Sermon 091398

1Tim. 1:5-6                                 Love From A Good Conscience - IV                            9/13/98

Series 24.7                                                                                                                          ABCC

I.    Introduction                                                                                                                      637

q      Love must come from a pure heart – the scriptures/teaching must address the heart

q      Love must come from a good conscience - the scriptures …must address the conscience

q      “An inner witness that testifies on the rightness or wrongness of one’s actions or motives…”ISBE (Rom 2:14-15)

q      Benefits of a good conscience:  1) comfort & joy in life’s circumstances, 2) encouragement in worship & service to God, 3) aids believer in effective prayer, 4) comfort in sickness & death

q      Consequences of a bad conscience:  a) loss of fellowship with God, b) loss of fellowship with people, c) leads to a dangerous lifestyle (1Co. 8:7,10) – willingly committing acts that you believe are sinful, d) leads to error in understanding & teaching (1Tim. 1:6) – bad theology, e) leads to a hypocritical lifestyle & apostasy (1Tim. 1:19), leads to excommunication from the church & affliction from Satan (1Tim. 1:20)

II.    Problem Issues Regarding the Conscience in the Scriptures

A.     Partaking of the necessities of life once used for evil purposes (1Co. 8:1ff; 10:25,27-29)

-         Food and covering are the necessities of life (Matt. 6:25; 1Tim. 6:8)

-         The conscience with scriptural knowledge knows it is not sinful (1Co. 8:1a,4-6; Mk. 7:14-19; 1Tim. 4:4-5)

-         The conscience lacking in scriptural knowledge thinks it is sinful (1Co. 8:7)

-         The believer with knowledge should abstain until the weaker believer is educated (v. 9,13)

B.      Participating in Special Days & celebrations (Rom. 14:5ff; )

-         Special days & celebrations include everything except the Sabbath or Lord’s day (Jewish holidays-Col. 2:16-17; Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, etc)

-         There is no righteousness in keeping the law & observing any special days (Gal. 4:9-11)

Love From A Good Conscience-IV, pg. 2

-         The conscience with scriptural knowledge knows that all days are the same & good (Rom. 14:5b)

-         The conscience lacking in scriptural knowledge regards some days as special (Rom. 14:5a)

-         Each believer should be fully convinced in his own mind & conscience & not judge the believer who holds a different position (v. 5c-13, 22-23)

III.   Matters Regarding the Commandment in the Scriptures

A.     Our response to God is a matter of commandment (Matt. 22:37-38; Ac. 17:30-31)

Commands from Christ:  believe in Me, come to Me, repent and believe in the gospel, if you love Me keep My commandments…These are not issues of the conscience, to disobey these commandments is sin & the wages of sin is death…

B.      Our response to people (Matt. 22:39-40; Gal. 5:14; Jn. 15:12-17)

Likewise, these are not issues of the conscience, to disobey is sin (1Jn. 4:20-21)

C.      Detailed response to people (Ex. 20:5-10)

D.     Detailed response to God (Ex. 20:1-4)

On this day when we are remembering the Lord’s death, resurrection & soon return, how have you responded to the commandment of God to love Him & your neighbor?  How have you responded to God’s love for you…