Proverbs 4:23-27
Guard Your Heart
How many of you love to receive advice? Oh, isn’t advice great? It’s cool as cornbread. That is as long as you’re the one giving it. The great thing about advice is it’s free to give out. You can give out all you want to, spread it all around, and it doesn’t cost you a dime. We preachers love giving advice. Oh, and what about parents? Every dad’s given a speech at one time or another, right? It goes something like this, “What do you mean you want a pair of tennis shoes, two-hundred how many dollars? Money doesn’t grow on trees you know! You just don’t understand the value of money. Why, back when I was your age I got up at two o’clock every morning, went out into the freezing cold on my paper route, rode my bike 20 miles there and back, uphill, in the snow, both ways, came home, milked the cows, butchered the hog and cooked the bacon for breakfast, walked 5 miles to school, barefoot, in the snow, uphill, both ways. You just think you’ve got it rough! Now, what was it you were asking for?”
But you know, sometimes we get great advice and it pays off. Let’s turn to Proverbs chapter 4.
Here’s a father talking. “Here, I’ve learned from experience some lessons in life that will help you tremendously if you just pay attention. Would you like to live a long life? Would you like for your life to count for something? Would you like to stay healthy? Then just listen to me…”
Yes, I know it’s just a dad giving his son advice, but wait, there’s something important here. This guy’s getting this from God. God inspired this for you and me to read this evening for our benefit. It’s more than just an idle speech. So Solomon says, “Pay attention!”
He starts out (v.4) by saying, “Do what I say and live.” Whoa! What is he going to do? Whack his son if he doesn’t do what he says? No, look at what he says, (v.5) Get wisdom. Wisdom, (v.6) will preserve you, and keep you safe.
Solomon says wisdom is the principal thing. Learning and living out all that God desires for us should be our chief aim. While we are passing through things temporal on this earth, we should not lose sight of those things that are eternal.
You may be wondering, and thinking to your self, “I’m having a good time just the way things are.” “I may not be the best Christian, but I’m certainly not the worst. Sure I’ve got a few friends that wouldn’t pass inspection if I brought them home, but we’re just having fun.” But you must be aware that this world’s idea of fun and fulfillment often destroys health and shortens the lifespan of those who get involved. That’s why Solomon says in verse 10, “Listen to my words and you’ll live longer.” Living a holy life by its very nature will prevent many diseases, accidents and prolongs life.
I would like to give you this evening the prescription for a godly life. (Read vv. 23-27)
God is telling us this evening through this O.T. writer, “Guard your heart! Watch out what you allow into your mind and thoughts. Because what you put in, is surely what will come out.”
I. Why Should We Guard Our Hearts? (23)
The treasure that Solomon is concerned with is our heart. Not the blood-pumping muscle that keeps us alive, but our mind, emotions and will. The very center of our being. What we are told to do is keep our heart with all diligence. The word keep, means ‘to guard”. It was used in the O.T. to mean to guard diligently against the enemy, or to regulate with careful discipline, or to maintain with proper supplies.
Why all the hubbub over our mind, emotions and our will? Because what’s inside of us, our thoughts, our priorities, our desires, the sum total of all that we allow into our eyes and ears and our mind is what comes out in our actions and our words. That’s what v.23 means when it says, “for out it are the issues of life.”
(Volunteer to help w/ illustration) Have them cup both hands. “Here, we’ll put your brain in your hands.” “On second thought, you may just need one hand,(just kidding).” “Now we will put some things into your brain.” E.g. T.V. Guide, video tape, CD, magazine. Do you realize that the sounds and images we allow into our minds become a part of us? They stay there and interact with our thoughts. It doesn’t matter how long ago we heard it or saw it, it’s always there in our mind to be brought back at a later time. Here, I’ll prove it. Take objects out of hands. What do you think of when I say, “Oh, I wish I were an…” “You deserve a…” “When E.F. Hutton talks…” “Where’s the…” “I’ve fallen…” “I am stuck on…bandaids…” You see, some things you haven’t heard in years are still in your head just waiting to come out.
Don’t allow the well of your heart to be polluted. Since 9/11 our nation’s drinking water supplies have been closely guarded. (ex. Food coloring in water) The well of everyone’s heart here is astronomically more precious than all of the earth’s water supply combined.
II. How Can We Guard Our Hearts? (24-27)
A. You need to watch what you say. (24)
Did you know that our mouths get us in trouble? The problem is we say what we think. If it’s inside us it will come out our mouth. My wife tells me about her sister, whose mouth got her in trouble all day long one day when she was little. “Calling mama dummy”.
God tells us in verse 24 to put away from us a froward mouth and perverse lips. What in the world is a froward mouth?
1. “froward” – “distorted”, “crooked”, “false”
This refers to anything we say that distorts what is true and what is right. While we may not always outright lie, we sometimes distort the truth don’t we? Or what about when we bring that corrective action notice home? And we say, “I didn’t do anything wrong, honest!” (ex. Scoring violations: “wrong page…”) Say only what is right!
2. “mouth” – from a word which also means “edge or side”, or “two-edged” Say one thing, mean another. Could refer to suggestive speech.
3. “perverse” – “crooked” related to a word which means “to complain” or “to murmur”.
Be careful. Our words betray what’s in our heart. Are you constantly putting others down? Do you say things to hurt others? Are your words and your conversations less than pure? (Mt. 12:34-36 O generation of vipers…)
B. You need to watch what you see. (25)
“look” “to scan”, i.e., to look intently at, by implication, to regard with pleasure, favor, or care.
What are you spending your time looking at? A few years ago, USA Today did a short story on Kevin Inciyaki, of Sierra Madre, California. The story was about Kevin’s love for trash. Kevin is 9-years-old, and he is fixated on garbage. He not only likes garbage, but garbage containers and garbage trucks and garbage books and garbage videos. Early photos of him in the family scrapbook show him inspecting trashcans at Sea World. He has a photo collection of ’’garbage trucks of the world’’ taken for him by family friends on trips abroad. Kevin’s mother, Marsha said, ’’It’s been garbage since he was 2-years-old - you have no idea what it’s like having a child who has a passion for trash.’’ I wonder if that is not what God often feels about you and me. Far too often our minds are not focused on the things of God but on the garbage dumps of the world. If we are to be honest, some of us, even though we are children of God have a passion for trash. We read trashy books and magazines. We watch trashy shows on TV. We go to trashy movies. We visit trashy sites on the Internet. We use trashy language. We tell trashy jokes. In the early days of computers, there was a phrase that was often heard: "Garbage in; garbage out!" What it meant was that if you put in bad programming into the computer you would get bad results from the computer. Well, when it comes to the human heart and mind, this principle also holds true: "Garbage in; garbage out!" If we really want to fully experience the new life God has given us, we must get out of the garbage business. We must quit hanging around the garbage dump all the time. We must focus our minds not on earthly things, but on the things of God. Whatever you and I are programming into our minds is going to ultimately come out one way or another. What are you programming into your mind? Music? TV? Do you spend your time watching TV programs that make fun of godly values? What about making fun of sin? The sounds and images we allow into our minds become a part of us. As I said before, they stay there and interact with our thoughts. Ever heard of subliminal messaging? Movie theaters flashing the words popcorn, Coke on a single frame or two. You didn’t even see it. Without realizing it, you become hungry for popcorn. Satan takes what you allow into your minds and then uses it to make you hungry for sin. Lust! Go ahead; be selfish, you deserve it! Go ahead tell a dirty joke, it’ll be funny!
You may be asking, “Why should we be so careful about what we allow into our lives? We try to avoid getting our clothes or body dirty. Why do we get so careless about what we allow into our minds and our lives. (ex. “expensive vase” New car, e.g. not like Jeremy’s garbage. Like garbage dumpster threw up in our driveway, pair of stiff underwear.”) That’s what happens to us when we don’t clean up our minds and hearts.
If we cannot control our thoughts, then we will have little success controlling our bodies. (Mk. 7:20-23) What our minds dwell upon determines our actions. Do you know how we sin? (James 1:14-15) We first have the thought, and then we act on it. First we have a desire that comes from inside us. Then we have a choice.
Choose the high road. (Col. 3:2; Phil. 4:8) Many of you here are innocent. You haven’t been feeding your minds with garbage. Praise God! Stay that way. (Rom. 16:19) “innocent”. We need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and what is right. Put on the blinders. Determine as the Psalmist did: I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes…Psalm 101:3 And lastly:
C. You need to watch what you serve. (26-27)
“ponder” – “to roll flat” i.e. to prepare, such as a road. Or to revolve, i.e. “to weigh mentally”
How many of you have really given serious thought about the implications and direction of your life and the decisions you’re making right now?
“path” – “a track”
Whether you realize it or not, the decisions you are making at this time in your life, or the lack of decisions, and the life you are living, is setting you on a track for life. Years from now you may wonder, “How did I get here?” “Why are these things happening to me?” Very likely they will be the result of the direction you’re heading at this time.
Who are you serving tonight? Who is your master? Is it God? Your friends? Oh, you’re a slave to something. If it’s the world, you’re going to want to dress like the world, look like world, talk like the world. Some of you have things in your life that you need to confess. Some of you have things in your life that you need to come to this altar tonight and leave here. Some of you have things at home in your bedroom that you need to destroy. Are you ready tonight to make your life count for God?
Let’s all stand. Purpose tonight that your mind and your heart will not be a garbage dump for Satan. Whose ready to decide right now that you will keep your heart pure for God’s use and God’s alone? Have you allowed your heart to become defiled? Come to God tonight and confess it and He will make your heart as white as snow. Are you going to be willing to stand up before God tonight and say that by His grace you will watch what you say, what you see, and what you serve? Is God’s call upon your life? Can He count on you to help win this world for Christ?
