Don't Think Of Your Sinful Nature Series

I. EXORDIUM:

Do you remember your sinful life before? DON'T DO THIS. Remember how the LORD saved you.

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To show that what fills our heart will provoke us to return to it.

IV. TEXT:

Hebrews 11:15 (Amplified Bible)

11:15 If they had been thinking with [homesick] remembrance of that country from which they were emigrants, they would have found constant opportunity to return to it.

V. THESIS:

Praise, worship and thank You very much LORD JESUS for You fill my heart to overflowing with Your Presence.

VI. TITLE:

Don't think of your sinful nature

Subtitle: Study on the Book of Hebrews

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Date of writing: Before AD. 70

B. Style of writing: Best Greek style

C. Authorship: Not specific, but generally attributed to Apostle Paul. Can be also ascribed to Barnabas, Luke, Apollos

D. Audience: Hebrew Christians

E. Theme: Christ is superior to the prophets; Christ is superior to angels—J. Vernon McGee's Thru The Bible

F. Purpose: The chief doctrinal purpose of the writer was to show the transcendent glory of the Christian dispensation, as compared with that of the Old Testament.—Thompson Chain - Bible Book Outlines

G. Keyword: better

VIII. MAIN BODY:

A. Don't remember your former sinful nature

"If they had been thinking with [homesick] remembrance of that country from which they were emigrants,"

Mindful or "mnemoneuo" in Greek meaning:

1. to exercise memory

2. recollect

3. to punish, also to rehearse

4. make mention, be mindful, remember

Philippians 4:8 (Amplified Bible)

4:8 For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

Hebrews 12:2 (Amplified Bible)

12:2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Abram came from Ur of Chaldea. Chaldees are all astrologers by profession (Source: Strong's Greek and Hebrew Dictionaries)

Genesis 11:31 (Amplified Bible)

11:31 And Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth together to go from Ur of the Chaldees into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran, they settled there.

If Abram continues to remind himself where he came from, he could have returned. This is why the LORD used the stars to illustrate to Abraham regarding his descendants. So that when Abram will look to the stars, he will not remember that he is an astrologer but he will remember GOD's promise to him. That when he look to the stars, he will no longer remember that he's an astrologer but he's a father of many nations.

Genesis 15:5 (Amplified Bible)

15:5 And He brought him outside [his tent into the starlight] and said, Look now toward the heavens and count the stars—if you are able to number them. Then He said to him, So shall your descendants be.

Hebrews 11:12 (Amplified Bible)

11:12 So from one man, though he was physically as good as dead, there have sprung descendants whose number is as the stars of heaven and as countless as the innumerable sands on the seashore.

Abraham does not want to return to his former country Ur of Chaldea, because his country now is Heaven, that's why He taught this to his slave and Isaac.

Genesis 24:6-8 (Amplified Bible)

24:6 Abraham said to him, See to it that you do not take my son back there.

24:7 The Lord, the God of heaven, Who took me from my father’s house, from the land of my family and my birth, Who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, To your offspring I will give this land—He will send His Angel before you, and you will take a wife from there for my son.

24:8 And if the woman should not be willing to go along after you, then you will be clear from this oath; only you must not take my son back there.

Examples of people who want to return because they thought of it:

1. Israelites after Exodus - they always think of the food they have in Egypt, when they lusted for meat, GOD gave them meat, when they lusted for bread, GOD gave them manna. But they still chose to remember Egypt and not GOD who provided all these things.