Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom: The Doctrine of Election

Are You Shamed?

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2012-02-08

Synopsis: John Weaver expounds Psalm 119:80, where David prays for a sound heart in God's statutes to avoid shame. He explains that a sound heart is whole, upright, and aligned with God's truth, not sinless but mature. Using examples like Noah and Job, he shows that soundness involves fearing God and hating evil. Weaver argues that an unsound heart leads to shame because it cannot grasp sound wisdom or doctrine, resulting in ignorance of God's Word, inability to handle trials, ineffective witness, hindered prayer, and future shame at the judgment seat. He urges believers to prioritize Scripture meditation and application to avoid being ashamed.

[John Weaver] Alright, if you would open your Bible's day to Psalm 119. Psalm 119. And we're going to be looking at verse 80. Psalm 119 and verse 80. The title of the message today is very simple. Are you shamed? Are you shamed? Look in Psalm 119 and verse 80. David said in his prayer, let my heart be sound in my statutes that I be not ashamed. Now look at it and think about it. Let my heart be sound in my statutes that I be not ashamed. Unhappily, each one of us have been told often in our lives, you should be ashamed. or you should be ashamed of yourself.

[John Weaver] Having heard those words even as a child, we understood that we had done something wrong, wicked, or unethical. And consequently, what we would do is we would hang our heads in shame and awe. We would seek to escape the presence of our parents and hope that they would soon forget the incident. In those days, even as children, we were embarrassed, we were humiliated, and we were ashamed of our conduct and hopefully it was not just because we'd gotten caught but because we had done something wrong it was pointed out to us as adults we have done things that are wrong and for which we are now ashamed in fact David prayed remember not the sins of my youth and the truth of the matter is this We have not only done things for which we are ashamed, we have done things that we do not want our family and our friends to learn about. Whether you want to call them your mistakes, your misdeeds, or your sins, it's still the same thing. And some of us have done things that even after many years have passed, and our misdeeds and our sins are shrouded with time, when they come back to our minds, we still kind of hang our head in shame and we say, I wish I'd never done that or I wish I did not

[John Weaver] have that attitude or wish that had not happened. But the truth of the matter is it did happen. And we have that attitude. And now we are ashamed. If I were to ask you today, if you have ever done anything for which you're ashamed, raise your hand. I can assure you every hand would be raised. Every wife could tell him the husband and every husband could tell on the wife. Children could tell on the parents, parents could tell on the children. We understand what it means to be ashamed.

[John Weaver] I want you to look back down at Psalm 119 and verse 80. David said, let my heart be sound in my statutes that I be not ashamed. So the question that is pressing today, that is set before us by our text is this. Are we ashamed of our lack of knowledge? our lack of understanding, and our lack of application of the Word of God to our lives. Our text clearly indicates that it is possible to be shamed for one's lack of soundness in the Word of God. Now if David wanted to be sound in God's statutes, that he not be ashamed, then the opposite is also true When we are not sound in God's statutes, then we have a reason to be ashamed. Let's consider the word sound. First of all, David said, let my heart be sound in my statutes. The Hebrew word for sound literally means to be whole, to be complete.

[John Weaver] to be entire, to be sound, to be upright, to be perfect, to be mature, without blemish and without spot. It means one who is in accord with truth and fact.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to show you how this same word is translated in our King James Bibles. I want you to turn, if you would please, first of all, to Genesis chapter 6 and verse 9. Hold, if you would please, Psalm 119. But go to Genesis chapter 6 and look, if you would, at verse 9. And then we're going to Deuteronomy 18. Here's the same Hebrew word that is translated as sound in Psalm 119 and verse 80. And if you look in Genesis 6 and verse 9, the Bible says this.

[John Weaver] These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

[John Weaver] Now the word perfect in verse 9 is the same Hebrew word that is translated as sound in Psalm 119 verse 80. So the Bible says that Noah was a just man and sound in his generations, and Noah walked with God. If you look in Deuteronomy chapter 18, The fifth book in the Old Testament, the fifth book of the Law, Deuteronomy chapter 18. And look at verse 13. Deuteronomy 18 verse 13. The Word of God says, Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God. Now, it's the same Hebrew word. Literally, Thou shalt be sound with the Lord thy God. Now, if you would turn right over to the book of Job, Job chapter 1, right before the book of Psalms, Job chapter 1, I want to show you the same root word and how it is translated. It is not the same exact word, but it is from the same root word. Notice, if you would please, Job 1, and look at verse 1. Job 1, verse 1. There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job, And that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and eschewed evil.

[John Weaver] Now the word perfect is the word sound. And that man was sound and upright, one that feared God and eschewed evil. I love that word eschewed. It literally means to spit out. You can't stomach it. You can't swallow it. Spit evil out. If you'll skip down to verse 8, Here is the same word again. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect or a sound and upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point something out that is very important for you to understand. When the Bible is talking about Noah and Job being perfect men, God is not saying that these men are sinless. No, they were sinners. Noah was a sinner, he got drunk. Job was a sinner, he had a false idea concerning himself and concerning God as well. So when the Bible says that these men were perfect men, He is not using the word perfect in the sense of sinlessness. The state of being sinless is not attainable in this life. It is only attainable in immortality and in glory. The Bible says very plainly, there are none that sinneth not.

[John Weaver] Even Solomon said in all of his wisdom that everyone sins. Everyone has gone out of the way. If you would look in your Bibles to the book of 1st John chapter 1, let me emphasize this, 1 John chapter 1 and notice if you would please first of all verse 8. 1 John chapter 1 and verse 8.

[John Weaver] Now it's important that you see these next two verses because they will enlighten you as to the fact that there are no individuals that are sinless in this life. The only sinless individual of course is Jesus Christ. But outside of Christ No one is sinless. Notice he said in 1 John 1 in verse 8 it is. He says, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Now look at that. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

[John Weaver] Now here the Bible is talking about our sin nature, that is our inherited depraved nature. that sin that was imputed to us as sinners being descendants of Adam and in his loins. So if we say that we don't have a sin nature, God says we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Skip down if you would please to verse 10. He said if we say that we have not sinned, that is committed actual sin, we make Him a liar and the truth is not in us. The reason we have actual sin is because we have imputed sin. We have a sin nature and because we are sinners we actually sin. So when someone tells you that they are sinless, God says they're a liar and the truth is not in them.

[John Weaver] I remember the very first time I ever met a man who claimed to be sinless and he owned a dry cleaning establishment and I knew he was a professing Christian And I carried a suit to him to be cleaned and I walked in and I said, isn't it wonderful to have your sins forgiven? And his response was, I don't know, I haven't sinned in 10 years. And when I finally picked my jaw up from the floor, I said, well, you just broke your record for you just did, you lied. Because the scripture says, if we say we have not sinned, We make Him a liar, and the truth is not in us. I said, you just sinned, you just lied, and you called God a liar.

[John Weaver] And of course, after that He did not want my business, but that's alright too. I want you to understand that Jesus Christ is the only sinless individual. All others are sinners. So Noah and Job were sinners. but they were called perfect in this sense, that they walked soundly, they walked uprightly, they walked in accord with God's truth, and they were men who feared God and hated evil.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm going to show you how these two things go together. They're actually different sides of one coin. You fear God and you hate evil. So, we do not reach our state of sinlessness as children of God, until we are in eternity in glory. So David said, now listen, I want you to think this sentence through with me, this prayer request. He said, let my heart be sound in thy statutes that I not be ashamed. So David then wanted his heart to be sound.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look in your Bibles very quickly to Psalm 51. And here is a passage that will give you almost almost the same sense of the word, the same truth. David is praying in Psalm 51 and verse 10. You'll remember this is the Psalm where he is confessing and acknowledging his sin. And he says this in Psalm 51 and verse 10. He says, created me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. So what he was wanting was a clean heart. David had sinned, therefore his heart was unclean. David had sinned, therefore his heart was unsound. And so what he's actually praying for is that God would restore in him not just a clean and a pure heart, but an undivided heart, one that was mature and upright and walked according to the truth of God. You see, in the book of Proverbs, chapter 14 and verse 30, we're told this, a sound heart is the life of the flesh.

[John Weaver] But envy is the rottenness of the bones. Now what is true physically is also true spiritually. The sound heart is indeed life to the flesh, physically. An unsound heart very clearly means death. Well, a sound heart is life to the soul. An unsound heart would be basically death to the soul.

[John Weaver] Now, let me give you another picture of this same truth. James wrote in James 1 in verse 8, a double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. That's a man who has a divided mind. He flip-flops. We could say he's just a politician, couldn't we? I mean, you know. A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. James could have said this equally true. A double hearted man is unstable in all his ways or a man with an unsound heart is unstable in all of his ways. So a sound heart then is set in contrast to a double or a deceitful heart. So David said, let my heart be sound. What was he saying? I don't want an unclean heart. I don't want an impure heart. I don't want a divided heart. I don't want an unsound heart. Now, let me show you very clearly why it's necessary that we have a sound heart.

[John Weaver] If you would look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs, right after the book of Psalms, Proverbs chapter 2, and look if you would please at verse 7. Proverbs 2 and verse 7. Proverbs 2 and verse 7. And we're talking about what God does for us. Look what the Bible says. Proverbs two, verse seven, he, God, in fact, let's read verse six, just so you can see the context. Proverbs two, verse six for the Lord, give it the wisdom out of his mouth, cometh knowledge and understanding. He that is God lay it up sound wisdom for the righteous.

[John Weaver] He's a buckler to them that walk uprightly. Note what kind of wisdom that God lays up for the righteous. It is sound wisdom. Not just wisdom. It is not the wisdom of the world, which is contrary to God. It is sound wisdom that He lays up. Look in Proverbs 3 and verse 21. Again, He says, My son, let not them depart from thine eyes. Keep sound wisdom and discretion. Now God lays up sound wisdom for us. He commands us to keep sound wisdom. Then if you would look in Proverbs 8 and verse 14, and here you have Jesus Christ who is wisdom personified speaking, and He says this, Proverbs 8 and verse 14, counsel is mine, and sound wisdom.

[John Weaver] I have understanding, or I am understanding, and I have strength. Counsel is mine, notice he says, and sound wisdom. I am understanding. Now here's my question. If God has laid up sound wisdom for the righteous, if God has commanded us to keep sound wisdom, If Jesus Christ says, I am sound wisdom, how can we grasp and understand sound wisdom with an unsound heart? Very obviously, it's impossible. You cannot do that. If you have sound wisdom, the prerequisite is a sound heart. It takes a sound heart to grasp and understand sound wisdom. An unsound heart does not have wisdom. An unsound heart does not have understanding. So David is praying, let my heart be sound in thy statutes that I be not ashamed.

[John Weaver] Now let's take this a little bit further. Let me just give you a quote. While I'm giving you the quote, I want you to turn to first Timothy, if you would first Timothy. In fact, if you're going to turn to first Timothy, which I hope that you will, you might as well go ahead and turn to second Timothy. I can quote the verse, but I want you to see it. Look in second Timothy chapter one and verse nine, second Timothy chapter one, right before the book of Titus and right after first Timothy, second Timothy chapter one. Look, if you would please at verse seven. Look what the Bible says, 2 Timothy 1 verse 7, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of what?

[John Weaver] Sound mind, or a sound heart. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind, or a sound heart.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. Why in the world Does God give us a sound heart? Why was David praying for a sound heart? I want you to turn back to 1 Timothy chapter 1 and let's begin reading there with verse 8. 1 Timothy chapter 1 in verse 8. We're talking about sound wisdom and a sound heart. Notice 1 Timothy 1 verse 8. Paul writes, we know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully. Do you realize that you may use the law of God unlawfully? The law was never given for justification. And yet some people try to use the law to be saved by it. They try to base their salvation upon their works. That's an unlawful use of the law. The law was never given for salvation. It was never given for justification. No one can be saved or justified by keeping the law of God because it's impossible for a sinner to keep the law of God. You cannot keep it perfectly. You cannot keep it perpetually. And you cannot keep it personally.

[John Weaver] Okay? So he says in verse 8, we know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully. Watch verse 9. Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man. Help me out now. Look at this. but for the lawless and the disobedient, for the ungodly, for sinners, and for unholy and profane, for murders of fathers and murders of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for men-stealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine." Whoa, stop right there. Do you know what the Apostle Paul has just done in verses 9 and 10? Let me tell you what he's just done, and I'm not going to take the time to go through all of it, but the Apostle Paul has just enunciated the Ten Commandments.

[John Weaver] Now, he didn't spell them out, thou shalt have no other God before me, no. He said, the law was made for the lawless and the disobedient. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. A lawless, disobedient individual places another god other than the one true and the living God. If you were to take these verses and go right on down, you would see where Paul is giving an application of the Ten Commandments.

[John Weaver] Now look what he says. Let's go to verse 10. After having explained or applied the Ten Commandments, basically, he says in verse 10, for whoremongers That'd be the seventh commandment and them that defile themselves with mankind, the seventh commandment for men, stealers, for liars, for perjured persons. You go right down to thou shalt not bear false witness. That's the ninth one. And then here's the 10th one thou shalt not covet.

[John Weaver] He said, if there'll be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine. Now, let me tell you what the apostle Paul is saying. The Apostle Paul is saying that all sin, all wickedness, all rebellion is unsound doctrine. Now let's go back.

[John Weaver] Now listen, David said, let my heart be sound in my statutes. What was David praying for? He was wanting a heart that understood and keep the law of God. Because sin is contrary to sound doctrine. You cannot have sound doctrine and sin together. They are mutually exclusive.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Job 28 and verse 28, right before the book of Psalms. You have Job 28 verse 28. If you don't memorize or learn any verse today, I want you to learn Job 28 verse 28. You remember I told you earlier, as I quoted from Proverbs 2 in verse 6, Though the Lord giveth wisdom and understanding. You remember that? Wisdom and understanding are the gifts of God. They come from God. Look in Job 28 and verse 28.

[John Weaver] Notice what the Bible says. Job 28 verse 28. And unto man He said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding." What is the fear of the Lord? It's wisdom. It's sound wisdom. Well, what will you do if you have sound wisdom? You will have understanding. You will depart from evil. What did the Apostle Paul say? that sin and rebellion and wickedness is contrary to sound doctrine. If you have sound wisdom that stems from a sound heart, you're going to have sound doctrine. and your sound wisdom and your sound heart and your sound doctrine will teach you that you must depart from evil. It is wisdom, it is understanding that we derive from the Lord that teaches us that we cannot sin against God and get away with it. We must depart from evil. The Bible says in Proverbs 8 in verse 13, let me just quote it, Proverbs 8 verse 13, The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride, arrogancy, and the evil way.

[John Weaver] And the forward mouth said, God, do I hate? Note what he said. The fear of the Lord is to depart from evil. It's to hate evil. It's to despise it. If you have sound heart that has sound wisdom, and you're sound in God's law, you hate evil. You hate everything that is contrary to God and His law. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 16 in verse 6, listen carefully.

[John Weaver] By mercy and truth, iniquity is purged. And by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil.

[John Weaver] Now don't you stop and think about that. By the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil. Why is it I don't just pull out a pistol and shoot Dr. Holmes between the eyes and just kill him? Why is it I don't murder him? Well, there's a number of reasons, but the first and paramount reason is because I fear God. God says, thou shalt not murder, or thou shalt not take life unlawfully. There are other reasons.

[John Weaver] I happen to love him. I count him a friend. But the main reason is I fear God. Well, let me ask you another question. Well, you say, Brother Weaver, I can understand that. That's, you know, That's very obvious. You're not going to take his life. Why don't I steal from him? Same reason. God says, I shall not steal. If you fear God, you're going to depart from evil. If you fear God, you're not going to do that which is wicked and wrong.

[John Weaver] Do you remember when the Apostle Paul is relaying the sins and the wickedness of the Jews and the Gentiles in Romans 1, 2, and 3. How does he culminate all of those sins? He says, and I quote, there is no fear of God before their eyes. Do you remember the passage in Luke 18 where our Lord talked about the unjust judge? He said, there was an unjust judge who feared not God nor regarded man. In other words, if you don't fear God, you're not going to have any regard for man. In other words, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and understanding is to depart from evil. And by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil. If you are sound in your heart, then you will have sound wisdom and sound doctrine. and you will depart from evil. Are you listening? If you do not depart from evil, if you do not depart from wickedness, it evidence that you do not have sound doctrine, you do not have sound wisdom, and you do not have a sound heart.

[John Weaver] Your actions, your conduct, reveal the state and the condition of your heart. Your life is an open book by what you do. As a man thinking in his heart, so is he.

[John Weaver] Now, there are so many commands in the Bible that demand that we have a sound heart and everything that is connected with it. For instance, if you will turn in your Bibles back to 2 Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter 1, And look, if you would please, at verse 13. 2 Timothy 1, verse 13. And we're going to stay in 2 Timothy just for a few moments. But look in 2 Timothy 1, verse 13. Look what the apostle Paul told young preacher Timothy. 2 Timothy 1, verse 13. He told Timothy, Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. Hold fast the form of sound words. What are sound words? They're words that communicate sound doctrine. They're words that communicate sound wisdom. If you would look in your Bibles, hold second Timothy, But turn right over, just a page or so, to Titus chapter 2 and look in verse 8. Titus 2 verse 8, God says this, Sound speech that cannot be condemned, that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.

[John Weaver] Now, what in the world is sound speech? Sound speech is speech that is right. It is speech that is in agreement with the Word of God. It is speech that is in agreement with the doctrine that is sound and with wisdom that is sound that comes from a sound heart. Okay, now let's go back to 2 Timothy chapter 4 and let me ask you a question before we read the scripture. Here we go. How can one use sound speech and sound words and possess sound doctrine and sound wisdom with an unsound heart. All right, listen to me. If you would like to know what has happened in our country, if you want to know what has happened in America, religiously speaking, if you want to know why There are so few churches that really, truly, and honestly preach and teach the totality of the Word of God.

[John Weaver] I'm going to show you from the Bible. We have churches on every corner of most every major city. And most of them are absolutely, totally worthless. when it comes to preaching and teaching the Word of God. Why? Why? Let me ask you, why is it that those men who really truly preach and teach the Word of God, usually they have a very small congregation? And why is it that those who compromise and cut corners, and refuse to name a lot of sins and preach a lot of doctrines.

[John Weaver] They have a huge successful ministry. Why? Well, here's why. Look in your Bibles to 2 Timothy chapter 4. In fact, let's begin reading with verse 1. Look what the Apostle Paul tells Timothy. He says, I charge thee therefore before God in the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead in his appearing and his kingdom, Preach the Word. Be instant in season, out of season.

[John Weaver] Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. Here we go. For the time will come that they will not endure what? sound doctrine, but after their own lusts, they shall heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." What did he say? Timothy, the time is coming. They will not endure sound doctrine. You can't endure sound doctrine unless you have a sound heart.

[John Weaver] And what is the result? When you don't like sound doctrine, You turn away from the Word of God and you get that which tickles your ears and that which pleases you. If you will look back in your Bibles to Titus chapter 2 and verse 1, the Apostle Paul tells Titus, but speak thou the things which become sound doctrine. And if you will go back, to Titus 1 and look at verse 9, look what he tells Timothy, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convince the gainsayers.

[John Weaver] Let me just spell it out for you. It is impossible to have sound doctrine, sound wisdom with an unsound heart. Hope you're beginning to see why David was praying, let my heart be sound in my statutes that I be not ashamed. It is important to note that David wanted a heart that was sound in God's statutes. Now let me tell you what the word statutes refers to. It refers to God's decree to God's boundary, to God's ordinance, to God's commandments. When he said, let my heart be sound in thy statutes, here's what he was saying.

[John Weaver] Lord, I want to please you. I want to honor you. I want to know what your boundaries are. I want to know what I may do and what I may not do.

[John Weaver] Now listen to me folks, God's law is God's boundary marker. In it he tells us like he told the sea, hitherto shalt thou come and no further. In other words, you may do this, but you may not do that. It is God's decree, it is God's commandment, it is God's boundary marker.

[John Weaver] Now remember what David prayed. Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." Let me give you a quick quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Spurgeon is commenting on Psalm 119 verse 80. And here's what he says concerning David's prayer. Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed. Spurgeon said, this is the root of the matter. If the heart be sound in obedience to God, all is well, or will be well. If right at heart, we are right in the main. If we be not sound before God, our name for piety is an empty sound.

[John Weaver] Mere profession will fail and undeserved esteem will disappear like a bubble when it bursts. Only sincerity and truth will endure in the evil day. He who is right at heart has no reason for shame and he never shall have any. Hypocrites ought to be ashamed now and they shall one day be put to shame without end, their hearts are rotten and their names shall rot. This 80th verse is a variation of the prayer of the 73rd verse. There he sought for sound understanding, here he goes deeper and begs for sound heart.

[John Weaver] Those who have learned their own frailty by sad experience are led to dive beneath the surface and cry to the Lord for truth in the inward parts. In closing the consideration of these eight verses, let us join the writer in his prayer, let my heart be sound in thy statutes. Now, why did David pray, let my heart be sound in thy statutes? The answer is, that he be not ashamed. That he be not ashamed. How in the world can we help but to be shamed when our hearts are not sound in God's statutes. The word ashamed is the Hebrew word bush, and it refers to one who is ashamed, one who is confounded, one who is confused, one who is disappointed, one who is disconcerted, and one who feels shame. Here's what David is saying. David, by the way, when you're disconcerted, when you are confused, You don't know which way to turn. You don't know what to do. Someone asks you, what's the answer? I don't know. And you just have to hang your head in shame.

[John Weaver] What David is saying is this, I don't want to be ashamed. I don't want to be disconcerted. I don't want to be confused. I want my heart sound in your statutes that I be not that way. In other words, what David was praying was this, Lord, I want to know how to make application of your law, how to make application of your word to my life. I want you to turn back to Psalm 119. Let me show you a couple things in this psalm. Go back to Psalm 119. I'm explaining verse 80 where David said, Let my heart be sound in thy statutes that I be not ashamed. But go back to Psalm 119, and notice if you would please, verse 105. Psalm 119 verse 105, David said it like this, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

[John Weaver] If I were to ask you, How many of you have, and this is good South Georgia language, okay? How many of you have stumped your toe in the dark? You know, down South we stump our toes. How many of you have stumped your toe in your own home at night walking without a light? Every one of us. Some of us have tripped and fallen. David said, thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. In other words, as long as I'm walking in your doctrine, in your word, I'm not going to stump my toe. I'm not going to stumble. I'm not going to fall. I'm not going to trip because your word is lighting the way.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to hold Psalm 119, but look back in your Bibles very quickly to Psalm 1. Psalm 1, the very first Psalm. I want you to notice how David describes the godly man, the righteous man. Look in Psalm 1 and verse 1, David says this, Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Now, wait a minute. What did David just say?

[John Weaver] He said, There's a lamp to my feet and a light in my path. Now, David says, blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. I probably told you this before, but I'm going to tell you again. Hopefully you'll remember this time. David said, blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.

[John Weaver] Let's put it like this. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the advice of the ungodly. I can show you illustrations of men who followed the advice of the ungodly and they ended up dead. They ended up in sin and rebellion. I can show it to you not only in the Bible but in history as well. God says you don't listen to the advice of the ungodly. What happens when you begin listening to the advice of the ungodly?

[John Weaver] Look back in verse 1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel or the advice of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners." That's association. You start listening to their advice, the next thing you know, you are associating with them. You're standing around with them. Like Peter, when he warmed himself there by the enemy's fire. Watch what happens. Once you follow their advice, once you begin to associate with them, he says that lastly, nor sit in the seat of the scornful, you end up in agreement. If you follow their advice, if you associate with them, ultimately you're going to end up agreeing with them. David said, blessed is the man who doesn't do any of those things, but look at verse 2, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night. What did David say?

[John Weaver] Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. I'm not going to walk with the wicked. Go back to Psalm 119, and I want you to just see how David is illuminating this fact for us. Look in Psalm 119 and verse 15, David said it like this, Psalm 119 and verse 15, David said to God, I will meditate in thy precepts and have respect in thy ways. I'll meditate in thy precepts. Look in verse 23. Princes also did sit and speak against me, but my servant did meditate in thy statutes. Look in verse 48. David said, My hands also will lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved, and I will meditate in thy statutes. David said, I'm going to reach for your truth. I'm going to meditate in your statutes. Look in verse 78. Let the proud be ashamed, for they dealt perversely with me without a cause, but I will meditate in thy precepts. Now, the proud have a reason to be ashamed, because they don't follow the word of God.

[John Weaver] David said, I have no reason to be ashamed, because I will meditate in thy precepts. I want your word. One of my favorite verses that I used to use when I was in college, is verse 99. Look at that. I'd often quote this verse, jokingly, of course. I have more understanding than all my teachers for my testimonies or my meditation. Well, they didn't like my interpretation of that verse, but that's all right.

[John Weaver] They knew I was teasing. If I had more understanding than my teachers then I wouldn't have been in college, but that's all right. But David is saying, look, I do have more understanding than some men. Who are teachers? Why? Because he has the Word of God. He has the truth of God.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you. I want you to think with me. I want to try to tie all this together for me. David said, let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed. Here's my question. How can we as Christians be ashamed for not having a sound heart in God's statutes? How can we be ashamed? I want to answer that question for you first. We should be ashamed for our neglect in reading, meditating upon, and studying the Word of God. Now listen to me. We should be ashamed for our neglect of reading, meditating upon, and studying the Word of God. There are many who profess to be Christians who have never ever read the Bible all the way through even one time. Not even once. And there are many who may read the Bible But they never really meditate upon it. They never really study it. They never really take it seriously. They just kind of read it as a textbook.

[John Weaver] It's kind of like a lot of students do, not only in college, but in the lower academic levels as well. They'll study hard for a test. Just so they can pass the test and then promptly forget everything that they had studied. It's worthless. It's useless. Because two weeks later, they have no idea what they read or what they did on the test. We read it and we forget it. Reading our Bible sometimes is like going through a ritual or going through a ceremony. It's something that we do. And if we don't read, we feel guilty about it. So we read it just so we won't feel guilty. Just so that we can say, we read our Bible today. And you ought to read your Bible every day, but you ought to read it with understanding. And you ought to meditate upon it. You say, but pastor, you don't understand.

[John Weaver] I work for a living. Everybody works for a living. Everybody has 24 hours in one day. And let me tell you something, folks. Here is the absolute bottom line. Here is the absolute truth. You do what you want to do. You have your priorities. And unhappily, sometimes our priority is not reading the scriptures, not meditating, it's not studying, it's not even thinking about the scripture. Most of us do like a lot of the Southern Baptists do. I was raised Southern Baptist. And you know what? The Southern Baptists have this little Sunday School report, little slip that when you go to Sunday School, did you read your Bible? Check yes.

[John Weaver] Did you give to missions? Check yes. Did you tithe? Check yes. In other words, we read it just so we can go and check yes. Turn our little slip in where they can say, we had 50 who read their Bible this week. I've got news for you folks. It doesn't do you one bit of good to read the Scripture if you don't understand it and if you don't apply it. I tell people, I'd rather read one verse, understand it and apply it, than to read 40 chapters and not understand a thing that I've read. The truth of the matter is this, folks. We should really be ashamed that we don't know the Word of God as we should. We should be ashamed that we're not scholars in the Word of God. We should be ashamed that after all the time that we have spent listening to the Scriptures being taught and listening to the preaching of the Word of God, we should be ashamed that we don't understand more than we do! David said, let my heart be sound in my statutes that I be not ashamed.

[John Weaver] How can we as Christians be shamed? Here's the second way. We should be shamed and we are shamed when we're tested and tried and we don't know how to act. I want you to look in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 1. 1 Peter chapter 1 and let's read verses 6 through 9. 1 Peter 1, let's begin there with verse 6. And look if you would please with me. 1 Peter 1, verse 6. 1 Peter 1, verse 6. Peter writes, swearing you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptation. that the trial of your faith being much more precious than that of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found of the praise and honor and glory of the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love, and whom though now you see him not, yet believing you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith even in salvation of your souls." Go back to verse 6.

[John Weaver] He says,"...swearing you greatly rejoice though now for a season, if need be, you are in..." What? You are in heaviness! You're weighted down. You may be discouraged. Why? Through manifold temptations. You know, one of our problems is this. Everyone has tests. Everyone has trials. Everyone has temptations. One of our big problems is this, we're so ignorant of the Word of God, we're so ignorant of the principles in the Scripture of the Word of God, we just don't know how to act. We don't know what to do. We don't know where to turn. We're disconcerted. We're confused. If you know the answer, you don't have a problem. You only have problems when you don't know what to do.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles, if you would, please. The second Peter chapter one, you see each of us have tests and trials. But have you ever asked this question? Why am I in this test? Why am I in this trial? What is God trying to teach me? What must I learn? But let me tell you something. I had several courses in college that I absolutely hated. I despised.

[John Weaver] I saw no value in them. I saw no use for them. But it was a requirement, and I had to take it, the course. In fact, I can think of one particularly right now. I despised it. I hated it. You know what my grade was on that course? An A. You know why I made an A in that course? Because I wanted to make dead sure I didn't have to take it again. I hated it so much.

[John Weaver] Now, what I'm trying to tell you is this. If we're in a test and trial and temptation, We need to know why we're in it. We need to know what God is teaching us so we can get out of it and not have to go through it again. But if you'll look in 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 3, I want you to look carefully now. according as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue, whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption

[John Weaver] that is in the world through lust. Now let's go back to verse 3. According as His divine power hath given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. God has given us every answer to every problem. He's given us everything. But note, how has He given it to us? Watch verse 3. Through the knowledge of Him that hath called us. And then he says, whereby are given us exceeding great and precious promises. How in the world can we claim the promises if we're ignorant of them? How can we know what God is teaching us if we're ignorant of God? We should be ashamed that we don't know how to act. We don't know which way to turn. We don't know what to do when we're in our tests and our trials.

[John Weaver] What does the Bible say in 1 Corinthians 10, 13? Let me just quote it. Listen carefully. There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. What's that mean? Ed's trials are my trials. My trials are Henry's trials. My temptations are dog's temptations. There's no temptation, there's no test, there's no trial taking you, but such as is common to man. Now listen, but God is faithful.

[John Weaver] who will not suffer or allow you to be tempted above that you are able. Let me explain that. God will never put more on you than you can take. If God has put something on you, you can take it by His grace.

[John Weaver] Now let me go back. There is no temptation taking you, but such is His common demand. But God is faithful who will not suffer or allow you to be tempted above that you are able, but will, with the temptation, make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. In every test, in every trial, there's a way of escape. There's an exit door. But how can we exit if we don't know the way to the door? How can we get out of our test and trial if we don't even know there's an exit? There is no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above that you are able, but will with the temptation make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it.

[John Weaver] We should be ashamed, number one, because we're so ignorant of the Word of God. Number two, we should be ashamed that we're so ignorant of the Word of God, we don't even know how to get over our problems. I'm going to tell you, listen carefully. Christians ought not to have the problems that the unsaved have. Ought not to. Why? Because we have the answers, and the knowledge is right here.

[John Weaver] We just need to study it, apply it. There's a third reason we should be ashamed, and that is we should be ashamed that when we have the opportunity to minister to others, we don't know the words to use. We don't know the Scriptures. We don't know the promises. We don't know the warnings. You know what God said in Isaiah 43 and verse 10? He said this, listen carefully. You are my witnesses. Wow! In Isaiah 43 and verse 12, God says, I have declared and I have saved and I have showed when there was no strange God among you, therefore you are my witnesses that I am the Lord, saith the God. And then in Isaiah 44 and verse 8, He said, Fear not, neither be afraid. Have not I told you from that time and have declared it? Even you are my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God. I know not any. How in the world can we be a faithful witness to other people if we don't know what to say to them?

[John Weaver] If we don't know what to share with them? If we don't know how to warn them or how to give them promises? How can we witness? How can we tell them about the greatness of our God if we don't even know His greatness? Old Lester Olaf, I've never forgotten what he said one time. He said, in the time of sorrow, how many can come and how few can comfort. Isn't that true? Most of us don't know what to say to comfort someone. We can repeat what everybody else says, but we really don't know how to comfort because we don't know the promises and we don't know the Scriptures that will encourage and give people comfort.

[John Weaver] Fourthly, we should be ashamed when we come before Him in prayer with an unsound heart. I want you to turn to 1 John chapter 3. You're in 2 Peter, just turn over a few pages. 1 John chapter 3. We should be ashamed when we come before God with an unsound heart. God's given us His Word. Why should we have an unsound heart? Look in 1 John chapter 3, verse 20. In fact, let's read verse 19. John writes, 1 John 3 verse 19, And hereby we know that we are of the truth, now watch, and shall assure our hearts before Him. What is going to assure our hearts before Him? Because we know that we are of the truth. We have the truth. Watch, if you would please, verse 20. If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God? How in the world can we come before God in prayer and not be ashamed when we have an unsound heart?

[John Weaver] We don't know His doctrine. We don't know His wisdom. And our heart condemns us. And I want you to know what happens when our heart condemns us, then we no longer have any confidence toward God. He said, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God. So we should be ashamed when we come before the Lord and say, Lord, I've got a confession to make, and I'm ashamed of it. I don't know your Word like I should. I don't know your doctrine. I don't know your statutes. I don't know your boundary markers. Lord, I'm just ashamed you've given me your Word. And Lord, here I am to ask your blessing and ask your help. And like Daniel, I'm ashamed. I'm afraid to even lift up my head. So we should be ashamed when we come before God in prayer with an unsound heart. And fifthly, if you'll turn back in your Bibles, I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this since I've dealt with it in the last couple of weeks, but if you'll look in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, we should be ashamed and we will be ashamed when we appear before our Lord

[John Weaver] at the judgment seat. Look at it in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 10. The Apostle Paul wrote, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Why? That everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he had done, whether it be good or bad. I told you before, this is not a judgment to determine salvation. If you're not already saved, you would not even be there. This is a judgment that determines our service, and very obviously, We want to have served Him well because we want to hear those words, well done, thou good and faithful servant. I got news for you, every one of us will be ashamed when we stand there because we should have loved Him, we should have served Him better and even more than we have.

[John Weaver] Thomas Hooker, who died in 1647, said this, commenting on David's prayer, let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed. He said, let my heart be sound. This is a plain difference between a sound heart and a false heart. In the receiving of Christ, the sound heart receives Him as a favorite receives a prince. He gives up all to Him. and lets him have the command of all.

[John Weaver] A mere innkeeper, or motel owner, a mere innkeeper entertains him that comes next to him. He will take any man's money that comes, he cares not, for he loves gain above all things. Doesn't matter if he's the worst man in the world, he'll take his money, for he loves gain above all things, not so with a good heart. The good heart welcomes Christ alone and resigns up all to Christ. What's ever is pleasing to Christ, He will do it. And what's ever comes from Christ, He will welcome.

[John Weaver] And that was David's prayer. Let not my heart or let my heart be sound in thy statutes. Why? That I be not ashamed. And folks, I'll be honest with you. And I'm including me. We should be ashamed that our hearts are not sound in God's law, in God's Word. We should be ashamed that we don't know how to make application, how to act. We should be ashamed when we come before Him in prayer that we have an unsound heart. David's prayer was, Lord, teach me. Make me what I should be. Let my heart be sound in thy statutes. Why? That I be not ashamed. One of my prayers every day is, Lord, let me not be ashamed.

[John Weaver] Let me not be confounded. In fact, David prayed this, let those that hate Thee be ashamed and confounded. But let those that love Thee rejoice before Thee. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we vow to Thee this day, we thank You for Your love and Your grace and Your mercy. Lord, we must confess, we must acknowledge, Lord, there's so much reason in our lives to be ashamed before Thee. But Lord, correct that in us today, prepare our hearts, open our hearts, open our minds, give us understanding.

[John Weaver] May we understand Thy Word, apply Thy Word, and walk in thy word for your honor and your glory and for our good. Let our hearts be sound in thy statutes that we be not ashamed. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen. Amen.

Are You Shamed?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	A6orp_LoiFA
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom: The Doctrine of Election
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-02-08
Dictation Name
Book	Book 081: Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom - Volume 1 — Chapter 10
Source Timed Segments	83

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Question of Shame

Weaver introduces Psalm 119:80 and the universal experience of shame over past sins, then pivots to the text's focus on being ashamed for lacking soundness in God's Word.

Alright, if you would open your Bibles today to Psalm 119. Psalm 119. And we're going to be looking at verse 80. Psalm 119 and verse 80. The title of the message today is very simple: Are you shamed? Are you shamed? Look in Psalm 119 and verse 80. David said in his prayer,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 119:80

"Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed."

Now look at it and think about it.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 119:80

"Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed."

Unhappily, each one of us have been told often in our lives, "You should be ashamed," or "You should be ashamed of yourself."

Having heard those words even as a child, we understood that we had done something wrong, wicked, or unethical. And consequently, what we would do is we would hang our heads in shame and awe. We would seek to escape the presence of our parents and hope that they would soon forget the incident. In those days, even as children, we were embarrassed, we were humiliated, and we were ashamed of our conduct—and hopefully it was not just because we'd gotten caught, but because we had done something wrong. It was pointed out to us. As adults, we have done things that are wrong and for which we are now ashamed. In fact, David prayed, "Remember not the sins of my youth." And the truth of the matter is this: We have not only done things for which we are ashamed, we have done things that we do not want our family and our friends to learn about. Whether you want to call them your mistakes, your misdeeds, or your sins, it's still the same thing. And some of us have done things that even after many years have passed, and our misdeeds and our sins are shrouded with time, when they come back to our minds, we still kind of hang our head in shame and we say, "I wish I'd never done that," or "I wish I did not

have that attitude," or "I wish that had not happened." But the truth of the matter is it did happen. And we have that attitude. And now we are ashamed. If I were to ask you today, if you have ever done anything for which you're ashamed, raise your hand. I can assure you every hand would be raised. Every wife could tell on the husband, and every husband could tell on the wife. Children could tell on the parents, parents could tell on the children. We understand what it means to be ashamed.

I want you to look back down at Psalm 119 and verse 80. David said, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." So the question that is pressing today, that is set before us by our text, is this: Are we ashamed of our lack of knowledge, our lack of understanding, and our lack of application of the Word of God to our lives? Our text clearly indicates that it is possible to be shamed for one's lack of soundness in the Word of God. Now if David wanted to be sound in God's statutes, that he not be ashamed, then the opposite is also true: When we are not sound in God's statutes, then we have a reason to be ashamed. Let's consider the word "sound." First of all, David said, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes." The Hebrew word for "sound" literally means to be whole, to be complete,

The Meaning of a Sound Heart

The Hebrew word for 'sound' means whole, complete, upright, perfect, mature. Weaver shows its usage in Genesis 6:9 (Noah) and Deuteronomy 18:13, clarifying it does not imply sinlessness but a walk in accord with truth.

to be entire, to be sound, to be upright, to be perfect, to be mature, without blemish and without spot. It means one who is in accord with truth and fact. Now, I want to show you how this same word is translated in our King James Bibles. I want you to turn, if you would please, first of all, to Genesis chapter 6 and verse 9. Hold, if you would please, Psalm 119. But go to Genesis chapter 6 and look, if you would, at verse 9. And then we're going to Deuteronomy 18. Here's the same Hebrew word that is translated as "sound" in Psalm 119 and verse 80. And if you look in Genesis 6 and verse 9, the Bible says this:

"These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." Now the word "perfect" in verse 9 is the same Hebrew word that is translated as "sound" in Psalm 119 verse 80. So the Bible says that Noah was a just man and sound in his generations, and Noah walked with God. If you look in Deuteronomy chapter 18, the fifth book in the Old Testament, the fifth book of the Law, Deuteronomy chapter 18, and look at verse 13. Deuteronomy 18 verse 13. The Word of God says,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 18:13

"Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God." Now, it's the same Hebrew word. Literally, "Thou shalt be sound with the Lord thy God."

Now, if you would turn right over to the book of Job, Job chapter 1, right before the book of Psalms, Job chapter 1, I want to show you the same root word and how it is translated. It is not the same exact word, but it is from the same root word. Notice, if you would please, Job 1, and look at verse 1. Job 1, verse 1. "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and eschewed evil."

Now the word "perfect" is the word "sound."

Scripture Reading — Job 1:1,8

"And that man was sound and upright, one that feared God and eschewed evil."

I love that word "eschewed." It literally means to spit out. You can't stomach it. You can't swallow it. Spit evil out. If you'll skip down to verse 8, here is the same word again. "And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect"—or a sound—"and upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil."

Now, let me point something out that is very important for you to understand. When the Bible is talking about Noah and Job being perfect men, God is not saying that these men are sinless. No, they were sinners. Noah was a sinner; he got drunk. Job was a sinner; he had a false idea concerning himself and concerning God as well. So when the Bible says that these men were perfect men, He is not using the word "perfect" in the sense of sinlessness. The state of being sinless is not attainable in this life. It is only attainable in immortality and in glory. The Bible says very plainly, "There are none that sinneth not."

Even Solomon said in all of his wisdom that everyone sins. Everyone has gone out of the way. If you would look in your Bibles to the book of 1 John chapter 1, let me emphasize this. 1 John chapter 1 and notice, if you would please, first of all, verse 8. 1 John chapter 1 and verse 8.

Now it's important that you see these next two verses because they will enlighten you as to the fact that there are no individuals that are sinless in this life. The only sinless individual, of course, is Jesus Christ. But outside of Christ, no one is sinless. Notice he said in 1 John 1 and verse 8:

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:8,10

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

Now look at that.

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:8,10

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

Soundness and Sinlessness Distinguished

Using 1 John 1:8,10, Weaver emphasizes that no one is sinless except Christ; Noah and Job were called perfect because they walked soundly, feared God, and hated evil.

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:8,10

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

Now look at that.

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:8,10

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

Now here the Bible is talking about our sin nature, that is our inherited depraved nature, that sin that was imputed to us as sinners being descendants of Adam and in his loins. So if we say that we don't have a sin nature, God says we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Skip down, if you would please, to verse 10. He said, "If we say that we have not sinned"—that is, committed actual sin—"we make Him a liar, and the truth is not in us." The reason we have actual sin is because we have imputed sin. We have a sin nature, and because we are sinners we actually sin. So when someone tells you that they are sinless, God says they're a liar and the truth is not in them.

I remember the very first time I ever met a man who claimed to be sinless. He owned a dry cleaning establishment, and I knew he was a professing Christian. And I carried a suit to him to be cleaned, and I walked in and I said, "Isn't it wonderful to have your sins forgiven?" And his response was, "I don't know, I haven't sinned in 10 years." And when I finally picked my jaw up from the floor, I said, "Well, you just broke your record, for you just did—you lied. Because the scripture says, 'If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and the truth is not in us.' I said, 'You just sinned, you just lied, and you called God a liar.'" And of course, after that he did not want my business, but that's alright too. I want you to understand that Jesus Christ is the only sinless individual. All others are sinners. So Noah and Job were sinners, but they were called perfect in this sense: that they walked soundly, they walked uprightly, they walked in accord with God's truth, and they were men who feared God and hated evil.

Now, I'm going to show you how these two things go together. They're actually different sides of one coin. You fear God and you hate evil. So, we do not reach our state of sinlessness as children of God until we are in eternity in glory. So David said—now listen, I want you to think this sentence through with me, this prayer request. He said, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I not be ashamed." So David then wanted his heart to be sound.

The Necessity of a Sound Heart for Sound Wisdom

A sound heart is prerequisite for receiving sound wisdom (Proverbs 2:7, 3:21, 8:14). An unsound heart cannot grasp God's wisdom, leading to instability and shame.

Now, I want you to look in your Bibles very quickly to Psalm 51. And here is a passage that will give you almost the same sense of the word, the same truth. David is praying in Psalm 51 and verse 10. You'll remember this is the Psalm where he is confessing and acknowledging his sin. And he says this in Psalm 51 and verse 10:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 51:10

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."

So what he was wanting was a clean heart. David had sinned, therefore his heart was unclean. David had sinned, therefore his heart was unsound. And so what he's actually praying for is that God would restore in him not just a clean and a pure heart, but an undivided heart, one that was mature and upright and walked according to the truth of God. You see, in the book of Proverbs, chapter 14 and verse 30, we're told this: "A sound heart is the life of the flesh,

but envy is the rottenness of the bones." Now what is true physically is also true spiritually. The sound heart is indeed life to the flesh, physically. An unsound heart very clearly means death. Well, a sound heart is life to the soul. An unsound heart would be basically death to the soul.

Now, let me give you another picture of this same truth. James wrote in James 1 and verse 8,

Scripture Reading — James 1:8

"A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways."

A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. That's a man who has a divided mind. He flip-flops. We could say he's just a politician, couldn't we? I mean, you know. A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. James could have said this equally true: A double-hearted man is unstable in all his ways, or a man with an unsound heart is unstable in all of his ways. So a sound heart then is set in contrast to a double or a deceitful heart. So David said, "Let my heart be sound." What was he saying? I don't want an unclean heart. I don't want an impure heart. I don't want a divided heart. I don't want an unsound heart. Now, let me show you very clearly why it's necessary that we have a sound heart.

If you would look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs, right after the book of Psalms, Proverbs chapter 2, and look if you would please at verse 7. Proverbs 2 and verse 7. And we're talking about what God does for us. Look what the Bible says. Proverbs 2, verse 7: "He"—God—in fact, let's read verse 6, just so you can see the context. Proverbs 2, verse 6: "For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He"—that is God—

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 2:6-7

"layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous."

"He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly." Note what kind of wisdom that God lays up for the righteous. It is sound wisdom. Not just wisdom. It is not the wisdom of the world, which is contrary to God. It is sound wisdom that He lays up. Look in Proverbs 3 and verse 21. Again, He says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 3:21

"My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion."

Now God lays up sound wisdom for us. He commands us to keep sound wisdom. Then if you would look in Proverbs 8 and verse 14, and here you have Jesus Christ who is wisdom personified speaking, and He says this, Proverbs 8 and verse 14: "Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom.

I have understanding," or "I am understanding, and I have strength. Counsel is mine," notice he says, "and sound wisdom. I am understanding." Now here's my question. If God has laid up sound wisdom for the righteous, if God has commanded us to keep sound wisdom, if Jesus Christ says, "I am sound wisdom," how can we grasp and understand sound wisdom with an unsound heart? Very obviously, it's impossible. You cannot do that. If you have sound wisdom, the prerequisite is a sound heart. It takes a sound heart to grasp and understand sound wisdom. An unsound heart does not have wisdom. An unsound heart does not have understanding. So David is praying, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed."

Sound Doctrine and the Law

Weaver connects sound heart to sound doctrine, using 1 Timothy 1:8-10 to show that sin is contrary to sound doctrine. The fear of the Lord leads to departing from evil (Job 28:28).

Now let's take this a little bit further. Let me just give you a quote. While I'm giving you the quote, I want you to turn to 1 Timothy, if you would. In fact, if you're going to turn to 1 Timothy, which I hope that you will, you might as well go ahead and turn to 2 Timothy. I can quote the verse, but I want you to see it. Look in 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 7—2 Timothy chapter 1, right before the book of Titus and right after 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter 1. Look, if you would please, at verse 7. Look what the Bible says, 2 Timothy 1 verse 7: "For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a

sound mind," or a sound heart. "God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind," or a sound heart. Now, let me ask you a question. Why in the world does God give us a sound heart? Why was David praying for a sound heart? I want you to turn back to 1 Timothy chapter 1 and let's begin reading there with verse 8. 1 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 8. We're talking about sound wisdom and a sound heart. Notice 1 Timothy 1 verse 8. Paul writes, "But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully." Do you realize that you may use the law of God unlawfully? The law was never given for justification. And yet some people try to use the law to be saved by it. They try to base their salvation upon their works. That's an unlawful use of the law. The law was never given for salvation. It was never given for justification. No one can be saved or justified by keeping the law of God because it's impossible for a sinner to keep the law of God. You cannot keep it perfectly. You cannot keep it perpetually. And you cannot keep it personally.

Okay? So he says in verse 8, "But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully." Watch verse 9: "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man," help me out now, look at this, "but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine." Whoa, stop right there. Do you know what the Apostle Paul has just done in verses 9 and 10? Let me tell you what he's just done, and I'm not going to take the time to go through all of it, but the Apostle Paul has just enunciated the Ten Commandments.

Now, he didn't spell them out, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," no. He said, the law was made for the lawless and the disobedient. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." A lawless, disobedient individual places another god other than the one true and the living God. If you were to take these verses and go right on down, you would see where Paul is giving an application of the Ten Commandments.

Now look what he says. Let's go to verse 10. After having explained or applied the Ten Commandments, basically, he says in verse 10, "For whoremongers"—that'd be the seventh commandment—"and them that defile themselves with mankind"—the seventh commandment—"for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons." You go right down to "Thou shalt not bear false witness." That's the ninth one. And then here's the tenth one: "Thou shalt not covet." He said, "and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine." Now, let me tell you what the apostle Paul is saying. The Apostle Paul is saying that all sin, all wickedness, all rebellion is unsound doctrine. Now let's go back.

Now listen, David said, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes." What was David praying for? He was wanting a heart that understood and kept the law of God. Because sin is contrary to sound doctrine. You cannot have sound doctrine and sin together. They are mutually exclusive.

Now, let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Job 28 and verse 28, right before the book of Psalms. You have Job 28 verse 28. If you don't memorize or learn any verse today, I want you to learn Job 28 verse 28. You remember I told you earlier, as I quoted from Proverbs 2 and verse 6, "For the Lord giveth wisdom and understanding." You remember that? Wisdom and understanding are the gifts of God. They come from God. Look in Job 28 and verse 28.

Notice what the Bible says. Job 28 verse 28:

Scripture Reading — Job 28:28

"And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding."

What is the fear of the Lord? It's wisdom. It's sound wisdom. Well, what will you do if you have sound wisdom? You will have understanding. You will depart from evil. What did the Apostle Paul say? That sin and rebellion and wickedness is contrary to sound doctrine. If you have sound wisdom that stems from a sound heart, you're going to have sound doctrine. And your sound wisdom and your sound heart and your sound doctrine will teach you that you must depart from evil. It is wisdom, it is understanding that we derive from the Lord that teaches us that we cannot sin against God and get away with it. We must depart from evil. The Bible says in Proverbs 8 and verse 13, let me just quote it, Proverbs 8 verse 13:

Scripture Reading — Job 28:28

"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way,

and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 8:13

" Note what he said. The fear of the Lord is to depart from evil. It's to hate evil. It's to despise it. If you have a sound heart that has sound wisdom, and you're sound in God's law, you hate evil. You hate everything that is contrary to God and His law. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 16 and verse 6, listen carefully.

"By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil." Now don't you stop and think about that. "By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil." Why is it I don't just pull out a pistol and shoot Dr. Holmes between the eyes and just kill him? Why is it I don't murder him? Well, there's a number of reasons, but the first and paramount reason is because I fear God. God says, "Thou shalt not murder," or "Thou shalt not take life unlawfully." There are other reasons.

I happen to love him. I count him a friend. But the main reason is I fear God. Well, let me ask you another question. Well, you say, "Brother Weaver, I can understand that. That's, you know, that's very obvious. You're not going to take his life." Why don't I steal from him? Same reason. God says, "Thou shalt not steal." If you fear God, you're going to depart from evil. If you fear God, you're not going to do that which is wicked and wrong.

Do you remember when the Apostle Paul is relaying the sins and the wickedness of the Jews and the Gentiles in Romans 1, 2, and 3? How does he culminate all of those sins? He says, and I quote, "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Do you remember the passage in Luke 18 where our Lord talked about the unjust judge? He said, "There was an unjust judge who feared not God nor regarded man." In other words, if you don't fear God, you're not going to have any regard for man. In other words, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and understanding is to depart from evil. And by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil. If you are sound in your heart, then you will have sound wisdom and sound doctrine, and you will depart from evil. Are you listening? If you do not depart from evil, if you do not depart from wickedness, it evidences that you do not have sound doctrine, you do not have sound wisdom, and you do not have a sound heart.

Your actions, your conduct, reveal the state and the condition of your heart. Your life is an open book by what you do. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

The Call to Sound Words and Doctrine

Believers are commanded to hold fast sound words (2 Timothy 1:13) and speak sound speech (Titus 2:8). Rejection of sound doctrine stems from unsound hearts (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Now, there are so many commands in the Bible that demand that we have a sound heart and everything that is connected with it. For instance, if you will turn in your Bibles back to 2 Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter 1, and look, if you would please, at verse 13. 2 Timothy 1, verse 13. And we're going to stay in 2 Timothy just for a few moments. But look in 2 Timothy 1, verse 13. Look what the apostle Paul told young preacher Timothy. 2 Timothy 1, verse 13. He told Timothy,

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 1:13

"Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."

Hold fast the form of sound words. What are sound words? They're words that communicate sound doctrine. They're words that communicate sound wisdom. If you would look in your Bibles, hold 2 Timothy, but turn right over, just a page or so, to Titus chapter 2 and look in verse 8. Titus 2 verse 8, God says this: "Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you."

Now, what in the world is sound speech? Sound speech is speech that is right. It is speech that is in agreement with the Word of God. It is speech that is in agreement with the doctrine that is sound and with wisdom that is sound that comes from a sound heart. Okay, now let's go back to 2 Timothy chapter 4 and let me ask you a question before we read the scripture. Here we go. How can one use sound speech and sound words and possess sound doctrine and sound wisdom with an unsound heart? All right, listen to me. If you would like to know what has happened in our country, if you want to know what has happened in America, religiously speaking, if you want to know why there are so few churches that really, truly, and honestly preach and teach the totality of the Word of God,

I'm going to show you from the Bible. We have churches on every corner of most every major city. And most of them are absolutely, totally worthless when it comes to preaching and teaching the Word of God. Why? Why? Let me ask you, why is it that those men who really truly preach and teach the Word of God, usually they have a very small congregation? And why is it that those who compromise and cut corners, and refuse to name a lot of sins and preach a lot of doctrines,

they have a huge successful ministry. Why? Well, here's why. Look in your Bibles to 2 Timothy chapter 4. In fact, let's begin reading with verse 1. Look what the Apostle Paul tells Timothy. He says,

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 4:1-4

"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word; be instant in season, out of season;

reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." What did he say? Timothy, the time is coming. They will not endure sound doctrine. You can't endure sound doctrine unless you have a sound heart. And what is the result? When you don't like sound doctrine, you turn away from the Word of God and you get that which tickles your ears and that which pleases you. If you will look back in your Bibles to Titus chapter 2 and verse 1, the Apostle Paul tells Titus, "But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine." And if you will go back to Titus 1 and look at verse 9, look what he tells Timothy, "Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers."

Let me just spell it out for you. It is impossible to have sound doctrine, sound wisdom with an unsound heart. Hope you're beginning to see why David was praying, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." It is important to note that David wanted a heart that was sound in God's statutes. Now let me tell you what the word "statutes" refers to. It refers to God's decree, to God's boundary, to God's ordinance, to God's commandments. When he said, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes," here's what he was saying:

David's Prayer for a Sound Heart in God's Statutes

David desired to know God's boundaries and apply His Word. Weaver cites Spurgeon's comment that a sound heart is the root of the matter, preventing shame.

"Lord, I want to please you. I want to honor you. I want to know what your boundaries are. I want to know what I may do and what I may not do."

Now listen to me folks, God's law is God's boundary marker. In it he tells us like he told the sea, "Hitherto shalt thou come, and no further." In other words, you may do this, but you may not do that. It is God's decree, it is God's commandment, it is God's boundary marker. Now remember what David prayed. "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." Let me give you a quick quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Spurgeon is commenting on Psalm 119 verse 80. And here's what he says concerning David's prayer: "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." Spurgeon said, "This is the root of the matter. If the heart be sound in obedience to God, all is well, or will be well. If right at heart, we are right in the main. If we be not sound before God, our name for piety is an empty sound.

Mere profession will fail and undeserved esteem will disappear like a bubble when it bursts. Only sincerity and truth will endure in the evil day. He who is right at heart has no reason for shame and he never shall have any. Hypocrites ought to be ashamed now and they shall one day be put to shame without end, their hearts are rotten and their names shall rot. This 80th verse is a variation of the prayer of the 73rd verse. There he sought for sound understanding, here he goes deeper and begs for a sound heart. Those who have learned their own frailty by sad experience are led to dive beneath the surface and cry to the Lord for truth in the inward parts. In closing the consideration of these eight verses, let us join the writer in his prayer, 'Let my heart be sound in thy statutes.'" Now, why did David pray, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes"? The answer is, that he be not ashamed. That he be not ashamed. How in the world can we help but to be shamed when our hearts are not sound in God's statutes? The word "ashamed" is the Hebrew word "bush," and it refers to one who is ashamed, one who is confounded, one who is confused, one who is disappointed, one who is disconcerted, and one who feels shame. Here's what David is saying. David, by the way, when you're disconcerted, when you are confused, you don't know which way to turn. You don't know what to do. Someone asks you, "What's the answer?" "I don't know." And you just have to hang your head in shame.

The Consequences of an Unsound Heart

Weaver lists five reasons Christians should be ashamed: neglect of Scripture, inability to handle trials, ineffective witness, hindered prayer, and future shame at the judgment seat.

What David is saying is this: "I don't want to be ashamed. I don't want to be disconcerted. I don't want to be confused. I want my heart sound in your statutes that I be not that way." In other words, what David was praying was this: "Lord, I want to know how to make application of your law, how to make application of your word to my life." I want you to turn back to Psalm 119. Let me show you a couple things in this psalm. Go back to Psalm 119. I'm explaining verse 80 where David said, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." But go back to Psalm 119, and notice if you would please, verse 105. Psalm 119 verse 105, David said it like this: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

If I were to ask you, how many of you have—and this is good South Georgia language, okay?—how many of you have stumped your toe in the dark? You know, down South we stump our toes. How many of you have stumped your toe in your own home at night walking without a light? Every one of us. Some of us have tripped and fallen. David said, "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." In other words, as long as I'm walking in your doctrine, in your word, I'm not going to stump my toe. I'm not going to stumble. I'm not going to fall. I'm not going to trip because your word is lighting the way.

Now, I want you to hold Psalm 119, but look back in your Bibles very quickly to Psalm 1. Psalm 1, the very first Psalm. I want you to notice how David describes the godly man, the righteous man. Look in Psalm 1 and verse 1, David says this: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." Now, wait a minute. What did David just say? He said, "There's a lamp to my feet and a light in my path." Now, David says, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." I probably told you this before, but I'm going to tell you again. Hopefully you'll remember this time. David said, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly."

Let's put it like this: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the advice of the ungodly." I can show you illustrations of men who followed the advice of the ungodly and they ended up dead. They ended up in sin and rebellion. I can show it to you not only in the Bible but in history as well. God says you don't listen to the advice of the ungodly. What happens when you begin listening to the advice of the ungodly? Look back in verse 1. "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel"—or the advice—"of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners." That's association. You start listening to their advice, the next thing you know, you are associating with them. You're standing around with them. Like Peter, when he warmed himself there by the enemy's fire. Watch what happens. Once you follow their advice, once you begin to associate with them, he says that lastly, "nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful," you end up in agreement. If you follow their advice, if you associate with them, ultimately you're going to end up agreeing with them. David said, "Blessed is the man who doesn't do any of those things," but look at verse 2: "But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." What did David say?

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." I'm not going to walk with the wicked. Go back to Psalm 119, and I want you to just see how David is illuminating this fact for us. Look in Psalm 119 and verse 15, David said it like this, Psalm 119 and verse 15, David said to God, "I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways." I'll meditate in thy precepts. Look in verse 23. "Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes." Look in verse 48. David said, "My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes." David said, "I'm going to reach for your truth. I'm going to meditate in your statutes." Look in verse 78. "Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts." Now, the proud have a reason to be ashamed, because they don't follow the word of God.

David said, "I have no reason to be ashamed, because I will meditate in thy precepts. I want your word." One of my favorite verses that I used to use when I was in college is verse 99. Look at that. I'd often quote this verse, jokingly, of course. "I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation." Well, they didn't like my interpretation of that verse, but that's all right. They knew I was teasing. If I had more understanding than my teachers then I wouldn't have been in college, but that's all right. But David is saying, look, I do have more understanding than some men who are teachers. Why? Because he has the Word of God. He has the truth of God.

Now, let me ask you. I want you to think with me. I want to try to tie all this together for me. David said, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." Here's my question. How can we as Christians be ashamed for not having a sound heart in God's statutes? How can we be ashamed? I want to answer that question for you first. We should be ashamed for our neglect in reading, meditating upon, and studying the Word of God. Now listen to me. We should be ashamed for our neglect of reading, meditating upon, and studying the Word of God. There are many who profess to be Christians who have never ever read the Bible all the way through even one time. Not even once. And there are many who may read the Bible, but they never really meditate upon it. They never really study it. They never really take it seriously. They just kind of read it as a textbook.

It's kind of like a lot of students do, not only in college, but in the lower academic levels as well. They'll study hard for a test, just so they can pass the test, and then promptly forget everything that they had studied. It's worthless. It's useless. Because two weeks later, they have no idea what they read or what they did on the test. We read it and we forget it. Reading our Bible sometimes is like going through a ritual or going through a ceremony. It's something that we do. And if we don't read, we feel guilty about it. So we read it just so we won't feel guilty. Just so that we can say, "We read our Bible today." And you ought to read your Bible every day, but you ought to read it with understanding. And you ought to meditate upon it. You say, "But pastor, you don't understand.

I work for a living." Everybody works for a living. Everybody has 24 hours in one day. And let me tell you something, folks. Here is the absolute bottom line. Here is the absolute truth. You do what you want to do. You have your priorities. And unhappily, sometimes our priority is not reading the scriptures, not meditating, it's not studying, it's not even thinking about the scripture. Most of us do like a lot of the Southern Baptists do. I was raised Southern Baptist. And you know what? The Southern Baptists have this little Sunday School report, little slip that when you go to Sunday School, "Did you read your Bible?" Check yes.

"Did you give to missions?" Check yes. "Did you tithe?" Check yes. In other words, we read it just so we can go and check yes. Turn our little slip in where they can say, "We had 50 who read their Bible this week." I've got news for you folks. It doesn't do you one bit of good to read the Scripture if you don't understand it and if you don't apply it. I tell people, I'd rather read one verse, understand it and apply it, than to read 40 chapters and not understand a thing that I've read. The truth of the matter is this, folks. We should really be ashamed that we don't know the Word of God as we should. We should be ashamed that we're not scholars in the Word of God. We should be ashamed that after all the time that we have spent listening to the Scriptures being taught and listening to the preaching of the Word of God, we should be ashamed that we don't understand more than we do! David said, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed."

How can we as Christians be shamed? Here's the second way. We should be shamed and we are shamed when we're tested and tried and we don't know how to act. I want you to look in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 1. 1 Peter chapter 1 and let's read verses 6 through 9. 1 Peter 1, let's begin there with verse 6. And look if you would please with me. 1 Peter 1, verse 6. Peter writes, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." Go back to verse 6.

He says, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in..." What? You are in heaviness! You're weighted down. You may be discouraged. Why? Through manifold temptations. You know, one of our problems is this. Everyone has tests. Everyone has trials. Everyone has temptations. One of our big problems is this: we're so ignorant of the Word of God, we're so ignorant of the principles in the Scripture of the Word of God, we just don't know how to act. We don't know what to do. We don't know where to turn. We're disconcerted. We're confused. If you know the answer, you don't have a problem. You only have problems when you don't know what to do.

Look in your Bibles, if you would, please. 2 Peter chapter 1, you see each of us have tests and trials. But have you ever asked this question? Why am I in this test? Why am I in this trial? What is God trying to teach me? What must I learn? But let me tell you something. I had several courses in college that I absolutely hated. I despised.

I saw no value in them. I saw no use for them. But it was a requirement, and I had to take it, the course. In fact, I can think of one particularly right now. I despised it. I hated it. You know what my grade was on that course? An A. You know why I made an A in that course? Because I wanted to make dead sure I didn't have to take it again. I hated it so much.

Now, what I'm trying to tell you is this. If we're in a test and trial and temptation, we need to know why we're in it. We need to know what God is teaching us so we can get out of it and not have to go through it again. But if you'll look in 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 3, I want you to look carefully now. "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." Now let's go back to verse 3. "According as his divine power hath given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness." God has given us every answer to every problem. He's given us everything. But note, how has He given it to us? Watch verse 3. "Through the knowledge of him that hath called us." And then he says, "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises." How in the world can we claim the promises if we're ignorant of them? How can we know what God is teaching us if we're ignorant of God? We should be ashamed that we don't know how to act. We don't know which way to turn. We don't know what to do when we're in our tests and our trials.

What does the Bible say in 1 Corinthians 10:13? Let me just quote it. Listen carefully. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man." What's that mean? Ed's trials are my trials. My trials are Henry's trials. My temptations are Doug's temptations. There's no temptation, there's no test, there's no trial taking you, but such as is common to man. Now listen, "but God is faithful,

who will not suffer"—or allow—"you to be tempted above that ye are able." Let me explain that. God will never put more on you than you can take. If God has put something on you, you can take it by His grace. Now let me go back. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." In every test, in every trial, there's a way of escape. There's an exit door. But how can we exit if we don't know the way to the door? How can we get out of our test and trial if we don't even know there's an exit? "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

We should be ashamed, number one, because we're so ignorant of the Word of God. Number two, we should be ashamed that we're so ignorant of the Word of God, we don't even know how to get over our problems. I'm going to tell you, listen carefully. Christians ought not to have the problems that the unsaved have. Ought not to. Why? Because we have the answers, and the knowledge is right here.

We just need to study it, apply it. There's a third reason we should be ashamed, and that is we should be ashamed that when we have the opportunity to minister to others, we don't know the words to use. We don't know the Scriptures. We don't know the promises. We don't know the warnings. You know what God said in Isaiah 43 and verse 10? He said this, listen carefully. "Ye are my witnesses." Wow! In Isaiah 43 and verse 12, God says, "I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God." And then in Isaiah 44 and verse 8, He said, "Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any." How in the world can we be a faithful witness to other people if we don't know what to say to them?

If we don't know what to share with them? If we don't know how to warn them or how to give them promises? How can we witness? How can we tell them about the greatness of our God if we don't even know His greatness? Old Lester Olaf, I've never forgotten what he said one time. He said, "In the time of sorrow, how many can come and how few can comfort." Isn't that true? Most of us don't know what to say to comfort someone. We can repeat what everybody else says, but we really don't know how to comfort because we don't know the promises and we don't know the Scriptures that will encourage and give people comfort.

Fourthly, we should be ashamed when we come before Him in prayer with an unsound heart. I want you to turn to 1 John chapter 3. You're in 2 Peter, just turn over a few pages. 1 John chapter 3. We should be ashamed when we come before God with an unsound heart. God's given us His Word. Why should we have an unsound heart? Look in 1 John chapter 3, verse 20. In fact, let's read verse 19. John writes, 1 John 3 verse 19, "And hereby we know that we are of the truth," now watch, "and shall assure our hearts before him." What is going to assure our hearts before Him? Because we know that we are of the truth. We have the truth. Watch, if you would please, verse 20. "For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God." How in the world can we come before God in prayer and not be ashamed when we have an unsound heart?

We don't know His doctrine. We don't know His wisdom. And our heart condemns us. And I want you to know what happens when our heart condemns us, then we no longer have any confidence toward God. He said, "If our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God." So we should be ashamed when we come before the Lord and say, "Lord, I've got a confession to make, and I'm ashamed of it. I don't know your Word like I should. I don't know your doctrine. I don't know your statutes. I don't know your boundary markers. Lord, I'm just ashamed you've given me your Word. And Lord, here I am to ask your blessing and ask your help. And like Daniel, I'm ashamed. I'm afraid to even lift up my head." So we should be ashamed when we come before God in prayer with an unsound heart. And fifthly, if you'll turn back in your Bibles, I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this since I've dealt with it in the last couple of weeks, but if you'll look in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, we should be ashamed and we will be ashamed when we appear before our Lord

at the judgment seat. Look at it in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 10. The Apostle Paul wrote, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." I told you before, this is not a judgment to determine salvation. If you're not already saved, you would not even be there. This is a judgment that determines our service, and very obviously, we want to have served Him well because we want to hear those words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." I got news for you, every one of us will be ashamed when we stand there because we should have loved Him, we should have served Him better and even more than we have.

Conclusion: A Call to Soundness

Weaver concludes with Thomas Hooker's quote on the sound heart receiving Christ fully, and prays for hearts to be sound in God's statutes to avoid shame.

Thomas Hooker, who died in 1647, said this, commenting on David's prayer, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." He said, "Let my heart be sound. This is a plain difference between a sound heart and a false heart. In the receiving of Christ, the sound heart receives Him as a favorite receives a prince. He gives up all to Him, and lets him have the command of all. A mere innkeeper, or motel owner, a mere innkeeper entertains him that comes next to him. He will take any man's money that comes, he cares not, for he loves gain above all things. Doesn't matter if he's the worst man in the world, he'll take his money, for he loves gain above all things, not so with a good heart. The good heart welcomes Christ alone and resigns up all to Christ. What's ever is pleasing to Christ, He will do it. And what's ever comes from Christ, He will welcome.

And that was David's prayer. "Let not my heart"—or "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes." Why? "That I be not ashamed." And folks, I'll be honest with you. And I'm including me. We should be ashamed that our hearts are not sound in God's law, in God's Word. We should be ashamed that we don't know how to make application, how to act. We should be ashamed when we come before Him in prayer that we have an unsound heart. David's prayer was, "Lord, teach me. Make me what I should be. Let my heart be sound in thy statutes." Why? "That I be not ashamed." One of my prayers every day is, "Lord, let me not be ashamed.

Let me not be confounded." In fact, David prayed this, "Let those that hate Thee be ashamed and confounded. But let those that love Thee rejoice before Thee." Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day, we thank You for Your love and Your grace and Your mercy. Lord, we must confess, we must acknowledge, Lord, there's so much reason in our lives to be ashamed before Thee. But Lord, correct that in us today, prepare our hearts, open our hearts, open our minds, give us understanding. May we understand Thy Word, apply Thy Word, and walk in Thy Word for Your honor and Your glory and for our good. Let our hearts be sound in Thy statutes that we be not ashamed. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Nature of a Sound Heart

Summary: A sound heart is whole, upright, and aligned with God's truth, not sinless but mature and fearing God.

Evidence: Weaver explains the Hebrew word for 'sound' means whole, complete, upright, perfect, mature, and shows its use in Genesis 6:9 and Deuteronomy 18:13.

The Connection Between Sound Heart and Sound Wisdom/Doctrine

Summary: A sound heart is necessary to receive sound wisdom and sound doctrine; an unsound heart leads to rejection of truth.

Evidence: Weaver cites Proverbs 2:7, 3:21, 8:14 and 1 Timothy 1:8-10, arguing that sin is contrary to sound doctrine and requires a sound heart to understand.

The Fear of the Lord and Departing from Evil

Summary: True wisdom and understanding are evidenced by fearing God and hating evil, which stems from a sound heart.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Job 28:28, Proverbs 8:13, and Proverbs 16:6 to show that the fear of the Lord leads to departing from evil.

Shame for Neglecting God's Word

Summary: Christians should be ashamed for not reading, meditating on, and applying Scripture, which leads to ignorance and inability to live godly.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'We should be ashamed for our neglect in reading, meditating upon, and studying the Word of God,' and laments superficial Bible reading.

The Consequences of an Unsound Heart in Trials and Witness

Summary: An unsound heart results in confusion during trials, ineffective witness, and hindered prayer, leading to shame.

Evidence: Weaver uses 1 Peter 1:6, 2 Peter 1:3, and 1 Corinthians 10:13 to show that ignorance of God's promises leaves believers without answers in trials.

Future Shame at the Judgment Seat

Summary: Believers will be ashamed at the judgment seat of Christ if they have not served Him with a sound heart.

Evidence: Weaver references 2 Corinthians 5:10, noting that all will appear before Christ to receive according to their deeds, leading to shame for inadequate service.

Key Arguments

Soundness does not mean sinlessness

Summary: Noah and Job were called perfect (sound) but were sinners; soundness refers to walking uprightly in accord with God's truth, not being sinless.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'When the Bible says that these men were perfect men, He is not using the word "perfect" in the sense of sinlessness.'

An unsound heart cannot grasp sound wisdom

Summary: If God lays up sound wisdom for the righteous, it requires a sound heart to understand it; an unsound heart lacks wisdom.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'How can we grasp and understand sound wisdom with an unsound heart? Very obviously, it's impossible.'

Sin is contrary to sound doctrine

Summary: All sin and rebellion are unsound doctrine; a sound heart in God's statutes leads to hating evil and departing from it.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The Apostle Paul is saying that all sin, all wickedness, all rebellion is unsound doctrine.'

Rejection of sound doctrine reveals an unsound heart

Summary: People turn from sound doctrine to fables because they have unsound hearts and itching ears, desiring teachers who please them.

Evidence: Weaver cites 2 Timothy 4:3-4: 'For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.'

Ignorance of Scripture leads to shame in trials

Summary: Christians who do not know God's promises are confused and ashamed when tested, because they lack the wisdom to find the way of escape.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We should be ashamed that we're so ignorant of the Word of God, we don't even know how to get over our problems.'

An unsound heart hinders prayer

Summary: When our heart condemns us for not knowing God's Word, we lose confidence before God in prayer, leading to shame.

Evidence: Weaver references 1 John 3:20-21: 'If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart... if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.'

Scripture References

Psalm 119:80

Context: The central text: David prays for a sound heart in God's statutes to avoid shame.

Genesis 6:9

Context: Noah was a just man and perfect (sound) in his generations, illustrating soundness.

Deuteronomy 18:13

Context: Command to be perfect (sound) with the Lord, using the same Hebrew word.

Job 1:1,8

Context: Job was perfect (sound) and upright, fearing God and eschewing evil.

1 John 1:8,10

Context: If we say we have no sin or have not sinned, we deceive ourselves and make God a liar; no one is sinless.

Psalm 51:10

Context: David prays for a clean heart, paralleling the desire for a sound heart.

Proverbs 14:30

Context: A sound heart is the life of the flesh, but envy is rottenness of the bones.

James 1:8

Context: A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways, contrasting with a sound heart.

Proverbs 2:6-7

Context: God lays up sound wisdom for the righteous.

Proverbs 3:21

Context: Command to keep sound wisdom and discretion.

Proverbs 8:14

Context: Christ, as wisdom personified, says counsel and sound wisdom are His.

2 Timothy 1:7

Context: God has given us a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.

1 Timothy 1:8-10

Context: The law is for the lawless; sin is contrary to sound doctrine.

Job 28:28

Context: The fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.

Proverbs 8:13

Context: The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.

Proverbs 16:6

Context: By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.

2 Timothy 1:13

Context: Hold fast the form of sound words.

Titus 2:8

Context: Sound speech that cannot be condemned.

2 Timothy 4:1-4

Context: Preach the word; the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.

Titus 2:1

Context: Speak the things which become sound doctrine.

Historical References

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Context: Spurgeon's commentary on Psalm 119:80 is quoted, emphasizing that a sound heart is the root of the matter and prevents shame.

Thomas Hooker (died 1647)

Context: Hooker's quote on the difference between a sound heart and a false heart is cited, illustrating total surrender to Christ.

Important Quotes

Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed.

Significance: The central verse of the sermon, setting the theme of seeking a sound heart to avoid shame.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Significance: Used to clarify that soundness does not mean sinlessness; all are sinners.

The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Significance: Key verse linking fear of God with wisdom and departing from evil.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.

Significance: Explains why many reject sound teaching—they have unsound hearts.

Let my heart be sound. This is a plain difference between a sound heart and a false heart. In the receiving of Christ, the sound heart receives Him as a favorite receives a prince. He gives up all to Him, and lets him have the command of all.

Significance: Thomas Hooker's quote illustrating total surrender as the mark of a sound heart.

We should be ashamed for our neglect in reading, meditating upon, and studying the Word of God.

Significance: Direct application calling believers to prioritize Scripture engagement.

If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

Significance: Highlights the impact of an unsound heart on prayer and confidence before God.

Discussion Questions

What does it mean to have a 'sound heart' according to Psalm 119:80, and how is it different from being sinless?

Context: Weaver explains the Hebrew word for sound and uses Noah and Job as examples of sound but sinful men.

Why is a sound heart necessary to receive sound wisdom and sound doctrine?

Context: Weaver argues that an unsound heart cannot grasp God's wisdom, citing Proverbs and 1 Timothy.

How does the fear of the Lord relate to departing from evil, and why is this evidence of a sound heart?

Context: Weaver connects Job 28:28 and Proverbs 16:6 to show that fearing God leads to hating evil.

In what ways do we see the rejection of sound doctrine in today's churches, and what does that reveal about hearts?

Context: Weaver discusses 2 Timothy 4:3-4 and the tendency to seek teachers who tickle ears.

What are some practical reasons Christians should be ashamed of neglecting God's Word?

Context: Weaver lists five consequences: ignorance, inability in trials, poor witness, hindered prayer, and future judgment.

How can we cultivate a sound heart that delights in God's statutes and avoids shame?

Context: Weaver emphasizes meditation on Scripture (Psalm 119:15,23,48,78) and applying it daily.

What does Thomas Hooker's illustration of the sound heart receiving Christ as a prince teach us about surrender?

Context: Weaver quotes Hooker to contrast a sound heart that gives all to Christ with a false heart that loves gain.

How does an unsound heart affect our prayer life and confidence before God?

Context: Weaver uses 1 John 3:19-21 to show that a condemning heart robs us of confidence in prayer.

Applications

Prioritize Scripture Reading and Meditation

Summary: Believers should be ashamed of neglecting God's Word and must commit to daily reading, meditation, and study to gain sound wisdom.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We should be ashamed for our neglect in reading, meditating upon, and studying the Word of God.'

Seek a Sound Heart through Prayer

Summary: Like David, pray for a sound heart that is whole, upright, and aligned with God's statutes to avoid shame.

Evidence: Weaver emphasizes David's prayer, 'Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed,' as a model.

Apply God's Word to Daily Life

Summary: Knowing Scripture is not enough; believers must apply it to their conduct, decisions, and trials to avoid confusion and shame.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'I'd rather read one verse, understand it and apply it, than to read 40 chapters and not understand a thing.'

Fear God and Depart from Evil

Summary: A sound heart is evidenced by fearing God and hating evil; believers must actively turn from sin in reverence for God.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Job 28:28 and Proverbs 16:6, urging departure from evil as the fruit of sound wisdom.

Prepare for Trials by Knowing God's Promises

Summary: To avoid shame in trials, believers must know Scripture's promises and principles to find the way of escape God provides.

Evidence: Weaver references 1 Corinthians 10:13 and 2 Peter 1:3, stressing that God has given all things for life and godliness.

Be an Effective Witness

Summary: Christians should know Scripture well enough to comfort, warn, and share the gospel, avoiding the shame of silence.

Evidence: Weaver cites Isaiah 43:10,12 and laments that many cannot comfort because they don't know the promises.

Maintain Confidence in Prayer

Summary: Keep a sound heart to avoid self-condemnation that hinders prayer; confess ignorance and seek God's help.

Evidence: Weaver uses 1 John 3:19-21 to show that a non-condemning heart gives confidence before God.

Live in Light of the Judgment Seat

Summary: Serve Christ faithfully with a sound heart to avoid shame when giving account at the judgment seat.

Evidence: Weaver references 2 Corinthians 5:10, urging believers to serve well to hear 'Well done.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:13:21Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:46:21Z

Clean Transcript

Are You Shamed?

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Alright, if you would open your Bibles today to Psalm 119. Psalm 119. And we're going to be looking at verse 80. Psalm 119 and verse 80. The title of the message today is very simple: Are you shamed? Are you shamed? Look in Psalm 119 and verse 80. David said in his prayer, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." Now look at it and think about it. "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." Unhappily, each one of us have been told often in our lives, "You should be ashamed," or "You should be ashamed of yourself."
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Having heard those words even as a child, we understood that we had done something wrong, wicked, or unethical. And consequently, what we would do is we would hang our heads in shame and awe. We would seek to escape the presence of our parents and hope that they would soon forget the incident. In those days, even as children, we were embarrassed, we were humiliated, and we were ashamed of our conduct—and hopefully it was not just because we'd gotten caught, but because we had done something wrong. It was pointed out to us. As adults, we have done things that are wrong and for which we are now ashamed. In fact, David prayed, "Remember not the sins of my youth." And the truth of the matter is this: We have not only done things for which we are ashamed, we have done things that we do not want our family and our friends to learn about. Whether you want to call them your mistakes, your misdeeds, or your sins, it's still the same thing. And some of us have done things that even after many years have passed, and our misdeeds and our sins are shrouded with time, when they come back to our minds, we still kind of hang our head in shame and we say, "I wish I'd never done that," or "I wish I did not
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have that attitude," or "I wish that had not happened." But the truth of the matter is it did happen. And we have that attitude. And now we are ashamed. If I were to ask you today, if you have ever done anything for which you're ashamed, raise your hand. I can assure you every hand would be raised. Every wife could tell on the husband, and every husband could tell on the wife. Children could tell on the parents, parents could tell on the children. We understand what it means to be ashamed.
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I want you to look back down at Psalm 119 and verse 80. David said, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." So the question that is pressing today, that is set before us by our text, is this: Are we ashamed of our lack of knowledge, our lack of understanding, and our lack of application of the Word of God to our lives? Our text clearly indicates that it is possible to be shamed for one's lack of soundness in the Word of God. Now if David wanted to be sound in God's statutes, that he not be ashamed, then the opposite is also true: When we are not sound in God's statutes, then we have a reason to be ashamed. Let's consider the word "sound." First of all, David said, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes." The Hebrew word for "sound" literally means to be whole, to be complete,
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to be entire, to be sound, to be upright, to be perfect, to be mature, without blemish and without spot. It means one who is in accord with truth and fact.
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Now, I want to show you how this same word is translated in our King James Bibles. I want you to turn, if you would please, first of all, to Genesis chapter 6 and verse 9. Hold, if you would please, Psalm 119. But go to Genesis chapter 6 and look, if you would, at verse 9. And then we're going to Deuteronomy 18. Here's the same Hebrew word that is translated as "sound" in Psalm 119 and verse 80. And if you look in Genesis 6 and verse 9, the Bible says this:
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"These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."
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Now the word "perfect" in verse 9 is the same Hebrew word that is translated as "sound" in Psalm 119 verse 80. So the Bible says that Noah was a just man and sound in his generations, and Noah walked with God. If you look in Deuteronomy chapter 18, the fifth book in the Old Testament, the fifth book of the Law, Deuteronomy chapter 18, and look at verse 13. Deuteronomy 18 verse 13. The Word of God says, "Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God." Now, it's the same Hebrew word. Literally, "Thou shalt be sound with the Lord thy God." Now, if you would turn right over to the book of Job, Job chapter 1, right before the book of Psalms, Job chapter 1, I want to show you the same root word and how it is translated. It is not the same exact word, but it is from the same root word. Notice, if you would please, Job 1, and look at verse 1. Job 1, verse 1. "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and eschewed evil."
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Now the word "perfect" is the word "sound." "And that man was sound and upright, one that feared God and eschewed evil." I love that word "eschewed." It literally means to spit out. You can't stomach it. You can't swallow it. Spit evil out. If you'll skip down to verse 8, here is the same word again. "And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect"—or a sound—"and upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil."
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Now, let me point something out that is very important for you to understand. When the Bible is talking about Noah and Job being perfect men, God is not saying that these men are sinless. No, they were sinners. Noah was a sinner; he got drunk. Job was a sinner; he had a false idea concerning himself and concerning God as well. So when the Bible says that these men were perfect men, He is not using the word "perfect" in the sense of sinlessness. The state of being sinless is not attainable in this life. It is only attainable in immortality and in glory. The Bible says very plainly, "There are none that sinneth not."
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Even Solomon said in all of his wisdom that everyone sins. Everyone has gone out of the way. If you would look in your Bibles to the book of 1 John chapter 1, let me emphasize this. 1 John chapter 1 and notice, if you would please, first of all, verse 8. 1 John chapter 1 and verse 8.
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Now it's important that you see these next two verses because they will enlighten you as to the fact that there are no individuals that are sinless in this life. The only sinless individual, of course, is Jesus Christ. But outside of Christ, no one is sinless. Notice he said in 1 John 1 and verse 8: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Now look at that. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
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Now here the Bible is talking about our sin nature, that is our inherited depraved nature, that sin that was imputed to us as sinners being descendants of Adam and in his loins. So if we say that we don't have a sin nature, God says we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Skip down, if you would please, to verse 10. He said, "If we say that we have not sinned"—that is, committed actual sin—"we make Him a liar, and the truth is not in us." The reason we have actual sin is because we have imputed sin. We have a sin nature, and because we are sinners we actually sin. So when someone tells you that they are sinless, God says they're a liar and the truth is not in them.
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I remember the very first time I ever met a man who claimed to be sinless. He owned a dry cleaning establishment, and I knew he was a professing Christian. And I carried a suit to him to be cleaned, and I walked in and I said, "Isn't it wonderful to have your sins forgiven?" And his response was, "I don't know, I haven't sinned in 10 years." And when I finally picked my jaw up from the floor, I said, "Well, you just broke your record, for you just did—you lied. Because the scripture says, 'If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and the truth is not in us.' I said, 'You just sinned, you just lied, and you called God a liar.'"
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And of course, after that he did not want my business, but that's alright too. I want you to understand that Jesus Christ is the only sinless individual. All others are sinners. So Noah and Job were sinners, but they were called perfect in this sense: that they walked soundly, they walked uprightly, they walked in accord with God's truth, and they were men who feared God and hated evil.
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Now, I'm going to show you how these two things go together. They're actually different sides of one coin. You fear God and you hate evil. So, we do not reach our state of sinlessness as children of God until we are in eternity in glory. So David said—now listen, I want you to think this sentence through with me, this prayer request. He said, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I not be ashamed." So David then wanted his heart to be sound.
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Now, I want you to look in your Bibles very quickly to Psalm 51. And here is a passage that will give you almost the same sense of the word, the same truth. David is praying in Psalm 51 and verse 10. You'll remember this is the Psalm where he is confessing and acknowledging his sin. And he says this in Psalm 51 and verse 10: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." So what he was wanting was a clean heart. David had sinned, therefore his heart was unclean. David had sinned, therefore his heart was unsound. And so what he's actually praying for is that God would restore in him not just a clean and a pure heart, but an undivided heart, one that was mature and upright and walked according to the truth of God. You see, in the book of Proverbs, chapter 14 and verse 30, we're told this: "A sound heart is the life of the flesh,
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but envy is the rottenness of the bones." Now what is true physically is also true spiritually. The sound heart is indeed life to the flesh, physically. An unsound heart very clearly means death. Well, a sound heart is life to the soul. An unsound heart would be basically death to the soul.
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Now, let me give you another picture of this same truth. James wrote in James 1 and verse 8, "A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways." A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. That's a man who has a divided mind. He flip-flops. We could say he's just a politician, couldn't we? I mean, you know. A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. James could have said this equally true: A double-hearted man is unstable in all his ways, or a man with an unsound heart is unstable in all of his ways. So a sound heart then is set in contrast to a double or a deceitful heart. So David said, "Let my heart be sound." What was he saying? I don't want an unclean heart. I don't want an impure heart. I don't want a divided heart. I don't want an unsound heart. Now, let me show you very clearly why it's necessary that we have a sound heart.
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If you would look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs, right after the book of Psalms, Proverbs chapter 2, and look if you would please at verse 7. Proverbs 2 and verse 7. And we're talking about what God does for us. Look what the Bible says. Proverbs 2, verse 7: "He"—God—in fact, let's read verse 6, just so you can see the context. Proverbs 2, verse 6: "For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He"—that is God—"layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous."
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"He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly." Note what kind of wisdom that God lays up for the righteous. It is sound wisdom. Not just wisdom. It is not the wisdom of the world, which is contrary to God. It is sound wisdom that He lays up. Look in Proverbs 3 and verse 21. Again, He says, "My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion." Now God lays up sound wisdom for us. He commands us to keep sound wisdom. Then if you would look in Proverbs 8 and verse 14, and here you have Jesus Christ who is wisdom personified speaking, and He says this, Proverbs 8 and verse 14: "Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom.
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I have understanding," or "I am understanding, and I have strength. Counsel is mine," notice he says, "and sound wisdom. I am understanding." Now here's my question. If God has laid up sound wisdom for the righteous, if God has commanded us to keep sound wisdom, if Jesus Christ says, "I am sound wisdom," how can we grasp and understand sound wisdom with an unsound heart? Very obviously, it's impossible. You cannot do that. If you have sound wisdom, the prerequisite is a sound heart. It takes a sound heart to grasp and understand sound wisdom. An unsound heart does not have wisdom. An unsound heart does not have understanding. So David is praying, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed."
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Now let's take this a little bit further. Let me just give you a quote. While I'm giving you the quote, I want you to turn to 1 Timothy, if you would. In fact, if you're going to turn to 1 Timothy, which I hope that you will, you might as well go ahead and turn to 2 Timothy. I can quote the verse, but I want you to see it. Look in 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 7—2 Timothy chapter 1, right before the book of Titus and right after 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter 1. Look, if you would please, at verse 7. Look what the Bible says, 2 Timothy 1 verse 7: "For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a
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sound mind," or a sound heart. "God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind," or a sound heart.
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Now, let me ask you a question. Why in the world does God give us a sound heart? Why was David praying for a sound heart? I want you to turn back to 1 Timothy chapter 1 and let's begin reading there with verse 8. 1 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 8. We're talking about sound wisdom and a sound heart. Notice 1 Timothy 1 verse 8. Paul writes, "But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully." Do you realize that you may use the law of God unlawfully? The law was never given for justification. And yet some people try to use the law to be saved by it. They try to base their salvation upon their works. That's an unlawful use of the law. The law was never given for salvation. It was never given for justification. No one can be saved or justified by keeping the law of God because it's impossible for a sinner to keep the law of God. You cannot keep it perfectly. You cannot keep it perpetually. And you cannot keep it personally.
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Okay? So he says in verse 8, "But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully." Watch verse 9: "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man," help me out now, look at this, "but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine." Whoa, stop right there. Do you know what the Apostle Paul has just done in verses 9 and 10? Let me tell you what he's just done, and I'm not going to take the time to go through all of it, but the Apostle Paul has just enunciated the Ten Commandments.
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Now, he didn't spell them out, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," no. He said, the law was made for the lawless and the disobedient. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." A lawless, disobedient individual places another god other than the one true and the living God. If you were to take these verses and go right on down, you would see where Paul is giving an application of the Ten Commandments.
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Now look what he says. Let's go to verse 10. After having explained or applied the Ten Commandments, basically, he says in verse 10, "For whoremongers"—that'd be the seventh commandment—"and them that defile themselves with mankind"—the seventh commandment—"for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons." You go right down to "Thou shalt not bear false witness." That's the ninth one. And then here's the tenth one: "Thou shalt not covet."
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He said, "and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine." Now, let me tell you what the apostle Paul is saying. The Apostle Paul is saying that all sin, all wickedness, all rebellion is unsound doctrine. Now let's go back.
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Now listen, David said, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes." What was David praying for? He was wanting a heart that understood and kept the law of God. Because sin is contrary to sound doctrine. You cannot have sound doctrine and sin together. They are mutually exclusive.
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Now, let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Job 28 and verse 28, right before the book of Psalms. You have Job 28 verse 28. If you don't memorize or learn any verse today, I want you to learn Job 28 verse 28. You remember I told you earlier, as I quoted from Proverbs 2 and verse 6, "For the Lord giveth wisdom and understanding." You remember that? Wisdom and understanding are the gifts of God. They come from God. Look in Job 28 and verse 28.
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Notice what the Bible says. Job 28 verse 28: "And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." What is the fear of the Lord? It's wisdom. It's sound wisdom. Well, what will you do if you have sound wisdom? You will have understanding. You will depart from evil. What did the Apostle Paul say? That sin and rebellion and wickedness is contrary to sound doctrine. If you have sound wisdom that stems from a sound heart, you're going to have sound doctrine. And your sound wisdom and your sound heart and your sound doctrine will teach you that you must depart from evil. It is wisdom, it is understanding that we derive from the Lord that teaches us that we cannot sin against God and get away with it. We must depart from evil. The Bible says in Proverbs 8 and verse 13, let me just quote it, Proverbs 8 verse 13: "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way,
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and the froward mouth, do I hate." Note what he said. The fear of the Lord is to depart from evil. It's to hate evil. It's to despise it. If you have a sound heart that has sound wisdom, and you're sound in God's law, you hate evil. You hate everything that is contrary to God and His law. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 16 and verse 6, listen carefully.
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"By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil."
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Now don't you stop and think about that. "By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil." Why is it I don't just pull out a pistol and shoot Dr. Holmes between the eyes and just kill him? Why is it I don't murder him? Well, there's a number of reasons, but the first and paramount reason is because I fear God. God says, "Thou shalt not murder," or "Thou shalt not take life unlawfully." There are other reasons.
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I happen to love him. I count him a friend. But the main reason is I fear God. Well, let me ask you another question. Well, you say, "Brother Weaver, I can understand that. That's, you know, that's very obvious. You're not going to take his life." Why don't I steal from him? Same reason. God says, "Thou shalt not steal." If you fear God, you're going to depart from evil. If you fear God, you're not going to do that which is wicked and wrong.
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Do you remember when the Apostle Paul is relaying the sins and the wickedness of the Jews and the Gentiles in Romans 1, 2, and 3? How does he culminate all of those sins? He says, and I quote, "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Do you remember the passage in Luke 18 where our Lord talked about the unjust judge? He said, "There was an unjust judge who feared not God nor regarded man." In other words, if you don't fear God, you're not going to have any regard for man. In other words, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and understanding is to depart from evil. And by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil. If you are sound in your heart, then you will have sound wisdom and sound doctrine, and you will depart from evil. Are you listening? If you do not depart from evil, if you do not depart from wickedness, it evidences that you do not have sound doctrine, you do not have sound wisdom, and you do not have a sound heart.
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Your actions, your conduct, reveal the state and the condition of your heart. Your life is an open book by what you do. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."
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Now, there are so many commands in the Bible that demand that we have a sound heart and everything that is connected with it. For instance, if you will turn in your Bibles back to 2 Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter 1, and look, if you would please, at verse 13. 2 Timothy 1, verse 13. And we're going to stay in 2 Timothy just for a few moments. But look in 2 Timothy 1, verse 13. Look what the apostle Paul told young preacher Timothy. 2 Timothy 1, verse 13. He told Timothy, "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." Hold fast the form of sound words. What are sound words? They're words that communicate sound doctrine. They're words that communicate sound wisdom. If you would look in your Bibles, hold 2 Timothy, but turn right over, just a page or so, to Titus chapter 2 and look in verse 8. Titus 2 verse 8, God says this: "Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you."
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Now, what in the world is sound speech? Sound speech is speech that is right. It is speech that is in agreement with the Word of God. It is speech that is in agreement with the doctrine that is sound and with wisdom that is sound that comes from a sound heart. Okay, now let's go back to 2 Timothy chapter 4 and let me ask you a question before we read the scripture. Here we go. How can one use sound speech and sound words and possess sound doctrine and sound wisdom with an unsound heart? All right, listen to me. If you would like to know what has happened in our country, if you want to know what has happened in America, religiously speaking, if you want to know why there are so few churches that really, truly, and honestly preach and teach the totality of the Word of God,
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I'm going to show you from the Bible. We have churches on every corner of most every major city. And most of them are absolutely, totally worthless when it comes to preaching and teaching the Word of God. Why? Why? Let me ask you, why is it that those men who really truly preach and teach the Word of God, usually they have a very small congregation? And why is it that those who compromise and cut corners, and refuse to name a lot of sins and preach a lot of doctrines,
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they have a huge successful ministry. Why? Well, here's why. Look in your Bibles to 2 Timothy chapter 4. In fact, let's begin reading with verse 1. Look what the Apostle Paul tells Timothy. He says, "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word; be instant in season, out of season;
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reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." What did he say? Timothy, the time is coming. They will not endure sound doctrine. You can't endure sound doctrine unless you have a sound heart.
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And what is the result? When you don't like sound doctrine, you turn away from the Word of God and you get that which tickles your ears and that which pleases you. If you will look back in your Bibles to Titus chapter 2 and verse 1, the Apostle Paul tells Titus, "But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine." And if you will go back to Titus 1 and look at verse 9, look what he tells Timothy, "Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers."
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Let me just spell it out for you. It is impossible to have sound doctrine, sound wisdom with an unsound heart. Hope you're beginning to see why David was praying, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." It is important to note that David wanted a heart that was sound in God's statutes. Now let me tell you what the word "statutes" refers to. It refers to God's decree, to God's boundary, to God's ordinance, to God's commandments. When he said, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes," here's what he was saying:
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"Lord, I want to please you. I want to honor you. I want to know what your boundaries are. I want to know what I may do and what I may not do."
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Now listen to me folks, God's law is God's boundary marker. In it he tells us like he told the sea, "Hitherto shalt thou come, and no further." In other words, you may do this, but you may not do that. It is God's decree, it is God's commandment, it is God's boundary marker.
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Now remember what David prayed. "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." Let me give you a quick quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Spurgeon is commenting on Psalm 119 verse 80. And here's what he says concerning David's prayer: "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." Spurgeon said, "This is the root of the matter. If the heart be sound in obedience to God, all is well, or will be well. If right at heart, we are right in the main. If we be not sound before God, our name for piety is an empty sound.
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Mere profession will fail and undeserved esteem will disappear like a bubble when it bursts. Only sincerity and truth will endure in the evil day. He who is right at heart has no reason for shame and he never shall have any. Hypocrites ought to be ashamed now and they shall one day be put to shame without end, their hearts are rotten and their names shall rot. This 80th verse is a variation of the prayer of the 73rd verse. There he sought for sound understanding, here he goes deeper and begs for a sound heart.
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Those who have learned their own frailty by sad experience are led to dive beneath the surface and cry to the Lord for truth in the inward parts. In closing the consideration of these eight verses, let us join the writer in his prayer, 'Let my heart be sound in thy statutes.'" Now, why did David pray, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes"? The answer is, that he be not ashamed. That he be not ashamed. How in the world can we help but to be shamed when our hearts are not sound in God's statutes? The word "ashamed" is the Hebrew word "bush," and it refers to one who is ashamed, one who is confounded, one who is confused, one who is disappointed, one who is disconcerted, and one who feels shame. Here's what David is saying. David, by the way, when you're disconcerted, when you are confused, you don't know which way to turn. You don't know what to do. Someone asks you, "What's the answer?" "I don't know." And you just have to hang your head in shame.
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What David is saying is this: "I don't want to be ashamed. I don't want to be disconcerted. I don't want to be confused. I want my heart sound in your statutes that I be not that way." In other words, what David was praying was this: "Lord, I want to know how to make application of your law, how to make application of your word to my life." I want you to turn back to Psalm 119. Let me show you a couple things in this psalm. Go back to Psalm 119. I'm explaining verse 80 where David said, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." But go back to Psalm 119, and notice if you would please, verse 105. Psalm 119 verse 105, David said it like this: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
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If I were to ask you, how many of you have—and this is good South Georgia language, okay?—how many of you have stumped your toe in the dark? You know, down South we stump our toes. How many of you have stumped your toe in your own home at night walking without a light? Every one of us. Some of us have tripped and fallen. David said, "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." In other words, as long as I'm walking in your doctrine, in your word, I'm not going to stump my toe. I'm not going to stumble. I'm not going to fall. I'm not going to trip because your word is lighting the way.
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Now, I want you to hold Psalm 119, but look back in your Bibles very quickly to Psalm 1. Psalm 1, the very first Psalm. I want you to notice how David describes the godly man, the righteous man. Look in Psalm 1 and verse 1, David says this: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." Now, wait a minute. What did David just say?
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He said, "There's a lamp to my feet and a light in my path." Now, David says, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." I probably told you this before, but I'm going to tell you again. Hopefully you'll remember this time. David said, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly."
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Let's put it like this: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the advice of the ungodly." I can show you illustrations of men who followed the advice of the ungodly and they ended up dead. They ended up in sin and rebellion. I can show it to you not only in the Bible but in history as well. God says you don't listen to the advice of the ungodly. What happens when you begin listening to the advice of the ungodly?
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Look back in verse 1. "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel"—or the advice—"of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners." That's association. You start listening to their advice, the next thing you know, you are associating with them. You're standing around with them. Like Peter, when he warmed himself there by the enemy's fire. Watch what happens. Once you follow their advice, once you begin to associate with them, he says that lastly, "nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful," you end up in agreement. If you follow their advice, if you associate with them, ultimately you're going to end up agreeing with them. David said, "Blessed is the man who doesn't do any of those things," but look at verse 2: "But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." What did David say?
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"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." I'm not going to walk with the wicked. Go back to Psalm 119, and I want you to just see how David is illuminating this fact for us. Look in Psalm 119 and verse 15, David said it like this, Psalm 119 and verse 15, David said to God, "I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways." I'll meditate in thy precepts. Look in verse 23. "Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes." Look in verse 48. David said, "My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes." David said, "I'm going to reach for your truth. I'm going to meditate in your statutes." Look in verse 78. "Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts." Now, the proud have a reason to be ashamed, because they don't follow the word of God.
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David said, "I have no reason to be ashamed, because I will meditate in thy precepts. I want your word." One of my favorite verses that I used to use when I was in college is verse 99. Look at that. I'd often quote this verse, jokingly, of course. "I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation." Well, they didn't like my interpretation of that verse, but that's all right.
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They knew I was teasing. If I had more understanding than my teachers then I wouldn't have been in college, but that's all right. But David is saying, look, I do have more understanding than some men who are teachers. Why? Because he has the Word of God. He has the truth of God.
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Now, let me ask you. I want you to think with me. I want to try to tie all this together for me. David said, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." Here's my question. How can we as Christians be ashamed for not having a sound heart in God's statutes? How can we be ashamed? I want to answer that question for you first. We should be ashamed for our neglect in reading, meditating upon, and studying the Word of God. Now listen to me. We should be ashamed for our neglect of reading, meditating upon, and studying the Word of God. There are many who profess to be Christians who have never ever read the Bible all the way through even one time. Not even once. And there are many who may read the Bible, but they never really meditate upon it. They never really study it. They never really take it seriously. They just kind of read it as a textbook.
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It's kind of like a lot of students do, not only in college, but in the lower academic levels as well. They'll study hard for a test, just so they can pass the test, and then promptly forget everything that they had studied. It's worthless. It's useless. Because two weeks later, they have no idea what they read or what they did on the test. We read it and we forget it. Reading our Bible sometimes is like going through a ritual or going through a ceremony. It's something that we do. And if we don't read, we feel guilty about it. So we read it just so we won't feel guilty. Just so that we can say, "We read our Bible today." And you ought to read your Bible every day, but you ought to read it with understanding. And you ought to meditate upon it. You say, "But pastor, you don't understand.
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I work for a living." Everybody works for a living. Everybody has 24 hours in one day. And let me tell you something, folks. Here is the absolute bottom line. Here is the absolute truth. You do what you want to do. You have your priorities. And unhappily, sometimes our priority is not reading the scriptures, not meditating, it's not studying, it's not even thinking about the scripture. Most of us do like a lot of the Southern Baptists do. I was raised Southern Baptist. And you know what? The Southern Baptists have this little Sunday School report, little slip that when you go to Sunday School, "Did you read your Bible?" Check yes.
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"Did you give to missions?" Check yes. "Did you tithe?" Check yes. In other words, we read it just so we can go and check yes. Turn our little slip in where they can say, "We had 50 who read their Bible this week." I've got news for you folks. It doesn't do you one bit of good to read the Scripture if you don't understand it and if you don't apply it. I tell people, I'd rather read one verse, understand it and apply it, than to read 40 chapters and not understand a thing that I've read. The truth of the matter is this, folks. We should really be ashamed that we don't know the Word of God as we should. We should be ashamed that we're not scholars in the Word of God. We should be ashamed that after all the time that we have spent listening to the Scriptures being taught and listening to the preaching of the Word of God, we should be ashamed that we don't understand more than we do! David said, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed."
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How can we as Christians be shamed? Here's the second way. We should be shamed and we are shamed when we're tested and tried and we don't know how to act. I want you to look in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 1. 1 Peter chapter 1 and let's read verses 6 through 9. 1 Peter 1, let's begin there with verse 6. And look if you would please with me. 1 Peter 1, verse 6. Peter writes, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." Go back to verse 6.
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He says, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in..." What? You are in heaviness! You're weighted down. You may be discouraged. Why? Through manifold temptations. You know, one of our problems is this. Everyone has tests. Everyone has trials. Everyone has temptations. One of our big problems is this: we're so ignorant of the Word of God, we're so ignorant of the principles in the Scripture of the Word of God, we just don't know how to act. We don't know what to do. We don't know where to turn. We're disconcerted. We're confused. If you know the answer, you don't have a problem. You only have problems when you don't know what to do.
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Look in your Bibles, if you would, please. 2 Peter chapter 1, you see each of us have tests and trials. But have you ever asked this question? Why am I in this test? Why am I in this trial? What is God trying to teach me? What must I learn? But let me tell you something. I had several courses in college that I absolutely hated. I despised.
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I saw no value in them. I saw no use for them. But it was a requirement, and I had to take it, the course. In fact, I can think of one particularly right now. I despised it. I hated it. You know what my grade was on that course? An A. You know why I made an A in that course? Because I wanted to make dead sure I didn't have to take it again. I hated it so much.
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Now, what I'm trying to tell you is this. If we're in a test and trial and temptation, we need to know why we're in it. We need to know what God is teaching us so we can get out of it and not have to go through it again. But if you'll look in 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 3, I want you to look carefully now. "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption
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that is in the world through lust." Now let's go back to verse 3. "According as his divine power hath given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness." God has given us every answer to every problem. He's given us everything. But note, how has He given it to us? Watch verse 3. "Through the knowledge of him that hath called us." And then he says, "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises." How in the world can we claim the promises if we're ignorant of them? How can we know what God is teaching us if we're ignorant of God? We should be ashamed that we don't know how to act. We don't know which way to turn. We don't know what to do when we're in our tests and our trials.
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What does the Bible say in 1 Corinthians 10:13? Let me just quote it. Listen carefully. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man." What's that mean? Ed's trials are my trials. My trials are Henry's trials. My temptations are Doug's temptations. There's no temptation, there's no test, there's no trial taking you, but such as is common to man. Now listen, "but God is faithful,
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who will not suffer"—or allow—"you to be tempted above that ye are able." Let me explain that. God will never put more on you than you can take. If God has put something on you, you can take it by His grace.
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Now let me go back. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." In every test, in every trial, there's a way of escape. There's an exit door. But how can we exit if we don't know the way to the door? How can we get out of our test and trial if we don't even know there's an exit? "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
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We should be ashamed, number one, because we're so ignorant of the Word of God. Number two, we should be ashamed that we're so ignorant of the Word of God, we don't even know how to get over our problems. I'm going to tell you, listen carefully. Christians ought not to have the problems that the unsaved have. Ought not to. Why? Because we have the answers, and the knowledge is right here.
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We just need to study it, apply it. There's a third reason we should be ashamed, and that is we should be ashamed that when we have the opportunity to minister to others, we don't know the words to use. We don't know the Scriptures. We don't know the promises. We don't know the warnings. You know what God said in Isaiah 43 and verse 10? He said this, listen carefully. "Ye are my witnesses." Wow! In Isaiah 43 and verse 12, God says, "I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God." And then in Isaiah 44 and verse 8, He said, "Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any." How in the world can we be a faithful witness to other people if we don't know what to say to them?
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If we don't know what to share with them? If we don't know how to warn them or how to give them promises? How can we witness? How can we tell them about the greatness of our God if we don't even know His greatness? Old Lester Olaf, I've never forgotten what he said one time. He said, "In the time of sorrow, how many can come and how few can comfort." Isn't that true? Most of us don't know what to say to comfort someone. We can repeat what everybody else says, but we really don't know how to comfort because we don't know the promises and we don't know the Scriptures that will encourage and give people comfort.
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Fourthly, we should be ashamed when we come before Him in prayer with an unsound heart. I want you to turn to 1 John chapter 3. You're in 2 Peter, just turn over a few pages. 1 John chapter 3. We should be ashamed when we come before God with an unsound heart. God's given us His Word. Why should we have an unsound heart? Look in 1 John chapter 3, verse 20. In fact, let's read verse 19. John writes, 1 John 3 verse 19, "And hereby we know that we are of the truth," now watch, "and shall assure our hearts before him." What is going to assure our hearts before Him? Because we know that we are of the truth. We have the truth. Watch, if you would please, verse 20. "For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God." How in the world can we come before God in prayer and not be ashamed when we have an unsound heart?
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We don't know His doctrine. We don't know His wisdom. And our heart condemns us. And I want you to know what happens when our heart condemns us, then we no longer have any confidence toward God. He said, "If our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God." So we should be ashamed when we come before the Lord and say, "Lord, I've got a confession to make, and I'm ashamed of it. I don't know your Word like I should. I don't know your doctrine. I don't know your statutes. I don't know your boundary markers. Lord, I'm just ashamed you've given me your Word. And Lord, here I am to ask your blessing and ask your help. And like Daniel, I'm ashamed. I'm afraid to even lift up my head." So we should be ashamed when we come before God in prayer with an unsound heart. And fifthly, if you'll turn back in your Bibles, I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this since I've dealt with it in the last couple of weeks, but if you'll look in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, we should be ashamed and we will be ashamed when we appear before our Lord
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at the judgment seat. Look at it in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 10. The Apostle Paul wrote, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." I told you before, this is not a judgment to determine salvation. If you're not already saved, you would not even be there. This is a judgment that determines our service, and very obviously, we want to have served Him well because we want to hear those words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." I got news for you, every one of us will be ashamed when we stand there because we should have loved Him, we should have served Him better and even more than we have.
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Thomas Hooker, who died in 1647, said this, commenting on David's prayer, "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed." He said, "Let my heart be sound. This is a plain difference between a sound heart and a false heart. In the receiving of Christ, the sound heart receives Him as a favorite receives a prince. He gives up all to Him, and lets him have the command of all.
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A mere innkeeper, or motel owner, a mere innkeeper entertains him that comes next to him. He will take any man's money that comes, he cares not, for he loves gain above all things. Doesn't matter if he's the worst man in the world, he'll take his money, for he loves gain above all things, not so with a good heart. The good heart welcomes Christ alone and resigns up all to Christ. What's ever is pleasing to Christ, He will do it. And what's ever comes from Christ, He will welcome.
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And that was David's prayer. "Let not my heart"—or "Let my heart be sound in thy statutes." Why? "That I be not ashamed." And folks, I'll be honest with you. And I'm including me. We should be ashamed that our hearts are not sound in God's law, in God's Word. We should be ashamed that we don't know how to make application, how to act. We should be ashamed when we come before Him in prayer that we have an unsound heart. David's prayer was, "Lord, teach me. Make me what I should be. Let my heart be sound in thy statutes." Why? "That I be not ashamed." One of my prayers every day is, "Lord, let me not be ashamed.
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Let me not be confounded." In fact, David prayed this, "Let those that hate Thee be ashamed and confounded. But let those that love Thee rejoice before Thee." Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day, we thank You for Your love and Your grace and Your mercy. Lord, we must confess, we must acknowledge, Lord, there's so much reason in our lives to be ashamed before Thee. But Lord, correct that in us today, prepare our hearts, open our hearts, open our minds, give us understanding.
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May we understand Thy Word, apply Thy Word, and walk in Thy Word for Your honor and Your glory and for our good. Let our hearts be sound in Thy statutes that we be not ashamed. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:13:21Z

Are You Shamed?

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver expounds Psalm 119:80, where David prays for a sound heart in God's statutes to avoid shame. He explains that a sound heart is whole, upright, and aligned with God's truth, not sinless but mature. Using examples like Noah and Job, he shows that soundness involves fearing God and hating evil. Weaver argues that an unsound heart leads to shame because it cannot grasp sound wisdom or doctrine, resulting in ignorance of God's Word, inability to handle trials, ineffective witness, hindered prayer, and future shame at the judgment seat. He urges believers to prioritize Scripture meditation and application to avoid being ashamed.

Introduction: The Question of Shame

Weaver introduces Psalm 119:80 and the universal experience of shame over past sins, then pivots to the text's focus on being ashamed for lacking soundness in God's Word.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 119:80

"Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed."

Now look at it and think about it.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 119:80

"Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed."

Unhappily, each one of us have been told often in our lives, "You should be ashamed," or "You should be ashamed of yourself."

The Meaning of a Sound Heart

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 18:13

"Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God." Now, it's the same Hebrew word. Literally, "Thou shalt be sound with the Lord thy God."

Now the word "perfect" is the word "sound."

Scripture Reading — Job 1:1,8

"And that man was sound and upright, one that feared God and eschewed evil."

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:8,10

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

Now look at that.

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:8,10

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

Soundness and Sinlessness Distinguished

Using 1 John 1:8,10, Weaver emphasizes that no one is sinless except Christ; Noah and Job were called perfect because they walked soundly, feared God, and hated evil.

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:8,10

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

Now look at that.

Scripture Reading — 1 John 1:8,10

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

The Necessity of a Sound Heart for Sound Wisdom

A sound heart is prerequisite for receiving sound wisdom (Proverbs 2:7, 3:21, 8:14). An unsound heart cannot grasp God's wisdom, leading to instability and shame.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 51:10

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."

Now, let me give you another picture of this same truth. James wrote in James 1 and verse 8,

Scripture Reading — James 1:8

"A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways."

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 2:6-7

"layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous."

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 3:21

"My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion."

Sound Doctrine and the Law

Weaver connects sound heart to sound doctrine, using 1 Timothy 1:8-10 to show that sin is contrary to sound doctrine. The fear of the Lord leads to departing from evil (Job 28:28).

Notice what the Bible says. Job 28 verse 28:

Scripture Reading — Job 28:28

"And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding."

Scripture Reading — Job 28:28

"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way,

and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 8:13

" Note what he said. The fear of the Lord is to depart from evil. It's to hate evil. It's to despise it. If you have a sound heart that has sound wisdom, and you're sound in God's law, you hate evil. You hate everything that is contrary to God and His law. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 16 and verse 6, listen carefully.

Your actions, your conduct, reveal the state and the condition of your heart. Your life is an open book by what you do. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

The Call to Sound Words and Doctrine

Believers are commanded to hold fast sound words (2 Timothy 1:13) and speak sound speech (Titus 2:8). Rejection of sound doctrine stems from unsound hearts (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 1:13

"Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."

they have a huge successful ministry. Why? Well, here's why. Look in your Bibles to 2 Timothy chapter 4. In fact, let's begin reading with verse 1. Look what the Apostle Paul tells Timothy. He says,

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 4:1-4

"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word; be instant in season, out of season;

David's Prayer for a Sound Heart in God's Statutes

David desired to know God's boundaries and apply His Word. Weaver cites Spurgeon's comment that a sound heart is the root of the matter, preventing shame.

"Lord, I want to please you. I want to honor you. I want to know what your boundaries are. I want to know what I may do and what I may not do."

The Consequences of an Unsound Heart

Weaver lists five reasons Christians should be ashamed: neglect of Scripture, inability to handle trials, ineffective witness, hindered prayer, and future shame at the judgment seat.

Conclusion: A Call to Soundness

Weaver concludes with Thomas Hooker's quote on the sound heart receiving Christ fully, and prays for hearts to be sound in God's statutes to avoid shame.

Are You Shamed?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	A6orp_LoiFA
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom: The Doctrine of Election
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-02-08
Dictation Name
Book	Book 081: Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom - Volume 1 — Chapter 10
Source Timed Segments	83

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Question of Shame: Weaver introduces Psalm 119:80 and the universal experience of shame over past sins, then pivots to the text's focus on being ashamed for lacking soundness in God's Word.
The Meaning of a Sound Heart: The Hebrew word for 'sound' means whole, complete, upright, perfect, mature. Weaver shows its usage in Genesis 6:9 (Noah) and Deuteronomy 18:13, clarifying it does not imply sinlessness but a walk in accord with truth.
Soundness and Sinlessness Distinguished: Using 1 John 1:8,10, Weaver emphasizes that no one is sinless except Christ; Noah and Job were called perfect because they walked soundly, feared God, and hated evil.
The Necessity of a Sound Heart for Sound Wisdom: A sound heart is prerequisite for receiving sound wisdom (Proverbs 2:7, 3:21, 8:14). An unsound heart cannot grasp God's wisdom, leading to instability and shame.
Sound Doctrine and the Law: Weaver connects sound heart to sound doctrine, using 1 Timothy 1:8-10 to show that sin is contrary to sound doctrine. The fear of the Lord leads to departing from evil (Job 28:28).
The Call to Sound Words and Doctrine: Believers are commanded to hold fast sound words (2 Timothy 1:13) and speak sound speech (Titus 2:8). Rejection of sound doctrine stems from unsound hearts (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
David's Prayer for a Sound Heart in God's Statutes: David desired to know God's boundaries and apply His Word. Weaver cites Spurgeon's comment that a sound heart is the root of the matter, preventing shame.
The Consequences of an Unsound Heart: Weaver lists five reasons Christians should be ashamed: neglect of Scripture, inability to handle trials, ineffective witness, hindered prayer, and future shame at the judgment seat.
Conclusion: A Call to Soundness: Weaver concludes with Thomas Hooker's quote on the sound heart receiving Christ fully, and prays for hearts to be sound in God's statutes to avoid shame.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Soundness does not mean sinlessness

Noah and Job were called perfect (sound) but were sinners; soundness refers to walking uprightly in accord with God's truth, not being sinless.

Weaver says, 'When the Bible says that these men were perfect men, He is not using the word "perfect" in the sense of sinlessness.'

An unsound heart cannot grasp sound wisdom

If God lays up sound wisdom for the righteous, it requires a sound heart to understand it; an unsound heart lacks wisdom.

Weaver asks, 'How can we grasp and understand sound wisdom with an unsound heart? Very obviously, it's impossible.'

Sin is contrary to sound doctrine

All sin and rebellion are unsound doctrine; a sound heart in God's statutes leads to hating evil and departing from it.

Weaver states, 'The Apostle Paul is saying that all sin, all wickedness, all rebellion is unsound doctrine.'

Rejection of sound doctrine reveals an unsound heart

People turn from sound doctrine to fables because they have unsound hearts and itching ears, desiring teachers who please them.

Weaver cites 2 Timothy 4:3-4: 'For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.'

Ignorance of Scripture leads to shame in trials

Christians who do not know God's promises are confused and ashamed when tested, because they lack the wisdom to find the way of escape.

Weaver says, 'We should be ashamed that we're so ignorant of the Word of God, we don't even know how to get over our problems.'

An unsound heart hinders prayer

When our heart condemns us for not knowing God's Word, we lose confidence before God in prayer, leading to shame.

Weaver references 1 John 3:20-21: 'If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart... if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.'

Scripture References

Psalm 119:80: The central text: David prays for a sound heart in God's statutes to avoid shame.
Genesis 6:9: Noah was a just man and perfect (sound) in his generations, illustrating soundness.
Deuteronomy 18:13: Command to be perfect (sound) with the Lord, using the same Hebrew word.
Job 1:1,8: Job was perfect (sound) and upright, fearing God and eschewing evil.
1 John 1:8,10: If we say we have no sin or have not sinned, we deceive ourselves and make God a liar; no one is sinless.
Psalm 51:10: David prays for a clean heart, paralleling the desire for a sound heart.
Proverbs 14:30: A sound heart is the life of the flesh, but envy is rottenness of the bones.
James 1:8: A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways, contrasting with a sound heart.
Proverbs 2:6-7: God lays up sound wisdom for the righteous.
Proverbs 3:21: Command to keep sound wisdom and discretion.
Proverbs 8:14: Christ, as wisdom personified, says counsel and sound wisdom are His.
2 Timothy 1:7: God has given us a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.
1 Timothy 1:8-10: The law is for the lawless; sin is contrary to sound doctrine.
Job 28:28: The fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.
Proverbs 8:13: The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.
Proverbs 16:6: By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.
2 Timothy 1:13: Hold fast the form of sound words.
Titus 2:8: Sound speech that cannot be condemned.
2 Timothy 4:1-4: Preach the word; the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.
Titus 2:1: Speak the things which become sound doctrine.

Historical References

Charles Haddon Spurgeon: Spurgeon's commentary on Psalm 119:80 is quoted, emphasizing that a sound heart is the root of the matter and prevents shame.
Thomas Hooker (died 1647): Hooker's quote on the difference between a sound heart and a false heart is cited, illustrating total surrender to Christ.

Important Quotes

Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed.

The central verse of the sermon, setting the theme of seeking a sound heart to avoid shame.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Used to clarify that soundness does not mean sinlessness; all are sinners.

The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Key verse linking fear of God with wisdom and departing from evil.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.

Explains why many reject sound teaching—they have unsound hearts.

Let my heart be sound. This is a plain difference between a sound heart and a false heart. In the receiving of Christ, the sound heart receives Him as a favorite receives a prince. He gives up all to Him, and lets him have the command of all.

Thomas Hooker's quote illustrating total surrender as the mark of a sound heart.

We should be ashamed for our neglect in reading, meditating upon, and studying the Word of God.

Direct application calling believers to prioritize Scripture engagement.

If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

Highlights the impact of an unsound heart on prayer and confidence before God.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What does it mean to have a 'sound heart' according to Psalm 119:80, and how is it different from being sinless?

[Context]

Weaver explains the Hebrew word for sound and uses Noah and Job as examples of sound but sinful men.

[Question]

Why is a sound heart necessary to receive sound wisdom and sound doctrine?

[Context]

Weaver argues that an unsound heart cannot grasp God's wisdom, citing Proverbs and 1 Timothy.

[Question]

How does the fear of the Lord relate to departing from evil, and why is this evidence of a sound heart?

[Context]

Weaver connects Job 28:28 and Proverbs 16:6 to show that fearing God leads to hating evil.

[Question]

In what ways do we see the rejection of sound doctrine in today's churches, and what does that reveal about hearts?

[Context]

Weaver discusses 2 Timothy 4:3-4 and the tendency to seek teachers who tickle ears.

[Question]

What are some practical reasons Christians should be ashamed of neglecting God's Word?

[Context]

Weaver lists five consequences: ignorance, inability in trials, poor witness, hindered prayer, and future judgment.

[Question]

How can we cultivate a sound heart that delights in God's statutes and avoids shame?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes meditation on Scripture (Psalm 119:15,23,48,78) and applying it daily.

[Question]

What does Thomas Hooker's illustration of the sound heart receiving Christ as a prince teach us about surrender?

[Context]

Weaver quotes Hooker to contrast a sound heart that gives all to Christ with a false heart that loves gain.

[Question]

How does an unsound heart affect our prayer life and confidence before God?

[Context]

Weaver uses 1 John 3:19-21 to show that a condemning heart robs us of confidence in prayer.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:46:21Z