Be On Your Guard

Introduction

I don’t know about you, but I feel better now that we’ve sung our wayside hymn. I’ve never really noticed that little phrase in that song, but I also noticed the very first line here we are, but straying pilgrims. I don’t think the intention was that we are to be spiritually straying, but it’s just the natural proclivity of the one who is a pilgrim in this world, to be straying and longing for a permanent home in the presence of the blessed gift. But it’s that tendency toward straying that I want to talk to you about this morning. We have a tendency toward carelessness, laxity, sloppiness, and it’s supposed to say a lack of vigilance. I’m looking at my notes a little bit ago, and I said, I think I put diligence on the slide.

That works too. But really, I meant a lack of vigilance or watchfulness. So put a V in the front. And you’re looking at that and you’re saying, okay, preacher, you’re sort of indicting me there. Look, if this doesn’t apply to you, great. Wonderful. I wish we all were more like you. I’m talking about me and I think many others when I talk about this tendency or propensity toward less than what we should be. I found this little cute thing. Sloth, the sin that needs no effort. And certainly we don’t want to go that route in our laxity. And let me tell you why I’m preaching this sermon. And a lot of times on Sunday morning, I’m making appeals like this because of the nature of this audience, and we’ve been living out there in the world throughout the week, and now a new week is begun.

It’s the first day of the week. It’s the Lord’s day. And we need to get our focus back if it is strayed. We need to get our focus back, our vigilance, our diligence back on this important day. Focus. Spiritual focus is so often diverted by simply the passing of time and as it passes, the constant bombardment of the visual. I mean, faith is all about the spiritual and seeing spiritual things and trusting in a spiritual realm that exists. And we are bombarded with the visual on a continual basis. And the world’s persistent charm. It’s always suggesting I have a better way for you. This is so much more desirable than pursuing the things of the Spirit and setting your minds on things above rather than things on the earth.

I’ve got something so much better to give you. It’s persistent charm. It’s always there. And we ought always to be vigilant about it. And so often it is an anti holiness message. That is, it is promoting things that are against the will of God for our lives. And so one of the main purposes of what we do here, week in and week out, is to maintain our focus. Found this little acronym that I like, especially with the picture. Focus. Follow one course until successful. Notice how all the arrows are going all every which way, and that’s our world beckoning us, but we’re the red arrow. Follow one course. Maybe it would have been best if it was pointed upward, but follow one course until successful. And that’s what we want to promote by this lesson and what we do every week in this place.

I’ve been thinking about these thoughts for a while. I thought about how often these three words or something to that effect are found in Scripture. Beyond your guard. And I guess if you’ve not been in the military, you might not grasp the point of this, the idea of being in a state of readiness. An attack is unfolding. Some operation is about to occur, and you need to be mentally ready for the task at hand. A state of readiness. And Christians ought to constantly be in a state of readiness. One of the purposes of our assemblies in singing these songs to one another is to render us all in a state of readiness before our God. It is a consistent biblical appeal. In fact, you can find it, you can find it in the Old Testament.

And I just draw your attention as one example, because I thought this was sort of cool. In Exodus 23 and verse 13. After the law has been given to Israel at Sinai, this is still in the ratification of that law with the nation of Israel. Then this, now concerning everything which I have said to you, this would apply to Jesus’ words. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4, verse 4. Be on your guard in regard to everything I have said to you. And do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard on your mouth. He said, Don’t even mention their names. You don’t have to worry about following them and being misdirected by the false messages that emanate from the service of these gods.

He says, Don’t even say their names. Take extreme action. Be on your guard about the danger that’s lurking there. And then I just sort of threw this one in a few verses later, where he says, Now, the rest of this journey, I’m going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Now, it’s going to be 40 years from now before that finally happens. And it’s because they weren’t on their guard, I would suggest. Verse 21 be on your guard before him and obey his voice. Do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since my name is in him. He says, You better be careful even in your treatment of the angel as he leads you, because he’s my representative.

Be on your guard. It was a consistent New Testament appeal as well, as we’ll see momentarily. I just want to draw your attention to one to demonstrate that so Mark 13 and verse 9 in our reading this week. Give you something to look for as you read this text this week. But be on your guard as he’s talking about things that will happen in relation to the destruction of Jerusalem, he says, be on your guard, for they will deliver you to the court, you will be flogged in the synagogues, you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them. Be on your readiness for the persecution that may come your way as my disciples. So I want to talk about four things that the scriptures suggest that we need to be on our guard about.

1. Beware of Heart Clutter

That your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life. And that day come on you suddenly like a thief. For it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of the earth. An ultimate day of reckoning for which men will not be prepared. And yet Jesus is telling his disciples, you need to be on your guard. But keep on the alert at all times, praying, in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place. And to stand before the Son of Man. That’s what we want to render each one here today, to be able to stand before the Son of Man. That carries with it the idea of receiving the Son of Man’s approval for the way that you’ve lived and the choices that you’ve made and the faith that has governed your life.

Be on the alert, pray. That you might be able to escape. I think one of our problems is we don’t have any sense of the need to escape anything. And the judgment that is coming that has been promised in Scripture. We need to be ready. Oh, but you know, where’s the promise of his coming? I think we find ourselves like the scoffers in 2 Peter chapter 3. Well, he’s promised that he’s coming again, but it hasn’t happened yet. And here we are, many centuries later, and it still hasn’t happened. But it’s going to. As Peter affirms. And we need to stay in readiness continually. And I could not help but think, and of course, I think Charles referenced this on Wednesday night. So, Charles, don’t do that, I’m going to use this passage Sunday.

But I’m going to go over very quickly in Luke chapter 12 about the rich fool who had all this stuff. And he’s tearing down his barns and building bigger barns. And yeah, if you have stuff, you need to deal with it. But the point of the story is that this man is not rich toward God. He is so focused on his stuff that he’s left God out of the equation. And now, all of a sudden, unexpectedly to him, he’s done. He’s going to have no concern for his barns and his goods anymore because his life is done. And that’s what happens in the midst of our pursuits. We fade away. James says in James chapter 1. And so here he is in the midst of his pursuits.

He’s got a real problem here. He’s got stuff, and he’s got nowhere to store it. And so he goes engages in these massive project of building. And here we go. And it’s it’s a very focused, diverting kind of thing. And he’s not thought about the most important possession that he has.

This night, your soul shall be required of you. And what Jesus is saying in Luke 21 is He’s talking about the very essence of things that happen in our lives that tend to divert our hearts from the kind of focus that we need to have. We just get weighted down by stuff, by events in our lives. This thing and that thing that we see. And we move out of our focus the things that are unseen. And what he’s trying to tell us is all of this is very temporary. And we need to keep reminding ourselves of that. Be in a spiritual state of readiness. Beware of heart clutter. I think every one of us who walks in here on Sunday morning is dealing with some level of heart clutter.

Some more than others. And again, if that’s not you, I’m so happy for you. Teach us. But I think some of us are dealing with heart clutter to some extent every time we come in these doors. And so what we’re trying to do is to deal with that and stay in a state of readiness. I think it is our affluence that I talked about a few weeks ago that caused a lot of this heart clutter. Because, like the rich fool in Luke 12, and remember, all of that is prefaced by a statement Jesus makes. Beware of covetousness. An inordinate desire for material things, as this brother has come to Jesus. Hey, my brother won’t share the inheritance with me. And he said, Who made me an arbiter and a judge in regard to this?

You’re too focused on material things. Beware of covetousness. Then he tells this story about this guy with his goods in his barns. But I’ll tell you what our affluence does to us. It’s the same thing that happens to this guy. Because of the nature of our lives as Americans, we have to do a lot of planning.

Isn’t it interesting that being a preacher of the gospel forces me into this planning, which in and of itself can be a distraction to this state of readiness? Because we’re always planning. You’ve got to do all this planning about securing transportation or whatever it might be. What’s it going to mean to be away? Get all your clothes ready, and I’m going to be away. I’m going to be doing the work of the Lord and preaching. But you’re thinking in the future. If it’s not that, it’s, you know, what we’re planning to do next weekend or this vacation that we’re planning. Because can’t wait to leave the daily grind behind and go on another vacation. You’re already planning one. I see it in your eyes. Where are you going now?

We can do all this future planning because we live in an era and a place of affluence. A lot of people are praying daily. Give us this day our daily bread. Well, that’s not on our lips because I just go to the refrigerator and there’s stuff in there. Or the pantry. How many boxes of cereal did you have a choice of this morning? I had several. And hey, well, that’s not my circumstances. Well, did you have eggs and bacon? Oatmeal or whatever. We went to the store yesterday. We got stuff. And if you don’t, you’re going today. Give us this day our daily bread. And it’s interesting that statement is made in the Sermon on the Mount, right before he talks about not being anxious for your life, what you shall wear, what you shall put on.

And he goes on to say at the end, after he talks about seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, he says, he says, take therefore no thought for the morrow. The things of tomorrow will take care of themselves. Sufficient of the day is the evil thereof. I mean, are we just focused on today? You would be if you didn’t know where your next meal was coming from. If you said, when you wake up in the morning and go, oh, okay, we’ve got to eat today. Where’s that going to happen? How’s that going to come about? You see, you tend to be more focused on the now. In our affluence, we’re focused on the future so often. And that’s part of the heart clutter. A state of readiness requires that we think about today.

I mean, seriously, how long’s it been since you thought about the fact that this day could be your last. I know it’s sort of morbid to think about that every day, but there should be some frequency here. Especially with the number of people who are being T-boned in intersections. We need to give some thought about how fragile and tenuous life is. And if it’s been a long time since you’ve thought about it, you need point number one. And I need point number one. Heart clutter is a real issue. And then there’s this. Man, do I have a font problem? Man, I can’t stand that A being right off the edge like that. Something happened. And I know what it is. Now it’s going to bug you, isn’t it?

2. Treatment and Attitude Toward Others

Treatment and attitude toward others. Look at Luke 17 with me. Luke 17, 1 through 5. It is inevitable that stumbling blocks should come, but woe to him through whom they come. You better be careful that you’re not the reason why somebody else is lost. Oh, I know. They’re responsible. Jesus makes that abundantly clear. People are lost because of their own choices, but other people contribute. And if you’re a stumbling block, woe to you. It would be better, and this doesn’t sound better to me. To have a millstone, that’s a rather large stone. Tied around your neck and you’re thrust into the sea. Let’s just use a more modern illustration, an anchor. Okay? They tie the anchor around you, put you out in the water, you’re done.

You’re going to the bottom. And that would be better than being a stumbling block to one who has faith in Jesus. He says, be on your guard. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day and returns to you seven times, saying, I repent, forgive him. These statements speak of the very high responsibility that we have toward others. As Peter talks about to sum up, let all be harmonious. He says, brotherly, the kind of spirit that we ought to have. Why is there so much emphasis on this in the New Testament? Brotherly, kind-hearted, humble in spirit. And we talked about that in Romans 12, 16 in the Bible class. About the mind we’re to have toward one another.

Be humble in spirit, not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead. For you were called for this very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. Why is there so much emphasis on this? Let me tell you why. Because I’ve seen it. It only takes one incident that we weren’t expecting. Some situation or circumstance that unfolds where our countenance toward a brother or sister in Christ is affected. One thing, and it changes. And all of a sudden, a different set of rules applies. We’re sideways. That’s why there’s the admonition about seeking peace in Romans 12. And when we’re sideways, we need to be ready. We got some work to do. We’ve got to watch our attitude. There’s something said about attitude toward brothers, if not in every New Testament epistle, almost every New Testament epistle.

Make that be one of your challenges this week. Find a verse on that in every epistle in the New Testament. We need to be on our guard because something’s going to happen, and we’re not going to be ready for that. The Pharisees teach us they held others in contempt. They viewed others with contempt. It is so easy to go to that mindset of self-elevating and then disliking and even hating others. And what a horrible thing if my treatment of another brother causes them to become discouraged and quit. Better for me. For a millstone to be hung around my neck and be tossed into the sea. As you would have others treat you, so treat them. It’s the law and the prophets. Jesus says. Quickly, two more things.

3. Be on Guard With What You Say

Heart clutter, our attitude and treatment toward others, and what you say. By your words you’ll be justified or condemned, Jesus said. Guard your mouth and guard your soul from troubles. We need to constantly be on guard with our speech. If we’re just, you know, that’s I’m blunt, and that’s just the way I am. Okay. Okay, we might have a personality trait that leads us toward being more ready to speak our mind, but if that’s you’re going to have to doubly be on guard. Because thoughts in your mind do not necessarily mean because they’re thoughts in your mind that they need to be expressed. We need to give some consideration to those thoughts in our minds that we have. Well, that might not be the best thing to say.

We need to think about these words that are coming out of our mouths and the impact that they’re going to have.

4. Be on Your Guard About Influences

Or is it going to be hurtful? Is it going to be encouraging and promoting of good? Or is it going to be discouraging and promoting of friction and division and evil? We’ve got to give consideration. And you know what? Because that distance between the mind and the lips is so very close, sometimes instantaneously close, we’re going to have to be on our guard in regard to the things that emanate out of our mouths. We ought always to be using a filter. Be on guard means always use the filter of should I be saying this? Is it helpful? Is it good? And finally, we need to be on our guard about influences. 2 Peter 3 in verse 17, after Peter talks about some things Paul wrote, difficult to understand though they may be, we are still not allowed because of their difficulty to distort them or twist them and make them say things that they don’t say, because he says, if you do that, you do that to your own destruction.

And he says in verse 17, and again, that would testify that the Bible is written on a variety of levels, and everything is not as easily understood as everything else. But we can come to know the will of God and respond to him the way he desires. All of those things are implied here. But then he says in verse 17, you therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand. It’s not like you’ve never heard this before. You’ve heard it. And since you do know it, be on your guard. Again, isn’t it amazing how often that comes up? Be on your guard lest being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness. Okay, heart clutter is a serious matter. We ought to always be monitoring our attitudes toward others because they can get askew in a hurry.

And our tongues, well, how hurriedly can they get out of step? Very hurriedly. But there’s this fourth point that I want to say something to you about that’s very important. We’re all being influenced by others. Other family members influence us. Teachers, co-workers, extended family. There’s all kinds of, and television messages. There’s all kinds of influences that are constantly preaching their message. Whatever it is. Their view of the world, their worldview. You’re getting it bombarded, like I said in the beginning. You’re getting bombarded with a lot of other people’s worldview and how you ought to think and live. And what 2 Peter 3 is telling us is you need to be very watchful of the impact other people are having on you. It only takes the allowance of one bad influence to send you down the path of falling from your steadfastness.

Conclusion

To me, that’s a pretty sobering warning. Much more that could be said. But I want to tell you this. As we guard our hearts, we should place our trust in the guardian. We’re not all by ourselves here. And I like Psalm 4 in this regard. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness. Thou hast relieved me in my distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? So many people around us, those evil influences I talked about, that’s exactly what’s happened. They love what is worthless and aim at deception, but know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for himself.

Is that who you are? Are our hearts godly? God sets apart the godly man for himself. The Lord hears when I call. Tremble and do not sin. Meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still.

Verse 8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for thou alone, O Lord, dost make me to dwell in safety. You be on your guard, and you put your trust in the guardian. And that reminded me of a verse in the New Testament. In 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 25, that says, We were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your soul. Have you made that superior choice? Do you realize what Jesus did? Look at the context of this statement. He who knew no sin, he bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that we could return to the guardian. And as we have returned to the guardian of our souls, and how we need his favor and assistance in our lives, then we as a result are now on guard against all the things that would derail us from our steadfastness.

Are you on the right course? How is your spiritual alertness this morning? Is the heart clutter winning? Or have you chosen to exalt the needs of the soul above all else? And can we assist you in doing that this morning? In putting on Christ and being cleansed by the blood of Christ. Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins. We bid you come as you need to respond. Let’s stand and sing.