A Merry Heart

Temple Baptist Church - 8-5-2018

Proverbs 15:13, 15; 17:12

Introduction: 

A.  The heart, the soul of man.  Self-conscious.

B.  The spirit, that by which we perceive God.  God-conscious.

C.  A merry heart – doeth good like a medicine. 

1.  A medicine is something that you take when you feel bad.  Medicines, as a rule, make one become healthy once again. 

2.  When our hearts are merry, we are joyful (not necessarily happy) and our countenance reflects it.  Our life reflects it for others to see.  “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, rejoice.”  God said, “Let me repeat that for you!”

D.  A broken spirit – drieth the bone. 

1.  The marrow of the bone is where our life is found.  The bone marrow does so many things but the one that I want to look at is that it produces the blood, which is the life of the flesh. 

2.  A broken spirit saps the spiritual life out of the believer.  Our life is more than physical health.  Many physically well people have no life at all.

E.  All of us have problems, depressing times, and then times when there is nothing wrong, but we choose to just have a bad day.  A merry heart is a valuable thing to have.

1.  A Merry Heart Maketh A Cheerful Countenance – 15:13 - Most people today look like a mule that has been eating saw briers!  Every where you go, you see sad faces, hear cursing and complaining!  Smiles are contagious!

2.  A Merry Heart Maketh A Continual Feast – 15:15 - Enjoyment of life!  We are so blessed and yet people are still not satisfied and live lives of quiet desperation!

3.  A Merry Heart Doeth Good Like A Medicine – 17:12 - A smiling face or “drieth the bone!”

(a) A medicine soothes. A merry heart soothes us, and our attitude & anxiety is reduced.

(b) A medicine reduces pain. A merry heart reduces the pain of hurt feelings, failed expectations and misunderstandings.

(c) A medicine makes one feel better, especially when infection is removed.   God’s prescription for your heart problem isn’t just to smile and ignore it but to smile despite it.

(d)  You are either happy and healthy or depressed and dried out!

F.  When our spirit becomes “broken,” we cease to be God conscious. 

1.  We are God conscious when we worship.  It is with the spirit and the truth that we worship!  A lack of either one causes “will worship,” which is not acceptable to God.

John 4:23-24  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  (24)  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

2.  What is a broken spirit?  It is a self-induced illness!  We all realize that God’s grace is always sufficient; our strength is made perfect through weakness; God will never leave nor forsake us; and we can trust in the Lord with all our hearts.

G.  A merry heart or a broken spirit is a personal choice that each of us make each day.

HOW TO HAVE A MERRY HEART

1.  A Merry Heart Comes Through Conversion – You will never be truly happy until you know Christ.

Philippians 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

a.  Saved - Psalms 9:14  That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.

b.  Safe - John 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

2.  A Merry Heart Comes Through Contentment – 1 Timothy 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain.

a.  Content With Your Lord - Psalms 97:12  Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.  (The Lord has been so good to us!)

b.  Content With Your Bible - Psalms 119:162  I rejoice at thy word,as one that findeth great spoil.

c.  Content With Your Wife - Proverbs 5:18  Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

d.  Content With Your Possessions - Heb 13:5  Let your conversation bewithout covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Luke 12:15  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

3.  A Merry Heart Comes Through Commitment – trusting the Lord in every part of your life.  (Whatever my lot thou hast TAUGHT me to say, “It is well, it is well with my soul!”)

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  (6)  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

2 Timothy 1:12  For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Psalms 37:5  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

a.  He Is Our Defense - Psalms 5:11  But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

b.  He Is Our Strength - 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.

c.  He Is Our Help – Psalms 63:7  Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

d.  He Is Our Rejoicing - Philippians 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord alway: andagain I say, Rejoice.

4.  A Merry Heart Comes Through Consecration - Matthew 10:39  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.  (Lose your life and find it – most people never find their lives because they never lose their lives!  “Let me lose my life and find it, Lord, in thee!”)

a.  Consecration To Service - Luke 9:23  And he said to them all, If anyman will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

b.  Consecration To Sanctification - Psalms 1:1  Blessed is the man thatwalketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 

c.  Consecration To Souls – to be soul conscious to not be self-conscious - John 4:35  Say not ye, There are yet four months, and thencometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

Conclusion:  God wants you to be happy in this life even though it is full of troubles and sorrows. 

1.  You will never be happy until you are converted!

2.  You will never be happy until you are content!

3.  You will never be happy until you are committed!

4.  You will never be happy until you are consecrated!