A Cleansed Conscience
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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?
Introduction
Introduction
Beginning in chapter 3, writer has drawn our attention to two aspects of Jesus’ ministry:
He is the Apostle, and
He is the High Priest
Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession;
Simply hearing the voice of the Apostle is not enough, we must continue in the faith.
Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.
Heb
The wilderness wanderers failed to enter the Promised Land even though they heard His voice.
So the warning to us is clear:
while it is said,
“Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.”
Heb
Because He swore to the unbelieving, disobedient wanderers in His wrath, “THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.” ()
What then should we do so as to not apostatize, fall away, and reap the same consequences?
Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.
But we are made up of the same stuff as they
If we should pretend that we have a relationship with Him, yet walk in utter defiance to His Word, know for sure that...
Heb 4:
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
Superficial profession without heart religion, without any obedience, is merely a sham, and will not escape the searching eye of God.
Everyone and everything is laid bare before the Omniscient One with Whom we have to do!
Surely then we cannot stand in His presence!
3 If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
We are all beset with weaknesses, and face the same temptations to distrust
But praise God, that we are not left to ourselves...
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
So beginning in chapter 5, the writer starts to expound on this second aspect of Jesus’ ministry: His ministry as High Priest
But as soon as he begins with the exposition of Jesus, the high priest according to the order of Melchizedek, he is forced to address some in his audience who were dull of hearing...
11 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
We must remember that the writer had a mixed audience:
Heb 5:
He had some that were spiritually immature
Some were spiritually indifferent, and...
Some served sacrificially...
So after warning those who were dull of hearing, he is finally able to move on with the exposition of Jesus as our High Priest to those who were serving sacrificially...
9 But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.
10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.
11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,
This hope is not wishful thinking, or a positive outlook. Rather, it is a confident expectation, a solid anchor, based on the entrance of Jesus into the inner veil as High Priest...
Heb 6:
19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Heb 6:
Chapter 7 explained Jesus as High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, and not after the order of Aaron.
His ministry is far superior to Aaron’s:
The very basis of His priesthood was His indestructible life, versus Aaron’s, which was based on the law of a physical requirement, that he be from the tribe of Levi (Heb 7:15-16)
His ministry continues forever versus the former priests who were prevented by death from continuing ()
His ministry will never change, because the LORD has sworn to Him by an oath, “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER.” ()
The Aaronic ministry was earthly, but Jesus has taken His seat at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens
Jesus has obtained a more excellent ministry, since He is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises ()
Now in chapter 9, the writer brings the priestly work of Jesus into a laser focus.
Look at verse 14 - one of the results of Christ’s sacrifice is that it cleanses our conscience...
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?
Heb 9:14
Therefore, I would like to preach from on the topic, “A Cleansed Conscience”
Therefore, I would like to preach from on the topic, “A Cleansed Conscience”
I would like to approach this topic from the vantage of several questions:
What is conscience?
Why does it need cleansing?
What can cleanse it?
Cleansed from what?
What is conscience
What is conscience
moral consciousness within man
people talk about a “clear conscience” or a “guilty conscience”
That is exactly what the Bible teaches:
14 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,
Rom 2:
Job, when he was attesting to his own righteousness, was referring to this inner moral compass that did not accuse him:
6 “I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go. My heart does not reproach any of my days.
When Joseph’s brothers were being tested by him, their conscience was not silent about events that had taken place years earlier!
21 Then they said to one another, “Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.”
22 Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not tell you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood.”
When David in his pride numbered the people, his conscience bothered him...
10 Now David’s heart troubled him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
Judas, that betrayer, was smitten with remorse over his dastardly act
Matt 27:
3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
Every human being has a conscience, so clearly it is not the same as the Holy Spirit Who indwells believers.
3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!”
Every human being has a conscience, so clearly it is not the same as the Holy Spirit Who indwells believers.
Consider Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians concerning the eating of meat offered to idols...
25 Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience’ sake;
26 for the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains.
27 If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience’ sake.
28 But if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience’ sake;
29 I mean not your own conscience, but the other man’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience?
v.27 “one of the unbelievers,” and v.29 “not your own conscience, but the other man’s”
God has given all men this inner moral consciousness that evaluates his actions
Illustration:
Illustration:
When a child takes candy that does not belong to him, he looks to make sure nobody is watching, because his conscience tells him he is doing something wrong.
When someone speeds ahead and grabs your parking spot, even though you had the indicator on for a while, it is the conscience that accuses of wrong-doing
So what is interesting is not that people have consciences, but that the conscience needs cleansing
So what is interesting is not that people have consciences, but that the conscience needs cleansing
Why does the conscience need cleansing?
Why does the conscience need cleansing?
If the conscience is the moral compass of right and wrong implanted in man, why does it itself need cleansing?
13 “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.
For thus says the Lord, “To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial, And a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off. “Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, To minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord, To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath And holds fast My covenant; Even those I will bring to My holy mountain And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
ps
1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders.
3 Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.
4 Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually.
5 Remember His wonders which He has done, His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth,
People would be happy to just listen to the voice of conscience.
Men in their rebellion violate their conscience all the time.
Romans speaks of men suppressing the truth in unrighteousness.
Though they know His eternal power and divine nature, they do not glorify Him as God, nor are they thankful
But they create vain speculations, and their foolish heart is darkened
They exchange the incorruptible glory of God for an image in the form of corruptible man, bird, beast, and crawling creatures
The problem with the conscience is that it can be defiled:
15 To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
16 They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.
The conscience is not only separate from the Holy Spirit as we saw earlier, but it is also separate from the mind (“both their mind and their conscience are defiled.”)
Notice the connection between a defiled conscience (v.15) and “worthless of any good deed” (v.16).
The deeds or works reflect the condition of the conscience, as we will see in Hebrews
The conscience can also be seared:
1 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.
v.2 “hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron”
Again, what follows is their deeds- in this case it is their teaching
The conscience can be a false guide:
When Paul was before the Council, he said to them:
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.”
Now he had persecuted Christians before he was converted on the road to Damascus, but apparently he did it without violating his conscience - so the conscience can be mis-guided, and mis-guide you.
Illustration:
Illustration:
If you wanted a ship to go to a different port than where it was headed, the best way would be to convince the captain of the ship that the new direction is the right choice. The captain could easily convince the passengers, because of the respect he has in their eyes.
The writer of Hebrews speaks of the conscience as an “evil conscience:”
22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Illustration:
Illustration:
We know that when people commit atrocious acts, their conscience is misguiding them and is evil.
In the news this morning: British Prime Minister Theresa May claimed there was "too much tolerance" of Islamist extremism in the UK as she vowed a clampdown in the wake of the third terror attack to hit the UK this year.
Seven people died and 48 were injured when three masked men drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before leaping out and launching a stabbing spree in nearby bars and restaurants.Police said the three attackers, wearing fake suicide belts to sow further panic, were shot dead within eight minutes of police receiving the first emergency call just after 10 p.m. local time. Authorities announced 12 arrests on Sunday.Speaking in Downing Street five days before the UK general election, May described the latest attack as "brutal" and said extremism had to be defeated. "We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are," she said. "Enough is enough."
What can cleanse the conscience?
What can cleanse the conscience?
This invisible moral compass given to man by God, but defiled by the fall
Our text in Hebrews tells us that it is “not through the blood of goats and calves...”
Look at v.12
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.
Through His own blood!
The OT sacrifices provided the external cleansing (cleansing of the flesh)
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,
But the blood of Christ cleanses internally, deep within man, where is truly broken as a result of the fall.
The main sentence in verses 13 and 14 is: “The blood shall cleanse the conscience”
Of course it is posed as a rhetorical question: “How much more shall the blood of Christ cleanse...”
There are modifiers to that statement which clarify it:
It is the blood of Christ
of Christ
who offered Himself
without blemish
by the eternal Spirit
to God
His blood is being contrasted with the blood of goats and bulls and ashes of a heifer
It is the blood of Christ that cleanses us, not only of our sins, but also cleanses our conscience!
Augustus Toplady said it this way in that beloved hymn:
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.
Finally, what is the conscience cleansed from?
Finally, what is the conscience cleansed from?
Might surprise you to find that the cleansing is not speaking of the heinous, wicked mind that commits atrocities
Notice what it says in verse 14
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?
Cleansed from “dead works”
What are dead works?
The Bible clearly commends “good works” for the believer
Jesus Himself said...
16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Matt 5:
9 Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,
10 but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.
9 A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one man,
10 having a reputation for good works; and if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work.
10 having a reputation for good works; and if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work.
17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.
18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,
The book of Titus has many references to “good deeds”
It is the same word translated “works” elsewhere
And we are to be zealous about these good works
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
1 Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed,
Then what are “dead works?”
The clearest explanation is found in Ephesians, chapter 2.
A passage we are all familiar with:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Notice (v.9) “not of works”
v.10 “for good works”
So the dead works are anything people do to gain favor with God.
Think of how good some of these things can be in a different context:
attend church regularly
come to prayer meeting
sing in a choir
play a musical instrument
give sacrificially
work tirelessly for the church
evangelize the community
write Christian books
The problem with “dead works” is that the motive is wrong. It is to gain favor with God - and any “work” done “for” God outside the context of faith, will lead to death - that is why it is called “dead works”
12 There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
The blood of Christ can cleanse our conscience from these dead works to serve the “living” God.
Can the living God receive dead works?
Paul found out otherwise:
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:
5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.
7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,
Phil 3:
As we take our Fellowship Offering, let us turn to #341, Whiter than Snow