 00:40:25 us,
00:40:26 --> 00:40:27 that we
00:40:27 --> 00:40:28 don't just
00:40:28 --> 00:40:28 know,
00:40:29 --> 00:40:30 but that we
00:40:30 --> 00:40:31 really know,
00:40:32 --> 00:40:33 we taste
00:40:33 --> 00:40:33 that the
00:40:33 --> 00:40:34 Lord is
00:40:34 --> 00:40:34 good.
00:40:37 --> 00:40:38 So I
00:40:38 --> 00:40:38 want to ask
00:40:38 --> 00:40:38 you,
00:40:39 --> 00:40:40 have you
00:40:40 --> 00:40:41 grown too
00:40:41 --> 00:40:41 accustomed to
00:40:41 --> 00:40:42 the
00:40:42 --> 00:40:43 acedia of
00:40:43 --> 00:40:43 our age,
00:40:45 --> 00:40:45 where the
00:40:45 --> 00:40:47 purposelessness
00:40:47 --> 00:40:49 is disguised
00:40:49 --> 00:40:50 as constant
00:40:50 --> 00:40:51 commotion?
00:40:53 --> 00:40:53 Maybe you,
00:40:54 --> 00:40:54 in fact,
00:40:55 --> 00:40:55 something happened
00:40:55 --> 00:40:56 to you in
00:40:56 --> 00:40:56 that moment
00:40:56 --> 00:40:57 when I
00:40:57 --> 00:40:58 said and
00:40:58 --> 00:40:58 repeated,
00:40:59 --> 00:41:00 do you
00:41:00 --> 00:41:00 feel the
00:41:00 --> 00:41:02 strange mix
00:41:02 --> 00:41:03 of busyness
00:41:03 --> 00:41:04 and yet
00:41:04 --> 00:41:05 lifelessness?
00:41:07 --> 00:41:07 The
00:41:07 --> 00:41:08 hyperactivity
00:41:08 --> 00:41:09 of today's
00:41:09 --> 00:41:09 contemporary
00:41:09 --> 00:41:11 society and
00:41:11 --> 00:41:12 our cultural
00:41:12 --> 00:41:14 attention
00:41:14 --> 00:41:15 deficit
00:41:15 --> 00:41:15 disorder
00:41:15 --> 00:41:17 make slow
00:41:17 --> 00:41:18 reflection and
00:41:18 --> 00:41:19 meditation a
00:41:19 --> 00:41:19 lost art.
00:41:21 --> 00:41:21 Friends,
00:41:21 --> 00:41:22 there is no
00:41:22 --> 00:41:24 quick fix,
00:41:24 --> 00:41:25 there is no
00:41:25 --> 00:41:26 simple formula
00:41:26 --> 00:41:28 to going
00:41:28 --> 00:41:29 deeper in
00:41:29 --> 00:41:29 prayer.
00:41:31 --> 00:41:32 It takes
00:41:32 --> 00:41:33 time,
00:41:34 --> 00:41:35 it takes
00:41:35 --> 00:41:36 planning,
00:41:37 --> 00:41:38 and it
00:41:38 --> 00:41:39 takes constant
00:41:39 --> 00:41:39 attention.
00:41:43 --> 00:41:45 And there
00:41:45 --> 00:41:45 is little
00:41:45 --> 00:41:46 more than I
00:41:46 --> 00:41:47 can say
00:41:47 --> 00:41:47 time.
00:41:47 --> 00:41:48 If you
00:41:48 --> 00:41:48 have a
00:41:48 --> 00:41:48 time,
00:41:48 --> 00:41:50 then stop
00:41:50 --> 00:41:50 it.
00:41:51 --> 00:41:52 Take back
00:41:52 --> 00:41:53 the time.
00:41:54 --> 00:41:54 Don't tell
00:41:54 --> 00:41:54 me you
00:41:54 --> 00:41:55 haven't got
00:41:55 --> 00:41:55 time.
00:41:56 --> 00:41:57 Take back
00:41:57 --> 00:41:58 the time.
00:42:00 --> 00:42:01 Turn off
00:42:01 --> 00:42:01 the TV.
00:42:02 --> 00:42:03 Put down
00:42:03 --> 00:42:03 the phone.
00:42:05 --> 00:42:06 Start saying
00:42:06 --> 00:42:06 no to your
00:42:06 --> 00:42:07 children.
00:42:08 --> 00:42:09 Or whatever
00:42:09 --> 00:42:10 it is that's
00:42:10 --> 00:42:11 filling your
00:42:11 --> 00:42:11 diaries.
00:42:12 --> 00:42:12 Put down
00:42:12 --> 00:42:12 the novels,
00:42:13 --> 00:42:13 put down
00:42:13 --> 00:42:14 the magazines,
00:42:14 --> 00:42:14 put down
00:42:14 --> 00:42:15 whatever it
00:42:15 --> 00:42:15 is,
00:42:16 --> 00:42:17 and seek
00:42:17 --> 00:42:17 the face
00:42:17 --> 00:42:18 of God.
00:42:20 --> 00:42:21 There's no
00:42:21 --> 00:42:22 other way
00:42:22 --> 00:42:24 than to
00:42:24 --> 00:42:24 take back
00:42:24 --> 00:42:25 the time.
00:42:28 --> 00:42:29 Only he
00:42:29 --> 00:42:29 can fill
00:42:29 --> 00:42:30 the hole.
00:42:31 --> 00:42:32 Keep buying
00:42:32 --> 00:42:33 new cars,
00:42:33 --> 00:42:35 keep searching
00:42:35 --> 00:42:35 for more
00:42:35 --> 00:42:36 information on
00:42:36 --> 00:42:36 Google,
00:42:38 --> 00:42:39 look at,
00:42:39 --> 00:42:39 see what's
00:42:39 --> 00:42:40 happening with
00:42:40 --> 00:42:40 the weather
00:42:40 --> 00:42:40 for the
00:42:40 --> 00:42:41 tenth time
00:42:41 --> 00:42:42 today.
00:42:42 --> 00:42:42 Today,
00:42:42 --> 00:42:46 only he
00:42:46 --> 00:42:47 can fill
00:42:47 --> 00:42:47 the hole,
00:42:48 --> 00:42:48 only he
00:42:48 --> 00:42:49 can be the
00:42:49 --> 00:42:49 delight of
00:42:49 --> 00:42:50 your heart.
00:42:51 --> 00:42:51 And you
00:42:51 --> 00:42:52 will only
00:42:52 --> 00:42:53 discover the
00:42:53 --> 00:42:53 delight of
00:42:53 --> 00:42:54 your heart
00:42:54 --> 00:42:54 as you
00:42:54 --> 00:42:55 meditate
00:42:55 --> 00:42:56 on his
00:42:56 --> 00:42:57 word to
00:42:57 --> 00:42:57 you.
00:43:03 --> 00:43:04 Only he
00:43:04 --> 00:43:04 can fill
00:43:04 --> 00:43:04 the hole.
00:43:07 --> 00:43:07 That's
00:43:07 --> 00:43:08 because in
00:43:08 --> 00:43:08 the Garden
00:43:08 --> 00:43:09 of Eden,
00:43:09 --> 00:43:11 we
00:43:11 --> 00:43:12 sinned
00:43:12 --> 00:43:13 and we
00:43:13 --> 00:43:14 lost the
00:43:14 --> 00:43:15 face of
00:43:15 --> 00:43:15 God.
00:43:18 --> 00:43:19 This was
00:43:19 --> 00:43:20 the greatest
00:43:20 --> 00:43:21 disaster
00:43:21 --> 00:43:22 possible for
00:43:22 --> 00:43:23 humanity
00:43:23 --> 00:43:24 because we
00:43:24 --> 00:43:25 were designed
00:43:25 --> 00:43:27 by God
00:43:27 --> 00:43:27 in his
00:43:27 --> 00:43:28 image to
00:43:28 --> 00:43:28 live in a
00:43:28 --> 00:43:29 unique,
00:43:29 --> 00:43:30 perfect,
00:43:31 --> 00:43:32 in the
00:43:32 --> 00:43:33 marvelous light
00:43:33 --> 00:43:33 of his
00:43:33 --> 00:43:34 presence.
00:43:34 --> 00:43:34 presence.
00:43:35 --> 00:43:36 We were
00:43:36 --> 00:43:37 designed to
00:43:37 --> 00:43:39 exist in
00:43:39 --> 00:43:39 his
00:43:39 --> 00:43:40 presence.
00:43:41 --> 00:43:41 We were
00:43:41 --> 00:43:42 created to
00:43:42 --> 00:43:43 be constantly
00:43:43 --> 00:43:45 encountering
00:43:45 --> 00:43:45 him.
00:43:47 --> 00:43:48 And ever
00:43:48 --> 00:43:49 since the
00:43:49 --> 00:43:49 Garden of
00:43:49 --> 00:43:50 Eden,
00:43:51 --> 00:43:51 humanity
00:43:51 --> 00:43:52 has wandered
00:43:52 --> 00:43:54 empty and
00:43:54 --> 00:43:55 destitute,
00:43:55 --> 00:43:56 looking for
00:43:56 --> 00:43:57 every kind
00:43:57 --> 00:43:58 of substitute
00:43:58 --> 00:44:00 to fill the
00:44:00 --> 00:44:00 gaping hole
00:44:00 --> 00:44:01 in our
00:44:01 --> 00:44:01 hearts
00:44:01 --> 00:44:03 because we
00:44:03 --> 00:44:03 do not
00:44:03 --> 00:44:04 have an
00:44:04 --> 00:44:04 encounter
00:44:04 --> 00:44:05 with God.
00:44:06 --> 00:44:06 We do
00:44:06 --> 00:44:07 not exist
00:44:07 --> 00:44:07 in his
00:44:07 --> 00:44:08 presence.
00:44:09 --> 00:44:09 In
00:44:09 --> 00:44:10 Exodus 32,
00:44:10 --> 00:44:11 Moses
00:44:11 --> 00:44:12 realized that
00:44:12 --> 00:44:13 if I could
00:44:13 --> 00:44:14 just get
00:44:14 --> 00:44:14 once again
00:44:14 --> 00:44:15 that encounter
00:44:15 --> 00:44:15 with God,
00:44:15 --> 00:44:16 if I could
00:44:16 --> 00:44:17 just see
00:44:17 --> 00:44:19 God face
00:44:19 --> 00:44:20 to face,
00:44:20 --> 00:44:20 he said
00:44:20 --> 00:44:21 all of my
00:44:21 --> 00:44:22 longings
00:44:22 --> 00:44:22 would be
00:44:22 --> 00:44:23 fulfilled.
00:44:24 --> 00:44:25 And so
00:44:25 --> 00:44:26 he asked
00:44:26 --> 00:44:26 to see
00:44:26 --> 00:44:26 it,
00:44:27 --> 00:44:28 but he
00:44:28 --> 00:44:29 couldn't
00:44:29 --> 00:44:30 because sin
00:44:30 --> 00:44:30 was a
00:44:30 --> 00:44:31 barrier.
00:44:31 --> 00:44:33 And in
00:44:33 --> 00:44:34 Jesus,
00:44:34 --> 00:44:35 that sin
00:44:35 --> 00:44:36 has been
00:44:36 --> 00:44:36 taken away
00:44:36 --> 00:44:38 and we
00:44:38 --> 00:44:38 can begin
00:44:38 --> 00:44:39 to see
00:44:39 --> 00:44:40 again.
00:44:42 --> 00:44:42 Though
00:44:42 --> 00:44:43 only
00:44:43 --> 00:44:43 partially
00:44:43 --> 00:44:45 this side
00:44:45 --> 00:44:46 of heaven
00:44:46 --> 00:44:48 and by
00:44:48 --> 00:44:48 faith,
00:44:49 --> 00:44:50 we can
00:44:50 --> 00:44:51 see again
00:44:51 --> 00:44:52 the light
00:44:52 --> 00:44:52 of the
00:44:52 --> 00:44:53 glory of
00:44:53 --> 00:44:53 God in
00:44:53 --> 00:44:53 the face
00:44:53 --> 00:44:54 of Christ
00:44:54 --> 00:44:55 and when
00:44:55 --> 00:44:56 we meditate
00:44:56 --> 00:44:57 and we
00:44:57 --> 00:44:57 pray the
00:44:57 --> 00:44:58 gospel
00:44:58 --> 00:44:59 and its
00:44:59 --> 00:45:00 auxiliary
00:45:00 --> 00:45:00 truths
00:45:00 --> 00:45:01 into our
00:45:01 --> 00:45:02 hearts,
00:45:02 --> 00:45:04 those longings
00:45:04 --> 00:45:05 for the
00:45:05 --> 00:45:05 face of
00:45:05 --> 00:45:06 God
00:45:06 --> 00:45:07 are slowly
00:45:07 --> 00:45:08 satisfied
00:45:08 --> 00:45:10 and other
00:45:10 --> 00:45:10 things in
00:45:10 --> 00:45:11 life
00:45:11 --> 00:45:13 become
00:45:13 --> 00:45:13 gifts
00:45:13 --> 00:45:15 rather than
00:45:15 --> 00:45:15 God's.
00:45:17 --> 00:45:17 And we
00:45:17 --> 00:45:18 slowly but
00:45:18 --> 00:45:19 surely and
00:45:19 --> 00:45:20 radically change
00:45:20 --> 00:45:21 in our
00:45:21 --> 00:45:21 character
00:45:21 --> 00:45:22 and in
00:45:22 --> 00:45:23 all of
00:45:23 --> 00:45:23 our
00:45:23 --> 00:45:24 relationships.
00:45:24 --> 00:45:24 relationships.
00:45:26 --> 00:45:27 So take
00:45:27 --> 00:45:27 back the
00:45:27 --> 00:45:28 time and
00:45:28 --> 00:45:29 encounter
00:45:29 --> 00:45:30 God by
00:45:30 --> 00:45:31 meditating on
00:45:31 --> 00:45:31 his word
00:45:31 --> 00:45:33 and prayer.
00:45:33 --> 00:45:33 prayer.