Essential Discipline – A Good Conscience

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the sermon as the final study on devotion to God, reviewing the foundation of sound conversion and the framework of understanding one's position (justified…

The analogy of a house under construction is used to illustrate the foundation of conversion and the framework of understanding one's position and obligations to God.

we turn towards God from our idols with a disposition to serve him as slaves and eagerly to await for his Son out of the heavens, Jesus Christ, whom God raised from the dead, who delivers us from the wrath to come. Assuming that, by God's grace, that foundation has been laid in the hearts of many of you, we then went on to consider the framework of a life of devotion to God. And using the analogy of the house under construction, we said that once the foundation of a sound conversion has been laid,

2:07 - 2:50 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Concerning the faith, you see it in the text, you see it there, so whatever a good conscience is. I want you to see how vitally. It's unnecessary accompaniment of a heart in which there is true love. To God and his word.

The metaphor of a ship sailing high on Christian profession but then dashed upon rocks and shipwrecked is used to describe those who cast off a good conscience and lose their faith.

In the Christian life, holding faith and a good, which and that word, which the pronoun refers not to both faith and a good conscience, but it refers exclusively to a good conscience, which that is a good conscience. Some having thrust from them made shipwreck concerning the faith. Here are people who at one time were sailing high upon.

13:59 - 14:31 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He defines conscience as God's implanted moral monitor (Romans 2:14-15), which accuses or excuses, and explains how a guilty conscience instinctively causes one to draw away from…

Conscience is described as 'God's own implanted monitor' that excuses or accuses, functioning like a stubborn little fellow with a limited vocabulary of 'right' and 'wrong'.

we've got to know what conscience itself is what is conscience well i'm not going to give you any technical definition the bible doesn't the bible describes it by its function and basically conscience is god's own implanted monitor who who who who excuses us when we do what pleases god and who points the finger and accuses us when we do what displeases god and where do i get that notion right out of romans chapter 2 verses 14 and 15 this is the way conscience works even in the hearts of those who have never heard the gospel

16:21 - 17:03 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He defines conscience as God's implanted moral monitor (Romans 2:14-15), which accuses or excuses, and explains how a guilty conscience instinctively causes one to draw away from…

The story of Adam and Eve hiding from God after sinning is used to illustrate how a guilty conscience instinctively causes one to draw away from God.

he shouldn't he's not a perfect monitor but he is an authoritative monitor he is a god implanted monitor and further more whatever conscience accuses us you know what happens instinctively we draw away from god put conscience there what was the first thing Adam and Eve did after they sinned and conscience hollered in their ears ran from whom from god

20:27 - 21:12 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin explains that at conversion, Christ's blood cleanses the conscience (Hebrews 9:14, 10:19-22), bringing peace and enabling believers to draw near to God without dread, a joy…

Martin shares his personal experience of growing up terrified of God due to a guilty conscience, highlighting the joy of finding peace through Christ's blood.

Can you remember that? Some of us reared in a Christian home who knew about God from our infancy. We can remember how any time we thought of God, it terrified us. Because we knew from the teaching we had received in the Bible that God was holy.

28:23 - 28:40 Read in full sermon

The point: Keep short accounts with God, never knowingly having more than one unresolved issue at a time.

An extended scenario of a husband speaking harshly to his wife, arguing with his conscience, and then justifying himself, is used to illustrate how unresolved sin hinders communion with God and leads to spiritual dullness.

You're in the home. You're rushing to come out to church. And as you see, the time is getting away from you. And you're going to be embarrassed if you come in.

38:13 - 38:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Keep short accounts with God, confessing sins immediately upon discovery.

Every sin is compared to a 'cinder in the eye' to emphasize that there are no 'little sins' when it comes to hindering spiritual sight and communion with God.

There are no little sins. Every sin is like a cinder in the eye and you don't talk about, well, it's just a little cinder. Of course, it's made my eye all bloodshot and I can't see, but it's just a little one.

43:46 - 43:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Confess your sins one to another, seeking and granting forgiveness daily within the community of God's people.

A hypothetical scenario where church members would stand in the pulpit and declare a conscience void of offense to every other member is used to challenge the audience's honesty in their relationships.

You know what I'd love to do if we had the time to do it and I got the permission of the elders to do it? You know what I'd like to do? I'd like to take every member of this church who's here tonight and have you come one by one, stand right up here in the pulpit, and starting with this first row to my left, look every person straight in the eye and say, in the presence of almighty God, I can look you in the eye with a conscience void of offense. I do not knowingly have any ill will to you.

48:49 - 49:19 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin specifically calls parents to confess sins to children and men to humble themselves before wives, and wives to truly forgive and forget, emphasizing that humility is…

Martin shares a personal story about his son's return from a period of rebellion, and how the son remembered his father's confessions of sin as evidence of the reality of their faith, driving him to further sin when he tried to deny it.

and I don't speak out of theory, I'll say something that I've never said publicly before. When my own son turned his back upon God and his ways and went into the far country at age 19 and a half, God brought him back two years ago from the far country into himself.

53:26 - 53:46 Read in full sermon

The point: Men, humble yourself before your wife; learn to dwell humbly with your wives.

Men who are too proud to confess sins to their wives are described as 'swaggering around like King Tut,' implying their spiritual life is a sham.

You're never going to get the first base in spiritual progress until you get down off your high male horse and learn to dwell humbly with your wives. You swagger around like King Tut. And anyone with half an ounce of discernment can see clean through you. There's nothing real about your prayer life.

57:09 - 57:34 Read in full sermon

The point: Whatever you've got to make right with wife, husband, or children, don't pillow your head until it's dealt with.

A letter from a church member enduring severe physical afflictions (hip replacement, torn ankle) who found tremendous blessing in having a conscience void of offense, is used to illustrate the value of a clear conscience in suffering.

And you sit there and say, oh God, oh God, that was for me. God, if that was for no one else, it was for me. I got a lovely letter the other day from one of our church members. He and his wife had been put through an unusual baptism of affliction.

63:41 - 64:01 Read in full sermon

The point: If your conscience is not void of offense, go right now to the Lord Jesus and then to those people you must go to to deal with the issue.

The story of a young man who took six years to make things right and gain a good conscience, and now treasures it above all else, illustrates the transformative power and value of this discipline.

Nothing's worth losing. We have a young man in our church who sat in my study a few months ago and said, Pastor, it took me six years to get a good conscience. I had so many things to make right, but he said, now that I have it, I will not relinquish it for anything. You think he's growing in devotion to God?

66:06 - 66:31 Read in full sermon