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Grateful Response PDF Print E-mail
Written by David Charlton   

Hebrews 10:10-18
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And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which 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 then to wait until his enemies should be made a stool 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 bears witness 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 on their hearts, and write them on their minds," 17 then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their misdeeds no more." 18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Summary and Purpose
Summary: Whenever someone sacrifices for us, we feel obligated to repay that person. We are grateful and want to show our appreciation in a tangible way.
With this in mind, we should develop an intense desire to serve God. The Lord God humbled himself and became a human named Jesus. As a human, He suffered and died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. On the third day He rose from the dead, conquering sin, death and evil on our behalf. Because Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, we can receive God’s forgiveness and enjoy an eternal and loving relationship with the Lord Almighty. There is nothing greater then that.
In view of God’s great sacrifice for us, we should respond by living the life God wants and empowers us to live. As we walk with Christ, we will sincerely desire to love and serve God in response to His love.    
Purpose: To help the congregation to have a proper response to what God has already done for them.
The Sermon
I. Introduction: Desiring to serve those who have sacrificed for us.
1. Last Wednesday, we celebrated Veterans Day.
  • We realize the great sacrifices made by our veterans
  • In response to their great sacrifices, we want to demonstrate our appreciation in tangible ways
    • Many businesses, churches and schools close in honor of the veterans
    • Many towns conduct parades
    • The President lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
  • It is only right and natural that we do this
2. Whenever someone sacrifices for us, we develop a desire to repay that person.
We are grateful and want to show our appreciation in a tangible way.
3. Another example of people wanting to show intense gratitude for someone who
sacrificed for them
  • When I was a 1LT in the 3/7 Cavalry Squadron, we had a wonderful commander who was willing to risk his reputation for the sake of his men.
  • Just prior to a rotation to the National Training Center (NTC), he decided that soldiers with pregnant wives who were expected to deliver during the deployment did not have to deploy.
  • The soldiers appreciated the commander’s concern for their welfare and always gave the commander 100%. The squadron did exceptionally well at NTC and the pentagon brass took notice.
4. We are living out a variation of this type of story in our relationship with God
II. God is our Savior and in response to God’s saving act, we should sincerely desire to
love and follow him.
  1. Hebrews10:10-14: God has already done what is necessary to save us for all       eternity
  • Verse 10: We’ve been sanctified (made holy) through the sacrifice of Jesus
  • Verses 11-14: The work is complete.
    • The priest had to stand and continue to work because their sacrifices were only temporary measures to atone for our sins. When Christ completed his work, he was able to sit down and wait for the eventual triumph of God’s kingdom.
    • What had to be done to ensure our salvation was completed with the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
    • The decisive battle was won. Victory is assured. When we established the beachhead on Normandy, we knew we would win WWII. We had to continue the fight but we knew we would win in the end.
2. Hebrews 10: 15-18: The Holy Spirit testifies that God has already done what is
necessary to save us for all eternity
  • Verses 15-16: Our hearts will be changed so that we can live up to God’s Law
  • Verses 17-18: The Holy Spirit reminds us that our sins are no longer counted against us.
3. Hebrews 10:19-25: Our grateful response
  • Verses 19-22: We should approach God with confidence to share our problems, fears, sorrows, joy and celebrations
  • Verse 23: We should confess the good news of Jesus Christ
  • Verses 24-25: We should meet with and help each other to love God and neighbor
  • Summation: In light of what God has already done for us, we should develop a sincere desire to love and follow him. As we walk with the Lord, the Holy Spirit will develop this sincere desire to love and serve God within our hearts
III.   What it looks like in our everyday lives to respond gratefully to what God has
already done for us.
1. Love God by participating in the means of grace: worship, Bible study, prayer and
fasting
2. Love neighbor by looking for and taking advantage of opportunities to:
  • Spread the Good news about Jesus Christ
  • Serve others who are in need
IV. Conclusion
1. Responding to what God has already done for us begins with repentance and trust
in Jesus.
2. If you have not yet repented and trusted Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you can
do so right now.
3. If you are a Christian but have not been responding to God’s love in a grateful
manner, you can go to God and take care of it right now. Ask God for forgiveness
and empowerment to respond to His love by loving and serving God.
 
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