FBC Adult Bible Study

And so pray, pray regarding that though, and it's also like she takes

Takes three steps backwards and there's three steps forwards and sometimes it's two steps backwards.

Sometimes it's one sometimes it's three But she's making progress so we're thankful for that Many of you got the prayer request for Kyle young last night haven't gotten an update yet as to You know what what the condition is so Want to continue to pray for him.

Were there any other requests? I should have asked that it'll probably be next

Sunday this whole Sunday school series on the heart and titled with all your heart and we've talked about the

Definition of the heart I have that on your handout for you This is the just presenting this giving that keeping this in front of us every week just to Just so it gets firmly implanted in our minds that when the

Bible talks about the heart. Sometimes it talks about It talks about the heart in us in its simplicity that is that it is a unit the whole the whole heart and speaks of the

Unity of our inner being but sometimes the word is used in its more complex

Form when we talk about the heart We may be talking about one of the three chambers of the heart when the

Bible does so we may be talking about the mind What we know or the desires what we love or our will what we choose and so sometimes the word heart or the

Concept of the heart in the scriptures can be referring to any one of those three chambers of the heart

So that's good to keep in mind and remember and remember when you come across the word heart in your

Bible reading Most of the time just by looking at the context the verse you can discern

Whether the verse is talking about your your mind or your desires or your will

So just just knowing that can be very helpful even in understanding the Bible Well the words

I want to focus on today and next Sunday morning to wrap this all up the verse in Proverbs 4 23

Which says keep your heart with all diligence for out of its spring the issues of life

We've looked at this verse a few times in this series but the reason

I'm focusing zeroing in on this verse is a different book that was written a few hundred years ago so this whole series was based on a book recently written by Craig Troxell as he really does the animal and the analysis the analyzing of the heart and the

Breaking it down in its components and all that kind of thing But an old

Puritan by the name of John Flavel Wrote a book entitled keeping the heart

He actually preached a series of messages entitled keeping the heart which became a book

And so I have a copy of it here. It's a thin a thin volume and and and nicely the typesetting in this book is sometimes these

These Puritan books that you read The the type is really small and tight and they pack a ton in a page

This one is very very well nicely laid out The type is is large and there are nice margins on it.

So it's easy to read. It's a fairly quick read but anyway This book is very helpful because he takes

Flavel takes the whole The whole volume and just focuses on this one verse

Keeping your heart keep your heart with all diligence and so what I wanted to do today and next

Sunday is just really summarize what Flavel has in that book because This is really where the rubber meets the road.

It's one thing to understand what our heart is and And and the chambers of the heart and so forth

But it's another thing to keep the heart. This is where it gets practical. This is where it gets vital and so I thought it'd be very helpful to us to To kind of look at this in a little more detail this application phase of of our study so and and I'm not going to keep saying this

Flavel says Flavel says everything that we're covering today is from Flavel's analysis and his his

His messages that he preached on this very subject. So first of all notice five acts five acts to keep the heart carefully

Five things to do to keep the heart carefully and number one

And I am just gonna I'm just taking these out of his writing. So the the language may be a little

Archaic from our standpoint Just that some of the terminology and so forth, but a number one.

What do we do to keep the heart? number one frequent observation of the frame of your heart frequent observation of the frame of your heart and what he's getting at here is

Actually taking the time to think about The state of my heart, you know, what what what is the frame of my and remember the the three chambers of the heart?

What is the frame of my heart? What what is what's going on in my thinking? What am

I thinking about? What are my desires? What direction am

I choosing in my will you see actually thinking about these things?

Observing what's going on in my My mind my desires my will what's going on there?

So for example a couple of scriptural examples of this taking place Psalm 4 4 says

Be angry and do not sin. All right, there's the exhortation be angry and do not sin then it says

Meditate within your own heart on your bed and be still All right.

Now isn't it interesting that the juxtaposition of those two statements be angry and don't sin

Meditate within your heart on your own bed and be still. All right. So what what that verse seems to be saying is

You are inclined to act in anger and And Before you do that you better stop and think about better stop and think about your heart the frame of your heart

What is it that's causing you to be anger angry? What are you wanting to do about that anger?

What are the desires that are behind that anger? Where is your will taking you in the expression of that anger be angry?

You may have a legitimate reason to be angry, but in your anger don't sin

How can I not sin in my anger? Meditate upon your heart, you know

Observe what's going on in your heart and then another Verse that appears same idea three different times in Psalms 42 and 3

Psalm 42 5 and 11 and then the end of Psalm 43 Where the psalmist stops and asks himself asks his heart a question

Why art thou cast down? Oh my soul and why are you disquieted within me?

You see what he's doing. He's talking to himself, but he's he's thinking about the frame of his heart

Why are you cast down? Why are you feeling the way you are feeling? Why are you thinking the things you're thinking?

Why are why are you desiring what you're desiring? Why are you wanting to go that way the way that the way?

And and you've been here before right you've been discouraged you've been downcast and that That frame of your heart is taking you in a particular direction.

It's leading you to make certain choices It's very very

Almost expected so stop and think observe the frame of your heart

Number two what to do to keep the heart Number two deep

Humiliation for the hearts evils and disorders Deep humiliation for the hearts evils and disorders.

Let's turn to 2nd Chronicles 32 Yeah, 2nd

Chronicles 32 And I'm going to show you this in action where there is

Humiliation for the evils of the heart for the disorders of the heart King Hezekiah, you remember the reign of King Hezekiah King Hezekiah was a good king one of the few good kings in Israel Judah and Hezekiah got a little proud got a little arrogant

Had these Emissaries from Babylon come and Hezekiah showed him all this stuff and everything and verse 23

Says many brought gifts to the Lord at Jerusalem in presence to Hezekiah king of Judah So that he was exalted in the sight of all nations well

The Lord wanted to deal with that pride and so it says in verse 24 in those days

Hezekiah was sick and near death and he prayed to the Lord and he spoke to him and gave him a sign but Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor shown him for his heart was lifted up Therefore wrath was looming over him and over Judah and Jerusalem All right.

So his heart got proud and He needed to do something about that heart.

What did he do? Verse 26 then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem So that the wrath of the

Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah So when

Hezekiah is confronted about the evil and the disorder of his heart he he didn't defy that confrontation, which is the response of the rebel the response of the stubborn the stiff -necked and stubborn hearted person

Instead what he did was he humbled himself For the pride of his heart so deep humiliation for the hearts evils and disorders

Then number three, what do we do to keep the heart carefully number three? Earnest supplication and instant prayer for purifying and Rectifying grace when sin has defiled and disordered it.

Well, that says a lot. That's a mouthful, isn't it? Let's let's break that down a little bit earnest supplication supplication.

Of course is another word for prayer but it implies It implies, you know asking for something in particular

Earnest supplication and instant prayer that means right away prayer as soon as you're aware of it prayer earnest supplication and instant prayer for what for a purifying grace

When sin is defiled and disordered your heart and for rectifying grace

When sin has defiled and disordered your heart, so let me show you an example to sin song

Psalm 9 Excuse me Psalm 19 verse 12

Psalm 19 you may remember is the psalm about It's a psalm about God's revelation

The first half of the psalm talks about his general revelation God revealing himself in creation

Then the next section in the psalm verses 7 through 11 talk about God's special revelation has revealed word

The law of the Lord is perfect and so forth, but then look at verse 12 in verse 12

Says who can understand his errors and here's the prayer Cleanse me from secret faults

Cleanse me from secret faults the sins that I know about in my own heart and nobody else does and And Nobody else necessarily should in those cases.

They're they're secret. The the circle of confession is the circle of knowledge, right? The Lord knows what's in my heart.

He knows the secret. He knows the secrets of my heart He beseeches the Lord to cleanse him.

All right, so cleansing This is cleansing grace and another example of this is Psalm 51, right?

David's penitential psalm after his sin with Bathsheba and arranged execution of Uriah her husband horrible sins and Psalm 51 is really a psalm that David is acknowledging his sin

But then he's he's praying for the Lord to cleanse him from that wickedness from that sin

And there are several different places in that Psalm the early part of it where he talks about cleansing

You know purge me with hyssop, for example Cleanse my from my transgressions and so forth.

So that's the purifying grace that we seek in prayer how do

I keep my heart when I'm aware of the when I'm aware of the defilement and the disorder of my heart

I go to the Lord in prayer about it. I don't delay. I don't put it off I go to the

Lord in prayer about I go right away to the Lord in prayer about it Praying for cleansing from that sin of my heart, but then

Psalm 86 11 is the prayer for Rectifying grace to rectify to correct

To bring back to a state of wholeness Psalm 86 11

Says teach me your way. Oh Lord, I will walk in your truth. And then here notice this last part of the verse and this really this verse really brings

Brings together our Study on the chambers of the heart, right?

We have those three chambers our mind our desires our will and the last part of verse 11 says

Unite my heart to fear your name Bring together those three chambers so that they're united in the fearing of your name

This is a prayer for rectifying grace where I'm asking the Lord. All right, my heart has my heart has been defiled and disordered

Because my thinking was messed up My desires were corrupted my will

I chose the wrong thing and and there's Most of the time there is an interplay between those three things

I choose the wrong thing because I wanted the wrong thing I wanted the wrong thing because I was thinking the wrong things.

All right, and so what the psalmist is praying here is that Not only do

I just make the right choices You can do that right you can you can do the right thing but not want to Right and you can do the right thing and Want the right thing?

But for the wrong reasons your thinking can be messed up so the psalmist prays for rectifying grace where the the mind

The desires and the will are all brought together. They're all united in the fear of the

Lord so pray for purifying and rectifying grace number four

Impose imposing personal restrictions and maintaining careful avoidance of occasions that induce your heart to sin

Look at that again imposing personal restrictions Does that mean fencing yourself in?

maintaining careful avoidance staying away from occasions that Induce your heart to sin.

All right So for example in Matthew 5 verse 30 the

Lord the Lord tells you the Lord says in his Sermon on the Mount If your right hand offends you what are you to do?

Cut it off if your right eye offends you what are you to do?

Pluck it out. Right. So what is he talking about there? That's the That's a very graphic way of expressing this idea of imposing personal restrictions

All right, it might my right hand keeps offending me What do

I need to do about that? I need to impose a personal restriction How can I restrict my right hand from offending me?

Pop it off. You see now again that shouldn't be taken literally obviously, but it's illustrating that we need to take radical action to restrict ourselves

When we know that our heart keeps going in this in this in this wrong direction

We want to keep our heart by imposing certain restrictions sometimes and and and they can be very personal notice he says imposing personal restrictions

The restrictions that you place on yourself because of what's going on in your heart mind desires will

May be different from what the restrictions that I would place on myself Okay, and then a third or another idea here imposing personal restrictions and maintaining careful avoidance of Occasions that induce your heart to sin.

So for example in the New Testament 1st Corinthians 6 verse 18

Paul says flee from fornication Flee from it run away from it

And obviously he's not simply talking there about the actual act of fornication, right?

flee from anything that's going to take you down that path of Of any for any form of sexual immorality flee from it run from it that's careful avoidance in 1st

Corinthians 10 14, he says flee from idolatry flee from idolatry and again

In the 21st century, you know, we're we're outside of the context of literal

Metallic Or wooden gods that have been crafted that we put up on our shelves But that doesn't mean idolatry is dead by any stretch the imagine, you know that you know that our culture our world is filled with potential idols in fact a

Television show is named that very thing right American what? American idol

And why is it named that? Because it recognizes the propensity of our culture to elevate people to some status of near godhood and so so highly elevated that They think and a lot of people believe that whatever they have to say about a subject

Must be what we need to accept so you get celebrity idols that spout off something related something political and or some something more some some opinion on morality and it is expected that that be

Accepted why because the idol says so so we have idols in our day

And they're people they're things their ideas Their jobs and so forth careers or whatever but we're to flee from those things if those those things or people take on a

Dominance in our lives that will Lead our heart astray our heart in its in any of its chambers

What we think what we desire What we choose Then we are to flee from those idols in 2nd

Timothy 2 22 Paul tells his young his young protege Timothy Pastor Timothy He says to him flee youthful lusts youthful desires

Not limited to Desires sexual but desires of any kind that would be

Typical of of youth May be the desire for prominence may be the desire for certain kinds of experience it may be the

The desire to to have one's way and so forth there are all kinds of youthful desires

Those things will lead your heart astray flee those things so impose personal restrictions and maintain careful avoidance of Occasions that induce your heart to sin and then number five

Five acts we're talking about number five realize

God's continual presence with us Realize God's continual presence with us

So 2nd Chronicles 16 9 says the eyes of the Lord Run to and fro to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong in behalf of those whose heart is

Whole or perfect before him There again, we have a wonderful Expression that That Brings together our study on the chambers of the heart the heart that is

The Lord is looking for the person whose heart is perfect toward him. That doesn't mean

That doesn't mean sin without any sin. I Mean that that that is an impossibility.

What is it talking about the heart that is whole that is complete? That is united before him.

So the the Integration of thinking and desiring and choosing the

Lord is looking for the person whose mind informs his desires that inform his will and and they're all they're all in Symphonic Balance if you will, they're all working in harmony together

The Lord is the Lord is looking Lord is looking for our hearts to be like that always constantly

Right now tomorrow at work wherever you are

Always so realize that the Lord is continually with us Psalm 139 verses 8 and 9

Familiar verses, you know, where can I go at verse 7? Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence if I ascend to heaven?

You are there If I make my bed in the lowest parts of the earth In in hell the

King James translates it behold you are there. It's not littered talking about the burning

Lake of fire the word hell is Is talking about the lowest parts of the earth

If I go to the highest parts of the heavens or the lowest parts of the earth, wherever I go is the point

You are there You are there Some of you've been watching that series that the chosen series

Some anybody in anybody here watching that? Okay So if you watch the latest episode, which is it aired last

Sunday night Chris and I watched it last evening and in that episode

Jesus casts out a demon of a guy But but the

The episode is bookended with these with this passage where Mary Magdalene is

Learning memorizing this passage and Matthew is memorizing this these couple of verses from the

Psalms and So that's how it starts off and then she's Mary is teaching

Mary Magdalene is teaching what's her name the Thomas's the girl that Thomas wants, you know to marry someday.

I Keep thinking Raina like Gordon and Raina Taylor. It's not her name But anyway, it's something like that and and Mary Magdalene is teaching this

Raina the Hebrew and teaching her this verse and At the end of the episode

Mary Magdalene, I don't know what she's doing. She's gone into Jericho and she's gone off by herself after this episode, of course,

Mary Magdalene you remember is I mean Jesus cast seven demons out of her and This whole episode with the demoniac

Where Jesus cast the demon it's it's tripped something in her triggered something

And so she's gone into Jericho and this is how the episode ends Jesus sends Peter and Matthew to go find

Mary and Jesus says to Jesus says to Matthew What's the what's the verse you were working on memorizing?

What were you working on memorizing passage and Matthew says if I send to heaven you are there if I make my bed in the lowest places of the earth behold you are there and Jesus says as they leave

Keep that passage in mind as you go Keep it in mind as you go.

We ought to all keep this in mind as we go That the Lord is ever with us.

The Lord is always Present so those five acts can be helpful in keeping the heart

Why should we do so? Why should we make this such a priority? Well, here are six reasons.

There are six reasons Number one The glory of God is concerned with it.

The glory of God is concerned with it So let me show you and turn to Numbers chapter 20

Numbers 20 Verses 10 through 12 and then

I want to show you a Psalms comment on this Psalm 106 so in Numbers 20

The children of Israel are wandering in the wilderness This is the second time they've run out of water and they're complaining to Moses about it

The second occasion where water would come from a rock the first occasion

The Lord God told Moses strike the rock and water will gush forth

Moses did so the second occasion the people come and complain to Moses because they don't have anything to drink and Moses is ticked because they're complaining

Complaining to him again. He goes the Lord. What am I supposed to do with these people? So in verse 10

The Lord says take the rod that's in your hand and then he says verse 8 Speak to the rock before their eyes and it will yield its waters.

All right, so the Lord's will what the Lord has revealed is Very clear.

This is what you are to do. This is what you're to think. This is how you are to think You're to think my thoughts you are to think what

I've told you to do this is what you are to desire you are to desire to honor me and To hallow me before the people and here's how you will do.

So you will speak to the rock This is the instruction I'm giving you So when it's time for you to act the choice you make

Needs to be to speak to the rock so that water will gush forth

All right now in verse 10 says Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock and he said to them

Here now you rebels must we bring water before you? must we bring water for you out of this rock you see how his thinking has become distorted and Rather than Glorifying God hallowing

God before the people. What is he doing? He's hallowing himself

Must we bring forth Water for you out of this rock and we as in Aaron and I then

Moses lifted up his hand and in his anger He struck the rock twice with his rod

God in his grace still had the water come out But what was he supposed to do?

He was supposed to speak What was he supposed to want God to be glorified

What was his thinking to be God said speak to the rock so I must speak to the rock now in Psalm 106 verses 32 and 33

We get some commentary on this episode Where it says that they the children of Israel in the wilderness they angered the

Lord also at the waters of strife So that it went ill with Moses on account of them

Because they rebelled against his spirit so that he spoke rashly with his lips

Now well, the point is this God's glory is concerned with My keeping my heart had

Moses kept his heart in that that moment of Provocation when his heart is provoked to anger if he had kept his heart he would have exalted the

Lord and Thought God's thoughts wanted what

God wanted and acted the way God God wanted him to act and had he done so He would have just spoken to the rock

Water would have gushed and who would have been glorified God would have been glorified

Now here's another example of of this very problem second King or first Kings chapter 11 first Kings 11

Solomon has become the king over Jew over Israel in his father's place and He's he's accumulated great wealth.

He's done these great building projects and so forth verse 1 of chapter 11 first Kings 11 says

Solomon loved many foreign women as Well as the daughters of the daughter of Pharaoh women of the

Moabites Ammonites Edomites Sidonians and Hittites Okay, so you got a huge heart problem there, right? Because what is he thinking?

What is he thinking about all these women? that With the daughter of Pharaoh taking the daughter of Pharaoh, what's he thinking about taking the daughter of Pharaoh?

Is he is he thinking, you know, God wants to God wants this for me because What?

No, what he's thinking is here's how I can here's how I can strengthen my kingdom

I can marry this daughter of Pharaoh so that Pharaoh will not be at least the least bit inclined to attack me will be allies and He'll help me

Certainly a marriage of political expedience Well, what about these daughters these women of the

Moabites Ammonites Edomites Sidonians and Hittites probably some of the same but also

Undoubtedly because oh, she looks good. I want her. Oh, she looks good.

I want her And it wasn't and it wasn't always just because of political expedience.

He loved these many foreign women and Here's the net result verse 4

It was so when Solomon was old that his wives turned his heart after other gods and His heart was not loyal to the

Lord his God as was the heart of his father David so Because Solomon's heart now is not wholly true to the

Lord. What's the net result? What's happened here? the error of his heart has diminished

God in the eyes of his people Solomon's people

God's people follow that Solomon's heart his heart error here in taking many wives from these different countries and then taking their gods and bringing them into Israel and and himself

Honoring those gods. What has he done to the one true God the only God what has he done? He has devalued him diminished

God in the eyes of God's people God wants to be glorified among his people

Solomon has done just the opposite Six reasons why keep the heart why make that a priority number two?

because the sincerity of our profession Depends upon it the sincerity of our profession depends on it.

Here's the point. I profess that I Am a follower of Christ.

I profess that I honor the Lord God of the Scriptures But is that profession sincere

See Let me give you an example of this if you're still in Kings if you turn there second

Kings look at second Kings chapter 10 second

Kings 10 and You've got this character

Jehu And look at verses 15 to 17

Jehu is going to profess to be Honoring of God a follower of God doing

God's work All right So in verse 15 says now when he Jehu had departed from there he met

Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him and Jehu greeted

Jehonadab and said to him Is your heart right as my heart?

As your is your heart right as my heart is toward your heart in other words Are we loyal to one another

Jehonadab answered it is Jehu said if it is give me your hand

So he gave him his hand and he took him up to him into the chariot. Then he said here's the profession

Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord Here's my profession. I'm zealous for the

Lord So they had so they had him ride in his chariot when he came to Samaria He killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria till he had destroyed them according to the word of the

Lord which he spoke to Elijah, all right, but now look down at verse 28 Says thus

Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel. It sounds like his profession is accurate. He's zealous for the

Lord, but verse 29 However, Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who had made

Israel to sin That is from the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan and the

Lord said to Jehu Because you have done well in doing what is right in my sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in my heart your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation, but Here you go

Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart

For he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam who had made Israel to sin

So he's made great profession of being zealous for the Lord but Because he did not keep his heart.

His heart was not Holy with the Lord. He didn't obey the

Lord. He didn't depart from the sins of Jeroboam And in other words the point is the sincerity of our profession depends on it

I profess to be Wholehearted follower of Christ holy following the Lord, but if I'm not keeping my heart my heart is going to lead me astray the sins of that heart the corruption of the heart and It will cause my profession

To be disputed and then thirdly and with this this will be the this will be where we're in today a third reason to make heart keeping a priority is that the beauty the beauty of our way of life

Arises from it the beauty of our way of life arises from it in Psalm 37

Verses 30 and 31 Psalm 37 verse 30 says the mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom and his tongue talks of justice

The law of God is in his heart None of his steps shall slide

Here's the example of a or the picture of a person whose heart and life are united His heart and life are united his mouth speaks wisdom his tongue talks of justice

God's laws in his heart and none of his steps shall slide there is a

Beautiful believer in Christ a beautiful follower of the Lord first Peter to a

New Testament Passage along this line first Peter 2 verses 11 and 12 exhort us in this way

Says abstain Peter says abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul

Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles that word honorable communicates the idea of beauty

Having your conduct beautiful beautiful among the Gentiles how how can my way of life

How can my way of life appear Beautiful before others

Well, it appears beautiful before others when I keep my heart. I don't my my profession and my behavior mesh

You see they mesh That is beautiful.

All right, so we'll look at the last three reasons and then next Lord's Day We'll look at some special seasons in life that require special diligence

Special diligence and keeping of our heart. So father in heaven. I pray that you would you would give us the

The wisdom and the desire To keep our hearts and to take very active steps in doing so we pray this in Jesus name.