Guard the Heart

The Lord’s Supper

Today we are going to pause and celebrate the Lord’s Supper together as a Church family. If you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior you are invited to participate with us.

Before we participate it is important that we PREPARE.

In Mark 14 Jesus instructed His disciples to prepare for this Supper and before we partake we need to take some time to PREPARE as well.

The Apostle Paul challenged the Church at Corinth to examine themselves before they partook of it...

1 Corinthians 11:27–32 NKJV

Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

So right now here’s what we are going to do...

First you should EXAMINE yourself to see whether or not you are in the faith? In other words ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN—HAVE YOU EVER BEEN BORN AGAIN. If you can’t answer that with a resounding “YES” then I would encourage you NOT to participate, unless right now YOU want to repent of your sins and call on the name of Jesus as YOUR Lord and Savior.

If you are a believer, I’d encourage you to sincerely ask God to reveal any known or unknown, unconfessed sin that may be in your life. As He reveals those things to YOU confess those things to Him and ask for an receive His forgiveness. Do a THOROUGH inventory your heart, mind, thoughts...

We are going to take a few minutes...feel free to use the altar or pray at your seat...

For those of you who want to participate with us, here’s what I’d like you to do.

The cup that you have in your hand has two seals. Carefully remove the top seal which will expose the bread...

At this time I would like to ask .....to PRAY and thank God for the blood that was shed and the body that was broken for us and for our sins...

As you take out the bread hold it in your hand and contemplate the sacrifice that was made for you...

Mark 14:22 NKJV

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

Now carefully remove the next seal which will expose the “fruit of the vine.”

As you look into the cup reflect upon the blood that Jesus shed for your sin...

Mark 14:24–25 NKJV

And He said to them, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

SERMON

Introduction

Today we are going to talk about the “command center” of your life. In Scripture this is called “the heart.” Proverbs 4 has a lot to say about this subject and this will be a foundational message for the next three messages in this series about integrity and sexual purity.

This passage is vital to help us understand this “command center” and to lay a proper foundation to be able to avoid the traps and schemes of the enemy who would LOVE to trip us up in this area.

No matter who we are, no matter our age, no matter our career, no matter our background, WE MUST GUARD OUR HEART...WE MUST GUARD THE COMMAND CENTER OF OUR LIVES.

If you know the Scriptures, you know the Bible has a lot to say about the “heart.” This is a term we still use today in a similar way as we see used in the Scriptures.

One may refer to their heart being “crushed” because of some type of personal loss. You also hear Jesus telling us that the greatest commandments are to love God with all our HEART and our neighbor as ourselves.

With all this talk about the heart, it is important we understand what the heart is. It is important that we answer the question...

What is the Heart?

As I mentioned before the Word has a lot to say about our heart. For instance,

Proverbs 27:19 “As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man.”

Proverbs tells us that the “heart” is a REFLECTION of who we really are. Jesus elaborated on this in...

Matthew 15:18–19 NKJV

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

Luke 6:45 NKJV

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

As you look at a variety of commentaries and study different scholars they basically all come to the same conclusion...

The heart is the comprehensive “command center” of our lives. It encompasses the mind, will, and emotions (not just feelings). It serves as the spiritual wellspring and source of life, where every thought, word, and action is formulated within before it flows out. Simply put it is the governing agent of the human soul...

So we’ve answered the question, “What is the heart?” The second question we want to answer is:

How Do we Guard our Heart?

While there are many Scripture we could refer to, to try to answer this question, I believe the most comprehensive answer is found in Proverbs 4. I’d like for you to turn there with me and I want you to notice

Proverbs 4:23 “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.”

The word “keep” here could also be translated “watch over” or “guard.”

I want you to think about what people guard. What do people usually guard? They guard something that is valuable. They guard something that is important. They guard something that is irreplaceable.

He then tells us HOW we are to guard our heart.

We are to do so “WITH ALL DILIGENCE.”

The picture here is a FORT, a CITADEL, a FORTRESS.

Imagine a fortress where ESSENTIAL ASSETS are gathered. If these essential assets are captured by the enemy...GAME OVER.

If the heart is the COMMAND CENTER of the rest of our lives it is vitally important that we take seriously how we protect our MIND, EMOTIONS, and WILL.

If we think of our heart as the FOUNTAIN HEAD or the WELLSPRING for the rest of our life, we know that if the enemy can POISON this spring IT’S GOING TO POISON EVERYTHING ELSE!

I hope we will all take seriously the admonition to GUARD, PROTECT, and INSULATE our hearts from the poison of the enemy. The question is, HOW do we GUARD our heart. I believe the answer to this question is also found in Proverbs 4.

Notice the following verses:

Proverbs 4:1 “Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding;”

Proverbs 4:10 “Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And the years of your life will be many.”

Proverbs 4:20 “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.”

Do you notice a theme in these verses? Notice the words:

HEAR

GIVE ATTENTION

HEAR

RECEIVE

GIVE ATTENTION

INCLINE YOUR EAR

We Guard the Heart by Guarding What we Listen To!

Would you agree with me that there are COMPETING MESSAGES in the world in which we live. There are many VOICES crying out, trying to get our attention.

Solomon understood that his son would be confronted with many competing voices. The voices of:

Wisdom and folly

Friends and “frienemies”

The forbidden woman

All these voices would be COMPETING for his son’s attention.

THE SAME IS TRUE FOR US. We have competing voices vying for our attention as well:

The songs we listen to

The shows and movies we watch

The books we read

The gossip around us

Our peers, neighbors, co-workers

Our parents and family members

The world, the flesh and the devil

Even the commercials on TV

Think about the lyrics of the song we listened to earlier: “SLOW FADE” by Casting Crowns:

Be careful little ears what you hear,

When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near...

So how do we ensure we are guarding our heart by the things we listen to:

We Must Give Attention (notice vv. 1, 20)

Derek Kidner indicates this refers to CONCENTRATION...giving a DOGGED ATTENTIVENESS to.

Giving attention also may refer to MONITORING WHAT ENTERS OUR EARS!

We better do that for ourselves, BUT PARENTS, YOU BETTER MONITOR WHAT VOICES ARE BEATING DOWN THE DOORS OF YOUR CHILD’S HEART AS WELL!

We Have to Incline our Ear (notice v. 20)

This phrase literally means “TO BEND OR BOW THE EAR TOWARD THE SPEAKER.” It implies a WILLINGNESS to LISTEN to the RIGHT sources! It implies a HUMILITY and SUBMISSIVENESS to be wiling to be INSTRUCTED by those who are WISE and those who have our best interests at heart.

In other words we have to LISTEN ON PURPOSE to the RIGHT VOICES!

I’ll close this section with a quote by Akin:

Your ears and eyes are the gates to your heart. This is why what you listen to and what you look at are so important. The songs you hear, the sermons, the sitcoms, and many other sources shape you. They are powerful, and they can capture you and get you to believe things. Are you listening to the voice of God...Is God’s Word the ultimate authority and final word on the matters of your life? Or are you listening to the voice of Folly? Are you listening to messages that have the influence of Satan standing behind them? Are you listening to what will lead you astray?

GUARD YOUR HEART BY GUARDING WHAT YOU LISTEN TO.

Next notice

Proverbs 4:20–21 “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;”

Proverbs 4:25 “Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.”

We Guard the Heart by Guarding What we Look At

The phrase “do not let them depart from your eyes” in verse 21 is referencing the WISDOM that Solomon is teaching his son. While Solomon and his son did not have the completed Word of God, WE DO! Our eyes need to be RIVETED upon WISOM and TRUTH!

If our eyes are RIVETED upon WISDOM and TRUTH they cannot, at the same time, be RIVETED upon the sinful things that our eyes and heart so often LUST AFTER.

Notice again Proverbs 4:25. This verse talks about FOCUS and STEADY AIM upon that WISDOM and where God would have us to go.

Just as there are many VOICES speaking to our EARS, there are many THINGS that the enemy uses to DISTRACT our eyes! That’s why Solomon is encouraging his son to be INTENT, FIXED, and FOCUSED!

There are a lot of SIDESHOW distractions that the enemy uses to get people off course. We have to IGNORE sideshow distractions and keep our eyes FIXED ON THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH!

Here’s another verse from that song:

Be careful little eyes what you see,

It’s a second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings.

When we are “distracted” by people, places, and things, from God’s path, observations can turn into imagination, and imagination can turn into action.

Another lyric from the song says:

Price tags come when the thoughts come alive.

The devil would love for you to focus on the “polished sideshows” found on social media and compare it to the “messy reality” of your own life.

Now, notice some more Scriptures from this passage and see if you notice another theme...

Proverbs 4:4–7 “He also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live. Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”

We Guard our Heart by Guarding our Mind

In this text we are reminded that our mind is “a container for truth.” Sadly it can also be a “container for lies!” Solomon is urging his son to ENCAPSULATE his words, keep his commands, get wisdom and understanding.

Whatever is stored up in our MIND will eventually reveal itself in our words and actions. Remember our heart/minds are like the fountainhead. If it gets polluted it will pollute everything else! We must guard our minds and our thoughts!

Proverbs 23:7 NKJV

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

It is interesting that Solomon uses the word “get” several times. “Get wisdom! Get understanding...Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”

The Hebrew word translated “get” carries with it the idea to acquire goods through a financial transaction (A PURCHASE). Solomon is urging his son to understand the VALUE of storing up wisdom and understanding the vault of our minds, because our minds are like a vacuum. IF WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING DO NOT FILL OUR MINDS, SOMETHING ELSE WILL!

Solomon also encourages his son to “retain, keep, not forget, not forsake, and LOVE” wisdom.”

He puts it this way in verse 7: IT IS THE PRINCIPAL THING—TOP PRIORITY

If God’s wisdom and understanding does not fill your mind I promise you something else will! That’s why Paul emphasizes this in Romans 12:2 that we can ONLY BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF OUR MINDS!

Another way we guard our hearts is by...

We Guard our Hearts by Guarding our Steps

Notice what Solomon tells his son in Proverbs 4:11–12 “I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble.”

Also notice Proverbs 4:14–19 “Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on. For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble.”

One last passage: Proverbs 4:26–27 “Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.”

In all three of these passages Solomon alludes to life like a journey or a path. What do you do on a path...you can walk, jog, run, step, etc. But as we all know that there are other paths that diverge from the best path. There are perceived shortcuts that we will be tempted to take. There are paths like look smooth and inviting, but have hidden dangers. There are paths that have the allusion of life, but in reality lead to death.

You remember the song I alluded to earlier. One of the verses say this:

Be careful little feet where you go For it's the little feet behind you That are sure to follow

If we do not guard our feet, we can find ourselves going all kinds of places, and being tempted with all kinds of things, and come across all kinds of hidden dangers that we never expected!

O BE CAREFUL LITTLE FEET WHERE YOU GO!

Sadly we have a really major problem. We cannot truly GUARD our heart until our heart is made NEW!

Jeremiah tells us in Jeremiah 17:9

Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

So we have to ask and answer the question...

What is the Ultimate Hope for our Heart?

Guarding our heart is NOT ABOUT BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION!

Think of your heart like the entire WATER SUPPLY for everything that flows downstream. The problem is the sources of the water supply is POLLUTED. There is only one cure.

You see GUARDING YOUR HEART before handing the keys of the CONTROL CENTER over to God is like GUARDING a polluted water supply. You are just guarding something that continues to pollute everything else.

YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE POLLUTION FIRST, and THEN GUARD IT!

You need to hand the keys of your heart over to Jesus, so He can give you a NEW HEART, and THEN you guard it from the outside pollutants that try to creep their way back in.

Akin put it this way:

...we can try to modify the behavior, but it won’t bring lasting change because we are only treating the symptoms and not the source...The answer for us according to Proverbs 4:20–27 is not behavior modification; it’s that we need a new heart because the heart is the command center for life. The heart is the source for every behavior in your life, so in order to address sin and foolishness we must address them at the heart level. (Akin)

Guzik:

 The heart is the reservoir, and change must begin there. If the reservoir is polluted, it does no good to fix the pipes and the valves.

Jesus used the illustration of “sheep” and “goats.” Spiritually speaking God doesn’t call us to “tame” the goat, God tells us we need to become SHEEP! This is only possible through a supernatural transformation called the new birth.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

While it is imperative Christ follower guard their hearts, it’s even more imperative that you become a Christ-follower if you are not one already. Trying to guard a polluted heart that is still in rebellion against God, is like trying to guard a city that is burning from the inside.

Guarding a heart that is still in rebellion against God only traps the poison within. We need a heart change.

FINAL QUESTION: WHO HOLDS THE KEYS TO YOUR HEART?

You need to surrender the keys of your soul to the ONLY ONE who can solve the heart issue!

We have to come to the acknowledgement

Romans 3:9–10 NKJV

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;

Romans 3:23 NKJV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23 NKJV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8 NKJV

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 10:9–10 NKJV

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Stop trying to guard corrupted water. Let Jesus come in and replace the polluted water with the water of life...that way everything that starts flowing downstream will be different.

Once you know Him, once you’ve given Him the keys to the command center of your life, quit trying to take the keys back. Depend on Him to help you guard your mind, your heart, your eyes, your life!

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