Sermon Tone Analysis

Self Aware

This morning we are going to continue with Hebrews 10 looking at vv15-16 but before we get to that I want read to you something that the Apostle Paul wrote:

I haven’t quite figured out what my life verse is supposed to be, by the time I settle on one another takes it’s place.

But really — The last 5 words here are probably it: of whom I am chief

It is easy for any Christian — and I am sure this would have been especially true of the apostle Paul — to conclude that they are far above those in the world around them who are engaged in continual and open sin.

But I want to point out that Paul said this: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

He did not say:

I am chief, with the exception of addicts

I am chief, with the exception of dead beat Dads.

I am chief, with the exception of homosexuals.

I am chief, with the exception of people who support abortion

Or, even I am chief with the exception of those who put pineapple on their pizza

No — Paul said I am Chief.

— This demonstrates that the apostle had a great amount of self awareness.

We can’t forget that the hero’s of our faith were just normal people.

They had the same temptations that you and I have, and they stumbled into sin the same way that you and I do.

Paul is no exception.

Paul was someone who had an enormous amount of grace shown to him by God.

His conversion was miraculous, having been called by the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus.

— Then Paul spent 3 years being taught and trained for his role as an apostle — But look in Galatians 1:12 as to who it was that taught him

So not only was he called by our resurrected Lord, but his training was done entirely by Jesus.

The reason Paul would say I am Chief is because he has had such great grace afforded to him — and such great understanding of scripture revealed to him — For Paul to still fall into sin while at the same time being blessed by a an unparalleled understanding of God’s will and the high cost of sin — made the awareness of his sins all the worse.

Gross Negligence

We have a term for this.

If a homeowner installs an electrical outlet in his home, and as a result there is an electrical fire and the house burns down --- then it is a tragedy — If an electrician who understands the dangers of electricity and understands the proper way to run wire and connect to the outlet wires a house — and if that electrician cuts corners and gets lazy with his work and because of this an electrical fire breaks out and his customers house burns down — it’s not just a tragedy, its gross negligence.

In that scenario, the electrician could be criminally liable and face jail time.

The same thing is true for anyone who has had the grace and will of God revealed to them.

The more grace and the more understanding that we have, the greater responsibility we have to be obedient to the commandments of God.

Jesus says in Luke 12:48

Luke 12:48 (KJV 1900)

48 ....

For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required

Todays Passage

With all of that in mind, please turn your Bibles over to Hebrews 10 and this morning we will look at vv15-16

This morning’s message is entitled Law on the Heart and is the second in our series A Once for All Life.

Let’s Pray

Ignorance of the Law

Years ago I was driving North on I-75 and going a little over the speed limit.

What I came to find is that the speed limit is not 65 miles-per-hour on the stretch of I-75 between downtown and St. Rita’s it is 55 miles-per-hour.

I wasn’t going a bit over the speed limit.

I was in fact going an excess of at least 10 miles-per-hour over the speed limit.

I will leave you to guess what that number was.

Needless-to-say, I was afforded to the opportunity to meet one of our esteemed members of law enforcement as they were writing me a ticket.

But, the reason I know that it is the section between downtown and St. Rita’s that is 55 miles-per-hour is because I explained to the officer that I didn’t realize I was going that much over the speed limit.

— I still got the ticket.

The legal term for this is Ignorantia juris non excusat.

It’s Latin for Ignorance of the law excuses not.

You can’t stand before a judge and plead ignorance and expect your case to be won.

So, long story short, I paid my ticket.

This is a ruling for civil law and it is the prevailing doctrine of law today.

And that is just.

Our bible says the exact same thing.

So what does that mean of someone who has never picked up a Bible a day in their life?

Well, I am sorry but Ignorance of the Law of God is no more an excuse than is ignorance of the laws of our human governments.

Put & Written

This is complicated by what read in Hebrews when we read

Hebrews 10:16 (KJV 1900)

16 ....

I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

It’s been some time now, but if you remember Hebrews 8 :10 said just about the same thing, and we touched on that a little.

It’s a quote from the book of Jeremiah

See — you don’t even have the excuse of being ignorant of God’s law if you are a Christian — Because, God’s law has been placed in both your heart and mind.

The core of your being and the center of your intellect.

There is really only one way that you can be ignorant of God’s laws, and that is if the Holy Spirit has — NOT — written them on your heart and mind.

And you can say — Oh, I didn’t know that this law of God that I was breaking was a sin — And I would have to respond that I am sorry to hear that, because that probably means that you are either an unbeliever or the Holy Spirit is derelict in His duty.

— I don’t need to give you 2 guesses as to which one it is.

Living the Law

A believer — can’t escape the law.

Where would you go?

You try to flee in one direction and your heart finds you out — you flee in another direction and your are convicted by your own mind.

No Bible?

Here is something that very few people seem to understand: You don’t need a Bible to understand and follow God’s law.

Why do I say that, well, it’s because we keep reading that the Holy Spirit puts the law of God on your hearts and your minds, not in this volume of printed words.

Don’t get me wrong, This is inspired.

God Breathed.

But do you understand that for far greater than half of the history of the Christian church, very few members of the church owned their own Bibles — and even if they did most of them were illiterate.

Toss our Bibles?

So am I saying that we should just toss our Bibles?

Hardly.

We are so fortunate to have the Word of God so available to us. 2 Timothy 3:16 says

We learn a great deal about God through study of the scripture and by hearing preaching that works through scripture.

Remember that is the law of God that is written on your hearts.

The Mosaic Law.

The moral law.

The law that can be summarized by the 10 commandments and sharpened to a point by what Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-40

Matthew 22:37–40 (KJV 1900)

37 .... Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

But our flesh gets in the way.

And our conscience gets seared.

So even though the law of God is written in our hearts — and even though we know what is right — and what is wrong — We’ll try to excuse ourselves out of following God’s commands.

— Or, we’ll get to thinking that we know our sin is wrong, but it’s really not that big of a deal.

The word of God and the preaching of the word of God is a reality check.

The reason that you feel conviction when the Word of God is preached is because the law of God written in your heart and in your mind bears witness to the truth of what is being preached.

— And the law convicts us.

Just as surely as a judge in a courtroom.

That is what reproof and correction is all about.

A Sad Reality

I ran into someone the other day who has been in church their entire life.

They are still in church.