Trinity XIV - 09.06.2026

By Heart

Proverbs 4:10-23

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Normally today would have been the first day of Catechesis. Catechesis is a specific and organized instruction in God’s Word. Often the youth of a certain age are catechized – instructed – in the Christian faith, by the pastor.

To be fair, Pastoral catechesis is only be supplemental instruction in the Word of God Word. Catechetical instruction is supposed to be done by the head of each household.

Much of the book of Proverbs sounds like a father instructing his children, today’s text is a perfect example.

Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil.  Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.

      For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.  My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.  For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.  Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

To many people this text sounds like the author is giving a prescription to his son, “do this, but don’t do these things.  If you do what I instruct you will have life. In fact, if you do as I instruct, nothing will get in your way, you will not have any problems.”

Indeed there is the command not to enter the path of the wicked, nor walk in the way of the evil. But is this text simply a prescription to do good, as if we follow God’s Law for salvation? Or is it instruction to live in the Gospel unto life everlasting?

Thankfully, Jesus Himself explains some of the truths contained in this passage about those who follow the path of evil or the way of the wicked when He says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.  The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:34-36)

But it is very true that we are to live in obedience to Torah. God’s Law is to rule and guide our lives as Christian. Is it important that we have some guidelines – not that we earn anything with God by following them?

Yes!

While our obedience does not earn us anything, it does proclaim our love of God in actions and pleases Him.

Jesus proclaims why this is important when teaching on the mount, “Where your treasure is, there your heart shall be also.” (Mt. 6:21) A bit further and He declares, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Mt. 6:24)

Our text declares that we are to keep the words in our heart.

Be attentive to My words.

Incline your ear to My sayings.

Let them not escape from your sight.

Keep them within your heart.

Have you ever thought about the things you know by heart? What are they? Normally things precious and dear to you.

You know the National Anthem by heart, right?

Can you imagine if the NFL, NBA, MLB, NASCAR, or any other sporting event decided to sing something other than the National Anthem before beginning? Or if they changed the words?

You would throw a conniption. You would complain to anybody who would listen – and even many that wouldn’t – for weeks. Some of you would probably swear off watching that sport.

Imagine someone changing the words to the Pledge of Allegiance? How would you respond? Oh yeah, they tried that didn’t they. It didn’t go over so well, did it!

Some things we know by heart, they are memorized, not because we do it so that we can recite them – but because they are to be placed upon our heart.

We do not memorize the Creed or the Lord’s Prayer so that we can recite them.

Our Father is the prayer of our heart, coming from the deepest depths. It expresses our deepest needs and the expectations we have of our dearly beloved Father.

The Creed is the heart’s confession of what we know to be most true about God for us.

It is for indelibly etching things in our heart that we do the same thing in church every week – so that we know it by heart? That the image of Christ is imprinted upon our heart.

People today want to  follow their heart! Does God speak to that, to what our hearts are like?

In Scripture we know God’s thoughts on human hearts.

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Gen. 6:5)

The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done. (Gen. 8:21)

Jesus speaks about the heart.

You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. (Mt. 12:34)

Again Jesus. Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. (Mt. 15:17-19)

We like to think our hearts are acceptable to God, and that they want to do good. That is not the fact. We confessed it earlier, I, a poor, miserable, sinner…we confess our sins and iniquities… in other words our sins and guiltiness of our hearts.

Maybe I can explain this in way that helps. We are not sinners BECAUSE we sin. We SIN because we can do no other according to our sinful nature. We sin BECAUSE we are sinners and can do no other.

As it says in that other service, we are by nature sinful and unclean… IT  IS  WHY  we have sinned against you (GOD) in thought, word, and deed…by what we have done and by what we have left undone.

We need a change of heart. That is what our text is teaching.

Be attentive to my words.

Incline your ear to my sayings.

Let them not escape from your sight.

Keep them within your heart.

We need to remember – always! It needs to be written within our hearts. Embroidered on our hearts. Indelibly etched upon our hearts.

What?

God’s Word.

Yes, we need to know Torah. We need to know what God requires of us according to His will.

But we need to remember we fail to do it?

What good is knowing that we cannot help but fail?

Why should we do this? Let us hear again that Word of God in our text.

“My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.  Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.  Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”  

Jesus reflects these words when He says, “The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”(John 4:14)

You are united to Christ by water and the Word. Christ keeps your heart.

You have put on Christ. In Christ you keep the Law. Christ died to put our failures to death – in Him you died. You rise to new life in Him. 

You know by heart the Word of God! Walk in it. Hold fast to it in your heart.

Your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

This Word of forgiveness delivers what is proclaimed. Live in the peace of sins forgiven.

You walk in Christ’s righteousness of cleansed in His Word. Christ, The Word of God, is life to those who believe.

You know by heart the Word of Christ. Take eat; this is My body! Take drink; this is My Blood of the new covenant, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. You know you are nourished in body and soul unto life everlasting.

The Word of Christ fills your heart. In Christ you are freed from sin, blessed to live each and every day in the confident joy of your salvation, purchased and delivered by Christ the Word of God.

Be attentive to my words, for they are life. 

You know them by heart! The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in faith in Christ Jesus.

You know by the Word of Christ which gives life. The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

Be attentive to my words, for they are life.  Live each and every day in the confident joy of who has claimed you as His own – live in Christ Jesus, let The Word of God dwell in your heart – today and always. Amen.