Acceptable Meditation of My Heart - Dan Weaver

Greetings in the precious name of Jesus this morning. It's

privileged to be here. I have been blessed and the

singing and the devotional Sunday school this morning. It's also

I too want to welcome the CBS students here for

the reunion and other visitors as well. But it's it

feels special to me to be able to have close

to half or maybe a little over half of the

student body from this year here this weekend to share

in our home and here in our home church this morning.

And I'm sorry you have to hear from me again,

but it's my turn to share the message this morning.

So welcome you and welcome each one. Open your bibles.

A Palm night Team is a very familiar Psalm, and

it's probably as you think about Psalm nineteen or when

those you Bible scholars, you probably don't necessarily think of

the verse that I'm or especially the phrase that I'm

going to focus on this morning, because I'm going clear

to the last verse. So the first part of Psalm

talks about worshiping or praising God and creation. It talks

about God's word. We're going to look at that a

little more. But the last verse is, Let the words

of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be

acceptable in my sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

And the phrase the phrase I had that I guess

I've been meditating on. You're going to hear some of

my thoughts this morning are the meditation of my heart.

And the title of my message is acceptable meditation of

my heart. Let the meditation of my heart be acceptable

to you in my sight, O Lord, my strength and

my Redeemer. So I believe to get this in context,

we are going to read this Psalm together, So I'll

read it now. Psalm nineteen, verse one. The heavens declare

the glory of God and the Firmanent showeth his handiwork

day and today utter a speech, and night unto night

showeth knowledge. There is no speech, no language where their

voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through

all the earth, and their words to the end of

the world. In them hath he said a tabernacle for

the sun, which is as a bridegroom, cometh out of

his chamber and rejoiceth as a strong man to run

a race. His going forth is from the end of

the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it,

and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof the

law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The

testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.

The commandment of the Lord is pure and lightening the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The

judgment of the Lord. That excuse me, The judgments of

the Lord are true and righteous. Altogether more to be

desired are they than gold. Gave them much fine gold,

sweeter also than honey, and the honeycomb. Moreover by them

is thy servant worn, and in keeping of them there

is great reward. Who can understand his errors. Cleanse thou

me from secret faults, Keep back thy servant also from

presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me. Then

shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from

the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and

the meditation of my heart be acceptable in my sight,

O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. So Verse one

through six is God's declaration through through creation. It says,

the heavens declare the glory of God. It's it's God's message.

His creation is his message to to mankind especially, and

his permanent showeth his handiwork. It's a demonstration and it's

it's part of the of the Word of God is

his creation and the mighty work he has he has done.

And it says it says that in verse three that

there is no speech or language where their voice is

not heard. It doesn't need a translator. Now, I've spent

some time in some countries, different countries the last while

I didn't know the native language, and even in England.

It's a little rough sometimes because it's enough different. But

saying in God's in God's Declaration of Creation, there is

no interpreter needed, there's no translation needed. It's like sometimes

it said that a smile is something that can be

spoken in any language. It's just an example. It's something

that what it does, what it translates to people, and

then it goes on and gives an example. He's not

this isn't like he's not doing an exhaustive example of

God's creation. You can see more of that in more places,

especially if you go into job. There's chapters of questions

and questions about considering the God's creation and we could

go there and consider God's word in creation this morning.

But the Psalmists here almost David, I believe, chose one,

one object lesson and he chose the sun. And it

says he his lines has gone out through all the earth,

and there and their words the end of the world

in them, in God's words, and all encompassing the one

that inhabits eternity. He made a tabernacle for the sun,

which means he made a tent or a resting place.

He made a place for the sun. And I don't

know about you, but when I think of the sun,

I think of it as the most obvious, most uncontrollable

piece of our cosmos. It's close, and when it's out

shining on us in the heat, it seems like is

we feel that force well as we know we're protected

by the atmosphere, and it's much stronger than that. But

God made a place for it, and he did that

with his word. And he not only made a place

where he says, it's like a bridegroom that comes out

of the chamber marching fourth and rejoices as a strong

man to run a race. And it runs its course.

And I believe it's just another one of those things

that every day is a miracle, and as the sun

comes up and goes down, but it's very predictable, and

its course is very set, and we some of those

some of those miracles become so so normal to us

that we just forget how amazing it is. And then

going on to verse six, So but his going forces

from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto

the ends of it, and there is nothing hid from

the heat thereof that circuit is set. And God set

that circuit. He not only made the place for it,

he confines it for us, and that is another part

of his of his power. It's just that this is

just one example, and every example in creation is another

part of God's majesty, and the majesty that God communicates

to us and declares to those of us who are

in it. We sang this morning. That song is number fourteen.

I don't remember the title right now, but the verse

on top was Asalm one hundred and fifty, verse six,

Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Let everything

that hath breath praise the Lord. And you know, I

believe that humans are the only ones that fall short sometimes,

and that's our responsibility too. Because God has spoken, God

has declared his majesty. It is our response ability to

respond to it. Going on then verses seven to eleven,

and eleven is sort of transitional. Talks about the law

or the Word of God. Talks about the law of

the Lord, the testimonies of the Lord, the commandments of

the Lord, the fear of the Lord, fear of God,

judgments of the Lord. And it seems like as David

is writing, is and when he says the law of

the Lord is perfect converting the soul, it seems like,

especially if you're take in the context as he keeps going,

that he's not just talking about the Pentituk or the

Torah or the first five books of the Bible as

the law that was defined as the law. But it

seems like he's encompassing more of the Word of the Lord.

And he says, and what's interesting here, And I believe

that Psalm nineteen probably contains many of our if we

have favorite verse or favorite verses, many of them be

contained in it. Probably many of us have memorized much

of this. But this is a beautiful picture of the

Word of God. What it is and what it does.

And remember, the word of God isn't there just to

be there. Of course, in some of these things we

start talking thinking about and we can't wrap our mind

around them, and so we should probably stop before we start,

because what was the word of God liked before creation?

Before God created in his word? What was his word?

But we don't know that. We don't know how to

live without time either. That we are in time, and

we are in the time of God's word to mankind.

And so that's what we're considering, and that's what the

Psalmist was considering here this morning. And so God not

only declares himself through creation, he declares himself through his word,

through his written word, and through his spirit. But it's

also it's not just declaring, it's declaring for a purpose.

And that's what these verses bring out. It's perfect. The

law of the Lord's perfect. It converts the soul, it

changes people. The testimony of the Lord is sure making

why is the simple? And we know the verse The

fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And

I think all of us have this innate desire to

be wise. We want to be wiser, But do we

remember that the source of wisdom really comes from God,

from God's word, and it makes wise the simple. And

he I believe, just as John the Baptist, Jesus said,

who went you out to see him in the camel's hair,

the one that was simple? And I believe that God

reaches the simple and those that are trusting with simple

trust in Him rather than those with worldly wisdom many times.

And of course we know He has ways of appealing

to those with worldly wisdom as well. We shouldn't limit God.

It's verse eight. The statues of the Lord are right,

right or their truth rejoicing the heart. You think about,

at least for me. Some one of the conundrums of

life is when it is the unknown, and it's the unknown,

whether it's a decision, it's an unknown what lies beyond,

sometimes further than we can see. But one thing that

happens is when we stick with truth, we can rejoice.

We don't have to have that anxiety. And the statues

of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment

of the Lord is pure and enlightening the eyes. The

fear of the Lord is clean, clean, and it endures forever.

It doesn't go away. And the judgments are true and

righteous all together. It seems like this is a little

maybe emphasizing that thing of God's righteousness is truth. It's

something we can we can depend on, we can put

our life on it. They're true and righteous all together.

They're precious, and it says in verse ten, they're more

to be desired than gold, even much fine gold. And

I suppose that it's also something that's fairly human in

some level. We all have a certain desire for gold,

and we know we can have desires for gold that

are are not legitimate, are there coveteousness. But we also

know that it takes a certain amount of gold or

wealth to live. But it says this is more to

be desired. And it's sweet, sweeter than the honey in

the honeycomb. And those are two beautiful analogies that we

think about in the Word of God. And as we

think about the Word of God, this verse probably often

comes to mind. That is full of riches and is

very sweet. Now, if we know all that, I don't

think I told any of you anything new this morning.

If we know that the Word of God is full

of riches and very and very sweet, how much time

with that knowledge, have you been spending in the word

of God? In God's word and meditation? Because remember, God's

word isn't just the printed text. Let the words of

my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable.

And then verse eleven, moreover, in them is thy servant worn,

and in keeping of them there is great reward. Let's

think of a little bit about the words of God

versus the words of my mouth. As we go through

the rest of this, it speaks more of our response.

So we looked at that at the purpose God's purpose,

But what is our response? And that's where I would

like to go with the rest of our time this morning,

looking at verses eleven to fourteen. But first let's think

a little bit about God's words versus my word or

the words of my mouth. And in a way, it

feels almost like sacrilege to even try to make comparisons there.

But as we mentioned, God's word includes the written word,

the Old New Testament, his declaration from his creation, his

revelation through his spirit. And I believe that comes to

us in times of meditation. What are my words? My

words are also the words of my mouth declaration. I

believe they are also what we do. I don't know

if we'd necessarily say our creation, we are some of

our makers, some of us are doers more, and there's

things that represent who we are. Those are declarations words

as well. So it's not only by what we say,

but also by our work and our reputation, but God's

word and God's world. God's declaration can always be dependent

on and by man's word. We should always be suspicious

and probably especially with ourselves, especially my own words, we

should hold with a bit of suspicion. We should be honest,

kind and edifying in our speech, but we should at

least be self aware not only of what we are

saying and the facts of what we're saying and making

sure it's factual, but the implication and the effects of

the words we say, like depending and especially as we

use words part of relationship, part of a society being

social as a sense of humor, right that in conversation,

that that happens, And sometimes we need to be aware

of who we are because sometimes sometimes our reputation makes

our humor not so funny. Actually, So that's a bit

on words, but I want to focus more on acceptable meditation.

In my heart, acceptable meditation in my heart and the

heart and the King James is like what we often

think of as the brain or our thinking patterns, the

seat of our emotion. It's who we are, not the

pumping organ. So just to and I believe that this

is really important, this concept of the meditation of my heart.

And I was trying and trying to think of a

better analogy, but so we're just gonna use the old

trite here it is. And it's like the difference between

driving a forward or a Chevy. And I'm not gonna

say which is which, but one you just sit in

and it's comfortable and it just kind of guides down

the road, and the other it's just like you're always

pulling it back from the side of the ditch. But

that is that's the difference of having meditation of our

heart that's acceptable before God. Is as we go through life,

we're basically we have a focus, we have a goal,

and we're said on the course and we can listen

to the birds and maybe some music, can see the

beauty around us. And when we're always pulling ourselves back

from the side of the ditch and from the near missus,

we miss all that that God has for us to see,

and it puts us actually on a course of destruction

rather than a course of contributing to the beauty that

God of God's creation. Because remember we are also God's

creation and a miracle and should be demonstrated. We're declarations

of the glory of God. And so that's the reason

I believe this is so important. I had in my

note to actually define a better analogy, and I didn't.

So there you were, so looking further at this section,

it says cleanse thou me from secret faults? See what

are secret faults? And in the original actually in different

places this concept. In the King James version it actually

has just cleansed thu me from secrets, doesn't actually say faults.

Other places talk about secret sins. It's there by implication,

and the translators put that there. But there is something

pervasively dark about secrets. Now there are certainly a thing

is a discretion, and there's whole industries of illicit, industries

of fraud trying to find your secrets, your social security numbers,

your credit card numbers, and so forth. So that's not

what we're talking about, that discretion. It's talking about that.

It's something that I think again, I think we all

know about it, that that natural desire to hide what

we really think and who we really are and to

present something different. And that just seems like I don't

need to explain that to any of us. And it

says here to cleanse me from secret faults. And I

do think there are things of discretion where we don't

need to. It's not like we need to where everything

about us to everyone. But am I hiding secret faults?

Secret faults coming from having secret desires, secret desires that

we or would be too ashamed to share with anyone,

but we kind of like it. And secret faults are

come from secret desires that then have opportunity. You know,

when I walk into my living room at home, there's

a chair, and if no one else is in that chair,

that's the chair I just default to. It's my favorite chair.

And I suppose a lot of you have the same

favorite chair. You understand that that's what I occupy unless

it's occupied. I think my brain's a little bit like

that as well. It's like when it doesn't have anywhere else,

it just finds that comfortable resting spot, that comfortable chair,

the thing it likes it feels good. My whole family

knows which chair that I'll default to. You, and maybe

even some of you do, but not many people, if

anyone really knows where my brain defaults to, and maybe

not even me because I just get so comfortable with

it and just let it go there. No one else

knows everything going on in my head or your head.

So where does your brain or your heart go to relax?

Where do you default to when you're doom scrolling? When

you sit down with nothing specific to do? What do

you think about? Back to your secret desires? What are

your dreams for yourself? What would your dreams be if

there were no financial barriers? Norman was talking this morning

about dreaming about being a couple guys dreaming about being millionaires,

and that started out. That didn't start out with that conversation.

Let's started out maybe with too much time on a

seat of attractor, thinking about how to not be on

a seat of attractor or something like that. I think

we need to be aware that these will lead to coveteousness.

But finances aren't our only barriers. We need guardrails in

our brain, in our meditation to not go beyond moral

and ethical barriers we need and we need a check

box that no, this is this isn't going to take

me in a good place. And that's part of letting

the my meditation of my heart be an acceptable and

got to God. So one three similar thoughts that searched

me on God, and know my heart, try me and

know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked

way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Secret sins come from secret desires with opportunity. And there's

the thing of we have we said, well, what's there's

the difference of faults and sins, and but but finally,

as we allow it to progress, it will become secret.

Faults will become secret sins. So I'm going to not

try to separate that. But I think sometimes there are

faults we have that are a secret, maybe even from ourselves,

because we have blind spots. At least I do. And

I had an experience this spring that I was working

with a with a business can and he didn't like

talking about strengths and weaknesses. You'd talk about strengths and

limiting factors. And we were meeting and I one day

I told him it was kay Bill. Next week when

we come and he'd worked with me for at least

three or four months by now, so you kind of

knew me some. I said, next week, when you come,

I want we're going to talk about Dan's limiting factors.

And so I invited that, and he told me some

things that I didn't know about myself. And I'll tell

you I invited it, and at the same time I

could hardly believe it and kind of resented it. But

as time goes on, you realize it's it was true.

And that's where we need. We even need each other

to help us know what we're thinking sometimes. And I

guess another thing I would say with that is sometimes

when we think we have a secret, and we let

that thing go and go, and I'm not sure at

what point there comes a point where it is not

very secret and about and we are not hiding it

very well and it is pretty obvious to those around us.

And that goes down to the next verse thirteen, Keep

back thy servant from presumptuous sins. Presumptuous means at the court,

it just means arrogant or proud, over confident, but also

has the idea of ignoring the consequences either either ignoring

the future consequences, or or just not thinking about or

maybe even reasoning with myself that the consequences for some

reason don't even apply to me. It becomes presumptuous sin.

And it says, keep back your servant from presumptuous sin.

And it's a progression here. I believe Romans seventh thirteen says,

but sin that it might this is just the last

part of the verse. But sin that it might appear

sin working depth in me by that which is good,

that sin, by the commandment, might become exceeding sinful. And

I think that one thing that can happen in the

meditation of our heart and our thinking, and as we

as we Jesus prayed that that that we'd be in

the world, but kept from the world while we're in

the world, and as we're in the world, I think

sometimes as society goes deeper and deeper into debauchery, we

are less shocked by it and it feels more normal.

It feels like it's accepted. Not what we do, but yeah, yeah,

we're still friends with people that are engaging in these

sins that at sometimes at some point we would have

instinctively reacted to I think. We need to be cautious

of that and what it does to our thinking. You

need to keep sin exceedingly sinful. So as we see this,

these thinking errors, thinking errors have a progression their secret

thought first, their thoughts, and then if we let them

become secret desires, they become secret sins, presumptuous sins, and

then sin has dominion over us. It says in the

last part of verse thirteen, I shall not be innocent

from the great transgression, And that has the idea of

completely given over to sin, being in rebellion. That's what

the idea is there. It leads to rebellion. So yeah,

the secret thoughts, secret desires, secret sins lead to presumptuous sins,

leads to the dominion of sin where we're trapped in

sinful habits or a besetting sin. And finally it leads

to the great transition, where we're in pure rebellion or

revolt against God. And that's a ways down the trail

of letting the words of my mouth and the meditation

of my heart be acceptable to God. We have established

that thinking errors lead to sin. Can we also conclude

that godly thinking or meditation of my heart leads to godliness.

I believe that godly thinking is at least an aspect

of it. I like that word, let let the meditation,

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of

my heart, the idea of a llah permit, or give opportunity,

give opportunity for the words of my mouth and the

meditation of my heart to be acceptable. And I say it,

Oh Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Well, it has

to come from the premise of going back to what

the word of God and his declaration of creation and

his word is doing in us and going on. Remember this,

this Old Testament to the New Testament, what it does

in us? Just a verse to draw our minds to

that is verse fourteen. And I took this for a

specific word here. For as many as are led by

the spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Remember that, let the words of your mouth and the

meditation in your heart. Is that word lead means driven.

So that's another aspect of the meditation of our heart

I believe, is to be driven. For those as many

as are driven by the spirit of God, they are

the sons of God. And unless we're driven, unless we're

driven by the spirit of God, it's gonna be like

driving a forward. I mean, it's going to be tough

driving and trying to get the meditations of our heart acceptable.

Sorry if that slipped out. Oh Lord, my strength and

my redeemer, and I like that. This Psalm focuses on

on God as my strength and my redeemer. And that's parallel.

As many as are driven by the spirit of God,

they are the sons of God. Romans twelve, verse one

and two says I beseech you there, for brethren, by

the mercy of God, that you present your bodies a

living sacrifice wholly acceptable onto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed

by the renewing of your mind. And that the root

of that word transformed is the same word as it's

basically metamorphosis in the Greek. And that's a complete biological change.

And that change is by the renewing of your mind

by the spirit of God. And then proving by that

you prove what is acceptable and perfect will of God.

Psalm fifty one, verse ten. Has create in me a

clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

And I'll read a few verses from Claussians. Yet verse

eight to ten. But now you also put off all

these anger, wrath, malice. Why not one to another scene?

You have put off the old man with his deeds.

And as you see some of these, some of these

sins are of in Clausians, are in the thinking, some

are in the words. It's certainly the thinking goes to words,

and have put on the new man, which is renewed

and knowledge after the image of Him that created him,

and that it talks about being in the image of Christ.

So how do we know if we have thinking errors

this morning? So in my few years I've come to

the conclusion that we all have thinking air on some level,

and as we live, we should be seeking them out.

She'd maybe be asking some other people, what are limiting factors?

Are not fatalistically but humbly willing to admit and change

our mind when we see those errors. And inclosing Philippians

four eight, Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things

are honest, whatsoever things are just? Whatsoever things are pure?

Whatsoever things are lovely? Whatsoever things are of good report?

If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,

think on these things let's have a closing song.