(Proverbs 4:20-27) The Place of Battle: Our Heart. (2)

INTRODUCTION:

Last week, We looked at Romans 12:1-2.

Romans 12:1 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

That is an inspiring verse, but that is also a tough verse.

Why?

Because we can desire God’s best in our lives ...

but doing God’s best is another matter.

> Many people want to live for Christ.

> Many people desire to live for Christ.

[[[[But never actually do. ]]]]

Afterall,

Paul warns us in Galatians 5:13-15 not be fleshly Christians.

John tells the church of Epehsus they have left their first love in Revelation 2:3.

Peter warns us against forsaking the way in 2 Peter 2:15.

Paul even admits his only struggle with living for Christ in Romans 7:15.

It is one thing to desire to do Gods best,

but another thing to do it.

This is why Proverbs 4:20-27 is such an important verse.

Because it tells me where I win

and lose the battle of the Christian life.

Perhaps you're sitting here and you have some spiritual goals your thinking about this year -

It can be a basic one -

I want to spend more time in prayer.

I want to be more regular in reading my Bible.

I want to spend more time reaching people for Christ.

Where does the battle of my prayer life and the battle of my devotions take place?

Perhaps you're looking for victory over a certain struggle in your life.

A habitual sin

an issue in my family or extended family

perhaps a struggle in my marriage or my parenting

a struggle I have in my workplace

a long-time friendship that ended badly

This passage will help us understand where that battle takes place.

There are certainly other passages we need to know,

But this one is one of the major passages we need to know to live a victorious Christian life.

Look at your Bibles and consider where Spiritual battles are fought -

Proverbs 4:20–27 ESV

20 My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. 24 Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. 25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. 27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

From this Proverb, I warn us-

We must guard our hearts.

and this text gives us 4 ways we must do that.

***********LET US PRAY**********

Our proverb begins by calling Solomon's son to listen and concentrate on these words.

Proverbs 4:20–22 (ESV)

20 My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.

So as we read this passage

– verse 20 pleads with us to listen to these words.

- Verse 21 pleads with us not to lose sight of these words.

In other words Solomon is pleading with us to listen and concentrate on these words.

Why are these words so important for the son of Solomon?

Proverbs 4:20–22 (ESV)

20 My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. 22  For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.

These words are important - because these words give us life and healing.

>>>>Sin and foolishness is destructive.

The guilt and the fallout of >>>>>>>>>sin and foolishness can literally suck the life and energy out of people.

It gives us restless sleep,

exhaustion,

a lack of hunger,

depression

makes us lethargic

But the words that Solomon is about to tell us gives us life and healing.

It is hope and health to those who listen and concentrate on them.

What are Solomon's words?

This verse teaches us, first and foremost, that we must -

1) Protect and cultivate our hearts with the Gospel.

Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)

1) Protect and cultivate our hearts with the Gospel.

23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Our text come right out with it – what are the words that are going to give us life and healing?

We are commanded to - Keep our hearts.

The Word keep is the idea of either

caring for a garden

or soldier guarding the fortress.

And it was often used to call us to guard and cultivate Godliness.

- Negatively this is the sense of guarding something.

Like a soldier,

Protect your hearts from the inroads of sin.

Be watchful for desires that are wrong.

- Positively this is a sense of cultivating your heart.

Like a farmer,

A person who keeps their heart

>>>>>>>>>>is a person who cultivates biblical principles and desires in their heart.

ILLUSTRATION:

I think of this like a farmer.

My grandfather was a farmer of several almond orchards.

>In a negative sense he spent a lot of his time driving four wheeler big spray takes down the middle of the trees to kill all the weeds it would choke the trees and hide the fallen nuts.

He had a sprayer that would spray all the trees to keep bugs and insects out of them.

He protected those trees.

>In a positive sense he spent a lot of time

planting the trees,

and he would put milk cartons around the trees to protect them.

He would plant them on big mounds so that the water and irrigation could get to them.

He Cultivated those trees.

He was in the business of protecting those trees and cultivating those trees.

That's what the word is talking about.

We are to protect our hearts from sin,

and we are to cultivate our hearts to Christ likeness.

We are to put to death our old nature,

and we are to put on the fruit of the gospel.

ILLUSTRATION:

Just like a farmer,

Sometimes we have to pull out some sinful weeds - some desires that are wrong.

Other times we have to cultivate the right kind of desires, helping them grow and prosper.

But we need to protect and cultivate our hearts.

<<<Now - At this point >>>>

We have to consider,

how do we protect and cultivate our hearts?

Is Proverbs teaching us to be moral people?

Certainly its telling us not to sin,

but the book of Proverbs is more than just not sinning.

After all, the book begins with Proverbs 1:7 –

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

So at the very least,

Proverbs is teaching the protecting and cultivating our heart begins with the knowledge of God.

Without God working in our life,

we can't protect and cultivate our hearts.

He is the epicenter of a wise life.

But as we consider a larger theology of the heart,

we realize that the protection and cultivating of our heart has to begin with the work of Christ.

You see – our natural state is to have wicked hearts.

Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

And so if it was up to us to protect and cultivate our hearts

– we would protect and cultivate our own sinful desires.

We would not cultivate and protect a heart of wisdom and goodness,

but a heart enslaved to the sinful desires of the mind and body.

So we need something more than just -

personal self reflection

and hard work

and moralism.

We need the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The gospel of Jesus Christ gives us the answer to freeing us from our wicked heart desires,

It also is the key to creating good and Biblical desires.

Romans 6:5–7 ESV

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.

Romans 6:11–13 ESV

11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

If you're not a believer today,

then you can’t protect and cultivate your heart.

Everyone has to start with deciding that I need Jesus Christ to die on the cross for my sins,

And set me free.

and therefore I believe and trust in Christ to do the work I can't do.

>>> To cultivate and protect my heart … because I can’t.

If you don’t know if you are saved by Jesus Christ this morning,

then come talk to me .... nothing would thrill me more then to help you come to salvation in Christ.

And For the Christian,

protecting and cultivating your heart begins with

>>>>>>>>>>constantly coming back and remembering what Christ has done.

Paul's answer to the sins found in the believers are Rome

– was to reminded them of what Christ has already done.

- a truth they probably already knew.

I was challenged as I read this from Derek Kidner this week -

The constant repetition of such a call is deliberate, for a major part of godliness lies in dogged attentiveness to familiar truths." Tyndale Old Testament Commentary, Derek Kidner.

What familiar truth is he talking about?

The book of Proverbs – protect and cultivate your heart.

The book of Romans – remember that your old nature was crucified with Christ and you now live in a new life found in Christ.

So often our Christian walk is not determined by what we don't know yet,

but whether we are careful to do we already know.

Protect and cultivate your hearts with the gospel.

But our text continues-

This verse teaches us we must -

2) Vigilantly keep our hearts.

We are not simply supposed to guard our hearts,

but we are to do so with the utmost care.

Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)

2) Vigilantly keep your heart.

23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Our text uses a figure of speech that basically means – be vigilant.

In other words were not supposed to just keep our hearts,

we are to do it with the utmost care.

ILLUSTRATION:

It's amazing how careful we are when we know it matters.

A soldier is careful when he knows he's guarding his camp from the enemy across the river.

A farmer is careful in daily diligence because his corn is his livelihood.

Solomon is telling us that our hearts matters,

and our heart matters so much that he tells us to be vigilant in guarding our heart.

You see … sinful desire is a like invasive species.

Even the smallest seed of sinful desire, if gone unchecked, can result in a bondage to that sin.

Even the smallest amount of sinful desire, if gone unchecked, can result in me being trapped and controlled by that sin.

It takes just a little bit of anger to wreck a family.

It takes just a little bit of bitterness to rip apart life long friends.

It takes just a little bit of lust to lead to adultery.

It takes just a little bit of a love of money … to plunge yourself into a life of inescapable pursuit of wealth.

We need to keep our hearts with all vigilance.

Thirdly,

This verse teaches us that we must -

3) Recognize our actions come from the desires of our hearts.

Consider why guarding our heart is so important?

Where does our sin come from?

Some would contend sin is caused by others?

I wouldn’t struggle with anger … if people would just listen to me.

I wouldn’t struggle with money … if I just made a little bit more.

I would be happy … if this sickness would just go away.

We like to blame others for our problems....

but this text teaches us that our heart is the source of our life issues.

Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)

3) Recognize our actions come from the desires of our hearts.

23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Our hearts are the battleground of Christian life.

Because the Heart is our control center.

What we -

Believe

Love

Worship

controls how we act.

The desires and love of our hearts… controls what we choose to do.

If I love others … I act in love.

But if I love myself … I act in anger, and covetousness.

You see … the belief’s, loves, and worship of our heart … directs what we do.

Thus,

the Heart is our control center.

(((It is where the battle is determined.)))

And thus becomes the battleground of the Christian life.

This is why Jesus said on the Sermon of the Mount -

Matthew 5:28 ESV

28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Because out of the heart flows the issues of life.

An Essential understanding of the Christian life … is to realize our heart determines our choices.

We need to guard our hearts

Because out of it flow the issues of life.

And finally,

This verse teaches us to

4) Monitor the gauges of a Christ-centered heart. (Proverbs 4:24-27)

As we consider the need to guard our hearts,

we might wonder -

What do I watch out for?

And we stoop down to some weird, self-reflect metaphysical introspection

ILLUSTRATION:

Wouldn’t it be nice to have gauges like a car.

Our cars have a number of gauges.

We have

speedometers

oil pressure

engine temperature

check engine light

brake lights

A car has a lot of gauges that help us know what is going under the hood.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have set of gauges that tell you what is going on in our hearts?

And the reality is that we do.

- There not round mechanical gauges.

- But God has created us in such a way that we can know what is going on in our hearts.

What are those gauges.

While verse 23 gives us the main command - keep your heart.

Proverbs 4:24-27 tells us what to watch out for.

We are first told to watch -

a) Our heart driven speech. (v. 24)

Proverbs 4:24–27 (ESV)

4) Monitor the gauges of our Christ-centered hearts.

24 Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.

One indicator of the heart … is what you say.

It is amazing what you can learn about someone’s heart by what they say.

Sarcasm

Bitterness

Anger

Disbelief in God

They are all reflected in our speech.

If we are careful to consider how our speech reflects our heart,

we can really know what is going on in our heart.

ILLUSTRATION:

A simple expression … “I can’t believe so and so did that”

Can show pride and bitterness.

Like a gauge - Their speech reflected the reality of their heart.

We need to protect and cultivate Godly speech.

Further, Solomon points us to our -

b) Our heart driven desires. (v. 25)

Proverbs 4:24–27 (ESV)

4) Monitor the gauges of our Christ-centered hearts.

25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.

Now technically,

this is talking about our eyes.

But what our eyes spend time on reflects what I love.

In other words - what I spend time watching reflects the desires of my heart.

If I spend time absorbent amount of time watching the News, sports, TV shows and not time on the Bible… it reflects what I love.

If I spend absorbent time putting my gaze upon what I can get in life … it reflects what I desire.

You see - how my eyes become a gauge of my heart.

We need to guard and cultivate what I watch and desire.

And finally, Solomon points us to -

c) Our heart driven doing. (v. 26-27)

ILLUSTRATION:

Do you remember the - Do the Dew commercials?

They are trying to use subliminal messaging to get us to want to drink Mountain Dew.

Some of us were immune to those commercials because we are not fans of Mountain Dew.

While others were enticed by those commercials.

Our heart reflects our doing.

Proverbs 4:24–27 (ESV)

4) Monitor the gauges of our Christ-centered hearts.

26 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. 27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

What do you spend time on?

What choices do you make?

What sins do you struggle with?

All of this doing .... is a direct gauge to your heart.

We need to be careful to protect and guard our doing.

What Solomon is teaching is that ...

Our speech

Our Eyes and desires

Our doing

All reflect the reality of the heart.

They are flowing out of our heart.

So we may not have mechanical gauges like a car,

but if we take time to seriously reflect on our speech, eyes, and doing .... we would know a lot about our heart.

We would know what to watch for to keep or guard our heart.

CONCLUSION:

So,

Perhaps you're sitting here and you have some spiritual goals your thinking about this year -

It can be a basic one - like prayer, Bible reading, and evangelism.

Perhaps you're looking for victory over a certain struggle in your life.

I challenge you to guard your heart.

Because that is where Christian living is won or lost.

For us that are parents,

I challenge us to guard our children’s hearts.

Because that is where their Christian life is won or lost.

Our text teaches us -

1) Protect and cultivate our hearts with the Gospel.

2) Vigilantly keep our hearts.

3) Recognize our actions come from the desires of our hearts.

4) Monitor the Gauges of a Christ-Centered Heart. (Proverbs 4:24-27)

If we are to live for Christ and be Christlike … we must guard our hearts.

ILLUSTRATION:

Last year, I read the book, Call Sign Chaos by Jim Mattis

and was intrigued by how he prepared to take his unit into Afghanistan and Iraq.

Months prior to invasion he would study every historical battle in that area.

Ancient and modern.

He then would identify the chokepoints, failures, and challenges those armies faced.

And that is how he formed his battle plan.

In the same way…we need to look to the Scriptures that describe where the battle of the Christian life takes place.

And then form a battle plan.

A Godly Christian as part of their devotions will constantly be protecting, cultivating, and monitoring their heart.

Because they know that is where the Battle takes place.

<<<<<<I challenge you this year >>>> Guard your heart. >>>>>