Watch Over Your Heart With All Diligence

"Watch Over Your Heart \.Jith Al (Proverbs 4:20-27)

Diligence"

Introduction: Everything that happens can be traced back to sometJnng that made it happen. There are no exceptions to this law \vhich the Lord has built into His creation. For every child which is born, there must be the parents who conceived it. For every river which flows, there must be the contribuLing rainfall and streams. For every tear that is shed, there must be that pain or disappointment that caused it Everything that happens has its source, the fountainhead from which it came, The Bible says that this is also true about everything which comes from your life. All of your thoughts, all of your words, all of your deeds have a source. a place from which they come. The Scripture calls that source, your heart. It is that which motivates you; it is that "'hieh compels you to do all that you do. When your heart is full of love, then yonr. life is filled with the fnlits of love. You think loving thoughts. You speak loving words. And you show that love to other people. On the other hand, when your heart is full of hatred and anger, then your life is filled with those bitter. fruits. Since your heart is the source of the fruits which come ont of your life, it should be very important to you what kind of condition it is in. It is esped_ally important because the Lord is constantly looking at your heart to see what it is that motivates your actions. What we want to consider this morning J.s the importance of watching over your heart. And what I want you to see is that, S_ince your heart determines what you are Like and what you will do, it is very important that you carefully protect it. I. First, Solomon TelLs Us That the Heart Is the Source of All of Our Life.

"FRON IT FLOW THE SPRINGS OF LIFE." A. Our Phys:ical Heart Is the Source of Our Pl1YE>-1ca1 Life and Actions. 1. There are many vi tal organs in our body, organs which we canDot Live wi thotlt. 2. One of the most important of those is the heart. a. It is that organ which pumps blood to all the other organs. b. It :is that which brings 1ife-gjving oxygen to every cell of the body and carries away its wastes. c. It is that which, if it were to stop beating, ",]ould immediately end our life. d. This is why it .is called the heart:. It is the center of' our physical 1iEe. B. In the Same Way, the Heart of Our Soul Is the Source from Which Spring Al1 of Our Motives, Thoughts and Actions. 1. Keil, in bis commentary on the Proverbs, {.vrites, "What is said of the beart in tbe 10wer sense of corporea1 TTi ta.li ty, is true in the higher sense of tbe intelJectua.l soul~life • • • • Tbe heart is the instrument of the thinking, willing, perceiving life of t.he spirit; .it .is the seal: of the knowledge of our relation to Gad, and also or the law of God impressed 011 our moral nature; .it .is the workshop of ollr individual spiri tua1 and etbical [arm o.f life brought about by self-activ_ity, -- the life .in its higher and .in its lower sense goes out from it, and receives from it the impulse of the direction which it takes; and how earnestly, therefore, JnllSt we feel ourselves admonished, how sacredly bOllnd to preserve the heart in purity (Ps. lxxiLi.l), so that from this spring of life may go t"orth not mere seeming life and a caricature of life, but a trlle Jit"e well-p.leasing to God!" (Proverbs 115-J6).

2

2. The heart is that from \il7hich flow' the springs or decisions of our Jives. a. Our heart lllay be said to be the inclination at· our minds. (i) Our minds halTe the abiLity to think about things, to understand, to look at them, and to make decisions. (ii) We also have within ourse.Zves inclinations for or against things. Tl1ere are things their we Uke find there are things that we do not like. (iii) The mind, together witl1 :its .inc1inations, is called the heart. (iv) For .instance, we lIdgbt say that someone c.ither has a heart for the work, or he does not f,/hat this means is that he either approves of the idea of working or he does not. tv) You ei ther have a heart for the Lord or you do not. This means that you either have a desire to serve Him or you don't. (vi) These likes and dislikes, these inclinaLions and disinc.linations are W/Ult form your dec.isions to do or not to do anything. (v.ii) This is your heart; this .is the source of your Life. b

b. What you are within, what you are in your heart, is what YOIl are really .like. (1) If your heart is full of righteousness, then YOllr life wil.l be filled with the fruits of righteousness. (1i) If your heart is full of evi.l, then your Life will be filled with the fruits of evil. (iii) But sometimes the things £¥'e see our neighbors do can be mis1 eading. They can 1ead us to one conclusion about the heart, when in fact i t: .~is jus t the opposite. (iv) Take for instance the person who gives all of his possessions to feed the poor. The Rible says tl1at if .it ,"is donE' without love, then itls worthless. It can be done with the wrong motive. (v) Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, "YOU ARE LIKE WHITEW.4SHF:D TOMBS WHICH ON THE OUTSIDE APPEAR BEAUTIFUL TO HEN, BUT INSIDE THEY ARE FULL OF DEAD MEN'S BONES AND ALL UNCLEANNESS. EVEN SO YOU TOO OUTWARDLY APPEAR RIGHTEOUS TO MEN, BUT INWARDLY YOU ARE FULL OF HYPOCRISY AND LAWLESSNESS" (Matt 23:27-28). (vi) On the other hand, we see someOlle who c.laims to be a Christian become angry and lash out at someone. Don't forget that Christians are not perfect, and they have a breaking point as vle}1 as anyone. This cannot be the pattern of their lives If it is, then they i'~re not: ChrIstians at all. But iF we were only to see this one instance we might assume that they were unconverted. (vii) The point is, tbat although our outward actions may be dece:iving, if we could see the heart, we would not be deceived, even as God sees the heart, and He is not deceived. II. But: Since God Sees Our Heart and Knows What It Is Like, What Should We Do Hake Ollr Hearts More Pleas:ing to H.im? Secondly, Solomon Tells Us that We Ought to Watch Over I t DLligently. And We Should Do So in TIm Ways: A. First, We Should Watch Over I t By Be.ing Carefu.l What Goes Into It. 1. You have heard the expression, "Garbagein, garbage out.;r

3

a,

Wha.tever you put into your heart will be what comes out of it. Whatever your life :is saturated with will be that 'Vl!hich GOffleS.fJlJt. of-it. ,:4u..c4 2-{~. b. We are all a mixture of our genes, our upbringing, and B.l1 of our experiences. 8'MJ'L-YJf.~;f~ ;it":v-~~...k~ e/!..,..,o""',:, 2i:;...."-";:~~ ?F- 61,-,-" I'" .. : ' .. "tI­ • .ot~~t.k<.... !2:."~'iVX.'.:k'~ cP-'-' ~"':"'.>A;, j);'\ifA, ~,.,(. <.. l:tn.;t Hr.....-{ .",<:> ~ '!.,,(.,.\:. -!f8weveF, The most important thing that is within our hearts is our moral:inclinat:ion. a. This is something which is determined for us when we come into this wodd. b. We an come into the !.;Iorldinclined toward evil. Tn Ada.m, alJ die (Rom. 5: 12). In OUT flesh we are all hostile toward God and are not a.b.le to subject ourselves to His Lal" (8:7), As a result, "THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE" (3:12). c. And God is the only One who can change your inclination. (1) No matter what you do, you cannot give yourself a love for God and for His Law. (ii) You might pretend to love Him and His (-lord, but you ",.ill never have a sense of' the beauty of holiness apart from His grace. (iii) He 111USt: incLine you tm
&"'<'.

,};j

2{!>

3.

T11is does not mean, however, that what you do is the:refore unimportant. a. If you are unconverted, there are means by which tl1eLord brings you to Himself', (1) God does not normally convert people out of the bine. (1i) There are those instruments and trutl1s that He uses to bring men and women to Himself.

b. And .if you are a Chri.sLian here this morning, there are those important means of grace that thell Lord uses to bui.ld you up _in the faith. The same means that He uses to bring the Jost to JUmself.

~;t ,,~:~ ~~ .:ct.J:

4.

.;.A-

(;~ ~ ~, f';::'~~

And so ",,7hat are those means? Solomon gives some of them i"'o us here. a. You must first give attention to His Word and not refuse to listen. "MY SON, GIVE ATTENTION TO MY WORDS; INCUNE YOUR EAR TO MY SA:YINGS. /I (i) Solomon, you will recall, is explaining to his son the appLication of the Law of God to el,reryday life. (i1) The law is necessary to instruct the r:ighLeous in J'ighteolls living. (iii) And it is aJso necessary to bt'ing conv_iction to the unrighteous tl1a t they 'i'~¥ turn from their sins to Christ. (iv) And so you must fi.rst pay close and careful attention to what God's Word says.

b. Secondly. you must keep them fixed In your eyes arld in your heart. flDO NOT LET THEM DEPART FROI1 YOUR SIGHT; KEEl' THEM IN THE MIDST OF YOUR HEART." (1) To have them before you constantly by reading them _is the best way to get tbem into your mind. (ii) I t i8n' t unUl the meaning of the Word is opened to you through careful thought thatH wiLl henre any effect.

O\r~#.A:U(......~ ~

4 ( i i i ) And so as a believer, you must meditate on the Ward and

let i t sink deep into your heart. Let your heart be like a safe which stares the t:cuths of Scripture safely so that 110 one and nothing can take thelll from you, (iv) .And i f you are an unbeliever, you must keep God's truth before your eyes as well so that its convicting pm
b. He said, "EVERY GOOD TREE BEARS GOOD FRUIT; BUT THE BAD TREE BEARS BAD FRUIT" (l1att. 7: 11). And, "THE LAMP OF THE BODY IS THE EYE; IF THEREFORE YOUR EYE IS CLEAR, YOUR ~IHOLE BODY WILL BE FULL OF LIGHT. BUT IF YOUR EYE IS BAD, YOUR WHOLE' BODY WILL BE FULL OF DARKNESS. IF THEREFORE THE LIGHT THAT IS IN .YOU IS DARKNESS, HOI." GREAT IS TH"; DARKNESS!" (l1att.

6:22-23). c, You mllst turn from your evil and do what is right.

rI. e.

f.

g.

h.

You win

not find the mercy of Godin the paths of but in the paths 0.[ righteousness. You cannot expect to find Gorl's mercy i f you cOlltinnal.ly turn your nose up at His Lar4. I f you indulge in sin then bell becomes increasingly l1elli.sh for you. God .wi1.l every deed you haw~ done into account and gi've you a just punishment for everyone of them. If one sin requires an eternity of hell for its punishment, then how much more wi.ll thousands of sins require? Also .if you conU.l1ue to indulge in sin then your heart .w.ill become harder and harder to the things of God, and the convicLing pm4er of His Word will become less and less. You must i'P~ turn from 1y.ing to the truth, from YOIlY eyes on the things of the world to fixing them on the things of heaven, and from Ivalking in sin to walking in righteollsness. Doing these things will not cllange your heart, but by doing them you are putUng yourself .in the place where the Loyd most o[te11 bestows His saving mercies.

III. So F.irst We Have Seen How the Heart Is the Source of All of Our Actions, Secondly, that Therefore We Should Carefully Watcb What We Put Into It and What We Allow to Come Out of It. Thirdly, Solomon Tell.s Us That I f We Wil1 Listen to God's Word and Hold It Fast in Our Hearts, what We Will obta.in. "FoR THEY ARE LIFE TO. THOSE WHO FIND THEN, AND HEALTH TO ALL THEIR WHOLE BODY" (v. 22). A. This Can Apply to the Christian and the Non-Christian. 1. There is in Scdpture the promise that i f you will live a life of careful godliness and forsake an else to fol1ow Chr.ist conscientiously and f.rom the heart, then you w i l l . , usually be b.lessed w.ith a Jong life and with health, unless the Lord has other plans for you through which you will bring H.im grea.ter glory and honor, 2. And :it may be said of the unbeliever that i f you wLll live according to God's Law that you can usually expect to live longer and halTe a more prosperous .life. a. It is not that your works earn anything, or that God .is bound to give you anything, b. But to try and do what Gorl requires is better than throwing His Laws aside to walk after your own {vays. c. J1JI8 His way of do.lng things .:is better tl1an your own. It .w.ill result ill more prosperity to you. B. But There Is Another Quality of Life Which Is Promised for

Godliness.

1. For the person who lays hold of Christ and trusts and believes on Him, and turns from all his sins, there is the promise of a heightened quality of life now. a. Jesus said, "1 CAME THAT THEY NIGHT HAVE LIFE, AND NIGHT HAVE IT ABUNDANTLY" (John .10:10).

6

b. This quahty of life beg:ins as soon as you turn to the Lord with all of your heart. It is fellowship with the most glorious per-8on in the universe, the Prince of Peace, the Lord ot- lords. c. If Y011 are a Christian here this morning, then you know this abundance of Life, There are t.imes ot-c£r§iltfr joy and less, but you know that you would nevey tnlcie ~1(t''to go back to the things of the world which are infinitely below :it. d, For those of you who are not; Christ's here this J17orning, you t,yil.l nevey urlderstand what this life is unt.i1 you embrace the Prince of Life, the Lord Jesus t. (:i) You must come to Him, and tyust in Him and .in His Work to save you from your sins. (ii) You must throw yourself upon the mercy of God and ask H.im to change your heart and make you wiLling to come. (iii) And then you will understand the fullness of peace and joy wh:ich Christ offers in the midst of the worst circumstances. 2. But there is a.lso that quality of life which is still future, that eternal life which stretches endlessly into the future. a. Not only wiLl you not suffer the punishments of he1.l, but the Lord wilJ also grant to you that you might enjoy eternity with Him. b. On that [ina1 day He will a.lso raise your body from the grave and gJor:ify it to become like His own glorious body, It is the ultimate health insu:rance, for your transformed body will never be sick or feel pain ever again! c. Then He will openly own you as His own and receive you in tbe day of His judgment. And He t,yill give you gracious rewards according to your works of love for Him. d. Christian, seeing that God gives you so much in your Savior, Jesus Christ, won't you watch over your heart with all diligence and keep your feet from the paths of l.;lickedness? e. And you who are without Christ, seeing what awaits you outs:ide of Christ, and seeing ~"hat bJessings there are in Him, won't you come to Him this morning that YOll mighf receive life? Won 't YOll c.'ilJ out to Him to change the inclination of your heart, so that you can embrace Hi11l with new and holy aEfections'l I pray that you will and that you too will watch over your heart with an diligence, that YOLl might serve Him with all your heart, mind, soul and ddftfiy. t-t0 Amen • ~~..,. .t ) ."