Listening to Your Conscience part 3

Listening to Your Conscience

Romans 14:5-9, 22-23

Introduction

Ask for prayers

Review of the book

4 reasons you should listen to YOUR conscience

1) Your conscience is a gift from God, so appreciate it (Rom 1-13)

2) Your conscience is determined by what you think, so think clearly (v5)

3) Your conscience is a slave of Christ, so choose to honor Him (v6-9)

Application

How can you explain how Christ cleanses our conscience to someone?

I would argue 2 ways

One we have to try to obey Christ, feeling guilty when we disobey him because Jesus said,

John 14:15- “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

But secondly, the fact is that we do disobey his commands, we are guilty, and our conscience should accuse us at times

To submit a conscience to Jesus is to let me cleanse it them

Hebrews 9:14- how much more will the blood of Christ….purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Sometimes we want to pay off our debt and we do penance to try to clean our conscience, but to change the hymn slightly

What can make my conscience clean?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus

Trans: and the last reasons we must obey our conscience is at the end of the chapter

4) Your conscience determines your sin, so obey it (v22-23)

Explanation

How do we know this is not passage about not sharing your faith,

faith in this chapter refers to what someone one believes is ok todo

So whatever you are convinced regarding these conscience issues, that you should do

And so you will be blessed if you do this

But what if you doubt? What if you go against what you believe you should do, even if it is not explicitly a sinYou sin

You sin

Illustration

David’s census in 2 Samuel 24 is a perfect example

Read 2 Samuel 24:1-3, 10

David does a counting of all the soldiers in Israel

But this wasn’t a sinful thing to doit was commanded in the book of numbers

it was commanded in the book of numbers

But the reason David did it was wrong

David would reflect

Psalm 20:7- Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

David’s action came from an obvious lack of trust and pride in his own power& this wasn’t some hidden sinful motive… Joab knew it was wrong and begged him to not do so

& this wasn’t some hidden sinful motive… Joab knew it was wrong and begged him to not do so

Everything a Christian does should be because he believes it honor the lord… there is no secular issues, so, if a christian believe something is wrong, and he does it anyway, then it was sinful

so, if a christian believe something is wrong, and he does it anyway, then it was sinfuleven if the action itself wasn’t sinful

even if the action itself wasn’t sinful

Application- Simple application here

if your conscience tells you something is wrong… do not do it. No matter what anyone else does, do not do it

Martin Luther famously said in that moment of crisis, “I can’t recant. My conscience is held captive by the word of God and to act against conscience is neither right nor safe.”

We’ll get into how to correct train your conscience

But the rule must be, never go against conscience

Conclusion

Cohesion- Why should I listen to conscience?

Your conscience is from God and thus exists to show you right from wrong

Your conscience may not always be correct, but it always shows accurately what you believe

And since you, as christian, believe you should honor christ with whatever you do

So if your conscience says you’re doing wrong, then you should stop because it does not honor Christ

Resolution-

Let your conscience be your guide

But the guide should lead you to Jesus

It is not until you know your sin that you will know the sweetness of the savior

This is the gospel, the good news that though we have done evil

God is his goodness has punished his son instead of us

So that if you trust and follow Him, he takes the penalty of everything you are guilty of doing.

And Christian, you still need the gospel

Because you will strive for a clean conscience

But you will fail

And the conscience is wrong not just at assigning sin for spilling eggnog, but the conscience is also wrong when it ignores God’s great grace in us

“When Consciences Disagree”

Irvine Community Church 8/4/19

Romans 14

Introduction

Pre-introduction & prayer

Lord, we so easily disagree about many things

Pray that your word may make clear the things we should care about

And the issues we should love each other over

Catch- Good Christians disagree about a lot, don’t we?

Let me give some examples:

Parenting styles, Vaccines, Attending movie theatres

Home school, private school, public school

Wearing 2 pieces swim suites, Drinking wine, Playing video games, Dancing, Smoking

Buying non-fair trade coffee, recycling, vegan diet?

Voting for Donald Trump or some democrat?

So what do we do with all these disagreements?

It would be very easy to post a list on the board out front saying, The ICC accepted lists of activities include X, Y, Z

But that would actually be less than what God would require

God wants more than just saying, am I doing the right thing

He wants us to ask, am I loving the right person

Prop: 6 values that honor Jesus in our disagreements with OTHERS

Body of sermon

Offer a hug to those who disagree with you while rejecting sin (14:1-2)

Explanation

He begins with the welcome

As we mentioned last week, there were two groups in Rome that had different opinions on how a christian should respond to laws about food

These were no minor theological issues that had no bearing on life, but were important views that defined what was right and wrong, so what they could do

Paul’s instruction was to welcome them

But its not just a simple handshake and hello like on Sunday morning

receive or accept into one’s society, home, circle of acquaintance

You know.. those hugs where they grab on and don’t let go for a while because they’re so happy to be together

were not only to “tolerate” the “weak” but that they were to treat them as brothers and sisters in the intimate fellowship

The goal as we will see repeated again and again, is not come together so you can argue and make a mountain out of a mole hill… but the goal is to love

But some of you good Bereans will recognizeDoesn’t Paul bring up

Doesn’t Paul bring up warnings elsewhere?

Ie: 2 John 10–11- If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.

Turn to Galatians 2:11-14 (You know how some things are ok in moderation… like Hot sauce, but if you start putting too much on other’s people’s food you can cause a heart attack?... this was too much.

Here is a similar situation where a group of people from Jerusalem come claiming that Christians cannot break the OT law and thus cannot eat alongside gentiles

Peter goes along with their lead and Paul says this clearly stated to all the gentiles that they had to follow the Old Covenant Law to be right with God

And Paul accuses him straightforward

The problem of the Judaizers wasn’t that they wanted to follow kosher eating, but that they were requiring others to do so

Here in Rome, the people just want to do what is comfortable to them and so Paul tells them to welcome each other

Illustration

We must welcome those who we disagree with but are family, but refuse those who are dangerously are just pretending to be

This requires some triage

You know triage… I took a friend to a ER once because he felt like he had horrible infection in his throat and it was closing on him

We rushed there, described his symptoms and were quickly put into a side room where a nurse meet with us

It seemed scarry and serious

Yet she hooked him up to various machines and began asking him questions

He stopped and said.. hey… this seems really bad can you move it along any faster

She pointed to the machine and said, I know it seems bad, but your oxygen is fine, your breathing fine… we’ll take care of you just give us time

We need to know when our differences are just fine and when it is serious

Application

Theological triage- let me give you 4 categories

necessary for the life of the church

e.g., the deity of Christ, the virgin birth, the Trinity

You cannot be a christian without these

Doctrines necessary for the health of the church

Do we baptism babies, how we use spiritual gifts really matters here, and the role of women min ministry

As a church, if we disagree on these we’re going in different directions

speculative views that should not divide any local church

All these other issues that we might have strong options about… one person might be right, but we can patiently love each other enough

If you want to know what is essential, what we gather around, grab our doctrinal statement on the back table.. we love each other by making these thins a priority.

Trans: But in calling for this love, Paul makes clear what the warnings are

Take issue without sinning by (14:3-4)

Explanation- two ways we can fall off into sin

As we discussed last week, there are two groups disagreeing here

The Jews are probably concerned about kosher meat laws and since they’re living in Rome where the meat was not cared for properly, they choose to have a vegetarian diet

The others believed it was no problem to eat anything because they were not under the dietary laws

They each had their own dangers

Looking down on others’ consciences

The strong were warned to not despise the jews who choose to be vegetarian

those poor weaklings with their pathetic scruples and oversensitive consciences, their sad inability to understand the Bible teaching we have grasped so well (because we are so strong in our faith!

disdainful, condescending judgment, an attitude

2nd group of jews must not be Judging others’ consciences

The weak judge

I suspect they rather thought of themselves as the truly pious remnant: we, only we are left, who have a proper attitude of piety towards God

He gives two reasons for refusing to despise or judge

God has welcomed. The same welcome they are commanded to give.God has brought them into his family, so are you holier than God?

God has brought them into his family, so are you holier than God?

The church is called to be holy and separate from the world

But God allows disagreement so why should you force everyone to be like you?

And the second reason

Who are you to pass judgment, you are a fellow slaveGod is his master

God is his master

It is God who each believer must please not you

And believers will stand, not based on how perfectly we make wise decisionsnor how correctly

nor how correctly we interpret each debate

But we stand based on the Lord Jesus

The gospel is nicely summarized is once verse you should memorize

2 Corinthians 5:21- For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The Lord’s slaves stands based on his faith in the Jesus becoming sin for him

That he deserved that sin and

Illustration

We must be careful to have different opinions, but avoid sinning

This requires a warning because Satan attack where we are strong

There was sadly a strong church ministry that focused on families and the importance of marriage headed by great preacher

And then it was discovered that not only had the many been committing adultery… it was with young women he had been ministering over since childhood

When asked if he had been a hyprocite the whole time he responded, “No, but I thought I would never fall in this area, so I never really prepared to fight.

We must be so very careful when we feel like judging others in debatable matters… because we might be close to sin

What is the Application? Simple

Do not despise those who are stricter than you are

And do not judge those who are looser than you are

But we do this by remembering where our judgment comes from

One example… moms, you all know the pain of mom-guilt

Whether it is the comment someone makes about your kids or just what you perceive they think of your parenting

And a guilt forms of what we are doing or not doing

Instead, the question must always be… what does God think… and here is the reality, for something as multifaceted as parenting… he’s doing to have different expectations for different people… so do not comparedo not feel guilty

do not feel guilty

Instead, we have to be fully convinced in our own minds what He expects.

Honor Christ and assume others are too (14:5-9)

Explanation

We talked about this passage last week, so go back and listen

But the summary is you must fill you mind with truth to be convinced and if your conscience says no to something… do not say yes

Trans: Paul then circles back around to give some theological grounding

Entrust them to Christ’s judgment instead of your own (14.10-12)

Explanation

In v3- He rebukes the weak who judge and the strong who despise because they will all be judged by God

This the Bema seat, the great white throne judgment of Revelation or the Believer’s judgment

1 Corinthians 4:5 -“Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.”

The Christian’s judgment reveals his works and rewards him

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23–24,)

Ilus- Its an award ceremony

Illustration

In that day when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, the whole “edifice” of our earthly works will be tested by the fire of God. Some impressive superstructures will be reduced to rubble, because they are built only for show – not out of lasting material. Like sets on a movie lot, these “buildings” may be magnificent and appear genuine even on close inspection, but the fire will test them for what they are really made of, not for what they look like. All the wood, hay and stubble will be burned away.

-John Macarthur

Application

Instead of focusing on your brother, and pass judgment upon them, focus on yourself first

A theology of the future puts disagreements into perspective

And doing so will cause us to 5th

Reorient your freedom around love (v13-15)

Explanation- Paul gets to the heart of the application here

Do not pass judgment, but instead, make the judgment to not cause spiritual harm

A stumbling block=could mean trap or temptation

= encouraging the other believer to go against the conscience and go along

Paul is putting the weight on the so called strong because the weak have a conscience that could be brought into sin

But he says something very interesting in v14- I know from Jesus that noting is unclean

Jesus had stated in

Mark 7:18–20 Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.

So according to the Lord Jesus, the strong are rightthe weak are wrong

the weak are wrong

But as we said last week, the conscience states what we think God wants from us

Could restate v15 as, “by being right, do not bring God’s child into sin”

Paul gives a clear example in 1 cor 10:25-29

If an unbeliever asked them to a meal and had meat offered to idols… they could accept because the idol was nothing.=Free in

=Free in Christ

But if a Christian points out that this meat is from an temple say no for the sake of a brother’s conscience

As paul stated earlier,

1 Corinthians 8:13- Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

Paul could have stated a law here, but instead, he appeals to love

Christian freedom is the freedom to give up your rights for the sake of your brothers.

Illustration

As a Christian, your love should cause you to sacrifice your conviction for the sake of another

I always think of a family I knew who did a lot of work with college students

They had them over to their house almost every week

And this family believed they had the christian right to drink alcohol

But they had lots of people under 21 in their home who could not legally do so

They did not want to tempt anyone to break the law and sin, so they refused to ever have alcohol in their home

This was willing to sacrifice freedom for the sake of love

Application- So what should you do when someone think what you’re doing is wrong?

Remember I said last week if your conscience says no… never do it?

Because of this, when your conscience says yes you should ask… ok, but what would love do?

Do you have to give in to anyone who thinks you’re wrong?

No… because remember v3- the weak do not have the right to judge the strong

Just because doesn’t like that we’re not using the KJV doesn’t mean we should stop using it

It is about tempting them to do what is wrong

But if you’re sure you have the freedom to do something, and you know someone else thinks it would be sinful to do that thing & you know that your activity would tempt them… I appeal, love them and give it up

I appeal, love them and give it up

You cannot carry freshly grilled bacon in front of a kosher Christian and be loving. They have noses after all

So, give it up not from law, but love

But just limiting your freedom is not enough. Love is just not preventative, it is constructive.

Second the disagreement to building each other up (14:16-21)

Explanation- He gives one more theological foundation here

Paul has stated that the strong are correct and the weak are wrong in this case

The very words strong and weak implies that there is something not correct about the weak

We sometimes tend to think that the most religiously stringent person is the most god glorifying, but that is not the case

it seems like the weak is only a temporary issue

So, the goal of the Christian, who is serving God’s kingdom is to build others up

The kingdom of God isn’t about eating

Or schooling choices, political parties, musical styles, etc

So we shouldn’t divide over these issues

Instead, we should come together to build others righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy spirit

Illustration

We sacrifice our rights with the goal of building up

See Paul isn’t asking for martyrs who go around complaining

He is recruiting investors to put on their hard hats to build

Put others first

Application

Thus, you can talk about these issues of disagreements

God will use them to grow and sharpen us

But what unites us? Do we see the commonality with those who share our secondary opinions more than we do with those are pursing righteousness, peace, and joy

Next week we will talk about how to build up the conscience…

Conclusion

Cohesion- The goal in disagreements must be to Focus on OTHERS

Offer Love

Take issues but no sinning

Honoring Christ and assume others are

Entrust everyone to Christ’s judgment

Reorient our freedom to be about sacrificial love

Second the disagreement under loving oen another

Resolution- Kids, Do you know there is a difference between bible rules and family rules

You go over to your friend’s house

& they’re wearing shoes inside the house

When you go to lunch, they don’t wash their hands

And their bed isn’t made

Your conscience is blaring it’s alarm saying… my friend is so bad

But if you talk to your parents, they should be able to wisely say, “We have different family rules than others do,that’ what your parents think is best for our family

that’ what your parents think is best for our familyand

and you have to obey us because God tells you do, but your friends have to obey their parents.”

Did you know your friend is not allowed to watch movies?

So when your friend comes over here, we’re going to love them and not put away any movies so they will not be tempted to disobey

This my friends is love