A Merry Heart

I. EXORDIUM:

Are you happy?

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To show that our happiness comes in the LORD, we celebrate JESUS in our life and heart. Broken spirit are for the unbelievers because they don't have any reason to rejoice.

IV. TEXT:

Proverbs 17:22 (Amplified Bible)

17:22 A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

V. THESIS:

Praise, worship and thank You very much LORD JESUS for I rejoice greatly in the LORD because You are in my heart, I am cheerful and celebrate You in my life.

VI. TITLE:

A merry heart

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Authors: Credited generally to King Solomon before his character downfall/decline.

B. Date written: from 931 to 686 B.C.

C. Purpose: To give moral instruction

D. Main Theme: Fear of the LORD

VIII. MAIN BODY:

A. Merry heart is good medicine and cheerful mind works healing

"A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing,"

Merry or "sameach" in Hebrew means:

1. blithe - merry; joyous; sprightly; mirthful; gleeful

2. glad, joyful, rejoicing

Heart or "leb" in Hebrew means:

1. used figuratively as the will, feelings, intellect.

2. the center of anything

Good or "yatab" in Hebrew means:

1. to be make well

2. sound, beautiful

3. figuratively happy, successful, right

4. be accepted, amend, use aright, benefit, be better

5. seem best, make cheerful, be comely, be content, diligent

6. dress earnestly, find favor, be merry, please

Medicine or "gehah" in Hebrew means: a cure, medicine.

Only in this verse you can find "medicine" as mentioned, and the other is in Ezekiel 47:12, but it refers to the tree of life, it seems like the tree of life is placed in our hearts by GOD, we are self-healing mortals because of this, GOD designed us to self-heal but the fall of man has eradicated the access to the tree of life. Bring it back then. Every time we rejoice, every time we are merry and every time we are cheerful, it heals us and is good medicine for us.

Ezekiel 47:12 (Amplified Bible)

47:12 And on the banks of the river on both its sides, there shall grow all kinds of trees for food; their leaf shall not fade nor shall their fruit fail [to meet the demand]. Each tree shall bring forth new fruit every month, [these supernatural qualities being] because their waters came from out of the sanctuary. And their fruit shall be for food and their leaves for healing.

B. Broken spirit dries up the bones

"but a broken spirit dries up the bones"

Broken or "nake naka" in Hebrew means:

1. smitten

2. figuratively afflicted, broken, stricken, wounded

Spirit or "ruach" in Hebrew means:

1. wind

2. by resemblance breath

3. sensible or violent exhalation

4. life, anger, unsubstantiality

Drieth or "yabesh" in Hebrew means:

1. to be ashamed, confused or disappointed

2. to dry up or wither

3. be ashamed, be confounded, utterly withered away, dry up

Bones or "gerem" in Hebrew means:

1. a bone

2. skeleton of the body

Make sure all our rejoicing, cheerful heart and merry heart comes from it's Real Source of blessings (happiness from within) - the LORD JESUS CHRIST not our circumstances or status in life. "Rejoice IN the LORD" If this is not the case, then your happiness is just a cover up of your inward sorrow. Accept the LORD in your life, make the LORD JESUS as the LORD, SAVIOR and GOD of your life and you will be happy because of Him.

Psalms 40:16 (Amplified Bible)

40:16 Let all those that seek and require You rejoice and be glad in You; let such as love Your salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified!

Psalms 64:10 (Amplified Bible)

64:10 The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall be glad in the Lord and shall trust and take refuge in Him; and all the upright in heart shall glory and offer praise.

Philippians 3:1 (Amplified Bible)

3:1 FOR THE rest, my brethren, delight yourselves in the Lord and continue to rejoice that you are in Him. To keep writing to you [over and over] of the same things is not irksome to me, and it is [a precaution] for your safety.

Philippians 4:4 (Amplified Bible)

4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice!

Psalms 37:4 (Amplified Bible)

37:4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.

Philippians 4:10 (Amplified Bible)

4:10 I was made very happy in the Lord that now you have revived your interest in my welfare after so long a time; you were indeed thinking of me, but you had no opportunity to show it.

Illustration:

Is any merry? Let him sing psalms. James 5:13