Being Heart Healthy

Temple Baptist Church - 7-22-2018

Proverbs 4:20-23

Introduction: 

A.  The heart, mind, soul, and body are intricately tied together.  The mind and heart are knit together in thinking, expression, and action.

1.  The imaginative heart - 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.  (How we imagine is determined upon the spiritual condition of our hearts.)

2.  The expressive heart - Genesis 17:17  Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?  (Abraham carried on a silent conversation in his heart.  We carry on conversation within instead of without.  “Self, I says!”)

3.  The exposing heart - Proverbs 23:7  For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.  (What we think in our hearts will ultimately become known through our outward actions.)

B.  Therefore, in verse 20, we are to “attend” to God’s Word and “incline” unto God’s sayings.  These words are intransitive verbs, a verb that transfers its action to an object within the sentence, and are explained in verse 21.

1.  Attend – transitive verb – to go to or to be present.  Verse 21 says that they are not to “depart from thine eyes.”  To keep out hearts with all diligence, we must be present with God’s Word: to read, study, and present to hear.  As an intransitive verb, it means to apply oneself to something.

2.  Incline – transitive verb - to stoop or to bow; to be influenced.  Verse 21 says to “keep them in the midst of thine heart.”  We are to not only read, study, and hear God’s Word—we are to allow it to influence our thoughts and, therefore, our actions.

C.  Verse 23 uses three words: “keep … diligence … issues.”

1.  Keep – to guard or to protect.  The object of our guarding is the heart.

2.  Diligence – the legal care of a person party to a contract.  The action of our guarding is obligation.

3.  Issues – to spring or to flow out; to go forth.  The result of our guarding is a heart of holiness.

D.  How to be heart healthy:

1.  Regular Spiritual Checkups Through Self-Examination.

Jeremiah 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

a.  Self-Examination:

1)   Self Examination of Salvation - 2 Corinthians 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?  (Am I in Christ Jesus.  So many people do not check up on their salvation because of fear of what they will find.)

2)  Self Examination of Spiritual Walk - 1 Corinthians 11:28  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.  (In our day, we can check our own blood pressure and pulse rate with a cheap blood pressure machine.  We can also check our own spiritual wellbeing as well.)

b.  Regular Spiritual Checkups By God.  God’s Examinations Are Comprehensive: 

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

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

3)  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.

4)  The Imaginations Of The Heart - Proverbs 23:7a  For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.

2 Corinthians 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

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.

2.  Dailey Saturation Of Scripture.  Read Your Bible Daily. 

a.  I sent out a thing about treating your Bible like you treat your cell phone.  I added a couple of things to that.

(1)  Carry it everywhere that you go.

(2)  If you forget it, go back and get it.

(3) Check it for messages several times a day.

(4)  Use it in case of emergencies.

(5)  Share things in it regularly.

(6)  Spend an hour or more each day reading it.

(7)  When you wear it out, get another immediately BUT DON’T UPDATE IT!!!  The old one was fine!

1 Timothy 4:7-9  But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.  (8)  For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.  (9)  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.

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

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

3.  Learn To Eat Healthy Through Spiritual Meditation.

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.

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 nightwatches.

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

4.  Worship Regularly: You Keep Your Heart Through Adoration.

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

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

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

d.  Faithfulness - 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.

e.  Longing - 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.

f.  Rejoicing - 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.

Conclusion:  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, care; heed; heedfulness.