"In Their Hearts"

By Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn

(Hebrews 10:11-25)

[11] And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. [12] But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, "he sat down at the right hand of God," [13] and since then has been waiting "until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet." [14] For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. [15] And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying,

[16] "This is the covenant that I will make with them

after those days, says the Lord:

I will put my laws in their hearts,

and I will write them on their minds,"

[17] he also adds,

"I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more."

[18] Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

[19] Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, [20] by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), [21] and since we have a great priest over the house of God, [22] let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. [23] Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. [24] And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, [25] not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

(NRSV)

INTRODUCTION:

Every week I get a number of pieces of email from members of the Church. Some of them contain questions about the Church or a sermon or something dealing with the Church. Some of the others are from folks like Glenn Wogsatd, John Heinz and Marc Minnies who send me tons of jokes and humorous stories. Occasionally I pass those on or use them in a sermon.

This morning I want to share with you a few of the gems from two recent emailings. The first was entitled, "Words To Live By."

If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.

The severity of the itch is proportional to the reach.

If you think nobody cares about you, try missing a couple of payments.

Half the people you know are below average.

42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

And then just a few from "Don't Squat With Yer Spurs On, A Cowboy's Guide To Life"

If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

Never smack a man who's chewin' tobacco.

It don't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep.

The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket.

Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier 'n puttin' it back.

If you find yourself in a hole the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

Never miss a good chance to shut up.

I think I'll quit on that one. The point is this: we all have certain maxims upon which we base our lives and our actions. There are sayings and phrases, sometimes passages of Scripture that guide us and guide our lives. Some may be as simple as to follow as "Never miss a good chance to shut up." And some may be as difficult to live up to as: "Love your enemies" and "Turn the other cheek."

But the point is that these words and phrases, these passages of Scripture guide us and guide our lives. Why? Because whatever is written in our hearts and minds controls our thoughts and thus controls our lives.

I. WHAT GOES IN, COMES OUT:

A. Have you ever noticed, whatever a sponge picks up is exactly what you get when you squeeze it out later. If you wipe up clear water, you squeeze out clear water. If you wipe up red stuff, you squeeze out red stuff. Our hearts, minds and souls are like sponges. All of the events of life are soaked up. If our life is filled with sin;, if it's filled with gossip, pornography, drunkeness, drug abuse, child abuse, anger, pettiness, all of those things that tear down the spirit and build walls of separation then when the going gets tough and we are squeezed by the pressures of life, all that will come out will be all the garbage we have absorbed.

But if our lives are filled with prayer and the study of Scripture, with worship and songs of praise; with the love, mercy and Grace of God, with the love and forgiveness of Christ; and the good things of life and faith; then when the pressures of life squeeze us what comes out is the goodness and grace and love which we have absorbed.

B. It's important that we be concerned with our diet. Not what goes in our mouths, but what we feed our hearts, minds and souls. It's important that we be concerned with our spiritual diet.

That's why Bible Study and just simple plain old reading of the Bible is so important. It feeds our souls. It feeds our minds. It feeds our hearts. And then when we're squeezed by the pressures of life, what comes out is faith and courage. We heard a perfect example of that last week with Spencer Sinclair's testimony. It was his faith in God that got him through. It was words of Scripture he remembered about God's faithfulness; about God's love, and about God's justice that gave him strength and courage.

Scripture and prayer DO remind us of God's promises. That's why Sunday School and Bible study are so important. That's why reading along in our Bibles during worship is so important. That's partly why the new Baby Boomer Bible Study class will be kicked off in January. And that's partly why we are hoping to purchase Pew Bibles. We want everyone to have that same strength and assurance.

II. WHAT DO YOU HOLD IN YOUR HEART:

A. Listen to what verses 15-17 say: "the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, 'This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,' he also adds, 'I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.'"

This passage from Hebrews is about the promises of God being written in our head and in our hearts so that we can remember our salvation. It is about the grace of God being alive in our lives through forgiveness by Christ and the Assurance of forgiveness that is given by the Holy Spirit.

B. What do you hold in your heart? Is it something that keeps you seperated from God? Is it some past sin? Some angry word with a brother or sisiter? Some deep hurt from a parent or spouse; a child or colleague? Is it some gross injustice that has wounded your soul and filled it with rancor or hate? Is it some beastly act that has frozen your soul so it feels nothing but separation and longing for forgiveness? If it's one of these, listen to the Scripture: "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more."

What do you hold in your heart? The love of God? A sense of God's grace and goodness? Assurance of your forgiveness? That's what is offered by these words."I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds and I will remember their sins no more." Assurance. What a wonderful word. ASSURANCE.

Remember the 4th & 5th grade. Boys and girls were just beginning to discover each other and LIKE the differences. There was an electric thrill of suddenly liking that little red haired girl. Or that little blonde haired boy. Notes were passed. Silly little notes. Sometimes they included a multiple choice question. Do you like me? Yes, No, Maybe. Circle the right one.

If you sent one of those notes, the palms of your hands got all sweaty until you got that note back. Then there was a fluttering of the heart as you slowly unfolded the page. It took all the courage you could muster to look at the answer. If it was "Yes," you nearly swooned with joy. If it was "No," your heart was broken and you felt crushed.

That was just puppy love but what we were really seeking, wasn't love, but acceptance and the assurance of our acceptance. Some of us have never grown beyond that kind of thinking in our relationship with God. We still need a note.

Let me tell you, this book, the Bible, is that note. This text is the summation of that note. It was written once and for all to all of humanity. Circled in bright red, and in hand written letters is the greatest love note of all. It can be summed up in one word, Jesus, The greatest and largest "YES" you have ever seen.

Yes, you are loved.

Yes, you are forgiven.

Yes, you are a child of God.

Yes, you are a friend of Christ.

Yes, God is your heavenly parent.

Yes, you are a child of the Kingdom.

Yes in place of all your doubts. Jesus is "Yes" written on our hearts and in our minds and in our very souls. Every breath we take is a reminder of the "Yes" of God in Christ. The "Yes" which says: "I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds and I will remember their sins no more."

We can draw near to God because of that "Yes." With great anticipation and joy, we can approach the throne of God with confidence. Why? Because we have been cleansed. Our hearts are cleansed from guilt and our souls are cleansed from sin. Through we have been freed by grace to run to God with confidence.

It's not anything we have done. It is what has been done for us. The one time, once and for all, sacrifice of Jesus the Christ on the cross makes it all possible. And through the power of God's Holy Spirit, we can know the "Yes" of God in our hearts and have the assurance that our sins have been forgiven.

III. WHAT DO YOU DO WITH IT:

A. That's what this passage is all about. It's also about what we are supposed to do with that forgiveness and assurance. What we do with that forgiveness and assurance is known as Stewardship. As we grow in our faith; as we grow in our knowledge of what God calls us to do, through Bible Study, prayer and worship, then we want to respond to the "Yes" of God. We want to respond to the knowledge that we are the children of God. We want to do something with the energy and the joy of that assurance. We want to show our appreciation and give thanks. That's what Stewardship is all about.

B. We study Scripture, we attend worship and Sunday School, we fellowship together, we offer ourselves and our gifts back to God, not out of a sense of duty but out of a sense of desire to serve God who has done so much for us. And out of a desire to say thank you to God.

Part of how we say thanks is provoking one another to love and good deeds and encouraging one another. When I read that I couldn't help think of Rob Clopton's message on Laity Sunday. He has a real vision the members of this church being in small groups called covenant groups. And all those groups really are is a small group of people who provoke and encourage one another in love and good deeds.

CONCLUSION:

The world offers lots of pieces of advice, phrases that we memorize but might not offer any real direction in life. Things like:

He who hesitates is probably right.

No one is listening until you make a mistake.

Never ask a barber if he thinks you need a haircut.

That last one might save you a little money but it won't supply the faith and the grace you need when the pressures of life start to squeeze your heart and soul. That's when you need the assurance that God is there; that all is right between you and God; the assurance that your sins have been forgiven. And that comes through a relationship with Jesus, who, through the Holy Spirit says: ."I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds and I will remember their sins no more."

Remember those laws, the laws of love, and respond by provoking one another to love and good deeds thorugh the stewardship of your salvation which has been written on your heart.