When Does God Write In Our Hearts?

Sermon Title: LOVE or OBLIGATION

Scripture Text: Hebrews 10:11-14; 15-18

Hebrews 10:11-14 NLT

11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Hebrews 10:15-18 NLT

15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:

16 “This is the covenant I will make with them

    after that time, says the Lord.

I will put my laws in their hearts,

    and I will write them on their minds.”

17 Then he adds:

“Their sins and lawless acts

    I will remember no more.”

18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

The Word of God

For the People of God

Thanks be to God

Today I want to concentrate on Verses 15-18 of out text.

Is being a Christian LOVE or OBLIGATION?

Obligations makes me cringe just hearing the word.  I am obligated to turn assignments in on time, keep my promises, get up and go to work or school, do my job, go to dinner with someone or group I don’t like, family traditions or even watch a movie I don’t like to keep someone else happy, on and on we can go. 

And to be honest, sometimes it can be like a Christian feels like just something else I am obligated to do.  Read my Bible, help others, give my money, work on a project I don’t want involved in, etc. 

When it is an obligation, we have two choices: We can either get overwhelmed and not do it and feel guilty. Or we can do it but get burnt out.

Should love, love of God, just be called an obligation?

-Is setting up in the hospital for 3 days with someone we love an obligation or love?

-Is being hurt badly by someone you love very much and doing nothing about it an obligation or love?

-Is serving in one of Gods earthly church ministry’s an obligation or love?

What about you or me?  What do you have going on in your life?  Are there things you feel obligated to do or do you do them out of love?  Do the laws of Christianity overwhelm you and make you want to give up?  Do you feel guilty for not meeting with a person who needs to talk, or what about not giving your money to God for his work here on earth?

Listen, God does not want or need our handouts.  He is not going to strike you down for not reading your Bible or not giving to the poor.  He wants us to do things because we love him not because of obligation to Him. When we are filled with that kind of love that is written in our hearts and on our minds love should overflow from us.

ILLUSTRATION:

What about when you are holding your baby in the quite of a wonderful day. That wonderful feeling of this baby makes you heart explode with love. Tears of joy comes to your eyes. We thank God for this joy He has given us.

Then on a restful quite night maybe we hours in the morning this precious baby starts to cry and cry and cry. You make funny faces, you walk the floor. You rub their gums with this special treatment. After what seems all night and you are exhausted to the bone you look up toward heaven and pray out loud from your soul: Please God let this baby shut up and sleep - I cant take it any longer!

But you do. You keep walking and talking and hugging and praying. Is this LOVE or OBLIGATION?

Since the law is not literally written in anyone’s heart or on their mind, the Scripture references a deeper figurative metaphorical meaning that is to be understood.

This is so very important to understand: Our human conscience isn’t the Holy Spirit talking to us.

-Our conscience can learn things and make our thoughts and emotions tell us things that are wrong according to God. The family we grew up in, the community we live, and even the Church we attend can sway our human Conscience.

-The Holy Spirits direction is always from God. Always tells us the truth. The Holy Spirit doesn’t tell us something is right when its wrong by God’s love for us.

Although given a godly moral direction by love, a person can willfully ignore and sear the voice of the Holy Spirit in order to live wrongly according to God and even live guilt free.