Sermon Notes for Sunday, January 13

January 13, 2008 –
Guarding My Heart (Prov. 4:23)
Being intentional about my deepest desires and beliefs.

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."
(Prov. 4:23)



Bible Readings:
OT - Psalm 119:9-16
NT – 2 Timothy 2:19-22

Our Lives Flow from Our Hearts
Proverbs 4:23 “Guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life”
Luke 6:44-45 “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart”

We Must Guard Our Hearts from Internal Threats
Self-Deception - Jeremiah 17:9
9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Evil Desires - James 1:14
14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
Temptation, Distance from God, and Double-Mindedness - James 4:7-8
7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

We Must Guard Our Hearts from External Threats
Temptation and Seduction - Proverbs 7:25-26
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. 26 Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng.
Lust of the Eyes: What I Have and What I Do - 1 John 2:15-17
16For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.
Trials and Hardship - Luke 8:12-13
“They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.”
Worries, Riches, Pleasures, Distractions - Luke 8:14-15
“They do not mature.”

Jesus Is the Wellspring
“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:38

Prayer of Response:
O God, help me to recognize Christ as Lord in my heart. By the guidance of your word and the grace of your holy spirit, give me the wisdom and strength I need to guard my heart. Help me to recognize the threats that are within me and the threats that are around me. Help me to set my heart on things above and to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.