Bro Dukes via Bro Bill Sunday Night 9/11/11

Bro Dukes via Bro Bill Sunday Night 9/11/11

Rom 2:11  For there is no respect of persons with God.

Rom 2:12  For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;

Rom 2:13  (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

Rom 2:14  For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

Rom 2:15  Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

God gives every person a conscience.  They may not know a whole lot about God, yet there are things that they know in their conscience that they need to clean up in order to live for God.

2Co 1:12  For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.

The conscience gives testimony.  You cannot get by your conscience.  You don’t want to make excuse when your conscience pricks you.

When our conscience speaks to us: there are times when we are offended or affected and our human would like for us to make a move one way or another and our conscience helps us to stay in check. 

One thing that has kept me is the thought that If I were to make this act here or there then I could not live with my conscience.  There are things that I cannot do and have a clear conscience.  It has helped me to stay in the middle of the road. 

We look at people that have left God in one way or another and have the testimony that they think that they are still saved.  They are not going to be guiltless at the judgment even if they have excuses. 

Remember Lazarus and the rich man, when they both died, Abraham said, “Son, remember how it was in your life…”  When we die we will take that conscience with us.  We will remember; I wonder if that is part of the torment.  People know and are going to have to live with that conscience for the rest of eternity.

The rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus with a drip of water for his tongue.  I wonder if the thought was that he knew that he deserved to be there and was too ashamed to ask for a glass of water.  “Could you at least give me a drop, I cannot ask for a glass.”  Our conscience will never die.

1Jn 3:20  For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

1Jn 3:21  Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

Heart means thoughts or feelings, mind.  This thought of the heart may have to do with the conscience.  If our conscience condemns us, God knows about it. 

Gen 37:23  And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;

Gen 37:24  And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

Gen 37:25  And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

Gen 37:26  And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

Gen 37:27  Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

Gen 37:28  Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

We cannot get past our conscience.  Our conscience is going to be there.

Gen 42:20  But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.

Gen 42:21  And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.

After 20 years, that conscience was right there reminding them of what they had done.  This was before the written word of God.  The knowledge of what they had done was still fresh.

The conscience gives testimony and there is no statute of limitation, no excuses, just fact.

Joh 8:4  They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

Joh 8:5  Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

Joh 8:6  This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

Joh 8:7  So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

Joh 8:8  And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

Joh 8:9  And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

Joh 8:10  When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

Joh 8:11  She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

They were convicted by their own conscience.  It is God’s umpire.  Don’t ever make excuse for your conscience. 

Tit 1:15  Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

Don’t defile your conscience.  You know some values down in your heart.  Don’t make excuse to satisfy your flesh.  Don’t remove your boundaries.  Our conscience needs to be governed by the Word and the Spirit of God.  There are people in our own family that have been affected by false doctrine and are able to do those things that are wrong.  The way they are taught leaves room for the flesh. 

The Word and the Spirit need to be the guide for your conscience.  The word says thus and thus and it is sound.  The Bible is your GPS.  It is what is going to get you to heaven.  Your own thoughts will not get you there.  Have your conscience mixed in with the Word and the Spirit of God.

1Ti 4:1  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

1Ti 4:2  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

I wonder if one of the things that precede people departing is that they have over ridden their conscience.   

Don’t go against your pure conscience.  Don’t be of an attitude where, “I knew that I shouldn’t have done that but I did it anyways.” 

Heb 9:13  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

Heb 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The way that you get your conscience purged is by applying the blood of Christ.

Mat 27:3  Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

Mat 27:4  Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.

Mat 27:5  And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

This is sad, Judas had a conscience.  Judas could not silence his conscience even in death.  Judas to this day in eternity, thousands of years later, has a memory of what he did. 

Act 23:1  And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.

Let’s endeavor to do this.  Don’t defile your conscience.  When it is telling you that this isn’t right, don’t override that conscience; don’t sear your conscience.

Act 24:16  And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.

Exercise takes work.  You don’t always feel like exercising.