The Diseases of Conscience, Part 3

The point: When conscience raises a 'blister' of pain due to sin, deal with it biblically by running to Christ's blood for cleansing and confessing sin to God.

The analogy of new running shoes causing blisters that eventually form calluses is used to explain how a tender conscience, when repeatedly ignored or not dealt with biblically after sin, hardens into a calloused conscience.

Before we turn to some specific portions in the Word of God. Some of us run or jog. It all depends from whose perspective you describe it in order to keep our weight controlled and for other health reasons. And occasionally our running shoes wear out.

6:50 - 7:10 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: One reason for failing to react biblically is a paralyzing weariness in the constant spiritual battle to keep a good conscience, likened to the frustration of constantly cleaning…

A man's weariness from constantly cleaning his new car from volcanic ash illustrates the 'paralyzing weariness' some believers experience in the incessant battle to keep a good conscience, leading them to give up and develop callouses.

the price to keep a good conscience is just plain too high. It's like a poor man who's purchased not so poor if he could do that a pitiable man who has purchased a new car and he lives in an area where there's been a volcanic eruption and for days the volcanic ash is continually settling down on everything that is exposed. And he no sooner goes out and wipes off his new car and admires his shiny bucket of bolts he comes back an hour later and the volcanic ash is all over and he goes out and he wipes it off and comes in and he no sooner comes in and reads the newspaper peeks out the window to e...

14:15 - 15:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Overcome the spirit of unbelief that questions God's willingness to forgive repeatedly, remembering that God's forgiveness is boundless.

Jesus' teaching on forgiving a brother 'seventy times seven' is used as an example to counter the 'unbelieving reluctance' to keep coming to Christ for forgiveness, emphasizing God's boundless mercy.

but there is this unbelieving reluctance to keep coming again and again and again to the Lord Jesus Christ for cleansing us and for forgiveness O my dear Christian friend who has fallen prey to this terrible spirit of unbelief and that's what it is would God enjoin you to do more than he does when the question was asked how many times shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him till seven times and our Lord says no till seventy times seven in other words we don't keep a ledger when we forgive our brethren God says forgiveness is to go out as often as he sins against us and asks our forgi...

20:07 - 21:34 Read in full sermon

The point: Maintain the posture of a perpetual penitent, acknowledging your sinfulness even in your holiest moments, and resisting a proud refusal to do so.

The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican is used to illustrate the 'proud refusal to maintain the posture of a penitent,' where individuals prefer self-righteousness over humble confession, leading to a calloused conscience.

but because of a proud refusal to maintain the posture of a penitent a proud refusal to maintain the posture of a penitent you see the Pharisee to some degree is in every one of us we'd rather run the risk of a calloused conscience and be able to say I thank you God I'm not as others than to maintain the posture of a publican God be merciful to me the sinner and of course I'm referring to the record of the Pharisee and the publican as found in the Gospel of Luke you see nothing is so withering to human pride than to walk months years or even decades in the way of righteousness by the grace of ...

21:34 - 23:02 Read in full sermon

The point: Trample over native pride and self-justification to say the hard words, 'I was wrong,' and ask for forgiveness from others.

The difficulty children have in admitting 'I was wrong' is used to highlight the deep-seated 'unmortified pride' in adults that hinders confession and contributes to a calloused conscience.

of making things right with others it's an unmortified spirit of pride which hinders you from acknowledging your wrong to another you're not afraid of the consequences of confessing your sin to your brethren you're just too proud the hardest words for you to say are these I was wrong full stop not I was wrong but and everything that follows the but cancels the I was wrong there's a nervous snicker I think many of you know what I'm talking about I was wrong what keeps you from saying that? those of us who've had children how many times when our children were younger we saw the situation there w...

36:23 - 37:49 Read in full sermon

The point: Begin the cure for a calloused conscience with an honest and accurate recognition of your condition, remembering when your conscience was tender.

The passage from Isaiah 44 about a man making an idol from a piece of wood, part of which he uses for fire, illustrates the tragic state of a deceived heart that loses contact with reality and cannot recognize its own folly, paralleling a calloused conscience.

has learned a thousand subtle ways to protect his callous because he knows beneath that callous there's tender skin there's tender skin and for some reason he no longer wants the tender skin that's the very thing that produced the callous the heel said protect me from that particular curvature of the running shoe protect me from that pressure of that part of the shoe and in response a callous was built up and your conscience cried out spare me that raw that pressure that pain from that issue and the callous is built up and built up and there will be no restoration without an honest and accurat...

43:37 - 45:07 Read in full sermon

The point: Write to the IRS if you have cheated on taxes, getting honest with God and specific in your dealings, even if it's a painful process.

Zacchaeus's commitment to restore fourfold what he had taken wrongfully is used as an example of taking specific, painful, and time-consuming steps to make things right and remove callouses from conscience.

those lies you told the money you took you've got to clear it time won't clear those issues you've got to deal with them you've got to deal with them some of you are going to make no progress until you write the IRS and tell them that you cheated you rationalize them so you had there a bunch of crooks and they imposed this on me and they yeah they may be a bunch of crooks but they'll answer to God for their crookery and you'll answer to God for yours is their crookery reason for you to have a callous conscience you're to render tribute to whom tribute is due that wasn't exactly a righteous gov...

53:57 - 55:24 Read in full sermon

The point: Be jealous to get a good conscience at any cost, even if it means a long and humbling process of making things right.

A quotation from the Puritan Richard Sibbes on keeping a daily audit of conscience and drawing on the blood of Christ is used to emphasize the importance of consistent self-examination and repentance to prepare for sickness, temptation, and death.

he was a wealthy tax collector a wealthy one and as he went back over his records he probably had dozens and dozens of people that he had to go to he had to humble himself knock on the door oh hello Mr. Zacchaeus how you doing not so good why may I come in and talk to you sure come in then he begins to tell his tale house after house client after client my friend it's far better to be in pursuit of getting a good conscience and never even come to the realization but have your face set in the direction of it and die moving there than to die in the state some of you are in I want to close with a...

55:24 - 56:51 Read in full sermon