“A Guard for Your Heart And
Mind”
Phil. 4:4-7
Intro.: There is a story about a robber who was
keeping a close eye on a home in an affluent neighborhood, waiting for his
opportunity to get to work. Well, one
evening he watched the family load up and head out for the evening. This was his chance; immediately he sprang
into action. But as soon as he opened
the front door he heard a voice call out from the darkened foyer, “I’m
watching, and Jesus is watching!” Startled
he began to wonder if one of the family members had stayed behind. He quickly took out his flashlight and shined
it in the direction of the voice and what did he see, but a parrot that again
said, “I’m watching and Jesus is watching!”
Relieved the robber said, “Shut-up you dumb bird!” But as he lowered his flashlight he saw
something else; beneath the parrot’s cage was a large, vicious looking dog. Just then the parrot spoke again, “Attack
Jesus! Attack!”
Like the family with the watch bird and
dog, most of us take some precautions to protect what it valuable to us. We may lock our cars, especially when leaving
shopping bags in them. We may install
security systems to protect our homes from burglary and our familes
from harm. We are careful to guard what
we do not want to lose or see damaged, but what about the spiritual treasures
the Lord has given us, those things that he has placed in our hearts and minds
by the Holy Spirit? Do we keep them as
carefully guarded? Do we even recognize
the need to do so? One of the things
that
I.
Our Hearts And Minds Need To Be Guarded. (v. 6a, 8-9)
There is a show on television these days
called It Takes a Thief. In this show people who believe that their
homes and businesses are safe and feel no need to protect them from attack are
shown just how vulnerable they truly are and just how much they stand to
lose. Ex-burglars invade their lives,
violate their sense of security, and rob them mercilessly. Afterwards they are shown how it happens, and
what they could have done, and should do, to prevent it.
Like the poor victims of this television
show we often live foolishly in the mistaken belief that our hearts and minds
are safe and need no protection from attack.
We go our way, ignorant of just how vulnerable we are and how much we
stand to lose if our hearts and minds remain unguarded; that we could lose our
faith, our eternal lives and the treasures of heaven. We walk around blind to the enemies who are
daily invading, violating and robbing us without mercy. You may not always recognize these enemies because
they aren’t always like armed bank robbers who come at you waving a loaded gun,
instead they sneak and prowl around concealed under many disguises. The Scriptures, however, identify them for
us; they are Satan, the World, and our own sinful nature. Against this unholy trinity our hearts and
minds need to be constantly guarded.
A. The first enemy against whom our hearts and
minds must be guarded is Satan who attacks us with the true accusations of our
sin and rebellion against the Lord. He
invades our heart either with unrelenting feelings of guilt and shame, or
captivates our hearts with emotions and lusts which are contrary to God’s
will. It is his hope to either to
terrify us and lead us to despair so that we flee from God, or through
unbridled emotion to lead us down a path that will drive the Holy Spirit from our
hearts.
In addition He attacks our minds, just as
He did Adam and Eve in the garden. He
fills us with doubts and concerns which make us anxious and lead us into
willful sin. He makes us wonder “Did God
really say that?” and
with John we are left asking, “Jesus, are you really the one?” This enemy will not rest until He has robbed
us of our faith and life in Christ.
B. But there is another enemy against whom we
must be warned. The world is a strong
ally of the devil, attacking our hearts and minds relentlessly. Daily we face the attacks of this world
against the faith which has been delivered to us. Like the good and gentle child on the
playground who refuses to go along with the crowd we have become the victims of
bullying and name calling. The pressure
to conform our hearts and minds to the pattern of this world are almost
overwhelming. Pollsters have found that
the moral and ideological differences between professing Christians and the
unbelieving world are disappearing. Like
the foolish homeowner we open the door to our hearts and expose the spiritual
treasures of our minds, inviting the world in to destroy us and rob us of our
relationship with God. We welcome into
our homes every form of deviance and gross immorality in the name of
entertainment, and wonder why our members are losing their faith, and why the
Church is no longer making an impact on people’s lives. How many would rather stay home and watch
their favorite trashy show, bow down to their decadent athletic idols, or surf
the internet for impurities, than come to the services of God’s house to
receive His gifts? How many of you have
allowed yourselves to think about the things that are false, base, impure, ugly
and shameful, and let the world have its way with your hearts and minds?
C. This brings us to the third enemy against
whom our hearts and minds must be guarded - our own sinful nature. This is that part of us that is constantly
waging war against the new man which has been created in us through our baptism
to be like Christ. It is that part of us
which caused the apostle great conflict as he observed that the good he wanted
to do, he did not do, but instead the evil he did not want to do, he kept on
doing. This other fallen nature which is
to be drowned through daily contrition and repentance will not go away quietly. It wants total control of the hearts and
minds in which God placed His Spirit. It
looks for every opportunity to capitalize on the attacks of Satan and world to
break in and steal all that God has given us.
Far too often we fail to realize the existence of this other self, and
the danger it poses. Brother’s and
sisters in this time of preparation for our Lord’s coming, we are encouraged
repeatedly to watch and pray; to guard our hearts, minds and all that we have
received through Christ. In our epistle,
II. The Guard That Is Provided For
Us. (v. 7)
A. The first thing we must understand is that we
cannot produce a guard that is strong enough to protect us from our spiritual
enemies. Many put their trust in Peale’s
power of positive thinking, or try to cover themselves by chanting the lying
mantras of false teachers like Olstein. Some, like those to
whom the Baptist spoke in last weeks
Gospel and some of you and
your church member relatives put their trust in their outward association with
some family or church. Others believe
that if they pray hard enough, live lives which are good enough, or want it bad
enough they can fortify their relationship with God and defend themselves
against every attack. But guess what,
you and I cannot do it. Nothing we bring
into our relationship with the Lord, and nothing we can produce, is strong
enough to guard our hearts and minds and protect the treasures of grace God has
given us in Christ. Left to ourselves we
will suffer anxiety, uncertainty and despair.
As the little children so often sing, “We are weak, but He is
strong!”
B. God provides the only effective guard to
protect our hearts and minds – His peace.
This is what
In our Old Testament reading we heard the
prophet Zephaniah inviting us to rejoice because the Lord, Himself, is with us
to protect us, to turn back our enemy and to restore the fortunes of His kingdom
of grace to us. Because of His great
love for us God sent His Son to be with us as our Prince of Peace.
By directing our hearts and minds to Jesus
who came to us as the child of
These are the true, noble, right, pure,
lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy things upon which we think, as we
think about Christ and the life and salvation He has brought us through His
Holy Life, Sacrificial Death, and Glorious resurrection. In the undeserved love God has shown us
through His Son, we have peace with God and peace with ourselves. It is this peace which surpasses all
understanding, and this peace alone which will guard our hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus, and assure the completion of God’s saving work in us. It is the guard we all need to protect us
from the attacks of Satan, the world, and our own sinful flesh.
Concl.: So now
according to His promise – the peace of God which surpasses all understanding
will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting. Amen.