Keep Your Heart - Week 6

Proverbs 4:20-27
20 My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
24 Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.
25 Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
26 Ponder the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.

"Keep your heart with all vigilance." Men are built and designed to guard things. When God placed Adam in the garden to tend it, he was meant to be it's keeper. He was meant to guard it and watch over it. The woman, Eve, God placed with Adam was meant to be guarded and kept. He did not live up to his duty, as we all know, but the men who came from him had the same innate purpose or calling. Boys learn it from infancy. If they are playing with a toy and someone tries to take it away, they guard it with all the strength and passion their little bodies can muster.

But Solomon, here, is not talking about a toy, or a possession, or another person. He is talking about one's own heart. The heart is the center of one's being. Solomon says that from the heart, the issues of life flow. Everything a man is and does comes from his heart. If he does evil things, it flows from the evil desires of his own heart. If he does anything of worth or value, something good, that also comes from his heart. But our problem is that evil flows from the spring of our hearts as a result of Adam's fall. Therefore, the only good that can come from an evil heart is only good in so far as God is pleased to bless it. Not the heart. The heart is still evil. The thing that is done is blessed. In order for good to come from the heart, God must change that heart.

When God is pleased to change a man's heart, He replaces the evil desires with good ones (Ezk 36:25-27). The desire of our hearts is still focused on what we can do to please ourselves, but God changes our desires so that we want to please God, more and more. Sanctification is the picture of this. We are enabled more and more to do that which is pleasing to God (Eph 2:10, Phil 2:13). When God changes our hearts, He purifies the 'water' streaming from it. It is like a well that springs good clean water (Jn 7:37-39).

After man was expelled from the Garden of Eden, God placed an angel to guard the garden. The angel was armed with a flaming sword that was vigilant to turn every way to block the entrance to the garden (Gen 3:24). After God changes the heart, to a certain extent, he enables us to guard our hearts in the same manner. Instead of a flaming sword, we are given the Word of God, which is described in Scripture as a 'two-edged sword' (Heb 4:12). And here, Solomon tells us to guard it with all vigilance, to protect it from evil, to keep evil from entering the place God has purified and made holy. How do we do that?

Solomon says through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to put away crooked speech. We should not say things that are not true and we should never try to deceive anyone so that we can gain from their deception. He also tells us to look straight ahead, that is, we should not allow our hearts to be turned from God towards things that are not worthy of His blessing. Our eyes see things that we should not look upon. And once we gaze upon them, and take them into our hearts, those things stir up the evil desires within us so that we want what our sin nature craves and desires (Jas 1:14-15). If we are walking a path and see something off that path, and our eyes are no longer looking ahead, then we will not see the trap or the pitfall that it is our way, and we will fall straight into it.

Not only should we keep our eyes forward, but we should plan our steps in the way, so that even in the straight path, we will not stumble at any point. We are assured that even on the straight path, the enemy will try to get us to trip and fall. But if we turn neither to the right or to the left, but keep steady on and turn our feet only when there is an evil obstacle waiting for us, then our path will be sure, for we are told that if we keep this sort of diligence, we will never fall (2 Pet 1:10).

Assignment:

1.  Memorize Proverbs 4:20-27.
2.  Read the whole chapter of Proverbs 4. Journal about anything that you deem of importance, especially as it pertains to guarding your heart.
3.  In verse 6, who is she that guards you? Hint: Solomon personifies 'her' in Proverbs 3:13-18.

4.  In verse 13, who is she that we are to guard?
5.  Journal about the correlation between these two things.

The Greatest Test of a Man - Week 5

Isaiah 2:11-12
11 The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,
and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,
and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
12 For the LORD of hosts has a day
against all that is proud and lofty,
against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low;

If there is a single thing, a solitary sin that will strike a man and destroy him before the LORD it is pride. The references in Scripture are numerous. Pride goes before a fall (Pro 16:18); God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (Jas 4:6); The proud one shall stumble and fall, with none to raise him up (Jer 50:32). As all sins are a result of the fall, perhaps no other sin takes the place of pride. It is for pride's sake that the fool says in his heart, "there is no God," (Ps 14:1, 53:1). It is for pride's sake that men rebel against God and against His covenant. It is for pride's sake that a man spends all his energy to tear down both himself and his fellow man.

The Day of Judgment is the focal point of God's wrath against all that is proud. The verse above says that the LORD of hosts has a day. On that day, He will completely destroy all things that stand in pride against Him. On that day, He will vindicate Himself, His Son, His Holy Spirit, all His holy angels, and all the saints of God in one terrible and swift act of vengeance and destruction. Pride will not only become humility in that hour, but humiliation, but not to the benefit of those who stand against the LORD. Their final act of pride and obstinacy will be met with a blow that will never allow them to rise again. They will be utterly undone and cast into a place of outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mt 8:12), where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched (Isa 66:24). There they will be tormented for all eternity and their disbelief in their Creator and His Redeemer will be like a constant nail driven into their own hands and feet, knowing the humiliation and pain of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ in unending misery and despair.

Therefore, pride in the life of the man of God has no place, in this life or in the next. The man of God finds his place in humility and thanksgiving. Knowing his guilt before the LORD and realizing the grace of God in Christ, and being grateful for such a redemption, he keeps his heart in a constant state of service to God, and to His Church, and his covenant family. But pride will always be there at the door waiting for him to step out into the world and show himself a man of the world, a respected one, a successful one.  Yet stepping out in pride is not just in the world, but also in Church. Therefore, that pride will always need to be checked at the door, rebuked, and cast off. The humble man knows that God alone is to receive the glory and exaltation. And he constantly bows his heart before the LORD in repentance and thanksgiving.

This is the greatest test of a man, that when he has every right to be proud, he gives the glory to God and considers himself an unprofitable servant.

Assignment:

1.  Memorize Isaiah 2:11-12.
2.  Read the entire 2nd chapter of Isaiah. Journal about the contrast between the mountain of the LORD and the Day of the LORD. Hint: Verses 1-5 talk about the eternal state of God's Elect. Verses 6-22 talk about the eternal state of God's enemies.
3.  Go to the link provided and look at all the references to "pride" and "proud". Jot down any that are meaningful to you.
4.  Journal on what areas in your life you believe to be prideful. Write a prayer and memorize it, so that when you are being prideful, you may remember the prayer and keep your heart humble. Hint: This can be a bible verse to memorize like Psalm 51:10, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

Think on These Things - Week 4

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

They say a man's home is his castle. However, a man's home is merely the exterior of himself. It is his show of power, his outward means of proving to the world that he's a man and that he succeeds at what he does. To outward eyes, he may seem to have it all together. Others may even envy him for all he apparently has.

What would happen if that man's home were turned inside out? What if all the outside walls of his home were open and everyone could see every facet of his life?

Our thoughts are just like that. Our thoughts can seldom be turned inside out so that others know what we are thinking. In the private domain of a man's thoughts, he can be completely different. He can mask his anger and calumny. He can hide his treachery and rebellion. He can secretly lust for all things that do not belong to him. He can think evil thoughts without anyone knowing his true darkness.

But though he fool the world, he can never fool God. God knows a man's mind before the man does. God graciously at times protects our feet from walking where they should not and hides our eyes from things we should not see. But at other times, He may permit us, in His perfect providence, to strike our foot on a stone and fall headlong into temptation and sin. He does this for our own good. Therefore, we should never presume upon His grace, but remain constant in the guarding of our hearts and minds.

Part of this guarding is what Paul is getting at in Philippians chapter 4. He says, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." The peace of God in Christ will guard your hearts and minds. This means that if one is to guard his heart and mind, he must first and foremost be at peace with God and be in Christ. There are many places in Scripture that talk about being in Christ (see here). Perhaps simply put, being in Christ is to be in a saving way with Christ; that is, the man has heard the gospel, recognizes his sin and need of a savior, and then looked in faith and repentance to Christ for salvation. Being in Christ is to be effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified and kept by His power. And surely, if one is being saved, he is, even at this very hour, at peace with God.

Therefore, being at peace with God in Christ, Paul gives even more practical application to us on how we shall guard our hearts and minds. He says that we should find certain things to think on.

We should think on things that are true. This immediately excludes things that are false. Whatever is a lie we should not think on. Whatever is a farce or a fiction we should not dwell on. The things that are true, however, would completely encompass the scriptures, first and foremost, would include the natural creation of God, would include relationships with our fellow men.

We should think on things that are honorable and just. This means we should not dwell on unlawful things that persons do, or that we have done ourselves. We should think on things that bring honor and glory to God, and to His Church.

We should think on things that are pure and lovely. This surely must encompass our most intimate thoughts and passions. We should care for our hearts and minds in such a way as to exclude all impure thoughts and lusts. Not that we can fully and finally rid them from our minds because this world constantly parades lewd and distasteful images before us. We should close our eyes to these images and not desire to see them. But especially, we should not dwell on any lustful or impure thought. We should think on things in purity, appreciating the beauty God has made in the world, but not allowing those beauties to overcome their Creator. If something catches the eye and makes the man glory in the creature, rather than the Creator, then that man has set the beauty above God in His heart, and from there, his own desires seek to destroy him by his lust and sinful passion.

And finally, Paul tells us to think on things that are commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy. One must take care in these categories because the world's opinion of what these things are is in direct opposition to God's absolute truth on the matter. Man will always glory in himself. Therefore, whatever the natural man praises is not what God would call praiseworthy. In the end, any action, opinion, or motive, which is contrary to the example of the Lord Jesus is not truly commendable, excellent, or praiseworthy. And remember, the cross of Christ is foolishness to the world (1 Cor 1:18). The world does not view Jesus Christ as one who personifies commendation and excellence. But we know, even from this same letter of Paul, that He has been given a name above every name (Phil 2:9-11). And we know that the world will look upon Whom they have despised and will be ashamed that they despised Him (Zech 2:12). If we, however, look unto Jesus, we shall never be despised by God nor be ashamed (1 Pet 4:16), and we shall never have wasted our time thinking on Him, Who is the very definition of praiseworthy.

Our thought lives are the only thing that can never be taken from us. If we were cast into the most solitary of places, our thoughts would go with us. A man endeavors to make his thoughts as they ought to be, so that when he is left alone with them, they will be a companion that will allow him to know that he is not alone in this vast universe, and that, though everyone has forsaken him, he will never be forsaken by God and is loved by Him.

Assignment:

1.  Memorize Philippians 4:8.
2.  Journal each of these thought categories and give examples of each that you might think on. Hint: Think of examples from the Bible.
3.  During the week, if you find yourself thinking a thought you should not think, remember this verse and repeat it to yourself.
4.  During the week, try to get alone with your thoughts (no TV, no Music, or books) and imagine what it would be like if you were truly alone for a long period of time. Journal about that experience.

Understanding and Trust - Week 3

Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

If there is one thing in the world men want, perhaps even besides riches, it is understanding. Think of this, if men did not want understanding, there would be no discovery, no exploration, and none of the striving for knowledge that is the hallmark of human achievement. Yet here we have Solomon's words commanding his son NOT to lean on his own understanding. This statement could probably have many different interpretations. One could emphasize YOUR understanding, as if to say, "Do not simply think your own thoughts, but consider the thoughts of others." One might also say that because the heart is mentioned, Solomon may be pitting intellectual knowledge against feelings and emotions that often sway the understanding. These may be possible interpretations, but the key lies in the phrase, "Trust in the LORD."

When we think of trust, we think of that which sways our thoughts and opinions towards a certain side, sort of like a line in the sand. What we trust becomes the side we take. It is a firm choice that informs our decisions both great and small. The issue of trust really goes to the matter of what we may call a world view. Whatever you put your trust in, that is the lens by which you look at everything around you. If you put your trust in science, you may see everything empirically, that is, you must seek facts, hypotheses, experiments, conclusions, and proofs for everything you see. You could put your trust in riches. Men who do this, usually horde all they can for themselves so that they will always be financially secure. You could put your trust in some governmental or religious body. Men who do this are looking for these groups of people to think for them and help them make their decisions.

In the end, a world view that puts trust in anything but God, particularly the God of the Holy Scriptures, will always end up at themselves. They either see themselves as the ultimate knowledge being able to judge the truth of everything they see, or they give that place to someone or something else they deem to be worthy to be the final judge. We know from other passages of Scripture that all men know their creator and that He is God, but they suppress that truth in their unrighteousness (Rom 1:18-25). In other words, they know who they should trust in, but they reject God and replace Him with themselves.

But the wisest man who ever lived tells us to, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart." The LORD God Who made all things, Who is the fountain of all being, Who is all wise, Who is all knowing, and Who has condescended to reveal Himself to us; surely He is the basis of all understanding. And this is the One Solomon commands us to put our trust in. The LORD and His wisdom and understanding should be our world view and the lens by which we see everything around us. But it is not merely the intellect by which we embrace God for ultimate understanding. We must trust with our whole heart. With the heart we see by faith, not simply with our eyes.

Faith informs our understanding. Faith puts in motion what we believe. Imagine what your life would be like if you knew how to walk, but did not have the ability? You would know in your mind how to stand to your feet and address them to motion. But if the strength were not in your legs, or your muscles; your nerves, and bones were not formed, then you would have the knowledge, but not the ability. Trusting the LORD with your whole heart means that you understand with your mind and you are enabled by the Holy Spirit to do as your understanding dictates. Faith gives you the ability to walk in the way of the LORD.

That brings us to verse 6. These 'ways' are surely only speaking of THE way. Some may interpret this as simply putting God first in everything. But that interpretation leaves many things open that are probably not intended. The business man may think that if he puts God first, his business will prosper. That is not necessary wrong thinking. But if the man only gives lip service to God, or does things in his business that do not really reflect the clear teaching of the Bible, then this verse is misapplied and the man is deceived. However, if we look at these ways as being the one true way, that is, living according to the clear teaching of Scripture - that teaching by which Christ commands us to make disciples - then it really makes a vast improvement on life this side of heaven. The way is not a formula for success in business. The way is not a means to achieve all we want in life. The way is a life of service to God, to learn of Him, to live in godly fear of Him, and to worship and glorify Him; in a word, to live your life for Him.

And surely by living for Him, He will make your paths straight. This does not mean that your path will always be smooth, or that it will be easy, but that He will show you the clear path your life is to take. One of the most frustrating things about being lost in the forest, or in the desert, or in any other place in which you could be lost, is that you cannot see the path to take to the place you need to be. This brings fear, doubt, and desperation. When God makes our paths straight, we may not always know where we are going, or how long it will take to get there. But we always know that we are where God wants us. Instead of fear, we have safety. Instead of doubt, we have certainty. Instead of desperation, we have hope.

In our most dire of circumstances we face as men, if we put our trust in God, and lean upon Him for understanding, and live in His way, He will make our path one of hope and perfect peace.

Assignment:

1.  Memorize Proverbs 3:5-6.
2.  Journal about what it means to acknowledge God. Start with the dictionary definition of acknowledge and then expand that to sermons or teachings you have heard.
3.  Journal about trust. You may jot down people, places, or things in which you put some measure of trust.
4.  Follow this link: Look for some verses that talk about "the way," referencing the way of the LORD, or the way of Christianity. Jot down the ones that you find meaningful.

Do Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly - Week 2

Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

The first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism states, "What is the chief end of man?" This small verse from the prophet Micah answers that question quite simply. Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. Simple right? The only problem with this is that it is impossible to do as Adam's sons. We know that we cannot do justly, our hearts are bent on sinning. We also know that our hearts love everything but mercy, especially towards the ones we should love above all. And humility is never near the heart of a man. The field of the heart grows nothing but egocentricity like thicket overgrowing an old forest.

This behavior before God has been put to men in different ways, but always with the same view in mind - blameless. When Abram was first given his promise, the Lord prefaced the covenantal relationship with the command to walk before Him and be blameless (Gen 17:1-2). Doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly is all part of that concept of blamelessness.

Of course we know that only Jesus could fulfill this type of obedience and behavior. The man Jesus was perfectly just, doing all the will of His Father. He was the soul of compassion and mercy towards those He was sent to seek and to save. And His meekness and humility was unmatched because His heart was perfect towards God.

So if Jesus is the only man who can fulfill this command, what are we to do as men? We are to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly, knowing that it is not we who do it, but Christ in us. Because He saves us fully, not only do we know the righteousness of Christ, by which we are justified, but His power to save also sanctifies us, and enables us, as the catechism puts it, to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness. The perfect salvation through Christ in God enables the man of God to do what the Lord requires.

Is any one of these more important than the other? Men can fall into the trap of making it more important to do justly than to love mercy. This was the problem of the Pharisees and Jesus chastised them for it. They would go out of their way to appear just, but neglected the mercy they should have shown to their fellow man and particularly, to the widows and the orphans, and the strangers within their gates. But men should also not reverse these precepts so that they believe themselves to be merciful, but at the same time forgetting the law of God. These two traps are called legalism and antinomianism. One puts the law above grace and mercy, and the other elevates grace and mercy and neglects the law. A man must fall into neither of these traps, but must remain on the straight path to enter into the straight and narrow gate.

There is also a great mystery in the phrase, "to love kindness," or one could also use mercy, or lovingkindness, or God's covenant love. Because this is the same Hebrew word for God's covenant love, we might say that it is not enough to desire to be kind to those who show us kindness. Jesus told us that if we love only those who love us we are really no better than sinners and tax collectors. But this goes deeper. To love or desire God's covenant love means that we love others in the same way He has loved us. And how has He loved us? He loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, and sent His Son to redeem us from the pit and to make us alive so that we can live forever. How much lovingkindness have we been shown? Paul says that we were once alienated from the commonwealth of Israel (Eph 2:12), meaning, that we were outside God's covenant. But He has brought us in and given us sonship through adoption (Eph 1:5), so that we may be part of His family, and have Jesus as our brother (Heb 2:11). Therefore, we should be all the more willing to share that love with everyone. Although we cannot bring anyone into covenant with God, or make them part of God's family, we can allow them into our lives and share with them the bread of life so that they may taste and see that the Lord is good. Not all will come, but it is not in our power to save. We can only point the way to Christ.

This is the great design of the Christian life. Men are to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. By doing this we not only show our love and gratitude to Christ who saves us, but we also shine His light before men so that they may turn to Him for their salvation.

Assignment:

1.  Memorize this short verse over the week.

2.  Journal all the ways you can think of how God has been merciful to you.

3.  Read Romans 3:21-31. Jot down some ideas about how that passage relates Micah 6:8. Hint: look for words like just, justified, justifier, redemption, and boasting.

Blessed is the Man - Week 1

Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Blessed is the man. There are two points of emphasis in this sentence. The word blessed is the first and the word man is the second. Looking at the second one first, the Hebrew word for man has different meanings. For instance, it can simply refer to a man, or it can also be used for husband, which would denote a married man. But the word is never used to describe a boy or a young child, so it would seem to refer only to a male of a certain age. Although it would be correct to say that the teaching of this Psalm is for all men, women, boys, and girls, there is nothing wrong with saying that a man would need to pay particular attention to these words.

In the emphasis on the word blessed, we see at least two things of importance. First, that blessing in this Psalm is juxtaposed to cursing. The blessed man does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers. This implies that the cursed man does do the things a blessed man does not. Later on we see that the blessed man is like a firmly planted tree, whereas the cursed man is like the chaff the wind drives away. Most importantly, we see that the cursed man will not stand in judgment and will be condemned with all the unrighteous, but the blessed man will be acquitted in judgment and have his dwelling among the righteous. These two comparisons will be the end of all men. Either they will be counted among the righteous and live, or be counted among the sinners and be sentenced to death.

The second thing we see about the word blessed is that there are particular things a man does when he is blessed. Some would say that the man who is blessed does these things to obtain the blessings described. But the pattern of Scripture shows that the man is blessed of God because of grace, not because he has done something to earn God’s favor. So, the man who is blessed of God by grace will not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, will not stand in the way of sinners, or be seated with the scoffers, but his delight will be in the law of God. These things he does, not to obtain the blessing of God, but rather because he is blessed of God already. God firmly establishes him like a tree planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in season. And never seeing his leaves wither, he prospers in everything he does. The man is well known by the Lord because he has been justified by His grace. His sinful self has been redeemed by the sinless Savior. His unrighteousness has been graciously exchanged through imputation, for the righteousness of Christ. And because of that, because of being known by Christ and being the recipient of all His benefits, the man may walk uprightly in the way of the righteous and receive the ultimate blessing of eternal life with God in Christ.

Therefore a man should walk uprightly, and seek the wisdom of the righteous. He should walk humbly, as one blessed already. He should walk as one whose path has already been firmly planted by streams of living water in the city of the righteous.

Examine your ways and think about how you walk. Do you walk as one who is already blessed? Or, do you seek the blessings of the world? Do you listen to ungodly people? Do they help you frame your opinions? Do you find yourself scoffing or doubting or being cynical of the way of the Lord? Do you think about the law of God and try to obey it? Is your conscience pricked when you sin? Are you bearing fruit? Do you seek the forgiveness of the Lord for your sins? Is your knowledge of the Lord increasing?

All of these things will be searched and explored in the contemplations before us. We will endeavor to learn how this Psalm will form the basis of our lives as men before God.

Assignment:

1.  Take the week to memorize Psalm 1. Hint: Memorize one verse at a time, each day adding one more.
2.  Journal about things you hear during the week and categorize them into godly and ungodly counsel. Also note how they may form your opinions about your life, relationships, hobbies, career choices, etc.
3.  Journal about how you believe God has blessed you.