Sermon Tone Analysis

*Today* were to *continue* teaching on the *divine order of faith*.

*So far* we’ve *covered* *STEP 1* which is to *IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM*: *STEP 2* *Make A **QUALITY DECISION*: *STEP 3* *FIND THE EVIDENCE* *or* *FIND **THE PROMISE IN THE WORD OF GOD*.

*STEP No. 4* is *twofold* 1st of all you need to *understand the importance of hearing the Word* of God.

(*Romans 4:17*) says, “*Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God*.”

And the *2nd* part of No. 4 used to *make a conscious effort to hear the Word* of God.

*I) **One* *spiritual truth* that *we have seen* so far in our study of “GOD’S DIVINE ORDER OF FAITH” *is that* *God’s Word is spiritual “SEED.”*

*A) *In *that seed contains* *the **fruit* *to whatever it is*.

*1) **For example*: if you have a *radish seed* that seed *has* the *ability to **produce** a **radish*.

If you have a *carrot seed* that seed *has* the *ability to **produce** a **carrot*.

*a) **It’s the **same* thing *with the Word* of God.

*That promise* *in the Word* of God *is a seed* *and it has the ability to produce* *that promise in your life*.

*(i) **The promise** (**1Pet 2:24**) that says*, *“By **Jesus stripes** you are healed”* *is** a **seed* *but **that seed** has the **ability** to **produce healing* for your body.

*2) **Hearing the Word* of God *and* *hearing** it **again* *is like water to the seed*, *it is a necessary part for that seed to grow and then produce*.

*B) **Step 5* *is an **essential** part to **getting** that **seed to grow** and produce a harvest*.

*1) **Step 5*, *which is* *“MEDITATION”*, *is an essential part* *to receiving the promises of God*.

*a) **Let me say this about meditation* before we get into it any further.

*(i) **Many times* when *we **hear* *the word* *meditation* *we **confuse it** with* *eastern occult** practice* *or* with *Buddhism*.

*(ii) **But **meditation* *is a very **scriptural** word* *found in the Bible many times*.

*(a) *But *the problem* *is that there is a **counterfeit** **meditation*.

*God created meditation for his people to use*, *but Satan has tried to twist what God has created*.

*(b) **We’re **not** **trying** to **take** a **tool** from the **Devil’s kingdom* *and used for God*, *but** **rather** apply a **scriptural principal* *for **getting* *his **Word** deep **into** our **hearts*.

*b) **Very simply* the Word *“**MEDITATION**”* *means* *“to dwell on something in thought”*, *to **turnover** in your mind or to **ponder*.

*(i) *But *Bible meditation* *also **involves** the use of the **imagination*.

*(a) **When you **imagine something** **you **see it** in your* *“MIND’S EYE.”*

*(b) **Your **imagination** is **something** that **God created* in every one of us.

*(c) **It can be **used** for the **Glory of God* *to **bring** about God’s **promises*, *but** it **can be **used in a **perverted** way* *to bring about **wicked** results*.

*(d) *But *if we study the **Word* of God *we’ll find out the **reason* *why **God created** the **imagination* *and* *what he **intended** it for*, *once we do* *we’ll **find astonishing results*.

*C) *All right *let’s go to the Word* of God *to see what the Bible says about the imagination*.

Turn with me to the *Genesis 11:4-6*

*1) *Here we have a *group** of **ungodly people*.

*But because* they were *unified in purpose* God said *they could **accomplish** **anything* *they **could** **IMAGINE*.

*Nothing could hold them back*.

*a) **Because of their **UNITY** and **IMAGINATION* *God said*, *“I’ve got to put stop to this.”*

*(i) **Of course* *they **used** their **imagination** in a **wrong** way* *but** if we **learn** to use it **Gods way* *it will **become** a valuable **weapon** in your spiritual artillery*.

*(a) **Your **imagination** can **bring** you to a **place of overcoming*, *but we need to use it **God’s way*.

*II) *Turn with a to *Joshua 1:8*

*A) *All right, *let’s **break** his **verse** **down* *to get some understanding of God’s purpose for the imagination*.

*1) **1st*, it *says*, *“This book of the law shall not depart out of my mount.”*

*a) **One thing you need to know is that* *“THIS BOOK OF THE LAW”* that Joshua refers to *is the **5 first books of the Bible*; *it is the **Word of God*.

*b) **In this verse* *Joshua also confirms* something we ministered on last week and that is the *importance of hearing** the **Word** of God*.

Joshua said that *this book of a law will* *not** **depart** **out of my mouth*, *he would **speak it* *and* he would *hear it*.

*2) **The **next part** of this verse says **“But thou shalt meditate therein day and night.”*

*a) **In other words* *take God’s Word and **ponder it*, *dwell on it*.

*Take it** **and** **turn over and over again** **in your mind*.

*b) **This word* *“MEDITATE”* *in the Hebrew* *can also mean*, *“TO IMAGINE.”*

*(i) **Use your imagination** to **see yourself doing the Word*.

*c) **What does meditating* *the **Word* *day and night **empower you to do?*

*(i) **You meditate** so* *“Thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein.”*

*(a) **In other words*, *it empowers you to live what you see in your Bible*.

*d) **Let me give **you** an **example*, *many* times when *Christians* *read* *(Malachi 3:10)* *and* *they **realize** they are **supposed to tithe*, *but **because of the limited resources* *they are **griped with fear*, *and say, **“I can’t afford to tithe.”*

*(i) **They **can’t see themselves tithing* *and** **prospering** **as a result of it*.

*(ii) **But** **when they began to meditate on* *(Malachi 3:10)* *which says*, *“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”*

*(iii) **Eventually* *they began to see themselves giving their tithe* *and* *the windows of heaven being opened* *and** **the blessings of God being poured out upon them*.

*(iv) **Soon all fear is gone* *and* *it is replaced with faith*.

*They start tithing and reaping God’s blessings **of financial prosperity*.

*3) **The **last part* of *(Joshua 1:8)* *says, **“For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success.”*

*a) **Prosperity and success* *is **inevitable** for the **person** that is a **meditator* *and** **doer of God’s Word*.

*B) **The **Bible** is **full of scriptures** that **promise** **blessings and increased* *for those who will **meditate* *on the Word*.

*C) *Turn with me to *Psalm 1:1-3*

*1) **Who** is the one that **is prospering in this verse?*

*It’s **the one who meditates Gods Word** day and night*.

*III) *Turn with me to *Matthew 5:27-28*

*A) **When Jesus uses the Word* *“HEART”* *at the end of **verse 28*, *the **Word* *“HEART”* *refers to the **“SPIRIT”.*

*1) **But when Jesus said*, *“When man looks on a woman to lust after her”* *what is the man doing?* *He’s using his imagination* *to see something or do something in his minds eye*.

*2) **But **what I wanted you see* *in this verse* *is that when we use our imagination** **to see ourselves doing something* *bad or good* *according to Jesus** **it’s already done in the heart* *or* *IT’S ALREADY DONE IN THE SPIRIT*.

*kardia*/ kardia/

*3) **Mark 11:23-24*

*a) *The same Greek word *kardia*/ kardia/

*b) *Now he says, *“and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”*

*c) **Where does the believing come from?* *The heart*.

*How do you get it in the heart?*

*By meditating on it* *and* *imagining it*.

*4) **Can you see the **importance** and the **power** in **meditation**?*

*5) **Sometimes** **Christians** **confuse** **reading the Word* of God *or* *memorizing scripture* *with meditation*.

*a) **Remember* *meditation** is **continuously pondering** the Word* of God, *letting it go over and over in your mind*.

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*B) *All right, I want to look at some of the *scriptural definitions* *to the Word* *“MEDITATE”.*

*1) **We already gave* you *one definition* *to* the Word *“MEDITATE”* and *that was* *“IMAGINATION”*, *but* *another* *definition* to the Word MEDITATE *is* *“MUTTER”*.

*a) *A *simple definition* *to* the Word *“MUTTER”* *is* *“TO SPEAK TO ONESELF.”*

*(i) **A very effective method of meditation* *involves* *speaking a verse or 2* *to yourself*.

*(a) **“Won’t people think of crazy when I start speaking to myself?”* *They won’t when they see the change in your life*.

*(ii) **Besides that*, *speaking to yourself is biblical.

(Ephesians 5:19)* *says*, “*Speaking to yourselves in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord*.”

*(iii) **Speaking or singing the Word to yourself is an excellent way to meditate on the things of God*.

*2) **Another definition* to the word *“MEDITATE”* is *similar* to *“MUTTER OR SPEAKING TO YOURSELF”* and that is *“TALK IT.”*

*3) **That means* *to speak it out loud* *or* to *speak it loudly*.

*C) *Look at *Psalms 77:12*; *Psalms 19:14*; *Psalms 49:3*

*1) **When you begin to speak God’s Word out of your mouth*, *weather it’s in your own house by yourself* *or* *speaking it to a friend*, *when you speak about God’s faithfulness to meet all your needs* *it begins to stir you up and causes you to stand in faith*.

*II) **But* that *also works in the negative too*.

*A) **If you go around talking about how big a failure you are*, then *it won’t be long until you start expecting failure*, *because seeds of failure have been sown in your heart*.

*Failure has become your meditation*.

*1) **That’s why God is so opposed to sins of the tongue*, *things a gossiping*, *backbiting*, and *slander*.

*a) **Those are forms of meditation that sink into a heart like deadly poison*.

*b) **(Proverbs 18:8)* *says*, *“The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the inner most parts of the belly (spirit).”*

*2) **Another definition* *to* the Word “*MEDITATE*” *is* *“PONDER”* which I have *made reference to before*.

*a) **“TO PONDER”* *means* *“TO THINK ON SOMETHING OVER AND OVER AGAIN.”*

*(i) **In other words* *if you’re sick*, *you need to take* (*1st* *Peter 2:24*) which says, *“By Jesus stripes ye were healed” and go over and over it in your mind.”*

*(ii) **You need to keep on thinking on that* *and pondering on that* *until it becomes absolute reality on the inside of you*.

*B) **If your still not sure you understand how to meditate* *or* *what to meditate on* *let me make it very practical*.

*1) **Go to the Word* of God *and find a verse of scripture that promises* *an answer to your current need*.

*Spend about 15 minutes* *meditating on it*.