Tonight, we're going to be in
the book of Proverbs, if you'd like to turn there. Proverbs chapter
four. I had us read Psalm 51 because
it talked about creating a clean heart. In David, that was his
prayer unto the Lord, created me a clean heart, renewing me
a right spirit, and tonight our topic is the heart. The title
of the message tonight is What is a True Heart? What is a true
heart? Every blood-bought, elected child
of God desires to have a new heart. When their heart of stone
is exposed as being hard and sinful and dark and ugly, they
desire to have a heart given of God that looks to him through
faith, that trusts him, that believes him, that loves him.
None of those things that I just said can happen in the flesh.
We can't trust God in the flesh. We can't believe God in the flesh. It takes faith, doesn't it? It
takes faith. And Lord has to give us a heart to have the ability
to love him, to have the ability to trust him, to have the ability
to put all of our hope in him. Every child of God desires to
be cleansed of that sin of our stony heart that we're born with.
Have a heart unto the Lord from the Lord. Lord, if I'm going
to have a heart that's going to please you, you're going to
have to give it to me. You're going to have to create
in me a clean heart. That's what he said in Psalm
5110 where we just were. Creating me a clean heart, O
God, and renew a right spirit within me. This is the desire
of the Lord's people. Lord, my spirit ain't right.
Creating me a new spirit. I'm in this world. I'm not of
this world. I'm a pilgrim. I'm a stranger. I'm in a desert,
no water. I'm in a valley and it's dark.
There's none to help. And so we come to this place,
Lord, creating me a clean spirit. My spirit's not clean. My spirit's
not pure. Give me your spirit. created
me a clean heart. My heart's broken. My heart's not working. I need
a new heart, one that looks to you. A true heart is the gift of God.
That's the question tonight. What is a true heart? It's a
gift of God. By grace, here's what he tells
us in Ezekiel chapter 36. A new heart also, a new heart
also will I give you. and a new spirit. Your spirit's
not right, your heart's broke, your heart's stony, I'm gonna
give you a new spirit and a new heart. I'm gonna do that, that's
what the Lord says. New heart also will I give you and a new
spirit will I put within you and I will take out the stony
heart of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh. Is
that your hope? Is that your hope? That's my
hope. Lord, give me a heart of flesh, one that beats for you.
One that loves you, that desires you. Only by giving us that heart
will we have all of our hope in Christ. All of our righteousness
will be found in Christ. All of our wisdom will be found
in Christ with that heart. My hope this hour is that the
Lord would cause us to know if we have a new heart before we
leave. It would cause me to know, do I have this new heart? Do
I have this new heart? Let's read our text. Proverbs
chapter four, verses one through five says, hear ye children,
the instruction of a father and attend to no understanding. For
I give you good doctrine, forsake you not my law. For I was my
father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
He taught me also and said unto me, let thine heart retain my
words, keep my commandments and live. Get wisdom, get understanding,
forget it not, neither decline from the words of my mouth. What is a true heart? Well, he
gives us some insight to that in verse four, and notice who
he's talking to. It says, he taught me. A father
teaches his children. A father teaches his children.
What do I mean by that? Well, if I was to teach your
children, those of you who have children, if I was to discipline
your children, that would not be good, would it? I'm not their
dad. I'm not their father. A father teaches his child. And the scripture says very clearly
that we are the adopted sons and daughters of the Lord, and
whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, he teaches. He teaches his children. So although Solomon here is referring
possibly to his father David and maybe to his mother Bathsheba,
This is the Lord Jesus Christ of whom the Father is pleased
being taught these things. This is the mother that spoke
of there is the church. This is what he that's just what
we're being told here. This is all the spiritual side
of this. And it's so important that we realize Every time that
we come to a passage, there's a spiritual side and there's
a physical side. And that was the, we can see
the physical side easily by saying it's Solomon to his mom and dad,
but really it's the Lord that was taught of the father. Think
about that. Think about the, he humbled himself
and became a baby. He didn't, Being as a baby, he
had to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord. He had
to grow. He had to get the Holy Spirit taught him, just like
you and I are taught of the Spirit. And this is what he does for
all of his children. This is what he does for all
of his children. What is a true heart? Well, we know he had one.
We know he had a true heart, didn't he? He certainly does.
But first thing we see here in verse four, he taught me also,
he taught me also. First thing we see with a true
heart is a true heart is one that is taught of God. A true
heart is one that is taught of God. He doesn't teach everyone. He just teaches his children.
Just as we don't love everybody's children the same way we love
our children, he doesn't love everybody the same either. He
doesn't, he either loves or he hates. Those whom he loved, he
died for, he paid their sin debt, he saved them, he bought them,
they're his children now. And everybody else he left to
themselves. Only grace, grace is the only reason that he chose
some unto eternal life. That's the glorious truth, isn't
it? There can be no doubt that these
words are describing the Lord Jesus Christ, told of His Father,
and how the Father teaches His sheep. In John chapter 6 He says
these words, Every man that hath heard and hath learned of the
Father cometh to Me. Every man that hath heard and
hath learned of the Father cometh to Me. First thing you can know about,
whether you have or whether I have a true heart, is it's taught
of God. And what is it taught of God
to do? Come to Christ. Flee to Christ. Don't flee to
the law. Don't flee to your works. Flee to Christ. Come to Him.
This is what the Lord teaches. And this, the mystery, it's a,
Well, yeah, the mystery of it is the Lord says, we come to
Christ, we're taught of him, but only those who are taught
of him come to Christ. It's not, we come to Christ and
then we're taught, and when that's true, we're taught after that,
but we have to be enabled to come to begin with. We have to
be enabled to approach. We have to be enabled to flee.
We don't have legs. We don't have the strength or
the ability, and yet we're taught of the father to flee to his
son. What else are we taught? We're taught Christ is all. What
do you mean Christ is all? I mean, he's all in salvation.
He's all in election. He's all in redemption. He's
all in regeneration. He's all in sanctification. He's
all in glorification. He's all in justification. Christ
is all. Christ is all. That's what we
are taught as his people. Christ is all. John said, I must
decrease, but he must increase. Can't preach man low enough and
Christ high enough. The more we see of him high and
lifted up and the less we see of ourself, that's called growing.
We see him as all, don't we? That's what we're taught. We're
taught that we're false and full of sin. We're false and full
of sin, but he is full of truth and grace. That's what the songwriter
said. We're taught that we're utterly depraved from birth,
not having any hope to fix it. Tell somebody they're a sinner,
the first thing they'll do is either get mad at you for calling
them a sinner, or they'll say, yeah, but I can do this and fix
it. I can do that and fix it. Can't do anything to fix it.
Not one thing. Can't do anything to fix it.
So God fixed it for his people. God fixed it for his people.
He teaches us that we deserve hell. Not just, yeah, no, we
deserve it. that we absolutely 100% without
question, Lord, if that's what you choose to do, you're right
in doing so, unless I am found in Christ. We're taught that.
We're taught that of the Lord. We're taught that he must choose
to save us or we'll never be saved. Do you believe that? Are
you counting on God's choice for your salvation? Then you
were taught that. Now, there's people left this
church before because they said, I had a choice. You're telling
me I don't have a choice? I said, well, salvation's a choice,
it's just not yours. That's what I told him, it's
God's choice. It ain't been back since. We are taught to rest
in his choice, rest in his power, not ours. Rest in his wisdom,
not our wisdom. Rest in his purpose, not our
purpose. Aren't you glad that it's not
our purpose? Not unto us, oh Lord. If it was up to me, me
and you, we would, We'd wreck the train, wouldn't we? We would.
We'd derail it. Sure as the world. But the Lord,
he's the one that controls, that provides, that purposes all things. And we rest in that. We're taught
to rest in that. When we see that we are to pray
that we're sinners. He gives us repentance about
who we are and who he is. Then he shows us his darling
son. That's what we're taught of the father. Here, my beloved
son, hear ye him. This is my beloved son in whom
I am well pleased. Hear ye him. This is what a true
heart is, one that is taught of God. One that is taught of
God, revealing that Christ is all. Christ is all. Second thing, a true heart is
one that retains God's word. Look what he says here. He taught
me also and said unto me, let thine heart retain my words.
Let thine heart retain my words. So a true heart is a heart that
can retain God's word. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
word of God, is the word of God. Scripture says in John chapter
one, in the beginning was the word, the word was with God and
the word was God. Jesus Christ is the word of God.
Now how does one retain the Lord Jesus Christ? Now that sounds
like something religious people would say, doesn't it? We receive
him. But receiving, we have to be
enabled to receive. Receiving is not a decision that
we make. Receiving is whenever he, just think about how many
times the Lord healed a blind man or he healed a lame man.
He said, receive your sight. What is that blind man going
to do? I'm going to choose to receive my sight. No, he just
received it. That's what the Lord does for his people. But
to retain him, we must understand the Lord talks about in Jeremiah,
my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me
the fountain of living waters and hewed them out cisterns,
broken cisterns that can hold no water. You and I are broken
cisterns. We can't retain him on our own.
We're born broken, we cannot, you know what, a cistern is something
that collects rainwater, as most of you all know. If it's broken,
it's gonna leak, it's not gonna be able to retain anything. But
aren't you glad that he's the potter and we're the clay, and
he makes one vessel of honor and another of dishonor according
to his will, according to his purpose, and he says, receive
life. Receive ye my spirit. Receive,
that's what he does. A true heart is one that retains
God's word. How does one retain him? He receives
by the gift of faith, gift of faith, all by his grace, all
by his grace. Why would he ever make any of
us vessels of honor? Why wouldn't he just leave us
the old stubborn lumps that we were? Just leave us there. Think about that. Why didn't
he just leave me there? That's what I deserved. Speck
of dust, that's what we are. Come out of the womb with our
fist up to heaven, towards God. That's our rebellion. We were
talking about rebellion in the kitchen just a little bit ago.
We're rebels by nature, aren't we? That's just what we are, against
God. Why would he make us a vessel of honor? What does that word
honor mean? He highly exalted the Lord Jesus
Christ. He made him honorable. And with
that same honor, he honors his people. That's honor. That's
honor, because we're in Christ. He sees us in Christ Jesus. Why would he make us a vessel
of honor? One word, grace. Grace. He chose in his glorious
purpose, according to his pleasure, according to his will, to make
some vessels of honor by his glorious, amazing grace. By his
own will begat he us, the scripture says. It says here, let thine heart
retain my words. You know, talking to your children,
some of you all don't have children, but you did, some of you have
little children, and some of you are about to have children.
The time's gonna come whenever, if it hasn't already, you're
talking to your child, and you ever heard the expression that
goes in one ear and out the other? They didn't retain the information.
And a lot of times I found myself telling my children, you better
hear what I'm saying. They say, well, we hear you.
I said, well, you better heed what I'm telling you to do. You're
saying you hear it, but you're not doing it. You're not listening
to me. When we retain the Lord Jesus Christ, it doesn't go in
one ear and out the other. No, it actually becomes the entire
focal point of the heart because he's given us a new heart. And
he becomes the life-giving sustenance that we have to have over and
over and over. We want to keep him. Thankfully,
we don't keep him. He keeps us. But you understand
what I'm saying. We don't want him to let us go. We've got to
have him. You crave him. You need him. You've retained
him. That's what that means. A true heart is one that retains
the Lord Jesus Christ, one that retains all of his teachings,
one that retains all of his wisdom, not my wisdom. It's all about
him. He causes us to retain his words,
words into eternal life. We are the sinners. He is the
Savior. Salvation is of the Lord, truly.
He causes us to retain that. Believe that, retain that. Christ Jesus finished the work
given to him of his father. He retained the information.
He knew what he had to do, he retained it. And he honored his
father in all things so that you and I could retain his words. You and I could retain him. He
successfully redeemed everyone he died for and made us able
to retain. We were unable to retain. What
is a true heart? It's one that retains the word
of God, and we value that more than anything. We value him more
than anything. We value it higher than our opinions,
higher than our gain, higher than anything. He becomes all
to those who have been enabled to retain him. Thirdly, a true
heart is a heart that keeps God's commandments. Read this with
me. Let thine heart retain my words, keep my commandments and
live." Keep my commandments and live. What commandments? The
Ten Commandments? Well, that's the law. Well, no
flesh shall be justified by the deeds of the law is what we find
in Romans. And then we see also that Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness' sake. So this can't be talking about
the law, can it? What commandments is he talking about? Throughout
the scripture, we clearly can see the commandment of God from
the beginning to the end. The commandment of God is so
clear. And I've actually preached a message called the commandment
of God. But the commandment of God is not look at yourself and
your law keeping. Are you keeping my law? Are you
keeping my commandments? The statement here is saying,
look to Christ. Look, believe on the Lord Jesus. That's the commandment. Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. That's the
commandment. And only those who've been able, been enabled to retain,
only those who have been able to receive are the ones that
do just that. They believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. No, he's not saying look at what you're doing and look
at your commandment keeping and He's saying, do not believe in
yourself. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do not trust in yourself. Trust the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do not hope in your wisdom. He is our wisdom. Do not hope
in your strength. He has all power. This is God's commandment. The
Pharisees, they came to the Lord. They were always trying to trick
him to get him to fumble and mess. This is God they're talking
to, and I love that. It's God they're talking to,
and they're trying to trip him up. That's just, well, it's futile
for one, but at the same time, we can see it, looking back on
it, how, well, they were ignorant of who he was, obviously, but
how just, I'll use the word futile again. It just wasn't going to
happen. It's just impossible. It's an impossibility. But here
they come to him, Matthew chapter 22, and they say unto him, they
say, Master, and it's kind of I love the way the Lord's worded
his scripture in some places. And this one in particular, the
Sanhedrin had came to him and tried to get him to trip and
he shut them up. And so the Pharisees, they said,
well, let's roll up our sleeves and give it a go. And that's
exactly what happened. They came up to him and said, good master. And you can just hear the fluttery
of their lips. That's just how they were, their
religious false piety. And they said, good master, what
is the greatest commandment? And you know they're thinking,
we got him this time. If he says there's one commandment better
than the other ones, we've got him. We've got him. I love our
Lord's response. If you want to, turn over to
Matthew 22. Matthew 22, 37. The reason we know that they
have those flattering lips is he actually talks about that.
Another place he said, you go about flattering with your lips
and you're praying in front of people and the way that you dress.
He actually called them out for all of that before. So, you know,
that's what they're doing. Lord answered here in Matthew
22, 37, through 40, Jesus said unto him,
thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, all
thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is likened to
it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets. Now, why does the law and prophets
hang on these two? Why does the law and prophets
hang on these two? Well, number one, the first five of the 10
commandments are us unto the Lord. Thou shalt have no other
God before me. Thou shalt not make a graven
image. Those are about us unto the Lord. The second half, the
other five, are between us and man. Thou shalt not covet. Thou
shalt not steal. Thou shalt not kill. Those are
towards men. So he's saying first, first five,
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, soul, and strength.
And the second is like unto the first, Love your neighbor as
yourself. So why is it that all the law
and prophets can hang on these two? For one, it's physically
impossible for you and I to love the Lord our God with all our
heart, mind, soul, and strength. And it's physically impossible
for us to love our neighbor as ourself. Did you know that? Nobody
is going to love their neighbor as their self, unless the Lord
enables you to, unless the Lord causes you to. Now, how is he
going to cause me to love you the way that I love myself? How
is he going to cause me to love the Lord, my God, with all my
heart, mind, soul, and strength? Because he's going to give you
a new heart, a true heart. And that's what we're talking
about tonight is the inability that we have in and of ourself,
but his ability to give us what he requires. He gives us the
heart of flesh that sees the brethren and loves the brethren,
loves the brotherhood. That's the neighbor here, the
one that, what did John say? You know, you've passed from
death unto life because you love the brethren. We love each other.
Because he first loved us, we now love him as well. And because
the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, we love God. We
actually love God and we love each other. So how is it that
we're keeping the commandments of God? By looking unto the Lord
Jesus Christ as all of our righteousness, all of our wisdom, all of our
sanctification, all of our redemption. Do that and you are keeping the
commandments of God. Look to Christ. Look to Christ. He's not saying you should be
doing this better and you should be doing that better. We're not
lawmongering here, no. You want to please God, look
to his son who he's pleased with. If you want to please God, look
to his son whom he is pleased with. John 13, 34, the Lord said this,
a new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another
as I have loved you, that you also love one another. That's
a commandment he gave. You know the Lord's people are
not hard to love. You know why? Because the Lord's given us his
love to love each other with. Aren't you thankful for that?
The Lord gave us his love to love each other with. And there's
no, you get around a bunch of sinners, a bunch of sinners that's
saved by grace, true believers, there is not gonna be any conflicts,
there's not gonna be any looking down on one another, there's
just gonna be peace and harmony, and you wanna hear and talk about
one thing, your Savior. Is that not true? I want to talk
about Him. I want to hear more about Him. Tell me more about Him. And that's
the love that we share together. So the Lord's commandment here
is not grievous to us. We do it by looking unto Christ.
And when we see Christ, we love one another. It's just how it
works. Everything required for us to please God, He must give
it by His free, unmerited, sovereign grace alone. Not anything that
we do. Anything God requires, He must
give it. And that's exactly what He does
for His people. Go back to verse four with me
in Proverbs chapter four in closing. Verse four says, He taught me. How do I know if I have a true
heart? It's one that's taught of God. And he said unto me,
let thine heart retain my words. How do I know if I have a true
heart? It retains the Lord's words. It loves the Lord's words.
Keep my commandments and live. How do we know if we have a true
heart? Because we keep the Lord's commandments
by looking to his Christ. We keep the Lord's commandments
by looking to Jesus Christ as our only hope of salvation. Hebrews chapter 10, but we have
time to turn over there. So turn to Hebrews chapter 10.
This will be our text on Sunday, but this was in Proverbs at the
same time. The Lord did that. So you're
going to see this. You could almost call this a
two-part message. You really could. Hebrews chapter 10, and
it's so glorious to see the Lord in Proverbs is showing us about
a heart. And here we go into Hebrews, and he's still talking
about the same thing, what the Lord's done. Look at this, Hebrews
chapter 10, verse 19, it says this, having therefore brethren
boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new
and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through the
veil, that is to say his flesh, And having a high priest over
the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, a true
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from
an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. There
it is, the true heart. Same thing as we're looking at
in Proverbs. Do you have a true heart? A true
heart that's full of assurance, I could be the, I guess I could
be the last point. What's a true heart? One that's full of assurance
by faith. One that's full of assurance
by faith that when Christ died, he put away the sin of his people.
He was the successful and is the successful redeemer of his
people. And the father was satisfied
and he is now seated at the right hand of God. We have full assurance
by faith. That's what a true heart is.
Do you have a true heart? Lord, if I don't give me one
right now, that's the prayer, isn't it? If I don't give me
one right now, If you have a true heart, draw near unto our blessed
Savior. Draw near, come to Christ. Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Father, we thank
you for your word. We pray that you would bless
it to our understanding for your glory. In Christ's name, amen.