This morning Pastor Halsey preached from Proverbs 17:22

Joseph Grimaldi is remembered as “the father of modern clowning.” For more than 50 years, he was one of the most recognizable faces in Britain and the US.  “Joey,” as he was affectionately called, drew huge audiences wherever he went.  His influence upon his art may be compared to …

…Mozart’s influence on music.
…Picassos, impact on painting
…Michael Jordan’s indelible mark on basketball.

One day a gaunt, obviously depressed man, showed up at the office of Dr. James Hamilton, a physician in Manchester, England.  He reported that he couldn’t find happiness anywhere, he was tired of life and bored to death.  He hinted at suicide.

The good doctor diagnosed his illness as severe melancholia, brought on by overwork; his prescription was unexpected:

”The circus is in town,” he said, “Go and see Grimaldi.” 

”Doctor,” the patient replied, “I am Grimaldi!”

Was Dr. Hamilton’s prescription trite or shallow?   The Wise man Solomon didn’t think so. In Proverbs chapter 17, he offers a strikingly similar prescription— It’s “Strong medicine for Tired Hearts.”

Let’s find Proverbs chapter 17, verse 22.

Read verse 22.

No one is exempt from the stress and pressures of living in these times.  During the decade after WWII, scientists predicted that exploding technology and home conveniences would simplify life, so that in a few years,

…people would be working only three days a week,
…and have to look for things to occupy their time!

There is a Greek word that expresses well your thinking right now: Fuey!

In their excellent book, “None of These Diseases,” physicians S. I. McMillen and David E. Stern (grandfather and grandson) have a provocative section titled, “The Stress Mess.” It is alarming and depressing.

They cite a recent study in Salisbury England designed to show the relationship of stress to the common cold. The target groups were the same except in the amount of stress they were subjected to.

Look at this chart showing the percentages of both groups who caught a cold.  ( Page 170). The high-stress group skyrocketed!  The caption reads, “Chill Out or Catch a Cold.”

There is a medicine that Dr. Solomon prescribes. We need a dose of it every day! It is a dose for the downhearted; a medication for the mind and spirit. 

Would you notice first…

I.  The Problem of a Heavy Heart—Verse 22

”A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones…”

Proverbs is God’s heart manual.  81 times in 78 verses, you find references to the heart.

…”Trust in the Lord with all your heart.”

…”Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues (the springs)
       of life.

There are at least 12 different kinds of hearts in this book…

…a scheming heart
…a sensual heart
…a deceptive heart
…a hurting heart
…glad hearts.

The Hebrew word (leb) is most interesting…It includes the motives, feelings, affections, desires, the will, the aims, the principles, the thoughts, the intellect.”  (CS)

One scholar says…

    “Its that point where the emotions, reasoning, spiritual instincts and God-
     consciousness is.”

Look at Proverbs 12:25 on the screen.  (Read it with me.)

     “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression. But a good word makes it
      glad.”

Scholar Bruce Walke points out that the Hebrew word translated, “anxiety” is used in the OT to denote “emotional stress caused by the …fear of losing something.”   So, it is closely related to the fear.

The word translated “depression” has the idea of being bent over, bowed down with trouble.

The problem of a heavy heart is that…

(a)  it burdens the soul

(b) It breaks the Spirit— Turn back a page to Prov 15:13 (Read)

You are body, soul and spirit…The spirit is the innermost part.  It is a sad thing to see a person with a broken spirit…The enthusiasm is gone…the zest, hope has evaporated!  The person is just existing!

A Heavy Heart…

   …burdens the soul
   …breaks the Spirit

3. It Buries the Body— Proverbs 17:22

    “But a broken spirit dries the bones.”

McMillen and Stern write:

    “A mind upset makes a body sick. With every passing year, researchers
     find more and more ways that the mind (psyche) produces sickness in the
     body (soma)—hence the term psychosomatic illness. 
         Contrary to popular opinion, psychosomatic diseases are not ‘all in your
     mind.’ Tension in the mind often triggers or worsens asthma, infections,
     heart attacks, diabetes, arthritis, and a host of other conditions.”

Physicians estimate that over 60 percent of all diseases are caused by emotional stress. It’s everywhere…

 (Quote) “According to statistics, 89 percent of Americans suffer from Chronic Stress Syndrome—the kind of stress produced by everyday living.”

Stress often comes from unexpected sources…A Columbia, MO newspaper
 carried this ad…

   “Free Tasmanian devil.  Currently disguised as small puppy.  Good watch
    dog.”

Dr. Hans Seal, former director of the University of Montreal’s Institute of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, discovered that when rats are subjected to cold, fatigue, frustration, noise and other stressful symptoms, their

…blood pressure soars,
…their vital adrenalin glands become grossly enlarged,
…their thymus and lymphatic glands shrink
…and they develop peptic ulcers.

If these conditions persist, the upshot is exhaustion, serious disease and death.

Someone said, “Thank God.  I’m not a rat.”  You’re no different: You’re in the rat race, you know!  According to Dr. Seal, the worst human stresses are hatred, frustration and anxiety.

One more laboratory tidbit… They put a rat in a cage and placed a cat beside it in a cage. The rat died of anxiety!

The Problem of A Heavy Heart

II. Let’s Talk About— The Prescription For A Healthy Heart—Proverbs 17:22

”A merry heart does good like a medicine.”

How do you have a merry heart?  Turn back one page—Proverbs 16:20.  “He who heeds the word wisely, will find good, And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy He is.” 
A. The Provision of a Merry heart is the Lord Himself.  “Whoever trusts in the
     Lord…”

You understand when Solomon talks about “a merry heart” and “happiness,” he’s going beyond favorable circumstances.  He’s talking about joy! Staring at the Cross, Jesus said:

    “These I things I have spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you, and
      that your joy may be full.”

Hermees, the pagan Roman philosopher called the early Christians (under the hammer of persecution), “the children of Joy.”

In the immortal classic, “The Pilgrim’s Progress,” Christiana asks Mercy why she was laughing in her sleep last night.  Mercy answers:

   “I was dreaming.  I was dreaming that I was sad and downtrodden about
    the terribleness of my sins.  I then discovered that I was clothed in gold and
    silver and an angel led me into the presence of the throne and I heard,
    ‘Mercy, welcome daughter!’ And I awoken and laughed and laughed and
    laughed.”

A. The Provision of a Joyful Heart!- Jesus!

B. The Place of Joy—The Heart
  
Your inner life—not things, not people! 

C. The Power of this joy— Faith!—  “…whoever trusts in the Lord…”

In the difficult days of rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem, Enthusiasm was sagging, deep discouragement had mowed the people down.  Nehemiah said,  “The joy of the Lord is your strength!”

The power of Joy!  No wonder C. S. Lewis called joy, “The serious business of heaven.”

I. The Problem of a Heavy Heart!
II. The Prescription of a Healthy Heart

Let’s think about…

III. The Performance of A Healthy (or healed) Heart

Once your life is being impacted by God’s miracle medicine, what should you do with it? 

First, (A) there is laughter in the voice… “A merry heart does good like a medicine.”

Laughter is both the prescription and evidence of God’s miracle medicine.

Executive digest says, “Laughter has a profound and instantaneous affect
    on every organ. It reduces tension, exercises vital organs, even when
    laughter is forced. Laughter replaces bad emotions and produces its own
    affect.”

Billy Graham notes:  “A keen sense of humor helps us to overlook the
   unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerate the unpleasant,
   overcome the unexpected and outlast the unbearable.”

There are more than 250 references to laughter in the Bible.  Let me share a few thought- provoking quotations…

”Laughter is the mind sneezing.”

”Laughter is the safety valve of the mind.”

”Life taken seriously is like swimming while wearing a tuxedo.”

”Laughter is the hand of God on the shoulder of a troubled world.”

”Laugher is a tranquiller with no side affects.”

”Laughter is the human body wagging its tail.”

Dr. Patch Adams said:

    “People crave laughter as if it were an essential amino acid.”

”Florida Trend” magazine reported a study that found…

     …The average four year old laughs 400 times a day, while adults laugh
         only 15-16 times a day.

There is a famous medical case in which Norman Cousins laughed himself back from terminal illness.

When was the last time you enjoyed a good laugh?  “A merry heart does good like a medicine.”

There should be:

1. Laughter in the Voice

2. Second, There Should Be A Smile On Your Face.

If you have God’s miracle medicine in your heart, tell your face about it! 

Do you realize…frowning requires 43 muscles; while smile requires only 17!

Smiling is infectious
You catch it like the flu
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner
And someone saw my grin,
When I smiled I realized
I’d passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile
then I realized its worth,
A single smile just like mine
Could travel around the earth.
So if you feel a smile begin
Don’t leave it undetected.
Let’s start an epidemic quick
And get the world infected.

A smile is an important tool in winning people to Christ.  I heard about a man who was saved at a Memphis church.  When the pastor asked him what had brought him to Christ,

         “I stood outside the building and watched your people come out.  They
          looked to me like they had been chewing lotus leaves.”  (An ancient
          leaf that produced euphoria.)

When people come to Faith, I want them to be immediately struck with three things:

…The Bibles in our hands.

    I have in had on my desk since January a newsletter from our missionary 
    Steve Mann, (who grew up in our church), who along with his wife Caroline
    are serving the Lord in England.  The article is titled, “Where Is America
    Headed?”  He writes in the introduction….  Steve number one concern:
    Biblical Illiteracy.

    This to this assessment by a cutting-edge church leader:

     “…many people assume that the churched Christian has a firm handle on
      the biblical theology that fuels the Christian life.  An extensive Barna
      Research Group study shows that ‘Americans’ Bible knowledge ins in the
      ball park, but often is off base.’  More specifically, the survey found that
      American have strongly held theological positions, but that these positions
      often conflict with biblical views.  The greatest challenges to churches
      may be dealing with the fact that most adults think they have both
      extensive and accurate Bible knowledge.”

One survey tested church-going adults in 14 areas.  One of the most striking responses was that a high percentage of them agreed with these two statements:

    “The Bible teaches God helps those who help themselves.’

    “The Holy Spirit is not a living entity but a symbol of God’s presence or
     power.”

We must be a people of the Book. 

*This the most important thing I do week end, week out.  You know what to expect week by week…consecutive exposition of bible book and relevant themes.

A pastor visited the home one of the families.  As he was about to leave, the pastor asked, “May we read God’s Word and pray?” “Of course, she said. In a most reverent tune, she turned to four-year-old daughter,

                 “Honey, go get the book that mother loves so well.” 

The little girl came back with a Sears catalogue.

Bring your Bible; open it, mark it!  Bring a pen and notebook!

…The Joy in our hearts

    …expressed in uninhabited praise!

…The Joy of the Lord written on our faces

A survey asked church people what attracted them to their church.

15 Percent—Programs
12 Percent—Location
12 Percent—Belief/doctrine (Sad, but true!)
  7 Percent—Denomination
50 Percent—Friendliness (That begins with a smile!)

Two old gold prospectors in the Yukon hit the mother load.  They went back to town to stake their claim, and to get supplies.  Before they left for town, they made an agreement; they pledged themselves to absolute secrecy.

They went into town, quickly staked their claim, grabbed some supplies and headed back to their mine.  When they left town, a group of prospectors followed them.  The newly rich miner’s stopped and asked, “Why are you following us?”

”Because you have struck a rich claim,” they said.
”How do you know that?”  they ask, glancing at each other.
”Because it’s written all over your faces,” was the answer.

Let’s pray.

I hope you are drinking deep of God’s miracle medicine…that you are drinking regularly and then…let it minister to someone else.

Who would say, “Pastor, I need a fresh drink…I’m taking a fresh drink this morning. (Raised hands).

When Jesus talked about salvation, he used the metaphor or drink.  To the woman at the well, he said:

    “…whosoever drinks of the water I shall give him will never thirst.  But the
     water that I shall give them will become in him a fountain of springing upon
     to everlasting life.”  Song: _______________________