
Sermon Title: Christian Meditation and the Three S’s (Silence, Stillness and Solitude)
Scripture: Luke 22:39–45, Mark 6:46-48, Psalm 1:1-3
I. These disciplines were important to Jesus
II. The purpose of these disciplines is to commune with God
III. Jesus called/commanded his followers to practice these disciplines
IV. Elements of silence, stillness and solitude
a. Be yourself
b. Prayer
c. Spending time in the Word
V. Words of advice
a. Not a replacement for community
b. Start small
c. Don’t have to do it all
d. It’s ok to feel “normal”at the end
“We live in a noisy, busy world. Silence and solitude…fit the era of Victorian lace, high-button shoes, and kerosene lamps better than our age of television, video arcades and joggers wired with earphones. We have become a people with an aversion to quiet and an uneasiness with being alone.” Finding Focus in a Whirlwind World by Jean Fleming
“…being alone is different than being alone with God. That’s the key ingredient to the spiritual discipline of solitude - being alone with him, waiting for what he has to impress upon you personally.” JoHannah Reardon, managing editor of ChristianBibleStudies.com
“…give yourself to God and then be what and who you are without regard to what others think…Learn to pray inwardly every moment…Call home your roving thoughts. Gaze on Christ with the eyes of your soul…All the above is contingent upon a right relation to God through Christ and daily meditation on the Scriptures” The Best of A. W. Tozer: 52 Favorite Chapters, comp Warren Wiersbe
“Silence also includes doing away with the one-way conversation most of us consider prayer…When I began to be silent before God, he was able to start changing my prayers, desires and direction so that I was in tune with what he had for me and my loved ones. I also began enjoying time with God. After all, he has a lot more important things to say than I do. Sitting quietly with God’s Word open on my lap has become a rewarding way to listen to him. He even directs how I should pray for others in a way I never would have considered praying if I was giving him my list.” JoHannah Reardon, managing editor of ChristianBibleStudies.com
“One reason why the dual Disciplines of silence and solitude can be so thoroughly transforming is because of how they help connect us with the other Spiritual Disciplines. They should normally be the context, for example, where we engage in personal Bible intake and prayer. They are also a necessary component of private worship. In silence and solitude we can maximize time for Disciplines such as learning and journaling. It’s also common to practice fasting during times of silence and solitude. But more than anything else, the Disciplines of silence and solitude can be so transfiguring because they provide time to think about life and to seek God.” Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney
“If you impatiently expect great gems each time you meet with God, you will be terribly disappointed and lose interest. Instead, it has to be about simply being with him, the way you would want to be with anyone you love.” JoHannah Reardon, managing editor of ChristianBibleStudies.com
Additional Notes:
Luke 22:39–45
39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.
Mark 6:46-48
46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.
47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them,
Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.