Text: Prov 4:23
- Intro:
- To be a good person, once we are saved, we must have a good heart. Prov 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
- We don’t come naturally equipped with a good heart, though.
- We must realize there is evil in our heart and we must keep it in subjection [Mk 7:21-23].
- We must be careful with following our heart because it is deceitful and desperately wicked [Jer 17:9-10].
- Instead of trusting our heart, we should let the word of God discern the thoughts and intents of our heart [Heb 4:12] and believe what the Bible tells us when it discloses something in us that must change.
- We must protect our heart from other evil influences.
- We are to put things into our heart that are beneficial.
- Like the psalmist said, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word… Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee,” [Psa 119:9,11].
- For the word to root down in our heart and produce good fruit, we must have an honest and good heart [Lk 8:15].
- A good heart is a:
- Loving heart – Deut 6:4-5 –
- Love God with all your heart. We love so many things that compete with our love for God.
- Some love sports, some love recreation, some love money, and so forth.
- To have a good heart, you must love God with all your heart.
- Godly heart – Acts 13:22 –
- David was a man after God’s own heart.
- David had a heart for God and God’s words.
- Nothing works better to make your heart godly than the word of God read, taught, preached, believed and studied.
- Clean heart – Psa 51:10 –
- David said, “Create in me a clean heart. O God.”
- David wasn’t a perfect man and he really messed up with Bathsheba.
- So, he repented and cried out to God to create in him a clean heart.
- And God did. You may have really messed up in your life. Ask God to clean your heart, as well.
- Pure Heart – 1 Tim 1:5 –
- Paul told Timothy, “the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart…”
- You don’t want to vacillate each week between a clean heart and a dirty heart, always cleaning up by confessing your sins and then returning to the pig sty for more of the same sin.
- You want God to not only clean your heart when you sin, but you want him to purify it so that you can stop this foolishness.
- We understand that we will never be sinless and perfect until we are glorified.
- But we can certainly be pure.
- Wise heart – Exodus 31:6 –
- Those who helped Bezaleel build the tabernacle and its contents were “wise hearted.”
- God has put something inside each of us that he wants to use for his glory.
- It is his wisdom. God has used my banking experience to help other churches with financial decisions.
- Willing heart – Exodus 35:5, 21-22 –
- Those who gave for the tabernacle and its contents were “willing hearted.”
- God wants us to be willing to do whatever he wants with our lives and our assets.
- Conclusion:
- Now that’s a good heart.
- That’s the heart that the Holy Spirit wants to develop in you.
- He uses the word of God to do it.