1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,720 Hi everybody, it's Rob from Trinity Streetsville and here at Trinity we're just a group of 2 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:11,240 ordinary people learning to follow Jesus in our day. 3 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:14,220 Hey when it comes to the Bible, how hungry are you? 4 00:00:14,220 --> 00:00:16,080 Do you turn your nose up at it? 5 00:00:16,080 --> 00:00:17,480 Do you find it tasteless? 6 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:21,520 Do you kind of just pick and choose certain bits of it or do you dig right in and come 7 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:22,520 back for more? 8 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:26,960 Well today I hope you brought your fork in your knife because we are going to learn not 9 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:36,720 just how to read the Bible but how to eat our way through the pages of Scripture. 10 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:40,280 This is a reading from the book of Psalms, Psalm 1. 11 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:47,400 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners 12 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:53,920 take or sit in the company of mockers but whose delight is in the law of the Lord and 13 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:58,400 who meditates on this law day and night. 14 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:04,720 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season 15 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:08,240 and whose leaf does not wither. 16 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:11,400 Whatever they do, prospers. 17 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:17,200 Not so the wicked, they are like chaffs that the wind blows away. 18 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:22,520 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment nor sinners in the assembly of the 19 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:24,120 righteous. 20 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:32,480 So the Lord watches over the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. 21 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:34,400 This is the word of the Lord. 22 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:37,000 Today we are going to start off with a bit of a question. 23 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:38,240 I am going to ask you something. 24 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:44,760 I am going to ask you that when you were a kid, what was your favorite food? 25 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:48,040 And if you are here today and you are a kid then you can just say what is your favorite 26 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:49,040 food now? 27 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:52,920 And then turn to someone beside you and say what was your favorite food as a child? 28 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,080 Ready, set, go. 29 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:57,320 Now I want to tell you that I found a poll. 30 00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:02,960 It's an American poll that some people told us what their favorite foods were and I have 31 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:07,320 to say I don't think these foods, this list of foods represents some of the diversity 32 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:11,160 and the cultural, different cultural backgrounds that we know here in Mississauga. 33 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:12,280 But this is what we read. 34 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:18,000 We read that the top five kids' favorite foods were spaghetti, meatballs, hamburgers, pizza, 35 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:22,960 chicken fingers, a number one, mac and cheese, macaroni and cheese could be craft dinner. 36 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,520 Just quickly, did you see one of your, did you see yours up there? 37 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:28,440 Yes, yes, oh, that's interesting. 38 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:30,120 More than at the 9.15. 39 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:33,480 So now we are going to switch gears and I am going to ask you the next question. 40 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:37,120 What was your least favorite food as a child? 41 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:39,800 Or if you are a child, what is your least favorite food now? 42 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:41,000 Three, two, one, go. 43 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,200 All right, here we go. 44 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:50,040 Again, according to this group of American people that they interviewed, these are the 45 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:53,280 top five least favorite foods of children. 46 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:56,600 Spinach, beets, broccoli, fish and Brussels sprouts. 47 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:58,320 Did you see your least favorite up there? 48 00:02:58,320 --> 00:02:59,320 Is your least favorite? 49 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:00,320 Yours is up there. 50 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:01,320 All right, fantastic. 51 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:02,320 All right. 52 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:04,280 But JP, what was your least favorite? 53 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:05,280 Fish. 54 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:11,120 All right, do you like fish now though? 55 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:13,720 He likes fish if it comes with chips. 56 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:19,000 That's the thing with, especially kids, there are some foods that we just love, love, love 57 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,040 and they could have more and more go back for seconds and go back for thirds. 58 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:27,680 But then there are these other foods that are like, they're just, they're not going 59 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:29,120 to, they're not going to tackle them. 60 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:33,760 They're going to push them off to the sides of their plate or maybe they're just going 61 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:38,920 to like, have you ever seen, you know, kids at meals, they just kind of pick away at it 62 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:40,400 all dinner long. 63 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:42,280 And you're like, just eat it, stop picking at it. 64 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:44,280 But no, they just pick at it. 65 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:48,880 Or maybe when you're not looking, they take the plate and they're like, does they give 66 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:49,880 it to the dog? 67 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:53,560 Because they got a dog that, do you guys have a dog that you feed your food you don't like? 68 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:56,200 Yes, Marcus, I see that, yes. 69 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:59,000 But here's my question to you. 70 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:04,400 You know, as kids, we have these kind of, sometimes you're a bit fussy, but part of growing up 71 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:12,440 from a kid to an adult is that your appetite develops and you start to appreciate more and 72 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:13,440 different foods. 73 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:15,240 That's just part of growing up. 74 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:17,040 It's just kind of how it works. 75 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:20,280 Now let's talk a bit about the Bible. 76 00:04:20,280 --> 00:04:23,440 Is the Bible one of your favorite or least favorite foods? 77 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,880 Now you'd say, good grief, Rob, I've never thought of the Bible as a food. 78 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:29,240 The Bible's not a food, Rob. 79 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:33,520 We've been learning for the last five weeks that the Bible is this library of books and 80 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:34,520 that's true. 81 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:37,000 Way back at the beginning, we talked about what is the Bible? 82 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,080 We talked about where the Bible come from. 83 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:42,680 We talked about, you know, what does the Bible do to us when we read it? 84 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:46,920 And last week, we talked about the idea that the Bible is inspired. 85 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:48,920 But today I want to ask a different question. 86 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:52,400 I want to ask, how do we not read the Bible? 87 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:54,080 How do we eat it? 88 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:56,880 How do we get this book into us? 89 00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:58,400 How do we consume it? 90 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:01,080 How do we digest it? 91 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:05,720 When using the metaphor of eating the Bible, that's actually a metaphor that comes from 92 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:07,120 the Bible itself. 93 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:09,960 Let me give you an example or two. 94 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:11,200 First of all, how about this? 95 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:17,760 Ezekiel, the prophet, has this vision and an angel says to him, hey Ezekiel, son of 96 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:20,880 man, eat what is before you. 97 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:21,880 What is before me? 98 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:23,280 There's a scroll. 99 00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:26,000 Eat this scroll, a.k.a. 100 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:32,160 Eat these scriptures and then go and speak to the people of Israel. 101 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:37,200 It's this metaphor for getting the Bible, getting God's word into us. 102 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:42,720 Or Jeremiah wrote, when your words came to me, I ate them. 103 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:43,720 Right? 104 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:44,720 I ate them. 105 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:47,680 They were my joy and my heart's delight. 106 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:53,960 Or once in the New Testament, the gospel writer John had this great big vision of an angel 107 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:56,760 and the angel was telling him all this really important stuff. 108 00:05:56,760 --> 00:06:00,520 And John was trying to take notes, but he says, hey listen, can I just have the scroll 109 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:03,040 that you're reading from when you're done? 110 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:08,240 And the angel says, I'll give you the scroll, take the scroll and eat it, the angel says. 111 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:11,000 It'll be bitter in your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth. 112 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:19,000 And so John says, I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and I ate it. 113 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:20,000 Right? 114 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:24,880 Now, if you're an Anglican, if you're kind of a died in the wool Anglican, you know 115 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:29,800 that during the season of Advent, there's a classic prayer that was always prayed in 116 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:30,800 Anglican churches. 117 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:36,600 And it went like this, oh God, who's caused all holy scripture to be written for our 118 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:37,600 learning. 119 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:41,280 Grant that we may hear those scriptures. 120 00:06:41,280 --> 00:06:47,480 Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them. 121 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:48,480 Inwardly digest them. 122 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:50,520 I don't know, you guys get queasy? 123 00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:52,860 All this talking, digesting the scriptures. 124 00:06:52,860 --> 00:06:56,320 If you are getting queasy, I have Pepto Bismol up here. 125 00:06:56,320 --> 00:07:00,200 If you need it, actually, Andrew was telling me he was feeling a little queasy earlier. 126 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:01,200 Andrew, you ready? 127 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:02,200 Here it is. 128 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:03,200 You can pass it around. 129 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:04,200 Everybody gets some. 130 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:11,800 Oh, that could have been a bad, a bad throw. 131 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:17,280 So the truth is we're going to need Pepto Bismol on a day like today because we are going 132 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:21,720 to talk today about eating the Bible. 133 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:26,880 And I wanted to say that we're quite fussy eaters when it comes to the Bible. 134 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:30,720 And so just like mom and dad would say things to us at the dinner table to kind of get us 135 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:37,080 to eat, we need to hear some words this morning to help us to really start digging in to God's 136 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:38,080 word. 137 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:41,560 So one of the first things that we need to do if we're going to appreciate these words 138 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:46,960 is we're going to have to develop an appetite for the Bible. 139 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:50,640 How many times do we sit at the table and we're trying to get our kids to eat and we 140 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:54,560 just say things, hey, honey, just try one bite. 141 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:56,040 Just try one beat. 142 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:57,040 It's good. 143 00:07:57,040 --> 00:07:58,360 Look, I'm eating mine. 144 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:00,080 It's really, really good. 145 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:02,840 We can be eating buddies. 146 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:04,400 Let's eat it together. 147 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:05,400 Let's eat it together. 148 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:06,400 You're going to like it. 149 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:07,400 You'll love it. 150 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:08,400 Just try it. 151 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:09,400 You're missing out. 152 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:10,400 Or the classic, right? 153 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:11,400 Here comes the airplane. 154 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:12,400 Here it goes. 155 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:13,400 Open up the hangar. 156 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:15,360 In comes the airplane, right? 157 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:17,720 Let's try one bite. 158 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:20,600 Sometimes we just have to get a taste for it. 159 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:26,800 We just have to develop the appetite, develop our palate for God's word before we really 160 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:28,160 start to appreciate it. 161 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:29,720 Do you guys remember this commercial? 162 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:32,080 It's like 50 years old now, this one. 163 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:33,880 Look at this stuff. 164 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:34,880 Sub-serial. 165 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:36,480 It's supposed to be good for you. 166 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:38,600 To do a try it, I'm not going to try it. 167 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:39,600 You try it. 168 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:42,000 I'm not going to try it. 169 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:43,000 Let's get Mikey. 170 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:44,000 Yeah. 171 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:45,000 He won't need it. 172 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:46,000 He hates everything. 173 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:47,000 He likes it. 174 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:48,000 Hey, Mikey. 175 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:54,760 When you bring life home, don't tell the kids it's one of those nutritional cereals you've 176 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:56,440 been trying to get them to eat. 177 00:08:56,440 --> 00:08:57,880 You're the only one who has to know. 178 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:02,680 Those other kids, they wouldn't touch the stuff, but Mikey, he didn't just eat it. 179 00:09:02,680 --> 00:09:04,120 He delighted it. 180 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:06,600 He enjoyed it so, so much. 181 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:11,320 In our reading this morning that Pat was reading online, in Psalm number one, we read this. 182 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:15,640 Blessed is the one who does not walk and step with the wicked or stand in the way of sinners 183 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:22,920 or sit in the company of mockers, but get this, but whose delight, delight is in the 184 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:24,960 law of the Lord. 185 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:32,320 Here is a picture of a person who delights in the Bible, not forced to eat it, not just 186 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:37,520 eating it because they have to eat it, but eating it because they love it. 187 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:38,520 They delighted it. 188 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:39,640 They can't get enough of it. 189 00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:40,800 They're going back for seconds. 190 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:44,920 They're going back for thirds because it's just so good. 191 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:50,880 Now, sadly, that is not how a lot of us approach reading the Bible. 192 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:54,080 Many of us don't read the Bible on a regular basis. 193 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:57,680 And if we do read the Bible, we're pretty picky eaters. 194 00:09:57,680 --> 00:09:59,000 We pick a little bit here. 195 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:00,360 We pick a little bit there. 196 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:03,160 We push a whole bunch of the stuff that we don't like off to the side. 197 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:05,920 And we say, I'm not going to eat that at all. 198 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:10,760 Or if we do eat it, we do it reluctantly just to make mom and dad happy. 199 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:15,120 Some people read the Bible only because God told me to read the Bible. 200 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:17,800 I'm going to read it, but they don't enjoy it. 201 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:20,960 They don't do it out of a sense of delight. 202 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:22,520 So what do we do about that? 203 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:30,320 I have to admit, even for myself, many times when I read the Bible, I'm doing it not out 204 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:32,720 of delight and enjoyment. 205 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,400 I'm doing it out of a sense of duty. 206 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:38,480 What do I need to do to fix that problem? 207 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:41,160 The answer is we've got to develop an appetite for it. 208 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:44,640 We have to develop a new palate, a new taste for the Bible. 209 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:48,840 And the scriptures are, in fact, quite an acquired taste. 210 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:53,040 In our house recently, we've started eating more of minestrone. 211 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:57,960 Now the reason we're eating more minestrone is because we saw this Netflix special on 212 00:10:57,960 --> 00:10:58,960 the Blue Zones. 213 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:00,800 Have you guys heard about the Blue Zones? 214 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:06,520 Where people who are living to like hundreds years old or more are eating certain foods 215 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:09,080 and living in a certain way, and we are watching this special. 216 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:12,960 And one thing we learned is that at least in one area of the world, the people who are 217 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:17,480 living really healthy, long lives are eating a lot of minestrone. 218 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:19,440 And so we said we got to start eating more minestrone. 219 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:21,360 And I don't know if you guys know what minestrone is. 220 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:26,040 I didn't really know what it was, but it's just like vegetable broth with like other vegetables 221 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:27,040 in it. 222 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:32,480 Beans, lots of beans, different kinds of beans, maybe some barley, more beans, more beans, 223 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:34,800 maybe some diced up tomato. 224 00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:37,720 Did I mention it's got lots of beans in it? 225 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:39,000 This is what's minestrone. 226 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:42,560 And so I have to say that when we first started eating minestrone at our house, and maybe 227 00:11:42,560 --> 00:11:47,680 a couple months ago, I'm not going to name names, but some of our kids were not too happy 228 00:11:47,680 --> 00:11:48,680 about it. 229 00:11:48,680 --> 00:11:49,680 This did not look all that appealing. 230 00:11:49,680 --> 00:11:51,360 Is that kale floating around in there? 231 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:52,360 Is that onion? 232 00:11:52,360 --> 00:11:54,040 What is going on? 233 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:56,280 But guess what happened? 234 00:11:56,280 --> 00:12:01,640 Just a week or so ago when we were having minestrone, and we kept having it, and we kept serving 235 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:04,080 it, and we kept having it, and we kept serving it. 236 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:11,400 One of our children, my new favorite child, said, said, you know what? 237 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:14,120 This is really good. 238 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:16,040 And I was like, she likes it. 239 00:12:16,040 --> 00:12:17,560 Mikey, she likes it. 240 00:12:17,560 --> 00:12:19,560 And what had happened? 241 00:12:19,560 --> 00:12:24,120 She had developed a taste for it, started to develop a palate for it, and actually started 242 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:28,400 to enjoy it, but that's not how it started. 243 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:31,240 It is hard to develop a taste for the Bible. 244 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:32,240 It is hard. 245 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:33,320 It's an acquired taste. 246 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:37,240 And part of the problem is, is there's so many other things in the world that are competing 247 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:41,240 for our time and our attention and our taste. 248 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:46,440 So for example, the Bible has got to compete with your smartphone for your time and attention. 249 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:48,720 It's got to compete with streaming television. 250 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:52,560 It's got to compete with your PS5 and Call of Duty. 251 00:12:52,560 --> 00:12:58,960 The Bible has to compete with music and all sorts of other media that is out there. 252 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:04,560 It is really, really hard to develop a taste for the Bible when there's so many other things. 253 00:13:04,560 --> 00:13:10,400 It's really hard to eat the minestrone when there's chicken fingers and fries also on 254 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:11,520 the side of the plate. 255 00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:13,080 I would rather eat those. 256 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:15,640 Those kind of taste better initially. 257 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:17,720 But you can change your appetite. 258 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:18,720 And that's what we need to do. 259 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:20,800 We need to change our appetite. 260 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:24,480 And that's part of what growing up is. 261 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:30,440 I want to say to all of us that if you have a hard time reading the Bible, speaking to 262 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:34,760 myself, we got to grow up. 263 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:41,240 We have to realize that we're no longer children and that we can't be picky and choosy and fussy 264 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:42,240 like that about the Bible. 265 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:46,120 We have to actually start developing a taste for it. 266 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:50,840 And if we keep coming back to it and keep tasting it and keep eating it and keep consuming 267 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:52,600 it, then you know what? 268 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:57,920 Actually we will get to the place where we, like the Psalmists, delight in the law of the 269 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:05,280 Lord, where we can actually say, man, this is really, really, really good. 270 00:14:05,280 --> 00:14:08,480 But in order to do that, all the research tells us we're going to have to cut down on 271 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:09,920 some of the junk. 272 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:15,480 And we're going to have to increase our diet of what is good for us. 273 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:18,040 And over time, our taste will change. 274 00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:21,480 You probably can think of things that have changed in your own taste. 275 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:25,360 Over time I used to love Coca-Cola when I was a kid. 276 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:26,360 I loved it. 277 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:27,360 It was a great treat. 278 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:30,440 But as I grew up, I started to realize it wasn't good for me. 279 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:34,240 And actually over time, I started not even to like the taste. 280 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:37,640 And in fact, not long ago, there was some Coke in our fridge. 281 00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:41,520 I poured a glass and I drank it and I was like, I don't like this anymore. 282 00:14:41,520 --> 00:14:44,400 I don't like how this makes me feel anymore. 283 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:47,200 On the other hand, like JP, I used to hate fish. 284 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:48,800 I hated the taste of it. 285 00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:51,120 I hated the smell of it, the texture of it. 286 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:52,320 I hated everything, the look of it. 287 00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:53,560 I hated everything about fish. 288 00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:56,480 But today, I love fish. 289 00:14:56,480 --> 00:14:57,480 I love it. 290 00:14:57,480 --> 00:14:59,960 You could say I'm hooked on fish. 291 00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:00,960 Right? 292 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:06,080 I really like fish. 293 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:07,240 What I'm saying is this. 294 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:09,200 My taste matured. 295 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:13,600 And as followers of Jesus, our taste also needs to mature. 296 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:18,920 We need to get to the place where we delight in this wonderful library of Scripture that 297 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:24,800 has been given to us, where you can't wait to open it up in the morning, where you keep 298 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:28,480 coming back to it for seconds and thirds. 299 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:30,520 But in order to that, you got to keep tasting. 300 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:34,760 You got to keep putting one bite in your mouth after another. 301 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:36,440 So that's the first thing we got to do. 302 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:40,920 We have to try one bite and develop an appetite for this. 303 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:46,320 But secondly, if we're going to really get the most out of this and really eat the Bible, 304 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:49,440 we have to learn how to chew. 305 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:52,840 Now again, experts say if you want to get the most of the nutrients and the most of 306 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:54,760 the flavors out of your food, chew. 307 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:56,240 Chew your food. 308 00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:57,240 Right? 309 00:15:57,240 --> 00:16:00,400 Chew every single bite like five times or something like that. 310 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:02,540 Kids don't like to chew their food. 311 00:16:02,540 --> 00:16:06,920 If they have food they don't like, like for example, someone in our family really does 312 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:08,560 not like peas. 313 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:14,520 So what they will do is they'll just kind of go like this and so they go right down without 314 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:20,120 being chewed because they just hate that feeling of biting into the pea and exploding in your 315 00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:21,600 mouth and all the flavor. 316 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:23,120 They can't handle it. 317 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:25,360 So they don't chew the food they don't like. 318 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:28,880 And other kids, they don't chew the food that they do like. 319 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:32,080 They're just constantly wolfing it down, wolfing it down. 320 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:35,920 So parents are always like saying, hey, hey, hey, just slow down. 321 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:37,600 They don't chew your food. 322 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:38,600 Chew your food, kiddo. 323 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:41,840 In fact, I came across a nursery rhyme. 324 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:44,480 Parents are so desperate to get their kids to chew their food. 325 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:48,360 This is the new nursery rhyme that they sing to them at the dinner table. 326 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:50,520 Chew, chew, chew your food. 327 00:16:50,520 --> 00:16:52,120 Don't swallow it right away. 328 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:58,000 Chew, chew, chew some more before you go out to play. 329 00:16:58,000 --> 00:16:59,360 I know you think I wrote that. 330 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:00,600 I did not write that. 331 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:03,760 I could have done way better if I wrote that. 332 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:09,280 But listen, in Psalm 1 we are taught to chew through God's word. 333 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:10,280 Let me show you what I mean. 334 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:14,620 Blessed is the one whose delight is in the law of the Lord and who 335 00:17:14,620 --> 00:17:19,560 chews on that law both day and night. 336 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:22,680 You probably say, Robert, doesn't say he chews on the law. 337 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:24,640 It says he meditates on the law. 338 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:28,760 But you see, ah, that is where we have to understand that Hebrew word, 339 00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:29,280 meditate. 340 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:30,320 I know when you think of meditate, 341 00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:32,760 you probably think of Eastern forms of meditation, 342 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:37,160 like a Buddhism or Hinduism or yoga or mindfulness, 343 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:41,720 where we look deep inside ourselves and we empty our minds. 344 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:44,160 But that's not the Hebrew idea of meditation. 345 00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:47,280 Hebrew idea of meditation, if we don't look inside ourselves, 346 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:49,320 we look outwards and we don't empty our minds. 347 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:53,080 But we look toward God and let God fill our minds. 348 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:57,360 But the best part about the Hebrew word for meditation 349 00:17:57,360 --> 00:18:03,440 is it is this word, haga, which means literally, it means to chew. 350 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:08,320 It actually means to growl and to chomp. 351 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:12,760 So for example, in Isaiah 31, we read this, 352 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:17,160 as a lion growls over its prey. 353 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:19,720 And guess what that word growl is? 354 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:20,680 It's haga. 355 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:23,640 It's the same word for meditate as a lion 356 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:26,160 meditates over its prey. 357 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:29,640 We got this dog, a little corgi named Holly. 358 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:31,600 And if you give her a tree, do you give her a bone? 359 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:35,240 Even if you give her a stick, she will growl over it. 360 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:39,360 She will drag that stick off to a private place by herself. 361 00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:41,360 And she will just go to work on it. 362 00:18:41,360 --> 00:18:45,400 Our dog loves just to chew and growl over things. 363 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:47,760 So for example, I'll show you an example of this. 364 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:50,400 The other day, here's Holly. 365 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:51,560 She had a stick. 366 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:52,320 I went up to her. 367 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:54,120 I was like, hey, Holly, what do you got? 368 00:18:54,120 --> 00:18:55,160 You got a stick. 369 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:56,240 And then I reached my hand. 370 00:18:56,240 --> 00:18:58,800 And she did not like that whatsoever. 371 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:00,320 This is slow mo. 372 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:04,280 She bit my finger right off. 373 00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:06,160 It grew back. 374 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:07,240 And then what did she do? 375 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:11,320 She ran off to a place by herself where 376 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:15,840 she could keep chewing over it and growling over it 377 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:19,520 and muttering over it as dogs do. 378 00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:25,360 That's how we are meant to read the Bible. 379 00:19:25,360 --> 00:19:27,480 There is a way to read the Bible where you just kind of zip 380 00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:29,640 through it or whatever. 381 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:33,600 But what we're being called to do in Psalm chapter one 382 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:34,960 is to read it in a different way. 383 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:38,400 There's a way to read it where you read it, but then you pause. 384 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:40,280 And then you ponder it. 385 00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:41,160 And you think about it. 386 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:43,000 And then maybe you reread it. 387 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:44,000 And you listen. 388 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:47,880 And you pray those words back to God somehow. 389 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:49,000 What are we doing? 390 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:50,120 We're chewing. 391 00:19:50,120 --> 00:19:51,360 We're growling. 392 00:19:51,360 --> 00:19:55,440 We're turning it over, turning it over in our minds. 393 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:59,200 Eugene Peterson is the fellow who translated 394 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:01,160 the Bible into this contemporary language, 395 00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:04,040 to a version we call the Message Bible. 396 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:07,040 And so he's wrestled with all these biblical words 397 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:08,720 in very profound ways. 398 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:09,440 And he says this. 399 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:13,160 He says, Christians feed on Scripture. 400 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:15,640 Christians don't simply learn or study Scripture. 401 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:17,600 We assimilate it. 402 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:20,760 We take it into our lives in such a way 403 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:25,320 that it gets metabolized into us. 404 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:27,680 So that's how it works. 405 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:30,480 How do we eat this book? 406 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:33,840 Well, it starts by just tasting it bit by bit 407 00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:35,560 and developing an appetite for it. 408 00:20:35,560 --> 00:20:38,280 But then secondly, we have to learn to chew it. 409 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:41,480 We have to learn to meditate on these words. 410 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:43,400 The next time you pull out your Bible, 411 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:45,000 don't take a paper and a pen with you. 412 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:47,480 Take a fork and a knife because you 413 00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:53,200 are going to dig into this and eat this book. 414 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:55,200 Thirdly, though, what is one of the things 415 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:56,680 that parents will always say to us 416 00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:59,760 in order to get us to eat our food at the table? 417 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:01,040 This is a classic line. 418 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:02,520 It's good for you. 419 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:03,720 You got to eat your food. 420 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:05,680 It's good for you, right? 421 00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:09,040 Don't you want to grow up big and strong like daddy? 422 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:10,640 Here, eat your food. 423 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:12,200 Or, hey, eat your carrots. 424 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:14,720 It's going to give you really good eyesight. 425 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:16,080 Everyone's heard that one, right? 426 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:19,600 Or they'll be like, hey, let's pretend that we're superheros. 427 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:21,160 And this is our power food. 428 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:24,360 Come on, let's eat our food together. 429 00:21:24,360 --> 00:21:27,720 Sometimes we do tricks and stuff like that to get kids 430 00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:28,760 to eat healthy. 431 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:32,840 Sometimes we'll chop up the kale, chop up the kale, 432 00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:35,120 and slip it into the spaghetti and meatballs, 433 00:21:35,120 --> 00:21:36,840 and just hope that they don't notice. 434 00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:38,640 And they're getting something good. 435 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:41,120 It's good for you. 436 00:21:41,120 --> 00:21:46,040 My mom once made me and my siblings a craft dinner. 437 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:47,720 And it tasted a little strange. 438 00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:49,520 And so we asked her, what's going on? 439 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:50,360 This doesn't taste right. 440 00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:52,080 And when she finally told us, she told us 441 00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:55,840 she had taken chicken broth from the chicken we had eaten 442 00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:57,280 the night before. 443 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,200 And she had used that instead of water 444 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:04,880 to make the craft dinner, to make it healthier. 445 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:07,160 So that's the thing, right? 446 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:11,360 One of the reasons we have to learn to eat this book 447 00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:15,920 is that it is so good for us. 448 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:18,120 In Psalm 1, we read this. 449 00:22:18,120 --> 00:22:21,200 The bad person, which person? 450 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:25,240 Oh, the person who reads God's word, 451 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:28,880 the person who meditates on God's word, who delights in it, 452 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:33,800 is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields 453 00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:38,240 its fruit and season, whose leaf doesn't wither and whatever. 454 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:39,480 They do prosper. 455 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:44,480 My friends, is this not just an amazing picture of health? 456 00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:45,640 Yielding fruit. 457 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:47,400 It leaves the don't wither. 458 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:48,680 Prosperity. 459 00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:51,960 Clearly, clearly, eating this book is good for you. 460 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:53,000 It's better than broccoli. 461 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:55,440 It's better than Brussels sprouts, this book. 462 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:59,360 According to Psalm 1, this book, if we eat it, 463 00:22:59,360 --> 00:23:04,520 will give us success and prosperity somehow. 464 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:07,560 It's amazing, but it's saying success and prosperity in your life 465 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:10,200 does not come from your talent or your IQ, 466 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:13,240 or it doesn't come from your good looks or your work ethic. 467 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:14,960 It doesn't even come from luck. 468 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:20,760 Success and prosperity comes from these words. 469 00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:23,240 You might say, how could that possibly be? 470 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:26,080 And I think the reason is because the Bible is filled 471 00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:28,560 with God's wisdom. 472 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:32,600 And the more we read it, the more it makes us wise, 473 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:35,200 wise in the choices we make in our life, 474 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:37,600 wise in the choices we make with our relationships, 475 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:40,920 and therefore, people who devour this book 476 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:46,480 are feeding on the wisdom of God, which leads to a prosperous 477 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:48,040 life. 478 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:50,280 Now, some of you may say, well, listen, 479 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:51,920 so you're saying, if I just read the Bible, 480 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:54,800 I'm going to be prosperous, that I'll have health and wealth, 481 00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:57,320 and I'll have fame and fortune and lots of followers 482 00:23:57,320 --> 00:23:57,960 on Instagram? 483 00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:01,360 Well, no, that is not the kind of prosperity 484 00:24:01,360 --> 00:24:03,800 that God is talking about. 485 00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:05,640 God wants us to be successful. 486 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:07,960 He wants us to prosper, but not like that. 487 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:12,640 Instead, as a picture of prosperity, take a look at Jesus. 488 00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:15,160 Jesus prospered in this life. 489 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:17,520 Jesus lived in harmony with God. 490 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:20,040 He lived in harmony with other people. 491 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:23,240 He lived in harmony with himself and with all creation. 492 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:27,040 Jesus had this contentment and this peace and this joy 493 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:28,040 about him. 494 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:32,240 That's the kind of prosperity Psalm 1 is talking about. 495 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:36,160 That's the health and goodness that we get out of this. 496 00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:42,320 The more of this we eat, the more of that we get. 497 00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:45,720 In fact, the writer of the Psalms in Psalm 119 498 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:48,600 says, I've got more insight than all my teachers. 499 00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:49,200 Why? 500 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:52,040 Because I chew on this word. 501 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:54,280 I have more wisdom than my elders. 502 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:54,920 Why? 503 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:58,920 Because I obey these commandments. 504 00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:01,640 The Bible's good for you. 505 00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:02,760 The Bible's good for you. 506 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:04,160 It's good for me. 507 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:07,520 It's good for all of us. 508 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:09,640 So are you getting hungry? 509 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:12,680 Are you starting to get a hankering to really dig 510 00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:14,400 into this book? 511 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:17,360 First question, can we develop an appetite for it? 512 00:25:17,360 --> 00:25:18,360 Yes, we can. 513 00:25:18,360 --> 00:25:22,560 Secondly, can we learn to chew and meditate on these words? 514 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:23,480 Yes, we can. 515 00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:26,280 And thirdly, can we experience the health and the fullness 516 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:29,080 of life that comes from feeding on it? 517 00:25:29,080 --> 00:25:30,840 Yes, we can. 518 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:32,120 The dinner bell is ringing. 519 00:25:32,120 --> 00:25:36,320 All we got to do is get out a stool and pull up to the table 520 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:38,160 and get ready to tuck into it. 521 00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:41,200 But before we do, I wanted to say one more thing. 522 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:45,040 Before we really think about how we can consume this, 523 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:48,080 remember one more thing that mom and dad used to always tell us 524 00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:50,680 at the dinner table, and that was this. 525 00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:52,040 Eat slowly. 526 00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:52,760 Eat slowly. 527 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:56,040 Even if you love God's word, even if you delight in it 528 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:59,320 and you just can't get enough of it, don't wolf it down. 529 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:00,240 Don't wolf it down. 530 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:04,280 You've got to eat it slowly. 531 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:09,120 Dallas Willard once said that hurry, hurry 532 00:26:09,120 --> 00:26:13,040 was the great enemy of the spiritual life. 533 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:14,840 So when we get to the Bible, we've 534 00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:18,680 got to learn to slow it down, which is hard because we 535 00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:20,320 live in an age of speed. 536 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:22,560 And everything goes fast, fast, fast. 537 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:27,880 But in order to read properly, you've got to slow, slow down. 538 00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:29,800 Reading takes time. 539 00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:33,600 A recent Gallup poll says that adults are losing their ability 540 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:34,200 to read. 541 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:37,760 Fewer and fewer people read books at all. 542 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:41,320 I think only, it said 43% of adults 543 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:45,320 read at least one work of literature per year. 544 00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:46,280 And why is that? 545 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:48,600 Well, the answer is clear. 546 00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:51,680 The answer is between video games and tablets 547 00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:53,440 and streaming high speed internet, 548 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:56,960 everything is going so fast, so fast, so fast. 549 00:26:56,960 --> 00:26:58,880 But in order to read, we've got to slow down. 550 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:02,800 You can't read at high speed. 551 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:07,360 So because of this, sometimes if we do read the Bible, 552 00:27:07,360 --> 00:27:09,480 we try to read it fast. 553 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:12,560 Rather than sitting down and tucking into a feast, 554 00:27:12,560 --> 00:27:14,360 we want fast food. 555 00:27:14,360 --> 00:27:17,720 And maybe we get an email every day with a Bible verse, 556 00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:20,120 and we read that as we race out the door. 557 00:27:20,120 --> 00:27:23,360 Or maybe we have the Bible app installed on our phone, 558 00:27:23,360 --> 00:27:26,120 and it sends us a verse of the day. 559 00:27:26,120 --> 00:27:28,480 Or maybe we even listen to a sermon or something 560 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:30,040 like that as we commute into work. 561 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:33,640 And that is way better than nothing. 562 00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:39,400 But still, we need to relearn how to read at a slower pace. 563 00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:41,920 I have to tell you, I myself, I've never 564 00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:45,240 been like a reader that just loves reading. 565 00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:46,880 I have to learn this. 566 00:27:46,880 --> 00:27:50,400 Maybe you have to learn this too. 567 00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:52,160 There's a fellow by the name of Hugh McGuire. 568 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:53,280 He lives in Montreal. 569 00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:56,560 And he kind of writes a lot about the publishing industry. 570 00:27:56,560 --> 00:27:57,720 And he writes this. 571 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:02,280 He says, books are different to visual art or music or radio. 572 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:06,880 Books force us to walk through another's thoughts one word 573 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:10,080 at a time over hours and days. 574 00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:15,120 We share our minds for that time with the writers. 575 00:28:15,120 --> 00:28:19,440 There's a slowness, a forced reflection required 576 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:23,080 by reading that is unique. 577 00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:26,320 Slowness, slowness, slow down. 578 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:29,720 So to end today, and actually to end this whole series, 579 00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:32,560 I want to introduce you to a spiritual discipline, 580 00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:34,720 an ancient spiritual practice that 581 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:37,680 is meant to help us develop a taste for scripture, 582 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:40,160 learn how to chew on it and meditate on it, 583 00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:42,720 and take it in slowly. 584 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:45,440 It's got a Latin name. 585 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:48,040 It's called Lectio Divina. 586 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:52,520 And what this essentially means is spiritual reading. 587 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:54,800 That's what it translates as. 588 00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:58,400 And for people who practice Lectio Divina 589 00:28:58,400 --> 00:29:00,280 when they come to reading the scriptures, 590 00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:03,720 there are kind of five parts to it. 591 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:06,520 And I'm going to outline them to you real quickly. 592 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:08,440 But I've also put all this on a bookmark. 593 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:10,200 If you want, you can go to the welcome desk 594 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:11,000 after the service. 595 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:13,360 And you can pick up the bookmark and stick it in your Bible. 596 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:15,840 And it'll remind you, as you read your Bible every day, 597 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:16,560 how to do it. 598 00:29:16,560 --> 00:29:18,840 So here is how it begins. 599 00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:22,440 First, the first step is just getting yourself ready, 600 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:25,880 or what Lectio calls silenzio. 601 00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:28,720 Go find a quiet place. 602 00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:30,800 Just turn off your phone. 603 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:32,080 Be like my dog. 604 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:35,360 Run off with your Bible, with your bone, 605 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:37,720 and find a quiet, comfortable place. 606 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:38,880 And be still. 607 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:41,000 Be quiet. 608 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:47,120 And just take one or two moments just of silence. 609 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:48,280 Ask God. 610 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:54,320 God, come and speak to me as I open up this book. 611 00:29:54,320 --> 00:29:55,080 Speak to me. 612 00:29:55,080 --> 00:29:57,800 Just silenzio. 613 00:29:57,800 --> 00:30:03,120 Second step is to read it, or Lectio, 614 00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:06,160 which means find whatever passage you're reading. 615 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:07,520 Maybe you've got a reading plan. 616 00:30:07,520 --> 00:30:09,400 Maybe you're reading through a book of the Bible, whatever. 617 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:11,480 Whatever you decided to read, read it. 618 00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:13,040 But read it slowly. 619 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:14,160 Read it slowly. 620 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:17,680 Read it out loud if it helps, or read it quietly in your mind. 621 00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:20,200 But as you read, listen. 622 00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:21,640 Listen for a word. 623 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:22,760 Listen for a phrase. 624 00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:24,080 Listen for an idea. 625 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:25,480 Listen for an emotion. 626 00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:27,640 Listen for a character or something 627 00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:31,200 that catches your attention in that reading. 628 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:32,840 Because God is speaking to you now. 629 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:34,800 So listen. 630 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:37,720 Then thirdly, Meditatio. 631 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:40,080 Begin that process of chewing on it 632 00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:42,440 and reflecting on what you've read. 633 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:45,080 Ask yourself questions like, what does this mean? 634 00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:46,200 What does this mean for me? 635 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:48,000 What does it mean for our world? 636 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:51,280 Maybe the reading stirs up some emotion in you. 637 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:52,320 What is that about? 638 00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:53,200 Think about it. 639 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:55,240 Is this reading challenging you to do something? 640 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:57,600 Is it commanding you to do something? 641 00:30:57,600 --> 00:30:59,160 Is there a promise in this reading 642 00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:02,000 that you need to grab hold of? 643 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:03,600 This is not a Bible study, by the way. 644 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:04,720 You don't need commentaries. 645 00:31:04,720 --> 00:31:06,560 You don't need textbooks and all that stuff. 646 00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:08,320 There is a time and a place for that, 647 00:31:08,320 --> 00:31:10,200 but that's not what we're talking about right. 648 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:13,880 In Lectio, you are just letting God speak to you 649 00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:14,880 from this word. 650 00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:16,400 Read it again. 651 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:17,920 Read it again. 652 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:21,600 God, are you saying something to me? 653 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:25,960 Fourth step of Lectio is to respond to what you've heard, 654 00:31:25,960 --> 00:31:29,720 oratio, which is a Latin word for prayer. 655 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:31,200 So respond. 656 00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:33,160 Say, God, I've heard you say this to me. 657 00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:34,520 It makes me feel like this. 658 00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:36,200 God, you pray it back to God. 659 00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:37,520 Pray back whatever you're feeling. 660 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:40,400 If it's praise and wonder and adoration, pray that to God. 661 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:44,840 If it's confusion or anger or frustration, pray that. 662 00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:45,720 Back to God. 663 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:48,040 Just engage with God in prayer. 664 00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:49,520 This isn't a one-way dialogue. 665 00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:51,600 This is a dialogue. 666 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:53,120 It's a conversation. 667 00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:56,960 And then finally, lastly, contemplatio. 668 00:31:56,960 --> 00:31:58,760 Just rest. 669 00:31:58,760 --> 00:32:00,440 Just rest now in God's presence. 670 00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:02,240 This is the delight part. 671 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:05,640 Just delight in who God is. 672 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:08,960 Delight in this word God has spoken to you. 673 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:11,840 Maybe you say, God, is there anything else here for me? 674 00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:14,840 Is there anything else you want to show me? 675 00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:17,960 But if not, just rest then in God's presence. 676 00:32:17,960 --> 00:32:20,040 No words are necessary. 677 00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:23,120 You can just be. 678 00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:25,760 That's the Lectio Divina outline. 679 00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:29,200 Like I said, you can learn a lot more about how to do Lectio. 680 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:30,920 In fact, coming up in a couple of weeks, 681 00:32:30,920 --> 00:32:33,440 we're going to be doing a whole course just on this. 682 00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:35,960 Stay tuned for the announcements at the end of the service. 683 00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:39,920 But do you see how this is actually a conversation? 684 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:40,960 It's not just you. 685 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:42,320 God is at this table too. 686 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:44,080 You're not dining alone. 687 00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:45,640 You're dining with someone. 688 00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:51,480 God is there speaking to you as you feast on scripture together. 689 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:52,880 God is there with us. 690 00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:54,360 He's eating with us. 691 00:32:54,360 --> 00:32:59,840 And He's calling you to this table today. 692 00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:03,840 Many of us come to the Bible like children. 693 00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:05,880 We're picky eaters. 694 00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:08,680 But if we're going to grow up, then our appetites 695 00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:10,680 have got to change for God's word. 696 00:33:10,680 --> 00:33:11,840 Try one bite. 697 00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:14,640 Start nibbling away at it day by day. 698 00:33:14,640 --> 00:33:18,600 Keep feeding on it until that palate and that delight for God's 699 00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:20,040 word develops in you. 700 00:33:20,040 --> 00:33:22,320 Begin to really chew your food. 701 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:23,560 Don't just read it. 702 00:33:23,560 --> 00:33:25,400 Meditate on these words. 703 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:28,760 Realize how good it is for you. 704 00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:34,040 These are the words that give you life, life to the fullest. 705 00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:36,640 And remember, eat slowly. 706 00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:40,840 Practice something like Lectio Divina or whatever 707 00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:46,920 until you, like the Psalmist, can say in your heart, 708 00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:50,200 man, this is really, really good. 709 00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:54,560 Taste and see that the Lord is good. 710 00:33:57,280 --> 00:33:59,080 Thanks be to God. 711 00:33:59,080 --> 00:34:00,360 Amen. 712 00:34:00,360 --> 00:34:01,920 Thanks so much for joining us today 713 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:05,800 for our final sermon in our series, The Bible for Grownups. 714 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:09,360 And we hope that Rob's message left a good taste in your mouth 715 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:13,240 and gave you something to chew on as you go forward in your week. 716 00:34:13,240 --> 00:34:16,520 Take care, everyone, and come back next week. 717 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:18,600 Today's sermon was taken from the May 5, 718 00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:21,240 2024 service at Trinity Church Street 719 00:34:21,240 --> 00:34:36,680 in Nashville in Mississauga, Ontario.