Keeping Your Heart With All Diligence

Temple Baptist Church - 9-15-2013

 

Proverbs 4:20-23

 

Introduction:

A. We have read a familiar portion of scripture this morning: familiar because of its importance to both life and eternity. For the most part, when the Bible speaks of the heart, it is not speaking of the organ that pumps your blood, but of the very soul of man. (Out of the mention of heart and hearts, 833 + 113 = 946 only 3 possibly refer to the physical heart)

1. Therefore, when I speak of heart this morning, I am not referring to the physical organ but rather to we are.

2. Man is a trinity: the body, the soul, and the spirit—made in the likeness of God through His marvelous creation: fearfully and wonderfully made. We are created in God’s image while Jesus Christ is referred to the “express image of his person.”

a) The body is world conscious with five senses: hearing, sight, taste, smell, and touch. It is with our bodies that we perceive the world around us.

b) The soul is self conscious: it is what we desire and what we desire is what we are. It is with the soul that we have thoughts, emotions, desires, likes and dislikes, our treasures, our love or lack of it, our faith and our fears.

c) The spirit is God conscious: it is with the spirit that man seeks after God and worships in His presence. It is with our spirit that we have a relationship with God.

B. I want to deal with the heart this morning because it is the heart that dictates what we do with both body and spirit! Again, the heart is not the physical organ because it is the center of our affections, desires, intellect, imaginations, and will.

Principle of First Mention - Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

1. The heart or soul of man controls the body by either suppressing or encouraging its desires.

2. The heart or soul of man controls the spirit by either turning to God or turning away from God.

C.  The heart is vitally important:

1. In light of eternity - Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

2. In light of maturity - Proverbs 23:24-26 The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. (25) Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice. (26) My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

3. In light of living for Christ – Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

a) Keep means to guard or protect.

b) Issues comes a root word meaning boundaries. We are to guard or keep our boundaries clear and concise. Old Testament walls were boundaries that both protected and defined an area of safety.

c) Diligence - DILIGENCE, n. [L., to love earnestly; to choose.] Steady application in business of any kind; constant effort to accomplish what is undertaken; exertion of body or mind without unnecessary delay or sloth; due attention; industry; assiduity.

D. It is of no wonder that the Bible says to “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Issues are important things. If we were going to have a men’s meeting here at the church, one might ask, “What are going to be the issues?” The reason for the meeting is the important issue to be dealt with.

HOW TO KEEP YOUR HEART WITH ALL DILIGENCE

1. You Keep Your Heart Through Examination - Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

a. The Secrets Of The Heart - Psalms 44:21 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

b. The Control Of The Heart - Psalms 26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

c. The Leading Of The Heart - Psalms 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

2. You Keep Your Heart Through Meditation - Proverbs 23:7a For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.

Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Psalms 4:4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

a. Meditate Upon The Law Of God - Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Psalms 119:15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

b. Meditate Upon The Son Of God - Psalms 63:6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

c. Meditate Upon The Work Of God - Psalms 77:12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.

3. You Keep Your Heart Through Saturation - Job 23:12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. (God’s word is more necessary than physical nourishment!)

Psalms 119:34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with [my] whole heart.

Psalms 119:69 The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with [my] whole heart.

Psalms 119:80 Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.

Psalms 119:145 I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD: I will keep thy statutes.

a. They Will Rejoice Your Heart - Psalms 19:8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

b. They Will Purify Your Heart - Psalms 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

c. They Will Stabilize Your Heart - Psalms 119:10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

4. You Keep Your Heart Through Adoration

Psalms 9:1 I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.

Psalms 138:1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.

Psalms 111:1 Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.

Psalms 84:2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

Psalms 86:12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

Psalms 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.