“The Law of the Heart”
Romans • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. 17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” 25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
Paul now introduces a new word into our vocabulary:
nomos = law
Although this is the first time we see this word in Romans, it won’t be the last. He will use this word 74 times in Romans, more than any other book in the NT.
What comes to our minds when we think about the law?
In Jewish teaching there were both written and oral elements of the law?
The OT alone contained 613 written commands.
But when Jesus comes on the scene He takes a very different approach to the law.
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
What had become neglected among Jewish people was the importance of the heart as it relates to the law.
This is the law of the heart.
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.
19 As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
What is the heart?
Heart: The ruling center of the whole person, the spring of all desires. The seat of the will, intellect, and feelings. Heart and soul are often used interchangeably in Scripture. The heart is the inner person.
How could they miss this?
Because it is always easier to deal with our actions than it is to deal with the heart.
Sin itself is an issue of the heart, not just an issue of our actions.
Jesus is not concerned with behavior modification.
The deceitfulness of sin is that you can actually do the right things for the wrong reasons.
He doesn’t just want you to do the right things. It has to start with the heart.
If it was just a matter of doing the right things, perhaps you could attain righteousness on your own.
But it isn’t.
The one thing that you can not do is change your heart!
Only God can do that!
26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
What we need most is a heart change. It is our greatest need!
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
God does not only judge the actions of men, He judges their hearts.
On that day when you stand before God and He reveals every sinful thought that you have had, every wrong desire, every lust, every word that you have mumbled under your breath, what will be the verdict?
That is why the Bible places such emphasis on repentance. Because repentance is a change of heart, brought about by the Holy Spirit.
When we have genuine sorrow for our sin, especially for our heart sins, then we know that God is working in us a true and lasting change.
13 The Lord said: These people approach me with their speeches to honor me with lip-service, yet their hearts are far from me, and human rules direct their worship of me.
God is after our hearts, and whatever we may give Him, it is in vain until He has our heart.
Where is your heart at tonight?