"Convicting Consciences"
Notes
Transcript
Bible Passage
Bible Passage
12 For all who sin without the law will also perish without the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For the hearers of the law are not righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified. 14 So, when Gentiles, who do not by nature have the law, do what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse them 16 on the day when God judges what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.
Hook (Grab Attention)
Hook (Grab Attention)
Illustration
Illustration
What does it look like when someone is walking around with a guilty conscience?
Book
Book
Bible Passage
Bible Passage
12 For all who sin without the law will also perish without the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.
Explanation
Explanation
“The Law”
Law of Moses (Pentateuch)
METICULOUS
Put to death over many things!
“Will also perish without the law”
They are not “sinless” just because they don’t know all of the law.
They will still be destroyed by the wrath of God.
People are not destroyed because they haven’t heard the gospel, they are destroyed because they have sinned and rebelled against God from their youth.
“Hearers” vs. “Doers” of the Law
“Hearers” = Those who “know” the law and believe, because of that knowledge alone, that they will be spared from the wrath and destruction of God.
“Doers” = The law has to be acted upon to have it’s effect in justification
We know that we have NOT kept the law.
Jesus kept the law IN OUR PLACE
Therefore DECLARED us righteous, having kept the law IN CHRIST
LOVE is the fulfilment of the law.
8 Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not covet; and any other commandment, are summed up by this commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself. 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law.
Jesus gave us the 2 Greatest Commands
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength
Love your neighbor as yourself
Those who have been JUSTIFIED, FULFILL the law by LOVE.
14 So, when Gentiles, who do not by nature have the law, do what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse them 16 on the day when God judges what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.
Explanation
Explanation
Even when the law has not been given to a people and they still know what things are right and wrong in general, because God has given us a conscience.
15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse them
“Conscience”
What is a conscience?
The word is made up of two;
“Con” = “with”
“science” = “knowledge”
Everything that we do, we do “with knowledge” of right and wrong.
Illustration
Illustration
the “little devil” and the “little angel” on the shoulder
Explanation
Explanation
The conscience bears witness to the law of God
No matter what tribe, tongue, or nation, EVERYONE has a conscience and it bears witness to right and wrong
It really doesn’t care who you are.
Some people will do right because their conscience will bother them if they do wrong
Some people will do WRONG, even though they KNOW that it is wrong, because they are contrary to the Truth
So prideful that they not only don’t want any person telling them what to do, they won’t even listen to their conscience, when it’s plainly telling them that something is WRONG.
The Conscience is not always a STEADFAST indicator of what is Good.
There are multiple Conditions of the Conscience:
The conscience can be “GOOD and CLEAR”
As it resounds with the Goodness and Justice of God.
“Good”
1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience to this day.”
19 having faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and have shipwrecked their faith.
“Clear”
16 I always strive to have a clear conscience toward God and men.
9 holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day.
18 Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, wanting to conduct ourselves honorably in everything.
but…then the conscience can be in a BAD place:
Evil
Defiled
Weak
Seared
22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.
15 To the pure, everything is pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; in fact, both their mind and conscience are defiled.
7 However, not everyone has this knowledge. Some have been so used to idolatry up until now that when they eat food sacrificed to an idol, their conscience, being weak, is defiled.
10 For if someone sees you, the one who has knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, won’t his weak conscience be encouraged to eat food offered to idols?
12 Now when you sin like this against brothers and sisters and wound their weak conscience, you are sinning against Christ.
1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, 2 through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared.
Look
Look
Application
Application
How do we assess our own consciences?
Does your conscience agree with the Moral Law of God (Ten Commandments)?
Does your conscience lead you to obey these commands in HUMBLE LOVE to God and your neighbor?
“Preserve your conscience always soft and sensitive. If but one sin force its way into that tender part of the soul and is suffered to dwell there, the road is paved for a thousand iniquities.”
Isaac Watts (Nonconformist Hymn Writer)
How do we get our conscience on track where it needs to be with God?
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?
The more we have fellowship with Jesus, the more our conscience will con in alignment with the heart of God.
Talking with Jesus.
Reading His Word…time and time again.
Listening and obeying
increasing in repentance and trust.
“My conscience is captive to the Word of God.”
Martin Luther (Founder of the German Reformation)
Took
Took
Challenge Application
Challenge Application
How would our lives be if we were full blown fanatic disciples of Jesus?
What would our lives look like if we began to apprentice Jesus?
How pure, good, and clean would our conscience be in our pursuit of Christ?
Take an inventory of the health of your conscience.
is yours:
evil
defiled
weak
seared??
or is it:
Pure
Good
Clean?
Take a moment to ask Holy Spirit to show you the current reality of your conscience…
PRAYER
