Guarding Your Heart for God: Keeping Him in First Place
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Introduction
Introduction
I have the great privilege and task this afternoon to talk to you about what God’s word says about Guarding Your Heart for God: Keeping Him in First Place
Isn’t this the aim our entire life? To keep everything in its proper place. God must be first. Not only that, he must be central, supreme, and reigning as he truly is. From Him, through Him, and to Him are all things. He is worthy of all of our worship.
In our time today, I will answer three questions:
What is the heart biblically?
Why is the heart important?
How do you guard your heart practically?
**Use the hearts prepared by Aunty Wanda Jeanne
Inner and outer man
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
A few case studies:
I. What is the heart biblically?
I. What is the heart biblically?
The heart is your inner person, the seat of your affections, the control center of everything that you do.
The word heart shows up 857 times in the ESV. And the word used for heart literally means your inner self, inclinations, your mind, and soul.
We see three primary functions of the human heart biblically. A fourth category that we don’t have time to cover today would be your conscience.
Thoughts (beliefs, intellect, mind)
behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.
Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,
And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
L;
English Standard Version Chapter 3
behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.
English Standard Version Chapter 2
Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,
English Standard Version Chapter 24
And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?
English Standard Version Chapter 1
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Affections (emotions, desires, feelings)
Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things,
But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God.
And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
May he grant you your heart’s desire
and fulfill all your plans!
Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,
for anger lodges in the heart of fools.
Eccesiastes 7:9
English Standard Version Chapter 28
Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things,
English Standard Version Chapter 14
8 But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the LORD my God.
English Standard Version Chapter 1
And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
English Standard Version Psalm 20
May he grant you your heart’s desire
and fulfill all your plans!
English Standard Version Chapter 7
Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,
for anger lodges in the heart of fools.
Volition (will, motives, commitments)
8 But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God.
Who is the man who fears the Lord?
Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose,
Acts
English Standard Version Chapter 30
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,
The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water,
but a man of understanding will draw it out.
English Standard Version Psalm 25
Who is the man who fears the LORD?
Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.Volition - ;
But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.
shows the inner man at work in Moses’ life.
English Standard Version Chapter 11
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,
25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.
II. Why is the heart important?
II. Why is the heart important?
What your life is about will flow from your heart.
Worship flows from your heart. Either worship of God or something or someone else.
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
For wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also. What is in our hearts reveals what we are worshipping.
We are all born worshippers. The question is what are you worshipping in any given moment?
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
Our hearts are always moving either towards God or away from him. “We always choose what we believe will bring us the most delight.” Elyse Fitzpatrick.
Are your thoughts, affections, and volition being driven by a love for God? What do I believe is good and desirable?
Your heart’s treasure will move you towards spiritual vitality or spiritual dullness.
Spiritual vitality as opposed to spiritual dullness. Illustrate how our hearts are exposed both by circumstances and the word of God.
and and
English Standard Version Chapter 17
Thus says the LORD:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
6 He is like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.
7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose trust is the LORD.
8 He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
English Standard Version Psalm 115
Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in the heavens;
he does all that he pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8 Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
You become what you behold as your object of worship.
English Standard Version Chapter 2
for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.
When we stop worshipping God in our hearts, we open ourselves to idolatry.
Idols of the heart never deliver what they promise. They never satisfy. Idols cannot hold the weight of our worship. Only God can. That is what it means for him to be holy.
An idol is a love gone wrong, an inordinate desire--a desire that has become a demand. And even a good desire is a bad master.
When you desire good things, remember: “Enjoy these things--but don’t live for them! They cannot sustain you. You were made for something bigger, better, fuller. You were made with an appetite for God, and nothing else will satisfy.” - Brad Bigney p.51
“Idols serve the very pragmatic function of meeting the needs and desires that God’s people believe he has left unmet.” - Lambert
This shows up clearly in two very practical areas:
Our words - ; out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks
English Standard Version Chapter 6
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Our conflicts - Js. 4:1-3; we do what we do, because we want, what we want.
I desire to I demand to I judge to I punish
English Standard Version Chapter 4
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?
2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
III. How do you guard your heart practically in keeping God in first place?
III. How do you guard your heart practically in keeping God in first place?
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
“I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
English Standard Version Chapter 17
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
10 “I the LORD search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
Foundational pursuits:
The Holy Spirit is the one that changes our hearts. Ask him for help and wisdom.
Rest in the gospel.
Your aim is Christlikeness.
First, apply here and acknowledge that it is God who must search and change our hearts. Ask for wisdom in faith that God will help you in this.
Second, commit to rest in the gospel of Jesus Christ every step of the way. Your desire to honor God is rooted in God’s redemptive work in your life. You are trusting in the finished work of Christ in his power to save by grace through faith alone. The gospel brings grace for the here and now, not just the past and the future.
In response to God’s salvation, you are walking in your new nature.
and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
Your goal now is to make it your aim to please God and grow in Christlikeness.
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
With this as your foundation, move forward to keep a close watch on your thoughts, affections, and volition
You must keep a close watch on your thoughts, affections, and volition
In moments of struggle, ask yourself if you are allowing something besides God, even a good thing begin to take the place of God in your heart. Here’s a few diagnostic questions:
Ask yourself in a given moment if you are allowing something besides God, even a good thing begin to take the place of God in your heart.
Am I willing to sin to get this?
Will I sin if I lose or cannot attain this?
Am I turning to something else as a refuge apart from the Lord?
What is driving my thoughts, my desires, my motives right now?
What do I live for? What gives your life purpose and meaning?
Trace your emotions as tip-offs to what is going on in your affections and thus your heart.
“An idol is anything or anyone that captures our hearts, minds, and affections more than God.” - Brad Bigney
Don’t let this be an opportunity to become overly introspective. We need change in this area because we have become too SELF pre-occupied. We need to fix our eyes on Christ.
For every look at yourself take ten looks at Christ. Don’t allow this truth to give you over to over-spiritualizing your decisions or to being overly introspective. Fix your eyes upon God’s redemption in Christ. That you are forgiven and loved by God. Out of this identity, you choose dependent obedience to God. Guarding your heart does not mean spending all your time looking at yourself. Don’t be preoccupied with thoughts of yourself, but rather fix your eyes continually upon the character and work of God.
Rest in the gospel. Recognize grace for the here and now, not just the past and the future.
One practical way to begin heart transformation and guarding is to study the attributes of God.
As you do and you might recognize that your answers to the previous diagnostic questions reveal idolatry, here is what you can do put God where he belongs on the throne or your heart.
We don’t sin and struggle generally. So as you identify competing affections for the throne of your heart--go to God in repentance and faith. Renew your mind with what God says about your specific sin or struggle and by faith, put off sin and put on Christlikeness. Do this decisively. We cannot play with or manage our idols. We must put them to death, so that we might live as God intend us to. As you go through your heart, make sure you continue going straight to the cross of Christ.
We don’t sin and struggle generally. So as you identify competing affections for the throne of your heart--go to God in specific repentance and faith.
How? Renew your mind with what God says about your specific sin or struggle and by faith, put off sin and put on Christlikeness. Do this decisively. We cannot play with or manage our idols. We must put them to death, so that we might live as God intend us to. As you go through your heart, make sure you continue going straight to the cross of Christ.
Involve the people of God in your fight to keep God in first place.
Guarding your heart will be a part of your life this side of heaven. Don’t walk this road alone. Pursue relationships that spur you on to love God supremely.
Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;
he breaks out against all sound judgment.
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Pursue God as the only one worthy of your deepest love and affection.
Remember that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Do I invest my time, resources, and energy to the glory of God?
Spend as much time as possible delighting in God. Idols that are not meant to have our deepest love and affection are replaced when a bigger love, a worthy love replaces it.
C.S. Lewis on being far to easily pleased:
“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
Let us be pleased by God and seek to please God instead. Feast with me as I close with a few excerpts from the Psalms on longing after God with our hearts.
One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.
Of David.
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.
For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!
For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the Lord will take me in.
Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Discussion questions:
What is one thing that you want to remember from this session?
What is one thing you will do in response to what you have learned in this session? When will you do it? Who will you tell (besides God) what you are committing to?
Spend a moment talking about an attribute of God and/or the good news of Jesus Christ and call your heart to rest in these truths.