Please me, Mark. Chapter 6, let's read a couple
verses together. Mark chapter 6 and verse 14.
Here's what the Bible says to us today.
King Herod heard of it. For Jesus name had become known.
Some said, John the Baptist has been raised from the dead.
That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.
But others said he is Elijah. And others said he is a prophet
like one of the prophets of old. But when Herod heard of it, he
said, John whom I beheaded has been raised.
Lord, we pray again. And we ask that you help us.
We thank you that you have not left us to our own.
You have given us your word, a lamp, to our feet.
You've given us Direction, and to Holiness and from Holiness,
and to Hope and joy, and peace. We ask Lord, that there would be
a great help from the Holy Spirit at this time in the
delivery and the reception that the name of your son, Jesus
would be exalted and bless. May we be overwhelmed by the
wisdom. Of Who You Are.
And may we be eager to obey what you say.
Amen. The Lord instructed and
empowered his disciples. For a Ministry that Ministry was
a preaching Outreach within the boundaries of Israel, to give
them the gospel, to demonstrate the power of the name of Jesus
Christ. And immediately, after being
informed about this send-off, we are given the report of the
success of their Endeavour, the news of their Deliverance, the
news of the healing and the preaching that was breaking out
all across Galilee has reached far, and wide and has even
reached the Ears of many high-profile men and one of
those men, as you just heard, was King Herod King Herod heard
about what was happening in the name of Jesus.
And that is the person of the Holy Spirit precisely highlights
for us in order to understand the great impact that Jesus was
having. But before looking more into who
Herod was on, why Herod is important here?
Let us consider what is happening overall.
What is happening here at this point of Jesus ministry we hear
and we read that Jesus name had become known had become known.
This is significant for many reasons, but beyond the obvious,
it tells us the way that the disciples did Ministry.
It shows us what and how they went about concerning their
service, to the Lord. Think about it this way, it was
not the name of the disciples that have become known.
It was the name of Jesus. Jesus, all that they did and all
that, they preached pointed to the person of Christ.
There was no ambiguity, there is no confusion about what their
message was about, or who was the source of all the power that
was put on display. It was Christ's people left the
meeting. Speaking of Christ people were
impressed by Christ. And this shows that they were
effective in giving glory to God, as they went about this
shows that they did not for any moment, bring attention to
themselves unnecessarily, but they successfully presented
Jesus as the object of men's need.
And when people experienced, what Jesus could offer Christ
got the glory. And if they didn't they, at
least heard that Christ was their only hope.
And I look at that and I think Lord, if it is true of that may
be true of us that when we go about when we serve you, when
you send us into a local church or a mission that we make the
name of Christ known of Christ known.
But with this encouraging explosive expansion of the
Gospel at this, Time in Jesus ministry, there are interesting
comments being made there are interesting comments. being made
what you have here is people who had trouble identifying, who
Jesus was The name was obvious, the name was clear, but they
could not find it within themselves to confess who he
claimed to be. This man was unignorable, this
men was unusual and so people had to make a conclusion about
unless they be insane for ignoring what is happening
around them. And the Holy Spirit, brings to
our attention, three different explanations.
That the masses had concerning the identity of Jesus.
The first one here is in verse 14.
Some said, John the Baptist he has been raised from the dead
that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.
John the Baptist now, this shows that John, the Baptist had
recently died, obviously but it also shows that because of
John's influence in the nation, People assume that this new stir
that was happening was caused by him, and because they made that
Association, they had to believe that he must have been raised
from the dead. And because he was now in touch
with a parallel world, this is perhaps why he's able to do
these signs and wonders. So you have people who said this
was John raised from the dead. There's no other better
explanation than that. From there.
We see a second explanation that people had, it's in verse 15,
but others said he is Elijah, he is Elijah.
Now, why would the people out of all the prophets say that he was
Elijah. Well, these people knew their
Old Testament, they knew their Bible very well and they knew
that the prophet Malachi 4:5 tells us the following behold.
God is speaking in Malachi 4:5, behold, I will send you Elijah.
I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and
awesome day of the Lord. Comes the Jewish people were
anticipating Elijah to return. They knew that the last of the
heard of him was that he was taken up in a chariot of fire
and so they through Malachi were waiting for Elijah before the
Messiah actually. And that seems clear, but it
gets a little bit more complex as you flip from Malachi into
the New Testament. Why is it get complicated?
Well, because you realize that the identity of this, Elijah Is
given to John the Baptist. It's what we see in Luke chapter
1, when the angel Gabriel appears before, John's father.
And he tells them that this boys boys going to grow up to go
before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah.
And he's going to turn the hearts of the father's to the
children and vice versa. That's Malachi's prophecy, it's
being echoed but it's being given over to John the Baptist.
You think, what's the problem with that?
Well, again, you have to realize that Malachi added that when
Elijah would come following. His arrival would be the great
and awesome day of the Lord. You see all that must be the
arrival of Jesus. Yes.
And know that phrase the great and awesome day of the Lord is
not Christ. Coming to save its Christ coming
to judge. And so that day was the
anticipation of Israel's enemies being destroyed and God's
Eternal Kingdom being established.
So here's the Dilemma, if John the Baptist is the Fulfillment
of Malachi's prophecy. Then how is it that?
It's not followed by the great and awesome day of the Lord.
John didn't prepare people for God's Wrath.
John prepared God's people for the messiah's mercy.
And so do we have a false fulfillment here?
It seems like we have some sympathy for these people
because since nothing happened after John, and John was
actually put to death and John can't be the Elijah, then maybe
this Rabbi from Nazareth. Maybe this is the Elijah and
he's preparing us for the great and awesome day of the Lord.
Maybe that's what this is all about.
Thankfully Jesus solves the Dilemma you're there in Mark,
chapter 6, but scroll over to Mark chapter 9 and the Very
Disciples of Jesus had this question.
Especially after they encountered, Elijah on the Mount
of transfiguration. But you see here and Mark
chapter 9 verse 11 and they asked them, why do the scribes
say that first? Elijah must come and he said to
them, Elijah does come first to restore all things.
And how is it written of the son of, man, that he should suffer,
many things, and be treated with contempt.
But I tell you, that Elijah has come and they did to him
whatever they pleased as it is written of him.
Notice that Jesus did not disagree with the scribes about
Elijah coming first, but he does give a more complete truth.
And a more complete picture of this truth to say that the
Messiah was only coming to bring judgment that great and awesome
day of the Lord, was the mistake that the disciples and the
scribes made, that was a favorite of the Jews.
The Jews, lean towards the promises and the predictions
that when Messiah would come. There would be a total Revolt, a
Total Restoration, a total transformation in the entire
globe and that this Kingdom would Rule and Reign.
And everybody would be subdued to the son of David.
That's what their hearts lean towards.
But notice what Jesus does here in verse 12, he brings to their
attention, the aspect of the Messiah that they often
overlooked. So it's in essence, is what's
happening, hey more. What about the predictions in
the Prophecies of a larger coming?
Before the Messiah comes and Jesus.
Yeah, that's true. But what about the prophecies
about the Messiah suffering? That's what he is saying.
In verse 12, read it again. What does he say?
He says here and how it is written of the son of man that
he should suffer, many things, and be treated with contempt.
You're overlooking that. And they often did even after
his resurrection. Those two on the road to Emmaus
couldn't can understand how this person that they hoped in would
die in Sufferin. Jesus comes to rebuke them and
gives them an exegetical bible study on how the Messiah would
Suffer. Well, it's happening right here.
And so, what he is saying, is you're not putting the pieces of
Prophecy together carefully. Yes.
Elijah is to come. Yes, there's a great and awesome
day of the Lord, but there is also this part where I come. to
pay for the sins of the world to suffer to die, to give my life
as a ransom And so, what he is saying, is Elijah is still to
come and there's debate whether the actual Elijah will return or
one like John, the Baptist will be empowered in the spirit of
Elijah, but it will definitely come before the second Advent of
Christ, when he will bring about judgment upon those who are
enemies of the Gospel, what about John the Baptist and well.
He was a preview. John the Baptist was a partial
fulfillment to this prophecy in Malachi.
And so he says, yes, he has come.
And yes, he will come. And when he does come, then the
great and awesome day of the Lord will arrive.
That is the second explanation that is what people thought
about Jesus. But then there's a third one.
And the third one was more General and verse 15 of Mark 6,
we read. He is a prophet like one of the
prophets of old. So some people said, well, he's
like in the same roster as Moses and Elijah and maybe Isaiah
Jeremiah Jones. A mess.
He's just another gifted god-sent of Our Generation.
Just giving us the message in the word of the Lord of today.
This is what people had a dilemma with, this is what
people had a problem with and we can make a whole sermon about
that. How people Miss identify who
Jesus is? But the Holy Spirit does
something really interesting instead of just taking us from
those three explanations to the next part, we come back to King
Herod. We return to Herod And what we
see here is that Herod is absolutely convinced.
No matter what the popular opinions were he settled it in
his mind and heart that this Jesus was in fact, a
resurrected. John, the Baptist it has to be
John, the Baptist, this is got to be the guy and then for the
rest of the next dozen versus are.
So you and I get the explanation of why Herod believe that Jesus
was John. And I'm not going to read it but
I'll summarize it to you. The explanation is that Herod
was the one responsible for arresting.
John, the Baptist and having him executed.
Now here's the follow-up question, how does John being
arrested and killed by Herod? Explain the conclusion that this
Jesus was John the Baptist does that questioning make sense?
How do those things correlate? Herod.
Is afraid. He is living in absolute dread
and fear has a way of misinterpreting and Miss
translating events and news, does it not?
And so he is filtering. This, these reports of Jesus
Through a fear of his concluding that this is John coming back to
life. Another question, a lot of
questions this afternoon, right? Why is he afraid?
How do you conclude that he is afraid.
How do you conclude that? He's making this interpretation
through fear? What we have before us is a man.
Who is haunted by his conscience?
Who's haunted by his conscience. We see that Herod.
Here is living in guilt and this guilt is causing a paranoia This
fear of something lingering over him.
And because of this unresolved unrepented past Evil.
Herod in his Palace Herod on his throne.
Hera with all the resources that can be available at the snap of
a finger was being eaten Up Inside by something that he had
done in the past. The conscience is an amazing
thing. The conscience is profoundly
powerful. And instead of finishing the
rest of this story, I want to pause here because that's where
my meditation pause and reading this for these verses and I want
to speak to you today about your conscience.
The human conscience. So if you leave church this
afternoon, somebody asks you, what did you learn today?
Here is something you can borrow.
We received an introductory biblical analysis of the human
conscience. It's such a vast subject that my
great trouble and preparation for it was not to try to keep
you here for three hours. And so this is not an exhaustive
analysis. This is with all of my heart I
believe just the surface of understanding, the Bible's
information and data about this thing that we often don't speak
about enough and that is the conscience.
We're seeing herod's conscience at work.
Your conscience is constantly at work there, some who's conscious
aren't working at all. But let's let's pull back here
and start from the beginning. What is the human conscience?
I'm not going to give you my definition because the Bible has
one. And I believe the best place to
start is found in Romans Chapter 2 and so meet me there in Romans
2 verse 14. And let's understand what the
Bible has to say about this thing called conscience.
Romans 2:14. Paul says, for when Gentiles,
who do not have the law by Nature, do what the law
requires. They are a law to themselves,
even though they do not have law, they show that the work of
the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience.
Also Bears witness and their conflicting thoughts, accuse, or
even, excuse them. According to Paul, the
conscience is the faculty of your soul that serves the
distinct role of either condemning you or commending
you. Totally dependent upon your
words, your thoughts or your actions that is the conscience.
And that is why he speaks about these conflicting thoughts that
accuse. Or even, excuse them, that is
what your conscience does to you and either accuses, you or it
excuses, you based on your behavior or your decisions that
you make in day-to-day life. In essence, the conscience is a
divinely designed device. That is a part of the human
Constitution which essentially holds us accountable to the
moral law of God, that has been instilled in every single person
that is created in His image. That's why he says here that
build the Gentiles, which is a description of the unbelieving
don't have the law that the Jews had access to.
There is a law at work, it's a law that God had written on the
heart. And what the conscience does is
hold you accountable to that law.
That is innate. that is woven into the very fabric of your
being The conscience is the watchful eye, it is a mentor to
you, but it also sits on the Judgment seat. and it either
Praises you or it shames you, it encourages you or scourges you
And it is there to provide some sort of Direction, though.
It is not infallible, though. It is not perfect.
Its function is to bring about some kind of moral guidance to
man. The conscience feels like a
voice. You probably are familiar with
that inner dialogue, within yourself, but the conscience is
not the voice of God. That is a mistake.
That some assume it is not the voice of God, but it is a gift
from God. God has deposited this thing
called the conscience, as a gift, you know, pain in your
body. Whether you like to admit it or
not is a gift. The fact that you have nerve
endings and you can feel certain things is God's wiring in you to
signal to you, that you are putting your body in physical
Danger. If you step on something sharp
and you ignore that sharp object, that is penetrated your
skin and your flesh, you risk of being infected and then more
problems, follow suit. So what pain does is alarm you
and says, don't go any further, don't ignore this, don't
neglect, this, treat this. And what pain is to the body is
what the conscious is to the soul.
It is there to awaken you, it is there to bring things to your
attention. Les you Heap up more damage to
your spirit, to your moral Health, to your holiness, To
your sanctification. So that ever-present sensation
is something that God has given to each of us and there's an
interesting verse and Proverbs 20:27.
It says that the spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, the
spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord and it goes on to say,
searching all the innermost Parts.
There's something about your spirit that God has breathed
into you. That is constantly investigating
you. And that is an instrument that
God has deposited in US. And it makes sense that these
contemplations these contemplations of either misery
or relief where they surface from after you do something.
The conscience. It's a lamp.
It's shining, it's an instrument, it's a tool
invisible, but authored by God hidden but ever so powerful.
And what we should not misunderstand about the
conscious is that it is a gift limited to the children of God.
No, you heard it in Romans that it is a universal wiring.
Even the Heathen Gentiles have a conscience and it has been made
available to everyone who has been created in the very image
of God and that is why I let me encourage you believer you have
every right to appeal to the conscience.
As one of the strongest proof of the existence of God, the
conscience. It not only speaks to us, it
speaks about the existence and the character of our creator.
The fact that we all have this innate feeling that tells us,
what is right or wrong is is an inner Witness.
An inner witness. That is a reminder that we are
more than animals. You know, we're teaching kids
that they come from animals and then we get upset when they act
like animals, No, you're more than a beast, you're more than a
creature that walks on its four legs know you are someone who
has been created to reflect the character of God and your
conscience Bears. Witness not just to the
uniqueness of who you are but to the reality of God that he is,
Holy That he has a distinction in mind between good and evil
that he upholds Justice and that he will hold all of us.
Accountable one day that is what the conscience does.
One of the Puritans beautifully said that the conscience is the
sole reflecting upon itself. That is true, everything that I
just said to, you is the basic biology of the function of the
conscience. But there's so much more to say
about how it operates and in this very limited time this
afternoon. Again my challenge was I don't
know what I'm going to say. That wasn't my challenge.
My challenge was, I don't know how I'm gonna say all of it.
I want you to understand that the function of the conscious
and three things. First, I want you to understand
the role of conscience in society.
Second, I want you to see the use of conscience in Salvation.
And lastly, I want you to see the assistance of conscience in
sanctification 3, s's if you want to remember it, easily,
Society salvation. Sanctification Society,
salvation, sanctification. There's more to say about it,
but this is what we're prayerfully going to explore.
Let's come to this understanding of the conscious in society.
You heard me say that it is available to all men, enjoy and
know what this is. The unbeliever has been granted
a conscience just as much as the person who believes, why is
that? Because of this understand
conscience. Is an expression of common Grace
given by. Good God. it is an expression of
common Grace given by good God in our sin fractured sin,
polluted sin soaked World God in his love, Has ordained and
instituted certain restraints in our world.
In order to limit the corrupting influences of evil, and if you
thought evil, is just something that comes from the sky, you're
wrong. Jesus comes from their heart.
This is where the sewage of all sin comes from.
But God, in knowing the potential Devastation that can
occur. When sin is Unleashed without
restraint has raised up certain things to mitigate and to
deflect and to curb the potential destruction that can
come, if man is let loose. Most of those things are
external. Most of those restraints that
you and I are familiar with our outside of us, including our
judicial system. Mmm.
So when you hear defund, the police that's scary, that's not
biblical. That's actually satanic because
those are one of the constraints in our world, the sword.
To limit evil from having full rain.
So these restraints have been given by God, you know, why to
make life livable and more than just livable enjoyable?
What God would just give that kind of grace, even to the
Heathen. Yes, that's what Jesus said.
That the sun rises on both the good and the evil that rain
comes to both the just and the unjust that he through seasons
and family and laughter and all these different things that
originated with him, that, that kindness of God would Lead
people to repentance and in his kindness, he is raised up
certain restraints. Most of them are external, one
of them is internal, can you guess what it is?
Conscience. It's the one in you.
It's the one that you're born with.
It's individualistic. At the same time, it is
universal. And the conscience is meant to
hold back. Sinners From going further into
their depravity and causing more harm to themselves.
And to others, there is an aspect of guilt which comes from
your conscience, by the way, that is tormenting Is it not how
many counseling sessions are booked because of one main
reason among many reasons but one of the main reasons you can
you can liberate many counselors.
If you just deal with people's remorse and regret.
Most of what people are sitting down and pouring their hearts
about is something that they are feeling.
That is keeping them up at night, something that they have
done or something that's been done to them or a false guilt.
True. Guilt.
People are tormented by this, there's an afflicting power
behind a broken conscience. And God did that by Design.
Guilt to an extent is a good thing.
If it's legitimate guilt. It's meant to preserve some kind
of functionality in our world. Some kind of flow of normalcy if
people don't have guilt anymore. If people don't feel shame for
what they do, then you will just wreak havoc and that is
precisely why we're seeing what we're seeing in our day.
Today there is an all-out attack and assault on the restraints
that God has placed in our world.
Old and not just the external ones, not just the government.
Not just family, not just the church, no, even the conscience.
And it is massed in different ways.
There is an effort for people to be released from legitimate.
Guilt through the idea that you need to have self-esteem.
And don't be embarrassed about those things.
You should have, in fact, praised those things about
yourself and walk with your head up when God actually designed
for you to be ashamed of those things and embarrassed about
those things. So now we're promoting people
coming out of the closet, right? I one time that sin was was, was
a shameful thing and people hit. And people did it in the dark
and it was secretive. Now, it's public.
It's paraded now we're telling people be, you be who you are,
be who you feel? You are what is happening there,
it's an attack on the conscience.
Because the conscience as much as it is authored by God is Not
static. What do I mean by that?
Just because it's divinely. Designed does not mean that it
is impervious to being conditioned.
It can be altered, it can be tarnished, it can actually be
smashed all together. And so this very thing that is
meant to bring order to our world.
Is actually being assaulted as I speak and will only continue to
be assaulted and less God comes and intervenes with his Mercy.
How is it possible for the conscience to be altered in this
way to ways to very simple ways? The first way is to ignore it,
the second way is to misinform it.
The first way is to ignore it, the second way is to misinform
it. Let me show you both of those
things. In the Bible come to First
Timothy chapter 1 with me. First Timothy 1, let's go to
verse 18. First, Timothy 118 reads this
charge. I entrust you Timothy, my child
in accordance with the prophecies previously made about
you that buy them. You may wage the good Warfare.
Now, look at this. In verse 19, holding faith, and
what a good conscience, a healthy conscience by rejecting.
This, not just a good faith right now, just holding to the
faith, but by rejecting even a good conscience.
Some have made shipwreck of their faith.
There is something about rejecting, a good conscience
that leads to accidents. Do you know what the word?
Reject means the word. Reject actually means to thrust
away. It means to push away means to
repel. It's possible for you and I to
ignore that voice of reason. It's possible to suppress it as
loud as it is. It cannot overpower you.
It cannot dictate things for you.
Can't control you. It can only guide you.
And like a snooze button on your alarm.
You can shut it off and you can keep shutting it off and like
the sweet little voice that tells you to turn around when
you took a wrong turn from your iPhone.
You can ignore it and keep heading in a different
direction. Paul says, there are some who
have pushed away, what they knew their conscience was telling him
not to do. And they rejected it over and
over again until they crashed. Until they collided with some
kind of moral failure or doctrinal error that would lead
to Greater problems. So that conscience of yours and
mine, it can be rejected and here's the scary part.
Your GPS might continue to warn you even though you ignore from
time to time, turn left turn right U-turn, U-turn U-turn and
just ignore you, you blast the music louder.
But what happens with the conscience is that the more we
persevere in our resistance against it, the more quiet it
gets The more quiet it can get it.
What once bothered you, what was, what once was Unthinkable?
What was once something that you told yourself?
I would never do. That is something that you are
able to engage in without any prick of heart.
Without any cut, without any nudge, your just mindlessly.
Now, enjoying something that at one point would make you throw
up. Or to make you break out in
sweats or make you blush. And that's what we see in first,
Timothy, not one but in chapter 4, look at it.
Just flip a couple chapters over and see what Paul says the same
people. And verse 1 of chapter 4.
Now the spirit expressly says that in later times some will
depart from the Faith by devoting themselves to
deceitful, spirits and teachings of demons through the inserts,
arity of liars, whose consciences are seared.
Whose consciences? Now the conscious is not just
being rejected, not just being pushed away, not just being
repelled. There is now no more response,
it has become unresponsive and just like scar tissue that comes
from a burn that loses its feeling what can happen to your
conscience. Is that now, it doesn't sense
anything. That moral compass has been
broken. It doesn't tell you anything
anymore, Paul saying this in the context of false teachers who
are able to hypocritically deceive people and lie to them
and they can do so without their conscience being disturbed, they
can lead the masses of strict. Have you ever you look at some
of these false teachers and you wonder how can they bleed people
from their money? How can they just look at out
into the camera? Blatantly lie.
How can after being exposed over and over by news?
Media is in different ministers, how can they just Keep moving
forward. I'll tell you how their
consciences are seared. They don't feel anything.
They don't sense anything. There's no, there's no
agitation, there's no restlessness.
There's they can go to sleep soundly even though they are
devouring people, And Paul says it's possible to arrive at such
a place. All you got to do is to keep
ignoring it, all you have to do is keep rejecting it all you
have to do is keep silencing it. All you have to do His turn away
from it until it becomes totally obsolete.
And have no value to you, just like a shriveled-up body part
that has no more sensation. Now, that might not be appealing
to some people. You have some people who want to
maintain some kind of understanding of right and
wrong. And so if Satan can get you to
ignore your conscience, If he, if he can't convince you to just
Silence it all together then he will find a way to miss
informant. To misinform your conscience,
the conscience response to a moral code, the law written on
our hearts, that's what our conscience appeals to and if
you're in crisis, we're going to find out there is a now, a
heightened awareness of God's law that your conscience
response to. But generally, there's a basic
code that the conscious says, hey, you know, that you broke
that right? Hey, you know, you're guilty,
right? Hey, you know, you shouldn't be
doing this, right? And so here's what the enemy
does knowing the, the wiring of the conscience, he will bring
and construct before people. A different value system for
your conscience to respond to And Titus 1 tells us you don't
have to turn there but itís one tells us how that happens.
He speaks about there in verse 15 and verse 16 of the defiling
of the mind and conscience, those two go together.
Meaning if your mind is constantly defiled polluted,
falsely informed, and eventually your conscience will be as well.
And this is the scary thing about your conscience, being
misinformed, it gives you a sense of right and wrong.
But now here's what's happened, your call?
And good evil and you're calling evil.
Good. Isaiah told us about woe to
those who call good, evil and evil.
Good. And that's all you have people
out in the world who are passionate about what they are
advocating even though according to God's objective law, what
they're advocating is, blatantly wrong, but they feel like it's
right, why, why are they willing to protest?
Why are they willing to debate? Why are they willing to come
against others who have a different moral code, because
they feel like they're right, And they feel like the right,
even though they're wrong, because they have fed their
conscience wrongly. They've absorbed that which is,
in fact, deceptive. Here's the thing about the
conscience. As I said earlier, it's not
infallible. It's a guide but it's not your
ultimate guide. It can help you but it is not.
Shielded from being distorted, it's infallible.
And, and it is something that can be actually tampered with.
And here's what you can do with your conscience, just like any
muscle of your body, you can strengthen it.
You can weaken it. You can even confuse it.
And that's what Paul is speaking about here.
If we don't take our conscience and harmonize it with the word
of God, And clarify it and bring illumination to it.
Through the truth of God's word. It becomes less reliable.
And not only does it become less reliable becomes more vulnerable
to being influenced by, either your flesh, or by our culture.
Some people wonder, how do I know if I can rely on my
conscience and one of the best answers you can give to that is.
Well how dependent is it on the truth of God's word?
And so the conscience works and operates in society and that's
why ladies and gentlemen, what we are witnessing before us, the
breakdown of Common Sense is a satanic assault.
On one of God's restraints towards man, so he doesn't just
want to attack the gospel. The gospel is foundational.
It is what saves he wants to just Krupp everything that God
has made everything that is good, everything that helps
everything that points to him. He just wants to completely
erase. Sit, this is the great hatred
that the evil one has for our God and for you has been created
in the image every fingerprint of God.
In this world. He wants to erase and one of
those things is your conscience. The conscious in society, but
the conscious also works in Salvation.
God designed this device, not only to constrain Sinners, but
to save Sinners to save Sinners, right.
And he generally does this by Awakening that system that
device in you through a revelation of the Holiness of
God. An understanding of the nature
of God is meant to disturb the self-righteous and the one who
is boldly and unashamedly evil to help them realize all the
same thing. We all fall short of the glory
of God, we all fall short of the glory of God.
But in order for that disturbance to even occur, there
must be a faithful representation of God's person
and his principles you have to do that.
Look at the book of Acts and see how these Apostles and disciples
preached a lot of their Evangelistic messages were
heavily Reliant upon the revelation of God being judge.
Judge. Judge judgment is coming.
God is Holy at one point, he has overlooked the sins of all men,
but now he calls all men to repent.
You see that kind of message being delivered, not to church
people, but to worldly people. The Lost silence is the mouths
of those. Who would try to think that they
are righteous, right? And so you have all these
indications pointing to this reality that if people would
even begin to see their need of the Gospel, they needed first.
Be confronted by their guilt. I argue that.
The beginnings of somebody even being open to the gospel begins
with the confrontation with the conscience.
Here's where you are now before. The eyes of God.
And that is supposed to invoke and provoke a sense of guilt.
A sense of concern like Herod a sense of even holy panic.
I'm in trouble here. Where do I flee?
Where do I go? Is this really true?
And if it is true that I need, I need saving.
Do you see how that goes? And here's the problem.
I wonder if in our day, the reason why we're not seeing as
many people saved, like we would want to seize because we have
eliminated this idea of confronting the conscience.
People are comfortable, like people come in and out to
services and and they hear preachers traveling to different
places. How much of those interactions
of Truth is pointing at somebody's kajin saying you're
in trouble? There's a holy God, you're a
sinner. I'm a sinner too.
I'm forgiven, but I'm trying to tell you and help you to be
forgiven as well. How much of that is occurring
and people come in and out in at why?
Because impart? Their conscience is not being
Touched. And so, you know, if you've come
here regularly, you realize that the preaching here is strong and
there's a reason for that is the reason for that because we have
pent up anger. We're letting it out here.
Okay. That's not the reason.
The reason is because we see this idea of a lawgiver and a
law. And we are sinners, we are
broken. We're in trouble.
So we need a savior, right? And that's where it begins.
What happened with the first Christian sermon after Peter
preached, what a gracious, God, the one who denied you three
times as the one who gets to preach the first Christian.
Sermon, he preaches. And what happens to the audience
are the thousands that were listening to these men and
women-- glorifying God in different tongues Peter
preaches. And when he preaches, it says
that when they heard this, they were cut to the Heart, The
Cutting of the heart, must have been before the cleansing of the
Art. and when this cut occurs, when you begin to bleed in your
soul a little bit, Birth in that is an appeal.
An appeal and the appeal here is what I want you to see in First
Peter 3:21 come with me, come come, come.
Come with me to 1st, Peter 3:21. 1st, Peter 3:21.
Peter says baptism, which corresponds to this?
Now saves, you is baptism. Save you, Peter says, baptism.
Saves you really, which corresponds to this baptism?
Now saves you not as a removal of dirt from the body.
Okay. Thank you for the clarification.
Peter baptism which corresponds to this.
Now saves you not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an
appeal to God, for a good conscience, Through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is no Redemptive value in
the body of water. That you step into there is
nothing of that physical material that brings about any
kind of Salvation or sanctification.
What Peter Singer was when you collect his thoughts.
Is that as, you know, baptism, is this external tangible pledge
that you make of something that has occurred internally.
And what baptism really is according to this verse is an
appeal It's an appeal to God. An appeal that was first birth
inside but now you're making it public first before him.
And before man, I want to be washed.
I want to be cleansed I want the old Daniel to go in that body
water and die and I want the new Daniel in Christ to come up in
Resurrection Life that is what is speaking about here.
There is an appeal in baptism and that appeal was first born
when you were cut in your heart. No wonder Peter after he
preaches to them says repent and be baptized.
You really want to be cleanse. You really want to be saved,
prove it. Show that your faith is genuine
and true. And that's why I get a little
nervous from people who hesitate to get baptized.
It's very telling sign of the condition of their conscience.
it reveals some things, and one of those things is that it puts
into question, whether they truly understand the demand of
the Gospel, And what Jesus is Worthy of.
But hopefully when you see people get into that tank, what
you're witnessing is, people appealing for a good conscience.
Oh, cleanse me, wash me. Make me new not that that act
does it, but it's just an expression of something that is
birthed in the heart. It's birth in the heart in
Hebrews says in so many different ways, how that
sacrifice of Jesus sprinkles, are conscious clean.
There's a cleansing that takes place and there is this relief
that is born. And unlike Herod you are no
longer troubled by what you've done in the past, you're no
longer thinking and it's no longer in the lingering it
behind you. What?
And ready to LEAP on you and any suspicious thing happens.
No, when you put your faith in Christ, you're conscious no
longer reminds you of that, which Christ has pardoned, it's
put to rest, it's buried. And yes, Satan would try to try
to unbury it and bring it back to you again but upward you
look. They're right and see him there.
You look and see him there. The one who's paid for your sins
to one has redeemed you from your sins.
And one is rescue you from your sins and you remind yourself and
you strengthen your faith. In the love of God, I'm free.
I'm free. And your conscience is now being
wired over and over again, condition, you are free.
You are free. You are free and that gets
louder and Satan voices. It's muted more, and more, and
more. The Cutting of the heart must
occur before the cleansing of the heart.
And one of the immediate Gifts of Salvation is that there is
this resounding relief to your conscience. the conscious and
Society, the conscience and salvation the assistance of
conscience and sanctification, after being a child of God, what
happens to your conscience What occurs when your evil conscience
is now made new and you're born again.
So you think differently? See, things differently is there
is there a cease of activity in your conscience?
Do you never know a restlessness?
Are you forever at ease? Because of what Christ has done?
Yes, or no? You should never for a moment,
doubt your position, and God because of Christ.
If your conscience, says anything to you, contrary to the
promises of God, in Jesus, your conscience needs some work to be
done on and that's okay. God is patient with us maturing
in the love of God. As first John, thousands people
who still feel condemnation. What that shows again is that
their conscience is not up to par with the truth and they need
to be trained. They need to be trained.
And so there should never ever be a moment where the
interruption of your piece occurs because of what Christ
has done at the same time because of the spirit of God
living inside of us, there's something that happens to her
conscience. That was not even known before
you came to Christ as real as it was before you came to Christ.
And it is this you are now alerted and aware of a higher
law. It's no longer just the basic
law of God, that has been instilled in every heart now.
You see the law of Christ. Now, I understand the depth of
the great call of discipleship, and your conscious now is made
aware of something, glorious, something, beautiful, and
sometimes even terrifying apart from God's help.
What is this? That's what happens.
Right? And now the law of God is
written on your heart. What I thought it was written
before. Yeah, it was written before but
it's written in a new way. Now now you have the desire to
obey it. Now you have the power to obey
it. Now you have a deeper
understanding of it. And you live differently and you
pursue that life there's an understanding now with the
conscience that brings about a new sense of responsibility and
that responsibility is for you to maintain as Paul said, so
many times a good conscience and here are a few reasons, why let
me tell you why you're conscious as a Christian is absolutely
important for you. To train and to obey.
Again time is not my friend now, so I'll give you just a couple
to think about. If you're there in First Peter,
you're in a good place because you arrive there sooner than the
others. I want you to see something in
First Peter 3 verse 15, notice this with me.
This is her Christians. Now, this is not just for
society, as a whole, it's not just a common Grace expression.
This is not even for for thus, for those who need to come to
Christ and either conscious to be smitten, this is for the
believer. And what we are told here by
Peter, something, instrumental about the use of a good
conscience. First, Peter 515, you know this,
we read but in your hearts honor Christ, the lord, as holy always
being prepared to make a defense to anyone, Who asks you for a
reason? For the hope that is in you yet
do it with gentleness and respect having a good
conscience. So that when you are slandered,
those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to
shame. Having a good conscience, is
absolutely necessary for your testimony.
For the boldness of your witness, notice, before he says
that you be ready to make a defense to anyone asks you for a
reason. For the hope that is in you and
he follows that with you, but you need a good conscience.
You need a good conscience. And then he goes on to talk
about how there are people who are ready to slander, you a
revile, your good behavior, right?
The world is looking for ammunition to dismiss.
The hope that is in us. They're constantly looking for
contradictions or hypocrisy to give them a reason to ignore
what you have to say. And what Peter is a pleading for
is listen to the best of your ability.
And by God's help ensure that your conscience is clear for the
sake of your Witness. A clear conscience makes a bold
witness. Fearless courageous.
Not wondering, who knows what? Not scared.
If somebody will bring something up, no, no.
A person who has a clear conscience, can give a clear
gospel and not just the clear gospel and the sense that you
can preach it of it, you're a hypocrite but a gospel that has
Authority with it. Has a strength to it.
That has a persuasion to it. That is winsome.
The only way that can happen is if You have nothing to be
embarrassed about privately or you're not something and a
different sphere of of your life.
For the sake of your testimony pursue a good conscience and
stay there because you don't know when somebody will ask you
about the hope that is in you. And when that time does come,
you will be ready to deliver as a clear vessel.
Not giving muddy water. And in fact, those who would try
to put you to shame, when, in realizing that you are men who
walks in, good conscience, a woman who walks and integrity
they would be put to shame. They would be silenced.
So for your testimony, for your testimony.
But there's another one that I think is so valuable and I love
it and I praise God, that it's in the Bible, not just for the
sake, your testimony for the sake of your peace. for the sake
of your piece, serve God, long enough, And the more public your
ministry is the more you'll be exposed to these kind of
attacks, any servant of God, who serves God, long enough and is
doing something effective for the kingdom of God, will be
subject to slander will be subject to false accusations
will be subject to smear campaigns.
It happened to Jesus. It happened to the disciples at
happened to the prophets. It happened to a man named Paul
in fact that that was what Paul had deal with throughout his
whole Ministry, this man was had to answer letters of people who
were saying that he was a Ministry for this reason for
that. And you have to defend
themselves and make a case this man on top of that was standing
in trials, and before tribunals and he had to deal with these
different accusations of what he was saying, all these things he
was constantly in the headlines of getting in trouble or being
questionable. That can be very overwhelming
for anybody that can be destructive and so many cases.
But you see Paul though a thorn in his flesh, was able to pull
through and not just pull through but be fruitful in the
midst of all of that. And you wonder how, what was
Paul secret? What was his comfort?
What made his pillow soft at night?
And some might say, because the gospel.
Amen. I know the gospel is the answer
for many things, right? Because the gospel.
Yes, the gospel, amen. Amen.
Because he had a certain
personality at leadership style that made him strong.
So he had alligator skin, no, actually read the scripture and
you see that he was, he was wounded in many ways including
emotionally mentally. Do you know what?
Paul's secret was to endure? The satanic assault on his
character on his reputation on his ministry.
A good conscience. A good conscience.
Notice how many times Paul says throughout the scriptures?
That he has a good conscience. Let me read you a couple verses
in Acts 20 31. He says here and looking
intently at the council here. He is standing before the
Sanhedrin on a on a trial based on false reports.
Paul said, Brothers I've lived my life before God in all good
conscience up to this day. I've lived my life before God
and all good conscience up to this day, acts 24 verse 16.
So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God
and man. And I could take the next five
minutes to show you different verses where he says in his
Epistles. I thank God with a clear
conscience with a clear conscience with a clear
conscience. Do you know why Paul can whether
those storms because of that, Because he took pains to ensure
that his conduct his life secret public with finances with the
opposite sex with how he did business.
He was a tent maker with all these different things.
He ensured, that his conscience was always an alignment with the
truth and there was nothing that he was aware of.
That would hold him or make him guilty.
And I can't tell you how instrumental that is when people
try to Gaslight you or in people, try to convince others
about you about things that are untrue.
The greatest thing that can get keep you strong.
According to the word of God is a clear conscience, I've known
personal tax over the years, I've known them, many of you
have known them as well, and I can tell you this, that the best
thing, the best thing is to be able to reflect and say I've
done all that. I could I've done all that I
could to do, or to handle the situation the way God's word
tells me too. That will put you to sleep.
That will that will bounce those arrows off of you.
When you had before God and before, man, you did not ignore
your conscience, do you did not violate your conscience but
you've upheld it. And honored it.
And you're free. You're free.
I'm fully aware that there are nuances with the conscience,
right? You go to Romans 14, you go to
First Corinthians 8 and you see how Believers feel differently
about different things. And there are all these rules
about how our separate Consciousness, should should be
harmonized together and work together, but you want to stay
for another hour me as other you.
We can do it. I just want to give you a basic
understanding and knowledge Society of the conscience.
And here's my question to you to the to the people who are
filling this room right now. What is your conscience telling
you today? What is your conscience telling
you today? What is your value system that
your conscience is adhering to is that the word of God or is it
culture? Is it the podcaster that you
love? Is that the philosopher who
doesn't know Christ? Where's your value system?
What is right and wrong to you? Is it what this says, or what
you say, or what your culture says, or where your tradition
says, or what your the rapper says who Yeah, you might have a
feeling of right and wrong but those feelings could be
misleading and deceptive and can to lead you into danger.
It will solidify you in damnation and all the while you
thought that you were doing, right?
I hope that scares you enough to fling.
Open your Bible to say, oh man, oh man, what is, what is my
understanding of, right and wrong.
What about you unbeliever? What is your conscience?
Telling you even now as you've heard me speak for the past
hour, Do you know, Christ is your conscience clear?
Before, God, can you confidently stand before him?
Can you confidently stand before him?
My fiancé and I are going through premarital counseling
book. And one of the things I
appreciate about the questions was that asked about the
Assurance of Salvation had different checkboxes and one of
the checkboxes, will they answer?
The question was? How assured are you?
How confident are you that you will be in heaven?
This is most confidently kind of confident, not really sure.
Absolutely not sure. And you know how good it felt to
be able to without hesitation say absolutely confident.
Are you? Well, I don't know.
How do you sleep at night, man? Who I don't know.
And you're worried about the stocks Oh, I don't know.
And you're worried about what's happening to your car.
God help you. I'm trying to tell you right
now. You're in trouble.
You're in deep trouble. You might not like me now.
You might leave. You're saying that guy was
crazy. That's fine.
You're going to stand before God one day and you're going to
remember these words. You know, what's scary about the
conscience. As much as you think, you can
silence it in this life and you're able to, there is a Time
coming when your conscience will be as clear as it's ever been
more clear than you can fathom. One of the things that will make
health, Also torturous, it's not just the pain.
Of physical elements. It's the fact that you will be
fully aware. That you are justifiably
condemned and on top of that you had opportunity to repent and
you rejected it. I have a feeling that that
impart will be the reason for a weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Your conscious might be dull now, but there is coming a day
where you will be resurrected, not until life.
But unto death, the second death and you will be fully informed
and aware. Why don't I do it when I had a
chance Believer. Do you work with your conscience
or do you just cruise through life without any kind of
guidance? Do you train your conscience?
Do you inform your conscious or do you just let anything come
into your mind? Here's the thing.
Whatever, you allowed to come into your mind, inevitably will
influence your conscience. So what do you feed your mind?
How familiar are you with the standard of God with the
promises of God with the directions of God?
Do you have that concern as Paul had?
I take great pains to ensure that I have a clear conscience
before God and man. And at the same time, believer.
Is your guilt legitimate? Because you have believers who
are tormented by their conscience and it makes no sense
to why they are actually tormented.
Do you know, your freedom in Christ You know, the Liberty
that Jesus purchased for you, do you major on the minors?
Do you make gray areas black and white.
So even believer, as much as you are called to have a clear
conscience, you also need an accurate conscience.
And that's that's part of pastoral Ministry to not just
people who ignore their conscious, but people, whether
very sensitive conscience that just any intrusive thought can
just bury them and they just don't want to do anything for
God anymore. They want to give up their not
worthy when it's like, Maybe there needs to be some rewiring
there with your conscience. Let's pray.
Lord this afternoon. We have heard.
We've heard your insights. On how you have made us.
We thank you for this gift. Called conscience.
We thank you that it was used to bring us to your son.
We thank you that. It must be continued.
Lee respected to be like your son.
To be loving to our Brethren. Have a testimony before the
world to know, peace, and to enjoy peace.
When Satan tries to attack us. We thank you that in your great
love beyond the love of Salvation.
You have raised up restraints in our world.
To keep evil at Bay, forgive America and the rest of the
world as they are listening to Satan, instead of your word, we
pray that you preserve Our Generation from self-destruction
that you would bring about a move of the spirit that would
reawaken the conscience an objective morality.
But we asked tonight, rather this afternoon, if there is
anyone who has a guilty conscience and it is legitimate
guilt that they would know they can have forgiveness in.
Jesus Christ that they don't have to live with this nying
fear like Herod. That they've done something
wrong and something is out to get them.
Eventually let them know that not only do you remove that
guilt but you remove the punishment.
Please Lord, we pray that today people would have a washed
conscience. And what we worship you today
with a clear conscience with a pure heart?
Knowing. Oh God.
That you are patient with us and that you are willing to forgive
us over and over again. Maybe not abuse that freedom,
but use it, use it to serve you with greater strength and
Assurance of your love. For us.
We give you honor and Glory now Lord, in Jesus name, we pray.
Amen. Let's stand together and
worship.