In this final part of our message on "The Thoughts of God," we continue exploring how we can align our minds with God’s will. In Part I, we learned about the importance of bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, recognizing that God judges not just our actions but also the nature of our thoughts. Part II delved into how we can actively seek God's thoughts, understanding His intentions for the world, and His specific guidance for those He calls. Today, we’ll focus on Proverbs 4, where God’s wisdom is shared as a father’s instruction to a son—revealing God’s personal thoughts and deep love for us. These Proverbs offer timeless insights into how we can embody godly wisdom, understanding, and humility in our lives. Let us open our hearts and minds to truly grasp these divine instructions.
And the title of this message, as Steve mentioned, is The Thoughts of God, this is the third part. And we are going to continue, and this is the last part of this message. In the first part, we talk about how we are to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. We also talked about how God judges the thoughts, not just the actions. We also talked about the nature of our thoughts. Our thoughts are evil and that we are to seek the thoughts of God.
And in the second part, we looked a little bit more in detail as to how we can do that, how we can seek the thoughts of God, what God wants and expects of us. What are his thoughts? First, we saw it toward the world and toward everybody, and then towards his called-out ones. So we did that in the first two parts and today, we are going to finish this message. We're gonna start by going to Proverbs 4 because these are part of the thoughts of God.
These are given as instructions in Proverbs 4. And the way that they are written, they are written from a father to a son. And it's speculated that this was actually David, King David writing to Solomon, his son, so that the first nine chapters of the book of Proverbs were actually written by David to Solomon. They're written in that form as though David is the one that's writing them, but it's from a father to a son. And when we think about it today for us, these are thoughts of God for us and instructions from God to us.
And we're going to read some of the Proverbs in chapter 4 and with this mind to try to really understand the thoughts of God because we've seen a lot of things as I was mentioning and recapping the other couple of messages as far as what our thoughts are and what God wants for us. But we're going to see now in a personal way the thoughts of God to each one of us because we talked in general before and we talked big picture and we talked about how we can have the thoughts of God and that God desires that.
But today, we're actually going to go into a little bit more depth and being a little bit more personal in what we read. Now, we'd like for us to read with this mindset of trying to really understand, really understand the mind of God and His thoughts toward us personally, directly to each one of us because this is going to give us a lot of encouragement. This is going to continue to recharge our batteries as we have them now recharged coming back from the feast, back into the world, but to think, to put our mind in the things of God and His thoughts toward us.
So let's begin in Proverbs 4 and verse 1. Proverbs 4 and verse 1 where it says, "'O children, hear the instruction of a father "'and be attentive in order to know understanding.'" And this is God talking to us, instructing us to hear Him because we know and Jesus Christ told us that we have one father in heaven and it's God the Father. And we have to be attentive in order to know understanding. He says, "'For I give you good doctrine.'" Verse 2, "'Do not forsake my law.'" See, He always starts with it.
He starts with the law. And it's like with a child, the children are very linear thinkers. So it starts with basic instructions and so do we in our walk with God and our Christian living and understanding the ways of God. It starts with the law. That's the foundation of everything. And He says, "'Do not forsake my law "'for I was my father's son.'" Verse 3, "'Tender and the only beloved "'in the sight of my mother.'" So this is another indication that it was probably Solomon, the only beloved in the sight of my mother because he was the first one.
After the first one that died, obviously the one that was born of that sin of adultery. But then the first one after that, then it was Solomon and he was beloved in the sight of his mother up to that point. He also taught me and said to me, let your heart hold fast my words. Keep my commandments and live. And this is God speaking to us as well. God wants for us, for our heart to hold fast His words.
And it's an amazing thing because when we think about who is the word, the word became flesh and that's Jesus Christ. And if we hold fast His words, the words of God that came through Jesus Christ, both in the Old Testament and in the New, once He was born in the flesh, and if we hold fast His words, this is what we're going to do, is just keep my commandments and live. So it's both, is hold fast His words, keeping His commandments and live.
It's a promise. And then He instructs us. These are the thoughts of God toward us. This is the instruction. He says in verse five, get wisdom, get understanding, forget it not, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. And that's what He wants us to do. And we're not gonna go there right now for time's sake, but in Deuteronomy six, where it says, and these words shall be in your heart and you shall teach them to your children and you shall repeat them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lay down, when you rise up.
That's what it's saying here. It says, don't forget it. Don't turn away from the words of my mouth. That's the how. The how is to talk about Him all the time, to teach Him to our children. And that is so important because God is going to send a blessing there. That's when we're going to get, that's how we're going to get wisdom. That's how we're going to get understanding. And as we said before, wisdom is the highest level.
Understanding comes a little bit before and knowledge is foundational. First you have knowledge and then you have understanding as to how that knowledge comes together. But then wisdom is how to apply it with circumstances and with people because we are all very complex. We all have different situations that arise and it's difficult, it's challenging. But if we get wisdom and we get understanding and if we hold fast the words of God and keep His commandments, we're going to live.
That's the promise. And then it says in verse six, do not forsake her. Do not forsake wisdom. And she shall keep you. Love her and she shall preserve you. Do we love wisdom? Are we getting understanding? Are we crying now? Because when we ask God, He's going to give us that. That's why Jesus said that even us being evil know how to give good gifts to our children. How much more He's going to give us this if we ask God for wisdom.
We have to ask Him for His Holy Spirit. We have to ask Him for wisdom every day. And we have to love that wisdom because when we understand the thoughts of God and when we can see the love that He has for us and the purpose and the plan that He has for us and we just rehearsed during the Feast of Tabernacles, it really blows our mind how much love and how much understanding and how perfect is His plan that we are being trained to train those in the millennium who then are going to train everybody else in the Great White Throne Judgment.
And it's going to be an amazing thing and we're building up to that. But it says wisdom is the principal thing, verse seven. Wisdom is the principal thing. Get wisdom and with all you're getting, get understanding. These are the thoughts of God. God is saying, if you're not gonna have anything else in this life except one thing, get wisdom. That's why He was so pleased and we heard Fred, right, talking about that in the Solomon syndrome at the beginning.
That's what he asked for. He asked for wisdom. It's almost like he knew this, like David probably wrote this to Solomon and Solomon took it to heart and his father told him, get wisdom. Wisdom is the principal thing. Focus on wisdom, get understanding. That's what he asked God. And God was so pleased with him that he gave him the best kingdom, the best human kingdom that has ever existed up to now. Because God was so pleased with that and God is so pleased with you as well when you ask for wisdom, when we ask for wisdom and when we delight in His love.
But we have to first hold fast His words and we have to keep His commandments. But we have been doing that. Now, to what level? In the letter, in the spirit, as we understand it, the more understanding we get and the more wisdom that we get, the better we're going to keep His commandments, the more that we're gonna hold fast His words. And it's gonna be an amazing thing when we think about it. That's why it says, with all you're getting, get understanding.
If you're gonna get only one thing, get understanding, get wisdom. Wisdom is the principal thing, which builds up on understanding. Verse eight, exalt her and she shall promote you. God wants to promote us, not for our own sake, not so that we get puffed up with knowledge or elevated. No, He knows that when we get true wisdom, we're actually gonna be more humble than before because we know who gives wisdom and we know who God is.
When we understand the thoughts of God, then we are really going to understand that when we're promoted, it's just to the glory of God. It's not for us, it's not to exalt ourselves, it's not to lord over anybody or to put anybody else down. It's just to serve others and to serve better. And it says, she shall bring you honor when you embrace her. So this is absolutely fundamental in our development, in our character development, that as we are preparing to go on to the kingdom of God, we have to embrace it.
We have to embrace wisdom and love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and being. But embracing that wisdom, knowing that the wisdom comes from God, when we talk about godly wisdom, we know that James talks about the wisdom of this world versus the wisdom of God. And this is the wisdom of God because when we see the wisdom of God, you can't help but love Him more and serve Him more and be humbled more. And then look at what it ends in verse nine.
It says, she shall place upon you a garland of grace. She shall bestow upon you a crown of glory. That is proof that it is being kings and priests in the kingdom of God for a thousand years. That is the end result of embracing her. That is that promotion. That is when we embrace her. That is when we love God. That is when we know His thoughts and we understand and we become more like God because we love that way of life.
We love that way of being that is true, that is righteous, that is loving, that is compassionate, that is caring. We want to be all those things because God is all those things. And He's always like that with us. But it says, she shall bestow upon you a crown of glory in His kingdom. And that's the promise. Let's drop down to verse 20. And you can read the rest of this chapter. I highly recommend it because it has a lot more things, but let's drop down to verse 20 where it says, my son, attend to my words, incline your ear to my sayings.
To attend to the words of God. Incline our ear to His sayings. Like, you know, that's what it says in Psalm 1, right? Blessed is the man who meditates in His law. His light is in the law of the Lord. Right? In His law does he meditate day and night. That's what it's saying here. If you attend to my words, if you incline my ear to my sayings, it says you need to do that. Let not depart from your eyes.
These are instructions. These are commands too. Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart. And it goes together. Well, that's what Jeremiah 31 says, right? That He was gonna write His laws and His commandments in our hearts and in our minds. And this is the instruction. For they are life to those who find them because God Himself is life. And health to all their flesh. And that's what God wants.
God wants for us to have health. That's what He wants. But we have to keep them in the midst of our heart. Those commandments, that's what Jesus said in John. When He said, the words I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life. That's why they are health to all our flesh because they are life themselves. And then He gives us another instruction in verse 23. Above all, guard the door of your mind with diligence.
Not just most of the time or sometimes, but with diligence means all the time. Be attentive of what you watch, what you hear, what is going on around you. Guard the door of your mind and run away from evil. Run away from evil. We have all seen how terrible the celebration in October, right, like the Halloween and all of that stuff. We've seen how terrible that actually is because people are not guarding their mind. And that's when Satan and the demons come in and influence people.
If we're not guarding the door of our mind, that's why we have to guard it. He says, for out of it are the issues of life. The issues of life. That's where the laws and the commandments of God are to be in our mind and in our heart. And those are the issues of life. Put away from your deceitful mouth and devious lips put far from you. It starts with, you know, your mind and then it's like in only your mind, but also watch what you're saying because out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
So if you're guarding the door of your mind, if you have those words in the midst of your heart, then this is gonna happen. You're going to put away a deceitful mouth. Devious lips you will put far from you, but it starts inside. And then it says, let your eyes look right on, right on. And let your eyelids look straight before you. Straight before you. We have to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ and God the Father.
That's what we have to do. We have to take instructions from our Lord and Savior, from the head of the church, Jesus Christ himself. And that's why he says, ponder the path of your feet and all your ways will be established. What he says, ponder the path of your feet is think about it. Think about where you're gonna go. Yes, we can ponder where we've gone, but it really, if our eyes are to be in front and looking at what Jesus Christ did and we're following his example, then we have to ponder the path of our feet as to where we're going to go, not just where we have gone.
We certainly can learn from our mistakes, but it's even more important to think about it, to plan. We always have a choice. But if we ponder the path of our feet and are doing the other things, this is not just by itself. That's how our ways will be established. And then at the end in verse 27, do not turn to the right hand, nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil. That also says it in Deuteronomy 5.32, right? Don't turn to the right, nor to the left.
Stay in this path, stay in this commandment. Follow the Lord and master, follow Jesus Christ. Follow the head of the church. These are the thoughts of God that we are pondering. Now let's go to First Chronicles 28. First Chronicles chapter 28 and verse nine. Because this is what David was speaking to the people. He starts talking about how he had it in his heart to build a temple for God, and he gathered all the materials and all of these things.
But then I just want to read one verse in here, because this is so important. From the man that really knew God in a very, very deep level, David. And he's telling Solomon this. He tells him in First Chronicles 28 and verse nine, and you Solomon, my son, acknowledge the God of your father and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind. Both are required. A perfect heart means that there's nothing hidden. There is nothing crooked.
There is no things that are against God that are hiding, that are, you know, none of that. Perfect heart means we have to give, like as many mainstream Christians say, give your heart to the Lord. But in reality, in spirit and in truth, knowing the word of God, knowing the truth of God and his commandments and his judgments and everything, because that is the mind of God, that is a perfect heart. But we have to have that perfect heart toward God of sincerity, of truth.
And he says, and with a willing mind, we have to do it, you know, like from our own desire, because the more that we get to know the thoughts of God, the more that we love him. And he says, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you. And that is also for us today. If we seek him, he will be found by us.
And it's not just one, there's not just one time. It's not a one-time event when we were called and we were baptized. It's the rest of our lives. And it's not just in one way. There are levels of depth of our relationship with God. There are levels of understanding. There are levels of wisdom. There are measure. There's the measure of the Holy Spirit. God didn't give it with a measure unto Jesus Christ when he was on the earth.
But we do get things in measure, in the measure that we seek him, in the measure that we obey him, that we understand his mind, that we want his commandments, his laws, and his judgments, and his entire word to be inscribed in our hearts and in our minds. That's why if we seek him, he will be found by us. But to what level? To what depth? How deep is going to be our relationship with God? It depends on us.
It depends on how much we are loving him. Yes, study, prayer, those are foundational. Fasting, meditation, those are foundational things. That's how we get to love him. That's how we seek him, in sincerity and in truth, because if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. And that is the truth. Whoever forsakes God, and in the end, as we've seen even about the eighth day, whoever forsakes him and says, no, I don't want to be with you, I don't want what you are offering, then he will cast them off forever.
It's not his desire, certainly, but that will happen. That will happen, and that was the warning to Solomon. Let's go to Psalm 92. We're going to see some more of the thoughts of God with this as the backdrop, with these instructions that God has given us, and then also with this understanding of who God is and what he's looking for us to do, what he would love for us to do. Because when we understand more of the thoughts of God, which we're going to read here in Psalm 92, we're going to see the wonderful mind of our creator, and it's just a tiny part, obviously, because God is so infinite.
His understanding is infinite. That's what it says in the Psalms. But to get to know those thoughts, when we get to know those thoughts, we're going to read, what is the effect of that? What happens when we get to know him at a deep personal level, like the psalmist did here? Assuming it's David, but he doesn't say that. It's a psalm or a song for the Sabbath day, and in Psalm 92, we are going to start in verse five, because this, we're going to read verse five, and we're going to read about the thoughts of God and the thoughts in this psalm, but then we're gonna come back to the beginning, because we're going to see how one thing produces the other.
In verse five, it says, oh, Lord, how great are your works. Your thoughts are very deep, very deep. It's, when you think about the thoughts of God, and you realize how deep they are, they're deeper than the ocean. And it says, a Buddhist man does not know, nor does a fool understand this. Like, understand what? It says, when the wicked spring forth as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity blossom, it is that they shall be destroyed forever.
And it's just meditating on how vain all these things are in this world. And even the prosperity of the wicked, it says when they spring forth as the grass, it's just so that they'd be destroyed. But it says, but you, oh Lord, verse eight, are on high forever. He understood, for lo, your enemies, oh Lord, for lo, your enemies shall perish. All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered when we understand the plan of God, when we know that those who practice evil willingly, and there are many, that they are going to be destroyed, and they will be scattered.
It says, for lo, your enemies, oh Lord, for all your enemies shall perish. All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered, because that's not what God wants, that's not his desire. And think about this next verse, because this is actually prophetic. And we heard from Fred at the feast about the Psalms, right, the millennium in the Psalms. And here's another verse that talks about that. It says, but you shall lift up my horn as a wild ox, and I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
And that is going to be, if we endure to the end, and then we'll become kings and priests with Jesus Christ and reign for a thousand years, we will be anointed with fresh oil. And he will exile our horn as a wild ox, which means horn is representative of government. He will exile those government, not because of ourselves, but just because of his love, because this is what he wants. Just think about for a minute on the joy that God is going to have in Jesus Christ when they are anointing us as kings and priests in his kingdom, which is probably gonna happen in the sea of glass.
But that's what it is. It says, I shall be anointed with fresh oil. And this is prophetic. Notice the next verse. Also, my eye shall see my desire on my enemies. That's what's gonna happen. When you read Revelation 15, and it's all about what's going on in the sea of glass, or Revelation 16, are the vials of the wrath of God. That's what this is. It says, and my ear shall hear my desire on the wicked who rise up against me.
Who knows if we are gonna have to endure martyrdom, but then get to see this after. Get to see the desire that they would be consumed. And not because it's our revenge, but because God is good, and because he wants to put them out of their misery, because when people are so evil, and they bent on destroying others, all they can have is misery the rest of their lives. But that's why we'll see that. We will be anointed with fresh oil.
He will increase his government through us, not because we're anything, but because that's his promise, of being kings and priests in his kingdom. Because we love him. Because we obey his commandments. Because we love his way of life. Because we know how he thinks. Because we know his precepts and how he acts. And when we study that, when we study his law, then we can see that, and we can start, it starts to change the mind.
It starts to change the thoughts. And it starts to change our words and our behavior. And then it says, it says in verse 12, all the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. That's what it's going to be. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. That's the truth. All the righteous saints, they're going to be flourishing. It says, those are planted where? In the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of our God.
And that's the promise. That's the promise in Revelation to those of Philadelphia, it says. But it's through the one who overcomes. It's just what it says in that section. But it says to the one who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall not go out anymore. And that's why it says, those are planted in the house of the Lord, in the temple of God the Father and Jesus Christ.
It says, and shall flourish in the courts of our God. You see how these things tie together. These are prophetic. And that's what God wants. These are the thoughts of God towards us. He wants for us to flourish like the palm tree. He wants for us to grow like a cedar. And he doesn't only want to do it then. He wants to do it now. He wants for us to flourish. Maybe not like the way that the world flourishes with goods and financial blessings.
Maybe not that way. We know what is most important to God. He said, wisdom is a principle thing. Get wisdom. God wants us to flourish in wisdom. Yes, many other blessings flow from that. But that's what God wants to bless us with. That's what he was so pleased with Solomon because he asked for that. And he said, well, in addition to, I'll give you all these other things, secondary things. They're not to be compared. Nothing is compared to wisdom.
But God wants us to have wisdom. He wants us to flourish like the palm tree. He wants us to flourish in his courts because he loves us. He loves you. He wants you to be in the temple of God. He wants you to be in his courts forever, for the rest of eternity. What does it look like? What does it feel like? How beautiful is that gonna be? We have no idea. But nobody's gonna be disappointed.
And it says in verse 14, they shall still bring forth fruit in old age, and they shall be full of sap and very green. Continue to give fruit. That's why God is the Ancient of Days. That's one of his names, the Ancient of Days. Because even in old age, you will continue forever, forever. And that's a promise from God, that they shall still bring fruit in old age, and they're full of sap and very green. And why? And it says to show that the Lord is upright, that he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
And that is the reason why he will make these things happen. And you have seen it. You have seen it even with Fred. Even in old age, he's still full of sap. He's still full of knowledge, and the love of God, and the commandments of God, and teaching us all. And that's to show that the Lord is upright. And he's showing that. And there have been other servants of God that have lived a long life, because they are teaching the ways of God, and that is a wonderful blessing.
Let's go now to Psalm 40. Psalm 40, to see more of the thoughts of God. But when you see that, we're gonna go back here in Psalm 92, because I said we were gonna read the beginning of this. The beginning of this in Psalm 92, verse one, where it says, it is good to give thanks to the Lord. Because now that we have this picture, and now we have this understanding, because we have the understanding of the purpose to show that the Lord is upright, it's all about giving the credit to God.
It's all about showing others that he is our rock, that there is no unrighteousness in him. It's all about what he wants for us, so that it can go back to him, and it will never end. The glory will continue in a circular fashion from him to us, and from us to him, not because of our own glory, but because everything belongs to him, and because that is his desire. And when you think about that, when you think about being in the temple of God, being and flourishing in the courts of God, when you think about that, and then you read verse one, it is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises unto your name, almost high.
Why? Because you feel that goodness, you want to do it. This is a psalm for the Sabbath day. This is what we're supposed to be doing on the Sabbath day, meditating on the word of God, meditating on his plans, on his goodness, on his love, on his mercy that he has had. Because that's what we wanna do. Verse two, he says, to show forth your loving kindness in the morning, and your faithfulness every night. It is good to do that.
It is good to thank God for everything that he does for us. And how? It is upon the instrument of 10 strings, and upon the harp with melody of music upon the lyre. That's why there's emotion in song. That's why there's emotion in praise. Yes, sometimes it can be doctrinally incorrect, and we should not listen to that, things that are doctrinally incorrect. But if there are songs, that are uplifting, and that we know and we wanna praise God, that is a good thing.
God not only deserves and appreciates the worship, but he loves it. It is good to do that. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to his name, to sing in our houses, sing on the Sabbath day. If you know how to play an instrument, play a song, this is very good. This edifies you, but it praises God. And that's an amazing thing. When we see the thoughts of God, we want to praise him, because he deserves it, because everything that he has done is absolutely amazing, is wonderful.
Those thoughts are very deep. And he says, for you, O Lord, have made me glad with your work. What work? The work in our mind, the work in our hearts, where he's transforming us. When you let him fully dwell in you, when you really put yourself in his hands, you will see more of that work. And when you see those good works that he does, because we don't take any credit, when we see that work that he does in us, we're going to be glad, and we're going to want to praise him, and praise him more every time.
And he says, I will exalt in the works of your hands. And that's you and I, brethren. Everything else, everything else in this earth is going to be burned up. The only works that are going to be everlasting are the saints, and those who are called later, during the millennium, and those who are called during the great white throne judgment on the eighth day. That is the only thing that is going to last. And those are the works of the hands of God.
And that's why it says in verse five, O Lord, how great are your works. Your thoughts are very deep, because the thoughts of God are for us to be in his kingdom, to love him, to serve him forever, to be perfected in love, in understanding, in mercy, in patience, in all of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, to be truly perfected. And that's why when we meditate on that, and when we understand that that's what the Sabbath is for, that's why God created the Sabbath and the seventh day of creation for all mankind.
That just blows you away, that we have a God that is not distant. He's not far away in millions and millions of light years away. No, he's close to us in spirit and in truth, because we're crying out to him, because we are searching for him, because we love him, because we want his way of life. And we also want to know him. We want to know his thoughts. And his thoughts toward us of giving us the kingdom, which Jesus said that he greatly delights in that.
It's an amazing thing when you think about it. When you really meditate on the goodness of God and his great compassion towards all of us. Now let's go to Psalm 40. Psalm 40 in verse four. To continue to read some of the thoughts of God, because the more that we read these things from this perspective, knowing that this is the mind of God the Father and of Jesus Christ, this gives us a different perspective. It draws us closer to God in spirit and in truth.
And in reality, in our walking with them. Psalm 40 in verse four, it said, blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust and does not respect the proud, nor those who turn aside to lies. And that's what a lot of people do nowadays. They turn aside to lies, and they put their hope in men, and we're not to do that. We cannot put our hope in any man. We have to make our trust, the Lord has to be our trust.
We are not to respect the proud, nor to those who turn aside to lies, thinking that we're going to do well. But it says in verse five, oh Lord my God, and this is a prayer here. This is the Psalm of David. But he's telling God, oh Lord my God, many things you have done. And this is also prophetic. Your wonderful works and your thoughts, which are toward us. See his meditation? There is none to compare unto you.
There's nobody like God the Father and like Jesus Christ in their glory and in their power and in their love. It says if you could declare and speak of them, or speak of those thoughts, which are toward us, they will be more than can be told. God would never be able to finish putting on paper every thought that he has towards you personally. Because he loves you. He loves you so much that he called you, that he gave you his word and his covenant and his own son for the forgiveness of our sins.
There could be more than can be told and certainly written, because we can say much more than can be written. But it says there more than can be told. We should meditate like this too. We should stop and think on everything that God has done for us. Everything that he has given us and everything that he wants to give us and put our eyes on Jesus Christ. Fixed on the author and the finisher of our faith.
And think about how our eyes are to be on him, straight, straight before us, pondering the path, asking for wisdom every day. Because when we think about that, when we meditate on their thoughts and they reveal their thoughts behind the words that are written in the Bible, and that's gonna blow your mind away. This is what he found in verse six. Talk about Old Testament, where it's all of the laws and the Levitical laws and sacrificial laws, sacrifice and offering you did not desire.
He understood this. And we know this is prophetic. This is also speaking about Jesus Christ himself. And he was the perfect sacrifice. So think about it. So sacrifice and offering you did not desire. My ears you have opened. Burn offering and sin offering you have not required. It says my ears you have opened and that has a couple of meanings. Open my ears to hear and to understand because how many people read the Bible but don't understand it? How many people read the Bible and though they understand it, they don't obey it or they don't believe it.
But if he has opened our ears is to understand. But there's another meaning because this is prophetic of Jesus Christ. When he says my ears you have opened, in Deuteronomy it said that if you had a slave and that slave, at the end of the seven years that you were supposed to release that slave, if that slave says, I will not leave you it says because he loves you and he goes well with him and you, then you shall take an awl and make a hole in his ear and he shall be your servant forever.
And that is part of the meaning of this. That awl that crosses the ear and says indented servant forever. Why? Just because I love you. I want you to be my master forever. And that's what God desires. And that's the example that Jesus Christ said perfectly of how to do that. He was the perfect servant of the father. He gave his life completely and he did always his will. He always did what the father desired. And so when he says my ears you have opened, it's because it was a perfect slave whose ear was open literally with that awl so that he would be the servant forever and we want to be God's servants forever.
He has opened our ears to understand. Now we willingly should offer ourselves so that he does that as well so that we become his servants forever. If we're not offering, it's an offering you have not required. And this is the result of that opening the ear of that willing sacrifice as a servant forever. It says, then I say, and then I said, verse seven, lo, I come in the scroll of the book, it is written of me, and it's capitalized because it's Jesus Christ.
I delight to do your will. Oh my God, and your law is within my heart. Think about it. Here David was getting the thoughts of God directly from God the father, prophetic about his son, Jesus Christ and what he was going to do. And when you think about that, that he was getting those thoughts of Jesus Christ, what he was going to do, he was going to offer himself and what God desired, lo, I come in the scroll of the book, it is written of me.
I delight to do your will. Oh my God, and your law is within my heart. The perfect fulfillment of the will of God. The perfect fulfillment. That's the thought of God. That's his desire. Are we willing to let him dwell in us more fully through the Holy Spirit so that we can obey in the way that Jesus Christ obey and be more like him? And this is an amazing thing when we think about it, when we delight to do his will.
Let's go to Psalm 139 because this is personal. This is so very personal. I know that sometimes in the comments of some of the other couple of messages about the thoughts of God, this one has popped up many times because it also talks about the thoughts of God. It mentions them, Psalm 139. We're going to begin in verse 13. But we're going to read it now because this shows personally the depth of the relationship that God wants to have with us.
Psalm 139 and verse 13 where David is saying this where he starts meditating again, just meditating on God. He's always meditating on him and he's reflecting upon that, that he can't go away from God, that he can't hide from him, right? Because that's the beginning of the Psalm. But then he understands then his beginning in verse 13, for you have possessed my reins. You have knit me together in my mother's womb. And it's an amazing thing how a baby is formed in the mother's womb.
It's a miracle. And then it says in verse 14, I will praise you for I am awesomely and wonderfully made. Your works are marvelous and my soul knows it very well. And so do we, brethren. We know that we were awesomely and wonderfully made. That only God could have created beings like us, like human beings in general. It's a wonderful creation with the ability to reason, to think, to make decisions, to love, to feel. And obviously the other side too, that we have capacity to do so much damage and use all those thoughts and emotions for evil.
But the creation of God, the way that he designed his image according to his likeness, it's wonderful. And it says your works are marvelous and my soul knows it very well. My substance was not hidden from you. Substance, right? When I was made in secret, it is truly a secret. That's why a mother doesn't even know that she's pregnant until a few days afterwards because it's in secret and intricately formed in the lowest parts of the earth.
It's talking about when that embryo begins to develop, those tiny cells, but at that moment of conception is the spark of life. And then it says in verse 16, your eyes did seem like substance. What substance? Your cells, yet being unformed because it doesn't have a shape, it is unformed. And in your book, all my members were written which in continuance were fashioned. And sometimes other translations talk about that there are days where number before, and in the translation it is, but it doesn't say that.
In the faithful version it says, all my members were written which in continuance were fashioned. That's how God made us. This is when as yet there were none of them. So God can see our substance. He saw our development. And it's amazing that he cares and loves every person that is being developed in the womb of the mother. That's why he hates abortion because everyone is a son or a daughter of God in potential, obviously. But these are the thoughts of David here.
How precious also are your thoughts to me, O God? How great is the sum of them? Because when God shows you that he loves you, that he has a plan for you, that he wants you to know him, to understand him, to meditate upon him. And think about David when he was a young boy, right? And out in the field and just looking up at the stars and being amazed. I don't know if you've seen the stars in a place where there's no light, nothing in the middle of the ocean or middle of the desert.
And then you look up and it's just, it almost feels like they're coming down. I mean, you've never seen something so spectacular like that and that's what David saw when he was with the sheep. And that's how he knew. That's why it's all made, right? Like what is man that you're mindful of him? You made him a little lower than God and all of these other thoughts. Those are the thoughts that God gave him. And that's why when Goliath came, it's like, this is nothing.
I've seen your majesty. I've seen your power. I've seen what he had done for him, right? In killing the lion. I mean, it's just amazing what God did for David even as a young boy. It's amazing what God is doing. It's even more amazing what he's doing in your heart and in your mind because they're not physical things. They're spiritual things. In your heart, in your mind, in the way that you behave, in the way that you are changed, in the core of your being.
Those are precious thoughts. Those are the thoughts of God and they're precious to us too. They should be. How great is the sum of them. It's his kingdom. I mean, we were timing a little bit at the end of Revelation of the new Jerusalem and how it's gonna be like. But those are the best words that the Apostle John was inspired to write. But it probably doesn't even do it justice. I don't know if you've taken a picture somewhere out in nature, like of a sunset or something and it's so majestic.
I mean, you take a picture and it's like, or the full moon or something and it doesn't do it justice. I feel like that's what's happening in those last chapters of Revelation. It doesn't do it justice to what he's going to be. Those thoughts, the sum of them, it's amazing. It says verse 18, if I should count them, they are more than the sand. And it just, I can't count even a tiny bit of sand. I couldn't even count those grains of sand.
Imagine more than all the sand. It says, when I awake, I am still with you. He was doing this and as he was reflecting this, he was also, it will do something in us. If we're thinking about the thoughts of God, if we read this and know and understand that these are the thoughts of God, this is what is going to also generate in us. Let's drop to verse 23, where it says, search me, O God, and know my heart.
It's not only us knowing the heart of God, it's that God will know our heart. Find me and know my thoughts. He wasn't trusting in himself. He was trusting in God. He was asking God to come and see his heart. We should do the same. We should do the same. Ask God, come, please, come and try, know my heart. Come and try, know my thoughts. Try me and see if any wicked way is in me and lead me in the way everlasting because it's not in man to direct his steps.
He knew that very well. And this is how it's done. In the dark of night, when you're laying in your bed, and it's just you and God, and you think about the goodness of God in his entire plan, and then you ask him to do this, it's life-changing. It will change your mind. It will change your heart. It will change you forever. And that's what we want. We want to be with God for all eternity. Let's go to Hebrews 4.
Hebrews 4. Because these are part of the thoughts of God, and this is the explanation of how is it that this takes place when we read the Bible, when we understand something, not of our own, it has to be revealed. Because people can read this, and read this, and read this, but unless they're searching for God in truth, and then God decides to open their eyes, they cannot see it. We couldn't see it either. Before we recall, we can't see these things.
But that is just part of that love of God. Hebrews 4 and verse 12. And as we read these things, let's remember what we read in Proverbs, of holding fast these words, of keeping his commandments, because for the word of God is living and powerful. And not only that, not only his words, commandments, everything that is written, the word of God is Jesus Christ himself. It says he is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of both soul and spirit, and of both the joints and the marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart.
But God is also giving us understanding of his own mind and his thoughts right here. And he's also sharing, it has to be a two-way street. There has to be no secrets with God from us to him, a pure and sincere heart, really putting ourselves in his hand, because he is able to discern the thoughts and intent of the heart. Not just the thought, the intent. Why did we think what we thought? What is the reason? See, there's no psychologist that can compare to God.
So a psychologist, you can sit down on a couch and he starts asking you questions, so he can draw a lot of things and draw a lot of conclusions. But God knows those thoughts and intents of the heart. He doesn't even need to ask us anything. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows why, and he's patient. He's patient with us. He knows how much we can take at a time. Even in our trials and our tribulations, he does that.
And he says, and there is not a created thing that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. And this is not to shame us or to make us sad. No, this is for us to be encouraged to come to God with all our heart and pour out our heart before God. Not only in the trials, also in the rejoicing, also in the thankfulness, also in the praising and the understanding of his mind and his thoughts toward us, which are more than can be told.
That's what God wants. That's what he wants. And that's why he sent his only begotten son and he gave him up for our life. That's why he says, having therefore a high priest who has passed into the heavens, Jesus, the son of God, we shall hold fast the confession of our faith. Hold fast my words, we read in Proverbs. Hold fast the confession of our faith, which means if we believe that we're going to do it, we're going to live according to that.
For we do not have a high priest who cannot empathize with our weaknesses, but one who is tempted in all things, according to the likeness of our own temptations. Yet he was without sin. The thoughts of God, he's communicating. It can be done, it can be transformed. You can overcome sin. You can overcome your sinful nature. That doesn't mean that you're going to, like at one point, from that point on in this physical life, you're not going to sin anymore.
That doesn't mean that, but you will overcome sin. You will not practice sin. That's what it means. That's why it says, therefore we should come with boldness to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. That's what God wants. God wants for us to come, and just like ancient Christians said, come as you are, yeah, come as you are, in your knees, on your knees to God, just you and him.
No minister, no pastor, no priest between you and God. You go as you are to God. You pour out your heart before him. You read the Bible knowing that those are the thoughts of God and what he really decides. There's also a lot of thoughts of man, and we can see a lot of the human wisdom and the human words and the human mistakes. It's a book to obtain wisdom, the entire Bible, because that's what God wants.
Let's go now to 1 Chronicles 29. 1 Chronicles 29. And we're going to read some other words of David here. 1 Chronicles 29, in verse 17. When he blessed the Lord before the congregation, and when you read the words that David is saying here, and you can see that he knew the thoughts of God, that God had revealed him a lot of things. But he has revealed them to us as well, because David wrote them. We just have to ask God to reveal those things behind the words, the heart, the intentions, everything that he wrote in here, the emotions, because we don't have a distant God.
God is very near to us. He loves us so much. It says in verse 10, 1 Chronicles 29, in verse 10, it says, and David blessed the Lord before all the congregation. And David said, blessed are you, Lord God of Israel, our father, forever and ever. O Lord, yours is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty for all in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head over all.
He acknowledged all of these things. He knew God well. He knew the thoughts of God. And it's an amazing thing to see his words and his attitude and the riches and the honor are from you and your reign over all. And in your hand is power and might. And it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. Now, therefore, our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name. And that's what we ought to do.
When we're together on the Sabbath, we're by ourselves because the Sabbath is not just a day about God. It's God's day. It's to thank him in prayer, it's to go to him, it's to study his words, to meditate, it's to connect with him. Now, therefore, O God, we thank you and praise your glorious name. Verse 14, but who am I? Who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer so willingly after this short? For all things are from you and we have given to you that which is yours, which is also what we do when we give offerings and tithes and everything is the same.
For we are strangers before you and pilgrims as our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow and none abide, and that's true. But he knows, he knows how frail we are. Let's drop down to verse 17. I know also, my God, that you try the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. Because that's true wisdom. True wisdom is gonna lead us to what's right. It says, as for me, in the uprightness of my heart, I have willingly offered all these things.
And now I have seen with joy your people who are present here to offer willingly to you. O Lord of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep these forever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of your people and prepare their heart to you. And that is what we should be asking, that our hearts would be prepared to him. He says, now give, he asks God, now give to Solomon, my son, a perfect heart.
To do what? To keep your commandments, your testimonies, your statutes, and to do all these things and to build a magnificent temple for which I have made ready. And one can only speculate how much, how important was that temple to God in comparison to the first thing that David asked. A perfect heart to keep your commandments, your testimonies, your statutes, and all these things. Because now we know we are the temple of God's Holy Spirit. Now he is building his temple spiritually in each one of us.
Let's go to Philippians to close, Philippians four. Philippians four and verse six. Because as we've seen with the thoughts of God, when we see the thoughts that he has toward us to protect us, to keep us, to teach us, to show us that our thoughts of ourselves are evil, that he has to dwell in us, that he has to give us his spirit, that he loves us, that he wants us to be his kingdom, he wants us for us to be kings and priests with him, but he wants us to love him with all the heart first.
He shows us exactly how to do it in repeating these words every day to our children and thinking about him all the time. When he gives us all these things. Here the Apostle Paul says in Philippians four, verse six, do not be anxious about anything, but by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God in everything and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. When you feel that peace of God, there's nothing like it, nothing.
That peace of God shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Then he tells us what we are to think on. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things. As we've seen, all the thoughts of God are true, are honorable, are just, are pure, are lovely, are of good report, are of all virtue and of all praise, worthy of all praise.
Think on these things.
