Title: One Who Controls One's Heart
Contents
Proverbs 16:27-33
one who controls one's heart
In John Bunyan's 'The Journey of the Old Man', which is loved next to the Bible, a place called 'Vanity-Fair' is mentioned as one of the places you must go through before entering heaven. Seeing the pilgrims passing by the road through this town, the three demons, Bieljibeop, Apollyon, and Legion, set up a market of vanity in this city of vanity to lure pilgrims to heaven with their companions, three hundred and sixty a year. Oil has devised a ploy to sell all sorts of vain things. Thus, in this market of vanity, they trade as commodities: houses, lands, positions, ranks, honors, promotions, titles of nobility, nations, kingdoms, desires, pleasures, prostitutes, pimps, wives, husbands, children, masters, servants, life, They sold blood, souls, silver, gold, pearls, jewels, all kinds of pleasure. Not only that, you can always find all sorts of evil things in this market: witchcraft, scams, gambling, gambling, clowns, monkeys, villains, pranksters and more. Also, here you can watch robbers, murderers, adulterers, false witnesses and those with blood-red faces for no cost. Many pilgrims, so enthralled by this demonic temptation, are unable to leave the city of vanity and halt their pilgrimage to heaven.
Even today, many modern people are led by the charm of the city of vanity and are living their lives without losing their humanity. It is dehumanizing. Man was created in the image of God. Dehumanization is destroying the image of that God. So we need to prevent dehumanization.
In order to prevent dehumanization, first, we must prevent human beings from materializing. Possession and existence are not the same thing. Nevertheless, modern people try to find happiness in possession. Happiness is not in possession. There are people who are happy and poor, and there are people who are rich and unhappy. Man should not be a slave to material things. It must not be materialized.
Second, humans should not be animalized. In other words, you can't live by your instincts. You shouldn't eat everything you want to eat, sleep all you want to sleep, and go all the way if you want to go. Humans should not be driven by instinct. You must learn to control your instincts with reason, with your conscience, and with your faith.
Third, we must not idolize humans. An idol is a desire to become a god. It's a godsend. Humans are only human, but never God. Therefore, no human should be deified. There are parents who respect their children as idols. Some wives serve their husbands like idols. There are people who want to absolutize certain politicians.
Man is made of matter, but he must not become material. It is an animal, but it must not be a snob. You have divinity, but you should never become an idol. To do this, we must become saints who can control our own hearts. However, as the prophet Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). So, the text that God gave us today through the King of Wisdom, Solomon, says, “He who rules his heart is better than he who takes a city.” It is said that it is difficult to control the mind.
Moreover, there is a weakness that humans who have to control their hearts do not know themselves well. Knowledge and science are extremely advanced. The amount of knowledge learned in school is much greater than in the past. But while I was learning a lot, I lost the ability to know what really matters to me. Modern man governs nature and launches spaceships. However, he could not control his own heart, so his personality was distorted and he lost his humanity. When God created man, he specially created only humans in God's image. That is, God created them as beings with holy attributes, possessing wisdom and power, and creating them as beings to be loved and loved. Not only that, but God also entrusted all of the creatures he created to human hands and gave them the privilege of ruling over them.
However, human beings have lost the image of God and have become living beings led by instinct. Of course, instinct is not bad. God has given all living things instincts. So you live by your instincts, and order is maintained by your instincts. It lives without extinction because it follows the survival instinct. It has a regression instinct to preserve and prosper the race. Because they are faithful to their instincts, they maintain their own lives and live their lives. Unlike Greek thought, Christianity values instinct. The dualistic Greek thought regards instincts as evil, but Christianity values any instinct because it is God-given. Instinct is a gift from God.
However, among all creatures, only humans were allowed to rule their instincts. You have given me an instinct, and I have given you control over it. In the book of Leviticus, what we can eat and what we must not eat. Rule is a sanction and limitation on the instincts given to humans. Humans must rule their instincts with reason. You must control your instincts with your conscience. You must control your instincts with your intellect and will. That is the privilege of human beings who resemble the image of God. However, we cannot control our instincts only with reason, conscience, intelligence, and will, but only with the help of the Holy Spirit.
How you control this instinct will determine the maturity of your personality and faith. Maturity is the ability to control your instincts. Look at the newborn baby. Do you not act according to your instincts? When hungry, they cry for milk. Even if you are breastfeeding, if you are full, the milk will be pushed out. It doesn't suck no matter how much you breastfeed. When I'm sleepy, I just sleep. When I wake up, I wake up and don't play with my eyes open. But mature adults are different. Even if I'm hungry, if I have a more important task, I only eat after finishing it. Sometimes I sleep all night and work all night. You can enjoy happiness as much as you control your instincts. The desire to eat, the desire to have, the desire to be, the desire to show, the desire to love, these are all precious instincts. It is beautiful. However, if you live by this instinct, you will be unhappy, and if you control this instinct, you will have true happiness.
To rule is to be free. Those who rule are free. The king is always free. The king is not bound by anyone. But slaves who are governed have no freedom. Because they do not have the right to rule. Those who become slaves to hatred cannot control their hatred, their mind is taken over by hatred, they cannot control their emotions, they cannot sleep, and they suffer by hurting their bodies. People who are more unfortunate than this are those who live by their instincts without even realizing that they have been robbed of their hearts. Those who are slaves of material things, those who are slaves of honor, those who are slaves of jealousy, those who have become slaves of alcohol, these people are truly pitiful people.
If there is true happiness when you control your instincts, what instincts should you control?
1. First, you must become a saint who can control your actions well.
Let's read verse 27 together. “A wicked man devises evil, and in his lips is like a raging fire.” Amen.
The rogue is the Hebrew word ‘Ish Beriyaal’, where ‘Ish’ means ‘man’ and ‘Beriyaal’ means ‘worthless’ or ‘wicked’. Therefore, ‘Ish Beriyaal’ refers to a person who behaves badly or rudely.
It is said that it is difficult for a rich person to pass three generations, but in Gyeongju, there is a family of Choi who has been a full-time eater for 12 generations and 300 years. However, it is said that this family's philosophy and experience were the reason why the Choi family had been a scavenger for 300 years. The philosophy that the rich Choi family maintained wealth for 300 years is what is called 'six years' passed down from generation to generation. This ‘Yukyeon’ is the principle of home education for the Choi family in Gyeongju, and it is also the philosophy of receiving and cultivating character. “The first is self-restraint, which means being detached from yourself. The second is love for people, and treat others with kindness. The third is to stay safe when there is no work. The fourth is similar feeling (有事敢然), and in case of emergency, we deal with it bravely. Fifth, it is to act calmly when the will is obtained. The sixth is disappointment (失意泰然). When you fall into disappointment, you act calmly.”
According to the testimony of a descendant of a wealthy Choi family, since childhood, every morning when I woke up, I went to Sarangchae, where my grandfather was living, and wrote this story in calligraphy. After writing this handwriting over and over again every day for many years, it is said that the contents are naturally ingrained into the body. From the middle of the 17th century to the time of liberation, the home education of the richest family in Gyeongju, Gyeongju Choi, who was the wealthiest family in Joseon and was of the highest class, was conducted in this way. This high level of personality development became the driving force behind maintaining wealth for 300 years and being respected as a grown-up in Yeongnam.
The apostle Paul exhorted the Saints to always think and act with moral and spiritual excellence. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are reverent, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are praiseworthy, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, these things Think about it” and listed eight virtues that believers must keep in mind in the spiritual realm.
And in verse 9 it says, “Do what you have learned from me, received, heard and seen, and the God of peace will be with you.” Paul did not just teach the Philippians with words. First, you set an example. That is why he said, “You must ‘learn,’ ‘receive,’ ‘hear,’ and ‘do what you have seen.’” It is to live according to what the Philippians observed about Paul's words and actions. Saints should be the standard of life. You must be a respectful saint.
I hope that all of you will be polite saints who control your actions well.
2. Second, you must become a saint who can control your mouth.
Text 28-29