|
|
CONSCIENCE - THE VOICE FROM WITHIN
INTRO:
A. Some say, "The Lord spoke to my heart”
“I heard a voice from within"
1. If they mean
they are getting information from God outside the Bible – they are wrong…. God
says that he has revealed
all that he is going to reveal…. we have it ALL
Joh
16:13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes,
He will guide you into all the truth;
for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will
speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
2
Pet. 1:3 seeing that His
divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness,
through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
2. But we do
have a voice from within – God does speak to our hearts…….. the conscience!
3. The word conscience comes from
a. "con"-
with & "science" - to know
or to know oneself
b. Only
human beings have this special (God given) mechanism.
1)
Animals don't, though sometimes
we forget as we speak to our pets…
“Look at what you have done!” or “Why did you do
that?”
2) Only
humans are made By God, are
made Like God and are made for God.
4. All that
God wants from us is to TRUST AND OBEY Him
Eccl. 12:13-14 The conclusion, when
all has been heard, is:
fear God and keep His commandments,
because this applies to
every person. (14) For God will bring every act to judgment,
everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.
5. We all
have that mechanism; whether Christian or not
Rom 2:14-16 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law,
these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, (15) in that they show the work of the Law written
in their hearts, their conscience
bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,
(16) on the day when, according to my gospel, God
will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.
Rom 1:18-20 For the
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, (19) because that which is known about God is
evident within them; for God made it evident to them. (20)
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His
eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood
through what has been made, so that
they are without excuse.
2. Animals
won't stand in Judgment----- but we will!
3. Consequently,
the Human conscience serves two very important:
a. It is that voice from within that judges
between what is right & wrong- - -
b. It “approves”
of what you have done
c. or says, "You are guilty"
d. It anticipates doing something wrong and
keeps you from doing wrong
4. Extremely important lessons because many
people perhaps don't know why they're so miserable –
Guilty Conscience
a. Perhaps people leave here this morning and try
and run from their conscience
distract
themselves - Play, entertainment, riches, work...
Satan’s tools to keep you searching to
fill that aching in your breast
b. I
want to tell you how to have a good conscience:
I. ONE MUST STRUGGLE TO OBTAIN & MAINTAIN
GOOD CONSCIENCE
A. Every person (Unless has destroyed) struggles
with conscience in one form or another
1. Especially
Christians
Act 24:16 (Paul)…….. “I also do my best to maintain
always a blameless conscience both
before God and before men.
Act 23:1 Paul, looking intently at the Council, said,
"Brethren, I have lived my life with a
perfectly good conscience before God up to this day."
2. If
you want a good conscience you must
begin with God
a. Paul
says I've done what I believed was right (Seeking to please the Lord)
b.
How did Paul act when he
discovered in sin?
1) No food or drink for three days
c. Joseph's
first concern was not Potiphar
1) Your husband will kill me
2) but God Gen. 39:9, “How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?"
d. If
you do wrong – Do you need to make a public confession - No!
1) you need to restore your
conscience with God
2) you may ALSO need to
appeal to the brethren
3) brethren
can’t restore conscience
e.
Appeal is made throughout the scriptures
2 Tim.
Rom 13:5 Therefore it is
necessary to be in subjection, [to governing authorities] not only
because of wrath, but also for
conscience' sake.
3. Not only must we have a good conscience
with God
Also toward man –
Must have a good conscience in way deal
with others
a. Influence
- 1 Pet. 3:15-16
1 Pet 3:15-16 but sanctify Christ as
Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to
everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you,
yet with gentleness and reverence;
(16) and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are
slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.
1 Pet. 2:12 Keep your behavior excellent among the
Gentiles, so that in the
thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good
deeds, as they observe them,
glorify God in the day of visitation.
b. This is one reason that we make “public confession”
1) Let it be known that you recognize and DENOUNCE
that sin that others may have seen
2)
i.e. confession – speeding ticket
c. take away any slander from the mouths of
your detractors
II. CONSEQUENCES
OF STRUGGLING AGAINST CONSCIENCE
A. We
are made for Him and it is man's purpose to serve God and when we go against we struggle against our conscience
- Fruits:
1. Misery - Psalm 32:2-4
Psa 32:2-4 How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is
no deceit! (3) When
I kept silent about my sin, my
body wasted away Through my groaning all day
long. (4) For day and night Your
hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.
a. Sin
gets heavy
b. There
are fathers, mothers, members, who are filled with self-pity, criticism, depression
because Guilty Conscience
2. Fools - Rom.
Rom 1:21-22 For even though they knew God, they did not
honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was
darkened. (22) Professing to be wise, they became fools,
a. Basic
problem in Rom. 1 –
1) Heathens could have known the Lord but refused
(Struggled against their consciences)
2) Result: Can't think straight on any moral issue
3) univer.
of
b. Homosexuality,
Abortion, Fornication. . ."Asked person how could you feel right in affair...
Response: "What
do you mean?"
3. Destroy
the voice within –
1 Tim. 4:1-4 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later
times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits
and doctrines of demons, (2) by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a
branding iron, (3) men
who forbid marriage and advocate
abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those
who believe and know the truth. (4) For everything created by God is good, and
nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;
Eph. 4:17-19, So this I say, and affirm together with the
Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility
of their mind, (18) being darkened in their understanding,
excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their
heart; (19) and they, having become callous, have
given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity
with greediness.
a.
Someone has said that "Guilty conscience is to the soul what pain is
to the body"
Warning! Would you want to do away with all
physical pain? ….. Tell of child without ability to feel pain…..
b. Only
three things can shut the door on your salvation: 2nd return, Death, and Dead
conscience
III. GOOD
CONSCIENCE IN THE ABSOLUTE SENSE
A. "Good Conscience" is used so
loosely today.
"I've done what I thought should be done so conscience
clear and good"- Not Necessarily
1. Deacons….
1 Tim. 3:9 but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
a. For
a clear conscience one must “hold to the mystery
of faith”
b. Only
the blood of Christ can make a person's conscience pure, clean & in a sense
good before God
Heb 9:8-14 The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet
been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, (9)
which is a symbol for
the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in
conscience, (10) since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations
for the body imposed until a time of reformation. (11)
But when Christ appeared as
a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not
made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; (12)
and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own
blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal
redemption. (13) For if the blood of goats and bulls and the
ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing
of the flesh, (14) how
much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered
Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to
serve the living God?
2. This is accomplished when one does what God
says to reach the Blood - Finally
Rom 6:3-4, Or do you not know that all of us who have
been baptized into Christ Jesus have
been baptized into His death? (4)
Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so
that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we
too might walk in newness of life.
1 Pet. 3:20-21 who once were disobedient, when the patience
of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in
which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. (21)
Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a
good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
a. Not water
salvation but the answer or "Appeal
to God for a good conscience"
b.
Both of these are brought
together
Heb
B. Are you a Christian? Gone places, said things, acted in way to disgrace
Christ
GOOD
NEWS – You can leave here with a CLEAR CONSCIENCE
C. Not a
Christian, yet? There is good news - You can be washed in the blood of
Christ and made clean leaving here truly
with a good conscience.